The Sunday after Christmas is often a real downer for many congregations. Lots of people are out of town. This is especially true in a college town. Three years ago, we chose to turn a downer Sunday into a highlight Sunday as we joined with other congregations to have an inspirational challenge given to the "Church of the City" going into the New Year.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
State College New Year's Eve Sunday Community Service 2007
Posted by Paul at 8:17 PM 0 comments
Friday, December 21, 2007
Penn-Del Stories of the Year
This may be difficult, but I'm going to attempt it nonetheless.
The question is: What are the top Penn-Del stories of the year?
Here's my nomination: Gerry Stoltzfoos appears nationally on the ABC News show, Nightline, to allow scientists to substantiate that speaking in tongues is more than gibberish--that something special in the frontal lobe is going on...
Any other nominations?
Posted by Paul at 1:14 PM 3 comments
Pentecostalism and the Poor
If you haven't already been there and done that, you may want to visit the FutureAG blog and be part of the discussion surrounding Jeff Leake's post about my own blog post (it's like chasing a rabbit in cyberspace:)). It's a very important subject, I believe.
Posted by Paul at 12:01 AM 0 comments
Labels: Evangelism
Saturday, December 15, 2007
On the Lighter Side
Okay, I couldn't wait for April 1.
Posted by Paul at 6:24 PM 0 comments
Leadership Library
I recently read Andy Stanely's new book, Making Vision Stick. It will take you roughly 30 minutes to read but a lifetime to master.
The basic premise of the albeit brief book is that leadership is responsible to clearly communicate the vision of the organization with "stickiness." "Stickiness" is what I call the "Got It" factor. It's as if the proverbial light bulb goes off in their mind and they begin to understand what our church is all about.
Of course, there is a tendency over time to lose the adhesiveness of your vision. That is why we as leaders need to constantly be casting vision.
This is accomplished in 5 steps:
1) State the vision simply.
2) Cast the vision convincingly.
3) Repeat the vision regularly.
4) Celebrate the vision systematically.
5) Embrace the vision personally.
The vision of your church is sacred. It's what God has uniquely called and gifted you to accomplish in your part of the Kingdom. If you can't summarize your vision in one sentence perhaps you need to spend some time in prayer and ask God for clarity. Stanley says, "If your vision is unclear to you it will never be clear to the people in your organization."
I can't think of a better time of year to pray and seek God for His vision for your church. Then begin to plan out systematically through your all-church ministry calendar and preaching calendar different teaching points and ministry events that will make your vision stick.
Posted by David Crosby at 11:34 AM 0 comments
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Can God Speak Through ESPN?
Throughout the years I’ve been enamored by the similarities I’ve seen between coaching a football team and pastoring a church. I don’t know how many times, while watching an NFL Films documentary of some historic gridiron battle, that the coach’s passion, instruction or frustration matched perfectly with what I had at some time experienced in ministry.
Now I’m not a jock or a sport’s junkie or anything along those lines. In fact, the closest I’ve ever come to the chalk-marks was when my sons were younger and we became part of the fantasy football phenomena. I say “we,” but it soon became “I.” Like many of you, I don’t do anything in a small way, so I soon found myself studying the lineups, depth charts and injury reports so as to gain an advantage in the weekend match-ups. Through a brief vision the Lord revealed that this “little hobby” had innocently become a “little fox” that was stealing much from my spiritual life. (“Everything is permissible for me—but not everything is beneficial”). Before this correction, I seemed to be able to harness the conviction of the Spirit as I stood in worship on a Sunday evening; hands lifted and mouth moving, while at the same time wondering how many points my running-back and tight-end were racking up in the late starts that day. Since then, with fantasy football forsaken, it’s been all things in moderation.
This past Tuesday, however, I was once again challenged by a parallel between the coaching and pastoral worlds, and I believe God had something to say to me though ESPN. Perhaps you saw the news conference where Bobby Petrino, the head coach of the beleaguered Atlanta Falcons, resigned mid-season to accept a new position as coach at the University of Arkansas. Petrino, who was only in his first season in the pros, smiled gleefully at his press conference, noting that “it was a sad but glad day” as he severed himself from the Falcons to head back to the collegent world where he had experienced immense success the year before at lesser Louisville.
Petrino is now perceived to have “used” the Falcons as a stepping stone to a better position in the college ranks. Adding an NFL coaching job to his resume was in some critic’s minds a clever way to raise his stock as he waited for the right opening at a power-house football school. Arthur Blank, the Falcon’s owner, bemoaned the fact that “he felt betrayed” by Petrino’s resignation, seeing that the coach had apparently told him the day before that he would remain with the team.
The players were even more shocked and outspoken. Veteran tackle Grady Jackson, who was cut this season by Petrino, spurned, "It just shows his true color, like a coward with a yellow stripe down his back!" And again, "He probably didn't want the job anyway. He was probably waiting for a better job to come along, a college job. He wanted out of Louisville." Safety Lawyer Milloy added, "This league is for real men. I think he realized he didn't belong here. I feel like I've been sleeping with the enemy." When defensive-end Jamaal Anderson was asked about how Petrino would be remembered, he replied, “One word: Disloyal!”
But it was during cornerback Deangelo Hall’s phone interview with ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt that something stirred in my spirit. “…We were a little bit disappointed in the decision he made,” Hall said. “But when you see him out there celebrating and smiling and having fun, you tend to be a little angry. This was the guy who wanted us to buy into his system. I was one of the guys who was a little bit leery at first, and I guess I had right cause to be because he obviously had ulterior motives when he came. He came to the Atlanta Falcons as a stepping stool to get where he wanted to be, and that's, a better college job.”
As I listened to the comments of the “Falcon congregation” regarding the departure of their “lead pastor,” I realized that these are the same feelings and emotions that arise within the church when the shepherd “chooses” to move on to more pleasant pastures after having just convinced the congregation to “buy into their system.” I say “chooses” because, while I can’t discount the fact that God can and does move people in ministry, I am not convinced that every pastoral transition is in obedience to the Spirit’s voice. Sadly, Petrino is a parable of many of the leaders of our day. Hirelings and opportunists who move from church to church, bolstering their resume in pursuit of that illustrious ministry, yet willfully ignorant of the great hurt and disappointment they leave in their wake.
Petrino’s world was surely complicated by the negative press associated with the arrest, trial and conviction of quarterback Michael Vick, who was sentenced the day before the coach’s resignation to 23 months in prison on dog-fighting charges. But Petrino knew it was going to be a demanding position even before he inked-out his five-year, $24 million contract (OK – this is where the pastoral parallel breaks down). We must ask ourselves as spiritual leaders; “Are we going to quit simply because we are facing the challenges we were told to expect when we first answered the call to ministry?” Are we really to be surprised when the going gets tough or opposition rises against us? The Apostle Paul’s instruction to “beware of dogs” in Philippians 3:2 isn't a warning to mailmen (or quarterbacks). Instead it speaks of the spiritual dogfights which we can expect to encounter as the Kingdom of God advances against the darkness of this present age. This league really is for real men! Sadly, many leaders transition out mid-season in their ministry because results don’t come as quickly as expected. Like Petrino, who resigned after dropping his tenth game of the year, many pastors decide to “go back” to their comfort zone; back to the where all of the challenges are understood; back to the realm where they are guaranteed some measure of success.
At his responding press conference, owner Arthur Blank, looking like he’d been stabbed in the back, made reference to a sign on the wall posted by Petrino in the team meeting room soon after his hiring. The sign listed the traits the new coach demanded from his players. Blank made special reference to Petrino’s final characteristic - Finish! My friend, this word is not limited to the locker room but should be etched indelibly upon every leader’s heart. Speaking sarcastically, Blank added, "I don't think quitting after 13 games is equal to the word ‘Finish!”
Is it Monday yet? Da-Nuh-Nuh; Da-Nuh-Nuh!
Posted by Jim Ruddy at 9:15 PM 0 comments
Labels: Coaching, Expectations, Leadership, Ministry
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Changing bulbs
Posted by Richard Earl at 11:41 AM 0 comments
Labels: Leadership, Ministry, Transformation, Vision
Monday, December 10, 2007
Two Disciplines Of Preaching
There are two things that I work very hard to get right as I prepare a message:
#1 -- Understand and interpret the Bible.
There is such power in God's Word. My style of preaching is not so much Expository (meaning...verse by verse through an entire book). My approach is what I would call Textual/Topical. I cluster several related passages together and make it a series.
But each message is an attempt to let the text speak. This past weekend, I tried to bring to life the meaning of Psalm 32 in our Unwrapped series.
#2 -- Understand and interpret people's lives.
Messages truly become transformational when the Word is directly applied into the context of a real life. So I think a lot about the audience I am speaking to that day. What are their needs? What natural objections will they have to this passage? How is this difficult to apply? What are the felt needs that people have come to church carrying?
The messages that I manage to do a good job of both seem to make an impact. When I miss on one or the other, the talk will feel a bit flat. The first of these disciplines is obvious and essential. No speaker can afford to mis-understand or misinterpret Scripture.
But the second is no less important to genuine ministry. Application in the context of life is critical to maximum ministry impact.
What about you? How do you make these two discplines work in your ministry?
Posted by Jeff Leake at 1:59 PM 1 comments
Labels: Preaching
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Dr. Wood in State College
He doesn't sing like Take 6 (to my knowledge), but Dr. George Wood will be our special guest the weekend of January 13 at State College Assembly of God.
Posted by Paul at 1:09 PM 2 comments
Labels: Conferences
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Take 6 in Pocono
This year Pocono Community Church hosts its annual Christmas outreach concert with Grammy Award winning artists Take 6. The concert promises to be the best ever Pocono Christmas.
I've got 25 FREE TICKETS for the first 25 people that email me after reading the blog. Just send me your first and last name via email at dcrosby@poconocc.com and let me know how many tickets you need and I'll have them at the box office for you. The concert is this Saturday night at the historic Sherman Theatre in downtown Stroudsburg. The show starts at 7pm and the doors open at 6pm. Bring your unsaved friends and share Christ this Christmas through this unique outreach. Merry Christmas to my blogging friends : )
Posted by David Crosby at 9:34 PM 0 comments
Labels: Conferences
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Gerry's Bike Story
This past weekend I shared a stewardship message. As a part of the message, we showed a video testimony from Gerry Stolsfoos. What a great illustration of sowing and reaping!
Gerry was out at Allison Park for our Annual Roundtable in June. We filmed the testimony there and saved the story for the series on stewardship. Enjoy.
Posted by Jeff Leake at 6:54 PM 0 comments
Labels: Stewardship
Guest Post by Dr. George O. Wood
Recently, I was in contact with Dr. Wood, new General Superintendent for the U.S. Assemblies of God. In sharing about this blog, I invited him to submit a guest posting. What he shares below has been shared on another blog, but in case you haven't seen it, I think it will give you a wonderful window in Dr. Wood's heart and mind.
Let me also share that Dr. Wood is scheduled to speak at State College Assembly of God (use for directions) on January 13, 2008. The evening before he has made himself available to meet with any A/G credential holders who wish to come for an evening meal and a personal time of sharing.
The dinner will be provided free of charge by State College Assembly and will be held from 6-8 pm on Saturday, January 12 in our Fellowship Hall. Please RSVP by emailing scassembly@aol.com and simply saying who is coming and from where (for name tags). RSVP deadline is Friday, December 28.
He will be unable to interact with comments here, but I do hope you enjoy the following:
For my devotions this year, I’ve been slowly moving through Ezekiel with Donald Bloch’s terrific (and technical) commentary; and journaling a verse a day through the Gospel of Mark. My journaling is definitely not exegesis, but iso-gesis. I type in the verse and then “think (i.e., write) out loud” my thoughts onto the computer. At the end I write a brief prayer. I’ve found this daily absorption in the Scripture to be really invigorating.
For the last few weeks, I’ve been plowing through Mark 9 – a very long chapter. Now, I’m almost at the end and suddenly some things fell together as I awakened the other morning. Funny how you can cogitate and meditate on something for a long time and not see how the parts fit – and then all of a sudden, a flash of inspiration comes in a nanosecond and you see everything clearly.
So, here’s how I see where Mark 9 fits into a lot of discussion on the blog. Mark 9 is all about the disciples and their perception of themselves and their place in the kingdom. The chapter follows the disciples through 4 stages, and I suspect we’ve all been there or are in one of them now.
First, revelation. That’s the Transfiguration or Metamorphosis of Jesus. It’s the only time in his early life where his divine nature shown through his humanity. Moses and Elijah are there. Jesus face is shining like the sun and his clothes whiter than any Clorox could get them. What a great moment for the three: Peter, James, and John.
Revelation is the spot where we are overwhelmed in the presence of the majestic Christ. It’s something we Pentecostals covet – being caught up into spiritual revelation and experience beyond what the rational mind can fathom. It’s being lifted into the heavenlies and encountering God in such a way that language cannot hold the experience nor can the emotions be articulated.
Second, argument. When Jesus and the inner 3 come down from the mountain they find the remaining 9 locked in an argument with the teachers of the law. What’s the argument about? The 9 cannot cast the demon out of the boy. They cannot do this even though earlier Jesus had commissioned them to cast out demons and Mark reports that they had done so. But, now they command and nothing happens – so they’re left to argue with the critics.
It seems to me that this is one of the problems we are having now in the Pentecostal movement. When we don’t have power, we argue. The fullness of the Spirit has leaked all the way out. And, our arguments don’t solve the pressing needs of those who are looking to us. I fear a dried up Pentecostal theological scholasticism that has no power. Argument (except for a wholesome apologetic for the faith such as the Apostle Paul’s dialogical evangelism) never produces the fruit of the Spirit, much less the gifts.
But, since the disciples at the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration have no power, they can only fall back on defending themselves with argument. It’s not a pretty picture. Jesus chews them out for not praying, thereby connecting argument with prayerlessness, and authority with prayer.
Wait. It gets worse. Third. Arrogance. After getting chewed out by Jesus for their powerlessness, they then start arguing about who is the greatest. They are doing the very thing that breaks community. Whenever we pit ourselves against others, or take the attitude “I don’t need you” – aren’t we exhibiting the same arrogance? When I was a new district official I visited a pastor who had a large church in our district but never was involved in anything. I wanted to reach out to him and find out what we could do to establish relationship. His response to me was, “I went to Springfield once and the brethren had nothing to add to me.” I wished I had said, “Well, maybe you could have added something to Springfield.” I think that’s what the Antiochians would have done for Jerusalem.
And, let’s face it – “Springfield” can be just as prone to arrogance as “non-Springfield” because arrogance doesn’t have territorial limitations.
So, Jesus talks to his arrogant disciples about being a servant, and he sets a little child in their midst. I think he does that because he’s telling the disciples: “If you really want to be great, then put your arms around the next generation and serve them. Stop being so narcissistic. My way is not self-fulfillment but self-denial. My way is not independence, but interdependence.”
Fortunately, by the time we get to the book of Acts – the disciples have gotten over arrogance and become a model community. It took awhile for them to realize the world would know them by their love for one another, not how smart they were, how cutting edge (or dull) they were, or what their age and cultural preferences were.
Then, the fourth thing happens in Mark 9. From revelation to argument to arrogance to exclusivity.
The disciples, who couldn’t cast out the demon, tell other people who are casting out demons to stop. If it weren’t so serious, it would be funny. They think they’ve got the exclusive franchise on Jesus.We must avoid narrowness of heart and spirit. Jesus tells these disciples of his that they better not lead the “little ones” into sin for if they do, it would be better if a millstone were tied around their neck. What he’s really saying is that the fractiousness of the disciples is going to doom the novices in the kingdom, that exclusiveness is not only silliness but spiritually deadly.
So, in these recent weeks I’ve been drinking deeply from the well of Mark 9 and asking the Lord to help me stay fresh on the revelation side so that I’m inundated with His presence; and spared from the traps of being argumentative, arrogant, or exclusive.
During the charismatic renewal of the 70s (for those of us who were alive then!), we sang a beautiful and haunting chorus. I almost always led it at communion time: “Bind us together, Lord; bind us together . . . with cords that cannot be broken.” That binding is to Christ and to one another. In Mark 9, the disciples are seen at their nadir – but the Lord wasn’t finished with them. By the time he was done working on them – that argumentative, arrogant, and exclusive minded group had become a community (the body of Christ) that changed the world. They got bound together by the work of the Spirit.
And, incredibly, by the grace of the Lord, he’s doing the same thing with us! He works with all our limitations and sees that he can bring gold out of all our dross.
George O. Wood
General Superintendent
Posted by Paul at 2:14 PM 0 comments
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Salary Negotiations For The Hesitant
Very few pastors I know have any formal training when it comes to negotiating a compensation package. I know I've made plenty of mistakes along the way in this area of ministry, but here are a few principles that might help you speak with your board prior to the year end.
1. Be candid with your board.
Surveys show that most pastors who ask for a raise usually get it. If you're like me, however, you'll never ask. Be candid and forthright with your board and let them know your financial needs. While there are some boards that are out there to "keep the pastor humble", it's been my experience that most are made up of Godly men who want to bless their pastor and provide for his/her needs. Don't assume they know what you need.
2. Educate your board.
Educate your board on how to set up compensation packages. Much like pastors, boards don't have a clue what to pay their pastor or how to set up a fair salary package. We use the National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA) survey each year as a guide for compensation and benefits. This survey breaks down salary packages by church size, demographic, location, budget, denomination and much more. In addition, each year I have a friend who pastors a larger church write a letter to my board recommending a compensation package. The letter is incredibly personal and helpful to the board.
3. Finalize your annual budget early.
Your annual budget should be completed in late November or early December. Roughly 40 to 50 percent of your undesignated giving (general tithes and offerings) or 30 to 35 percent of your total giving should be allocated to staff salaries and benefits. Growing churches pay their pastors well and always staff for growth. (1 Tim. 5:17-18)
Posted by David Crosby at 7:34 PM 0 comments
Labels: Management
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Missions 'Mistakes'
Ralph Winter is certainly one of the top evangelical missiologists in America, so I was interested to recently read this article warning of 12 missions "mistakes." I wish the text were longer, because a few of them left me scratching my head. Maybe someone can elucidate me.
Posted by Paul at 7:05 PM 0 comments
Labels: Missions
History of Religion in 90 Seconds
I got this from evangelist Tim Enloe. It's the history of world religion in 90 seconds from a website that normally maps wars, of all places. It is oversimplified, of course, but nuancing would probably take, well, a little longer.
Posted by Paul at 7:03 PM 0 comments
Labels: Missions
Friday, November 16, 2007
From Jerusalem and Beyond
I heard Ed Stetzer share this week regarding the epicenters of Christianity throughout history. The heart of the church moved from Jerusalem to Antioch and then to Athens and Rome. From there it has moved throughout Europe, Southern Asia and then to America and now it is largely a movement in the Southern Hemisphere.
Just moments after hearing Ed share this, I received this email from my friend Christopher Alam.
"Christianity began as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
When it went to Athens, it became a philosophy.
When it went to Rome, it became an organization.
When it went to Europe, it became a culture.
When it came to America, it became a business."
Ouch.
Posted by David Crosby at 1:01 PM 2 comments
Labels: Missions
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Communicating For A Change
One of the best books I have read recently is the book by Andy Stanley on preaching. It is called, Communicating For A Change.
Andy's homiletic is shaped by one BIG IDEA that is both transformational and memorable. Over the past six months I have been using his methodology for message preparation/delivery, and I am now ready to recommend it highly.
It's an easy read and fairly simply to apply. The outline is as follows: ME - WE - GOD - YOU - WE! Check it out.
Posted by Jeff Leake at 4:37 PM 0 comments
Labels: Preaching
Future Trends of Church Planting
I am spending the week at a Stadia and the Church Coaching Solutions network presenting at their Church Planter Bootcamp in Nashville.
Today, special guest presenter Ed Stezer shared his thoughts regarding the future trends of church planting in America.
1. Market share of people willing to come is shrinking. As a result of the success of the Purpose Driven and Seeker Sensitive attractional models, many communities have been saturated by church plants and it is becoming increasingly difficult to launch new churches with over 200 people on the first day.
2. Incarnational models are becoming more important. Church planting movements such as Acts 29 and David Mills' "Compassion by Design" are helping church plants meet the actual needs of the community. New church plants are finding great success by "being Jesus"in the community, i.e. serving the community.
3. Attractional models beginning to wane. Seeker sensitive movements and the whole "come and see" plants are not connecting well with this culture. The "big show" is out. Serving the community is in.
4. An increased interest in house churches and a move to emerging church models and to engage the “Bohemian mix” in metropolitan areas is growing. See Tim Keller and Redeemer church in NYC.
5. A new emphasis to be more theologically driven is growing, especially within the Reformed tradition.
Posted by David Crosby at 10:28 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Praying for the Sick
We are living in a time of momentous change in the Body of Christ. Some of it is great; some of it is not so great, but let me focus on what I think is positive.
A recent poll of Southern Baptist pastors and laity found a majority believe that tongues as a private prayer language is for today.
Posted by Paul at 8:47 AM 0 comments
Monday, November 12, 2007
Good Leaders and Good Listeners
Here are four tips from Rick Warren on how to be a better listener.
Posted by Paul at 2:11 PM 0 comments
Labels: Counseling
Friday, November 9, 2007
more thoughts on falling
Thanks for your writing about falling, Pastor.
I love your kind and Pastoral heart on the matter. I can only imagine the stuff you need to hear and work through there in the office you hold, and it is so comforting to see (again) that you approach it with this kind of grace.
In my much smaller world, I am often amazed that while a person can fall by themselves or in relative privacy, it seemingly takes 5-10 people to get them back on track. A counselor, Pastor, numerous family members, a small group of peers, etc. are all involved to get a person back to a place of productivity and health.
Here in my little world, we have often tried to err on the side of grace when doing restoration, wanting so badly to see the fallen back on track. However, after years of trying extreme grace, I often wonder if it helped anybody, because those to whom we extended grace seemingly did no better than did those who others seemed to come down hard on.
I wonder how often God looked at my falls like that, and if I have been a quick learner and thankful for His great grace?
Posted by Gerry Stoltzfoos at 7:10 AM 0 comments
Labels: Faithfulness
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
I Fell; Confessions of a Preacher
I Fell; Confessions of a Preacher
It happened so suddenly! There was no warning. Everything was fine. I was doing everything I knew to do and yet, it happened. Down I went.
No I am not talking about a moral failure. I was on a walk, working hard to get my heart rate up, the metabolism increased, and the blood circulating at an appropriate level. One minute I was doing fine and the next I could feel myself going down. It was one of those strange moments. It takes some time to write about it, but by the time I hit the ground I had asked the Lord, “What happened?” and He had answered, “It’s a parable.” A vision flashed through my spirit revealing the process that occurs when a believer falls into sin. Like me on my walk; 1) there are distractions, 2) an overconfidence in how well things are progressing, 3) a failure to realize there are dangers and the road is not as smooth as might be thought, 4) not paying attention, and 5) being alone raises the potential danger.
Everyone takes a fall from time to time. None of us are proud of our falls, whether the ones during the exercise regimen or the ones that impact our moral integrity. The degree of failure will make a difference in recoverability. My turned ankle will last a few days but a broken bone would take a longer recovery. Falling off a cliff could mean death. Recovery from a moral failure presents challenges that depend on many variables. Recovery is possible. The importance of instituting preventive measures is illustrated in my ankle injury. Because I was alone, my level of vulnerability was great. Leaders must understand the importance of walking together if we are to survive and thrive in ministry. Catalyst Groups are not only for the purpose of mentoring and effectiveness. They also present an opportunity to challenge and encourage one another to walk circumspectly and to be there when one of us does fall.
Working at walking worthy!
Steve Tourville
Posted by Stephen Tourville at 8:19 PM 0 comments
Labels: Faithfulness
Monday, November 5, 2007
Preparation Time
Every so often, I do a complete life re-evaluation. I look at my priorities, my schedule, and my energy-drainers, and try to realign to gain the greatest effectiveness and healthy. Sometimes I am involved in coaching another pastor on their life planning or the arrangement of their weekly schedule.
I am curious. How much time do you think is the appropriate amount of time for a pastor to spend on sermon preparation in a week? How much is too much (in that maybe there is not enough time spent on leadership-oriented activities)? How much is probably too little (simply because there will not be enough depth)?
Posted by Jeff Leake at 2:02 PM 0 comments
Labels: Preaching
Friday, November 2, 2007
A Resource for You at Penn State
One of the desires we have for the Penn-Del District is to resource you. Of course, most of the time we are connecting you to existing resources of which you may not be aware. There's more out there than we often realize.
Actually, there is quite a valuable resource to you right here at Penn State. Roger Finke, a nationally recognized sociologist of religion and professor at PSU (his best known work is probably The Churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy, co-authored with Rodney Starke), started an incredible archive of religion-related information some years before Penn State snagged him. Since he came to Penn State it has expanded into, possibly, the best one-stop religion data resource on the internet.
That archive is called ARDA, or the Association of Religion Data Archives. It has a wealth (actually an understatement) of information!
On that site you can find religious data from most nations of the world. For instance, if you wonder how many Christians there are in Iraq (a rapidly diminishing number, actually), ARDA will tell you.
Or maybe you want to know about American people's attitude toward the war in Iraq broken down by broad religious affilliation, or even church attendance, ARDA can tell you that as well.
Or maybe you want to know how many Old Order Amish (or Jews or Muslims or Christian Scientists) there are in Pennsylvania. Look no further.
Of the two states in our district, let me focus on Pennsylvania just to illustrate how helpful his data can be.
Pennsylvania, as a whole, is fascinating from a religious standpoint. According to ARDA, Pennsylvania has the most mainline Protestant churches of any state in the U.S. It is also #2 in the number of Catholic churches (second only to New York). That, in and of itself is hugely important, but then there is the fact that many of those churches are more conservative than their national counterparts. Two major American Protestant denominations (The Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church [USA]) have conservative resurgent movements epicentered in, off all places, Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is spiritually very different than Philadelphia (I've pastored near both cities). Both have a large population of Catholics, but it was Pittsburgh where the 1960's Charismatic Renewal took hold, specifically at Duquense University. It is also the place where the healing evangelist, Kathryn Kuhlman, headquartered her ministry in the 50s and 60's. Many of her meetings were held in the prestigious, downtown First Presbyterian Church (next door to Trinity (Episcopal) Cathedral)! Can you imagine that in Philadelphia?
Here are the overall stats for Pennsylvania.
Now, to more specific information. This map shows the relative strength of the evangelical Protestant Christian population. You will notice that it shapes what some would call the Pennsylvania ‘Bible Belt,’ having much in common (both culturally and historically) with western Maryland and northern Virginia. I would submit that the dividing line on the western end is the city of Altoona, with southern Blair County being noticeably different than northern Blair County (of course, Cambria County to the west is predominantly Catholic--55%, in fact).
The second map shows the relative strength of the mainline Protestant Christian population (with the percentage being as high as 35% in Snyder County). You will notice that the shift is toward east central Pennsylvania. It should be remembered that many of these congregations/church members are rather evangelical, though usually not quite as conservative as those ARDA designates as evangelical denominations.
Regarding the A/G in particular, this map shows the relative strength of the A/G in every county in PA. This one shows the same in Delaware.
I encourage you to explore the site. There's lot of stuff there.
I've recently been told that ARDA is going to do a major upgrade of their site. I'll let you know about that when it happens.
Posted by Paul at 10:19 AM 0 comments
Labels: Ministry
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Current State Of Church Planting
Maybe many of you have already seen this data, but for those who have not--I thought I would pass this along. Leadership Network just released a study about current trends in church planting. There are some really encouraging facts stated here.
First of all, the survivability of new plants is shifting...68% in the study are still around after four years.
Read a great overview here or download the study here.
Posted by Jeff Leake at 6:20 PM 0 comments
Labels: Church Planting
Monday, October 29, 2007
Reflections of a Consumer
This morning I had breakfast with my Executive Pastor to discuss the Sunday services and plan for the upcoming week. When entering the diner, we were greeted somewhat gruffly by a waitress that didn't seem too interested in serving us. The diner was cold and I was too intimidated by the waitress to even ask her to turn up the heat. After giving us the menus, she disappeared for some time. When the meal finally arrived it was okay, but nothing special. I left there thinking, "I don't think I'm going back there any time soon."
Welcome to the life of a consumer. A consumer is someone who buys goods and services to meet their personal needs. Contemporary culture in America is consumer driven. Naturally, this mentality is going to infiltrate the church world. That poses the question, "Should we treat our guests as consumers, catering to their spiritual needs?" I think the obvious answer is "Yes."
Consumers are people. Jesus wants us to reach the lost - consumers and all. What did Jesus do with the consumer mentality evident in first century Palestine? In Mark's account of the feeding of the 5,000 we see Jesus with the help of the disciples meeting the physical needs of the people. In John 6:26 Jesus addresses their consumer mentality and says, "You've come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs - and for free." (The Message)
When it comes to people, you've got to start where they are even if that means accepting them with their consumer mentality. The key to effective life transforming ministry is not stopping there but helping transition that consumer into a contributor. I've spent way too much time in my albeit brief ministry experience trying to redeem culture. I'm through with those feeble efforts. Instead, I've vowed to spend the rest of my life to creating culture, not merely redeeming it.
Therein lies the hard question: how do we create a culture of servanthood discipleship in a consumer driven world?
Posted by David Crosby at 12:11 PM 6 comments
Labels: Discipleship, Ministry
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Can church be both missional and attractional?
Alan Hirsch in The Forgotten Ways says, "The major challenge to the viability of Christianity is not Buddhism...nor is it Islam...nor the New Age... All of these are challenges, no doubt, but I have come to believe that the major threat to the viability of our faith is that of consumerism."
Posted by bill e at 7:34 PM 2 comments
Labels: Discipleship, Ministry
Friday, October 26, 2007
Are We Just Pastoring Consumers?
Jeff, I join with Gerry in thanking you for posting the Hawkins video.
An even scarier thought than that we are not meeting deeply felt needs is that American Christians seem themselves as little more than weekend church consumers.
Posted by Paul at 12:52 PM 2 comments
Labels: Discipleship, Ministry
the Reveal video
Jeff, I found that Reveal video interesting. And frightening. And then funny.
Interesting in looking at the different people that we serve in our churches. Frightening in that the one group of people least likely to be enjoying our churches, is the group that identifies themselves as closest to Jesus. It took me awhile to digest that.
And then funny. Funny because I can remember various people who really did see themselves as far too close to Jesus as to be weighed down with something as messy, hard, and uncomfortable as church can be sometimes. I'm ashamed to admit that I have had that sorry attitude myself at times.
I'm just glad Jesus wasn't like that.
Posted by Gerry Stoltzfoos at 12:16 AM 1 comments
Labels: Discipleship, Ministry
Monday, October 22, 2007
Willow Creek's Soul-Searching
The team at Willow Creek has launched a new website called REVEAL. The are in the process of doing research about what is truly effective in making 'fully devoted followers'.
Greg Hawkins, their Executive Pastor, talks very openly in this online video about what has been effective and what has apparently not been.
He describes five different groups that the church attempts to provide ministry for: Exploring, Growing, Close, Christ-Centered, and Stalled.
I found this very thought provoking. The video is 13 minutes long, but it is worth the watch.
Posted by Jeff Leake at 11:45 AM 0 comments
Labels: Discipleship, Ministry
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Training Next Generation
From the days of Elijah and Elisha onward, prophetic leaders have recognized the importance and urgency of developing and investing in the next generation of leaders through educational efforts. The Elisha narrative of the floating axe head illustrates the marvel of the miraculous in the midst of the mundane. “Alas master it was borrowed” rings with the cry of distress of one who was responsible for a vital tool owned by someone else who expected it to be returned. Elisha’s intervention served the need of the individual and provided a necessary piece of equipment for the construction of the School of the Prophets. The Prophet’s presence demonstrated his personal support of the project and by association, the favor of the Lord. Elisha was investing in future generations in need of direction and guidance.
A vision for the training of the next generation cries out for attention. Not everyone is called to attend the School of the Prophets (called to the ministry), but in the North American culture, the generation of young people being educated in secular institutions are largely turning away from Christ and lost to the kingdom of God. Anecdotal evidence to the contrary could be found, but the reality remains that the influences within our culture, particularly on the secular campuses undermine faith, encourage skepticism, and feed the pluralistic appetite of a world without a biblical worldview and committed to tolerance of everything except Christian faith. Others have documented the results. (See page 9 of http://colleges.ag.org/faculty_resources/articles/PDF/LowCost.pdf )
What can we do as Spirit-led leaders to turn this toward a future that can train our youth in a biblical worldview without turning our backs on the culture that needs salt and light?
Posted by Stephen Tourville at 10:13 PM 2 comments
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Breakthrough Catalysts
Dan Reiland wrote this in his Pastor's Coach email. What do you think of it?
I have often been asked "What is the one key thing to break through to the next level?" My answer always begins with "That is a complex, multi-layered answer that depends on the church's culture and location, the pastor's gifts and vision, the people's commitment and energy, the churches resources and the mindset of the board." (And that is a partial list.) Then the pastor says: "Yeah, but what is the ONE thing I need to work on to break through to the next level?" So I then talk about the "big three" - prayer, evangelism and leadership development.
Inevitably, the pastor breaks in and says, "Yeah, but what's the ONE thing I need to focus on to break through to the next level?!!!" Against my better judgment, I'm going for it. I know you will likely say, "But what about?" Hey, I'm just trying to answer a very popular question.
If you will grant me a huge amount of contextual grace for my grand generalizations, I will attempt to give you the ONE thing. First, let me say that the real catalyst is the Holy Spirit. It is the purpose and power of God that makes it all happen. But that is a given. And keep in mind that each level builds on the previous. You don't get to forget the breakthrough catalyst that got you to your current level as you tackle the next.
Breakthrough Catalyst 0 - 200 Pastor
At this stage, the pastor is the key player. The volunteers matter, resources matter, the energy level matters, etc., but nothing is more critical to breakthrough 200 than the pastor. His or her leadership is essential. Vision and communication skills are important, but candidly, I've seen hundreds of churches breakthrough this level where the pastor loved God, had great relational skills, worked hard, and loved the people but was neither a great communicator nor strong visionary. These pastors understand the Great Commission and just go for it. If they are good communicators and visionary leaders that provides all the more fuel for stages to come and helps the process move faster.
Breakthrough Catalyst 200 - 400 Organization
Up to about 200 a church can function in a very organic, fluid, single-celled gathering of people. Everyone knows everyone and the pastor keeps his watchful eye on everything. This is good, in fact, I often counsel pastors not get too organized in that 0 - 200 stage. A large percentage of churches I've worked with in that stage are over-organized and under-evangelized. Don't put so much energy into lining up the ducks, focus on getting more ducks!
But when you pass 200 you need to get organized. I don't mean organized like lots of committees, but organization in the sense of empowering volunteers to take some key roles from the pastor. I'm also referring to being organized in terms of multiple networks of service opportunities and environments for community. Volunteers serving well and small groups gaining momentum and functioning effectively are critical at this stage. A number of things must be able to function without the pastor.
Breakthrough Catalyst 400 - 800 Staff
You have probably read ahead and seen that I have listed staff twice. This is not a mistake. I'm listing staff at each stage with a very different emphasis or distinctive edge. At 400 - 800 staff members are critical in terms of their ability to enlist, organize and equip volunteers for service. (I don't mean this in a demeaning way, really, but staff in churches from 200-400 often do a lot of ministry themselves. They help the pastor get things done. That's good, but not at this level.
The ability to enlist others or recruit is the first step that separates those who get a paycheck and those who don't. Many volunteer leaders can recruit well, but most don't. It is not an option for staff to be expert recruiters. I would never give a paycheck to a pastor or ministry director who could not recruit well. From that leadership baseline, the staff members ability to equip (effectively train people for ministry) and organize people is key. Staff at this level must be able motivate volunteers to sustain meaningful, productive and enjoyable service.
Breakthrough Catalyst 800 - 1200 Vision
Remember, none of the previous catalysts can be ignored, we just add the next catalytic emphasis. From 800 - 1200 the breakthrough catalyst is a compelling vision. I have seen many churches get nearly to 1000 with some vision, though not always inspiring or owned buy the whole congregation. In fact, some churches can get that far by merely sustaining a focused emphasis on the biblical mandate found in Matthew 28:19-20. I think God blesses that. But to go past that, I don't know of any church that has done so with out a crystal clear, consistent and compelling vision. They know where they are going, why they are going, and how they will get there. The vision is not easy nor is success guaranteed, but it is clear.
I believe that God gives that to the lead pastor, and then confirms it through the key volunteer leaders and staff. The vision must be fresh, powerful, inspiring, biblical, and truly maintain the heartbeat of God. Vision can take almost any shape or form, but it must come from God.
Breakthrough Catalyst 1200 - 1800 Communication
So, check it out, the pastor is a leader, the church is organized, the staff is mobilizing volunteers, and the vision is clear. Now what? The pastor's communication skills must become top notch. To get this far the pastor must be a good teacher or preacher who is articulate, biblical and practical. But at this stage, the pastor, or teaching pastors, must grow to the level of a strong communicator. The leader now rises above leveraging (in a good way) his or her beloved status as pastor and relationships with the people, and communicates as a leader who can move the people, even people that he never gets to know personally. There is quite a difference between teaching those who know and love you and inspiring a large flock with whom you cannot possibly have personal relationships with everyone.
Breakthrough Catalyst 1800 - 2400 Staff
We now return to staff for a second catalytic breakthrough. At 400 - 800 the staff must be experts at recruiting, organizing and equipping. Good management skills go a long way at that stage. At 1800 - 2400 the staff must be able to empower and develop others to lead. In short, they must be leaders.
Much has been taught on this subject, but few are really good at it. I often say if you have anyone on your staff that is a truly gifted and effective developer and can empower other leaders, then take really good care of them. It is one thing to recruit, organize and equip people to do the work of ministry. It is quite another to develop and empower leaders who can recruit, organize and equip other leaders for effective ministry. These are the most natural and gifted leaders. Few church staffs will be comprised of this caliber leader across the board, but you need to have several on staff like this to break through this level.
Breakthrough Catalyst 2400 - 3000 Execution
3,000 is the new 2,000. Two thousand used to be the great divide amongst mega churches. It was the size that seemed to stop 99% of churches from going further. God has seen fit to see many churches blast through 2,000 and thrive, but only to slam into the new wall of 3,000. Personally, as one who loves the local church I look forward to the new code that helps hundreds of churches break through 3,000.
But until that time comes, the current catalyst to move up to that stage (3,000) is world class execution. Execution is not complicated to understand, but really hard to do. It is doing what you promise you will do and doing with premier excellence - and here's the kicker - consistently, fifty-two weeks a year, year after year.
Staying focused, keeping things simple, remaining aligned, keeping the main thing the main thing, and fighting for a lean ministry is tough at this size church. But these things are essential to world class execution. And while you are doing all that, to simultaneously raise money, cast vision, deliver world class programs and services requires mind-numbing attention to detail and relentless diligence. This is no job for the faint of heart and like all the previous stages, it requires a boat load of God's blessing.
There you have it, for better or worse, I gave it my best shot. Sincerely, I hope this is helpful to you. So find your ONE thing, and go for it.
Posted by Tom at 9:10 PM 1 comments
Labels: Church Growth
CONFLICT = INTIMACY
I listened to Nancy Ortberg at the Catalyst Labs in Atlanta a few weeks ago. Her workshop was titled "Authentic Leadership" and was good, but one sentence became defining for me this past week. "Conflict is the only way to intimacy." I was intrigued by it at the time, but it has come to embody so much of what we have been through for nine years.
I am not drawn to categorical statements like this one. I tend to see things in shades of gray rather than black and white. "Conflict can't be the only way to intimacy," I thought, there must be some other paths. There may be, but we experienced the power of conflict in a leadership meeting last week and it did bring us to the place of intimacy. And there are other applications as well.
The first and most obvious reality here is that the determinate conflict of the cross produced the ultimate opportunity for intimacy for the entire human race- any who will respond. The battle raged in the twisted and bloodied body of the Savior and broke a course for us to enjoy the real and awesome, intimate and personal presence of the Father.
Likewise, a birthing mother emerges from the grueling battle to tenderly embrace the little one in the epitomic act of intimacy. Without her struggle there would be stillbirth. Her conflict forces life out of her and into the child. We pray for her in the struggle, and celebrate with her in motherhood.
I am testing this truth in other places too. As I enter the conflict of my 50th winter, with all it's winds and bitterness, I do so anticipating the tender quiet walks in the warming spring air that will inevitably be possible on the other side. The conflict helps me appreciate the peace and growth that will surely come.
In our leadership meeting last week we were reviewing a recent conflict that ended with the departure of one family. I had not the slightest idea how the meeting would develop, but simply trusted God to lead us. There were some extremely tense moments, and the Lord had to prophetically intervene, but the conclusion was tears and revelation that had the effect of creating a new intimacy among us. I was exhausted at the conclusion, kind of like giving birth.
Our church is located in an old coal mining culture that has made an art out of conflict. Our church family has been through some major battles in the past 25 years, and some casualties have fallen. Having weathered some conflicts here myself in the past nine years I have wondered if anything good can ever come from the splits and quarrels that have sometimes divided us. Now I have some hope that we can transition into a culture of peace and close relationship, modeled by our leadership, if we will learn to allow the conflict to create intimacy.
Posted by Richard Earl at 8:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: Conflict, Culture, Leadership
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Following The Launch Pattern
This coming weekend, APC will begin the process of our 7th church plant. BridgePoint Church will be located in the community of Tarentum (northeast of Pitt).
BridgePoint will be started a little differently than any of our other plants. We are going to follow the plan outlined by Nelson Searcy in his book, Launch: Starting A New Church From Scratch. In my opinion, Searcy's book is the most practical and useful book on church planting that I have ever read.
The Launch Process calls for monthly preview services six months prior to the full-time start up of the church. So every 3rd Sunday, starting this weekend, we will be hosting preview services. The full-time start of the church is set for March 9, 2008 (Palm Sunday).
You can read more about the steps leading up to the process of Pastor Greg Krowitz's blog.
Posted by Jeff Leake at 8:49 PM 0 comments
Labels: Church Planting
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Becoming A Priest To Those Who Don’t Go To Church
Many of you are already in relationship with or have heard of Johannes Amritzer from Stockholm, Sweden (http://www.missionsos.org). Early this year I heard Johannes give a great teaching on “Becoming A Priest To Those Who Don’t Go To Church.” Like me, I’m sure you’ll find something to apply.
Johannes focused first on Abraham in Genesis 23:3-6 and how he had lived among the Hittites in such a way that they had great respect and regard for him – seeing him as a “Prince of God!”
Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.” The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.” (Heb. = elohyim nasi = “a prince of God”)
- It is not enough to have respect and influence inside of the Church; we must have the same influence outside of the Church!
- Abraham walked in the land that he “would possess” as though he “already possessed it!” We must move through the land that God has promised to give us as though He has already given it and we fully possess it! It is ours!
Johannes then considered the Apostle Paul’s ministry in Athens recorded in Acts 17 and shared seven principles for “Becoming a Church Planting Priest in the City.”
1) Paul had a disciplined spirit. v16
- Paul could move throughout the pagan city without it affecting his testimony. There was no compromise within him.
- He wasn't taken in by the city's carnal attractions, nor did he remain aloof like some “holier than thou" visitor. Instead, Paul was able to observe the needs of the city without it exciting his unrighteous or self-righteous flesh.
- If you do not have a disciplined spirit you're not ready to move forward in church planting.
2) Paul knew how to build relationships with all kinds of people. v17
- He gave value to all people, both in the synagogue and in the marketplace.
3) They gave Paul their platform. v18-19
- Once you are regarded in their eyes, they will open the door for you to share.
4) He connected with their culture. v22-23
- He did not attack them. His statement “You are very religious” may have been viewed as a complement by the Athenians - “Thank you, Paul!”
5. He could quote their authorities. v28
- He related to them by touching something that was important to them!
6) He called the people to repentance. v30-31
- The rest is in vain if we never present the Gospel.
7. He discipled those who responded. v34
- The focus is always on disciples, not simply decisions.
Posted by Jim Ruddy at 9:53 PM 0 comments
Labels: Church Planting, Culture, Evangelism, Missions
Sunday, October 14, 2007
20 years to change a culture
What would fundamentally change the culture in Pennsylvania and Delaware?
1. 1000 new churches that reach at least 100 new believers each? (100,000 new believers out of 10 million unchurched people?
2. Some kind of new cultural broadcast that captures the imagination?
3. 10,000 new leaders/ministers?
4. Some kind of mailing to every home?
I think that some variation of #1 is the obvious answer, even though 1000 new churches seems like a huge, unreachable number. So, assuming for just a moment that you are a Catalyst leader because you agree, how do we get 1000 new churches underway?
I'm 45. I have 20-30 good ministry years left, by the grace of God. Is it possible that one day when I might stand before God that I will have seen real, cultural fundamental change in my lifetime?
Posted by Gerry Stoltzfoos at 11:13 PM 1 comments
Labels: Church Planting
How Can We Serve You?
It's been about 3 weeks since we launched Catalyst Leadership. Though this is not a 'hot topic' blog, we have had between 6-700 unique visitors and days with 1-200 visits.
We are here to serve you. We have no other reason to exist. Please take a look at the list of contributors and tell us where we can serve you. What do you want us to address? What topics will help you in your ministry?
Feel free to answer anonymously, or you can email me offline at pgrabill@aol.com.
Posted by Paul at 2:02 PM 1 comments
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Disturb me Lord
Disturb me, Lord, when my dreams come true, only because I dreamed too small.
Disturb me when I arrive safely, only because I sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb me when the things I have gained cause me to lose my thirst for more of You.
Disturb me when I have acquired success, only to lose my desire for excellence.
Disturb me when I give up too soon and settle too far short of the goals You have set for my life.
Sir Francis Drake
Posted by Richard Earl at 8:37 PM 0 comments
Labels: Leadership, Quotes, Vision
Friday, October 12, 2007
unChristian
Christianity needs a face lift. On second thought, it needs total reconstruction surgery. In their newly released book entitled "unChristian," David Kinnaman (from the Barna Group) and Gabe Lyons (co-founder of the Catalyst Conference) reported that only 3% of 18-29 year olds in America hold a positive impression of Christianity. Christianity has a major image problem.
This open hostility held by the current generation (ala Kathy Griffin telling Jesus to go "suck it" a couple weeks ago at the Emmy's) is alarming, yet somewhat understandable.
Case in point - last week at Minister's Enrichment I was checking out of our hotel when I noticed the "Sleep Inn" (yes, we only travel first class) desk clerk, a young women in her early 20's, trying to assuage an irritated guest. The guest raised his voice several times (something about already paying his bill for which he did not have a receipt - of course, it wasn't his fault) and the young woman went to the back room for reinforcements from the manager. During this uncomfortable encounter, I could only pray, "Dear Lord, please don't let this guy be one of our card-carrying ministers."
Well, we paid our bill and with receipt in hand left the hotel. I smiled and wished the young woman well and told her how pleased I was with her service. During the break after the first session, I was in the lobby trying to resist the delectable donuts when I looked up and guess who I saw ... bingo ... Mr. Angry Guy from the hotel. I was so upset. How could this so called "Christian" (minister none-the-less) treat someone so unkindly.
Then I paused and realized, I can't stand "Christians." The hypocrisy and hostility and unwillingness to carry out the mission of Jesus. You see, I love Christ, but there's a lot Christians I can't stand. And perhaps the Christian I cant' stand the most is the one writing this blog entry. I can't my stand my inconsistencies and my unwillingness to go the second mile and sacrifice for the cause of Christ like I should.
If we are going to reach this generation for Christ, we are going to have to live the life of a Christ follower every day. What can you do to understand what a new generation really thinks about Christianity and why? More importantly, what role can you play to change that perception on a daily basis?
Posted by David Crosby at 3:44 PM 4 comments
Labels: Evangelism
A Challenging Abundance
It's interesting to me that when Jesus got his 'staff' together to train them and send them out to advertise His event, (and they say Jesus didn't do advertising, or that we should not be 'event' driven!) that His first concern was what they were thinking about people's openness to His message.
"There is just so much harvest out there", he told them, "and it's ready now". (Lk 10:2)
I wonder if I am seeing even a little of what Jesus saw when He saw the harvest so plentiful. Are my eyes seeing people everywhere who wish to crowd into The Kingdom, or do I see it as "hardly anyone wants to live for God these days"?
God help me see the abundant harvest today, so that I can bring some of it in.
Yesterday as I was waiting for an appointment to show up (they were stuck in traffic and I waited 90 minutes), I did a little unscientific research on the net. I found an atheists site that was trumpeting that 74% of America does not go to church, so we can no longer be called 'a nation under God.' Some of the presumably Christian sites said that number is too high- that only about 12% of Americans actually attend church at least monthly.
Which got me doing a little simple math (it's all they taught in Amish school, okay?). If there are something like 13 million people here in Penn-Del, does that mean there are maybe 9 million left to reach?
We have such a huge, exciting job to do. And I am so pathetically small at getting it done. I sure hope that when I stand before my hero at his judgement seat, that he can find it in my little life to say "well done good and faithful servant". I pray that between now and my retirement, that somehow, but God's grace, we can see maybe a 5 or 10 percent growth in the number of people in PennDel attending church, and a little momentum in God's direction. 5% would be an additional half a million people in church, right? 10% would be over a million!
How can we get this done in the next 20-30 years?
Posted by Gerry Stoltzfoos at 7:53 AM 0 comments
Labels: Evangelism
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Pastoral Missions Trips
Yesterday, our Catalyst group had the privilege of hosting Christopher Alam, a long-time missionary evangelist who has planted over 1000 new churches and has seen millions of converts in Africa and Asia. Just last week he was received into the Penn-Del District of the Assemblies of God (his close friend, Reinhard Bonnke, was received into the Peninsular Florida district this month as well).
One of the group members asked Christopher what an American pastor should do to keep their faith level high that God can/will do the same kind of miracles here that are happening in many other places of the world.
I was struck by Christopher's answer.
He said, "I would recommend that every pastor in the U.S. minister on a missions trip once a year to sustain his/her level of faith."
What do you think? Has that approach been effective for anyone?
Posted by Paul at 9:29 AM 3 comments
Labels: Miraculous, Missions
Sunday, October 7, 2007
The hardest and most productive part of leadership
I wanted to give something back to my leaders, and made the mistake of asking them what they wanted from me.
"How can I serve you"? I asked, like a sheep to the slaughter.
"Write a prophetic word over us", they answered. "Ask God what he thinks of us, and write it out. Use your prophetic gift."
So we invited people to sign up for a leadership night. 120 key leaders showed up. I had three weeks to write 120 prophetic words.
I seemed to slave away at it morning noon and night until it felt like it would kill me. I finally got the last ones done 15 minutes before the meeting started tonight.
So we got into the meeting and I started passing out framed prophetic words that I had asked God for and received. There were a lot of tears, hugs, and amazingly shaken people. I have rarely felt so appreciated with anything I have ever done. Or felt God's anointing so powerfully present in the room. Before I got home, 15 more people heard about it and ask if I could possibly do it for them as well.
I sure need to do this more. There is little that I could do to matter more to the volunteers, givers, and otherwise precious leaders that God has given me. And there is little that could ever be more effective in helping people know this Jesus, and walk with Him.
Posted by Gerry Stoltzfoos at 11:08 PM 2 comments
Pre-Marital Counseling
Most pastors I know do premarital counseling, but I'm sure our approaches are quite varied.
For some years, we have been using the Prepare compatibility test as well as the old Richard Dobbins videos/workbooks.
I'd like to invite everyone into this, not just the contributors.
What do you use? What does your process look like?
Please leave a comment and share...
BTW, here are three things I tell almost every couple:
(1) You are attracted to each other because you are different from each other, but a terrible thing often happens right after the wedding. Couples start wondering why their spouse isn't more like them. I say, that'll happen, but it takes about 50 years. Don't expect to become more like each other the first year.
(2) There is absolutely no correlation between a good wedding and a good marriage. I remind them of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. I encourage them to have as nice a wedding as they wish to have, but not to think that it has anything at all to do with the success of their marriage. I then ask which they are putting more prep into.
(3) Along those lines, I counsel the bride to make the wedding as nice as she can, but when the wedding time comes, forget about all the details and just enjoy it, no matter what goes right or goes wrong. I say, wouldn't be a shame to put all that effort into a wedding and then not enjoy it because something went wrong, which is almost inevitable.
Posted by Paul at 10:40 PM 4 comments
Labels: Counseling, Marriage
Friday, October 5, 2007
Catalyst Session: Erwin McManus
God has called us to create the future. We cannot change history. We cannot make history. But we can and should create the future.
God seems to work most powerfully through those who live most passionately.
Solomon paints a very depressing picture in Ecclesiastes. He seems to be almost suicidal and says that there is nothing new under the sun, and that everything is meaningless.
But Solomon was wrong. God is always doing a new thing. With God nothing is hopeless. God is a creative God. He is actively at work in human history. He is inviting us to be a part of the new thing He is doing in your world right now.
We need to rethink our relationship to history. If we make history, it simply means that we are doing something profound and powerful in the moment we are in right now.
So how do we establish and reconnect ourselves to what it means to being truly human? God created all of us with the capacity to choose. Our futures are not pre-determined. We can choose what happens in our world. Adam and Eve had a choice for what their future would look like. We are now recreated in Christ for good works that were prepared in advance for us to choose to do.
People always ask me, 'who do you preach to on the weekends...believers or seekers?' My answer is simple, 'I preach to humans...which seems to cover just about 98% of everyone.' I think if we preach to people in these categories we miss some of the deepest longings that are simply a part of being a human being.
God didn't create you to live passively, he created you to be creative. He also created you with many needs even beyond your spiritual life. He created you because He enjoys meeting those needs. He formed you to want and to have longings. When we speak to people, we should connect into those longings and bring God into the longings of the heart.
There is a universal longing in every human for the authentic and the real. Our soul is sick and we are longing for authentic connections with God and others.
Isn't it great that we have come to a moment in the church world where it is ok to tell the truth. We don't have to make our life sound better than it is. We can be honest and transparent about our struggles, questions and doubts. We can be honest about what we don't like about the condition of the Church. What happens when we are authentic is that Jesus becomes more beautiful in the atmosphere of the truth.
Jesus becomes attractive to our world when they seen Him through the authentic pictures of the brokenness of our own lives.
In fact, perhaps all of human history is a contrast between tragedy and beauty. God creates beauty. Then we come along and we by our attitudes or decisions turn that beauty into tragedy. But then Jesus arrives and he makes beautiful the tragic things of our broken lives.
Is it possible that we have trained ourselves to live in this inhuman world that we have lost the ability to see and celebrate that which is truly beautiful. Consider the early verses of Isaiah 53, what God saw as ultimately beautiful (the cross) was seen at first as horrid to us. Consider the revelation of the 'word' in John chapter 1. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, but we did not even recognize Him.
Our world needs someone to help them see the beauty of God's expression in the most painful experiences of their lives.
Posted by Jeff Leake at 2:09 PM 0 comments
Labels: Conferences
Craig Groeschel + Rick Warren
More information from the Catalyst Conference. Hope this is helpful!?! Craig Groeschel did a powerful session about the tendency we have toward practical atheism.
Posted by Jeff Leake at 11:38 AM 0 comments
Labels: Conferences
Catalyst Session: John Maxwell
Central Thought Of Talk: Intentionally add value to people every day!
The greatest way to add value to people is to find your 'strength zone' (gifts, passions, skills) and then leverage those strengths for others.
Several Hinderances In Adding Value To Others In My Young Life:
- I didn't know my 'strength zone' so I didn't know what to leverage.
- Don't add value to people as a technique to build your own thing. It has to be a self-less things. It is simply a sowing mentality. Don't worry about the reaping. Just help people.
Fact: We are either adding value to people or we are taking value from people. So the question is do I add or do I subtract.
Reality: People who add value do so INTENTIONALLY. By nature we tend to be selfish, we are subtractors. We have to do it daily and intentionally. How?
- You have to VALUE people.
- You have to make yourself more Valuable.
- You have to know and relate to what other people value. (great leaders are first listeners, and then learners, and then they are leaders).
- You have to do the things that God VALUES.
Posted by Jeff Leake at 11:11 AM 0 comments
Labels: Conferences
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Catalyst Labs stimulate and challenge
The annual Catalyst Conference here in Atlanta is always preceded by what are called Catalyst Labs. These are workshops with amazing speakers (last year I got to meet Eugene Peterson among others) and I find it more helpful and exciting than the arena event which attracts 11,000 people. Here is a bit of my experience to piggyback on Jeff Leake's reports on the general sessions which I also attended. Click here for Catalyst site
First of all Catalyst Lab speakers included Mark Batterson, Chris Seay, Matt Chandler (he was great), David Batstone, Leonard Sweet, Ron Martoia, Jud Wilhite, Nancy Ortberg, Reggie McNeal, Tim Elmore, Brad Powell, Ed Stetzer, Gabe Lyons, Rick McKinley, Shane Claiborne and many more.
I am always alone when I come here so it can be hard because I am a social creature. I long for discussion and fellowship but have to be satisfied with information and inspiration. Fortunately, as we were waiting to enter the venue for the evening session on Wednesday I asked the man next to me where he was from. "Newfoundland" he said. I was thrilled because we have a lady in our church from Newfoundland. But it got better because he was from the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland, serving as their Secretary/Treasurer. Turns out he had no transportaion to and from his hotel, so I had a spirit-filled buddy for the next two days!
I love this conference because of the diversity, not just in subject matter, but also in terms of attendees. There is also a sense of expectancy and excellence that I rarely find elsewhere. A man named Reggie Joiner always opens with a Pre-Lab session, and he is very creative. He shared is views on ministry and used ten words to characterize the transitions we need to make in the coming years.
- From focus on Students to focus on Leaders. We need to begin to see those who sit in our classes as potential leaders being trained for ministry instead of mere pupils being filled with our great wisdom.
- From Content to Experience. It's the difference between a classroom and an apprenticeship. We must flesh things out and show how the scripture works in the real world.
- From Production to Relationship. People are more important than the show we perform each week.
- From Age-focused to Family-focused. We must stop dividing families during the church ministry time and give parents tools to share their faith with their most important mission field- their children.
- From Growth to Service. We must mobilize to serve a broken world and leave the growth to God.
Reggie Joiner is head of RETHINK, and is worth listening to.
I love Leonard Sweet's brilliance. He is a futurist and is always thinking in terms of what is next. His job seems to be to prepare and warn the church so we can be more effective and not miss the waves of change that come like continuous ripples, faster and faster it seems. He explained how the classic bell curve with it's large middle and diminished ends has been replaced by the "well curve" with almost no middle and large ends. We see it in economics (the diminishing "middle class"), politics becoming polarized, and even in the church where we have mostly large or small churches, but very few medium sized churches. He encouraged us to build bridges between the ends, because that's what Jesus would do. He also called us to be MRI- Missional, Relational and Incarnational. Leonard Sweet
I came away from the Labs with many good ideas, but more importantly I am reconsidering the way we do things at Mountainside. I can see more clearly where we ought to be going and how we might get there. All I ask of a conference or gathering these days is two simple things. I need to be inspired to give my life more fully and purely to the cause of Christ, and some effective and meaningful ways to motivate others to do that with me.
Posted by Richard Earl at 10:43 PM 0 comments
Labels: Conferences
Catalyst Session 5: Rick Warren
If you want God's blessing, anointing, and power to rest on your life--then you have to get with God's agenda. God has not promised to bless your agenda. But He has promised to bless His agenda through you.
Stop praying, 'God bless me!' Begin praying, 'God what is it that you are blessing.'
So what is God blessing? In a word...THE KINGDOM!
Where is the Kingdom of God? It is wherever Jesus is King.
What is the Kingdom of God? It is God's people fulfilling God's purposes on God's planet for God's glory. It is multi-cultural. God is a global God. It is eternal. It is powerful, run by God's power. It is inevitable, for God will one day place Jesus as ruler over all.
When will Jesus come back? If Jesus didn't know that, I shouldn't expect that I will be able to figure that out either. I stopped trying to figure out what Jesus didn't know. Matthew 24:14 tells us the key factor. The gospel must be preached to all nations and then...
What is God's agenda? It's the Kingdom coming through the Church. When you are married, you love your bride no matter what. Jesus loves His bride no matter what. He asks us to do the same. Jesus said, "I love the church so much it hurts...I died for it.' We need to stop putting down the church. It is God's agenda in the world.
God wants you to love the real Church not the ideal Church. And He wants you to learn to serve in it.
God created the universe, galaxy, planet, to put us on this globe. He did it because He wanted a family. He made us to love us. That's why we are alive. The Church is the expression of God's family on earth. One day everything else will burn up, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The only thing that will last on this earth is God's Family.
I am not interested in changing culture, I am interested in creating it. God is a creative God. For thousands of years the Church has created culture.
Think about the moment when God told Moses to lay down his staff. When he did, it became a snake. When he picked it up again, it again became a staff. Why did God do this? What do we learn?
- Whenever God asks you a question, it is never for His benefit. It is always to teach us a lesson.
- Whenever God does a miracle, He never does it to show off. It is always to teach a truth
The staff of Moses represented three things:
- First, it represented Moses' identity. Moses was a shepherd. The staff revealed that.
- Second, it represented Moses' income. All Moses' income was wrapped up in flocks not stocks.
- Third, it represented his influence. It was the means by which Moses moved his sheep.
God asked Moses to lay all this down for Him. God then told him, 'Moses, if you surrender it to me...I will make it come alive. And every time you pick it back up again, its going to die. It's all about surrendering it to me.'
From the moment Moses laid down his staff, it is never called the staff of Moses again. It is now called THE ROD OF GOD.The question that we all have to answer is 'What Is In Your Hand?'
When you stand before God, you will have two questions to answer to God. What did you do with my son Jesus? and second...What did you do with what I gave you?
Posted by Jeff Leake at 6:12 PM 0 comments
Labels: Conferences