Last week we reflected upon our first core question. This week I have two more, but the second, to me, is the most relevant to us as we look to position ourselves to be faithful stewards of God’s church.

1. Why does the church exist?

2. What are we currently doing as a church that shows we understand [why we exist]?

Sometimes we find ourselves doing things in our church that fall outside the mission God gave us. These things bug me because I often feel that we’re wasting our time as a church body doing things that aren’t relevant to Christ’s Mission. Some of those things we can do without making them “official church activities.” There’s no reason people from the same church can’t do things together without getting the church to “sponsor” it with its stamp of approval and promotion.

Often these silly things we do that are irrelevant to the church’s current mission are called sacred cows. (Someone has actually written a book called, “The Art of Sacred Cow Tipping”.) Sacred cows divert our attention toward God.

As we look to reach our two-year vision, there are many sacred cows we’re going to need to take a tough look at and then discard. This is always hard because at one time, that cow WASN’T sacred and it WAS part of the mission of our church. But for whatever reason, they’ve lost their purpose and we still find ourselves doing them. We are too small of a congregation to continue doing all these extra things if we are serious about doing what God has commissioned us to do.

I read a daily blog to keep myself sharp and keep my mind on the “right things” when it comes to ministry. The blog is just one aspect of my devotional time, but today’s was a good one that I thought spoke to our second core question.

After reading Perry’s blog entry, what kind of stories would you share about our church?

If you want to build a great church then go after the people that no one else wants! That’s what Jesus did…and because of that we are included in HIS Kingdom. Quite often something will happen in our church that will remind me that, though we are far from perfect, we are going after the people that I believe Jesus would have gone after…So…the other day in our children’s area this happened…

A first time visitor (probably around 9 or 10 years old) walked into our 4th-5th grade room in KidSpring at our Anderson campus and was BLOWN away!

He looked at the children’s worker who met him at the door, and, after looking around the room he said, “you guys have a wii?”

“Yep,” she said.

“And you guys have a PSIII?” he said!

“Yes sir, we sure do,” she replied.

“And we can play these for free?” He asked.

“Yep,” she answered.

Then he turned to his friend and said out loud, “This Sh_t is awesome!”

Now I am quite sure that makes some of you very uncomfortable; after all, you don’t want the cussing kids coming into church and messing up your perfect child.

However…after hearing this story from one of our children’s staff I was INCREDIBLY pumped up because I thought, “THAT is why we do church!” I know many churches would not want a kid like that…but we do because HE MATTERS TO JESUS…even though his behavior is not perfect!

Here is what I know about that kid…

• He was greeted by children’s workers that made it a point to learn his name.
• He was treated like he was special, not like an outcast.
• He was NOT taken to the bathroom where his mouth was washed out with soap; in fact, he wasn’t even rebuked. (Why in the world does the church expect those who do not know Christ to act as if they do? It is the most ridiculous/stupid idea!!!)
• He was placed into an environment where he was taught the Scriptures.
• He was placed into an environment where he was taught about Jesus.
• He was placed into an environment where people went the extra mile to make sure the presentation was on his level.
• He matters to God; therefore, he matters to us…and we are going to continually do all that we can to reach him.

Church is not a place for “perfect people.” (And BEWARE of the church where you go and EVERYONE seems perfect!!!) It’s a place where the broken, the lonely, the addicted, and the struggling can go.

I love the fact that this kid came to our church…didn’t pretend to be someone he was not…and was STILL accepted and heard about Jesus.

The church has GOT to STOP placing expectations on people as soon as they walk in the door…

We are NOT a country club…we are a church!!!

And for those who look down on those who are “not as good as you,” remember that you were once like them (see I Corinthians 6:9-11 and Ephesians 2:1-5)…and were it not for God’s AMAZING grace…you would STILL be lost.

• People who cuss should be welcome at church…
• So should those who smell like smoke…
• So should those who smell like alcohol…
• So should those who do whatever sin you do not do…

When we get into the business of placing stipulations as to who can and cannot come to a service based on a morality code (OR a dress code) we have COMPLETELY lost sight of why Jesus came and died on a cross.

Like I said, hearing the story of that kid made my day!!! It’s why we do what we do…and it is my prayer that he eventually receives Christ, fixes his eyes on Jesus…and grows up to do AMAZING things in HIS name…all because there was a church that allowed him to come in as he was…and then begged God to not let him stay that way but rather to bring about the change HE desired in HIS time.

By the phrase, “the world come of age,” Bonhoeffer meant that the church now finds itself in a world in which humans operate autonomously, without sensing a need to refer to either divine grace or divine truth. In the world come of age, people no longer require God as working hypothesis, whether in science, in human affairs in general or increasingly even in religion.

Actually, the older view of God was the false view, Bonhoeffer maintained. It referred to the God-of-the-Gaps, the God who was called in to be responsible for what could not be explained by some other means. God was used as a stop-gap for the incompleteness of human knowledge. This erroneous use of God was not limited to science, however, but was extended as well to the wider human problem of guilt, suffering and death. In the face of scientific advances, theology proclaimed God as the answer to life’s problems. As this process reached its culmination and God was pushed out of life’s problems. As this process reached its culmination and God was pushed out of increasingly larger dimensions of life, Bonhoeffer concluded, Christian theology turned to the inner life of the individual, attempting to retain at least this realm as the domain of God who had been driven out of the world.

… Bonhoeffer called for Christians to understand the world come of age better than it understands itself, namely, on the basis of the gospel and in the light of Christ, and this because the autonomous world cannot truly understand itself unless it recognizes its relation to the Christian faith. “We should not speak ill of man in his worldliness,” he concluded, “but confront him with God at his strongest point.”

–Stanley J. Grenz, Roger E. Olson, 20th-Century Theology: God and the World in a Transitional Age

File Under: Does “externally-focused”, “missional” or “communal” include hiding Jews from Nazis? And if it does, who are the oppressed people we as the church should be struggling with?

“Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.” Proverbs 21:13

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

Begins with these words. God is calling his people out. He has a problem with the house of Jacob and their sins. This is no gentle nudge, “You’ve gone a little off track,” no this is a voice raised to a yell, a voice that is to act like a trumpet to get God’s people’s attention. And why did he want their attention?

For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions and seem
eager for God to come near them.

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

What has God so angry with his people? Is it the fact that they don’t seem to seek him out? His people are coming to worship him. In fact the text says they seek this daily. Pretty impressive. A lot of churches have trouble getting people to gather beyond Sunday morning. This is an everyday thing.

“They seem eager to know my ways.” There is a lot to that statement isn’t there? They act as if what I say matters. The text goes on to say that they ask me for justice. The people want God to do things for them and they aren’t afraid to ask over and over. It goes on to say that they fast but that only reveals their true nature. People who fight with each other and abuse others.

But look what God says they should do to remedy their problem. Does he tell them to simply get their worship right? No, he tells them what worship he expects, what fasting he wants. He informs them of how people who worship Him respond with that worship.

He tells them to level the playing field of life, to share what they have with people in need, to give shelter to those without and to clothe those without anything.

Interesting that the call for worship is action towards people in need.

Seriously, what do you think about the church today? Our grand worship? I believe the church is awakening to what God is saying in Isaiah 58. Read what else God has to say about a people who are willing to love like this, to help those in need? Listen to what God says and believe.

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Let us know if you can join us to serve at J-fest 2009, Chattanooga, Tennessee!  Remember Origin-als, it’s a huge part of our DNA…..bridge-building makes the difference!

Each of our children have helped orphans from around the world the past three years. The $30.00 we give each month supports a child as they wait for adoption. Once they are adopted we take on another child. It is a great way to be the hands and feet of Jesus around the world.

Take a look at their site here. If you wait to have enough money to do this you won’t. For us it means going out to eat three fewer times each month. So Rib Crib doesn’t get our money so that a child in the world has what they need. Seems like a great trade to me.

Take time to pray about this. Jesus challenged us to care for the widows and orphans. You can’t get much closer to his words than this.

A nice Easter extravaganza coming to Ringgold-Chattanooga for every child to enjoy!  More to follow!

If…

…we will not have a lasting impact on our community, city and the world until we learn to serve the people of the world?
…we will have no relational strength to speak into the fabric of our community until we engage in serving the people of it…
…safety first is a tremendous model for an airline but not a church that wants to be the authentic presence of Christ in the community…
…becoming an externally focused church requires changing the DNA of the church…
…something is missing when all or most of our human and financial recourses are expended inside the meeting place of the church…
…”critical mass is one person with a vision”…
…good news and good deeds can’t and shouldn’t be separated…
…salt, light and leaven don’t work very well from a distance…
…ministering and serving are the normal expression of Christian living…
…congregations with a strong commitment to social justice and with direct participation in community outreach ministries are more likely to be growing than other churches…
…more and more people these days don’t know how to go to church…
…when people who talk about a loving God demonstrate love, the gap between doubt and faith is narrowed, and people around them often find themselves wanting to believe…

…then what is God saying to you?

Every statistic tells us that the church in America today is becoming more and more marginalized and less and less influential. We don’t need another survey to tell us that fewer and fewer people feel the church can help them.

I strongly believe that our communities need the church. They need what the church has to offer. They need the assets and resources of the church. But most communities and most people in our communities do not feel the same way. They see the church as something to be tolerated but not really valued or crucial to the warp and woof of the community.

Why is this so? It hasn’t always been this way. There was a time when the church was the center of community life and activity. What has happened since then? What must the church do to reclaim its place of importance in the heart of its community? Even more so, what must the church become in order to be recognized as a valued asset to the community once again?

I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings.

Tonight I worked out. I mean really worked out. My wife told me she wanted to meet at the YMCA for a little exercise. I’m thinking we would ride a stationary bike as we watched the news. Not so fast. We ended up in some kind of torturous stations cardio something or other that just about killed me. I can’t move.

So why do I tell you this? Well because the instructor recognized me immediately. We had tutored her children the first year we did Helping Hands.

It was nice running into her, other then the fact that she was trying to kill me.

At the end after I had caught my breath, well enough of it to speak, I asked how the kids were doing. She told me that her son was doing great. You could tell that the tutoring had made a difference. She went on and on about how he was doing. We had worked with her daughter as well and while she said she had improved it was clear that the improvement was not as much.

Wouldn’t it be nice if that happened in all believers lives? That they ran into people who they knew because of their help all over the place? I don’t think it is something we have to only wish for, tonight it was true.

It was a great reminder of why we do what we do. People are helped and God is glorified.

I found this quote by Mark Driscoll today:

“You are not planting your church for God, you are planting with God.”

To me, this sums up Externally Focused, Missional, and the primary reason why so many churches are not growing (in whatever form or function) today.

If Maslow was correct, isn’t it interesting how our churches spend more time working on the top of the “need pyramid” and less on the bottom? Isn’t it interesting how unbalanced our churches have become in our discipleship? Isn’t it interesting that Jesus spoke about providing for all of these needs and warned against ignoring them in others? Isn’t it interesting how Jesus himself attended to these needs in this sort of emphasis in the Bible? Isn’t it interesting that there are more stories about Jesus addressing physiological needs than addressing morality or factual needs in others? Isn’t it interesting how Jesus spends more time with safety issues in others than he did with esteem issues, and in fact, worked against those who were content to self-preserve their esteem than meet the physiological needs or safety needs of others? Isn’t it interesting how this triangle, when followed properly points upward and how we’ve actually got it pointing downward? Isn’t this a colorful picture of our churches today? I think it’s interesting.

WARNING: This blog is a bit more nerdy than normal!

I’m in the middle of organizing the second leadership retreat I’ve facilitated at my current church. The first I structured according to the parameters set forth by a class I was taking at Huntington University. This second retreat is going to focus on a paradigm shift I’m trying to introduce to our church leadership. The intent is that its structure is patterned accordingly.

A number of years ago, this church decided that it needed to change significantly in its approach, or it would die in 20 years or less. They began making structural adjustments to prepare for activity and focus changes. I came on board in the middle of those structural adjustments. For the past 3 years we have been “cleaning house”. This has included several facility upgrades and repairs, changes to the by-laws and constitution, as well as shifting a paradigm in the role of the Sr. Pastor. Ministry teams were created, people have been encouraged to serve more and we have done at least three campaigns, that I can remember, from financial to discipleship, to encourage our minds to think about appropriate things that will allow for these changes. Now that most of the house is tidy, we can start having “parties” or events that encourage people to get excited about certain activities that are important to us. All of this work has been subtle at times, seemingly unnecessary at times, but critical for the position we’re now in to make big change.

One of the circumstances that continues to face us is the impending change our society is seeing. The situation in America has given us a perfect opportunity to begin having our first party: riding the wave that we’ve found has come our way. President Obama and several other trends in America have permitted volunteer service to become a little more than a fad, but something with which to find personal value and significance. Our church is slowly realizing that we have the opportunity to make an impact on Main Street in our community—more than we’ve ever had in the past, even when our church was literally located on Main St. Since the Church in America has found its place on more of the alleys than in the prime areas in our society, this is a big deal to us. There is a rising generation in our society that is passionate about making a difference in their world.

Which leads me to the point I’d like to make with this entry. In the past, our church had been accustomed to what I’m calling “Prescripted Leadership,” or deciding what to do and then getting people to buy into it and attend. We would make the decisions, the choices, the activities, the programs, and then people would be faced with the decision as to whether or not it was for them—churched and unchurched. An unfortunate outcome of this paradigm has been asking God to bless our plans after we make them all while validating our poor choices as “God’s Will” because we’ve taken the moment to proceed with the act of prayer during the planning process. This is the same way I organized the previous leadership retreat and found little support or “buy-in” after the fact. It felt natural for everybody, but that only shows what we’ve been doing was more common than deliberate.

The shift that I’ll be working with during this retreat is to flip things completely around. Instead of planning the year and hoping God redeems our fallible work, we’re beginning by centering our minds and hearts around what God is doing in us, then turning our attention to what God is beginning to do amidst us as a result of our love for Him. This comes with the premise that God is already up to something, why should we work outside that? Why not join in and follow His lead? This is what I call “Reactionary Leadership.” This is not to be confused with the type of leadership that has no direction and wanders aimlessly trying to react to various “God moments” around us.

The paradigm change we’ll follow is one I’ve learned from Alan Hirsch. Alan is a strong proponent of a model that begins with our understanding of Jesus. Once we’ve understood how Jesus affects us, that should shape how we function in mission, particularly the mission of God—the same one Jesus followed. That mission, if we truly own it and are compelled by it, should significantly influence the way we assemble and function as churches. What I’ve found, and Hirsch has explained in detail in his book, is that we’ve somehow managed to get things backwards. Instead of the proper order, (Christology > Missiology > Ecclesiology), we’ve set up our churches and determined how they should be run, then we decide how to reach out to the world based on how we like to do things, and then fit Jesus somewhere in there to speak to validate what we’ve planned (Ecclesiology > Missiology > Christology). This comes through tradition and just growing accustomed to a certain way of doing things. Though Hirsch claims it’s a negative thing, I just think it’s the way things have become—much like my church with all our recent repairs.

Therefore, with our spirit-led Vision in one hand, and our Bible in the other, we’re going to explore where God may be leading our particular church in participating in the transformation that He is causing in our nation. It should be a wild ride, full of unexpected turns and surprises. But for the Boomers and those who like things structured, we’ll stick to the course we’ve been on and hopefully as God renews his Goodness in our day, he’ll remember mercy.

After watching the Presidential Inauguration today, I have to be a little bit excited about the way America will change in the next four years. Much of Obama’s strategy lies with the masses and how people will step up in service for our country in a very grassroots style. There has never been a better national surge toward volunteer service as of late than now. The reason I’m excited is because our new President is preparing the ground for the church to lead the way toward making a difference in our world in the name of Jesus Christ through service and through following the mission of God.

As we study Living a Life on Loan at my church, we are learning about how each of us are created to do good works, those works that God not only created us for, but prepared in advance for us to do.

My discussion question this week is this: How does Obama’s presidency and what we are learning in Living a Life on Loan (or more generally, about being a missional church) encourage you to step forward with your life on loan? In other words, from the similarities you see in Obama’s service strategy and the Life on Loan premise (or Missional), what do you feel God is calling you to do? How is He encouraging you to respond?

More importantly though, how do you think President Obama is preparing the way for the church to take the lead in bringing radical transformation to America? Is it time for our churches to open our doors, let out the people (airing our stuffy buildings out a bit), and show them how to lead America through Kingdom values? Is this finally our opportunity to go back to Main Street and be recognized as a healthy power once again? Is this the prayer being answered about our churches being relevant to our communities once again? Is this God saying, “Church, it’s time for you to be busy about my will”? Is this God helping us finally do what he Commissioned us to do after we’ve failed to do it for so long?

I think it might very well be!

It is that time of year. A time of celebration and wonder. A time of family and friends. The season in which we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is an exciting time of traditions.

As a child growing up I remember many visits to unfamiliar homes. We would stop by with a sack of groceries or a Christmas ham. Our Christmas break customarily included a visit to the homes of seniors in our community. It was in these homes that I discovered that those white covered pretzels actually taste good. Who knew almond bark was so sweet. It is amazing what politeness can bring.

There are certain traditions that just go with Christmas. The viewing of Christmas lights, the ringing of the Salvation Army red kettle bell, the opportunity to pull a name from an Angel Tree. Because of Jesus’ birth people are more willing to help their neighbor.

It is also a great time to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. A time when people are more willing and open to the love of Christ. It is a time when children are often helped. May I suggest that we not forget the seniors. The holidays can often be the most difficult times of year. The loss of a loved one or adult children who are unable to visit can make this time very difficult.

What can the church do to be the hands and feet of Jesus during this time?

Are you connected with an area senior center, nursing home or retirement community? This is a great way for children to give back. What better time to remind them that the season really isn’t about getting, but giving?

In the past we have taken our children to the area Senior Center to sing Christmas Carols. A short list of songs followed by some personnel time does wonders. This can mean a great deal to seniors who are unable to spend time with their own grandchildren. It is hard to forget the smiling faces and joy that comes from such an experience. Not only do you warm the seniors’ hearts, you teach the children that they can already be like Jesus in tangible ways.

Nursing homes are also a great place to get plugged in. In the past we have supplied Christmas gifts for seniors who had none. Too often we forget the widows in the community who are left out during Chirstmas. We put up Angel Trees for children but at times forget the seniors. Working closely with an area nursing home may give you an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Check with the administrator at your local home and find out if you can get involved over the holiday season. Maybe you would prefer taking treats. Again, children on Christmas break can have a powerful impact on those who are lonely.

Area Hospices also have needs during Christmas. I would suggest finding out if their chaplain believes in teaching the true gospel before engaging, but there are still many needs that can be met.

We have supplied Christmas meals to families and Christmas gifts. You might be surprised to find the goodness in giving a lap blanket, socks and lotion.

It is that time of year. The time when we celebrate what God gave us, the Savior in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. Don’t forget that you can be that child’s hands and feet this holiday season.

My son came to me last night to ask about a song he was listening to on hs MP3 player. It was a tune by Switchfoot called Loser. The line that caught his attention was “I’ve got a plan to lose it all.” He wanted to know what it meant. He said the song really stuck with him and he needed to know what they were trying to say.

Well I just started reading the book Just Courage by Gary A. Haugen so I read to him from the first chapter.

We then discussed Jesus instruction that to gain your life you must lose it. Well after we talked some more he began to tell me that he wished that someone would do something in his 5th and 6th grade class.

I asked him to tell me what he was waiting for. I told him that if we wait for someone else to do something we may be waiting a long time. If we have the calling and the burden we need to get busy. Well I have been working with him on a logo and I have had him ask around to find ministries with needs.

How about you, do you have any ideas for my son as he works to impact the world?

Really? Are they really dark times? Tough times? Are they really tough times? I was at a fundraising banquet recently and you can guess that this was a part of the discussion.

What do you think? It seems to me that the church has become far to entwined with the world. I mean I believe for the kingdom of this earth the times may seem dire but I’m not sure they should for God’s kingdom. As the speaker for the evening said, God was certainly not caught off guard by what has taken place.

We as the church should see opportunity. When people are unsure about the future they tend to look for answers. When what seemed like a lock is no more people start to think. No the church should be in a prime position to be salt and light and yet how many people are saying that? How many are calling for the church to push out, get louder in these times of need?

We should be. Should we run around worrying bout our earthly finances? Be smart sure but didn’t Jesus tell us where we should put our treasures? If I am living to store them in an eternal place should all that is happening matter?

Remember no political system is bigger than our God, no financial situation. Instead of worrying about our 401k shouldn’t we be worrying about those who ultimately have no security for this life and the one beyond?

No, for the church these shouldn’t be dark times, they should be the brightest we have seen. Will you be light?

We are again offering four $100 Series EE Savings Bonds for our Write On Essay Contest. We invite students from the local school district to submit one page essays that tell what they would do to make a difference in our city. We want to know what they would like Owasso to look like at the time of their graduation.

We want to encourage academic excellence because in our culture education is essential.

I was reading to the kids last night from a book my grandmother gave me that is full of great Bible stories. We reached the story of the Good Samaritan last night and several things hit me.

First, it was great to have the kids tell me the story. I didn’t see any reason to read it since they already knew it. Secondly, I was struck by the lead up to the story. Jesus is approached by an expert of the law. The Greek word used means that he was an interpreter and teacher of the Mosaic law.

So the guy really knew his stuff and he wanted to test Jesus by asking what someone would need to do to inherit eternal life. Now it is pretty key to note that he didn’t ask what someone had to do to earn eternal life or merit eternal life, he asks about an inheritance and so he is asking what does God’s family look like.

So as Jesus does he turned the question around on the expert and asked him how he saw it from scripture. The answer is one we all probably know, love God with all of your heart and all your soul and with all of your strength and with all of your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

But wait the expert it done. That is too broad of an answer. He wants to show himself righteous. He seems to understand that this can be taken many different ways. It is so subject to interpretation and so he asks Jesus to narrow it down. He asks about his neighbor and you most likely know the rest of the story.

Here is what really hit me. This conversation about what it means to be the family of God could have went in many different directions. Jesus could have shaped the conversation differently. He could have explained to the man that he needed to learn to love himself better so that he could love his neighbor. He could have turned and said really you should learn to love me first with a great worship experience that really charges you up and moves you but he didn’t.

No the conversation about an inheritance in God’s family turns on the story of the Good Samaritan. How about you?

So I had a video to do for the local pregnancy resource center. The banquet is next week and they wanted me to do a testimony. When I walked in I knew I knew the husband. He looked so familiar and so I said, “I know you don’t I.” He clearly recognized me and he agreed that we did know each other. I told him I couldn’t remember how.

He had worked at the Waffle House. In fact if you remember the post I put in about the Waffle House several months ago we had a lengthy discussion about spiritual matters.

Well I didn’t know what happened to him because he wasn’t at the Waffle House after that. So there he was, sitting in the Pregnancy Resource Center office with his wife waiting to be interviewed by me.

We sat down for our interview and it was in that place that they shared how they had come to the pregnancy resource center, how a local church had taken them in and how they had connected with Christ.

I guess from time to time you have an opportunity to see one of your seed planting moments sprout. Isn’t it great when God reminds us of His way? What a reminder to live faithful, share truth when you can and know that God is in control.

An ice storm put them in a shelter at a church while the husband was already searching, asking questions. Today they are growing in Christ and growing in knowledge.

Always remember, God has a plan just be open to participation.

Gary Rohrmeyer has a good article in his latest blog about church marketing. In the many ways that our church’s Outreach Campaign is church marketing in the form of incarnational ministry, naysayers would do well to consider Gary’s comments. The blog entry comes as an excerpt from a book that I have in my office. Should anyone want to read further, give me a call and you’re welcome to take a look at the book. It’s really good and helpful.

Sowing Seeds through Marketing

To some marketing is a dirty word. It turns their stomachs and fires them up emotionally. I remember a pastor once telling me, “Marketing, I don’t get it! You never see Jesus using a postcard!” To which I replied, “I never saw Jesus use a microphone either. What’s the difference?” If we get past the emotion of the word and take a fresh look at it, I believe more people will be reached through our churches.

So what is marketing? It is building a relationship with people who don’t know you or are not connected relationally with your people. Marketing is sharing a testimony with people who know nothing about your church or your message. Marketing is casting seeds out and prayerfully trusting God that it will fall on receptive hearts. Marketing is a way to do mass evangelism efforts through the local church. Marketing is a way to “brand” your image and uniqueness throughout your city. Marketing is a way to create buzz and pique interest in a world where everything is vying for their attention.

Here are the first 4 of 17 practical insights for marketing your new church:

1. Depend upon God’s Spirit and not marketing. Remember only God can draw people into a relationship with him. Marketing is only a method. The Spirit is the life giving power. Prayer and fasting will be critical for you and your church to express its dependence on God. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7

2. Choose your marketing approach wisely. There are two basic categories of marketing tools: 1) A specific invitation to an event or a series of messages. 2) General awareness of the church and its vision. Many planters and pastors get frustrated because they invest in general awareness marketing expecting immediate results. If you have a limited budget always go for the specific invitation marketing.

3. Remember the law of large numbers. Not understanding this law sours a lot of pastors and church planters towards marketing. A planter with deep frustration was telling me about his failed marketing attempt. When I asked how many pieces he sent out he replied, 5,000. I began to explain to him that with the best of conditions direct marketing will deliver about ½ of a percent. In his circumstance that would be about 25 people (which on that particular Sunday he had doubled his attendance!) After hearing this he went from being discouraged to encouraged and had a fresh perspective on the realities of marketing. Just think if he would have sent out 25,000!

• 50,000 =250
• 25,000 = 125
• 20,000 = 100
• 10,000 = 50

4. Use a layered approach as much as possible. Do multiple touches throughout the community for at least 30-60 days. If this is done well it can produce a growth thrust for a new church. For example:

• Billboards or yard signs creating interest and buzz.
• Newspaper articles providing credibility.
• Personal invitations arming your inviters.
• Personal email invitations for your shy inviters.
• Direct mail making a specific appeal.
• Direct mail for your “second pop” event.

Special note: A “second pop” event is a special Sunday emphasizing a special guest testimony from a credible personality in the community or a special musical guest that your people will invite their friends to. One of my church planters launched his church last fall. He had his Grand Opening Sunday, October 2 with 147 at their first service and four weeks later had a friend, a former Chicago Bears football player and College All-American, share his testimony and exceeded his launch considerably. Now he is averaging his launch number every Sunday, which places him in the top echelon of church plants within our region.

Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City is having an Externally Focused Church Conference that will be held Monday October 6, 2008.

I struggle with these types of conferences because the last time I went it was really for people who wanted to become externally focused. All of the discussions were how to get it going. I honestly didn’t really have a chance to network with anyone and since we are already involved in community impact I wasn’t sure we really needed to learn how.

I don’t know, am I wrong on this? Do I have a bad attitude? I have trouble spending our budget on something that may not actually help us get stronger in what we do. I would love to meet other churches that are reaching out but my fear is you go and meet no one and have someone tell you what you should or could do that we are already doing.

Any thoughts?

I think Scot has summed up my thoughts regarding this year’s political campaign very well.

“On politics I strive as much as possible to let my passions be for God and for the Church and for others (the Jesus Creed). I place no confidence in redemption by way of politics. The political hope ebbs and flows every 8 years now; I don’t get all riled up if a Republican or a Democrat wins; I don’t think it matters that much to what we are called to do on a daily basis.” —Scot McKnight (Jesus Creed)

For a discussion of this quote as it relates to the current USA Presidential election, click here.

If I call myself a Christian, my allegiance first is with Christ, not my country. Unfortunately, many conservative Christians, often siding with the Republican party but not limited to that, still feel the need to combine church and state. We are realizing more and more the danger of doing this (for example, the terrible Edict of Milan in 313 that ruined the purity of the Jesus Movement) and still we remain ignorant.

The bottom line is that we are first citizens of God’s Kingdom and happen to find ourselves (secondly) living in a state that wants our primary allegiance as well (or even a flag that demands our allegiance–which is another rant altogether). We fight and whine and complain so much to keep “Under God” in our literature, but fail to keep God over all of our life. We live as Christians very well in theory (or in theology for that matter), but fail to live as Christians with our very lives. We have a Sunday god, a Monday god, a football god, a work god, a family god, a private life god, a social god, a political god, and a self-help god.

The God who is Lord of all, Jesus Christ, is a jealous God for a reason. He knows that he is superior to all other gods that we have made for ourselves and that he alone fulfills all the individual needs that our false gods have been created to fulfill. We claim that Jesus is Lord, we sing about it and get upset when it appears that something might challenge that claim. But we live our lives showing that deep down, our hearts tell us otherwise.

Let’s let God be GOD, Lord of everything and begin living again convinced that this God, who is over all and through all and in all, can sustain us in every aspect of our lives and shed forth a life of good deeds, participating in the redemption he’s bringing forth. If Jesus is Lord, let us live like we believe it!

This Sunday we will be talking about unity as we celebrate our ninth anniversary as a church. A few months ago I was introduced to One Prayer. It was an idea that has united around 1,400 through shared video messages, message boards, and prayer. I listened to Craig Groeschel the teaching pastor at Lifechurch.tv and I was moved. He said that the church is the hope of the world and I agree. He showed that our division hinders the cause of Christ. He reminded me that Satan is our enemy, not other churches.

I was moved by the message and because of that, and what God had already put on my heart, we have been working to give away our ministries and our passion for outwardly focused work that helps those in need. We will be announcing a consulting group along with the message. Our goal is to formalize our desire to help other churches by offering to aid them in setting up outwardly focused ministries. This focus led us to set up a Ning site at handsandfeet.ning.com where people can share ideas and find inspiration as they seek to impact their community.

If you know of anyone doing great things in their community, send them my way. If you know of anyone that is dong something that is new and innovative please let me know.

But that is not all. If you know of an outwardly focused ministry at a church that is just kind of there or ignored or overlooked or underappreciated, you have to tell me about it. If you have ever watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition you know that people impacting their community can use a hand. We want to help them celebrate what they are doing because we don’t think outwardly focused ministry should be an after thought or something kept in a closet. Let us know and we will help give them a ministry makeover that will hopefully inspire others.

I look forward to casting this vision for our people this Sunday. They are so wonderful and passionate. We expect a lot from them. We try very hard to keep our overhead down so that we can use our resources to impact our world. We ask them to get involved. We have seen an increased interest in our Helping Hands Tutoring, but we are not satisfied hording what we do. We don’t want to be hogs, we want to give it away, we want to share in unity with all.

Please pray for us as we begin number 10. I’m praying it is bigger and better than ever.