Category Archives: Church
Pastor, It Could Be Worse…
Church attendance is down & looking at stats can be depressing when thinking about faith in North America, BUT it could be worse, & it actually has been much worse in the history of Christianity. For instance, I recently read the great book How the West Won by Rodney Stark & he records the conditions of the reformation era churches in Germany:
In 1525, the newly reformed church put together a research arm & began making systematic observations & interviews of churches. Here’s some of what was in the reports:
- “You’ll find more of them out fishing than at service… those who do come walk out as soon as the pastor begins his sermon.”
- “A pastor testified that he often quits his church without preaching… because not a soul has turned up to hear him.”
- “Absenteeism from church on Sunday mornings was so widespread that the shod debated whether the city gates should be barred on Sunday mornings to lock everyone inside. Evidence from elsewhere suggests that this expedient would not have helped.”
- “Those who come to services are usually drunk… and sleep through the whole sermon, except sometimes they fall off the benches, making a great clatter…”
- “During church there is such snoring that I could not believe my ears when I heard it…”
- “People make indecent gestures at members of the congregation who wish to join in singing the hymns…”
- “The play cards while the pastor preaches, and often mock or mimic him cruelly to his face…”
- The researcher notes: “I have selected only such instances as could be multiplied a hundredfold.”
even Martin Luther admitted that neither the tidal wave of publications nor all the Lutheran preachers in Germany had made the slightest dent in the ignorance, irreverence, and alienation of the masses. Luther complained in 1529, “Dear God help us! The common man, especially in the villages, knows absolutely nothing about Christian doctrine; and indeed many pastors are in effect unfit and incompetent to teach. Yet they are all called Christians, are baptized, and enjoy the holy sacraments…”
And let us not forget that a small group of uneducated fishermen & the likes overcame the Pantheism of the Roman Empire with the same message & the same power of God that we have access to today. Be encouraged that the Gospel we preach has overcame incredible odds over & over again in the history of the world. And it can happen again.
How Much Does it Cost Your Church to Reach One Person for Christ?
Got an interesting question that has me working the calculator this morning. How much money does it take to reach a person for Christ in the average SBC Church? So many factors could be thrown in to the equation here, but just some quick figuring in a few major population areas in Louisiana.
- A sample of 66 churches in one city spent $40,845,337 in 2013.
- The same 66 churches reported 503 baptisms in 2013.
- So it took this group of 66 churches $81,203 to baptize one person.
- Looking at the new churches in this group of 66, the total spent per baptism went down to $21,276.
- I’m guessing, it will go up for the age of the church, but more study will be needed.
How much does it cost your church to baptize one new convert? is this a good question to gauge our effectiveness? What do these figures tell us about our churches?
How Ready is Your Church for the Fastest Growing Religious Demographic in the US
Recently read a great book called The Rise of the Nones by James Emery White. It’s about the fastest growing religious affiliation in the U.S., which is the NON-affiliated. In St. Tammany Parish, where I live, best research shows that we have 116,000+ in that number (http://ow.ly/Ll3D0) or about 50% of our population. And in Louisiana, best research indicates that at least 1.8 million people are in that number.
As Christians, this is an UBER important thing for us to consider, since our mission from Jesus is “to seek & save the lost.”
White talks about how most churches that grow, grow by BIOLOGICAL (natural family growth) or by TRANSFER (Christians swapping churches) or by PRODIGAL growth (Church goers returning to church after years away) & NOT by CONVERSION (reaching nonbelievers with the Gospel). And he says there are 6 kinds of churches in regard to the Nones:
- Hostile – openly antagonistic toward the nones who venture in.
- Indifferent – not hostile, but apathetic and unwilling to answer the nones’ questions.
- Hopeful – want to see the nones reached for Christ, but unwilling to change their environment to do so.
- Sensitive – want to reach the nones for Christ, willing to change their environment, but still primarily catering to the already convinced.
- Targeted – high priority placed on the needs of the nones and make every effort to remove all barriers that made impede their exploring life in Christ.
No Man’s Land – not being targeted enough to reach the unchurched, but being too targeted to the unchurched for the churched.
A few questions:
- Where would you say your church is on this list?
- How many none’s do you know?
- What do you think it would take for a church to reach them?
“A Church in Motion…” wisdom on Growing Churches from Gary McIntosh
Got to hear Church Growth & Revitalization guru Gary McIntosh share some wisdom at last week’s Louisiana Baptist Convention Evangelism Conference in Shreveport. Gary likened church to Newton’s first law of motion: A body at rest tends to stay at rest, unless… A body at motion, tends to stay in motion, unless… It’s a good challenge for churches to be intentional & here’s some things that Dr. McIntosh believes that growing churches intentionally do to get or stay moving toward growth:
7 Best Practices of Churches in Motion:
- Put a greater emphasis on prayer.
- Teach & preach the Bible with authority. Preach it & live it!
- Define reality for the church & community.
- Take responsibility for making disciples.
- Make hard decisions. (i.e. Closing ineffective ministries, let staff go, realign finances, dealing w/sine, etc.)
- Refocus ministry on the unchurched in the community.
- Start new ministries.
Simple list of things that can be acted upon this week.
Check out some of Dr. McIntosh’s helpful books on Church Growth & Health & Revitalization here.
#ChurchPlanting Hack: The Stewardship System
This week our church is sending out the Annual Contribution Statements to our 2014 contributors & church members. This is part of a healthy Stewardship System designed to make disciples that are generous givers to the kingdom ministry that is their local church. A contribution statement is a simple report of the households giving to the church & its ministries over the previous year. Many churches do this on a quarterly basis as well. Our statements include a letter from one of the leadership team (2014 Contribution Letter) as well as an offering envelope. We’ve also included the annual church budget in the packet before. It’s a great reminder of the responsibility we have as disciples to be good stewards.
Check out this years Contribution Letter from our church.
Here’s a simple outline of what a beginner Stewardship System should look like for a new church:
- Provide a variety of avenues for giving to your church. Online Giving, Bank Draft, ACH Online Bill Bay, Sunday Morning Offering Box/Basket/Plate, Offering Envelopes. With people attending church less often than ever before, offering more than just the Sunday Morning Offering time for people to give is necessary.
- Use an Offering Counting Sheet to record each weeks offerings. At least two people should count, and the planter/pastor should be one of them only in case of grave emergency. When possible a third person should make the deposit. Integrity in counting & depositing boils down to a solid paper trail that tracks every cent. A counting sheet is the best tool for this.
- Get a good cloud-based Church Management System & input the data from each counting sheet every week. Popular ones are Fellowship One, The City, ACS, Church Community Builder. These can be costly but worth it. You sponsor church may allow you to use theirs for awhile. A good CMS is an important time saver for your Stewardship System because it allows for quick printing on Contribution statements & mailing labels to deliver them.
- Teach that good stewardship of God’s gifts & resources (time, talent, treasure, property, etc.) is part of being a follower of Christ. Paul told the disciples at Corinth, “I don’t want what you have–I want you” (2 Corinthians 12:14). The Stewardship System shouldn’t just be about the needs of the church budget, but it should be about discipleship. As people become more like Christ, they should become more generous & live by kingdom principles in spending. This probably will positively effect the church budget, but that should be secondary to our desire for people to live like Christ.
- Model generosity & good stewardship as a leader & as a church. “You won’t be able to lead anyone somewhere that you’re not willing to go yourself.” The Church Planter/Pastor should lead the way as a faithful, generous steward. And the church should model generosity through regular missions giving & radical generosity in the community. Recently read: “If a person is self-focused, we call them selfish. If a church is self-focused, we call it normal.” via @cnieuwhof. We should model what we want others to become.
- Report regularly & transparently to the congregation through individual contribution statements & church budget reports. Contribution Statements & Budget Reports can serve as report cards for Disciples & Churches on the journey to Christ likeness.
What else would you include as part of a churches Stewardship System?
A couple of favorite resources on this subject:
8 Things You’ll Never Hear an On Mission Christian Say
There’s a marked difference between living the Christian life ON MISSION, & just going to church on Sunday’s. You can tell which side of this equation you’re living on by what comes out of your mouth (Matthew 12:34). Here’s some things I’ve said & heard others say when NOT on mission for God as a Christian:
1. “Christianity is boring.” Anybody that says Christianity is boring has never done a backyard bible club in a dangerous neighborhood, gave away food to someone in desperate need, watched a disabled person use a handicap ramp you just built for the first time, led someone to put their faith in Christ, ate something they weren’t sure of b/c to not do so would offend their foreign host, prayed with a coworker experiencing a storm in their life, etc., etc., etc. Life on mission is an adventure.
2. “I don’t know my spiritual gifts.” The On Mission Christian has either through trial & error or careful study & prayer discovered what God has gifted & called them to do. They do this b/c they understand that God has gifted & empowered every believer to do something. And to do nothing is not an option when we see the needs of the world & the great sacrifice of Christ.
3. “I would love to help, but nobody invited me.” Not that we shouldn’t make sure that everyone feels invited, but On Mission Christians tend to find a way to get in the middle of meeting needs for the good of others & glory of God. They’re not waiting around for an invitation.
4. “I would love to help, but I don’t know any people in need.” Being On Mission is a way of seeing the world. An On Mission Christian lives with a constant awareness of the needs around him/her. Wherever they are, they will find needs to be concerned about or met. The harder thing may be saying no to needs because it’s physically impossible to meet every one.
5. “I don’t feel like I’m being stretched in my faith.” If you live life on mission, you will regularly come to the end of yourself. That’s why Jesus promised His presence (Matthew 28:19-20) & power (Acts 1:8-10) to those who will take up his mission. Being on mission will take you out of your comfort zone & out of the limitations of your own ability. Hello FAITH, hello HOLY SPIRIT, hello SUPERNATURAL LIFE.
6. “You didn’t hear me say this but…” Gossip is one thing that threatens the mission of the church. The On Mission Christian is usually both too concerned about others & the unity of their church to engage in it, or just too busy to waste time with it. As one person said, “Those rowing the boat, do not have time to rock it.”
7. “The carpet/chairs/coffee/preacher/singing is too…” Little time or energy for criticism when you’re on mission either. The On Mission Christian will struggle to be concerned about small issues of esthetics around the building when there are people in need.
8. “My church isn’t meeting my needs.” The assumption here is that church & Christianity is about “my needs.” We do receive so much personal reward & benefit from being a Christian & the church should certainly consider the needs of people as it strategizes & plans its ministries. But the On Mission Christian does not live with these assumptions at the forefront of their lives. Paul was clear in Philippians 2:3-8. The Christian life, patterned after Jesus, is about the needs of others & sacrificing ourselves for the need of others.
If your Christian life is boring, faithless, about you, filled with criticism of others, etc. Let me challenge you to get involved in the next ministry or mission opportunity you hear about & get to know true Christianity which is about life on mission with God in the world.
What else would you add to this list?
5 Ways to Have Fun and Reach Out this Fall
Fall is a favorite time of year for all of us in the South as weather cools & Football season kicks off. Fall also offers some great open doors for reaching out to the community through your church or small group. Here’s a few ideas for getting on the “Go…” (Matthew 28:19-20) this Fall:
1) Serve the Local School – No matter how open that your local schools are to church involvement, there are ways for you to serve them. And no better time to start then right at the beginning of the school year. Here are a few ideas:
- Pray. Host a prayer meeting for school officials & teachers & send notes letting them know you’re praying for them. And of course, have special prayer for teachers & administrators that attend your church. Recognize them as missionaries to the next generation.
- Lead a school supply drive for teachers or kids in low income school districts. Most teachers will have a list of needs or wants for their classroom & will know the kids that may need help buying school clothes & supplies.
- Stock the teachers lounges of local schools with baked goods & notes of encouragement from your church for the first two weeks or so of school.
- Get involved in the schools mentoring or tutoring program.
- And of course, encourage members to volunteer, get involved in PTA, & add salt & light to one of the most influentials places in your community (like it or not).
2) Fall Festivals – Whether it’s a Halloween alternative event like Trunk or Treats or just a Fall Harvest Party, Fall Festival type events have proven to be great cultivative and seed planting opportunities for many churches. During the summer, new people relocate to our communities & a special event that invites EVERYONE to your church can give them an opportunity to connect with the body of Christ. Don’t forget to plan for follow-up & celebrate the work of volunteers who plan & implement.
3) Outdoor Movie Nights – With weather getting milder & days getting shorter, outdoor movie nights make for a great fall outreach event. Our church has done these in local parks, in subdivision common spaces, or front & back yards. All you need is a projector, outdoor movie screen or large white sheet, & a popcorn machine. If you’re trying to cultivate relationships you can show a newer kid flick or classic movie. If you’d like to be a little more evangelistic & harvest oriented, you can choose a more evangelistic or directly Christian film. Another lesson learned, made for TV kids movies work great, b/c they are shorter & keep short attention spans engaged.
4) Tailgate Party – With Football season kicking off in the Fall, the words Tailgate Party will be plastered in every store & commercial coming our way. Redeem this seasonal phenomenon by hosting a Tailgate party at your church with great food & a big screen & speakers blaring the pre-game show &/or game. There is also a variety of Christian sports personality testimonies on sites like Sports Spectrum & I am Second that can be shown during half time or at a certain point during the game to make the event a little more evangelistic.
5) Hands on Service Project – Cooler weather also makes for a great time to get your hands dirty with a hands on Missions Project. In every community there is elderly & needy residents living in substandard housing. Connect with local relief agencies like the Council on Aging, Volunteers of America, or Parish Housing Authority about needs for wheelchair ramps, weatherization projects, etc. Or poll church members about widows & elderly living around them or in your congregation that may have needs. Wheelchair ramps are one of my favorite Fall projects.
What Fall Outreach ideas have worked in your area?
The Importance of Sharing Your Life With Others
Captured these powerful images on the importance of Small Groups earlier this year at FBC Orlando. So many in our generation isolate ourselves & find ourselves on our own when life happens. And it will happen, i.e marital problems, financial problems, transitions, parenting issues, seasons of doubt & discouragement, etc. Who do you share life with when you have questions? when you need a hand? When you’re expecting change? Find a church, get connected with others. Share your life. You need them AND they need you!
Church and Technology Roundtable
Spent some time today roundtable-ing with ministry leaders in the Northshore Baptist Association around the topic of technology. Thanks to Louisiana Media Group for leading & providing rich content on a variety of topics, AND for providing lunch for our gathering. We also heard from Magnolia Development Group on Web & Social Media questions. These are two trustworthy companies working together to provide affordable, accessible solutions for church tech issues. Joe McCarty, Tech Associate with The Village Church in Dallas, and Brandon Cox, editor of Pastors.com & author of Rewired, spent some time with us as well. They both reiterated the importance of getting on top of mobile development.
A few resources & sites mentioned during the roundtable that you might want to check out:
- ChurchTechToday.com
- 78p.tv
- CovenantEyes.com/blog
- Rightnow.org
- MinistryGrid.com
- ChurchLinkApp.com
- The Experience Conference
- BrandonACox.com
- Pastors.com
- FellowshipOne.com
- Elexio.com
- ChurchOfficeOnline.com
- Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt
- Rewired: How Using Today’s Technology Can Bring You Back to Deeper Relationships, Real Conversations, and the Age-Old Methods of Sharing God’s Love by Brandon Cox
Technology is affecting ministry in many ways. Great discussions today about how to utilize technology without going broke or crazy.
How has technology helped or hurt your ability to reach people for Christ? What’s the big tech issue you’re facing right now?
The Solution for Church Health and Revitalization
The people that have left your church are not coming back.- Your sponsor church is probably not going to send you any more people.
- If you have denominational funding, it will not flow forever.
- You might attract a few people from another church with a “night of worship” or “Deeper Bible Studies” or “the best ___ ministry in the area” but there’ll eventually be more attractive shows than yours.
- There are not likely to be an influx of evangelicals move into your community.
The answer for the questions, “How do we grow?” “How do we survive?” “How do we turn it around?” AND “How do we grow the kingdom?” “How do we obey Jesus?” IS:
“GO and MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL nations…” Matthew 28:19.
The solution Jesus gives us for church health, kingdom growth, world transformation is REACHING NEW PEOPLE WITH THE GOSPEL. And it’s a solution with “ALL AUTHORITY” backing it (Matthew 28:18).
Not new or better staff, facilities, music, kids ministry, etc. Those are steps along the way of a churches obedience to Jesus’ great solution.
What solutions are you seeking? If it doesn’t include taking the gospel to unchurched people in your community and beyond, SCRAP IT & start over at Matthew 28:18-20.
Lane Corley 