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27 Jul

July 27, 2009 |

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You’ve read multiple books on church growth, discipleship, evangelism, and leadership. I’ll bet you haven’t read one about local church communications…because there aren’t too many. Since this is a communication-intensive world, let me recommend “Less Clutter, Less Noise,” by Kem Meyer.

Kem is Communications Director at Granger Community Church near South Bend, Ind. That’s a fast-growing, highly innovative church focused tightly on reaching lost people. I attended a seminar there, attended a service another time, and I read blogs by Kem and a few other Granger staff. It’s valuable being exposed regularly to people who aren’t merely doing church, but are passionate about reaching the lost.

That emphasis comes through in “Less Clutter, Less Noise.” As Kem deals with communication strategy and technique (and she loves the cutting edge), it all comes from an outreach-oriented heart. That’s the context in which Kem operates. I’ve heard her speak in three different conferences now, and she has consistently conveyed the same attitude–an attitude toward everything we do in communications, and an attitude toward the people we’re trying to reach.

Her main premise is something like this: people are looking for something that’ll make a difference in their lives, but they’re so bombarded with information and choices that they can easily miss the church’s message. We need to break through the clutter–not add to it. She deals with a number of issues, always with short (1-3 page) pieces. “Less Clutter, Less Noise” reads more like a blog than a book (which I’m guessing was intentional).

You’ll find parts that don’t apply to you (as I did). But you’ll discover some important perspectives on  “church growth” that you won’t find elsewhere.
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23 Jul

July 23, 2009 |

When it comes to pastoral assignments, we’ve had the opportunity to take time. Years ago, your pastor left one week and the new pastor came the next; that’s how our system worked. But now, many months may pass between pastors. Some of these interim times have enabled churches to realize what a pastor means to them. Sometimes, in reviewing their church profile, we’ve addressed some issues. If a pastor left in conflict or was pushed out, we addressed some of those issues before the new guy arrived.

In other cases, we had interim pastors, like Ron Cook and Wayne Goldsmith, who did good work that was extremely helpful. George Speas came down to Freeport, Mich., and was able to assess that the church wouldn’t be able to sustain a ministry, and he led them toward the concept of closing down. For their situation, that was the most effective decision.  They celebrated their history and ministry and now resources will be used to re-invest in the Kingdom as their legacy.

It’s good when a pastor comes with an intentional plan, rather than as a savior, and uses the first-year honeymoon period to build some strategic things into the life of the church.

Sometimes you get a new pastor without assigning a new pastor. I think Banner of Christ in Michigan got a new pastor. The Mike Caley I see now is different from the Mike Caley when I first visited there four years ago. Mike has shared how he had been discouraged.

Since their consultation, the Lord has done a fresh work in Mike’s life and the life of the church. He is free, confident and the Lord is working mightily. Sometimes it’s not a matter of changing people, but of seeing people change.

22 Jul

July 22, 2009 |

Today, Pam and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary. Neither of us are anywhere near the United Brethren office. In fact, I wrote this a couple days ago. You don’t think I’m working on my 20th anniversary, do you?

We met at New Hope UB church in Huntington, Ind., when Pam was a student at Huntington University (I graduated in 1979, she in 1984). We were married at Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, just six months after we began attending there. It was the first wedding Denny Miller performed after he became Emmanuel’s pastor. In 1998, we were part of the core group which went out from Emmanuel to “restart” what is now Anchor Community Church. The core group met for the first time in our home.

Dr. DeWitt Baker, former president of Huntington U, used to delight in all the couples who met while in college. I don’t know if Pam and I count, since our college years didn’t overlap, but I suspect Dr. Baker would have claimed us.

Pam and I dated for five years before I realized that my Mom was right when she told me, “You’re in love and you don’t know it.” Anyway, it’s been a wonderful 20 years, and it went faster than I thought it would. I imagine 30 will be here before I know it. But I’m anticipating a lot more than 30.

21 Jul

July 21, 2009 |

Some ministers, by passion and personality and giftedness, will never be anything more than a shepherd. They enjoy doing the hands-on ministry to people. History says they can grow a church only to what they can handle–about 100-150 people. So when that church grows to 150 and stagnates, the best thing we can do is put him back into a church of 75 and not see that as a demotion, but as how he can shine and be fruitful.

It’s not about numbers. It’s about recognizing who he is, and not making it something negative. It’s how God wired him–his passions, his abilities. Then bring in somebody who can delegate to lead that church of 150.

20 Jul

July 20, 2009 |

My earlier experiences in ministry were not positive. It was okay, and we saw some good things happen, but I struggled a bit. I don’t know why.

My first church, in 1964, was a part-time church near Willshire, Ohio, when I was a student pastor. I was elected to this job in 2005. During those 40 years, I cannot recall a time when I ever called a superintendent or bishop because I had a problem in the church. There were probably times when I should have, and I was too dumb to know I should.When we pastored the UB church in Sacramento, Calif., it took me a number of years before things started to happen, and that’s about the time I left to spend four years at the national office.

When I spent 13 years with Scripture Press. That’s where I got the other side of my ministerial training. I had the Bible and theology and all that stuff, but I didn’t have a clue how to lead. I kept causing problems. There was friction.

Scripture Press invested in men and trained me in leading. They put me in a position where I had to lead to be successful. Without that 13 years, I don’t think I would have been successful at Mainstreet. And without those 12 years at Mainstreet, I wouldn’t have known which end of the tool to pick up as bishop.

In addition, at Scripture Press I had the chance to see churches of other denominations. I was in a wide span of theological perspectives, and saw there was a whole other world beyond the United Brethren church. I saw what was working for churches in other groups.

If I had gone straight from the national office to Mainstreet or any other church, I don’t think I would have been all that successful. So I thank God for those years at Scripture Press and what they taught me about leadership.

17 Jul

July 17, 2009 |

Ron: The majority of our churches have very fine people–good hearts, good intentions. But somewhere we lost the zeal and vision to do anything ourselves, to reach lost people and plant new churches, and have that be a regular part of who we are in our churches. Part of me says that if reproduction isn’t taking place, the body is unhealthy. So we have lots of good people, but basically they are unhealthy. So I believed my task was to be a Johnny One-Note to get our churches focused on outreach again.

I think that, for the most part, it has been fairly well received, at least emotionally. But then comes the volitional step–doing something about it. And I think that’s where we are. Churches will tell you they want to grow and change, but when you tell them what that involves, “No, we don’t want to do that.”

Pat: We have emphasized that we’re here to serve you, not to keep the denomination going. Wherever we went, our influence and reception was based more on relationship than on position. In the past, when the bishop visited a church, that was a big deal. But not anymore. There is a deep respect for this office, but not an obvious respect. For us, it wasn’t about our office but about honestly trying to help churches.

Attitudinally, we know we both have come across kind of loud and straightforward.  We don’t mean to be loud, but that is how we come across.  At the same time, we have sought to show honest caring for people while challenging them in a straightforward manner with the truth of the Scriptures.

16 Jul

July 16, 2009 |

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Randy and Toni Fennig, UB missionaries in Sierra Leone, divide their time between:

  • teaching and mentoring at Evangelical College of Theology in Jui.
  • Developing an agricultural cooperative in partnership with the Sierra Leone National Conference in Bumpe.

In the photo above, Randy works with students at the college to prepare a garden plot that will be used to demonstrate the advantages of using a very simple drip-line system that employs a five-gallon bucket as its source.

16 Jul

July 16, 2009 |

philippinechurch1000.jpgThat’s the way Pastor Freddie Lolong describes his church of 57. The congregation meets in an area of approximately 200 square feet in Sucat/Paranaque in Manila. People sit on the stairway, in adjacent rooms, and on one another’s laps. He even has a tiny guitar that he uses to lead music, since a full-sized guitar would not fit into the crowded room.

16 Jul

July 16, 2009 |

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Huntington University and Global Ministries are partnering to send a team of academic consultants and language conversationalist to provide teacher training to nearly 200 Chinese English teachers and 300 students in aouthern China July 9 — August 2, 2009. This is the third year the invitation has been extended by the Zhuhai Department of Education.

You can follow the team’s activities on their blog, Zhuhai English Camp 2009.