While out on visitation one day, I found myself taken aback by the appearance, demeanor, language, and overall condition of a woman who actually took the time to sit and talk with me. She smoked like a freight-train, and had visible signs that go along with long-term drug abuse. The house was in horrible disarray, and she acted as if she didn't really care to get any better.
While the temptation during visitation is always to steer the conversation toward the church, how great the church is, why the person should come to church, etc etc, I have learned to allow people to talk about themselves. (A) It makes them feel better. (B) It allows me to learn more about them, so I can learn how better to minister to them.
As the woman spoke, I learned a lot. She was basically abandoned by her parents, abused, and endured unspeakable horrors. As a means to escape that situation, she turned to drugs at a young age, and wound up in a bad way. As I learned more about her experience, I came to understand that this present situation which repulsed me was actually an improvement for her. She was making progress in her life.
She still needed the Lord, I believe she still needed salvation. She needed God's guidance in her life, and she needed the healing only He could provide.
When confronted by the devastation sin has left on the life of one who has been in a bad way for a long time, a Christian can be repulsed, jump to conclusions, and even be tempted to write off the one that has had their lives basically destroyed. What we need to do in these situations is try to gain some insight into what happened. No one wakes up and decides, "I am going to trash my life with drugs, and crime, obtain a criminal record, lose my job and home, and alienate my family." No one says, "I am going to trash my body today," or, as the old commercial says, "No one ever says, I want to be a junkie when I grow up."
The dilapidation in which a sinner finds himself is the result of years of sinful choices, bad decisions piled upon each other, each with a seemingly manageable consequence... but once all those consequences have been added up, total destruction is all that is left.
Often times, these decisions are made because of the sinner's background. In John 8:38, Jesus said "I speak that which I have seen with My Father; and ye do that which ye have seen with your father." From those words, we learn that Jesus is righteous, holy and all-powerful, just like His (and our) Heavenly Father. We also learn that we tend to mimic the activities of our earthly fathers.
Remember the Drug-Free America commercial, "Parents who use drugs, have children who use drugs?" Many people today grew up in dysfunctional situations. Having never seen good decisions modeled for them, they grew up making the same dysfunctional decisions, and life seems normal to them.
Others endured abuse. Abuse toward children has devastating effects. As the child fears for his safety, his brain function shuts down the higher-level thinking, and goes into survival mode. If the child remains in this condition long enough, his higher-level thinking never develops, meaning he never learns how to think through situations, make good decisions, and link causes to effects. Further, he becomes stuck in survival mode, meaning he becomes more volatile, develops a quick temper and takes rash courses of action. (Those are all self-defense mechanisms.)
The child who grows up in that environment will eventually become an adult, still incapable of hgher-level thinking. He will still be unable to think through situations, make good decisions, and link causes and effects. Of course, he will marry, or have romantic relationships, and father children, who will then be raised in the same environment that he knew as a child. The process repeats itself.
I tell you all this, not to excuse sinful behavior, bad decisions, or to blame the parents, but to explain why people often make the decisions they do. I am not out to justify Godless living, but it is well worth the investment to get to know people, and to love them on a personal level.
To disciple someone out of a sin-devastated life takes time, patience, energy, and lots of love. There will be setbacks, and there will be times when you wonder if you are really doing any good. However, if you are willing to invest in people, you will see fruit. You will see God work miracles, and you will see lives changed for the better. When that happens, there is no greater feeling on earth. May God bless you as you minister to those around you.
Showing posts with label Outreach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Outreach. Show all posts
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Something's Gotta Give
As I stand before the congregation leading Grace Pointe through the final verse of Bringing in the Sheaves, I can't help but feel conflicted, and see the conflicted nature of pastoral ministry, church ministry and church planting today. The conflicted nature doesn't have so much to do with the members' personalities (Grace Pointe enjoys a very close unity among its members), as much as the conflicted nature has to do with who the church is, and whom the church has been called to reach.
There are two groups that make up the congregation at Grace Pointe. There are the very young, and the seniors. As for reaching the 20-somethings to 40-somethings, we have not been very successful. Let me clarify. We have seen some 20-40 year olds saved, and some baptized, but few continue to be involved in the church. This happens for a number of reasons, including hectic work/family schedules, and the desire for downtime. However, those factors can be overcome to get young families into church.
As I look across the religious landscape in Brownwood, I see three churches that are excelling in bringing in young families and getting them involved. These churches have three common-denominators. (1) They are built on relationships. The young families who go there have friends there, and they feel at home in those churches. (2) These churches are not known for being dogmatic on doctrine. They tend to focus their teaching on the basic doctrines of Christ (repentance, faith, salvation, and trusting God through the storms of life). And (3) Like it or not, they have contemporary worship services.
The building of relationships takes time, and the relationship must be built out of a genuine love and concern for the other party, otherwise it is little more than a manipulative situation. We can not go building relationships for the sole purpose of building a church. If we do that, we will become guilty of using people and abusing them the same way other religious organizations have done for years. No, we must love people and be there for them, even if they feel at home at the church across the street.
As for the doctrine issue, I have found that those in the 20-40 age range have an appetite for doctrine, but don't necessarily accept or internalize it just because the preacher says so. If a doctrine is presented they disagree with, they typically will try to brush it aside in an effort to get along. If the preacher insists they accept it, they will probably be gone. The way I handle doctrinal issues is that I present them as they come up in the scriptures. I preach through books of the Bible, and when we reach passages of doctrine, I present it. The interesting thing about this approach is that you get a feel for which doctrines are God's priority, as those doctrines are presented most often in the scriptures. Do you have any idea which doctrine is presented the most in the scriptures (and by extension, is the most important to God?) Hint: It's not the Bride. When differences of belief on certain doctrines arise, if you can get back to the fundamentals of the faith and agree there, then you still have fellowship and no one gets their feelings hurt.
Then comes the contemporary worship issue. I have publicly opposed contemporary worship, not because of what it is, but rather the attitudes some people who have propagated it. Their attitudes of contempt toward the senior members of the church, and their proclamations that they couldn't worship in a traditional style were major turn-offs for me.
When I look out among the congregation of grey hair, and in some cases, no hair, I see a generation of people who not only contributed much of their lives and personal resources so that I could stand in a pulpit and preach, but I see a generation of people who built the country into what we know today. I also see a generation of people who have been left behind by our modern, technology driven, frenzied paced lifestyles.
But yet, they stay active in life, and in church. In some cases, church is the only thing that still seems normal, that still makes sense. Then comes the young, on-fire preacher who is going to totally turn the world upside down, and he tells them to sell the piano, get rid of the organ, burn the hymnals, and sing staring at a projection screen to the accompaniment of a praise band. It totally freaks them out, and with good reason.
Contemporary music makes sense to my generation, because it is what we've grown up with. When you grew up listening to Def Leppard, Belinda Carslile, or Third Eye Blind and Green Day, the praise band seems like rather tame, worshipful music. However, if you grew up to Bob Wills, Jimmie Davis, Johnny Cash, and even Buddy Holly and the Beatles, it can be downright disturbing.
To put it another way, what if your worship leader looked like Kesha or Lady Gaga? It'd freak you out. That's what contemporary worship looks like to these seniors. So, they oppose it. However, their opposition only fuels the fire of the proponents of contemporary worship, leading to a split in the church. Sometimes, the result of this split is two different churches. Other times, churches choose to have two, or three, separate worship services. In those scenarios, you have a segmented church membership that is not necessarily working as a body.
I love our seniors at Grace Pointe, and I look up to them. I definitely don't want to leave them in the dust of progress. At the same time, I realize that if we are to see younger families join and become active in our congregation, there are some methods that are going to have to change.
The question is, how do we adjust our methods for reaching people, and bring our established members along through the changes? How do we get them on board? How do we make them feel at home through the changes? If I can find the answer to those questions, then I'll be able to invite you to the dedication of our new state of the art worship facility. Until then, we meet at 1045 West Commerce in Brownwood, Texas, at 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Don't Give Up!
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Let's face it... ministry can be downright discouraging these days. While there are churches that are growing and bursting at the seams, chances are you see empty pews when you stand behind the pulpit on Sunday morning.
Not only that, but it seems that no one is interested in hearing about God's salvation when you go out door-knocking. There have probably been days that you felt like the prophet Jeremiah, who preached his entire ministry without a convert.
Lack of "results" can have any preacher questioning his call, his methods, and questioning if he is where God wants him. Don't be discouraged.
For the past several weeks, a member of Grace Pointe and I have been knocking doors in Northwest Brownwood. The vast majority of these doors have gone unanswered, others tell us they are not interested, some don't want to hear our message and some have even refused to take our tracts. One rather famous exchange went like this:
GP Member: Sir, would you like to know about Heaven?
Resident: No. (slams door shut.)
GP Member: Wow. Times are hard when they don't want to hear about Heaven.
Leland: Actually, times aren't hard enough.
Quitting our mission of canvassing Brownwood was never an option, though we did discuss the fact that our job was to merely share the Word. That's when we had a break-through day last week.
We were invited inside twice, had four quality conversations about Christ, and even had two men pray. While their prayers stopped short of "asking Jesus into their hearts," we feel that they were made more aware of the reality of God, His coming judgment, and the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. Besides, the transaction of salvation is between them and the Lord, not between us and them.
One thing I have noticed is that those who are giving thought to eternity are highly interested in what God has to say through His word. Study after study and survey after survey tells us that people are abandoning organized religion in droves. While there may be a mass exodus of people from churches, I don't think it's the organization that they are leaving. They are not leaving church, per se, they are leaving empty religion.
To put it another way, they are not rejecting the idea of church, they are rejecting the churches of which they have been a part. Why? Most will share stories of empty traditional arguments, or hypocritical pastors and leaders, some even point out doctrinal error (what the pastor teaches doesn't match up with what their Bible says.) So, to these people, church isn't bad, they just haven't found a good church. You see, it's not the church they are abandoning. They are setting aside a church that has abandoned God.
The question has often been posed, "Has the church become irrelevant?" If the church has abandoned God's word, or the Gospel, it has. This empty establishment is being left behind in the dust, despite its efforts at marketing, contemporary worship, reducing preaching (ironically), and increasing its appeal to "seekers."
I submit that the vast majority of churches have abandoned God's word in favor of crafting a message and looking for validation in God's word. Many pastors have left expository preaching for topical preaching. Often, these topics and sermons are crafted entirely in the mind of the preacher before God's word is even consulted. An example might be using Proverbs 29:18 to promote building and expansion programs. I once heard a preacher preach on Christ's prayer in the Garden while the disciples slept. His main point was that we need to be better friends to each other than the disciples were to Christ. (The theme here had more to do with Christ preparing to go to the cross than with the sleeping disciples.)
The modern "seeker" isn't looking for a rock concert with a how-to sermon attached to the end of it. The "seeker" is seeking God's word and its counsel. The church and preacher that are able to exegete God's word and teach what it says will be the church that is successful in the coming years. The American people have had their fill of cattle excrement over the past couple of generations. Substance will now prevail.
So, don't seek to convey what you think or say, and don't try to teach what other great preachers have taught. Preach the word and teach what God has to say. It will bear results. I'm not promising that you'll have a Billy Graham style crusade, but you will see the Word work in the lives of those who listen, and you will see God move. After all is said and done, isn't that really what it is about?
Let's face it... ministry can be downright discouraging these days. While there are churches that are growing and bursting at the seams, chances are you see empty pews when you stand behind the pulpit on Sunday morning.
Not only that, but it seems that no one is interested in hearing about God's salvation when you go out door-knocking. There have probably been days that you felt like the prophet Jeremiah, who preached his entire ministry without a convert.
Lack of "results" can have any preacher questioning his call, his methods, and questioning if he is where God wants him. Don't be discouraged.
For the past several weeks, a member of Grace Pointe and I have been knocking doors in Northwest Brownwood. The vast majority of these doors have gone unanswered, others tell us they are not interested, some don't want to hear our message and some have even refused to take our tracts. One rather famous exchange went like this:
GP Member: Sir, would you like to know about Heaven?
Resident: No. (slams door shut.)
GP Member: Wow. Times are hard when they don't want to hear about Heaven.
Leland: Actually, times aren't hard enough.
Quitting our mission of canvassing Brownwood was never an option, though we did discuss the fact that our job was to merely share the Word. That's when we had a break-through day last week.
We were invited inside twice, had four quality conversations about Christ, and even had two men pray. While their prayers stopped short of "asking Jesus into their hearts," we feel that they were made more aware of the reality of God, His coming judgment, and the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. Besides, the transaction of salvation is between them and the Lord, not between us and them.
One thing I have noticed is that those who are giving thought to eternity are highly interested in what God has to say through His word. Study after study and survey after survey tells us that people are abandoning organized religion in droves. While there may be a mass exodus of people from churches, I don't think it's the organization that they are leaving. They are not leaving church, per se, they are leaving empty religion.
To put it another way, they are not rejecting the idea of church, they are rejecting the churches of which they have been a part. Why? Most will share stories of empty traditional arguments, or hypocritical pastors and leaders, some even point out doctrinal error (what the pastor teaches doesn't match up with what their Bible says.) So, to these people, church isn't bad, they just haven't found a good church. You see, it's not the church they are abandoning. They are setting aside a church that has abandoned God.
The question has often been posed, "Has the church become irrelevant?" If the church has abandoned God's word, or the Gospel, it has. This empty establishment is being left behind in the dust, despite its efforts at marketing, contemporary worship, reducing preaching (ironically), and increasing its appeal to "seekers."
I submit that the vast majority of churches have abandoned God's word in favor of crafting a message and looking for validation in God's word. Many pastors have left expository preaching for topical preaching. Often, these topics and sermons are crafted entirely in the mind of the preacher before God's word is even consulted. An example might be using Proverbs 29:18 to promote building and expansion programs. I once heard a preacher preach on Christ's prayer in the Garden while the disciples slept. His main point was that we need to be better friends to each other than the disciples were to Christ. (The theme here had more to do with Christ preparing to go to the cross than with the sleeping disciples.)
The modern "seeker" isn't looking for a rock concert with a how-to sermon attached to the end of it. The "seeker" is seeking God's word and its counsel. The church and preacher that are able to exegete God's word and teach what it says will be the church that is successful in the coming years. The American people have had their fill of cattle excrement over the past couple of generations. Substance will now prevail.
So, don't seek to convey what you think or say, and don't try to teach what other great preachers have taught. Preach the word and teach what God has to say. It will bear results. I'm not promising that you'll have a Billy Graham style crusade, but you will see the Word work in the lives of those who listen, and you will see God move. After all is said and done, isn't that really what it is about?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Market Place Apartments Outreach
Every 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday evening at 4 p.m., I meet with residents of the Market Place apartment complex for an hour-long Bible study. Usually, between 12 and 15 residents will attend this study. Four are members at Grace Pointe, while the rest just attend the Market Place studies.
This ministry at this complex is a blessing, not only for me, but I can see God working in the lives of the residents as well. The faithful support of our sister churches and the MBA of Texas allow me the time to perform ministries like this, and for that, I truly thank you.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Biggest Problem We Face Today
What is the biggest problem that we face as Missionary Baptists and Evangelical Christians? Is it false doctrine? An ever-increasingly sinful world? The political climate? The past mistakes and misdeeds of high-profile Christian personalities?
While all of these are major factors we deal with daily, all pale in comparison to the lack of workers for the harvest. The Bible records how Jesus looked out upon the multitudes, and saw them as sheep with no shepherd, and His heart was moved with compassion. At this sight, He told the disciples that the fields are white unto harvest, and to pray for God to send more workers for the harvest.
Currently, our society is scattered as sheep with no shepherd. People are living life at a frenzied pace, but they don't know what they are living for, why they are here, or where they are going. To borrow a phrase, "We don't know where we are going, but we are getting there fast."
This tragedy is worsened when you look at the numbers of students who are enrolling in ministerial training programs to be equipped for full-time ministry. Few are surrendering to the pastoral ministry, few are surrendering to go to the mission fields, both foreign and domestic, and even fewer are willing to undertake personal evangelism.
Currently, our plans for West Central Texas are to evangelize and plant new churches in Brownwood and the surrounding areas. Provided that we are successful in that mission, who will be there to help us plant and pastor these churches? I have a hard enough time finding qualified preachers who will even fill in for one Sunday, even with room, board and honorariums factored in. (Thank God for Jim Slocumb, he really helped us out this summer).
No one wants to answer the call. I suspect part of the reason might be finances. As the churches decline in attendance and finances, it is harder to be able to pay a full-time salary to a pastor today. Add to this trend the factor that many pastors are developing more sophisticated tastes, and it becomes even harder for churches to finance a man's ministry. So, ministers opt for secular employment that affords them more comfortable lifestyles, all the while God's work goes undone. I believe this is one of the many things Christ addressed when He said, "When the Son of man returns, shall he find any faithful?"
It gets worse. Some pastors are leaving the responsibilities of the pulpits so that they can be "pastors of the pastors." We don't need pastors for pastors, we need pastors for churches. We don't need a shepherd to shepherd the shepherds (we already have One). We need shepherds for the sheep.
Meanwhile, the churches and the lost people alike wander about with no solid spiritual leadership. How do we remedy this situation?
One solution was offered a few years ago. A new ministry was launched that would set up a network of church-planting coaches that would coach missionaries to reach people on stateside mission fields. While this effort may have been pure in its intent, it didn't address the fundamental problem, need and challenge- the availability of obedient God-called men to go to the fields to work the harvest.
So, how do we remedy the situation? I'm glad you asked. I'm launching a new ministry... ah nevermind. Here's what we should do.
(1) Follow Jesus' instructions to pray for laborers for the harvest.
(2) Quit treating the call to the ministry like a one-in-a-million call. I believe God calls way more men to the ministry than we think. Instead of hoping that God might one day call a man from our church to the ministry, how about we assume that He is calling the men of our church to the ministry, and design our Christian education ministries to equip the members of the church for ministry. It's scriptural. Read Ephesians 4.
(3) Streamline the ministerial education process in order to get men to the fields as soon as possible. It amazes me that it takes less than a year to train and equip a Marine for combat, but it takes five years to teach a God-called preacher to study God's word and be able to share it with others.
(4) Constantly be looking for new mission fields and evangelistic opportunities. We need to be in expansion mode, not maintenance, nor decline.
(5) Get the right priorities in order. Preachers, God didn't call us to manage our 401k's, investment accounts, have top of the line insurance plans, nice homes, big cars or even build radio careers. He called us to proclaim the Gospel. Everything He blesses us with needs to be put toward that goal. God blesses you financially? Good. Use it to spread the Gospel. God blesses your investment portfolio? Praise Him that one day you won't have to worry about maintaining employment while you minister.
We need to quit seeing God's call to ministry as a freak of nature and begin seeing it for what it is- standard operating procedure for God. We need to get back to assuming that God is calling men to the ministry, pray for Him to call more men, and prepare our church members for that call through our teaching/preaching ministries. Also, we need to prepare our churches to send out missionaries.
When it comes time for Grace Pointe to send out missionaries, we may not be able to get anyone from East Texas, Arkansas or Louisiana to come to West Texas. Our missionaries may have to be homegrown. That's okay. We'll prepare accordingly.
My advice is for you to do likewise.
If you are one whom God is calling into the ministry, and you are resisting God's call, you need to relent and surrender to that call. God rewards nothing that is done in disobedience. If you are resisting God's call to ministry, then you are being disobedient no matter how many good works you are doing. Answer God's call.
Let's man-up and honor our responsibilities, and to quote a famous philosopher, "get 'er done!"
While all of these are major factors we deal with daily, all pale in comparison to the lack of workers for the harvest. The Bible records how Jesus looked out upon the multitudes, and saw them as sheep with no shepherd, and His heart was moved with compassion. At this sight, He told the disciples that the fields are white unto harvest, and to pray for God to send more workers for the harvest.
Currently, our society is scattered as sheep with no shepherd. People are living life at a frenzied pace, but they don't know what they are living for, why they are here, or where they are going. To borrow a phrase, "We don't know where we are going, but we are getting there fast."
This tragedy is worsened when you look at the numbers of students who are enrolling in ministerial training programs to be equipped for full-time ministry. Few are surrendering to the pastoral ministry, few are surrendering to go to the mission fields, both foreign and domestic, and even fewer are willing to undertake personal evangelism.
Currently, our plans for West Central Texas are to evangelize and plant new churches in Brownwood and the surrounding areas. Provided that we are successful in that mission, who will be there to help us plant and pastor these churches? I have a hard enough time finding qualified preachers who will even fill in for one Sunday, even with room, board and honorariums factored in. (Thank God for Jim Slocumb, he really helped us out this summer).
No one wants to answer the call. I suspect part of the reason might be finances. As the churches decline in attendance and finances, it is harder to be able to pay a full-time salary to a pastor today. Add to this trend the factor that many pastors are developing more sophisticated tastes, and it becomes even harder for churches to finance a man's ministry. So, ministers opt for secular employment that affords them more comfortable lifestyles, all the while God's work goes undone. I believe this is one of the many things Christ addressed when He said, "When the Son of man returns, shall he find any faithful?"
It gets worse. Some pastors are leaving the responsibilities of the pulpits so that they can be "pastors of the pastors." We don't need pastors for pastors, we need pastors for churches. We don't need a shepherd to shepherd the shepherds (we already have One). We need shepherds for the sheep.
Meanwhile, the churches and the lost people alike wander about with no solid spiritual leadership. How do we remedy this situation?
One solution was offered a few years ago. A new ministry was launched that would set up a network of church-planting coaches that would coach missionaries to reach people on stateside mission fields. While this effort may have been pure in its intent, it didn't address the fundamental problem, need and challenge- the availability of obedient God-called men to go to the fields to work the harvest.
So, how do we remedy the situation? I'm glad you asked. I'm launching a new ministry... ah nevermind. Here's what we should do.
(1) Follow Jesus' instructions to pray for laborers for the harvest.
(2) Quit treating the call to the ministry like a one-in-a-million call. I believe God calls way more men to the ministry than we think. Instead of hoping that God might one day call a man from our church to the ministry, how about we assume that He is calling the men of our church to the ministry, and design our Christian education ministries to equip the members of the church for ministry. It's scriptural. Read Ephesians 4.
(3) Streamline the ministerial education process in order to get men to the fields as soon as possible. It amazes me that it takes less than a year to train and equip a Marine for combat, but it takes five years to teach a God-called preacher to study God's word and be able to share it with others.
(4) Constantly be looking for new mission fields and evangelistic opportunities. We need to be in expansion mode, not maintenance, nor decline.
(5) Get the right priorities in order. Preachers, God didn't call us to manage our 401k's, investment accounts, have top of the line insurance plans, nice homes, big cars or even build radio careers. He called us to proclaim the Gospel. Everything He blesses us with needs to be put toward that goal. God blesses you financially? Good. Use it to spread the Gospel. God blesses your investment portfolio? Praise Him that one day you won't have to worry about maintaining employment while you minister.
We need to quit seeing God's call to ministry as a freak of nature and begin seeing it for what it is- standard operating procedure for God. We need to get back to assuming that God is calling men to the ministry, pray for Him to call more men, and prepare our church members for that call through our teaching/preaching ministries. Also, we need to prepare our churches to send out missionaries.
When it comes time for Grace Pointe to send out missionaries, we may not be able to get anyone from East Texas, Arkansas or Louisiana to come to West Texas. Our missionaries may have to be homegrown. That's okay. We'll prepare accordingly.
My advice is for you to do likewise.
If you are one whom God is calling into the ministry, and you are resisting God's call, you need to relent and surrender to that call. God rewards nothing that is done in disobedience. If you are resisting God's call to ministry, then you are being disobedient no matter how many good works you are doing. Answer God's call.
Let's man-up and honor our responsibilities, and to quote a famous philosopher, "get 'er done!"
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Guiding Principles
Yesterday, Jessica and I had a rather in-depth discussion over dinner at Dairy Queen. We discussed the direction we'd like to see the mission go, and the things necessary for the mission to have an impact on the city of Brownwood. Over the course of the conversation, I identified five possible guiding principles for Grace Pointe. They are:
- Everyone deserves to hear the Gospel (see Romans 1:14).
- Every member proclaims the Gospel.
- Every church sends missionaries.
- Every member supports the church's ministry.
- Every household in Brownwood gets evangelized.
Jessica also identified some core practices, such as Service, Witnessing, Application and Teaching (or Training)... to form the acronymn, SWAT. She is developing a program for the ladies auxiliary, and I think SWAT will be the core values there.
All that being said, we will be canvassing north Brownwood neighborhoods this week, and have two major outreach events approaching.
- National Back to Church Sunday on Sept. 13.
- Brownwood Reunion Weekend Sept. 18-20.
I've been told that Grace Pointe MBM is off to a great start... but I don't feel like we've really gotten started. I am amazed at how far the mission has come in the past year, and I anxiously anticipate how amazed I'll be this time next year.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Out of the Comfort Zone
I have a book entitled "Out of the Comfort Zone" by Ray Comfort, a well renown evangelist who developed "The Way of the Master," along with the Living Waters School of Evangelism.
The cartoon on the cover of the book depicts a Christian sitting in a comfortable chair, located inside a protective bubble while death, destruction and mayhem run rampant outside the protective bubble. The more I observe the world around me, the more I feel like that cartoon is accurately portraying Christianity in America today.
My mind takes me back to a mission rally I once attended. A foreign missionary was there telling us how the pastors of the new churches planted in his country were being ambushed and killed, many times along with their family. In the same meeting, after that missionary had spoke, a local pastor proclaimed with glee that his church was finally getting new carpet.
We think of the drug culture existing in far away places like Compton, Calif., Brooklyn, the streets of San Francisco and the innercities of the major metro areas. The truth is, the drug culture has permeated every community in America and is destroying lives all around us. In East Texas, where I am from, meth can be found on virtually any country road, in almost any neighborhood, and in almost any apartment complex. It's devastating effects are easily observed in the children of drug addicted parents.
Having moved to West Central Texas, I have noticed that the problem is just as bad out here, even in towns of approximately 1,000 people or less. The devastating effects are also present here. I see people who have no hope, who are forgotten, and who have given up on themselves and their children.
Meanwhile, Christians sit idly by and dismiss the societal problems on this being the end times. We argue over who is going to be "in the Bride." We discuss the timing of the rapture, argue over church planting vs. mission work, go to war with each other over the KJV translation, and argue over contemporary vs. modern worship vs. blended. I like good discussions, and occasionally get involved in a few, but these discussions become destructive when they interfere with God's work.
The best way to reach the lost, we think, is to modernize our approach to the worship service, start a bus ministry so we can pack the place with kids, read a few books, implement some of their practices, and go multi-media with our presentations. I'm not advocating against this, but this will not reach the lost. Modern worship and modern presentation systems give the illusion of reaching the lost of a community because it drives numbers up. In reality, I fear all it does is attract younger Christians who want to be cooler than their grandparents church. This does lead to professions of faith, as the younger Christians may very well come to the knowledge that they made a false profession previously, but that is only if the modern presentation is backed up by solid scriptural preaching and teaching. The modern stuff is great, I may use it someday, but it is not the key to winning the lost and hopeless in our communities. Those who think so are remaining in the comfort zone.
If you desire to see the lost, hopeless and hurting reached with the Gospel, you have to take the Word to them. You have to go where the people are, and this does not involve a 3.5 million dollar facility with freeway frontage. It involves getting out and getting into the trenches. It involves door-knocking, apartment ministries, VBS, following up with those who the church has reached out to, even though it involves going to a house or neighborhood that is not in a good part of town. (Don't place yourself in unnecessary danger, but you can visit someone in the other side of town without harm if you are minding your business. Keep in mind, I'm using small-town Brownwood references here. I wouldn't advise going to Deep Ellum by yourself.)
The main factor in success in reaching the lost and hopeless, who are reachable, is the ability to connect with them one-on-one. If they know you care about them, they will follow... but you have to truly care. These people are street smart, and they can spot fake care a mile away.
So, let's get out of our comfort zones. Let's approve the coming changes to the mission policy that will give missionaries the freedom to work the fields. Let's get more courageous about mission work and begin sending out more missionaries (and quit using money as an excuse as to why we can't be a sending church). And let's get busy ourselves getting back into the trenches and doing battle for the Lord over the lost souls in our hometowns.
The cartoon on the cover of the book depicts a Christian sitting in a comfortable chair, located inside a protective bubble while death, destruction and mayhem run rampant outside the protective bubble. The more I observe the world around me, the more I feel like that cartoon is accurately portraying Christianity in America today.
My mind takes me back to a mission rally I once attended. A foreign missionary was there telling us how the pastors of the new churches planted in his country were being ambushed and killed, many times along with their family. In the same meeting, after that missionary had spoke, a local pastor proclaimed with glee that his church was finally getting new carpet.
We think of the drug culture existing in far away places like Compton, Calif., Brooklyn, the streets of San Francisco and the innercities of the major metro areas. The truth is, the drug culture has permeated every community in America and is destroying lives all around us. In East Texas, where I am from, meth can be found on virtually any country road, in almost any neighborhood, and in almost any apartment complex. It's devastating effects are easily observed in the children of drug addicted parents.
Having moved to West Central Texas, I have noticed that the problem is just as bad out here, even in towns of approximately 1,000 people or less. The devastating effects are also present here. I see people who have no hope, who are forgotten, and who have given up on themselves and their children.
Meanwhile, Christians sit idly by and dismiss the societal problems on this being the end times. We argue over who is going to be "in the Bride." We discuss the timing of the rapture, argue over church planting vs. mission work, go to war with each other over the KJV translation, and argue over contemporary vs. modern worship vs. blended. I like good discussions, and occasionally get involved in a few, but these discussions become destructive when they interfere with God's work.
The best way to reach the lost, we think, is to modernize our approach to the worship service, start a bus ministry so we can pack the place with kids, read a few books, implement some of their practices, and go multi-media with our presentations. I'm not advocating against this, but this will not reach the lost. Modern worship and modern presentation systems give the illusion of reaching the lost of a community because it drives numbers up. In reality, I fear all it does is attract younger Christians who want to be cooler than their grandparents church. This does lead to professions of faith, as the younger Christians may very well come to the knowledge that they made a false profession previously, but that is only if the modern presentation is backed up by solid scriptural preaching and teaching. The modern stuff is great, I may use it someday, but it is not the key to winning the lost and hopeless in our communities. Those who think so are remaining in the comfort zone.
If you desire to see the lost, hopeless and hurting reached with the Gospel, you have to take the Word to them. You have to go where the people are, and this does not involve a 3.5 million dollar facility with freeway frontage. It involves getting out and getting into the trenches. It involves door-knocking, apartment ministries, VBS, following up with those who the church has reached out to, even though it involves going to a house or neighborhood that is not in a good part of town. (Don't place yourself in unnecessary danger, but you can visit someone in the other side of town without harm if you are minding your business. Keep in mind, I'm using small-town Brownwood references here. I wouldn't advise going to Deep Ellum by yourself.)
The main factor in success in reaching the lost and hopeless, who are reachable, is the ability to connect with them one-on-one. If they know you care about them, they will follow... but you have to truly care. These people are street smart, and they can spot fake care a mile away.
So, let's get out of our comfort zones. Let's approve the coming changes to the mission policy that will give missionaries the freedom to work the fields. Let's get more courageous about mission work and begin sending out more missionaries (and quit using money as an excuse as to why we can't be a sending church). And let's get busy ourselves getting back into the trenches and doing battle for the Lord over the lost souls in our hometowns.
Friday, March 13, 2009
A 'Magical' Night
We had 36 in attendance tonight at the Market Place Apartments as Bro. Ken and Sis. Barbara Sibley presented the Gospel using illusions to illustrate their message. It was truly a blessed night, and I'm looking forward to big things at Market Place in the coming weeks. Tonight's crowd was our biggest ever at Market Place.
Tomorrow night at 6, the Sibleys will be at the Brownwood Housing Authority, and Sunday morning, they'll be at Grace Pointe.
Tomorrow night at 6, the Sibleys will be at the Brownwood Housing Authority, and Sunday morning, they'll be at Grace Pointe.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Catching Up
With the end of the year, I have been frantically running to renew my annual advertising contracts for KSTA radio, plus the usual holiday celebrations (both Christmas and New Year's), weekly outreach canvassing activities, dates with my wife and the preparation of sermons and Bible studies. Thus, I haven't had much blogging time lately.
It seems though, as things are calming down, so I have time to give you an update. One of our regular attendees was in Central Texas last weekend, and another family was sick, so we wound up with 8 people present for the second Sunday morning in a row. While that did shoot down my Morning Worship average for my monthly report, the truth is that I am not doing this work for the sake of filing reports.
Last week, we didn't have services at Market Place due to it being Christmas Eve. We are having services tonight, though.
Currently, we are working to bring more people into the Grace Pointe fold.
It seems though, as things are calming down, so I have time to give you an update. One of our regular attendees was in Central Texas last weekend, and another family was sick, so we wound up with 8 people present for the second Sunday morning in a row. While that did shoot down my Morning Worship average for my monthly report, the truth is that I am not doing this work for the sake of filing reports.
Last week, we didn't have services at Market Place due to it being Christmas Eve. We are having services tonight, though.
Currently, we are working to bring more people into the Grace Pointe fold.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Canvassing efforts
We bought 600 door hangers that read "A New Beginning" and 300 that read "Extreme Home Makeover, Family Edition." The "Extreme Home Makeover" door hangers are for a sermon series I have coming up in February on restoring the family from Nehemiah. We'll be handing out the "New Beginning" hangers throughout the rest of December and January.
Our presence in the apartment complex is pretty interesting. We can hold services, invite people to church, but we've been cautioned against repeated door-knocking. So, we can put out these door hangers every single week.
Today, Jessica and I put out 200 door hangers at the Brownwood Apts I & II complexes, La Villita, and another nameless complex within a stone's throw of the Phase II community room.
Also, we'll begin having midweek services there on Tuesday nights (mostly Awana), as I have gotten clearance from management to use the room on Tuesdays. Management at the apartments has been really responsive, receptive and enthusiastic about our ministry, and we are glad to be able to help.
Our presence in the apartment complex is pretty interesting. We can hold services, invite people to church, but we've been cautioned against repeated door-knocking. So, we can put out these door hangers every single week.
Today, Jessica and I put out 200 door hangers at the Brownwood Apts I & II complexes, La Villita, and another nameless complex within a stone's throw of the Phase II community room.
Also, we'll begin having midweek services there on Tuesday nights (mostly Awana), as I have gotten clearance from management to use the room on Tuesdays. Management at the apartments has been really responsive, receptive and enthusiastic about our ministry, and we are glad to be able to help.
Monday, December 15, 2008
One big church, or many small churches
Which would be more effective in reaching a community for Christ... a church of 1,000, or 10 churches of 100?
Or, how about one church of 500, or 10 churches of 50?
Or, how about one church of 500, or 10 churches of 50?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Pushing Forward
We have canvassed the main complex of the Brownwood Housing Authority and will canvass two of their satellite complexes today, plus the surrounding neighborhood until our door hangers and tracts run out.
Signage advertising the VBS is also going up today (various issues have delayed this until today), and I have placed a notice in the local paper. Hopefully, we'll get a good turnout for VBS.
Signage advertising the VBS is also going up today (various issues have delayed this until today), and I have placed a notice in the local paper. Hopefully, we'll get a good turnout for VBS.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Why are we losing the younger generation?
This question has been discussed over and over again on blogs from several ABA ministers, as well as SBC experts, as well as church planting/growth gurus on CNN.
Some who examine this question are close to nailing the issue, while others miss the point altogether.
If you really want to know why we lose so many young people when they leave for college, it would help to think like an 18-year old. Such is not too difficult, as most of us have been 18 at one time in our lives.
In May 1996, I graduated high school. I spent the summer working for my grandfather who maintained a cemetery. I also attended summer classes at Jacksonville College. (I had actually been attending Jacksonville College since the summer prior to my senior year in high school. I graduated from high school as a college sophomore).
I eagerly anticipated the arrival of August, as I had landed a full scholarship to join Kilgore College's nationally ranked debate team. August rolled around, and I packed my stuff into my 1983 Ford F-150, and took off down State Highway 135 from Jacksonville to Kilgore.
All I kept thinking was "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I'm free at last."
I arrived at Kilgore College, checked in with the dorm supervisor, registered for classes and unpacked. I sat in my room, taking it all in, then I hit the town. I had money, freedom, no curfew, no accounting for where I had been, and I took full advantage of that freedom that night (No innuendos intended... I stayed out late going to restaurants and hanging out at the mall).
I quickly made friends with some of the other guys at the dorm. I had a chance ot reinvent myself from the awkward Leland of Jacksonville to super cool Leland of Kilgore.
I missed church that Wednesday... then again Sunday. Wednesday, I was out with my new friends. Sunday, I slept in.
This behavior continued on through that year at Kilgore. Why would I want to go to church? I wanted to be with my friends. I wanted to be cool. Not that going to church wasn't cool... it's just my friends were not at church.
I graduated Kilgore after that year and transferred to Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. While I continued to "reinvent" myself, and my lifestyle had gotten worse, I managed to stay in contact with God's people through the Association of Baptist Students (ABS).
The ABS was the Baptist Missionary Association's student ministry, much like our MBSF (Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship). It was a beautiful thing. I made friends there, some who were quirkier than me.
Church attendance was still almost non-existant... as I had other things to do. Wednesdays, I was out with my non-Christian friends. Sundays, I had taken an airshift at a local radio station. (Church was good, but I had a career to build).
Still, there was the ABS... Fellowship night on Tuesday where we went putt-putting, bowling, or even better, out to eat... and Bible study on Thursday.
Over time, I drew closer to my Christian friends at the ABS. They even provided me with refuge when I needed it. Slowly but surely, I began to clean up my life and began to think about my relationship with God (which unbeknownst to me at the time, was non-existant.) I still messed up, but the ABS was always there to welcome me back, rebuke me, encourage me, teach me and nurture me.
It was through the ABS that I eventually went to University Baptist Church in Nacogdoches. It was there I met Jessica, my southern Californian beauty.
It was through her loving patience that I came to know Christ as my Savior.
Where would I be without the patient ministering of the ABS director and the students he worked with? Only God knows.
Why are we losing the younger generations? Two reasons.
1. We have lost the ability to think like them. I've heard it said if you want to catch fish, you have to think like a fish. To catch the youth, we have to think like the youth. Young people (18-24) have a newly found freedom. They don't want to come to church (like their parents may have made them). Church dampens their freedom. They have to get up Sunday morning, miss time with friends Wednesday evening, and there are rules to follow, expectations to be met (you know, don't drink, smoke, party, etc). I'm not saying that the way we do church is wrong... University didn't alter its Sunday morning worship schedule or format to accomodate me. We just have to realize what is important to young people and work within that.
Young people want their freedom and friends. The thing that drew me to ABS was not the praise band (they didn't have one), it was the friendships. We should find ways to minister to young people to foster this level of fellowship.
2. We aren't where they are! More young people go to college now than ever before... almost to the point that college is being referred to in some circles as the new high school. Some students go to four-year institutions right out of high school. Some go to community college. Some go to vocational schools. Right now, in Texas, I think there are four or five MBSF's on college campuses. There is West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas A&M in College Station, Texas Tech in Lubbock... that's all I can name off the top of my head.
I'm told there is one at SFA, but it must be dormant because when I went to school there (1997-99) and when I have since visited, there is no evidence of such an organization on campus.
I have heard the one at UT-Tyler is no longer in existence... but it may just be that they don't have a director.
Why are we losing young people? Because when they go to college, they are no longer required to go to an ABA church. Their parents aren't there to make them go, and we're not there to minister to them.
If a church decides to rectify this and start an MBSF, they'll wind up going it alone as many churches and pastors in our associated work see little value in supporting a college ministry. After-all, their thinking is that it won't produce a self-supporting New Testament church, therefore it isn't mission work.
What they fail to see is the number of students answer the call to preach while in college and attending an MBSF, how many go on to be missionaries, and how many are saved. You want to send the Gospel into all the world? Send it to college, where the people are there for a few years being equipped so they can go into all the world.
(The guy who first invited me to ABS is now teaching English in South Korea. That was after he starred in some independent films in San Jose, California. Nothing bad, I assure you.)
I'm not trying to be the expert here, nor am I trying to revolutionize the ministries of the ABA. I certainly don't have all the answers. My goal here was to share my story (as I was a youth who fell out of church in college), and share some thoughts on possible solutions.
I also wanted to advocate the idea of supporting and starting new MBSF works in Texas. Starting an MBSF is simple... usually you need three students to be recognized as an official campus organization. Some campuses require the student leadership to attend a training seminar, some require that the organization have a university employee designated as a sponsor.
You will probably be able to find three students on any given campus in Texas with Missionary Baptist backgrounds. (University of Texas, enrollment 150,000; SFA, enrollment 12,000).
Getting the official campus organization designation opens university facilities for meetings and functions, and opens the door to advertise on campus.
The benefits to an MBSF are immeasureable. MBSFs in Arkansas are thriving, sending their students on missions trips to the Navajo reservation, as well as some going overseas. Many of these students surrender to the ministry and go on to be pastors and missionaries. We'll never know the benefit of that.
These are just some thoughts that I have. I welcome any discussion, and won't be offended if there isn't any.
Some who examine this question are close to nailing the issue, while others miss the point altogether.
If you really want to know why we lose so many young people when they leave for college, it would help to think like an 18-year old. Such is not too difficult, as most of us have been 18 at one time in our lives.
In May 1996, I graduated high school. I spent the summer working for my grandfather who maintained a cemetery. I also attended summer classes at Jacksonville College. (I had actually been attending Jacksonville College since the summer prior to my senior year in high school. I graduated from high school as a college sophomore).
I eagerly anticipated the arrival of August, as I had landed a full scholarship to join Kilgore College's nationally ranked debate team. August rolled around, and I packed my stuff into my 1983 Ford F-150, and took off down State Highway 135 from Jacksonville to Kilgore.
All I kept thinking was "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I'm free at last."
I arrived at Kilgore College, checked in with the dorm supervisor, registered for classes and unpacked. I sat in my room, taking it all in, then I hit the town. I had money, freedom, no curfew, no accounting for where I had been, and I took full advantage of that freedom that night (No innuendos intended... I stayed out late going to restaurants and hanging out at the mall).
I quickly made friends with some of the other guys at the dorm. I had a chance ot reinvent myself from the awkward Leland of Jacksonville to super cool Leland of Kilgore.
I missed church that Wednesday... then again Sunday. Wednesday, I was out with my new friends. Sunday, I slept in.
This behavior continued on through that year at Kilgore. Why would I want to go to church? I wanted to be with my friends. I wanted to be cool. Not that going to church wasn't cool... it's just my friends were not at church.
I graduated Kilgore after that year and transferred to Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. While I continued to "reinvent" myself, and my lifestyle had gotten worse, I managed to stay in contact with God's people through the Association of Baptist Students (ABS).
The ABS was the Baptist Missionary Association's student ministry, much like our MBSF (Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship). It was a beautiful thing. I made friends there, some who were quirkier than me.
Church attendance was still almost non-existant... as I had other things to do. Wednesdays, I was out with my non-Christian friends. Sundays, I had taken an airshift at a local radio station. (Church was good, but I had a career to build).
Still, there was the ABS... Fellowship night on Tuesday where we went putt-putting, bowling, or even better, out to eat... and Bible study on Thursday.
Over time, I drew closer to my Christian friends at the ABS. They even provided me with refuge when I needed it. Slowly but surely, I began to clean up my life and began to think about my relationship with God (which unbeknownst to me at the time, was non-existant.) I still messed up, but the ABS was always there to welcome me back, rebuke me, encourage me, teach me and nurture me.
It was through the ABS that I eventually went to University Baptist Church in Nacogdoches. It was there I met Jessica, my southern Californian beauty.
It was through her loving patience that I came to know Christ as my Savior.
Where would I be without the patient ministering of the ABS director and the students he worked with? Only God knows.
Why are we losing the younger generations? Two reasons.
1. We have lost the ability to think like them. I've heard it said if you want to catch fish, you have to think like a fish. To catch the youth, we have to think like the youth. Young people (18-24) have a newly found freedom. They don't want to come to church (like their parents may have made them). Church dampens their freedom. They have to get up Sunday morning, miss time with friends Wednesday evening, and there are rules to follow, expectations to be met (you know, don't drink, smoke, party, etc). I'm not saying that the way we do church is wrong... University didn't alter its Sunday morning worship schedule or format to accomodate me. We just have to realize what is important to young people and work within that.
Young people want their freedom and friends. The thing that drew me to ABS was not the praise band (they didn't have one), it was the friendships. We should find ways to minister to young people to foster this level of fellowship.
2. We aren't where they are! More young people go to college now than ever before... almost to the point that college is being referred to in some circles as the new high school. Some students go to four-year institutions right out of high school. Some go to community college. Some go to vocational schools. Right now, in Texas, I think there are four or five MBSF's on college campuses. There is West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas A&M in College Station, Texas Tech in Lubbock... that's all I can name off the top of my head.
I'm told there is one at SFA, but it must be dormant because when I went to school there (1997-99) and when I have since visited, there is no evidence of such an organization on campus.
I have heard the one at UT-Tyler is no longer in existence... but it may just be that they don't have a director.
Why are we losing young people? Because when they go to college, they are no longer required to go to an ABA church. Their parents aren't there to make them go, and we're not there to minister to them.
If a church decides to rectify this and start an MBSF, they'll wind up going it alone as many churches and pastors in our associated work see little value in supporting a college ministry. After-all, their thinking is that it won't produce a self-supporting New Testament church, therefore it isn't mission work.
What they fail to see is the number of students answer the call to preach while in college and attending an MBSF, how many go on to be missionaries, and how many are saved. You want to send the Gospel into all the world? Send it to college, where the people are there for a few years being equipped so they can go into all the world.
(The guy who first invited me to ABS is now teaching English in South Korea. That was after he starred in some independent films in San Jose, California. Nothing bad, I assure you.)
I'm not trying to be the expert here, nor am I trying to revolutionize the ministries of the ABA. I certainly don't have all the answers. My goal here was to share my story (as I was a youth who fell out of church in college), and share some thoughts on possible solutions.
I also wanted to advocate the idea of supporting and starting new MBSF works in Texas. Starting an MBSF is simple... usually you need three students to be recognized as an official campus organization. Some campuses require the student leadership to attend a training seminar, some require that the organization have a university employee designated as a sponsor.
You will probably be able to find three students on any given campus in Texas with Missionary Baptist backgrounds. (University of Texas, enrollment 150,000; SFA, enrollment 12,000).
Getting the official campus organization designation opens university facilities for meetings and functions, and opens the door to advertise on campus.
The benefits to an MBSF are immeasureable. MBSFs in Arkansas are thriving, sending their students on missions trips to the Navajo reservation, as well as some going overseas. Many of these students surrender to the ministry and go on to be pastors and missionaries. We'll never know the benefit of that.
These are just some thoughts that I have. I welcome any discussion, and won't be offended if there isn't any.
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