March 30, 2006
Thank You
Thank you: the words seem too simple to be meaningful. But to a tired soul who wonders if the investment is worth it, they can bring some short-term replenishment to the brittle dryness. That is what I hope happens through this short paragraph.
Thank you for the investment you are making in your ministry, your cluster and the people in that cluster. Thank you for the time several of you are making now to deal with conflicts in your churches(and those of you who have not yet done so will probably experience this privilege sooner or later). God modeled for us in the Scriptures that there will always be the "good, the bad, and the ugly" to deal with. But by His grace we are more than conquerors. It's never fun to deal with such stuff. We usually wonder if it is worth it. But it is.
Thank you for the time you've put in to help station new pastors. Thank you for praying for each other and supporting each other. Most of all, thank you for being like Isaiah and others who simply made themselves available to be used. Our Father will richly reward you for it.
Don't forget that this site is for your use, to share stories of what the Lord is doing. That will be an encouragement to us all.
Pray for these:
— Dirk Small is doing with a difficult situaiton in one of the churches in his cluster.
— Mark Ralph, not to be outdone, has TWO situations he is addressing. The Bishop is meeting with him and those churches today to seek a solution.
— We have a number of church openings right now and limited personnel to consider. Ask the Lord to bring us or raise up some strong young bucks.
— Pray as we take time next week to flesh out the Bishop's five initiatives.
Pray and ask the Lord to do something fresh in each of our lives this week.
Pat
March 29, 2006
Urgent Request
We are in need of locating a few, really sharp young pastors who can help us change our leadership DNA. Do you know any student that is currently in a seminary anywhere? Could you give me the person's name and where he is attending school? I really want to begin building a list of strong potential "young bucks" to change the genetic DNA of our herd. You can send directly to me by email.
March 28, 2006
The Da Vinci Code
Just received some promotional material that churches can use to present the real truth of the Da Vinci Code movie that will be out May 19. It And got me to thinking about what our churches are doing, if anything, regarding the movie and subject matter. Sometimes these are tough calls to make. Do we do anything, or ignore it compeletly? The only problem is that some of your attenders read the book and some believed it was true. Other attenders will go see the movie and some will come away convinced that the claims it makes are true. Does that make any difference?
I personally believe that the book is a direct attack upon the reliability and trustworthiness of our Scripture.
The people you minister to every week will have questions about the book and movie. Will you be prepared to answer with answers that will satisfy them?
Just wondering if anyone is planning to combat this subversive material...that many will believe is really true. And if you respond to this please state whether or not you have read the book and/or plan on seeing the movie.
Turnaround Churches
REMINDER!
The Turnaround Church Seminar is coming quickly--April 18 at Huntington University. See my March 14 posting for more details. If you need registration forms, let me know. This would be good for board members, staff members, commission chairpersons, pastors...anyone who is interested in seeing their church turn around. We should have a good response to this seminar. I will attend, and I hope to see you there!
Powerful Quote!
I recently came across this quote that moved me. How about you?
"It is a marvel to me how men continue at ease in preaching year after year without conversions. Have they no bowels of compassion for others? No sense of responsibility upon themselves? Dare they, by a vain misrepresentation of divine sovereignty, cast the blame on their Master? Or is it their belief that Paul plants and Apollos waters, and that God gives no increase? Vain are their talents, their philosophy, their rhetoric, and even their orthodoxy, without the signs following. How are they sent of God who bring no men to God? Prophets whose words are powerless, sowers whose seed all withers, fishers who take no fish, soldiers who give no wounds--are these God's men? Surely it were better to be a mud-raker, or a chimney-sweep, than to stand in the ministry as an utterly barren tree. The meanest occupation confers some benefit upon mankind, but the wretched man who occupies a pulpit and never glorifies his God by conversions is a blank, a blot, an eyesore, a mischief. He is not worth the salt he eats, much less his bread.... If the Lord gives you no zeal for souls, keep to the lapstone or the trowel, but avoid the pulpit as you value your heart's peace and your future salvation." (From “Lectures to My Students,” by C.H. Spurgeon. pg 32)
March 25, 2006
Being With: A Change of Direction
When I first started in ministry, the goal seemed to be to get things done. The primary way people were influenced and helped was with the teaching. Sunday preaching, teaching times, and classes were the major focus. Families were stable and safe for the most part. Parents were communicating on some level with their children. Mentoring, imperfect though it may have been, was happening.
Things are different today. While I still do believe that Sunday morning is the most important event that happens in the life of the church, the need to strategically devote our time to "being with people" the rest of the week will determine true life transformation. Office visits and five-minute conversations in the sanctuary or hallway won't cut it. And for those who have staff members on their team, it is imperative that you spend non-planning meeting time with them just to ask, "How is it going, really?"
For men to be influenced, it is more likely that they will open up and share what is inside them if they are on the golf course with you, or helping with a project, or driving to an event together. Those minutes and hours will provide sudden "God moments" when something will come out into the open. Probing follow-up questions can then give opportunity to explore the questions or situation more fully.
We must be careful how much time we give to whom. Timothy was told to entrust what he had learned to "reliable men" who in turn would be able to influence others. While every person in the church is important, and we must care for all, long term investments must be reserved for those who can help make a difference by replicating the effort in the lives of others. So we must ask some crucial questions:
1. Is this person reliable?
2. Is this person desiring to grow and is he teachable?
3. Is this person going to be around for a while?
4. Does this person apply the initial truths we have discussed?
5. Is this person leading his home in godliness?
There are other questions you may want to ask. The key is to make sure that your investment is able to bring a return (as best as you can determine at the time). All of us have invested and seen the fruit go out the door or never show up. But with wise selection, we can increase the possibility of success.
The teen and twenty-something generations are longing today to spend time with and hear from older adults that they know care about them and are interested in sharing life with them. They have had few meaningful interactions in their lives that they feel have prepared them to successfully navigate the nuances of life. They want to hear our experiences, and know how we handled what they are facing.
Many adults are in the same boat. They feel their failures and challenges but find few places to share their "low times." If we provide a place, time and circumstance where they know it is safe and their vulnerability will be met with a loving attitude and a desire to help them succeed, they will open up.
So look at your schedule. Work at not doing much alone. Take someone with you. Plan who will travel with you to that retreat. Invite someone to help you with that project at home. Make time to be "with" people. Men with men, and women with women, for obvious reasons. And if you say you don't have time, you are admitting that you don't want to be effective in what you are doing. That is how crucial this is for today.
March 14, 2006
Turnaround Churches
There is an event planned for April at Huntington University that some of you should be interested in attending. The Hoffman Lectureship Series for 2006 will be held on the campus April 18, 2006, with the topic being "Turnaround Churches." The speaker is Gene Wood, who has authored two books, "Leading Turaround Churches" and "Leading Turnaround Teams." The lecture will begin at 8:30 AM and end at 3:30 PM.
The registration fee is just $30 and it covers the registration fee, noon meal, and refreshments.
Now, I know we have several churches that could and should be considered turnaround churches. A turnaround church could be described as a church that has plateaued or is in decline, but there is a sense that God really wants to do something in that place. Not all plateaued or declining churches can be considered a turnaround situation. This seminar will help you assess your turnaround potential.
We ought to have a couple dozen of our churches respond to this opportunity by sending their pastor and several key laypersons. You can request a registration form by responding to this blog with your name and address and how many forms you would like.
For pastors in the UBIC, this seminar will earn .5 CEU credits.
I plan to attend this myself and I hope to see many of you there as well.
We have plateaued and/or declining churches that if they do not develop a turnaround ministry, they probably will eventually die. And in many cases that isn't necessary. But they must refocus their ministry and become culturally relevant to their community.
Will you come? Not can you come? But will you? I trust you will!
March 8, 2006
My Report to the ELT - First Six Months
Pat Jones, Director of Healthy Church Ministries, reporting to the Executive Leadership Team
During the past few weeks, we've had a lot of meetings--the Global Ministries Leadership Team, the Healthy Church Leadership Team, the Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team, and finally, the Executive Leadership Team. The ELT met March 6-7 at the United Brethren Headquarters in Huntington, Ind. (See pix of the various members.) I presented a written report covering my first six months in office, August 15, 2005, to February 28, 2006. Here are excerpts which might interest you.
These first 6 months were spent generally:
- In getting moved and settled in Huntington.
- Becoming involved in a steep learning curve as to the status of the various areas of emphasis.
- Becoming acquainted with the condition of churches and pastors.
- Picking up stationing committee duties for churches needing pastors.
- Learning the routines and procedures of the office and staff.
I began a cluster consisting of myself as the leader, plus the five former bishops who live in this area: Raymond Waldfogel, C. Ray Miller, Clarence Kopp, Ray Seilhamer, and Paul Hirshy.
In my opinion, the future of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ is guarded. Doing things as we've always done them is not an option. This is a time for fresh, new ideas coming forth from our leadership teams and churches. We do have some exciting things taking place in a number of our churches. Our strategy rolling forward must begin to identify our future with those churches. We likewise must see some significant success with church planting efforts.
The theme of my time this first six months has been twofold. First, I have spent time championing the cause of “The Harvest.” We're just not seeing enough grain coming into the bin. Second, we need to change the DNA/genetics of our herd. We must attract sharp people to our ministry ranks who can make a difference in the leadership of our churches.
Some future events include a meeting this week with a few pastors of our largest churches to help plan an event in the fall where we can gather all the pastors of our churches above 400 to a time of sharing and fellowship. I would also like to plan a time for the pastors of our medium churches, 201 to 400 as well as a time for our pastors of small churches. Each of these size groups have issues that are unique to their size church. We can't do anything if we always have everybody together. Hopefully these three events will happen yet this year.
I will also meet this spring with the students of Huntington University who are in a fulltime ministry track of some type. I had a similar meeting in the fall with about 17 such students. We will meet informally for a meal and talk about their goals for their future. They will be encouraged to consider ministry in the UB Church. However, just relying on those in the pipeline now will not get us where we need to be with leadership. I will continue to recruit from outside the denomination those individuals who, I feel, can help us change our DNA.
The following churches have withdrawn from the United Brethren Church, USA, or have closed. All of the California churches listed below formed a new group called United Believers in Christ.
- Cornerstone, Decatur, Ind. (joined the Missionary Church)
- Jerry City, Jerry City, Ohio (closed)
- Otterbein, Waynesboro, Pa. (withdrew, went independent)
- Open Bible Fellowship, Safford, Ariz. (withdrew, went independent)
- Highland Heights, New Castle, Pa. (closed)
- Red Mountain, Birmingham, Ala. (closed)
- Sacramento Faith, Sacramento, Calif. (withdrew)
- Riverbank New Hope, Riverbank, Calif. (withdrew)
- Burbank Victory Celebration (Anglo), Burbank, Calif. (withdrew)
- Burbank Victory Hispanic, Burbank, Calif. (withdrew)
- Glendale First, Glendale, Calif. (withdrew)
- Lakewood Open Arms, Lakewood, Calif. (withdrew)
- Palmdale, Palmdale, Calif. (withdrew)
- San Fernando, San Fernando, Calif. (withdrew)
- Simi Valley, Simi Valley, Calif. (withdrew)
- Living Water, Clarksburg, W. Va. (closed)
Michigan and Northwest conferences will hold their concluding annual conference this summer. When these are concluded, all of our former annual conferences will have voted to disband. This will pave the way for a successful referendum vote in the fall.
Let me close by saying how privileged I am to have been chosen to serve in this capacity. However, it is a very difficult and demanding job. Time has flown by. There never seem to be enough hours in a day. The “things to do pile” grows larger. I feel the burden of the church so very keenly. My tendency is to try to fix every problem, deal with every crisis, solve every conflict but I am finding much to my chagrin that that is not possible. So, with the first six months of learning curve behind me, I move forward committed to prioritizing my time within the framework of the five strategic initiatives, trusting in the strength and guidance of a loving Heavenly Father who is more than able. We don't have to do it alone.
March 2, 2006
The UB Church is Dead
Shocking statement, isn't it? But stick with me. The Scriptures remind us that we must approach each day as if we are dead to yesterday. Jesus said, "Whoever will not take up his cross daily and follow me is not worthy of me." Paul, in speaking of what was valuable in life, said, "Forgetting what lies behind and reaching out toward what lies ahead, I press on. . ." This forgetting of what has happened yesterday includes the good, the bad and the neutral. If you speak of great things that happened in the UB church in the past, they are gone. If you dwell on the failures of the past, those too are dead. So what should we value as we look to today and the future?
We must have the heart of God. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). Jesus did not consider His equality with God something to be grasped or held onto (Phil. 2). He left the glory that was His in heaven, the adoration, the praise. He set aside all that was His in order to take on the form of a servant and be obedient, even to the extent of the cross. He did this for the sole, eternal purpose of saving us. How can we not have as our number one priority the seeking out and engaging of unsaved people to lead them to Jesus?
In making these choices, Jesus strictly and strongly held to the truth of the Scriptures. Not the religious and tradition-tainted interpretations of the Scriptures, but the uncompromised, pure, Spirit-inspired Word of God. "I say only what my Father tells Me." He perfectly fulfilled the Word. This was a high value to Him. Unquestionably, we must hold this as a high value as well.
At the same time, Jesus took on a human body, spoke the language of the people and used metaphors and stories they understood, was identified as a friend to sinners and took great pain to communicate clearly to the people of His day and to us. This clear communication was also a high value to Jesus. It seems that we must also value using whatever means we must to communicate relevantly to the culture around us.
Jesus clearly valued servanthood. "He who would be the greatest among you must be the servant of all." He set the ultimate example of this and told His disciples to do likewise. Saved to serve, this should be our theme. Serving keeps the focus off us and on others. Jesus valued this and so should we.
Generosity is one other value that is on God's heart. "Freely you have received, freely give." Generosity toward God and others is evidence of us being maturing disciples of Christ.
This is not an exhaustive list. But these are some of the highest values that are near to the heart of God. Now, how near to the heart of your congregation are they? Do we merely claim that these are values, or are there strategic actions and identifiable patterns that testify to the truth of these values in your church?
According to the Revelation, lukewarmness, doctrinal purity without love, compromise of the truth, turning a blind eye to sin in the camp, or living on some past reputation but being spiritually dead are not acceptable conditions for churches. In fact, Jesus pledges to come and remove the ministry of churches like this.
Values drive us. If someone were to come into your church and observe it over a period of time, what would be the evident values they would conclude drive your church?