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Evangelism through church planting.July 27, 2010 Peter Wagner stated some 25 years ago that "church planting was the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven". His statement still rings true today. New churches, by a large margin, are reaching new people with the gospel with far greater efficacy than their established counterparts. That may not be a very popular statement, but research has verified Wagner's assumption. If that is true, then why aren't more churches intentionally focused on pouring their resources into new churches? Instead the typical church today pours the vast amount of its resources into taking care of the sheep rather than expanding the fold. In doing so, these churches lose their missional passion for the lost and soon drift into an era of plateau, decline and death. Typical church programming often steals energy and time from the original mission focus of the church. I have always believed that "church planting" while never explicitly used in the Bible, was implicitly understood within the context of the Great Commission. In other words, every church should be involved in the process of evangelism through church planting. Imagine what might happen if churches caught the vision for evangelism through planting and started investing thier limited resources in new churches! But is this truly evangelism? Tim Stafford says it best in his article, in Christianity Today: so follow this link and read this great article. | |
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Posted 7/27/2010 in Church Planting | 0 Comments - Add Comment |
Sin and failures in our spiritual life.July 18, 2010
I have been reading through "A Christian's Secret To A Happy Life" by Hannah Whithall Smith. This is probably the fifth time I have read this book and every time I am amazed by her wisdom and understanding of spiritual things. The chapter on “Failure” is probably one of the most profound chapters on the power of God’s forgiveness and the power of secret sin. I am both overjoyed with God’s redeeming love and challenged to look deeply into my own life and uncover those things which, “so easily beset” me. (Heb 12:1) She says things so well, there is no need to repeat it. Here is an excerpt from chapter 13. I would encourage you to buy this book and read it for yourself! “And now, having shown the way of deliverance from failure, I want to say a little as to the causes of failure in this life of full salvation. The causes do not lie in the strength of the temptation nor in our own weakness, nor, above all, in any lack in the power or willingness of our Savior to save us. The promise to Israel was positive, "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life." And the promise to us is equally positive. "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that ye may be able to bear it." The men of Ai were "but few," and yet the people who had conquered the mighty Jericho "fled before the men of Ai." It was not the strength of their enemy, neither had God failed them. The cause of their defeat lay somewhere else, and the Lord Himself declares it, "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them; for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs upon their enemies." It was a hidden evil that conquered them. Deep down under the earth, in an obscure tent in that vast army, was hidden something against which God had a controversy, and this little hidden thing made the whole army helpless before their enemies. "There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel; thou canst not stand before thine enemies until ye take away the accursed thing from among you." The teaching here is simply this, that anything allowed in the heart which is contrary to the will of God, let it seem ever so insignificant, or be ever so deeply hidden, will cause us to fall before our enemies. Any root of bitterness cherished towards another, any self-seeking and harsh judgments indulged in, any slackness in obeying the voice of the Lord, any doubtful habits or surroundings, any one of these things will effectually cripple and paralyze our spiritual life. We may have hidden the evil in the most remote corner of our hearts, and may have covered it over from our sight, refusing even to recognize its existence, of which, however, we cannot help being all the time secretly aware. We may steadily ignore it, and persist in declarations of consecration and full trust, we may be more earnest than ever in our religious duties, and have the eyes of our understanding opened more and more to the truth and the beauty of the life and walk of faith. We may seem to ourselves and to others to have reached an almost impregnable position of victory, and yet we may find ourselves suffering bitter defeats. We may wonder, and question, and despair, and pray; nothing will do any good until the accursed thing is dug up from its hiding-place, brought out to the light, and laid before God. And the moment a believer who is walking in this interior life meets with a defeat, he must at once seek for the cause not in the strength of that particular enemy, but in something behind, some hidden want of consecration lying at the very center of his being. Just as a headache is not the disease itself, but only a symptom of a disease situated in some other part of the body, so the sin in such a Christian is only the symptom of an evil hidden probably in a very different part of his being. Sometimes the evil may be hidden even in that, which at a cursory glance, would look like good. Beneath apparent zeal for the truth, may be hidden a judging spirit, or a subtle leaning to our own understanding. Beneath apparent Christian faithfulness, may be hidden an absence of Christian love. Beneath an apparently rightful care for our affairs, may be hidden a great want of trust in God. I believe our blessed Guide, the indwelling Holy Spirit, is always secretly discovering these things to us by continual little twinges and pangs of conscience, so that we are left without excuse. But it is very easy to disregard His gentle voice, and insist upon it to ourselves that all is right; and thus the fatal evil will continue hidden in our midst causing defeat in most unexpected quarters. A capital illustration of this occurred to me once in my housekeeping. I had moved into a new house and, in looking over it to see if it was all ready for occupancy, I noticed in the cellar a very clean-looking cider-cask headed up at both ends. I debated with myself whether I should have it taken out of the cellar and opened to see what was in it, but concluded, as it seemed empty and looked nice, to leave it undisturbed, especially as it would have been quite a piece of work to get it up the stairs. I did not feel quite easy, but reasoned away my scruples and left it. Every spring and fall, when house-cleaning time came on, I would remember that cask, with a little twinge of my housewifely conscience, feeling that I could not quite rest in the thought of a perfectly cleaned house, while it remained unopened, for how did I know but under its fair exterior it contained some hidden evil. Still I managed to quiet my scruples on the subject, thinking always of the trouble it would involve to investigate it; a nd for two or three years the innocent-looking cask stood quietly in my cellar. Then, most unaccountably, moths began to fill my house. I used every possible precaution against them, and made every effort to eradicate them, but in vain. They increased rapidly and threatened to ruin everything I had. I suspected my carpets as being the cause, and subjected them to a thorough cleaning. I suspected my furniture, and had it newly upholstered. I suspected all sorts of impossible things. At last the thought of the cask flashed on me. At once I had it brought up out of the cellar and the head knocked in, and I think it is safe to say that thousands of moths poured out. The previous occupant of the house must have headed it up with something in it which bred moths, and this was the cause of all my trouble. Now I believe that, in the same way, some innocent-looking habit or indulgence, some apparently unimportant and safe thing, about which we yet have now and then little twinges of conscience, something which is not brought out fairly into the light, and investigated under the searching eye of God, lies at the root of most of the failure in this higher life. All is not given up. Some secret corner is kept locked against the entrance of the Lord. And therefore we cannot stand before our enemies, but find ourselves smitten down in their presence. In order to prevent failure, or to discover its cause if we have failed, it is necessary that we should keep continually before us this prayer, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any evil way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Finally, let us never forget for one moment, no matter how often we may fail, that the Lord Jesus able, according to the declaration concerning Him, to deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, that we may "serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life." Let us then pray, every one of us, day and night, "Lord, keep us from sinning, and make us living witnesses of Thy mighty power to save to the uttermost "; and let us never be satisfied until we are so pliable in His hands, and have learned so to trust Him, that He will be able to "make us perfect, in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." What is your response to this excerpt? | |
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Posted 7/18/2010 in Stephen Gray | 1 Comment - Add Comment |
PerceptionsJuly 14, 2010 The power of perception can never be underestimated. Once an individual forms a perception about your church, it is very hard to undo. Richard Reising in his book Church Marketing 101 states that good "marketing is the management of perception." Why? Because too often perception becomes reality to those outside the church. Whether their perception is right or wrong, how an individual perceives your church can determine whether or not you will have a chance to reach them with the Gospel. Let me show you an example. Creating a good perception of your church is half the battle. Here is an example: Look at these two churches. What do you see? Which church do you think an unchurched individual will be more likely to go inside?   Church 1 Church 2 I don't know about you, but church 1 is a little frightening. Church 2 however, wow! Here is what the unchurched individual doesn't know; What's inside?
Inside Church 1 Inside Church 2 Church 1 may have a whole lot more to offer, but the unchurched can't get beyond initial perceptions, no matter how good things are on the inside. I am not simply talking about the look of a building. Realize that everything you do creates a perception of who you are. The look of your mailers, the production of your services, the way people are greeted at the door, the atmosphere of the worship area, and etc... Everything is creating perceptions. I remember my parents teaching me the power of first impressions. I was sixteen and received my first speeding ticket. They convinced me to dress in my Sunday best, a suit and tie at that time, as I went before the judge. Every other kid in that courtroom was dressed in blue jeans and t-shirts. The judge was a real piece of work. I was convinced he hated teenagers. Every one of the teens who stood before that judge was being raked over the coals. Unfortunately, my turn came. I swallowed hard, and stood up to face my judgment. I will never forget what happened next. The judge looked at me and said, "Son, you look like a fine young man, I'm going to forgive your speeding ticket this time, but you still have to pay the court cost. Have a nice day." You could have hear a pin drop in the courtroom. I realized then, that Mom and Dad weren't as dumb as I thought. Man, I wish that still worked today, but that is another story. Some people's perceptions you can't control. What you can't control you leave up to God. What you can control you work hard to get right. Work hard as you start your new church. Remove as many obstacles, stumbling blocks, and excuses as you can from the unchurched or dechurched. Create an atmosphere both inside and out that is welcoming, warm, and authentic. Above all do everything with as much excellence as you can afford. Do your best to generate a positive perception.< | |
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Posted 7/14/2010 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment |
Fade AwayJuly 9, 2010 In 1979 Neil Young came out with a song on his Rust Never Sleeps album called, “My, My, Hey, Hey.” Now, that song my not ring a bell with you, but out of that song comes a lyrical phrase that most have probably heard, “Better to burn out than to fade away.” That phrase became even more popular after it was found April 8, 1984 in the suicide note of Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana. In both cases, that lyrical phrase had to do with the death of a rock icon. The first was Elvis Presley, the second was Kurt himself. No one desires to simply fade away into oblivion when they die. In fact, most spend a lifetime trying to build some kind of legacy that will last beyond their time on this earth. Local churches are really no different. Like individuals, most churches desire to leave a lasting legacy as well. Sadly, many churches have experienced vision drift and their original passion has faded away. If you do a google search on the average size of the American church, you are likely to be frustrated by the facts. No one really knows for sure, but it is estimated that attendance, in 75 percent of American churches, ranges somewhere between 75 -100 or less on any given Sunday. To make matters worse, the median age of those attending church is on the rise while the median age of the unchurched, continues to decline. Many churches are quietly fading away with little to no trace that they ever existed. Some mainline denominations are experiencing a major crisis due to the age of general membership. According to David T. Olsen: “In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the average age of church members is 58. For United Methodists, 61 is the average age. Sixty percent of Episcopalians are over age 50; 38 percent are over age 60. The older the members of a church are, the slower the church grows. Why? Older members do not have children, so they do not help the church grow through reproduction. Older members also tend to adjust slowly to cultural changes.”
The early years of a church plant are chaotic, to say the least. As the church begins to mature and grow, the church experiences greater financial stability, membership starts to climb and the chaos of the early years begins to fade. Many planters welcome this sense of calmness. It is often during these times that the planter must re-engage the vision. The planter or planting team will need to choose between change or stability; between being conservative or remaining bold. | |
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Posted 7/9/2010 in Church Planting | 0 Comments - Add Comment |
Don't Marry The ChurchJuly 5, 2010 Don’t be married to the church? What? Why would anyone ever blog about that? As a preachers kid I understand this problem in ways I wish I didn’t. As a pastor of 21 years I have not only experienced the effects of this problem in my life, but also helped to promote it in many ways. In my father’s generation, it was widely accepted that the church always came before the family. Why? Somehow his service, to the church, was considered an act of sacrifice and showed real commitment. Anything short of total life sacrifice simply wasn’t true commitment to the high calling of pastor. I always remember my professor in seminary telling me; “God first, Family second, and Church third.” Sounds good in theory, but when I got into the real world, I soon discovered how truly difficult it was to keep that theory. The demands of the ministry are overwhelming at times. The pressure to succeed, the desire to grow, the need for more money, the promotion of church programs and the like put ever increasing pressures on the back of the pastor. Even our parishioners seem to have a level of expectancy for their paid pastor. Interestingly enough, the medical community has picked up on this phenomenon and labeled the profession of pastor as one of the highest health risks in the nation. Some of you may have learned how to deal with these pressures. However, I dare say the majority of pastors in the church today have not. Now take the pressures of pastoring an established church and add the pressures of starting one from nothing. The stress and anxiety levels go through the roof. Many planters are goal driven and when their goals are not being met they naturally think; “if I work harder, pray harder and work longer, I will reach the pinnacle of success.” I many ways the planter commits a form of spiritual adultery and exchanges his relationship with his wife and family for a new marriage with the church. This new fledgling church, becomes for many their new mistress.
Donald Joy, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, reminded me of this danger today as I was reading Men Under Construction. Joy said, “The church has one husband: Jesus. That’s enough! We can’t have bigamy scandalizing the church. Be the husband of one wife…and Jesus will affirm you for it, but don’t go flirting with His bride.” (page 108) I think that sums it up nicely. Don’t make the mistake of sacrificing the gift of family with a a new mistress called the church. God’s call to you is to be a Christian first, a spouse and parent second (if married) and a pastor third. The consequences of getting this out of a proper perspective can be catastrophic in more ways than one. | |
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Posted 7/5/2010 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment |
