Don’t Let Go Charlie! #overdoseawarenessday #stopthespiral
72,000 drug overdoses in 2017. So this happens almost 200 times per day in the United States. Every overdose is someone’s Charlie. Stop the spiral by taking initiative to love, speak up, pray, get involved, and help restore those being caught up in this horrible nightmare experienced by too many families.
Bivocational Pastor / Every Member Ministry
Bivocational ministry is an approach to ministry that includes the pastor or ministry holding a full-time or part-time job, along with a ministry position in a church or ministry of some kind. This has become a big conversation in North America as less money for ministry is available due to less percentage giving by church members, higher maintenance and facility cost, and an emphasis on church planting, which at least 50% of the time requires a bivocational approach. I’ve been bivocational for most of my ministry, holding down side hustles as a fireman, janitor, teacher, and now a full-time denominational strategists. In Louisiana, where I serve, I know pastors and church planters who do everything from rocket science to handy man work. It’s getting to where, talking to a Pastor, the conversation is not IF he is bivocational, but WHAT does he do on the side to make ends meet.
I believe Bivocational ministry will continue to grow as churches decline and new churches are planted. Here’s a few Pros and Cons for Bivocational ministry:
1. It’s Biblical. At least for apostolic, church planting type leaders; a bivocational ministry approach puts you on firm Biblical grounds. The foundation is the Apostle Paul who served as a tent maker, and while he sought and taught the churches the necessity of paying the pastor, did not demand salary for his ministry of church planting and leading the movement that became Christianity in the 1st century.
2. It’s a Reproducible Model. If reproduction is the goal, then accepting a bivocational approach as normative will be necessary. It’s reproducible because there are so many people that already have jobs they love, while wanting to engage in fruitful ministry. So equipping those with the gifts of teaching, leadership, apostleship to plant churches along side their day jobs is something we must aim for.
3. Ministers can serve the church without being dependent on the church for income. Pastors can feel hand tied by the need to make tough decisions and the need to keep people attending and giving. A bivocational minister with a full-time income is freed completely from this arrangement. The minister is also able to be an example of Biblical stewardship from the same perspective as those he leads.
4. The church can have a higher percentage of funds available for ministry and missions. The cost of personnel and facilities is often 65% to 80% of a churches budget. This leaves small amounts for the work of the church and the needs of the world. Take out the personnel line and it can drastically reduce that percentage and free up money for fruitful ministry.
5. Every member ministry is affirmed. When the pastor and staff are bivocational, every member is needed to make ministry happen. The gifts of the people are not something we consider once per year when the nominating committee is meeting. The gifts of the people are desperately needed for every week. The pastor needs to be freed up to use his limited time (due to being employed 25-40 hours per week) to prepare sermons, seek God’s will for the vision of the church, and reaching the lost. To work, churches with bivocational approaches must mobilize every one for ministry.
What about the Cons? If your pastor is bivocational here is what to expect:
- Things may move slower than churches down the road. Idea implementation may take a little longer because there isn’t people working on implementation for 40 hours each week. Bivocational / Every Member Ministry churches move at the speed of the team, not the speed of the pastor.
- The pastor WILL feel inadequate and struggle with his time. Most bivocational pastors would love to have more time for the ministry and may be working toward that. And they feel the pressure of comparison to larger churches with staff. He must take up the task of mobilization and the people must take up the task of affirmation and servanthood.
- The church must manage expectations of the role of the Bivocational Pastor and the work of the church. The pastor may not be the first one there when something happens. The church may not move as fast as the churches with full-time staff. But if everyone uses their gifts and the expectations are right for the situation, bivocational churches can grow and thrive in any community.
What do you do when Jesus says Go?
When you hear the word of God, what you do next shows what you really believe. When you trust and believe in Jesus, it will lead you to follow and obey Jesus. Is there an area or issue in your life where you’re saying, “I know what Jesus says, but… my situation is different… times have changed… I don’t care…” etc.? Jesus tied hearing the word of God and keeping the word of God together over and over (John 14:21; 23).
So what do you do when Jesus says Go?
There are three specific places that Jesus said “Go” that relates to our daily lives:
1. “Go, your son will live.” John 4:50. To the Royal Official who was desperate for his sons healing.
Question: Do I believe that Jesus has power over my problems? Do I believe that anything is possible with Jesus? Do I believe that Jesus’ word alone is power?
Jesus was saying “GO! Believe!”
The Royal Official responded by turning around and heading home.
2. “Go, and sin no more.” John 8:11. To a woman caught in the act of adultery.
Question: Do I believe that Jesus has power over my sin? Is there a pattern of sin that Jesus is calling me to walk away from? Do I believe there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Romans 8:1)?
Jesus was saying, “GO! Repent.” “LET GO OF THE PAST.” “Leave your life of or habits of sin behind.”
Speculation is that the woman responded by becoming a follower of Jesus, but this would be extra-biblical assumption.
3. “Go, and make disciples.” Matthew 28:19. To the disciples just before His ascension into heaven.
Question: Do I believe that Jesus can use me? Do I believe that Jesus wants me to reach my friends? How has Jesus equipped me to reach people and make disciples?
Jesus was saying, “GO! Be obedient. Influence others with the Gospel.”
The disciples responded by changing their world through sharing and multiplying the Gospel person to person, city to city, village to village.
Jesus has said GO! What do your actions reveal about your faith?
Praying for Power in Your Church
Our churches have powerful music, powerful equipment, powerful social media reach, powerful preaching, powerful history, etc., etc. All of this is nothing with the power of God. It’s God’s power that turns hearts and opens the eyes of unbelievers. It’s God’s power that opens doors into our communities. It’s God’s power that multiplies the gifts of people for radical service and generosity. This weekend our church prayed through five areas in church life where we need God’s power and that make us powerful together. Pray these for your church:
1. UNITY OF MISSION AND PURPOSE – “that they all be one…” This was Jesus’ prayer for the church in John 17:21. And he tied it to the mission and power of the church when he said “so that the world may believe.” Powerful churches are united in purpose and mission. Pray for Unity among believers and unity of mind and purpose in your local body.
2. MATURITY AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH – “I pray that… he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” In this prayer in Ephesians 3:16-18, Paul linked power and spiritual growth as he prayed for the church. A church is known by God and will be known by the community by the lives of its growing disciples. Pray for maturity and spiritual growth among believers in your church.
3. PASSION FOR THE LOST – A powerful church will have a passion for the lost. Paul makes this statement regarding the lost in his community – “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation” Romans 10:1. He went on to say that he would be willing to forfeit his own salvation if they may be saved. This is the kind of passion that lit the fire of evangelism that changed the world. Pray that your church will have a passion, burden for the lost.
4. LEADERS AND LABORERS – Jesus asked us to join him in praying for laborers in Matthew 9:38 and Luke 10:2. In many of our churches, the 80-20 principle (20% of the people, do 80% of the work) has given way to the 90-10 or 95-5 principle. And with still millions of people without access to the gospel, we desperately need to pray with Jesus for laborers for the harvest.
5. ONE ANOTHER – One of the 44 commands that include the phrase “one another” in the New Testament is the command to “pray for one another” James 5:16. A powerful church is a praying church. Our prayer list and our prayer meetings should be filled with prayer for those around us. As we pray for each other we feel invested in the growth and health of each others lives. This helps us grow deeper in our love and concern for each other. And as we see God work in answer to our prayers, we grow more convinced of God’s power and that others need to experience what we’ve found in Christ and in the fellowship of believers.
A powerful church is a praying church that is unified, maturing, passionate for the lost, developing leaders, and putting the needs of others first.
Greaux in the Grace and Knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Added a couple of things to my devotional time this year that has made an impact. Along with the One Year Bible Plan on Youversion.com in the mornings…
1. Scripture Memory with the Scripture Typer App –https://scripturetyper.com/. Love this app! Check it out. Redeeming some of my time spent reading social media with this!
2. A little bit of Church History every day. Church History fills our lives with stories of courage and conviction from those who have gone before us. Places to start:
- Book: On This Day in Christian History: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs and Heroes by Robert J. Morgan
- Book: 50 People Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Spiritual Giants of the Faith by Warren Wiesbe. Listening to one of these each morning while exercising.
- Email: Subscribe to Daily Emails from the Christian History Institute – https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/today
What is helping you GREAUX in your Life in Christ this year?
When You’re Out of Gas
I experienced a first this week. I ran out of gas in my vehicle while driving on the Interstate. Having never ran out of gas, I was thankful for a few things:
- I had a friend with me. Carlos Schmidt was with me to experience the emotions of the moment (laughter) and help me brainstorm next steps. My friend walked with me and told me about similar experiences he and others had along the way.
- I wasn’t far from a Gas station. I was a short 1/2 mile walk from the nearest gas station, so I didn’t have to call and wait for my insurances road side assistance or some other service to get some help. Replenishment was in sight.
- There were people that offered help, even though I didn’t need it. Those along the way did see my need and offered help, which gave the valuable feeling of other options being available, should I need them. It was great to experience caring individuals that were kind enough to show concern.
- It only took a little bit to get my truck back rolling again. I bought a small jug, filled it with two gallons of gas and my truck was back on the road. I just needed a little fuel to get going again.
I thought of times in life when I was spiritually and emotionally out of gas as well. What I needed was a friend, a nearby place to replenish, to know others care, and just a little bit of fuel (encouragement, correction, admonishment, compassion, resources, etc.). I also thought of those around me that are spiritually and emotionally out of gas. I hope I can be and that I can equip others to be:
- A friend to walk along with them.
- A place of replenishment and fresh air.
- A caring, concerned neighbor.
- A source of fuel to get them back on the road again.
Grateful for these people in my life. May their tribe increase.
New Testament Thinking On Church Buildings
I spend a lot of time talking and thinking about church buildings. From older churches trying to rethink their 1960’s built classrooms to new churches trying to fit the nursery into a school hallway. Buildings are important to churches. I wish it weren’t so sometimes. Because they are SO EXPENSIVE! And a church building eats money 7 days per week, when most churches use it 2-3 days per week. Being Portable is a good option to cut cost, but even portable church doesn’t guarantee effective contextualized ministry in a community or the multiplication of disciples. Often times pastors express to me the limitations of the building to ministry and multiplication.
What guidance can we find in the New Testament for the use of buildings for church? Not much. The idea of building a church for worship, etc. had not come into its own yet. We see homes, parties, synagogues (Jewish teaching centers), mountainsides, the Jewish Temple, and lake shores utilized for the ministry of Jesus and the local church. And then one of my favorite spaces mentioned in the Bible is “the Hall of Tyrannus” in Acts 19:8-10:
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples, and conducted discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
We don’t know a lot about this lecture hall, but what we do know can give us some principles of thinking Biblically about buildings.
- It was a Public Place – I’ve written about the need for churches to be located in familiar, visible locations HERE. This Hall was evidently in the city center and a well-known place.
- It was a Place for Disciples to Gather – Paul took the disciples from the synagogue, where they were unwelcomed, to this hall where he could train them further in evangelism and life on mission. It was a place for gathering disciples.
- It was a Place to Interact with Unbelievers – Non-believers were invited in and comfortable with this space. Discussions were held that no doubt served to evangelize the lost and equip the saved.
- It was a Place for Disciples to Be Sent Out – All of Asia heard the word of the Lord! Wow! That’s serious multiplication. Who was spreading this word? And without radio, podcast, live streaming? No doubt, those who were being equipped and trained by Paul and others at the Hall.
The Hall of Tyrannus was a building that made possible the exponential multiplication of disciples. That should be the goal for every church and the hope of every church building project or meeting space.
What challenges does your current gathering space offer for the multiplication of disciples? Number 1 and 3 are most likely challenges for many churches today.
How can you make your church building more of a public space that is useful to the whole community? A few ideas:
- Starting a Daycare, MOPS, or Mother’s Day Out Program
- Starting a coffee shop or diner
- Opening the building for after school programs
- Holding public forums, training events for the community
- Moving into a public space like a gym or a movie theater or school for worship
How can you make your church building a place to interact with today’s unbelievers? Stained glass and steeples are not the answer that they used to be for people experiencing life. A few ideas:
- Think through service times and styles. Later services are easier for young and unchurched families to attend.
- Offer discussion forums for people with questions about life and God. Check out Life Tree Cafe for starter ideas on how to do this.
- Start compassion ministry that deals with real life issues for unchurched people in your community like addiction, teen addiction, poverty, divorce care, grief care, etc. Get started on exploring needs and resources for compassion ministry here.
What ideas do you have for making church buildings more effective in multiplying disciples? What other takeaways from Paul’s use of the Hall of Tyrannus can you share?
Multiply New Orleans 2018
New Orleans is extremely important to Louisiana & our efforts to reach & resource churches there should be of highest priority.
- 21% of the Population of Louisiana live in the New Orleans Baptist Association’s five parishes. (991,000 is the latest estimate)
- Includes Louisiana’s second largest & most diverse Parish – Jefferson
- Louisiana’s largest metro area, with over 1.2 Million living in the Governments statistical area.
- One of the United States’ most influential ports & tourism industries.
- And an often quoted fact: the North American Mission Board’s original charter mentions the necessity of reaching New Orleans.
How are we doing at reaching the Big Easy?
- Church to Population Ratio: 1/7,929. Our state goal is to see every association at 1/2,850.
- % of the Population attending Worship in an SBC Church: Only 2.1%. (Hard to estimate as only about 60% of the church fill out an ACP – Annual Church Profile)
- % Evangelical Population: 11% (according to thearda.com).
- Unaffiliated Population (Nones): 432,270 (according to thearda.com)
The churches of New Orleans have endured much & are a strong lot that do great work reaching its population. And the story God has began writing through church planting over the last few years, in my opinion, is historic & amazing.
- In 2012, New Orleans became a Send City in the North American Mission Board’s Send City Strategy & George Ross became the Send City Coordinator.
- In May 2013, we held the first Send City Strategy meeting at Celebration Church to coordinate strategy & try to open a door for church planting to make a difference in the area.
- Since that time, 43 new churches have been planted. 57 since 2010 when our current state strategy began.
- Louisiana Baptists have now gone over $2 million of cooperative funding invested in New Orleans for Church Planting since the beginning of Send New Orleans in 2012. Not including NAMB or Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering grants for startup & building renovation cost.
- A wide door of opportunity has indeed opened for the next generation of churches to be planted in New Orleans.
New Orleans is a tough place to minister & we have some incredible young families laboring to plant literally in some of Louisiana’s toughest neighborhoods. I’m inspired by their courage & hard work & pray for them by name on a weekly basis.
Follow much of what is happening in church planting in New Orleans on the Send New Orleans Facebook page. And you can get info on our planters in New Orleans by checking out the Planter profiles at NAMB.net.
Multiply Baton Rouge 2018
The Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge covers all or part of Ascension, East Baton Rouge (Louisiana’s most populated Parish), West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, St. James Parishes.
- Population: 640,059
- 1 Southern Baptist church (SBC) for every 6,096 persons. Rest of Louisiana is 1 to 2,895. 131 new churches would be needed to get to 1 to 2,895.
- Only 1.1% of the population (7,049) attended a Bible Study in a SBC Church in 2016.
- Only 1.9% of the population (11,861) attended worship in a SBC Church in 2015.
49% of the population is non-anglo (41% African-American, 3.9% Hispanic, 2.5% Asian) with only 16 non-anglo SBC churches. 1 to 18,154. - 23% of the population is evangelical, showing that Baton Rouge has a healthier evangelical population than the rest of South Louisiana.
- Baptisms are down 25% from a high of 757 in 2006. 558 in 2016.
- Association Executive Director is Dr. Tommy Middleton. Staff: Chuck Lowman, Randy Osborn, Dana Truitt, Jan Terral. Check out BAGBR.org.
Some good progress made in 2017-2018 in Church Multiplication:
- One new Church Plant – Renew Church Baton Rouge.
- Four new Church RePlants – Oak Crest / United Believers; Sherwood / Living Hope; Park Forest / The Church at Park Forest; Logos and Life / Westside Community.
- Repurposed Associational Church Planting Team.
- New churches in the pipeline for Zachary (Living Hope), Ascension Parish (Hispanic).
- Greenhouse Training planned for August 17-18.
- Potential Mission Builder Project at Fellowship South Ascension in 2018-2019.
Pray for Current Church Planters:
Devotional Journaling Tips
I have been a Devotional Journaler for about 21 years now. I started this devotional habit after completing the Experiencing God study in 1997! Journaling helps me pour out my ideas and prayers to God, along with processing life and what I’m reading/studying in the Bible. I’ve written about my aimed for daily devotional habits here. Making journaling work for me requires a plan. Recently, I’ve found a helpful rhythm with three categories that help me process and pour out my prayers and ideas to God.
- GIVING THANKS – What do I need to thank God for today? I’ve heard people talk about Gratitude journals for years. As I get older and difficulties and worries add up, I’ve found it helpful and invigorating to write out 10 to 20 things I’m thankful for each morning. This simple practice works! And it’s Biblical! “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good” Psalm 107:1. No matter what, we almost always have more to be thankful for than worried about!
- GIVING UP / GIVING TO GOD – What is too big for me to handle today? Life on mission, parenting, getting older, being a leader brings you up against your limitations regularly. I’ve found it helpful to admit and write out the things I will not be able to handle on my own and that I’m struggling with in life on this particular day or week. To practice in writing 1 Peter 5-7 – “casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” Looking back at these lists, I can see God’s hand at work and recognize that I’m never alone in the big battles I’m facing in life.
- GIVING AWAY – What opportunities do I have coming up for mission and generosity? This is a time to think through opportunities for mission and generosity that this day and the near future will bring. Busyness is an enemy of thoughtfulness, kindness, evangelism, and being on mission for others. A few minutes each morning helps me plan ahead, ask for God’s help, and make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16).
Along with 15-30 minutes of reading and responding to the Bible, these three categories are helping me be more meaningful in my devotional life and more prepared for my day on mission with God.
Any tips, struggles, ideas from your devotional life?
Lane Corley 