Forward Thinking

Is your Church where it should be? Does it need change? Can you do things in greater ways than you are doing now? Then maybe its time to do something about it. Maybe its time to not worry so much about the few who get upset when change takes place and time to get on with the mission of God. That group or handful of people who do not want change in your Church are not going to change. How do I know that? Because I have experienced it in the past and it exists at almost every Church in America. It is a sad commentary of American Churches that only a few people can be allowed to hinder the progress of the Church.

Now I am not talking about change for the sake to make things more appealing. I am talking about changing anything and everything that hinders God moving among us in greater ways. That could mean implementing new leaders and asking contentious ones to step down. It could mean starting a new outreach program with only 3 people because no one else is motivated to reach out. It could mean that you have a time of concentrated prayer once a month at the end of you morning service even though it makes a few uncomfortable (the Church is not about our comfort levels). It could mean that you have family meetings once a month or quarter to make sure that everyone is on the same page even though one leader is fighting against it because they fear losing power. It could mean that you draw up new parameters for the functions of every area of leadership in your Church regardless of the few who criticize it. Are you getting where I am coming from?

Some of the things that I have mentioned we have done at this Church and every time there is a change there is a complaint. Realize that before you even step out of the boat. By realizing that it will help you become less frustrated and hopefully help you to keep moving forward. Our biggest enemy in the Church today is fear. We are frightened of change and the criticism that comes along with it. We need to overcome our fears because too many Churches are in stagnation mode right now. Is this what Jesus intended His Church to be like? No Way (as my son loves to say to every question asked)! Jesus wants His Church to be a thriving, living, active, spiritual, and dynamic place. And we want our comfort levels every time we walk through the door. If you want change in your Church then start today on your knees asking God for strength, wisdom, and insight and He will begin to direct you to what needs to be done. Paul wrote in Ephesians "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." This sounds to me that God wants to move among us in greater ways. Maybe He is waiting on His people to feel the same way.

Learn to be Silent

Pastoral Ministry is an interesting adventure. Unless you have thick skin you should probably never undertake any leadership role in the Church. Any leader in the Church is always underneath a microscope no matter who they are. You are human like everyone else, but the expectation for you life is held up to a higher measure by all. Every word spoken, action taken, and ministry started will be criticized by a few or by many. Those in leadership roles are not perfect, but there is an expectation for you to be perfect by a few people in every congregation.

While we cannot hide from criticism in leadership we can model Christ in greater ways when it happens to us. Most people in and outside of the Church let criticism cut them deeply and create a lasting wound. This is a choice and a mistake that many make. When we become hurt by criticism we need to assess a few things in that process.

1. Who is the person criticizing me?
2. Do they readily criticize others in the Church also?
3. How involved are they in the Church?
4. Did their criticism have validity in any way?
5. Did they confront me in person or through a phone call (a person who does this usually has more character)?
6. Did I deserve the criticism?
7. Is there something that I need to personally work on?

It will take time to become a person who can assess the situation, but over time it will help you mature in greater ways. Learn to ask yourself some questions like the ones that I have listed before you ever respond in any way. By learning to accept it before you ever respond you will develop greater character and glorify God in greater ways by how you handle it. James 1:26 says "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." When you receive criticism that is unwarranted the best course of action is to listen to the words of James and give the matter over to God and let him sort it out. Even though someone is a Christian and you have tried to work through a matter with them does not always guarantee that it will always work out. Some Christians are just more mature than others. If you honor God's word He will honor you.

Is Doctrine Dead?

Our Church has been going the the book of 1 John. This is a tough book with themes that can seem repetitive. It is a fabulous book and one that needs to be preached over and over again. I personally have never heard a series on 1 John when I was sitting in the pew as a young believer. This weeks text is taken from 1 John 2:18-27. In this text John says "See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you." That one bit from verse 24 says a lot to the modern/post-modern church. It reminds us that we have a Christian obligation to understand the basics of the Christian faith with as much depth as possible.

We are living in a time when people of any Church background do not understand their Church background or the basic tenets of the faith. Doctrine can seem like such a dry and scary word to many, but it is a word that needs to be elevated by Church Leaders and understood by them. When the Leaders of any Church do not know, understand, and teach basic doctrine the Church is left with a group of people who are bringing in their interpretation of what scripture means to their lives instead of understanding scripture and applying it to their lives. Those of us who are called to lead must teach the basics of the faith to our people because we are obligated to do so. In 1 Timothy, Paul charges his young disciple to keep the basics of the faith and to teach it to the congregation he is Pastoring. This charge remains!

When our Church is done with its series in 1 John we will be moving into the Doctrine of Salvation until the beginning of December. Every year I take one aspect or category of Doctrine and turn it into a Topical Series using a given complete text for each sermon. This is a simple task that allows the congregation to grow and gives freedom to the Preacher to piece the Bible together on a given but yet important matter. The sheep are hungry right now and they need to be fed! They have had enough milk and it is time to give them some steak!

Overflow

We love to talk about the things that matter to us the most! I talk a lot about the St. Louis Cardinal because of my passion for baseball and my team. I tell everyone how I could do a better job than the current General Manager and point out the trades that he should have been involved in. In my own eyes I am the greatest baseball sofa Coach that ever lived. If I had a direct line into the dugout and could talk with Cardinals Manager Tony Larussa about the lineup the Cardinals would be in a much better position. At least this is what I think when I talk about my beloved Cardinals.

The things that we love in this world the most are always on our minds. As I type these words I think of how my Cardinals are on a bad losing streak that could keep them out of this years playoffs. Even though I love baseball I wonder if I fill my daily conversations with the same time dedicated to God? I am passionate about Jesus and salvation, but I have been questioning lately how much time is dedicated to telling others about this wonderful God I serve. So many different ways to do so, but sometimes I refrain out of fear of what people might think or say. I might seem a bit cultic or something. Does it really matter what other people think? Even people in the Church might find it strange to talk about God everyday! Other peoples perceptions should never stop me from talking about God. The only thing that does seem to stop me is when my walk is not what it should be.

As a Pastor there is always that perception by people that I am living on the mountain top. I wish that was what my life with Jesus was like, but it is far from the truth. No matter who we are in the Church we all have to be committed to spending quality time with God everyday. When we become committed Christians we begin to experience God moving through our lives in such wonderful ways that we will not be able to stay quiet about it. There is a pressing need in our country for people to hear about how wonderful, loving, gracious, compassionate, forgiving, and big our God is. I think the biggest problem why people are not hearing more from those inside of the Church is that the life of faith has become routine to many. I refuse to settle for a life with God of just going through the motions. I refuse to stay quiet about the goodness of God and the things that HE has brought me through. I have a faith that believes that when non-believers see God moving through the life of one of HIS servants that they will be impacted in some way.

The Church is here to help those in Christ grow through various means. As a Christian everyone has the responsibility of growing on their own as well. Whether you are a Pastor or just someone who shows up on Sunday morning. When you make a decision to start growing and put effort into the life you have been called to live you will discover over time that God will begin to move into many of your conversations. We need this in the Church! We need to stop thinking that it is strange to be consumed by God and that people are strange who want to speak about HIM whenever they get a chance. When the people of the Church begin to overflow with praises for God and what HE has done and is doing in their lives it will become a witness to the world around us. We need to be better witnesses to the world through our lifestyle in the Church. We need the overflow of God in our lives because we are losing ground. It is time for the Church to shine in new ways for the glory of God.

Solitary Confinement

I have many Christian friends who come from different backgrounds and different denominations. Over the past month I keep running into people who love Jesus but attend a different type of Christian Church than I do. When the topic of Church comes up I find that I enjoy the conversation because its usually centered on what God is doing in someone's life or about how to get the Church moving. The Christians that I seem to gravitate toward the most are the ones that care more about the Great Commission than if their denomination is successful. That probably bothers some people, but it is all about Jesus first and everything else second.

Lately I have been questioning our focus at the Church that I Pastor and the others that are out there. We seem to be building our own personal kingdoms while people around us are far from Christ and are experiencing inner turmoil. I don't want to live like this anymore! I don't want to minister like this anymore! I want radical change! I want revolution and reformission like I never have before! But that change I desire will not just happen overnight because I have a desire for it. I have to give that desire over to God through prayer and learn to "Be Still" before Him and wait for Him to move. That is the hardest part. But I believe with every ounce of my being that God is waiting for all of us to wait. I believe that God is telling us to slow down, get on our knees, and wait for His movement in our Churches. But are we willing to pray, listen, and wait?

My answer is YES! I am at a point in my walk with the Lord where I am tired of not seeing lives impacted to such a degree that the overflow is a genuine and lasting excitement for the Christian life. It starts by pouring out all that I am before the Lord and letting Him constantly conform me to His WILL! While that is easy to type and talk about it becomes much harder to live out. What will make it easy for anyone who desires the same is to become so frustrated with the current state of the Church that you are willing to pray and wait until you experience a fresh move of God. My own tradition loves to quote the book of Acts and talk about salvation, but why don't we talk about how mighty God moved through the early Church that trusted Him? The early Church spent a lot of time trusting, praying, and waiting for God and He blessed them in spiritual ways they never expected. This is the same God I serve. This is the same God whom I will trust for a fresh move. I am tired of living in solitary confinement. It is a dark and lonely place to be. It is time to break out and I am willing to wait for God to open up the door.

Do Pastors Get Paid To Study?

I was sitting in an Elders meeting several years ago at my former ministry in Ohio. One of the Elders who I had a great relationship with was teasing me about the amount of time I had been studying that month. As this was going on another Elder, who I will call Rodney (not his real name) had a very strange look on his face. When the teasing ended Rodney looked at me with all seriousness and asked if I had been using Church time to study for my sermons. When I told him that I had he began to get frustrated and a little mad. He told me that my job was to visit people during the day and I should study on my own time. He went on to talk about his military days and how he had to study "off the clock" on a regular basis. With all of the Elders now looking at both of us I explained to him that the Church paid me to visit, pray, study, and everything else that goes along with ministry. Rodney was not happy the rest of the meeting or the rest of the time I was in Ohio.

There are many misconceptions about what a Pastor does and does not do. All of us in full time ministry have very different personalities and approaches to how we accomplish things. For me I like to mix things up and work during the day and evening as well. I love to visit people and I enjoy my time in study as well. What my schedule is and what the guys schedule who ministered here before me are very different. Most leaders that any Pastor works with understands the dynamics that are involved with the different personalities and approaches by each individual Pastor. Still there are those out there like Rodney who feel that they know the best way that every Pastor should spend his days. If you are a Church leader and you find yourself frustrated with your Pastor then handle the issue Biblically and talk to him first. My situation right now is wonderful, but my heart goes out to my brothers who have to struggle through this with their leadership.

The Church needs to realize that it is imperative in todays culture for their Pastors to have enough time in study and prayer. These 2 vitally important elements are missing much of the time in a Pastors life. All of us in full time ministry need to be focused upon study beyond the Sunday morning sermon so that we are constantly filled with wisdom and insight. Our prayer lives have to take precedent over our busy days before they begin so that we are inviting God into our daily situations. Any Pastor who takes the time to pray and study several hours each day will be someone that God will use continuously. Those in the Church need to encourage their Pastors to take time for this each day. There is more power in a Pastor who prays with regularity than many realize. I always will wonder to myself why Rodney was so upset at that meeting? Would he have been so upset if he spent more time with the Lord? Maybe part of the problem is that some of the leaders in the Church think of their role as a position instead of having the mind of a servant. The Apostles in Acts 6 delegated ministry so that they could give their attention to the word & prayer. That still holds true for the Church today. I receive payment for working in full time ministry. A big part of that ministry is spending time in prayer and the word.

Communication Breakdown

Several years ago I sat outside of the Chapel at Bible College and struck up a conversation with a Pastor of a healthy and growing Mega-Church. He had a very charismatic personality and I liked him from the start. As we talked I began to question him about his journey as a Minister and discovered that he started out working with the youth and was involved with several other key areas of the Church before taking on a Lead Pastor's role. I was intrigued by this mans journey and asked him what the difference was between Youth Ministry and being in a Lead Pastoral role. He said to me "the only difference between the youth and adults is their age! No matter how old they are they still act a little childish from time to time!" I thought that was a bit strong, but figured he must of had his reasons for his comments.

I had forgotten about my conversation with the Mega-Church Pastor until the past few months. I realized that what he said had a lot of truth to it. As adults we sometimes still act like teenagers and little children. When we don't get our way at Church we pout and throw fits until we get some attention. We do this because in America we have things theologically backwards. We have begun to think that the Church is there for us and that we need to be ministered too constantly. We have been fed lies by the spoonful and have eaten every last morsel of it. Our selfishness affects the bodies that we represent in negative ways. We have become more concerned with what we want in the Church than what God wants from each of us in our communities and homes. People have become consumeristic and will now shop around for a Church that fits their own needs. Once a Church is found the disciple begins to think of themselves as a customer who needs to be served and made happy if they are going to stick around for any length of time. This mentality is killing the Church!!!

The Church does not exist to make people happy or to fit some type of personal spiritual blue print. The Church exists to edify God through ministering to each other and the community that each Church is in. One of the key elements that is missing today is humility. Dallas Willard in his book "The Diving Conspiracy" says that humility is the hardest thing for the modern Christian to grasp. Our lack of humility is causing us to battle with each other over order of service, music style, and levels of authority within many congregations. Our lack of humility keeps us from loving, serving, worshipping, and praying together like we should. Our lack of humility hinders God's blessings and movement among us. I don't know how you feel about all of that, but personally I am tired of the lack of humility I see among God's people.

Pride is the counterpart of humility by the way. It is an affective tool that Satan has used through the centuries to divide God's people. Our pride holds us back from getting to know the entire congregation at times. Our pride holds us back from listening to each other and loving one another more passionately and deeply. Pride was not a problem for the Church in the book of Acts. They humbled themselves and God moved in powerful ways. When we learn how to humble ourselves we will experience God in great ways also. The road of humility is not an easy road, but it is the best road that any disciple can be on.

Do You Love Your Neighbor?

The logo for this article is taken from a web site I sometimes frequent called Christian Church Today. I have it as one of the links listed on this site. When I found this site I was researching graduate schools over 2 years ago. I would look at the site initially every 3 days or so because they also have ministry listings and at the time I was in a tough situation with my former Church. I began to notice over time that the site had a forum section on it and all you had to do to participate was to sign up for membership. I first began just reading through the threads for a long period of time and eventually got the nerve to begin to post. I hesitated to post because while it is a Christian site I noticed that people could sometimes take theological debates and get a bit ugly with one another. Eventually I began to post and met some good Christians and experienced some decent online fellowship. I have even had some trouble with a few people just getting a bit nasty from time to time. Some of those who I have become fond of on the site have been harassed by a few rotten apples who like to come on to that site and create problems for everyone. I suppose in many ways a Christian website reminds me of the Church.

Of course all of this bickering on the website did calm down a bit through July because the website went off-line for a while and when it came back up the forum section was still undergoing maintenance. This past week the forum section was running again, but many have deserted this site for a better time of fellowship at a different location. I was among those who choose to fellowship at the other, but will continue to visit and perhaps even post at Christian Church Today. This type of bickering and frustration has always been in the Church since it started (see Acts) and it will unfortunately always be around. Paul wrote to Timothy and said that "in the last days the love of many will grow cold!" The last days started at Pentecost when Peter preached a powerful sermon and some 3,000+ were saved. We don't have to look very far today to see that there is a love problem, even within the walls of the Church building. This for me is the most frustrating aspect of the Christian life. The lack of love among God's people with each other and apart from each other. We need to learn to love as Jesus loved! We need to learn to extend grace as Jesus extended grace! I think part of the problem is our ego-centric thinking that we cling to everyday. We are being formed and shaped to be a community that loves each other and God.

I recently made a comment in the Church about someone who I think has potential for greater leadership responsibilities. When I mentioned this openly someone pointed out that the person mentioned has had some problems with their life. They were referring to the persons past sins. Isn't that incredible? Jesus can forgive us and wash us clean yet we like to point out the problems of others so easily. This is not what Christ died for! He died for the ungodly and the sinner. That is who I am! That is who you are!

While Christian Church Today website was closed for most of this month I began to frequent other Christian websites and blogs more than usual. I saw a lot of finger pointing by Christians toward other Christians. I read how each denomination has it right and how the other ones are all wrong. One of the days of this I experienced depression and headaches. This is not what Jesus suffered for. He suffered so that His people could have an abundant life. Jesus said the 2 Greatest Commandments were loving God with every aspect of you being and loving your neighbor as yourself. When the Church starts to learn the first one it will not have a problem with the latter. No matter what denomination you are in you are commanded to love your neighbor! If they bear fruit for the Kingdom they are your neighbor. When we learn to love we will learn to move forward with God into a greater spiritual depth. Everyday God gives me the choice to be a Christian who loves.

Freedom of Simplicity

Our staff just finished Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster who writes primarily in the area of Spiritual Formation. I have always enjoyed Foster and believe that he and Dallas Willard are 2 of the best writers of our day in the area of Spiritual Formation. Freedom of Simplicity forces any Christian to look deep within at the lifestyle they are living. Foster forces the reader to re-evaluate what we value in the Christian life against the backdrop of the New Testament. This is a book that spends time on lifestyle and our Christian role in the area of social justice. Foster is a Quaker which means that he has a natural bent toward social justice, simplicity, and conservation. Personally I think that Foster was a bit too green for me, but believe that this is a must read for any Christian servant-leader.

Unfortunately this book will probably not find its way on to the top selling list of CBD or your local Christian book store. Those in the Church today spend more time justifying a lifestyle that mimics the world instead of re-ordering a lifestyle that fits a biblical model a bit more closely. If you have struggled with material issues as a Christian and have a desire to be challenged I would recommend this book. Some consider Foster a Christian-mystic which in itself is not a terrible label unless you are in the camp of ultra-conservatism. Foster is a voice that the Church needs to hear from and listen to in the 21st century. This book is a challenge and written with a philosophers heart so do not expect to be able to quickly run through this and not have to put it down occasionally to digest the material. If you want to be challenged then spend a little time with Foster. I also recommend Foster's Celebration of Discipline to those who want to have a richer and more fulfilled Christian life.