Are We Serious?–Church Leaders

In a recent conversation with a brother in Christ, our discussion turned to the challenges facing the contemporary church. As in other conversations over the last few years, the topic soon turned to a single question: Are our churches more and more filled with people who are “not very serious” about Christianity? This raises several questions–and a series of blog challenges!

Are our leaders serious? For over 20 years of ministry in two steadily growing churches (decadal growth rates of 100% and slightly over 50%), I worked with elders and deacons who often gave 4-5 nights per week to the work of the church–two assembly nights, a meeting night, a members’ visitation night, and an evangelism night. And that doesn’t count the hospital visits, member contacts, and shepherding done after work or on weekends. It is no surprise that those churches grew steadily. Most churches today do not hold their leaders accountable. Leaders do not desire accountability, refusing give the congregation the opportunity to reselect them or to reaffirm them. Many are afraid they would not be reselected. Too many leaders are frequently absent from the church assemblies and can easily count the average number of hours they spend each week in church leadership matters on their fingers (10 or less).
An external, objective observer might ask, “Are you serious about your shepherd role as a representative of the Chief Shepherd?” When members are absent without contact by the shepherds, when members “fall through the cracks” and are not the subject of continuing prayer and effort, the question is valid. Are we serious?

2012 Bible Reading Plan

It is not to early to begin planning for your 2012 Bible reading plan. Will you read the entire Bible? Old Testament only? New Testament only?
Is your goal to read the Bible through one time, or perhaps a smaller section like the New Testament multiple times? (During many years of ministry, I read the New Testament every month.)
Regardless, the most important aspect of systematic Bible reading is the development of a plan. I discussed several different Bible reading plans during December 2010 and January 2011. You can follow the “Bible Study” topical link on this blog site to access those blog articles.
You may also find helpful the chapter devotionals which I am web publishing at Devotional Index Page. This approach suggests a chapter each day for 5 days each week as a way to read and study through the New Testament in a year.
If you are among those who often start and fall short, let me encourage you to develop a new plan and begin now to pray about how you can hear God more consistently in the coming year.

A Major Challenge

There are few problems more challenging than the problems that come because people cannot get along with one another. The problem exists almost everywhere in the world of human relationships, but it is especially accentuated in the spiritual family among those who are supposed to be able to get along with one another.

The problem must be probed. It is that people cannot get along with one another? or that they do not want to? or that they refuse to? or that they do not know how? Each situation is different. The church will not grow until it thinks outside itself and invests more energy in developing relationships of understanding and acceptance. The church will be impotent as long as one group refuses to attend a certain activity because another group is going to be there, as long as I refuse to go where my estranged brother is present, as long as I refuse to communicate and pray together and attempt understanding.

Shamefully, we North Americans have imported our problem to Latin America. In a culture that has historically been built on meaningful personal interactions and strong interpersonal relationships, we have taught suspicion, exclusivity, and competition. We have walled off little groups with loyalty and allegiance to us more than to the Lord. We pay lip service to unity but preach and practice division. In nations where the church must register with the government, we do not register as a single unified body of Christ, but we register as two or three or half a dozen groups. We refuse to support and attend activities beyond our own little circle. We speak against and tear down and work against the progress of brothers and sisters who are also trying to help people know Jesus and go to heaven.

Further, this is “the elephant in the board room.” We refuse to acknowledge that it happens, we refuse to talk about it, we refuse to talk to one another about solutions and establishing relationships of understanding. Until we open lines of communication, we will not understand. And until we understand, we will remain hopelessly divided and fail to be the salt and light we are called to be. While we seek to be protected and accepted, we have little or no impact nor influence on the rest of the world journeying to condemnation, and we are of all people are most selfish and to be pitied.

A Temporary Absence Explained: Reporting on Baxter

If you are among those who check in from time to time at this blog, you may have noticed my absence over the last week. The explanation is that I was out of the country attending the annual Baxter Institute graduation and board meeting in Honduras!

The trip was without incident and the work both at Baxter and the JMA Clinic continues to move forward. The time on campus interacting with students is always special. The graduates buoy one’s spirits as they share their enthusiasm and optimism for the future. I ask you to pray for the mission work at Baxter and the clinic, and also for our graduates as they go forth to make a difference across Latin America. The weather this year was a little cooler than usual. The overnight lows were in the 50s, but the days were pleasant as always. A welcome change from Oklahoma late fall, especially since I returned to a light dusting of snow this morning.

[My hope is that during most of December I can maintain a more normal scheduling of blog posts along with additional materials for the website.]

It’s Sunday Again: Thanksgiving Sunday?

Across more than 40 years of preaching, I always struggled with the question of the Thanksgiving sermon–especially which Sunday to consider “Thanksgiving Sunday” It may seem obvious to think of the Sunday after Thanksgiving (concluding the Thanksgiving weekend) as “Thanksgiving Sunday”, but at least two problems arise. First, attendance is often lower due to holiday travels. Second, Thanksgiving has come and gone and most people have already moved past any desire to consider the attitudes of gratitude. Thus, my general approach was to use the Sunday before Thanksgiving (at the beginning of Thanksgiving week) as Gratitude Sunday.

The truth is that developing a heart of generosity and gratitude is appropriate at any time. As the Thanksgiving weekend winds down, here are a few questions.
How and why has God blessed me? Why was I born where and when I was? How can I fully comprehend and appreciate the truth: “There but for the grace of God go I?” In a world where blessings often distinguish us from others and set us apart (above?), what blessings cause me to identify with humanity rather than separating me from humanity? How can I pass on God’s goodness to me?

If you have not taken time over the past few days to consider such basic questions, why not include these reflections in today’s devotional or meditations as you worship God?

Thanksgiving: The Satisfying Life

The days around the Thanksgiving holiday traditionally give cause for counting blessings–they are also good days for rethinking priorities.

Some research suggests that the great American search for prosperity and wealth is giving way to measuring life by other standards. Definitions of what makes life satisfying are changing. Satisfaction by consumption is giving way to the satisfaction of a simpler life. People are questioning whether spending time seeking greater satisfaction in life is really better than putting some aspects of life on autopilot. In a rugged economy, many are learning that money doesn’t necessary lead to happiness, but that aligning family, values that matter, and the enjoyment and experience of life are the ultimate sources of satisfaction. Such thinking redefines what it means to be wealthy–not in terms of money but in terms of family and friends, meaningful activities, traditions, and experiences.

As the Christmas season approaches, one way new definitions of life satisfaction are changing us is in the kind and quantity of gifts we give. More families are limiting gifts, questioning the tendency to go bonkers with gifts (especially for the children), and addressing the selfishness and entitlement that has too often become part of the Christmas season. Is there a way to experience the holidays with attitudes of generosity and selflessness, sharing with the needy and less fortunate both at home and in the mission field? Dare we consider ways we can help our families rethink what it means to share and care?

Thanksgiving 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!
I like Thanksgiving. For many years, it was one of the “purer” U.S. holidays–a time to be thankful and spend time with family. Only in recent years has Christmas commercialism invaded.

Today I will be thankful. I do not plan to make a list, but I resolve to see the blessings of my life more than the things lacking. I will recommit to develop an attitude of gratitude. I will remember that it is better to be “humbly grateful” than “grumbly hateful.” I will cultivate gratitude as the antidote to pride.

  • I am thankful for friends and extended family across the nation and around the world. I pulled yesterday’s birthday greetings into a temporary e-mail inbox–I am thankful for those who sent words of greeting and encouragement, love and friendship (approaching 200).
  • I am thankful for my family–especially for my wife, children, and grandchildren.
  • I am thankful for my spiritual family around the world. What an incredible blessing!
  • I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in the kingdom of Christ. The way God uses us according to our special skills, even as he has shaped and molded and prepared us, is beyond understanding.

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving if you live in the U.S. and share this national holiday. If you live elsewhere in the world, I hope you have a blessed day and can see the blessings of your life more clearly today.

It’s Sunday Again: The Lord’s Day (?)

It’s Sunday. Even though the number of regular churchgoers in our nation has dwindled drastically, millions of people in the US will attend church somewhere today. (If the surveys are correct, reflecting an attendance of only 15-25% of the population nationwide, 50-75 million people in the US will attend church today.)
When the church attendance obligation for the day is punched, a question remains. Will God’s people treat this day as the Lord’s Day all day long? Is church merely an hour or two of obligatory activity in a day that otherwise appears little different than any other day, or will this be a day of God’s presence, power, and praise? Will this be a day of meditation and contemplation of God’s majestic Word? Will this day be devoted to considering spiritual life, or will it be devoted to physical things? In 16 waking hours (more or less), what time will God get?
In a time when church attendance at “secondary” services is struggling to reach 1/3 or 1/2 of morning attendance, what version of Christianity exists in our nation? Is Christianity a habit or a commitment? If Christianity can barely alter our activities on a day we call the Lord’s Day, how probable is it that it will change how we live our lives on Monday through Saturday?

Evangelism

Note: I am writing to add to the conversation on Missional Outreach Network (www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com). The conversation to this point includes a blog by M. Scott Boren, “What Missional Evangelism is Not,” a blog by James Nored, “What Missional Evangelism is NOT—and what it should be”, and a blog by Miguel Labrador, “The Gospel ‘Presented’ in a Moment?” I have read these blogs and am adding to the conversation in this reflection. Some of what follows is a restatement or rewriting of previously suggested ideas.

We must understand certain things as we begin to discuss how people come to a saving relationship with God, escaping the brokenness brought about by sin. We must carefully think about the entire process.

1. The process of disciple-making is a teaching process. To make disciples implies sharing information. What information must be shared? Above all God wants to be recognized and known for who he is, a part of which is communicated in the Gospel (“Good News”). God’s nature and identity is made known through Jesus Christ, the living Word. The story of Jesus (the Gospel) also reveals how a broken relationship with God can be reestablished. Soliciting a response to the second without understanding also the first will lead to a self-centered response. The gospel begins with God and naturally leads to what he does to restore relationship in Christ.

2. Some people do recognize that a spiritual problem exists. If people do not recognize that a God-relationship is desirable and has been broken, sharing information will have little impact. Good News is only good if it has a personal application—otherwise it is neutral, even if I recognize it as “good” for another person. “Because you are my friend, I am glad you won the drawing and I recognize that as good news for you. It may indirectly be good news to me, but it is not directly good news for me—unless you share part of your winnings.” In a biblical analogy used in many evangelism training models, a first step in evangelism is to know and prepare the soil or the field. This is why “cold turkey” presentations are generally ineffective (and often offensive). In most evangelism training materials, too little time is spent in discussing the soil, and when such conversations occur, they are often too late in the process. Developing interest in the gospel is primary, and may be done through curiosity (unanswered Bible questions), felt needs and personal crises, friendships, example, demonstration, and in many other ways.

3. The information to be shared is contained in the Bible (written Word), and especially in the Jesus story (the story of the living Word). This information must be shared. Sharing this information usually involves summarizing it so it can be transferred. This summary cannot include everything in the Bible, but it must include essential components or the “gospel obedience” will not be based on enough information.
[A brief summary of basic information includes an understanding of God, Jesus, God’s communication in the Bible, the value of human beings in God’s sight, the problem of broken relationship through sin, God’s action in Christ, our response, the community, and the nature and results of faithfulness.]

4. Evangelism is technically “good news-ing” or telling the good news, but is obviously more complex that appears on the surface. Evangelism must share the right information and enough information. Evangelism must not short-circuit the information sharing process in hopes of getting an immediate response. (Those on Pentecost responded quickly because certain elements were already in place. They were interested, they understood the problem, had an awareness of God, and already had a basic orientation.) Evangelism must take into account the soil of the human heart and must patiently prepare the soil to be ready to receive the seed of the Gospel. Otherwise, we are casting the seed aimlessly and uselessly, feeling good about casting the seed, but not using wisdom to reap a harvest. The gospel transmitted effectively and powerfully brings people to restored relationship with God.
[A brief summary of God’s ultimate purpose: God wants to be recognized as he is in his works, nature and identity, a recognition of the reality of Creator and created; God desires respect, worship and praise from his creation based on his nature; God desires relationship with his human creation; God desires human response to his nature, love and overtures; thus, God desires repentance, a changed view of the world, right thinking about reality, a change of mind and heart and life; God desires that his people reflect his glory.]

5. The gospel can be demonstrated. Christians can live according to the gospel, consistent with restored relationship in Christ. This includes the items in the summary immediately above.

These points should inform our methods of sharing the gospel. While the old three-fold description may be worn, it is yet valid. Taking the gospel to others involves presence, proclamation, and persuasion. There is a place for connecting, serving, demonstrating, and ministering, but the power of these activities is limited. There is a need for knowledge, summarized as proclamation—helping others learn and understand the gospel message through Bible study, tracts, presentations, sermons, and classes. This is essential but may not be sufficient without persuasion. Becoming involved in “God conversations” is an effective way to couple presence and proclamation. Such conversations are seldom sufficient proclamation, but can provide beginning points. Generally presence, proclamation, and persuasion occur sequentially. It is unusual that someone should be persuaded without information. Information makes more sense when coupled with examples of Christian living and friendship.

There may be a place for quick, single-lesson Bible studies or gospel presentations, especially when relationship has been established and presence and proclamation have already been occurring, e.g. a person who has been attending church regularly or one who has a lot of previous “churched” experiences. One could characterize the events of Pentecost as a single-lesson approach. Generally I do not use a single-lesson approach.

My preferred approach is a guided Bible study which treats the summary items in #3 above in eight lessons. The study includes Bible texts and questions related to understanding those texts. The study is designed based on standard learning techniques. “Story of Redemption” takes a similar approach but includes a narrative section and fewer questions. I hope by such extended Bible studies over a period of several weeks to build adequate foundations of knowledge and understanding, commitment, and community relationship that will help the new Christians in beginning their walk with Jesus.

The Funeral: to an unknown “god” or “God”

The friends and relatives assemble, the hushed whispers tell a story of layers of grief unexpressed, a thick fog that often envelops the valley of death. We need words of comfort, so we call a minister whom no one knows, least of all the deceased who was by all accounts never much of a church-goer but a good father, beloved husband, and a really good hunter and fisherman. The minister’s job is to offer up incense-like words that explain to God (or to the gods) the unreligious life of the deceased. He speaks the words from the funeral manual: “Let not your heart be troubled and be not afraid.” The tired way he speaks, going through the motions he well knows, brings to mind the phrase, “God Out of a Machine”—a bold, tired attempt to resolve the plot of this individual death story. The words are powerless to resolve the tragedy of hopeless separation that death brings when life is not lived in anticipation of eternity. A corpse, the plaintive unspoken cry, “Why have you forsaken us?” Groaning mourners, consolation denied even though the words of peace and the benediction suggest that all is well. What can one expect when one brings an offering to an unknown God or god?