08 Jul If You Have Something to Say, Sign Your Name

Recently I preached at one of our churches at their Saturday night service. After the service, someone handed me an envelope with my name on it. The envelope had been placed in the offering plate. It contained a three-page letter outlining concerns regarding the pastor of another church in the area. The letter was unsigned. 

Bishop Ron Ramsey and I have an agreed-upon policy regarding unsigned letters. We toss them. Not that we callously desire to ignore people’s concerns. There are times when people may have legitimate concerns that should be addressed. But sending an anonymous note to the Bishop (or a pastor or board member) violates the principles of Scripture. If I have a problem with a brother, I need to go to him. The whole process is outlined in Matthew 18. 

It is also unfair to throw out criticism (and many times venomous accusations) against someone and not be willing to face them or discuss it with them. I often wonder if the writers of these notes would want the same done to them.

So if you want to raise a concern with us regarding what is happening in one of our churches, you must understand two things. 

1. Sign your name or it will be tossed without any action.
2. If you sign your name, be prepared to answer in the affirmative that you have gone to the pastor yourself with your concern before writing to us. 

We must follow Matthew 18 in our relationships with each other or we are no better than the world around us. And we give Satan the opportunity to have a foothold in the life of our church.

07 Jul Three Steps Toward Change

We need to be change agents in our churches. Change involves a three-step process:

1. Here’s where we are.
2. Here’s where we want to be.
3. The neutral zone in the middle. What you go through to get where you want to be.

The neutral zone is a tricky area. Change is occurring, but it hasn’t become fully implemented in people’s hearts and minds.

People may say, “Yeah, we’ll try that for a while to see if it works.”

No, that’s the wrong attitude. You do it because it’s what God called you to do.

The management of change occurs in the neutral zone. The problem is that you are implementing change, but a lot of stuff you left behind is clamoring for your attention. The challenge is to not get so tied up with what you’re leaving behind that you don’t get to where you want to go.

03 Jul What’s Really Happening at Willow Creek?

Many of us have attended conferences at Willow Creek and have been greatly influenced by the ministry of Bill Hybels. Willow recently released the results of the Reveal survey, as they call it, which took a sobering look at the level of life transformation actually occurring at Willow and other churches across the country. As a result of that study, they are making some major changes.

Unfortunately, too much of the information about the reported changes has not been accurate. Bill Hybels finally felt compelled to address the misinformation. He did that through this video, which explains what Willow is actually doing–a mere “strategic adjustment,” he calls it. The video not only clears up the confusion, but gives some good insights into reaching the current generation and the way “seekers” have changed over the years. Willow staff Nancy Beach elaborates in another YouTube video.

02 Jul Control Issues

When Jesus was ministering to his disciples, the mother of James and John wanted to know which of her boys would enter the Kingdom first. She wanted them at the front of the potluck line.

The issue is control. Churches too often have people who want to control what happens, because they think they know better. They want to decide which table goes first at the potluck. That is carnality.

I had a whole bunch of people at Mainstreet who didn’t agree with me, but we got along and were excited because we baptized another 12 people on Sunday. Give up trying to control what happens in your church, and focus on fulfilling the Great Commission. It’s not about who goes first at potlucks. It’s about lost souls.

17 Jun Preaching at the Steering Wheel

At Mainstreet, when I prepared my sermons, I would frequently hit a road block, unable to get my ideas to gel. That was always frustrating. So I would go visit people in the hospital, and in between hospitals, I would preach at the steering wheel. Lo and behold, it sounded pretty good! I’d stop and jot down some ideas, and things came together.

I prepared a lot of sermons that way. I would get excited about something, pound the steering wheel, and feel like I wanted to kick the tires. People in other cars probably thought I was nuts.

I still find myself doing that. An idea will pop into my head while I’m driving, and I’ll start talking about it out loud. I can think better when I’m talking than when I’m writing. 

Some preachers manuscript their sermons. I don’t. Many times I’d write my sermon outline on a note-card, with several words on it.

As a pastor, I was always well-prepared. I studied hard, going back to the Greek and Hebrew to research the original meaning of words, and reading as many commentaries as I could find about a Scripture passage. But I had a hard time putting everything I learned into a 30-minute package, and would go into the pulpit and basically speak without notes.

I’ve been criticized for that.  But I tell people, “I’m not giving a speech. I’m preaching.”

16 Jun Notes from UB Blogs

A few items of possible interest:

• Tim Hallman (Anchor UB, Fort Wayne, Ind.) addresses “Poverty and the Church in the USA.”
• Scott Hardaway of Pathway Community (Jackson, Mich.) talks about the use of skits, sets, and video in worship services.He also introduces his new sermon series, “Driven,” which has a Nascar theme. He talks about visiting the Michigan International Speedway in preparation for the five-week series.

13 Jun Summer Hours (Packed into Four Days)

This is the last Friday, for a while, that the Healthy Ministry Resources office will be open. For the rest of the summer, we’re going to a four-day schedule, with ten-hour days. 

Hours: 7 a.m. — 5:30 p.m., Monday – Thursday
Dates: June 16 — August 29

We traditionally leave at 1 p.m. on Fridays during the summer, tacking an extra half-hour onto each other day. But with gas prices so high, it didn’t make sense asking half of our workers, who drive 20-40 miles one-way, to come to the office for a half-day of work. So we’ll see if we can put up with each other for ten hours at a shot. 

03 Jun The Things We Leave Behind

For change to occur in your church, you need to leave some things behind. That is hard. If you’re not willing to leave some things behind, you’ll never experience change. That’s true for us personally, for our families, and for our churches.

A lot of times, churches become layered: in the 1960s you did this, in the 1970s you added this, in the 1980s you began doing these things. You get all these layers operating, because nobody wants to leave anything behind.

It’s interesting the things we’re not willing to leave behind:

• Pews
• Worship style
• Music preferences
• Church dress code
• Organizational structures

So ask yourself: What am I willing to leave behind? And then make sure it’s the right things.

How about it? What are some things you’ve seen that churches have difficulty leaving behind?

29 May Weapons of Our Warfare

Ed Stetzer, who works with the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board, says if you get serious about spiritual formation, you will have to deal with satanic oppression. Spiritual warfare is a given.

One verse that has meant a lot to me the past few years is in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, which says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought
into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

We can’t change the world by signing petitions. That’s a worldly weapon. You can sign all the petitions you want, but that’s not how to change the world.

I think Satan has been very happy with the United Brethren church for the last number of years, while Jesus has cried tears over us. We need to change that so the Lord is pleased and Satan is not. But Satan won’t give up easily. He’ll throw everything at you.

You’ll wonder, “Where did that come from?” I’ve learned, during my years of ministry, that stuff comes from unexpected places. From places you thought were spiritual, and all of a sudden they come at you as if they are the enemy. In one church recently, a long-time member said, “This church belongs to us. We let God use it two hours a week.”

Ministry isn’t easy. We’re in the trenches fighting hand-to-hand.