Last year at this time, we were counting days passing without power, picking up debris, talking to insurance adjusters, and getting used to living with some inconveniences, all because of the passing of a hurricane named Ike. If you look closely, you can still see evidence of the storm, though that long, dark, frightening night is now not much more than a memory and most of the damage has been repaired.
It's been about fifteen months since our church weathered another kind of storm. Being pastorless, and all of the other issues that were part of that whole period of time, was very much like a storm in many ways. There's a shift in the leadership of the church, some things become magnified and distorted, there are reactions to issues that are unexpected, of course there are people whose feelings are hurt, there is choosing of sides, and the potential for damage to the church's ministry is high.
From this distance, it appears we have weathered the storm well. And it was a pretty strong storm for a while.
In addition to some of the "issues" that came up, we faced the loss of several staff members, including our preschool/children's ministry director, youth pastor, contemporary worship service leader, and a senior secretary. The departure of the children/preschool minister also left us with a vacancy in the leadership of our Early Learning Center. But our personnel team moved quickly, search teams were formed, and all that ministry work is moving forward. We're still short a secretary, but we have some volunteers that have helped take up the slack. We had some help with the contemporary worship service leadership, and then volunteers stepped up to fill in the gap there as well.
In fact, one of the most positive points about these past fifteen months has been the willingness of church members to step up and serve. That's a clear indication that members of this church have a strong belief in its future. Sure, we've lost a few members because we are in transition between pastors. But most of the people who've left the church since June of 2008 have relocated because of job moves. But we're still welcoming visitors, some of whom have returned, and on the last Sunday in August we had 200 in Bible study and 250 in worship. Finances are holding up, as expenses have been lower than anticipated, and giving has been good. The ELC is, once again, near capacity enrollment, and 200 parents and preschoolers were on our campus just this past Wednesday enjoying a meal and an open house.
If you're reading this, and you are one of our church members, you know that a lot has been asked of you in these months. You could go to a church that already has a pastor, or to one where you wouldn't be asked to do double duty. The fact that you are here is a testimony to your commitment to this body, and that you believe you've been called by God to be here. That's encouraging. You think there is a future here, too. You're excited about it, too.
The storm may not yet be over. In fact, the scripture tells us that the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. In this business, we must always be on guard. We must continue to be the church God calls us to be, and continue to rely on his Spirit and his Word for leadership, and for protection. We must always have a vision that lines up with God's will. We must continue to love each other, and lift each other up in prayer and encouragement. We must continue to minister with compassion and grace, understanding that we are all sinners saved by grace through faith in Christ, still passing through this fallen world. Above all, we need to live the gospel so that others want to know the reason for the hope that we have. There are people everywhere around us who need to see that.
We are blessed.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Purpose of the Church and the Traditions of Men
"You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." Mark 7:8, NIV
"Thus you nullify the the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that." Mark 7:13
In their context, these words come from Jesus addressing the Pharisees who had just criticized some of Jesus' followers for not following a particular tradition of the law by ceremonial washing of their hands before eating. The disciples didn't have dirty hands, from a sanitary perspective. They simply hadn't gone through the ceremonial hand washing that was part of the Jewish ritual to signify that they weren't "tainted" because they had come into physical contact with something that wasn't, for lack of a better word, kosher to touch.
The general message here is that the Christian faith is not one in which you can be spiritually cleaned or purified simply by doing something symbolic to erase what makes you "unclean." In fact, thinking that you have been spiritually cleansed by some outward act, such as handwashing in the case of the Pharisees, or perhaps even baptism in the case of Christians, may be an obstacle to true purification and cleansing. Jesus was pretty clear when he said that it is not what goes into a person which makes them unclean, but what comes out.
When I first became a student at Grand Canyon University many years ago, there were some things on that Baptist college campus that I had to get used to, coming from a public school environment. One was the novelty of having the professor lead the class in prayer before each meeting. Another was the ritual of praying before meals in the cafeteria. Generally, it was an accepted practice for students to sit down with their tray, bow their heads, close their eyes for a few seconds, and then commence eating. Essentially, long before I had arrived there, this behavior had become a way for some people to make a determination about the spirituality of others. One day, I determined that I wouldn't bow or close my eyes, but that I would simply pray in my mind prior to being seated, and avoid the tradition, just to see what happened. Sure enough, after a couple of days of doing this, a fellow student asked me if there was anything wrong in my spiritual life, since he had noticed I no longer prayed before I ate. My response was something like "How do you know I am not praying?" The lecture I got following that question, a long, self-justifying speech complete with prooftexts for why, as a "good" Christian I should set an example for others by bowing my head and closing my eyes(neither of which are mentioned as postures for prayer in the New Testament) while I was praying in the cafeteria convinced me to do one thing. From that moment on, I resolved not to bow my head or close my eyes at the table in the cafeteria. For me, prayer is to happen "in my closet," in whatever context that implies related to the situation I am in at the time.
The church, the local body of believers in Christ, has many traditions which have become part of its ritual and practice, but which are not really part of its purpose. Though it should be led by the Spirit, it is still a human institution, subject to the same influences to which all flesh is subject. Frank Viola and George Barna have a great book out on the subject called Pagan Christianity, which explores the roots of many of the practices that the church, as a whole, universal body, considers essential to the practice of faith, but which are not found in scripture. I've learned, from many years of experience in vocational ministry, that people tend to do what they want to do with regard to the practice of their faith, and they are more than willing to impose their perspectives and traditions on the church, in spite of whether or not they are scriptural, if they have the influence or the power to do so. When that happens in a church, and it happens in all of them at some point, then it ceases to follow the leadership of the Spirit, and it is following the traditions of humanity.
At Garden Oaks, people are involved in a conscious, genuine effort to move forward. There has been a genuine, heartfelt movement to do so, and it is happening as we speak. But we must be careful to make certain that everything we do is at the prompting and leadership of the Holy Spirit, and not as a result of our own preferences or traditions. This will include changing the way we do some things, even things that may have worked at some point in the past, not as a result of someone's initiative, but under the leading of the Spirit, by consensus.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than youselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4 NIV
"Do everything without complaining or arguing," Philippians 2:14
Garden Oaks Baptist Church must look forward and follow the Spirit into the future. We cannot be bound by tradition or hobbled by our own preferences.
"Thus you nullify the the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that." Mark 7:13
In their context, these words come from Jesus addressing the Pharisees who had just criticized some of Jesus' followers for not following a particular tradition of the law by ceremonial washing of their hands before eating. The disciples didn't have dirty hands, from a sanitary perspective. They simply hadn't gone through the ceremonial hand washing that was part of the Jewish ritual to signify that they weren't "tainted" because they had come into physical contact with something that wasn't, for lack of a better word, kosher to touch.
The general message here is that the Christian faith is not one in which you can be spiritually cleaned or purified simply by doing something symbolic to erase what makes you "unclean." In fact, thinking that you have been spiritually cleansed by some outward act, such as handwashing in the case of the Pharisees, or perhaps even baptism in the case of Christians, may be an obstacle to true purification and cleansing. Jesus was pretty clear when he said that it is not what goes into a person which makes them unclean, but what comes out.
When I first became a student at Grand Canyon University many years ago, there were some things on that Baptist college campus that I had to get used to, coming from a public school environment. One was the novelty of having the professor lead the class in prayer before each meeting. Another was the ritual of praying before meals in the cafeteria. Generally, it was an accepted practice for students to sit down with their tray, bow their heads, close their eyes for a few seconds, and then commence eating. Essentially, long before I had arrived there, this behavior had become a way for some people to make a determination about the spirituality of others. One day, I determined that I wouldn't bow or close my eyes, but that I would simply pray in my mind prior to being seated, and avoid the tradition, just to see what happened. Sure enough, after a couple of days of doing this, a fellow student asked me if there was anything wrong in my spiritual life, since he had noticed I no longer prayed before I ate. My response was something like "How do you know I am not praying?" The lecture I got following that question, a long, self-justifying speech complete with prooftexts for why, as a "good" Christian I should set an example for others by bowing my head and closing my eyes(neither of which are mentioned as postures for prayer in the New Testament) while I was praying in the cafeteria convinced me to do one thing. From that moment on, I resolved not to bow my head or close my eyes at the table in the cafeteria. For me, prayer is to happen "in my closet," in whatever context that implies related to the situation I am in at the time.
The church, the local body of believers in Christ, has many traditions which have become part of its ritual and practice, but which are not really part of its purpose. Though it should be led by the Spirit, it is still a human institution, subject to the same influences to which all flesh is subject. Frank Viola and George Barna have a great book out on the subject called Pagan Christianity, which explores the roots of many of the practices that the church, as a whole, universal body, considers essential to the practice of faith, but which are not found in scripture. I've learned, from many years of experience in vocational ministry, that people tend to do what they want to do with regard to the practice of their faith, and they are more than willing to impose their perspectives and traditions on the church, in spite of whether or not they are scriptural, if they have the influence or the power to do so. When that happens in a church, and it happens in all of them at some point, then it ceases to follow the leadership of the Spirit, and it is following the traditions of humanity.
At Garden Oaks, people are involved in a conscious, genuine effort to move forward. There has been a genuine, heartfelt movement to do so, and it is happening as we speak. But we must be careful to make certain that everything we do is at the prompting and leadership of the Holy Spirit, and not as a result of our own preferences or traditions. This will include changing the way we do some things, even things that may have worked at some point in the past, not as a result of someone's initiative, but under the leading of the Spirit, by consensus.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than youselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4 NIV
"Do everything without complaining or arguing," Philippians 2:14
Garden Oaks Baptist Church must look forward and follow the Spirit into the future. We cannot be bound by tradition or hobbled by our own preferences.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Reaching Young Adults: What Will it Take?
The Rationale For Change
We live in a culture, and attend church in a culture, which has taught us that the most important things are those which we get out of the experience, and what we take away from it. That's almost completely contrary to what the scripture teaches about the church. What matters most is what God gets from us. And for us, serving others is the way we live out the faith we have in Christ.
We've operated our adult Bible study in recent years based almost exclusively on preference. We've pretty much allowed people to choose a class and a teacher based on their perceived needs, and on their social connections. Up to a point, that worked for us with regard to assimilation of new members, and perhaps even a little bit with regard to outreach. But we are now at a point where the direction of what we do on Sunday morning needs to take a turn and move in a different direction.
This change is based on current research, knowledge of the demographics of the growing community in which our church exists, and expert advice regarding successful methods and strategies for reaching the kind of population that lives in our church field. From our Summer Leadership Seminar, we determined that efforts related to both evangelism and discipleship must be intentional. Looking at our adult ministries in particular, it became clear that reaching young adults, people who are 18 years of age up to 40, needs to be the focus of intentional ministry at Garden Oaks.
Young adults exist in abundance in our field, yet most of them are not involved in church anywhere. Research tells us that they are leaving the institutional church for a variety of reasons, but that they have an intense interest in spiritual matters. As many as 65% of them, according to one recent Lifeway Research study, responded that they would be willing to attend a church which would meet them where they are in their life now, teach them the deep truths of scripture, provide opportunities for meaningful service, and engage them in celebrative worship.
Setting Aside Personal Preferences
There, then, is our challenge. The time has come for us to make the necessary turn in our discipleship ministries in order to be equipped for making disciples and building community for them in order to assimilate them into the local church. An intentional effort to do this will be required, and this will involve asking those in our church involved in adult discipleship to set their own preferences aside, and help prepare the church to provide for the spiritual needs of others.
As we begin this intentional effort, our Bible study on Sunday morning needs to shift in order to accomodate young adults and meet them where they are. This will require adult departments and groups that are age graded rather than chosen by content, teacher, or social grouping. Our current group of 18-40 year olds, who will, by necessity, be at the forefront of this effort, will need to become a group, a Biblical community which studies the Bible together, fellowships and builds relationships into community, and disciples each other in the deep truths of the Bible. That's one major change.
The other involves the content of the Bible study. Our adult leadership has done a great job preparing expository or thematic lessons to present each week. For young adults, these must be a curriculum specifically geared to their spiritual needs, exploring the depths of scripture and presenting them in an understandable and applicable way. We will need to look at some available curriculum materials designed specifically for the needs and life situations of young adults, which can be promoted in an outreach that creates interest and hunger for its Biblical content.
The Strategy
Creating one department on Sunday morning, and perhaps as many as two home groups, aimed at young adults will involve moving people around from one place to another, and displacing some people who may be comfortable where they are. But as the stronger believers, those who will be asked to move, or be displaced need to consider that what they are doing, they are doing for the "weaker brother," to make a comfortable place for someone who would not currently find a place or feel a welcome in the body as it now exists.
One of the things we do not want to do is to discover that, once re-arranged, there is still no room for the unchurched to find a place. The whole idea of making these changes is to be flexible, and to understand what it takes to make disciples and assimilate them into Biblical community. It is not as easy as the simplicity of reorganizing. It takes the work of building relationships of trust, and for many young adults, overcoming obstacles that loomed large in their transition from childhood to adulthood which separated them from their church in the first place. That sounds like walking on eggshells, and that's exactly what it is like. But we can make this part of our DNA by continuing to realize,
"This is not about me."
The Personal Sacrifice
As we learned in the Summer Leadership Seminar, intentional action is the exact opposite of simply maintaining the status quo and expecting results. If it is to be, it is up to me. That's a statement that holds true here. When people get involved in new relationships, it carries them out of their comfort zone, especially if those with whom they are involved have not been trained in the unwritten social ettiquette and behavior system that is expected in the church and among the churched. Relationships are hard, they are sometimes messy, and they are usually difficult to maintain unless effort is made.
We are asking people, for the sake of the church's ministry, and for its future, to go outside their comfort zone and do something different. That is a personal sacrifice, especially in a voluntary situation. It also happens to be what God expects of his children, no less. It's the point at which revival happens.
Being cooperative with the changes that need to be put in place is the very least you can do. Being willing to see the changes as an opportunity for you to invest in relationships outside the Kingdom for the sake of winning people into the Kingdom is the goal. The future of the church depends on it.
We live in a culture, and attend church in a culture, which has taught us that the most important things are those which we get out of the experience, and what we take away from it. That's almost completely contrary to what the scripture teaches about the church. What matters most is what God gets from us. And for us, serving others is the way we live out the faith we have in Christ.
We've operated our adult Bible study in recent years based almost exclusively on preference. We've pretty much allowed people to choose a class and a teacher based on their perceived needs, and on their social connections. Up to a point, that worked for us with regard to assimilation of new members, and perhaps even a little bit with regard to outreach. But we are now at a point where the direction of what we do on Sunday morning needs to take a turn and move in a different direction.
This change is based on current research, knowledge of the demographics of the growing community in which our church exists, and expert advice regarding successful methods and strategies for reaching the kind of population that lives in our church field. From our Summer Leadership Seminar, we determined that efforts related to both evangelism and discipleship must be intentional. Looking at our adult ministries in particular, it became clear that reaching young adults, people who are 18 years of age up to 40, needs to be the focus of intentional ministry at Garden Oaks.
Young adults exist in abundance in our field, yet most of them are not involved in church anywhere. Research tells us that they are leaving the institutional church for a variety of reasons, but that they have an intense interest in spiritual matters. As many as 65% of them, according to one recent Lifeway Research study, responded that they would be willing to attend a church which would meet them where they are in their life now, teach them the deep truths of scripture, provide opportunities for meaningful service, and engage them in celebrative worship.
Setting Aside Personal Preferences
There, then, is our challenge. The time has come for us to make the necessary turn in our discipleship ministries in order to be equipped for making disciples and building community for them in order to assimilate them into the local church. An intentional effort to do this will be required, and this will involve asking those in our church involved in adult discipleship to set their own preferences aside, and help prepare the church to provide for the spiritual needs of others.
As we begin this intentional effort, our Bible study on Sunday morning needs to shift in order to accomodate young adults and meet them where they are. This will require adult departments and groups that are age graded rather than chosen by content, teacher, or social grouping. Our current group of 18-40 year olds, who will, by necessity, be at the forefront of this effort, will need to become a group, a Biblical community which studies the Bible together, fellowships and builds relationships into community, and disciples each other in the deep truths of the Bible. That's one major change.
The other involves the content of the Bible study. Our adult leadership has done a great job preparing expository or thematic lessons to present each week. For young adults, these must be a curriculum specifically geared to their spiritual needs, exploring the depths of scripture and presenting them in an understandable and applicable way. We will need to look at some available curriculum materials designed specifically for the needs and life situations of young adults, which can be promoted in an outreach that creates interest and hunger for its Biblical content.
The Strategy
Creating one department on Sunday morning, and perhaps as many as two home groups, aimed at young adults will involve moving people around from one place to another, and displacing some people who may be comfortable where they are. But as the stronger believers, those who will be asked to move, or be displaced need to consider that what they are doing, they are doing for the "weaker brother," to make a comfortable place for someone who would not currently find a place or feel a welcome in the body as it now exists.
One of the things we do not want to do is to discover that, once re-arranged, there is still no room for the unchurched to find a place. The whole idea of making these changes is to be flexible, and to understand what it takes to make disciples and assimilate them into Biblical community. It is not as easy as the simplicity of reorganizing. It takes the work of building relationships of trust, and for many young adults, overcoming obstacles that loomed large in their transition from childhood to adulthood which separated them from their church in the first place. That sounds like walking on eggshells, and that's exactly what it is like. But we can make this part of our DNA by continuing to realize,
"This is not about me."
The Personal Sacrifice
As we learned in the Summer Leadership Seminar, intentional action is the exact opposite of simply maintaining the status quo and expecting results. If it is to be, it is up to me. That's a statement that holds true here. When people get involved in new relationships, it carries them out of their comfort zone, especially if those with whom they are involved have not been trained in the unwritten social ettiquette and behavior system that is expected in the church and among the churched. Relationships are hard, they are sometimes messy, and they are usually difficult to maintain unless effort is made.
We are asking people, for the sake of the church's ministry, and for its future, to go outside their comfort zone and do something different. That is a personal sacrifice, especially in a voluntary situation. It also happens to be what God expects of his children, no less. It's the point at which revival happens.
Being cooperative with the changes that need to be put in place is the very least you can do. Being willing to see the changes as an opportunity for you to invest in relationships outside the Kingdom for the sake of winning people into the Kingdom is the goal. The future of the church depends on it.
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