September 30, 2006
Mowing, Vision, and a Focused Eye
I’ve been a little tardy in posting to the blog. No excuse really, just busy. But we all could say that, couldn’t we? Well, I was thinking about writing this post this morning while I was mowing my lawn--or more precisely, while I was on my lawn tractor. Yes, I have a riding lawn mower. I really don’t need it with my present lawn, but I purchased it while I was in Ohio and had a bigger lawn to mow, and I kept it. You see, I was raised on a farm and somehow riding that lawn tractor around my lawn takes me back to many enjoyable hours riding the old Allis Chalmers W-D across our fields plowing, discing ground, planting, etc.
Anyway, this morning as I mowed I realized that I was using a skill taught to me long ago. It was how to drive a tractor across a field in a straight line. Today's tractors have GPS, but back then, to drive in a straight line you would pick out a distant object in line with where you wanted to go--a tree, telephone post, building, etc.--and then drive while keeping your eye fixed on that object. It was amazing how well it worked. When you got to the end of the field and looked back, you would see that you had driven in a pretty straight line.
I do that with my lawn tractor as well, without even really thinking about it. Today, taking my first run down the long side yard, I noticed I had lined up with a lamppost on the house across the street. If that first run is not pretty straight, by the time you get to the last pass over the lawn...well, let's just say that sometimes it just isn’t pretty.
As I thought of that principle--just keeping your eye focused on something off in the distance and moving toward it--my mind then began to think about a local church. So many applications. "Keep your eye focused on Jesus" is obviously one. But there is another one that is also important. That is the vision that one has for the ministry of their local church.
One of a pastor's many responsibilities is to be clear about that vision and to persistently, without taking one's eye off the mark, lead toward that vision. Proverbs tells us that when there is no vision, people perish; the NIV says that when there is no vision, people “cast off restraint.” In other words, there develops a spiritual anarchy where everyone does that which is right in his or her own eyes. Without a common vision a church can become fragmented, with every ministry group heading in a different direction. Not only that, but then each group begins to feel that their way is the best way, the only way. And so, a sense of competition (at best) or a sense of spiritual superiority (at worst) begins to develop.
I say this to our pastors: it is one of your primary responsibilities to help your congregation discover its vision and then doggedly lead toward that vision. Keep your eye focused on that faraway vision and lead straight, not deviating from the right or left.
Jesus, the owner of the Church, has really given us His vision for our church. He said it several ways, but none better than, “Go make disciples….” That is His vision for we who call ourselves Christians. Every local church needs to struggle with what that means for them. But whatever they decide it means, it must result in them seeing people place their trust in Jesus and grow in their faith to become like Him.
Really, if a local church has any vision that does not include the Great Commission, then you have to question whether that vision is warranted or valid. The owner of the Church has given us a command--make disciples. If that is not our vision, then what defense will you give to the Lord of the Church for your disobedience in not following His command?
I have been at this job just a little over a year now. I’ve spent this first year traveling, visiting churches, and talking to pastors and lay leaders, and I have come to realize that too many UB churches have lost their focus on The Vision. You know what happens when a church loses its focus on fulfilling the Great Commission in its community? When a church stops fishing for lost people, they begin fighting with each other, they run away, and they simply forget what they were saved and called to do.
Let me ask you--yes, you, right over there: have you lost your focus on The Command? Let’s recommit ourselves to drive straight ahead, focused on that vision!
September 29, 2006
Laughter
I have been in a number of serious conversations over the past months. But last week I was told a joke that struck me at the right time in the right way and I had to laugh. And I laughed, and laughed and laughed. It felt so good. It was one of those deep belly laughs. You know the kind. You shake, get control, then think about it again and start the process all over. Other people nearby wondered what in the world had taken hold of me. It felt like the sun shining on a cloudy day, bringing light and warmth.
Scripture speaks about laughter. Sometimes it is associated with the drunken laughter of fools. But more importantly laughter is portrayed as the natural result of the joy of seeing the Lord work in powerful ways. He brought the captives back to Israel, and they were filled with laughter. He brought Job out of his troubles and he laughed. He made outlandish promises to Abraham and Sarah laughed thinking about it. God is not puritanical. He is the God who created and celebrates laughter.
Be clear: There is a time to laugh and a time to mourn. (Ecc. 3) So laughter must be appropriate. But we are made to laugh. When was the last time you laughed? Did you know that we who are a part of a congregation are to so obey and follow our church leaders that their work is a joy, bringing laughter? (Hebrews 13:17)
If you've been too serious lately, find something to laugh about. Something simple, pure and joyful. You will be amazed the effect it will have on you. It will make those around you wonder what got ahold of you.
September 15, 2006
The Physics of Evangelism
How many of you remember high school chemistry class? Even though I have to go back 20-plus years, I vividly remember my experiences. Our teacher was your classic "nutty professor" type, brilliant but not fully plugged into reality. One day in class an experiment went awry resulting in a fireball about four feet in diameter that left a blackened scorch mark on the ceiling. Now that was cool!
In that class we learned about several laws of physics. One of those laws had to do with gravity, or more precisely, "gravitation." The Encyclopedia Britannica says "gravity shapes the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the entire universe....On Earth all bodies have a weight, or downward force of gravity, proportional to their mass, which the Earth's mass exerts on them."
Gravity is something we all have experience with. Some of us only need to look in the mirror to see the constant, downward pull of gravity that seems to accelerate as we age. People diet, exercise, and some even get plastic surgery, but over time gravity does its work, pulling everything downward toward the earth's center (this is where the Christian hope of "glorified bodies" really comes in handy--"Can you make that a Biggie Fry?").
Churches have their own form of "gravitation." In my experience, all churches have a downward force--a pull inward. I have seen this in young churches, in old churches, in large churches, and in small churches. This constant pressure, much like the invisible yet powerful force of gravity, pulls the energies, resources, prayers, and focus of a congregation back upon itself.
It's amazing to watch churches that were planted only a few years ago, so full of passion and drive to reach not-yet-Christians, succumb to an internal focus so quickly. And for our established churches, how many anemic programs persist today that were once dynamic tools for evangelism?
Yes, gravity is a powerful force in most of our churches, just like it is in our world. But don't despair; it's not the most powerful of forces. In fact, in physics gravity is "by far the weakest known force in nature." Interesting how such a weak force can have such a huge impact.
I wonder, do you recognize this force at work in your church? If you were to look at yourself in the mirror as a congregation, where would you spot the ill effects of a self-serving, inward focus?
Our challenge as Christians today is to overcome this inward focus that weakens and ultimately destroys churches and even entire denominations. In a future post, I want to look at how churches are overcoming the force of congregational gravitation by tapping into even more powerful forces. If you have a story to share, please contact me by email.
September 11, 2006
The Website is Your Church's New Front Door
People expect certain basic amenities in a church. Indoor plumbing. A roof. Chairs to sit on. Telephone service. And now--a website. The younger generations, at least, expect a website. If you don't have one, then to many people, you don't exist. Like it or not. That's just a new reality.
When young adults look for a church, the first place they go is Google, which is pretty much the new Yellow Pages. People will type in the name of a city and state, and perhaps a zip code--"church Huntington IN 46750"--and see what turns up. They can then anonymously research churches at their leisure, 24/7, and decide which one they'd like to visit. By the time they physically attend a church, they'll feel like they've already "visited" five (or more) churches by checking out their websites and reading about them.
So you need a website. But not just any website. You need a good one. Increasingly, a church's website is its front door, the way people first learn about you. It's also the first impression people have of you. A poor-looking site will scare people away, just as surely as a sagging roof. If your website looks cheap and thrown-together, then surfers may draw similar conclusions about your church. Bitmapped headings, cheap clipart, gimmicky animations, counters, gaudy background patterns, blinking or scrolling text, broken links--none of those impress potential visitors.
My own church often receives visitors who say they learned about us from our website, and they comment favorably on the website. It's not that we have a particularly fancy site, but that our site compares well with the other church sites they view. Since so few churches have attractive sites, it's not difficult to stack up well.
Currently, our denominational database shows websites for 65 of our 200+ churches in the United States. A good number of them are linked on the UB website. There are good ones, bad ones, and everything in between.
I'm fully aware that your church may have severe limitations. Perhaps nobody in your church knows anything about designing a website, and you don't have money to hire someone. I just want to make sure the web is on your radar. It's important, and will become increasingly important--if not crucial--as the years pass. If you have any questions or want any advice about websites, feel free to contact me. I want to know what the internet-related needs are among our churches.
September 5, 2006
Addressing the Bull
A friend told me today about a bull he raised on a farm when he was younger. This bull had a several foot wide set of horns. If you challenged him by walking straight up to him, he would wave those horns back and forth and attack. He felt threatened and went into defense mode. That is probably what happened to Steve Irwin this week when he was killed by that stingray. The ray was fine until it felt threatened.
My friend told me that if he came alongside that bull, he could pet it, walk with it, and lead it around anywhere. It was not threatened by someone walking alongside.
People are like bulls. When we seek to effect change to their established position or preference, if we take it head on, they resist, go into a defensive posture and attack. They are shut down immediately. But if we come alongside and show them the benefit of the new approach in fulfilling the vision, they tend to be more open and will walk with you.
I encourage you to come alongside people rather than take them head on. Periodically, you will find a bull that cannot be dealt with in any other way than head on. At that point, God will give you flint for a forehead (see Ezekiel). But for the most part, we will get further ahead in effecting change if we come alongside people and watch the Lord change their hearts and attitudes.
September 2, 2006
Life, Clutter, and Doing Our Work
Steve Dennie and I have been on a mission. The shipping area of our building was in need of some cleaning. Yesterday we finished phase two of what will turn out being a four or five phase project. As we tossed, rearranged, choked, and organized, I found myself drawing many parallels to us as people, and our lives. Let me share some of my observations:
1. It is possible to continue to function in life even when our life is cluttered with the unnecessary or with junk from the past. But not to our potential.
2. Our capacity for better, newer or greater things is stymied by trying to hold on to our past, even if we think that the things from our history may prove useful in the future.
3. Like ourselves, others near us are aware of the tremendous need to deal with the clutter of our lives. But while there may be quiet murmurings among them, they never seem to push the issue.
4. We hold onto things that represent people, events, and methods that once held great importance to us. While remembering can be good, those things belong put into perspective in the archives and not taking up space in our present.
5. It takes time to work through processing the junk in our lives, but it is well worth the investment.
6. Others see the hard work you are doing and celebrate the value of it with you.
7. It is possible for us to lose track of all the available resources we have because they get so spread out. If we took a little time periodically to bring life back into order, it would help us know what we have.
8. Cleaning up one area of life spurs you on to tackle other areas of life. Life is a continual process.
9. The tools we need to move the heavy loads are available if we ask.
10. Cleaning up our lives helps us help others more effectively.
These are a few observations that flew past the dust balls that were circulating in my head during the process. We have a plan to continue our work over the next months.
What areas need addressed in your life or in the life of your church? Why not take the initiative to do something about it now, before you go through another year of life or ministry functioning below your potential?
Jesus makes available all the tools that we need.