Take Me Out To The Ballgame

I write to you tonight, still recovering from a great weekend of activity and faith that was long overdue for me. In starting to write about it earlier in the week, I had a very negative attitude. Fortunately, God allowed me to see the blessings instead of focusing on the negatives. I was truly blessed and can't wait to share.

My two pastors (who I consider to be among my best friends) and I spent Friday and Saturday at the Promise Keepers "PK Classic" conference in Denver. I'm too tired to recall if I've mentioned this before in this blog, but my journey to true discipleship started at the 2005 PK conference in Denver. It was my first exposure to a large parachurch ministry like Promise Keepers. It was also an experience that I'll never forget. A group of about a dozen men and boys went from our church that year. Being a complete newbie to the Christian Conference scene, I had no idea what I was in for.

We piled into a couple of vans and trucks and headed from Colorado Springs to Denver on that Friday afternoon in 2005. We check into our hotel, dropped off our clothes, and then went off in search of the nearest McDonalds. I think we ended up at Burger King. Ten males at BK leads to large portions and interesting dinner combinations. We hurried back to get our necessities and then headed up to the Pepsi Center. As we made my way through the crowd, I had my first moment of clarity- "I was not alone!" There were thousands of Christian men filling into the Pepsi Center, and for the first time in my life, my focus expanded beyond the walls of my church and I realized that this was all much bigger than I had ever considered. There was hope for me and in me because I could now see with my own eyes that Jesus had reached the hearts of thousands of men, and that those thousands represented millions of others. My soul was lifted, because I knew we could fight the fight with men like this.

The conference started, and the arena slowly started to fill up. Within fifteen minutes of the start, it was full, containing around 13,000 men, all hungry for the Word. My amazement at the sea of Christian humanity would have been entertaining for anyone who noticed. Little did I know that this was the tip of the iceberg for me. During one of their sets, the Praise Band sang "How Great Thou Art", and then led this building full of men in an a capella singing of it. And for those few minutes as 13,000 men sang from their hearts, we were transformed from many individuals into a brotherhood. The 13,000 voices became a single voice, praising and worshiping God in a way that I yet to experience again. And as those men were singing, you could feel God's magnificence permeate every cubic inch of that building- He had boldly taken up residence and you could tell He had no plans to leave any time soon.

I could on about the rest of the conference, but it suffices to say that men at that gathering came away changed. Two of the men that came with our group recommitted their lives to Jesus that Friday night. We all went back home with the understanding that our lives were going to be different and we had become more than friends; we had become brothers in Christ and we were on fire! The Honeymoon Effect lasted for many months, just long enough to get to the 2006 conference, which was held in Colorado Springs. Our men's ministry had grown legs and was moving forward.

At the end of 2006, Promise Keepers started feeling the effects of the depressed economy that was starting to grip our country. Some of the first church scandals of the 21^st Century were starting to take hold of society's view of the Church as well, and the ministry fell on hard times. Dr. Washington, the current President of Promise Keepers, went as far as saying that PK went into a huge financial hole in the middle of the decade. There was no local conference in 2007, or 2008 or 2009. As men of faith, we started to wander and lose our way. It showed in our home lives as well as our church lives. We struggled to keep all of the pieces together.

Imagine my unbridled glee when I caught wind of this year's conference in Denver. However, instead of being held in a huge arena, the event was going to be conducted at a large church in Denver. The advertising showed that the ministry was rebuilding and taking a grass roots approach. I emailed my usual group of suspects, sharing the joy in my heart and saying that the conference represented a great opportunity for us to repair our now slightly dysfunctional men's ministry at the church. Unlike years passed, the conference itself was free. I was so excited that I got online and ordered twenty two bracelets for the event, convinced that the men in our church would jump at the opportunity to experience God.

I experienced a great deal of sadness the week before the conference when only five of the registrations had been claimed. I had talked to dozens of men, both at church and at work. Everyone had a reason why they wouldn't be able to attend. One of those men who had committed had to back out at the last minute, due to some family issues that needed to be addressed. I struggled through the whole week, because I knew that this could be a life changing event for so many and yet so few would be involved. However, I believe that God had a purpose for sending just the three of us. And He did not disappoint. Unlike years passed, the conference focused on getting back to the basics. My best guess is that about 2000 men attended- a far cry from the 13,000 only five years previous. We heard from some of the best Christian speakers on the planet and I came out of it with ideas and plans and the hope that men in our region would be going home to strengthen their families and their churches. The call to action was undeniable. . I will be writing for months on the seeds these men have planted in my head, and I now have a much clearer vision of how my ministry work should proceed. The lack of bodies had no bearing on the impact this conference is had on the men in attendance.

If that were my entire weekend, it would have been incredible. However, there is more. My wife and two of the boys drove up to Denver on Saturday and we spent another night in the hotel in preparation for the annual Colorado Rockies Faith Day on Sunday. A day of baseball, testimonies and great Christian music. This is something that various members of our church have attended over the last four years. For a variety of reasons, I had never made it to the game prior to this year. In fact, this was my first trip to Coors Field. I was not disappointed.

God gave us an absolutely beautiful (but hot) day for baseball, as proven by the deep shade of red I'm sporting on various parts of my body. The park was a sellout and it was a great game- a come from behind victory for the home team in the bottom of the 9^th inning. It had been at least 25 years since I went to an MLB game and I had a fantastic time. As the game ended, everyone who was staying for the Faith Day portion of the program was directed to the 3^rd base side of the field.

My best guess is that about a third of those in attendance for the game stayed- a total of about 10,000 people. The program started with a video of various members of the Rockies giving their testimony and sharing the importance of God in their lives. A member of the team then led the crowd in prayer, followed by an 80 minute concert by Jeremy Camp. I was in seventh heaven, because Jeremy Camp is one of my favorite Contemporary Christian artists. We had great seats- we were sitting toward the back of the lower section, almost directly in front of the stage.

The music was great, but the crowd was greater. People of all ages were in front of us, and I spent a great portion of the show watching the unbridled passion being exhibited by the crowd. Young and old, short and tall, everyone was involved in a personal worship of God that defies explanation. It was contagious, and even though I may not have expressed it outwardly, that passion gripped me in a way that I had been longing for. I came away from the day with hope.

It's funny to see how easy it is to lose sight of your own spiritual needs. Little did I know just how starved I was. Make sure you are taking appropriate amounts of time every day to worship and praise the Lord. Take every opportunity to feed on the teachings of our Lord and Savior. Don't miss a single blessing that is being created all around you. And above everything else, spread the Word whenever and wherever you can. If nothing else, be one of those Rockies fans and show an obvious passion for the Lord. We can't afford to be shy anymore.

My last lesson of the evening, which I learned at the PK conference- rule your life with love, not fear. Bravery is not the opposite of fear- love is. Love for the Lord can conquer all fear.

You Want Me to Do What??

One of the biggest challenges faced by churches today is the fear of change. Whether it is the hesitation of those being evangelized to take hold of the teaching of Christianity and make changes in the way they think and act, or the fear of an established congregation to affect change within the church to maintain its relevance, this fear of change can have a paralyzing effect on everyone involved. For those contemplating a move towards acceptance of God, the knowledge that their newfound faith will change them on the inside can be daunting. The Bible is very clear that such a change will indeed happen:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

How does a church deal with the challenge of overcoming this huge dilemma? After all, nowhere in the Bible is the new Christian promised that things get easier. In fact, being a Christian is hard work. In a society where needs are met and convenience is king, how do you convince somebody that they need to make their life even more challenging?

Prior to my own salvation, I liked who I was and enjoyed much of the life that I had carved out for myself. I was very comfortable in the real world and enjoying all of the creature comforts I could afford. If I had not fallen to the lowest point in my life, I never would have considered making any changes to my being. I never would have seen the need to alter a thing if life was good. It is only in retrospect that I am able to see the many elements of that life that needed to be altered in order to draw myself closer to God. And yet, everything that I have accomplished as a born again Christian and the successes in my life since my salvation is a direct result of the inner changes I underwent and my belief that God is in charge of it all. The change had to become routine for me and I had make these changes at the pace God laid out for me.     

Today's society is structured in such a way that trying to convince somebody that they need to walk away from it to see the wonders of God is next to impossible. Why would somebody that is totally immersed in cellphones and cable TV and all kinds of night clubs just walk away from their perfect little world? I can wake from a sound sleep at 2am, simply mumble, "Sliderzzzzzzzzzzz" and the adventure is on to find the nearest White Castle. I can do anything 24 hours a day. We want folks to leave this nirvana?

And into this world of perceived perfection walks the Christian friend. We all had at least one growing up. They were the quiet kid that didn't dress in the trendiest clothes. In the early years of our collective childhood, they were typically the "rat" of the bunch, always telling us when we were straying from the rules and pointing out what God would want us to do. The only time we valued their opinion was when we really messed up and needed a voice of reason to help us figure a way out of the jam we found ourselves in. As we grew older, that opinion started making sense. Not enough sense to be cool, but enough to create the early faith conversations of our time. Over a period of time, the seed had been planted and was now waiting to be cared for and harvested.

Many times, that seed lies dormant, unable to grow and blossom because it receives little or no nutrition. As I have mentioned before, I regularly attended church as a child. The seed was planted in me during that time. I wasn't on fire for God at that point in my life, but I was smart enough to realize that He existed and was responsible for everything around me. But it went dormant during my twenties and for much of my thirties, as I drew away from the church and lived my life as a regular member of society (as too many do at that age). I never rejected God; I just didn't make Him anything even close to a priority in my life. I was "easy pickings" when I finally accepted Christ as my Savior at thirty seven, because I was already familiar with the teachings. It was typical for people of my generation that are coming to accept the Lord into our lives, because most of us were exposed to some level of instruction as children. But there are new generations that aren't so easy.

We recently had a nineteen year old visit our church. When approached after the service and asked how she enjoyed her morning with us, she gleefully and enthusiastically responded, "This has been so much fun. I've never been to church before!" When I heard this story, a knot developed in my stomach. How can it be that someone can live so long and never step foot in a church? Of course, I'm not naïve enough to think that everyone has been to church, but the real life experience of this story drove home the point- we are ministering to people that have never given God a second thought. No religion. No Faith. No familiarity.

So how do we minister to those that have no experience with God? It is accomplished by not only sharing The Word with them, but by showing them through your words and actions that life with Christ is indeed better than the selfish "me" culture we live in. Show them that the person on the outside can have fun and live life to its fullest, enjoying every second the Lord provides to us. Show them that you can have a nice home and enjoy the things that God provides for you. Express the outrage for everything you believe is wrong in the world. And as you are doing all of this, start showing them the person on the inside. Show them how God has changed you inner being. Share the inner peace that God has placed in your heart. Share the love that only He can provide.

It sounds easy doesn't it? Well, there is more that needs to be done. In addition to sharing all of the good in our lives, we need to be willing to share the struggles we all face. We have to show them that the outside person still struggles with financial difficulties and relationship issues, that we still get frustrated with some of the decisions our children make, that we still have to fit the oil change in with the son's soccer game and dinner with friends. More importantly, we have to share our inner struggles as well. Tell them how difficult it can be to handle of the difficulties and frustrations that show on the outside. Tell them how difficult it is to avoid parts of an old vocabulary or to avoid old habits that do not glorify God. And as you are telling them all of the difficulties, make sure that you tell that the load is lighter because you place all of your faith in God to provide the answers for you. By giving a very frank and realistic portrayal of the good and the bad in your life, they get to see the full picture. And by showing and sharing your faith in God, you give them the missing piece of the puzzle.

There are some basic requirements for this approach to work that force us to do some pretty serious self-analysis. Is your walk with God strong enough to show on the outside? Do your actions in everyday life reflect the tenets of your faith? Are you willing to share your struggles to show that your life is not perfect? Can you admit to your faults and talk about them honestly? Do you truly give all of your cares and worries to The Lord? If you hesitate in answering any of these questions, it shows that you need to strengthen your faith. If you are silently ashamed of an answer, it means that you need to get right with God. And no matter what your answers are to these questions, you have to be willing to share them as well. If you are strong in your faith, it will show and make your case for God even stronger. If you are struggling, the honest admission of that as a part of your testimony shows that you are indeed human. It is even more powerful if you go to God for the solution to that struggle.

It can be so easy to focus on all of the positives that God places in our lives. After all, by sharing the good, we show folks how God provides for us. However, it is far more effective to paint the complete picture. By doing so, we allow them to see the humanity of our faith. For many, the first approach is going to seem like a scripted sales pitch. If you are strong enough to share the bad with the good, people are going to put a lot more stock in the accuracy of your story. They will also understand that their own struggles are a part of the game as they start exploring the possibilities of a life in obedience to God.

Be honest. Be truthful. Be human.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a Christian…Except for Next Tuesday. I’ve Already Got Plans.

Being a Christian can be hard work. The bar is raised quite a bit when you commit to live your life for Jesus. The Bible is full of stories of men and women that sacrificed everything to show their undying dedication to God. It should come as no surprise to any us. Jesus warns us of the expectations that come with salvation:

"^{Lk 14:25} Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

³¹ "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

³³ In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. " Luke 14:25-33

It seems pretty obvious to me- give everything to receive even more.

Just last night, a friend of mine posted to Facebook. He is a Christian, and more importantly for this discussion, he is a pastor. The man is on fire for The Lord and out on the front line, working to spread his message and share the Love of God. But last night, my friend Rick was venting his frustration over the very inconsistent application of faith that many demonstrate in their daily lives. He lamented the fact that most would rather fit in than stand out, blend in instead of proclaiming their faith to everyone they meet. But I'd like to focus on one particular statement he made:

"Some of us go to church on Sunday and then it's back to our normal routines during the week….being like everybody else."

When I read his post, I quietly agreed to myself with everything he said. I responded with the verses I posted at the top of this blog. I met his frustration with my own fear- a fear that the Church has been trivialized to the point of being completely ineffective. Little did I know that his words would ring so true.

Over the last week, I have started writing a Bible Study that focuses on the elements of Discipleship. It is intended as an in-depth look at the biblical definition and requirements of true Christian Discipleship. I've been reading and studying and praying all week long for this study, and God had blessed me with a very clear vision of the approach I should take. Yesterday, I put the finishing touches on the first session. I went through it a few times in my office at home yesterday afternoon and a couple of more times after that in my office at the church. Bible verses to explore, discussion questions to go even more in-depth, a nice Powerpoint presentation for folks to follow along with- I spared no effort. And I couldn't wait to start.

I got to church much earlier than normal. As soon as Choir practice was over, I came in and set up the computer and projector. I started up some specially selected music to play in the background as folks arrived. Everything was ready to go. All that was left for me to do was wait for folks to show up. So I waited.

And I waited…

And I waited…

And I waited…

All of the folks that had been there for Choir practice left immediately after practice concluded. At the appointed start time of the study, one of the other church leaders came in and turned my awkward solitude into a duet. We talked for a while and at one point, I considered just packing up and calling it a night. Finally, after about thirty minutes we were joined by four women who had been in the kitchen working on something. I finally had my group for the weekly Sunday Evening Church Bible Study. Five folks. Roughly 7% of the regular worshiping body of the church. How ironic that the study exploring how we become better disciples of Christ was attended by a group the size of my family. I took it all in stride, even asking myself, "If a man goes into the forest and conducts a Bible Study, does anyone hear the message?"

Don't get me wrong, there are great things going on at our church. We are reaching the community in ways that we never would have imagined two years ago. Our outreach ministries are growing exponentially, thanks to the efforts of some very dedicated workers. We have about a 70% attendance rate in our Sunday School Ministry, which is incredibly high for most churches. Most of those folks go right from Sunday School to our Worship Service. However, once the service is over they go home, never to be seen again until the following Sunday morning. The "reasons" for this are plentiful and familiar to anyone who has attended church any time in the last ten years:

• I don't like to drive after dark
  
• I have to get up for work tomorrow
  
• I need to spend time with my family
  
• We made plans for the day
  
• I'm just so tired after such a long week
  

News Alert, folks! I don't mind driving after dark and would be glad to pick you up and take you home if you want me to, as would others in the church. Many of us have to get up for work tomorrow and I am pretty sure that I'm doing it much earlier than you (4:30). If you are waiting until Sunday to spend time with your family, you are in greater need of what the church has to offer than you realize. I make plans for the day as well- I plan to spend Sunday worshiping and studying my Lord and Savior. Last time I checked, anything you can plan to do outside of the church on a Sunday can be done just about any other day of the week. Why is Sunday the only day you can find to do these things? And a long week? I spend at least 60 hours of my week either driving to work or doing my job. I get a few hours in the evening to spend with whoever in my family is looking for some "dad time." And I (like many others) do all of this and still find the time to be involved with the church on Wednesday evenings, Sunday mornings and Sunday Evenings.

The purpose of that rant was not to highlight how "great" a Christian I am (because I have a long way to go to even be a "good" Christian). Rather, it was intended to show how easy the excuses can flow when true discipleship is not important. To many, church has become nothing more than an item to be completed on the weekly checklist of life. The trend is alarming and as a church, we have to react to this in a way that is horribly uncomfortable to most- we must start holding each other accountable for our actions and be willing to call each other out when we are exhibiting behavior that does nothing to glorify God.

I know- much easier said than done. For some, it is a very daunting task. And I'll admit that in dealing with some, it is a daunting task. How do you approach one of the top "givers" to let them know that their absence from many church events is noticed? How do you tell your most dedicated workers that all the service in the world cannot make up for the training they are choosing not to participate in? Who am I to tell a church leader that their lack of commitment could be harming the church body? After all, if I am holding others accountable for their actions, they will do the same to me.

The answer is one of the most brutally honest of the Christian faith. We tell them because the actions of a single person often affect others. We tell them because we are all responsible for national sin. To not say anything is to silently approve of the very behaviors that disconnect them from God, which makes us just as responsible for their wandering as they are. Most importantly, we tell them because one day they will be judged on their actions.

"So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." Matthew 14:12

How are their "reasons" for being a Sunday Morning Christian going to be received by God? How would our own silence be seen as a good thing in the eyes of The Lord? Are you willing to take the chance? Are you willing to admit that you need as much feedback as "they" do? So many questions with one answer- be bold enough and strong enough in the Lord to bring everyone closer to Him, even the most intimidating people in your church.

And to my buddy Rick- I guess I share your frustration after all. Thanks for allowing me to recognize it. Thanks for being a part of the 7%.

 

Moving at the Speed of God

In the first blog of this series, I spoke about the crossroad that many churches find themselves at, a crossroad that requires many churches to examine their fundamental approach to meeting the needs of a quickly changing congregation and society.

As a society, we are very wary and afraid of change. We become accustomed to the way life unfolds for us, get into comfortable routines and look down our noses at anything that disrupts the easy flow of our lives. We schedule our time to maximize its use and fall into complete panic when elements of our planning go awry. We become accustomed to the tools and aids at our disposal and dismiss anything different as not robust enough to meet our needs. The only time we openly accept change is when it makes life easier or more comfortable for us. For many of us, the only way we tackle difficult change is to have it forced on us. With no choice and as an unwilling participant, we struggle to find the flaws in whatever is being thrust upon us. The passage of time is often the only cure for our hesitation and fear, as change becomes routine and a new pattern of life is born.

I have witnessed and been a part of a number of efforts in our church over the last few years to change our focus, all in the name of making the church more effective. About three years ago, the US Army started announcing plans for huge troop realignments across the country, with a large number of troops moving from Fort Hood to Fort Carson. Thousands of people would be arriving in the area and we decided that we needed to be prepared to welcome these troops and their families to our church. After all, we have a number of active and retired military families already worshipping with us. What church could be better suited for these families than us?

Let me take a couple of minutes to describe our church to you. It is a Southern Baptist Church located in a conservative town just south of Colorado Springs and its location away from the major throughways makes it physically invisible to most who live in and travel through the area. The church was founded about 45 years ago and is still attended by a number of the charter members. The largest demographic of the church can be described as retired. The next largest group of folks would be described as parents under the age of 35 and their young children, many of them active military. We are blessed that the younger crowd respects the elder crowd and the elder crowd appreciates the younger one (to an extent). The generational challenges of leading a church with such varying demographics are daunting and the decisions made can cause strife. The physical facility is nice and in good physical condition, but in need of some updating. We are not a rich church financially, but very wealthy in terms of faith and belief. In short, it is a church like many others.

So, back to the influx of troops. As church leaders, many of us started looking at how we could modify our programs to reach out to these families. There stated being talk about taking some of our ministries directly on post. We did some holiday advertising in the post newspapers, convinced that folks would flock to us in response to it. We had church material included in the Welcome Packs they received. We were doing everything we could to draw attention. All we had to do was sit back and wait for them to find us. And so we did. Sit back, that is.

This ended up being a very discouraging time for the church. Due to war in Iraq, troop deployments were delayed. Church attendance started to decline, giving was down and frustration took up residence. As a part of getting ready for the troops, we had examined many of the current efforts of the church. We were asking ourselves if we were doing things because they came up on the calendar every year or if we were doing them because they were important to the church. Some were poorly attended and the decision was made to "retire" activities that didn't seem important enough to continue. Despite clear and frequent communication with the church family, these decisions upset segments of the church family and rifts started to appear in the congregation. Rumblings that the "young folks" were trying to take over the church permeated the building. Casual conversations about the feasible longevity of the church were happening. I even participated in a discussion one evening of a potential church split over the generational differences that were starting to appear. But the troops never did come.

We were experiencing a low point in the church. So, we did what any good church would do and went to God for the answers. The leaders prayed and the pastor preached about the need for prayer and hope. And somewhere along the line we started to understand where we strayed. I say this because God had a surprising answer to our prayers. I don't claim to have heard the voice of God itself, but I believe this is what he was telling us:

"Oh, faithful and loving children of My Church. For many months, you have toiled and prepared for the arrival of a new harvest field. You have made plans to watch over and lead a new flock. Your dedication to this is noteworthy, but I have a question: what makes the new flock so much more important than the old one? For I have already provided you with a bountiful harvest field, one that has been ignored and not cared for. It withers to its very roots because you are preparing the empty fields for the next season. Take heed and harvest the fields I have prepared for you, for in those fields are the answers to your prayers."

In our rush to prepare for a group of people that had never seen the city of Fountain, we had completely ignored the needs of the people living in the city of Fountain. God was telling us that the harvest we were preparing for was not the one he had prepared for us. Unknowingly, we were trying to get a step ahead of God and provide the harvest. We forgot:

"Then He said to His disciples: "The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."" Matthew 9:37-38

While we wanted to give God the glory of bringing people to know Him, we ignored the indisputable fact that it is God who decides where He wants us to find those people, as it is His harvest and not ours.

This message was slow to gain momentum at the church. One by one, ministry leaders started to refocus their energies to areas of the community that we had neglected. It was a slow and painful transition, because not everyone was able to see the error of our ways at the same time. Some thought that we needed to continue focusing our efforts on the military. For a few months, the same generational splits we were seeing continued to grow, but for different reasons now. Instead of an older generation being upset by the changes being put in place, we now had a younger generation upset by the change in focus to a group of people they were not familiar with.

The changes that we made to programs in anticipation of the troops were now used to interest neighbors and fellow townsmen. New ministries started popping up and some of the old ministries that had been neglected and put aside were once again thriving and growing. The community still may not have known where the church was located, but they were quickly coming to know and remember the name as "that church" that was providing programs and services to the community. People of all ages were coming alongside each other to serve in ways that we never experienced before. The energy and excitement was palpable. Attendance started to rise. We were starting to see new families just about every week, many of which were military families. The splits within the church slowly started to heal. By focusing our time and energy in the areas the God intended for us, prayers were answered and blessings received and nobody could deny the wonderful work that God was performing in the church.

This is a classic example of how churches can get lost by trying to get out ahead of God, instead of following God's lead. With the very best of intentions, churches can lose sight of the possibilities that exist just outside their property line. God had a very specific plan for our church- evangelize your community and be a beacon of hope to our neighbors and friends. We still have a lot of work to do to really glorify God and the list of programs we would like to put in place grows by the day. But we have learned not to rush any of it. He will show us the way and give us the timetable. We will move at the speed of God.

The Heart of the Matter

"For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body- so also is Christ." 1 Corinthians 12:12

As church leaders, we can often find ourselves thrilled beyond words when we hear about a church member's hidden or unknown talents. Knowledge of a hidden musical talent or previous teaching experience conjures up visions of new ministry ideas. We thank God for the gift he has provided us. We can even be so bold as to approach folks, telling them of the great places we seeing them serve and how great an addition they will be to the ministry efforts of the church. After all, most folks just need a little encouragement. Or do they?

I have the experience of serving at my church in a variety of roles over the last six years. My first position at the church was as church organist. For those of you that don't know, I am a professionally trained musician and for many of my teen and young adult years I was known as such. For all those years, my life revolved around music. But as the years rolled along, it became less practical and a smaller and smaller part of my life. As a result, I allowed the gift that God had blessed me with to deteriorate and become a relic of my past. Imagine my surprise when I was approached all those years later by a member of the church who told me that I would be a wonderful addition to the Music Ministry in our church. Over the next couple of months, the nudging became a little more energetic and I ultimately agreed to take position. After all, I'd be serving the church and doing my part for the ministry. I was reliable and was there every Sunday, faithfully playing away. I took on additional responsibilities in the church, and before too long I was involved in number of different ministries, many of these positions I was approached about because of the "great fit" I would be. From the outside, I appeared to be an energetic and faithful servant of the church. It's too bad that the inside had a different look.

Over time, the music became a chore. My gift had declined to the point that I was embarrassed by what I was not able to do anymore, despite the many compliments I received about my work. But I persevered, because I figured that at some point God would step in and show me the way to fulfillment. So I played, and played, and played, and played… The one thing that had once represented the single biggest joy in life had turned into my biggest discouragement. I kept plugging along because I was now engrained in the ministry and it had become an obligation to me. Instead of relishing the thought of playing the next hymn, I was looking at the bulletin and calculating how much longer I had until my service was done for the day. Toward the end, I was finding that I wasn't feeling "well" enough to make it to church some Sundays. I started making excuses to avoid projects and committees- too much work, the need for family time, just too tired after a busy week, etc. For those of you familiar with the symptoms, its true- I was burning out. Unfortunately, I was oblivious to the signs for months and just plodded along. By the time I saw what was going on, it was too late.

Many times, we find ourselves in a position where the tasks being performed are mundane, unchallenging and personally unrewarding. For many people, you have to look no farther than their job or career to find this pattern. Many people look at their job as nothing more than a paycheck to survive on. They may demonstrate some level of enthusiasm at work and do everything asked of them. However, if asked outside the workplace they willingly admit that the job holds little joy and that there is no sense of true accomplishment. It is just a part of the routine, because their heart is not in it.

My problem was that I allowed this attitude to extend to my faith. Because my heart was never in it, I allowed myself to make it mundane and routine. My "paycheck" was the misguided notion that I was honoring God by simply serving in His church. As I said, all outward signs would indicate that I was a joyful servant. The truth is that I was rotting a little bit on the inside, because my service had become an unrewarding burden that outweighed any spiritual joy I was experiencing. I started to drift away from my church.

After we lost my wife's dad to cancer late last year, we found ourselves dealing with a spiritual unsettledness. We felt it was big enough to merit a voyage to find a new church. Our hope was that we would be able to rekindle the fire and reconnect with God. The discussion between my wife and I became the focal point of our conversations over a few nights. We prayerfully considered our options and decided to go church shopping. We let our pastor know our decision and that it had nothing to do with the church itself. We were not angry or discouraged about any element of the church or its family. We felt God leading on this journey and we were bound to take it. And within an hour of leaving the church that evening, we realized that we had made a huge mistake. That was our church and God had placed us there for a reason. We just hadn't figured out what that reason was.

Despite knowing that we would end up back at our original church, we elected to go on the journey anyway. We hoped to prove that we were moving in the wrong direction. We knew that we would have the very same doubts six months down the road if we didn't make the trip. More importantly for me, I was looking forward to going to a church where I could just sit and worship, a church where there was no pressure to serve. My burnout had progressed to the point where I was convinced that I would never serve in a church again. I wanted to know what that felt like.

If I were to end the story here, it would be a sad and depressing story of a man who lost his way and that was so disillusioned with church that he would be ineffective at best. But I can't end it here, because God is involved and He was far from done with me.

After a seven week sabbatical, we made the decision to rejoin our church family. Unbeknownst to everyone but me, I had been praying. I was asking God to show me what a truly effective service life for me would consist of. Through those prayers, I found myself going back to the same point- service for the sake of service was not what God commands us to do. I had to search my heart to find those special gifts that God was telling me to use. There was no way that I could go back and not serve. I simply knew that my service life would have to change if I were to truly glorify God.

About a week before our return, I eagerly emailed our Pastor, Associate Pastor and Chairman of Deacons to let them know that we would be back. The email outlined many of the blessings we had rediscovered about our church and that we were so excited to get back. I went on and on about how God had blessed us with a wonderful church that we were crazy to leave in the first place. But then the tone changed a little as I went on to describe the lessons I had learned about serving in the church. I told them all that I was eager to jump back in and start serving again, but that my service would have to look a lot different than it had previously. In order to glorify God, I had to do a better job of choosing the ministries I would serve in. While I never mentioned it in the email, I had already decided to resign from my role as organist and focus my energy on the Sunday School ministry, which I had lead for a number of years. True discipleship was the ministry that God was leading me to.

And so on that following Sunday, my wife and I made our return. There were many hugs and "welcome backs" and life was good. We knew we were home and nothing was going to tear us away from our church. We comfortably settled back into our routine. Part of that routine for me includes showing up at the church on Wednesday nights. We have strong children's ministries on Wednesdays, but not a lot of adult participation. As a result, Wednesday evenings had become a time for my pastor and I to talk about the many things going on at the church- not a gossip session, but more of a brainstorming session to tackle problems, celebrate blessings and expand the role of the church in the community. On this night, Pastor took the time to catch me up on the things that had transpired in our absence and I took the time to tell him of the fire that had rekindled in my soul. And we both ended up catching each other off guard in the process.

As we were talking, he told me that there was need to name a new Sunday School Director (my old role) to address some issues that had come up while we were gone. The reasons he laid out for me made perfect sense and the person he had put in place was an outstanding selection. I felt like I had been punched in the gut, because I had really come to the conclusion that it was the one area of the church where I could serve and lead with my heart. My pastor then went on to ask me where I wanted to serve and that he was sure that the Music Ministry was one of those areas. Imagine his surprise when I told him that that was the one ministry that I knew I would be putting aside. I explained that it had become an obligation instead of service from the heart. And while he understood what I was saying, I could see that it was the one answer he was not expecting from me. Without explaining that he had pulled the carpet out from under me by replacing me in the Sunday School ministry, I told him that I needed more time to figure out where God was leading me to serve.

A week later, we sat down and a discussion began. We had both been praying about where I would fit in. Pastor started by laying out a vision for me that had come to him, one where I would not lead Sunday School, but all of the discipleship ministries in the church. I would become not a dictator of methodology, but a central clearinghouse to assist the many talented ministry leaders with their discipleship programs. As he spoke, the smile on my face grew bigger and bigger. It wasn't a case of approving of the expanded role of my position. The words coming out of his mouth went directly from my ears to my heart. You see, a few years ago I had a pipedream of where my service could eventually lead in the church. As I sat there listening to my pastor speak, I was hearing that dream being vocalized for the first time. And for the first time a long, long time I was excited.

Here I sit four months later, putting all of this on the computer. I have been serving as Discipleship Director during that time and the experience has been so rewarding. My time commitment to the church has expanded by a factor of three, and yet I find myself energized and eager to do even more. The balance of work, family and faith is better than it has been at any point in my life. I have people coming to me almost every Sunday morning with ideas and plans to expand the ministry efforts of the church. In short, I'm living the dream and loving it.

Most of the lessons learned here are pretty obvious. My newfound excitement comes from serving from the heart, instead of trying to please people. I am putting skills to use that God intended me to use in service to Him. As a church leader, the lessons are even more profound. While I continue to let people know of our ministry needs, I do it to see if interests exist, not to create the interest. I never tell someone how well they would fit a particular role in the church. I pray for individuals to serve, but my prayers are for God to put a ministry on their heart instead of praying for them to serve in a particular role.

As the church transforms itself into the 21^st century church, we need to pay great attention to these lessons. We need to equip ourselves with people who are serving from the heart. The church gives God more glory by doing without ministries than offering a multitude of programs that are staffed with people who are doing it out of obligation. And as we go out to minister to the world, the enthusiasm that comes from true service will always be more appealing than a bunch of programs run by robots. We have to get out of the way and let God staff our ministries.

Standing at the Crossroads

Crossroads

In the life of any church, intersections in the spiritual road appear. Many times, these crossroads require the church to choose paths that do not converge at the other end, but lead to different destinations. Churches struggle to make what they believe to be the proper decision, knowing that whichever road is chosen will have a profound impact on the future of the church.

However, both roads can often lead to the same place, where one path meanders and slowly winds to the end while the other takes a more direct route to the final destination. Sometimes, the "scenic" route allows us time to reflect on the beauty and magnificence of everything God provides for us, while the more direct route forces us to focus on the task at hand. There is rarely a "bad" choice when both paths lead to the same place. It becomes a matter of deciding whether timeliness is essential to the task at hand. In either case, God has provided us with the free will to decide which road will be taken.

As a church body, there are pitfalls involved in haphazardly choosing one road over the other. More importantly, the body itself can be harmed if church leadership individually chooses different paths without any clear overarching vision for growth and prosperity. While the end goal may be the same, taking different approaches in reaching that goal can lead to confusion, hurt feelings and an inability as a church to reach the final destination. Success is based on the essential elements of having a united vision to move forward and choosing the same path for all aspects of the ministry.

However, there is another decision that a church can make. Many times, the easiest choice is to simply stand in place, therefore negating the need to make a choice of direction. The decision that is made is to stick with the status quo- "if it's working for us now, it will meet our needs for the immediate future." In previous generations, this would have been an acceptable approach, as lifestyles and spiritual needs evolved at a much slower pace. Communities were more self-reliant and isolated because the technology of the day was not as robust as it is today. Values and morals were consistent because the standard was based on faith and tradition, not on influences or trends originating halfway around the world.

We now live in an "always on" society, where public opinions can change from day to day and the influences on our lives can come from any corner of the globe. We see a move towards the secular and away from the sacred. Political correctness has replaced societal morality as the measure of social acceptance. Separation of Church and State has devolved into Denial of Church by State. Today's church has to demonstrate the ability to overcome society, instead of simply fitting into society. More importantly, church leadership must demonstrate the vision and courage to take the church to a place where it positively influences society and changes lives.

The Struggle against Modern Society

As I reflect on my fifty years of life, I am often blown away by the myriad of changes society has undergone in that time. I grew up in rural New England in a middle class family, living in what we thought to be a big village of about 8,000 people. Locking the front door at night was optional. My mother's challenge was not figuring how to get us out into fresh air, but how to get us inside for dinner and bedtime. Our choices on the one television in the house consisted of the 3 or 4 grainy channels (depending on how strong the wind was blowing) we were able to pick up from the Albany, NY region. To this day, I can name almost every family that lived within a two block radius of our house, and they knew me as one of the Stephenson boys (if not by full name). The only businesses open on Sunday were the few restaurants that served breakfast and lunch. The only computer in my high school was one that was rolled out by the Science Department at the annual Science Fair- it was the size of a bar refrigerator and ran off punch cards (I still don't know what it actually did, but it looked real cool).

Fast forward to today. I lock my house tighter than a drum, not only to protect my family from the unknown threats in our lives, but to also deter some of the people we know and love from making bad decisions. I am thrilled beyond words when one of the kids announces that they want to play a sport, because I know it means that they will get some form of physical activity and fresh air. I stopped counting at 100 channels when trying to figure out the television options available on any one of the half dozen TV's in the house. I've lived in this house for over eight years and can name most of my immediate neighbors, but can't tell you the name of the family living directly across the street (let alone anybody living even a few houses down the street). Any hour of any day, I can now find a multitude of businesses open to provide me with anything my heart desires. And we have almost as many computers as televisions in the house that allow us to work and play in ways that used to be the things of science fiction movies.

Let me make it very clear that I am not saying that life was better then or now because of the things I've listed here. Life has changed. I grew up in a much simpler time and now enjoy a much more convenient lifestyle. I have thanked God on more than one occasion because I was able to get medicine at 11:00 in the evening to help fight a sudden fever with one of the kids. The ability to follow my beloved Red Sox and Celtics from more than halfway across the country is one of my special pleasures. I am better connected to friends and family now than at any time in the last twenty years thanks to the wonders of the internet. But there is a part of me that wishes for a blend of the two lifestyles- a blend that takes of advantage of today's conveniences while returning to a value system based in scriptural foundation and where God is loved and not loathed.

The problem with my dream for a more spiritual society is that the very conveniences I have described are what get in the way for many people. Who needs God when everything a person could desire is at their fingertips? The answer, of course, is that everybody needs God. Nothing we have is the result of man by himself. Everything we have is the result of God's love for us. He provides the computers and internet, the cell phones and cable channels, Wal-Mart and McDonalds. But for many, it is easy to lose that perspective because it all comes so easily to us in today's society. Why would I consider myself a broken sinner in need of a savior when all I have to do is push a couple of buttons to see the latest episode of "Desperate Housewives?" We have it all. Or so we think.

A Return to Faith

Growing up in the sixties and early seventies, everyone went to church, if for no other reason than you didn't want to be known as "that family" that didn't. This is not to say that I am a proponent of forced worship, but to this day I am convinced that the mere existence of church as a staple of life contributed to the higher moral standards we were exposed to as kids and teenagers. However, the Church of that generation was able to serve the community-at-large in a much different way than it does today. The memory I have of church in that era is one of great bible stories. I remember that through my teens, I was exposed to some of the greatest biblical teaching around. I knew the books of the Bible. As I look back, it was very fitting for the times. However, if I were to ask for a "do-over" in preparation for my life today, I would most certainly demand more life application of those stories.

There was nothing wrong with the church upbringing I had. Because everyone went to church, there was no need to convince anyone that there was a real life need to apply the Holy Word to their lives in a way that had completely escaped them. The problem (as I see it) is that life became more convenient and society changed, but the church didn't. Or at least it didn't change quickly enough.

Many of us have seen the numbers. At a business meeting of the local Southern Baptist Association a couple of years ago, our Director of Missions stated that in the mid-70's, over 75% of the people in the Pikes Peak region regularly attended church. Today, on any given Sunday there are 500,000 people in the same region that do not attend church. Professional football and car racing are more important to most than the need to reach out to God. Churches now find it important to find ways to draw people in and even more vital to show them how the teachings of the Bible apply to their modern life. What was so obvious and easy thirty years ago has become a daunting challenge for today's Church. Many churches now stand at the crossroad of discovering how they can be more effective.

There is Hope in the Crossroads

The Bible teaches us that the battle is far from over and that the best is yet to come for those who believe. My personal observation is that a younger generation is finding their way back to faith and God. This younger generation is one that doesn't remember a simpler lifestyle. Life has always been "always on" for them. And yet they show up at churches, hungry for God and looking for ways to build their faith into their lives. They bring their young children and an enthusiasm that somehow skipped my generation. But they bring new needs to the church. This is a generation that is media-centric and technology-savvy. They require more energy in worshipping God and focus less on tradition for the sake of tradition. In short, they are the first generation to seek life application to show the way through a very hectic and chaotic life of conveniences.

For many churches, this is a crucial crossroad. How can a church blend the need to be relevant in today's society with the church upbringing of an older congregation? How does a church cross generational lines without offending one or not meeting the spiritual needs of another? The answers to these questions are actually quite simple. It falls upon church leadership to bring the flock along at a pace that soothes the anxiety of the older generation while showing the younger generation that their needs are recognized and being addressed. Churches can be too quick to change without realizing that the younger crowd started attending services and programs before any changed occurred- they are there for a reason. Finding a comfortable transition can be lot easier than people realize. Through thoughtful prayer and dialog, picking the right path becomes as easy as placing it all in God's hands.