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The call to plant

December 7, 2009

Let me preface everything I am about to say with this firm conviction: The Local church is the only hope this world has! The church is not a human invention or a manmade organization created to oppress and control the people of the world. It is a divine, God ordained, Christ commissioned organism, designed to be extension of the work of Jesus Christ, offering salvation, wholeness, healing and transformation to a sin-sick world. It is the only hope humanity has of finding forgiveness and proper standing before a holy and righteous God. Without the church, the world has no hope. If you don’t believe that, then there is no use in planting any churches. Close shop, go home and forget you ever considered planting a church in the first place. I can hear a few of you saying, "No, without Jesus, there is no hope." True, but the church has been called ot be Jesus' hands and feet. The Church, His bride, has been called to do "even greater things" than he did. The Church, lives because God called it into existence and ordained it to be His representative. Just as Jesus and the Father are one, a dichotomy does not, or at least should not exist between Jesus and His Bride. 

Throughout his ministry, Jesus shared the importance of evangelism as a driving force in the church. The Great Commission in Matt. 28:19 was his call to the church to participate in the practice of evangelism: “Go and make disciples of all nations”. Just before his ascension, Jesus reiterated these words: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). In my opinion, the Great Commission was understood as a call to start new communities of believers wherever the Disciples traveled.

Any serious reader of the Bible will quickly come to understand that God’s nature is at the root of mission. The living God portrayed in the Bible is a sending God. He sends because of his love for the world. The Church is called to be the living expression of the kingdom of God on this earth and to express the love of God by fulfilling the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18.

However, the Great Commission given by Jesus in the New Testament is not a new calling to God’s people. This commission, given by Jesus, is built upon the call to Abram found in Genesis:

"Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will provide for you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on the earth will be blessed through you." (Gen. 12:1-3)

This call to Abram shows God’s desire for Israel to become a movement that would touch the entire world. God's call to Abram was not a call to become a regional, stagnate, inward focused tribe. God’s design in this calling was to push the future nation of Israel to think beyond socioeconomic and ethnic borders. God’s desire was to bless the world through Abram. Abram’s obedience to God, then, would be the beginning of the people called Israelites and, ultimately, today’s Christian. Clearly, God’s intention, from the call of Abram, was to create a people group that would reach out to every nation. They were to be God's Blessing to an entire universe! So, Genesis 12:1-6 stands as the foundation upon which the Great Commission rests.

According to the New Testament, Israel is no longer those who were, by blood, considered to be of Abram’s linage. Rather, the true Israelite is understood as he or she who receives adoption into the family, through the blood of Jesus. paul stated it best in Romans 9:8 “It is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring” Clearly Paul knew thast those who are the followers of Jesus Christ and part of his Church, are now called the “children” of Abraham. This classification becomes significant, as followers understand that the Great Commission is a reaffirmation of the original call given to Abraham. The Church, like Israel, is not to become a stand-alone organization, rather a life-giving organism that can influence the world.

Church-planting is not new to denominational bodies. It was and is the lifeblood mission of the church from the very beginning. Church planting is the “intentional pursuit of lost people” that flows out of the Great Commission. God’s original call to be a blessing to the world is alive in the Great Commission. My firm conviction is that this calling was a call to spread the kingdom of God primarily through the means of planting new churches. As the church involves itself in this work, it is fulfilling the original call, given to Abram, to be a blessing to the nations. ∫Many New Testament Scriptures can be used to show the importance of church-planting. The book of Acts offers the reader a unique opportunity to witness the actions of the early Church in response to the Great Commission. Acts becomes an important dynamic because it best illustrates the early believer’s behavior after Jesus commissioned them.

In essence, the book of Acts becomes the history of a church-planting movement. Although the phrase “church-planting” is not explicitly mentioned in Acts, I believe it is implicitly understood as a “normal expression of New Testament Missiology”. Church-planting was, without question, at the center of early Church activity. It was a primary means of spreading and establishing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Posted 12/7/2009 in Church Planting | 1 Comment - Add Comment

Recession's Impact On Christian Organizations

November 25, 2009

New Survey - "The Recession's Impact on Christian Nonprofit Organizations"
by Ashley High

How are Christian nonprofits surviving the economic downturn? A recent survey conducted by J. David Schmidt & Associates for the Christian Leadership Alliance discovered the main ways Christian nonprofits are reducing expenses and handling the economy’s impact. Below are the results of “Economic Outlook Survey: The Recession’s Impact on Christian Nonprofit Organizations.”

Reponses to Financial Difficulties:

Reducing travel – 52%

Freezing pay raises – 44%

Freezing hiring – 36%

Cutting overall 2009 budget – 43%

Reducing or eliminating training expenses for 2009 – 29%

Reducing full-time staff – 28%

Freezing infrastructure expenses – 28%

Delaying or eliminating outside counsel/consulting expenses – 27%

Financial Information

Portfolios and endowments reported down from last year – 73% of organizations

Diminishing reserves reported – 51% of organizations

Declining donations reported – 48% of organizations

Have less available cash – 40% of organizations

Budget

Annual budget under $1 million – 22% of organizations

Annual budget of $1-10 million – 52% of organizations

Annual budget of $30+ million – 9% of organizations

The Christian nonprofits affected most by the economy where those with annual budgets under $1 million.

Economy’s Impact on the Charity:

High impact – 21%

In between low and high impact – 48%

Low impact – 31%

However, despite the poor economy, three-quarters of the respondents remain confident and hopeful, stating that belief in God’s faithfulness helps them through difficult times. “If there was one theme that kept coming through in respondent comments, it is that Christian charity and church leaders have a strong sense of a larger story. They seem less rattled and remain confident in God’s provision and care, despite being stress-tested by their circumstances,” said David Schmidt, whose agency conducted the survey.

Information taken from: Jennifer Riley. “Survey: Christian Nonprofits Relying More on Volunteers in Hard Times.” 9 July 2009. The Christian Post. 13 July 2009. www.christianpost.com.

Posted 11/25/2009 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment

The Power of 10

November 16, 2009

God is doing some amazing things through the "Power of Ten" challenge. Some churches have adopted the "Power Of Ten" as a church-wide challenge and others have used it as a Sunday School Challenge.

Everday God is bringing us new churches, leaders, and church planting opportunities. God is up to something big and it is exciting to know that we are a part of His great plan. Over the next few months I expect to see our opportunites expand to even greater possibilities.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to be a part of this big vision! If you have not taken the challenge, why not!

Imagine the life-change we will celebrate this year as God continues to work through our movement!

The Vision
10 New church planters assessed
10 New fast-growing church Plants launched
10 New church adoptions
10 New General Baptist churches involved in helping to plant a church
10 New Unified Giving General Baptist churches
10 New cities reached with Gospel of Jesus Christ
10 New States with a General Baptist church

10,000 General Baptists praying 10 minutes a day for National Missions
10,000 General Baptists giving $10 a month until 10/10/10

All of this culminates in the celebration of 10,000 CONVERSIONS.

This is a big vision and well beyond human means to accomplish.

If you would like to sign up CLICK HERE.

Posted 11/16/2009 in Church Planting | 0 Comments - Add Comment

The Barnabas Factor - Part 2

October 28, 2009

Handling the ridicule and resentment from your own tribe/family/denomination, can add almost intolerable levels of unexpected pressure. In my case, regular encouragement from the pastors within my district would have given me added strength to carry on when things became unbearable. Instead, the open suspicion and verbal attacks from my colleagues pulled me in the opposite direction. The resistance I felt from my colleagues ultimately led me to question my own abilities. Because of my own experience, and a sneaky suspicion that emotional support plays a big part in success/failure, I sought to discover if science would back up thoughts. What I discovered was significant.

The research can be found in my book Planting Fast Growing Churches. Here are the questions I used to discover the issue of emotional support.

1.     How much encouragement did you receive from your superiors?

2.     How well did you feel you were supported by your pastoral colleagues?     

3.     How well were you accepted by surrounding churches in your denomination?

4.     Did you have regular fellowship with other pastors?     

5.     Was your work celebrated within the denomination?     

6.     How much negativity did you have to overcome from your sponsoring agency?

Out of the six questions asked, five significant differences were discovered in this section. The only question both groups responded equally on was the encouragement they felt from their direct superiors. Overall, planters leading fast-growing church plants experienced higher degrees of personal and emotional support than did those leading struggling church plants.

Planters leading fast-growing church plants felt significantly more support from pastoral colleagues, acceptance from surrounding churches, had more fellowship with other pastors, were celebrated more widely in the denomination, and experienced less negativity from their sponsoring agency. Perhaps this data shows that praise only goes to the victorious. Perhaps it’s easier to support a church on the move, but I don’t really think this is the case, nor does it matter. If a church plant is floundering, it needs support. This data, if only looked at in this way can also show support being pulled out from under struggling church plants because it’s floundering. In any case, more plants that felt encouragement from outside sources thrived than failed. This is entirely clear. 

It is vital that planters have adequate emotional support. The implications of this discovery reveal that the emotional health of the planter will have an effect on the emotional health of the entire fledgling congregation. If the planter is depressed, frustrated, feeling a lack of support and encouragement, then the church plant will suffer. Conversely, a strong sense of support from colleagues, churches and sponsoring entities can only be beneficial for the planter as well as the plant.

My wife, usually a very quiet and demure woman, spoke to a group of church planting leaders at a seminar in Jan 2005. She was prepared to make a few clear points about church planting, and oddly enough, I had never really seen things from her perspective until that day. She walked in with a dry erase board and drew two lines, dividing the board in half. Above one of her two lines, she wrote the words “Established Church”. Over the other line, she wrote, “Church Plant”.

“Tell me” she said, “what kind of things happen for the pastor and his family when they come to pastor an established church? What kind of perks do they have right off the bat?”

These leaders bought in hook-line-and-sinker. Like rapid fire, they began to name the usual things. 

            “Security,” someone answered.

            “A new spiritual family,” another offered.

The group continued listing things like: a paycheck, ready-made friends, a social network, and the list went on.

“Now,” she said, “what happens for the planter and his or her family when they arrive on the scene of a new city to begin their work?”

You could have heard a pin drop. Not one positive suggestion was offered, most had never really thought about it in those terms. Unlike transfering from one established church to another, planter's and their families, in most cases, have no support network. Like bricks falling from heaven, her point hit these men squarely over the head. It sunk in that the structures and support systems built-in to an already established church do not exist for the church plant.

What my wife did was simple enough, but it had an enormous impact on these church planting leaders. Without exception, each of them confessed their need to commit to a higher quality of emotional support for those on the field planting churches. Perhaps a few church planters or denominational leaders will profit from my wife’s presentation. I hope so.

Posted 10/28/2009 in Church Planting | 0 Comments - Add Comment

The State Of The Church

October 6, 2009

Over the last few years research groups like Gallup, The Barna, and the Association of Religious Data Archives have attempted to get a clear picture of the state of the Church in America. Until recently, it was widely accepted that over 40 percent of Americans attend church on a regular basis. If these numbers are right then over 130 million Americans fill our churches on any given Sunday. Not bad numbers , but are they right? Are we really doing that well? Recently, new research reveals that these numbers may be overstated and misleading.

In 2004 David Olson, director of the American Church Research Project, published his work

Posted 10/6/2009 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment

Volunteers or Missionaries?

August 18, 2009

From the inner cities to the plains of Mid-America, Volunteers are an important part of our society. Political campaigns, para-church organizations, and non-profits of every form and kind would not be able to function without a good volunteer base. It is safe to say that your church would not be able to function week-to-week without a strong group of volunteers.

As I have considered the state of volunteerism in our churches, I began to wonder if it is really accomplishing what we intend for it to accomplish? Allow me to explain. Every week, in most churches, a plea goes out from the pulpit asking for help. Usually, the help needed is in the area of children’s ministry. Here is the question that haunts me. Why? Why do we ask people in the church to volunteer? One of two reasons comes to mind.

1.    We need help and want someone to fill a position, long-term or short-term.
2.    We want to give people the opportunity to grow in their faith and experience the fullness of Christ through being a servant.

While I believe we would all admit that the second option is the best. The goal of every church should be to grow those who attend into fully devoted followers of Christ. Yet, is that really what happens?

Let me make a few assumptions. We all attest in the giftedness of believers. We all understand that the church is to help our people discover how God has created them to serve. We all believe that becoming a servant is crucial to the Christian life. But is serving the pinnacle of our calling as Christians?

When we ask people in the church to become volunteers, are we asking them to serve the church or serve God? I think this is an important distinction. You may think believe they are doing both at the same time, serving God by serving the church. I'm not sure this is true.

Often is the case that our volunteers are simply used to serve the church and help it's ministries function. That is not a bad thing, but is serving the church, the concept our people should have? Will it help us to create fully develop followers? It is a means, but not the end.

Let me explain before I am crucified or burned at the stake. Matt 28:18-19 calls us to go to the world. We are all called o be missionaries to a dying, sinful humanity. This calling isn’t just for those in the pulpit, but for every follower of Jesus Christ. "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:5

If that is the case, our calling, as leaders, is to call our people to become missionaries, not volunteers. You may think; "That is just splitting hairs." But is it? Our use of language can be profound. Helping Christ-followers understand that the high calling of the Christian life is to become missionaries in their culture encompasses volunteerism. (That doesn’t work the other way around. Being a “volunteer” doesn’t mean being a missionary)

Bottom line: Our use of language is important. We need to call people to volunteer in the church, but within the framework of being a missionary in their community. Calling Christ-followers missionaries has much more meaning than calling them volunteers. Any organization can have volunteers. The church has missionaries. It may be a small change, but I believe small changes can make big differences. A change of language can release our people to become more than mere volunteers, serving the church. Rather, they become missionaries, serving their community.

Posted 8/18/2009 in Stephen Gray | 1 Comment - Add Comment

The Power of Ten

August 14, 2009

Our national event, the Missions & Ministry Summit, was a tremendous success. Wednesday night, July 29th, I was given a brief opportunity to share my thoughts and cast cision for what I believe God would do 2010 through National Missions.

Like any good pastor, I had spent weeks praying, and dreaming about what I might say before  those who attended the M&M Summit. I was fairly confident of what I might say Wednesday night until God interrupted me and laid an enormous vision on my heart. Sunday morning, the day before our event, God woke me out of a deep sleep with a HUGE vision for National Missions. This vision is so big that if it is  accomplished, God will have to show up in a big way. I have to admit, I am both excited and frightened by what God laid on my heart.

Over the last three years National Missions has celebrated the birth of 53 new churches from Florida to California, and even in the heart of Missouri. Exciting isn't it! However, more amazing than the addition of 53 new churches is the fact that new churches have reported over 4,500 first-time conversions in the last three years. (365 of these conversion have come in the last 6 months). GOD IS MOVING and it is an exciting time to be a Christ-follower.

Here is what excites me and frightens me. Imagine what might happen over the next year, by 10/10/10, if we really got serious.

Imagine the life-change we could celebrate! “The Power of Ten” is what God laid on my heart Sunday morning. It looks like this.
 
10 New church planters assessed
10 New fast-growing church Plants launched
10 New church adoptions
10 New General Baptist churches involved in helping to plant a church
10 New Unified Giving General Baptist churches
10 New cities reached with Gospel of Jesus Christ
10 New States with a General Baptist church

10,000 General Baptists praying 10 minutes a day for National Missions
10,000 General Baptists giving $10 a month until 10/10/10

All of this culminates in the celebration of 10,000 CONVERSIONS. (It has taken 3 years to get to 4,500. Imagine how exciting it would be to celebrate the 10,000 mark by 10/10/10!)

This is a big vision and well beyond human means to accomplish. (Or at least my abilities)

You have an opportunity to be a part of this great vision! Take The Power of Ten Challenge. Be one of the 10,000 people who will be praying for National Missions 10 minutes a day as well as giving $10 a month until 10/10/10.

You don't have to be a General Baptist to take this Challenge! Please consider THE POWER OF TEN.

If you would like to sign up CLICK HERE.

Posted 8/14/2009 in Church Planting | 0 Comments - Add Comment

Top 12 Church Innovations

July 22, 2009

I have spent the last few days in Dallas, TX. at the Ideation Conference hosted by Leadership Network. Sixty of the top church dreamers and innovators were invited to come and be a part of this conference. Several of those present were from across the pond. (England, Germany, Denmark, Australia). It was an awesome experience hanging around with people who have a passion for, and love the church.

On the opening day each of us were asked to present our idea in one minute or less. (It’s harder than you think. Give it a try sometime!) Afterwards John Handy, Matel toy designer and Founder & President of Red Stilts, shared with us the 3i’s of innovation. (Inspiration, Ideation, Implementation.) John helped the group learn how to focus their ideas and create a compelling one minute  “Elevator Pitch” that would attract attention.

On Tuesday night everyone was asked to video tape their presentation, which would be viewed and voted on by the group. The following list is the top 12 innovations recognized by the group.

In alphabetical order:   

1% More – Jenni Catron – Crosspointe Church
2 X 2 Church Planting – Troy McMahon – Restore Community Church
Story Suite – Bryan Gaffney – Brooklyn, NY
City Serve – Reggie McNeal – Leadership Network
Commentary – Steve Lutz – State College, PA
Connection Engine – Boyd Pelley – Arlington, TX.
Externally Focused Church Planting – David Mills – Compassion By Design
Gospel Church Plants (Europe) – Peter Dyhr – Leadership Network
Legacy Churches – Stephen Gray – National Missions
Network Micro Churches – Andrew Conrad – Church of the Resurrection
On-line Leadership Training – Mac Lake – Seacoast Church
Re-Start Churches – Warren Bird – Leadership Network

You will be able to view videos of these ideas at the Leadership Network website.

Posted 7/22/2009 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment

Breaking 200

July 11, 2009

A church plant is a lot like a boulder on a barren mountainside. You’ve seen this same rock in many adventure movies. Perhaps you’ve seen two nondescript cowboys desperately prying it loose, and then watching it fall. It quickly picks up speed, knocking other smaller rocks loose. Rocks smash against other rocks, breaking them from their resting places. All at once, a clamorous noise ensues, dust rises, and suddenly the entire mountainside is alive with the violent motion of falling boulders and debris. This landslide is what the cowboys were hoping for, and they whoop and holler at their success. A successful church plant is a lot like this scene.

In a 2006 study on fast growing church plants, I focused on church plants that, like a rolling boulder, generated enough momentum to reach an average weekly attendance of 200 within the first three years of public launch. I could have used any number, but conventional wisdom among most church growth experts is that this barrier is a significant momentum shifter in the life of a church. Steve Sjogren, an expert among church planters, writes, “With fewer than 200 people, a church will need to fight just to stay alive. With fewer than that number of people, you will not have hit your stride. It is inevitable that your attention will be focused upon trying to maintain the basics of church survival.” According to  Peter C. Wagner, a church plant should “expect to pass through the 200 barrier within about twelve months after going public. If you are not through it in two years, something is going wrong and your chances of ever doing it are greatly diminished.” A church plant that hits this mark quickly will be thrust forward with momentum and will have a greater possibility of retaining a growth pattern.

So, just how quickly should a church plant expect to reach 200? Some say it should happen in the first year, others believe you should reach it within the first 18 months. What I discovered was that both times are valid, but the “magic” cut-off time, if you can call it that, was closer to twenty-four months.

According to the data, 77 percent of the fast-growing church plants involved in this study reached an average weekly attendance of 200 by the twenty-four month mark. Only 23 percent of these fast-growing churches broke the 200 barrier after that time. It is statistically significant to understand that if a church plant has not broken this barrier within the first two years, it is unlikely that it ever will.

 
The graph above shows that only 15 percent of these fast-growing plants reached 200 within the first six months, 20 percent reached 200 by the end of the first year, an additional 15 percent reached 200 by the end of eighteen months. This bears revealing because it is widely believed, among some in the church planting world is if a church plant doesn’t reach 200 within the first eighteen months, it probably never will. Statistically, only 50 percent of these plants reached 200 within that time frame.

The highest grouping, percentage wise, was between months 19 to 24. A total of 27 percent of these church plants reached 200 within this time frame. Combining the percentages so far reveals that somewhere between 10 to 24 months is the real cut off point. If a church plant does not reach and go over 200 within the first two years, they have only a 23 percent chance of doing so.

Momentum is a major issue that either works for or against the church plant. If all goes well, a small, excited group will reach out to their neighbors and invite them to join their new church. Then these will invite their neighbors, and so on. Hopefully a spiritual avalanche will gather force and momentum. But unlike the movie avalanche and more realistic

Posted 7/11/2009 in Church Planting | 3 Comments - Add Comment

The Church's Task

July 9, 2009

As I was doing my devotions this morning I read the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. What an amazing story! Just imagine the look on the faces of those who witnessed this miracle. I wonder what I would have thought if I were there? The response of the crowd was mixed. Some hated Jesus and other became believers on the spot.

In the midst of this story is a strange happening that occupied my attention all morning.
“When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go." …John 11:43-44

Here’s the deal. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he was still bound by his grave clothes. Interesting isn’t it? Jesus raised this man to life and yet asked his friends and family to help set him free.

Too often when we lead someone into a relationship with Jesus, we think that we have completed the task. I hear many churches brag about how many individuals they led to Christ over the last year. My question to them is always, “Great. Now how many of them are still in the church and how many have truly experienced life-transformation?”

Our tendency is to believe that we are called to preach the gospel, lead people to Christ and then let God do the rest. But nothing could be further from the truth. God has birthed this thing called the Church to be a life-transforming organism helping to lose the bonds of sin from the lives of Christ-followers.

The Church’s purpose is to continue the work of Jesus as prophesied in Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…”

The church is to behave as the friends of Lazarus. Once Jesus raises them to new life, we are to rush in and begin to help set them free from those things that “so easily entangle” them in sin. We can help them “confess their sins to one another, in order that they might be healed.”

Posted 7/9/2009 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment

Muslim Growth

June 18, 2009

Not much of a blog today. I simply want to share a video with you. A friend showed me this the other day and I haven't been able to get it off my mind. My only thought is that we meed to find a few good men from the middle east to plant a few fast-growing churches here in the states. Use them as training posts to send planters across seas to evangelize the Muslim population.

Posted 6/18/2009 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment

Dangerous Church

June 8, 2009

I enjoyed the opportunity to preach at Fellowship General Baptist Church Sunday May 31st. About four years ago Craig Groeschel preached a message to his church called "Dangerous Church." I was so impressed, and personally impacted by the message that I decide to use it as the framework for this opportunity.

Think on this: No movement of God, throughout history, was ever safe, predictable or comfortable. Rather, it was messy, unpredictable and dangerous.

Two thousand years later,however, the church has grown predictable, comfortable and safe. Many churches have simply fallen asleep and slipped into a coma. Many in our churches are Christians in name only. We now live in a country that holds to a civilized form of Christianity. "Having the form...but denying the power." 

In fact, we have grown accustom to a culture of safety. We show up sing a few songs, shake a few hands and go home. But this is not God’s design for the church. He has called us to be dangerous for His sake and His kingdom.

I am thankful for the opportunity I had to share God's word with the people of Fellowship General Baptist Church. At the end of each service several people raised their hand to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  I hope you enjoy.

Posted 6/8/2009 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment

The Emerging Church

March 5, 2009

Over the last few years the fight for truth has heated up between fundamental and postmodern thinkers. Those on the side of postmodernism proclaim that the church has lost its power an influence in our culture. Those in the fundamentalist movement accuse leaders of the emerging church movement of syncretism. So what are we too make of this whole debate? Who is right and how can we find balance in the midst of the chaos? Both are right on some level and wrong on another.

Let me suggest a few things for you to consider.

1. Let’s be honest. The church has lost touch with this culture. The latest research from David Olsen reveals that only 17.5% of Americans attend church on any given Sunday. I hope that number causes you to stop and weep. For decades the Church as fallen asleep at the wheel and slowly but surely lost touch with the culture they serve and survive in.

Some in the fundamental camp say, “Well, that is just a sign of the times, that is the way things will be in the end. People will fall away from the truth.” True, the scripture reminds us of that fact several times. My problem is that those who quote that phrase too often use it a way of excusing themselves from fulfilling the great commission by engaging the culture in an appropriate way. “Oh well, that is just the way things are.” What a foolish and lazy perspective. As if God has excused us from trying because we live in a sinful world.

2. Again, being honest. Many in the emerging church movement are way out of line. Theologically liberal, lacking any moral and ethical base, except that which is relative to the situation.  This movement was born out of a frustration at the established Churches in ability to address the culture. I do think the emerging church needs to be heard. While I do not agree with every writer, (some I agree with very little) still they offer the Church the ability to enter into dialogue about being Jesus to the world.

Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger, in their book, Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures (Baker Academic, 2005) define emerging in this way:

"Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures. This definition encompasses nine practices. Emerging churches (1) identify with the life of Jesus, (2) transform the secular realm, and (3) live highly communal lives. Because of these three activities, they (4) welcome the stranger, (5) serve with generosity, (6) participate as producers, (7) create as created beings, (8) lead as a body, and (9) take part in spiritual activities."

    Its hard to speak against these 9 practices. After all, this is what the church should be. The difficulty, as I see it, with the emerging church movement is that it is too young to have any strong bearings yet. Typically this movement is stereotyped by the most liberal leaders in the movement like Chris Seay, Tim Keel, Brian McLaren, and Mark Oestreicher.

I thinks it is important for us to step back away from both sides and take a proper, objective look at both sides. Instead of using fear-mongering tactics to ignite discord among believers, open dialogue and learn how to best reach a sin-sick culture with the Truth of God’s word.

Posted 3/5/2009 in Stephen Gray | 1 Comment - Add Comment

Legacy Churches

January 12, 2009

In just a few weeks, "Legacy Churches" a book authored by Dr. Franklin Dumond and myself, will be released by ChurchSmart. The main thrust of the book deals with helping churches to close with dignity and yet impact the future with greater efficacy. Is that possible? Can the death of a church have a silver lining? Can a dying church give birth to a new movement of God through one final, selfless act? Here is an excerpt from chapter three that will help you to answer that question.

"Since death is an inevitable fact of life, how is the Christ-follower to view death? What is a proper theology of death? The Apostle Paul believed God was able “to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his [Christ’s] power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20). Did that refer to life on earth or life beyond the grave? The answer is simple: Yes! God’s power not only gives us life abundantly, but also life eternally. For the Christ-follower, death is not the end; rather, it is just the beginning of something greater. Paul summarized it best: “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). To die, at least for the Christian, is the great adventure all of us wait to experience. The writer of Hebrews penned, “it is appointed for all men to die once” (Heb. 9:27). No one can escape death. It is the great equalizer of all men. And yet, everyone seeks to avoid it.

We live in a culture that promotes a never-ending search for the Fountain of Youth. Thousands of Americans stream to the doctor each year for botox injections, face-lifts and tummy tucks in hopes of beating the odds. Death is viewed, by this culture, as the enemy rather than a glorious end and a new beginning. Unfortunately, this secular view of death has permeated the theology of the Church. Too many congregations have bought into the idea “survival at any cost” as the only faithful road to travel. Has the Church (in our present American culture) lost a meaningful theology of death? The scriptures remind us time and again that for the Christ-follower death will lead to new life. It shouldn’t be odd, therefore, for the Christian to celebrate and appreciate death.

If you really stop to think about it, you may come to the conclusion that sometimes more can be accomplished through death than through continued existence. No one understood this better than Jesus. Through His death, resurrection, and ascension, the Holy Spirit came to live in and empower us. Jesus told His disciples, “I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” John 16:7). Earlier in Jesus’ discussion about His impending death He told His disciples, “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24). Once again Jesus taught that his death would bring about fruit in ways His continued earthly ministry would not.

A few chapters later, Jesus drove the point home. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Jesus did not see His own death as a failure. It seems fanciful to believe that we could do greater things than the Savior, but through His death and the subsequent sending of the Spirit, the Kingdom of God was propelled across the world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered, gifted, called, and sent on a co-mission with Jesus.

Likewise, the death of a church does not need to be seen as an end or a failure. Local churches plateau, decline, and die. That’s a fact! David Ols

Posted 1/12/2009 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment