Looking Ahead to 2010: The Future for GOBC

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to propser you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

That's a familiar passage to most of us. It was written by the prophet Jeremiah at one of the darkest times in Judah's history, on the verge of its conquest and captivity by the Babylonian Empire. It is a reference to the messianic hope that God had promised would come through his people. At one of the very lowest points in their history, at a time when there seemed to be no hope for the future, God leads the prophet to remind them that he is still there, and there is always hope when God's people pray, and seek him with all their heart.

Our church has been pastorless for 18 months, since June of 2008. The new year will be its 69th year of existence. In recent years, it has experienced the same circumstances that many inner city churches have experienced, both in Houston and in other places. As neighborhoods change, housing ages, new traffic patterns cause changes in the business community, and the old fabric of the neighborhood fades away, churches experience change which often brings declining attendance and new challenges. That's been the case at GOBC since it reached its numerical peak in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Most of the circumstances related to the drop off in attendance are beyond the church's control. It also causes speculation and concern about the church's future. Do we have one, beyond the dawning decade? Will we be able, with our current resources, to build, and in essence, rebuild, a church that will continue the legacy of nearly 70 years of ministry in this neighborhood? Or will we go the way of many churches which are unable to make the kind of adjustments and changes necessary in their approach to outreach, evangelism and ministry to reach a diverse and different population than the one which used to live around them, and find the next decade to be our last?

I don't believe God intends for us to cease to exist, though I think the form that we will need to develop in order to continue to move forward will be much different even than what we see today, and will incorporate even more changes in our methods of outreach, evangelism, discipleship, ministry and missions than we have seen in the past decade. Let me share a few points from Sunday's sermon which leads me to believe that God has given us the ability to keep moving forward and that our future is part of his plans.

1. A word of encouragement to those who have persevered.
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10:39

In the consumer culture in which we live, "church shopping" has become commonplace, particularly among conservative evangelicals. The development of the megachurch has made it possible for people to seek a church based almost completely on its smorgasbord of offerings which appeal to their perceived needs. Worship has subtly shifted to entertainment, preaching from the prophetic voice to "pop psych" feel good affirmations sprinkled with scripture. So when an older, smaller, inner city congregation loses a pastor, or experiences demographic shifts or other difficulties, people have the opportunity to simply go shopping and pick another church.

We have had a faithful core of members who seem determined to remain part of this fellowship in spite of the difficulties faced during a pastorless period, even an extended one such as we are currently experiencing. Many people simply move on during a pastoral transition because it is easier to just find another place to worship and have your needs met than it is to deal with the change. Those who have chosen to remain here in spite of the difficulties and problems than are an inevitable part of a pastoral transition are to be commended for doing so, and should be encouraged that so many others have apparently decided to do the same. On top of that, we have had some members who have seen needs and stepped up to the plate to meet them. Rather than "shrinking back," we have had some people who have chosen to believe the promise of God that remaining faithful to his call brings his favor.

2. God has prepared and called a pastor to serve our church, and we will find him.
"He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." Titus 1:9

I do not have a prophetic word about when our pastor will be called, but I believe it will happen during 2010. Our new pastor will...

• look at the church, its human, financial and physical resources, its location, and the field in which it has been called to serve and he will be excited about the potential ministry in this particular place at this particular time.
• accept the salary and benefits we are offering to him, and consider it a blessing of prosperity.
• have a set of spiritual gifts and abilities, and experience, which match the needs of the overseer position at GOBC, a church in a vibrant, diverse, exciting part of the city of Houston, and which he will use to equip the church for effective evangelism, discipleship and ministry in this community.
• lead the church seamlessly and successfully through the inevitable, essential changes in its approach to missions and ministry in order to be an effective body of Christ which worships at 3206 N. Shepherd Dr.
• sense God's calling to service here as his calling, rather than seeing our church as a launching pad to something bigger and better down the road. For our new pastor, there is no bigger or better ministry.

3. There is an open door set before this church, and walking through it faithfully requires us to pray and seek God's leadership by being faithful to his written Word and following the leadership of his Holy Spirit.

Revelation 3:7-13 describes the message of Jesus to the angel, or pastor, of the church at Philadelphia. This small congregation, surrounded by paganism and in the middle of both false religion and the "synagogue of Satan" did two things that pleased the Lord. They kept his word and did not deny his name.

Here we are, in a booming corner of the city, surrounded by people from every walk of life, multiple religious backgrounds including no religious background at all, the prosperous and the poor, the educated and the uneducated, and literally the "red, yellow, brown, black and white" of the children's song we used to sing in Sunday School, "Jesus Loves the Little Children." Is having an open door set before us such a simple matter as keeping God's word and not denying his name? I think that is exactly a matter of doing just that. The creativity and intelligence that we've been given, along with our spiritual gifts, will open our eyes to the changes we need to make, and the approaches we need to take in building relationships with people from which we can deliver the gospel message and offer opportunities for people to accept it, and live it out in their own lives. The transforming power of the message comes from the Spirit.

Is 2010 "the year of our Lord" for Garden Oaks Baptist Church?

Celebrating the Birth of Jesus

It is very difficult to tell, standing in the line, waiting to pay for Christmas gifts in a department store, that there is a recession going on. Most of our Christmas shopping is now accomplished, and what remains will benefit from sale prices that will, at the beginning of next week, cut even deeper into already discounted merchandise. The mall parking lot was overflowing, people were everywhere and on this last Saturday before Christmas, a lot of buying was going on.

I often wonder what Jesus thinks of all of the holiday hustle and bustle that is done at a time of the year set aside on the Christian calendar to celebrate his birthday. Western culture has, as it usually does, found a way to capitalize on traditions that lend themselves to boosting the retail trade. The church, for the most part, immersed in its own brand of consumerism, gives very little thought to doing it any differently, right up to the presentation of extravagant musicals and presentations, and a smorgasbord of activity and entertainment designed for the purpose of celebrating the holiday, and generating some extra revenue in the process. I noticed a few Christmas pageants and programs in churches around our area this week, and into next, which will hit you up for as much as $50 a ticket.

It's hard not to just go along with it all, especially when it is so much a part of the time and place where we live. But in the past week or so, I've bumped into a couple of people in various places who must be from the same church. There is apparently one local congregation that is doing its best to set aside commercial Christmas in favor of the authentic version. In the checkout line at the grocery store, a lady behind me was talking about it on her cell phone. She and her family had made some kind of commitment to avoid engaging in consumerism, and to try and put the whole meaning of Christmas back into its Biblical, spiritual context in their family, and apparently, the church they attend had initiated this commitment. A few days later, I overheard another converstation about doing this very same thing. Not only that, but they were devoting the resources they normally would spend on Christmas to doing things for others who were desperate for help, including families whose breadwinners had been put out of work by the economic situation.

That's not such a radical idea for the church.

We have some wonderful opportunities to celebrate the birth of Christ together as a church at Christmas. Our Christmas eve service will begin at 4:00, and is a time of worship and celebration of the birth of Christ. This is what Christmas is about, so take the time to make this a priority in your schedule and focus on the reason for the season. Our sanctuary should be full for this event. The stores and the malls certainly are.

When Being "Friendly" Isn't Enough

"We are a friendly church."

Most of our members would agree with this statement, and I think most of the people who visit here for the first time, or come back for another visit, would also say this. Many of them, however, do not understand why some people don't just join the church and move their membership, or keep coming back regularly after discovering this fact about our congregation.

I think the first thing we need to do is take a look at "friendly," and see if it actually fits us. We are friendly, of that there is no doubt. But would a guest, who has never been here before, actually feel that way after their first visit? When they pull on the parking lot, there is well-marked visitor parking, but often, it is full, and many times that's because members park there. Once parked, are they directed to the correct place from outside the building, and if so, how? They can probably find their way to the sanctuary, but what about your Sunday School class?

And what response to they receive after the first few minutes they arrive? If they come early, an usher will greet them at the door and lead them into a relatively empty sanctuary. This is generally the case for both services. At 8:30, a large percentage of the congregation arrives late, and the same is true at 11:00. And I have noticed that even during the meet and greet time in the early service, guests are not automatically the people that our members move to greet. We really need to develop the habit of going to the guests first, before ever thinking about saying good morning to one of the regulars. There have been mornings when I've been the first person to make my way to people visiting in the service, all the way from the front, while bumping into regular members greeting one another and paying little attention to those who are visiting.

Experts in assimilation of new members into the church tell us that guests will make a decision about a return visit in the ten minute period of time that occurs from the ending of the service until they make it to their car. The way our invitation time is structured, it is usually not possible for the pastor and staff to make it to where the visitors were seated before they exit the room. Members will have to do that. You can count on the fact that visitors in a strange new place will be anxious to leave and return to the comfort of their vehicle fairly soon after the service ends, so in order to greet them, and invite them back warmly, you have to catch them before they leave. This is why we have roped off the back third of the sanctuary. Are you the one who will move to the back to greet guests as they leave, making sure they have at least one reason to return?

Friendliness, or lack thereof, is not the only reason people choose not to return to a church they have visited. There are many things going on at one time. They may be looking for relationships, and gauging the possibility of being able to make some among the congregation that is present when they visit. They are, no doubt, bringing their own preconceptions, past experiences and present troubles through the door with them, and the way the church handles these out of sight issues, through its worship, the preaching, and the approach, will send signals that you might not even be aware are being received. A lot of people who have been beaten up and tossed out by the world come through the door of a church seeking something, though they may not be sure of what. If they perceive that the church is going to judge them further, or condemn them, they will not be back. On the other hand, if they sense that the church will help them heal, will accept them as they are and help them become what God wants them to be, and will love them unconditionally, you won't be able to keep them away.

During the past four years or so, I have encountered many people in the Garden Oaks/Heights area who have expressed an interest in spiritual things, and a desire to sit down, make a new friend, and discuss their spiritual condition. Most of them are broken people in some way, hurt and defeated by placing their trust in things that cannot save. Every time I meet someone, and I am able to find out their story, I ask myself, "Would this person be able to find the love and healing they need at our church?"

I hope the answer is always "Yes."

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Reflections

The fellowship and the turnout that was all part of the Thanks and Giving banquet a week or so ago was wonderful. We had prepared and set up for more than 300 in the gym, and almost every seat was full. Some of you brought friends and neighbors, some of you brought family, and we guessed that, altogether, about 280 people showed up. There was an amazing display of food, especially desserts, and what was left over was shared appropriately.

There wasn't a lot of turkey and dressing left, but it went downtown to the people gathered at the annual Bible reading marathon on the plaza at the Family Law Center. They fed the readers, and the homeless. Desserts were put in the refrigerator and shared with delivery personnel, messengers and the mailman as a thanksgiving appreciation here at the church on the Monday following.

The Thanks and Giving offering was a blessing, as was the fifth Sunday singing on the fourth Sunday.

Now, we're just three weeks from celebrating the birth of Jesus. Christmas is coming. The decorations are going up, the lights are appearing all around town, and we even had a touch of snow this week. But decorations, lights, trees and snow are not the essence of Christmas, any more than turkey, dressing and a big meal constitute the essence of Thanksgiving.

The world's conversation this year, or at least our part of it, is about the effects of the economic downturn on the buying season, and by what percentage retail sales will be off from normal, or improved from last season. We've heard some words of optimism, both nationally, and locally, about "black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving which is supposed to be the biggest shopping day of the year, and the improvement the airlines experienced in Thanksgiving week travelers this year. But this season isn't about any of that. Christmas will come, and the economy isn't going to have an affect on what the holiday is really about.

Culture and tradition have led us to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25, though he was very likely not born on that date. The account of his birth, recorded in Scripture, does not tell us when. Other traditions followed, making the time into what we experience today. It's not easy to get past that into the truth.

On the other hand, as the church, it is something for us to celebrate, and we should do it with style. The world should know our savior, and this time of the year, we are presented with an unusual opportunity to tell them about it. The way we do this should recognize the fact that, rather than being critical of all of the layers of culture and tradition that have worked their way into the celebration, we should simply keep Christ first, and organize the celebration to make the point that he was a gift, given to us for our redemption. People are in a position to listen, and to hear. Seeds can be planted. And above all, the church embracing the celebration of the Birth of Jesus is the right thing to do.

Join us!

Reading List

One of the great things about going to conferences is the exposure to new books that are written to help ministers improve in doing their work, or for inspiration. Let me pass on some recent or current titles I'm reading, with the suggestion that you might want to fill some of your spare time with a good book.

What Bothers Me Most About Christianity, by Ed Gungor. Don't worry. The author is a Christian. He just puts things into words that we all think about, and which help us think about the way our faith is presented. His focus is really aimed at helping young adults wrestle with some of these questions, but it was an excellent discussion for me as well. I picked it up at Seeds, the bookstore at Willow Creek Community Church.

Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches From Growing, by Geoff Surratt. The author serves a growing church in South Carolina, so he should have some experience in this department. It's a lighthearted look at some serious things that churches really do to impede their growth, most of the time without knowing it. No, I'm not on some kind of negative reading kick this month. There are lots of positive ideas in this one. I found it in the Lifeway bookstore #1 in Nashville.

Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches That Reach Them, by Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley and Jason Hayes. These are the Lifeway guys from Threads Media, and they work close to young adult ministry in the church. They share lots of research and lots of things that churches, successful in making disciples out of young adults, are doing. The research also points out a lot of misconceptions in the ministry regarding outreach to young adults. This one was on sale at the book table at the Connect Conference I attended in Nashville back in August.

You might think that these books would contain technical approaches and language for ministers that the average church member couldn't understand, but that's not the case. If you are serious about taking your ministry to the next level, and growing in your faith, helping your church move forward with you is a very important thing for you to do. If you travel, these are great for reading on the plane. If not, they make an excellent before-bed relaxer, or a get-up and get moving in the morning read.

They will challenge your pre-conceptions and move you to grow into Christian maturity. They are worth the time and the resources spent to get them and read them. Give it a try, and you might be surprised at what develops.

Thanks and Giving

This coming Sunday, November 22, is our annual Thanks and Giving Banquet. This is a tradition at Garden Oaks Baptist Church, and we are expecting 300 people in attendance.

Part of the event is to commemorate and celebrate Thanksgiving as a church family. We do this around a meal in the gym. This year, the food will be laid out in the fellowship hall so that there can be plenty of room to eat and visit in the gym. Bring your favorite side dish.

The other part of the event is to give an offering of thanks back to God. This is considered to be an over-and-above the tithe offering, something you give to bless God for the blessings he has given to you. How much you give is between you and the Lord. There will be a time for doing this in both of our morning worship services on November 22, as well as at the banquet and the singing to follow.

Hope to see you here.

Learning Experiences, Part 3

Change.

It is inevitable. Over the course of a lifetime, we see more of it than we could possibly imagine. Some we readily accept, while some we reject, or are at least suspicious of it.

When it happens in the church, it gets closely examined, sifted, turned, examined again, questioned and frequently resisted and rejected because we often equate changes in methods with doctrine and theology, and it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to pull the two things apart. Personal preference also makes it difficult. Change happens all around us, usually outside of our control but in the church, especially a congregational church where every member has a voice, one person can make a difference.

It is certainly not a bad thing to question change as it applies to the ministry of the local church. What we believe comes from the scripture, and we do not have the authority to change it to make it suit our own lives, though many, many people in the church do exactly that. But the way we do our work, the methods we employ related to evangelism, discipleship and missions, most definitely do change, in order to be relevant so that the message we preach and teach can be understood and accepted by people who come under the Spirit's conviction. Churches which do not change their methods in order to reach people with the gospel are churches which do not survive, or have a future. And I've heard some Christians express the thought that they would prefer to see their church die, rather than see it change, not a thought that I believe can be supported by scripture.

So, a couple of weeks ago, while in Chicago, I attended a Blue Sky conference at Willow Creek Church related to change; why it needs to happen, how it happens, and how the church can deal with it. It was the second time I've attended a conference utilizing Christian principles combining an audience of both church and business leaders, and that makes for an interesting presentation. It also helps make the presentation crystal clear with very pertinent examples.

In the church, when it comes to methods, there is a unique dynamic at work. Doctrine and theology do not change, and the text that provides the basis for these beliefs is anywhere from two thousand to thirty-five hundred years old. In addition to that, most Christians believe the church is headed by Jesus, who works through the Holy Spirit to provide leadership. So a church, seeking to do God's will and carry out its assigned purpose, must seek the face of God first before doing anything. The whole process changes from "what I'd like to see happen," or "what I would like to do," to a question, "Is this what God wants us to do?" And who decides that?

The bottom line is that churches which have a sense of the leadership and movement of the Holy Spirit are the ones which transition necessary change with success. Principles of human origin, and thinking which travel along the lines of pop culture and the "latest ideas" generally meet with limited success in the church, and fade quickly, in terms of providing spiritual growth and progress in discipleship. They may draw a crowd for a while, as many fads do, but without substance they cannot be measured as success in Biblical terms. It's a fine line, but a critical one, in determining the difference between a church which "attracts" people through its own effort, or one to which people are attracted because the Holy Spirit is at work.

I hope we are the latter.