Failing at the Way We “Do” Church
Something that constantly rests on my mind is the major trend in the most churched countries in our world. The nations that have led the way in Christian movement for the past century are diminishing. Some of it is inevitable, as people reject Christianity they begin to learn how to run it out of their families, towns, and states. Some of it is due to the way God chooses to work, and is evidence of the fact that He is doing something different in those places. But from my perspective, a significant part of it has to do with the fact that we are simply doing church poorly. We have added so much baggage to what it really is, that the Christian life and the Christian message are muffled.
I hate statistics, especially all the ridiculous stats that I hear from the Barna group week after week. But this one from Willow Creek is pretty challenging, and fairly true.
In the United States, with more than 162 million self-professed Christians, the news is sobering. Each year, between three to five thousand churches in the United States hold their last service, close their doors, and put up the “for sale” sign. Statistics indicate that from 1999 to 2009 the combined membership of the major Protestant denominations declined 6 percent, while the national population has increased 12 percent. The proportion of Americans who claim to have “no religion” has increased to 15 percent, up from 8.2 percent in 1990.
We need to do church differently...very differently. And although I have some ideas, I want to spark your thoughts more than I want to hand you answers. My main exhortations to you are these...
1. Evaluate the church based on the need of the world, not on what feels good. Ask, how can my church preach to and disciple 1 million people? Not 10, not 100, 1 million. Use a big goal, not a simple one. The world is a big place, it needs churches with BIG goals.
2. Look at the churches that are growing rapidly outside the U.S. and ask yourself, should church look more like that? Why is that working?
3. Make sure your church model can be reproduced. Church is about multiplication. Can my church model be used to start 100 other churches? Why or why not?
Preaching Again…The Reality of Rewards
So I find myself preaching once again, and to tell the truth, its still a lot harder than it looks!
I've had practice, I have evaluations, and yet, it requires more and more and more. Preaching is like learning to drive a car with a manual transmission: you can get the basics down with a little bit of practice, but to really get good, you need to log some hours in the car. Let's face it, until you have some practice, you will get from point A to point B, but the car ride will be less than smooth.
That being said, I have two sermons to preach this semester: Eternal Rewards for Believers, and Responding to Disaster. The first one has been posted below: my outline, my manuscript, and the audio from my presentation. In it, I work to answer some common questions: Are we really going to be rewarded in heaven? Should I be motivated by rewards? Aren't rewards manipulative?
Sermon Texts and Explanation (Exegesis)
I hope you enjoy it...it won't be super smooth, but I hope it will be informative and challenging!
The Future of Missions Involves Effectively Reaching the Cities
The cities of America are filled with new ethnic groups that are virtually unreached. Surrounded by the megachurches of the majority, they go ignored because they are different, because they speak a funny language, and because the church members are absorbed in lives that barely notice them.
The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention is working hard to re-educate the church on reaching the lost cultures inside their own American nation. If you are nearby and want to have your eyes opened, I exhort you to go to their conferences; New York, N.Y. (Oct. 20-22, 2011) | Houston, Texas (Nov. 17-19, 2011) | Vancouver, Canada (May 3-5, 2012)
The First Service of Prestonwood Dallas: Glory to God!
This past Sunday was the first ever service for the Prestonwood Dallas church campus. Despite spending the week assembling furniture, cleaning rooms, and setting up the sanctuary--activities that culminated in the carpet install finishing at 5am Sunday morning--we were ready for 2,000 guests at 10am on Sunday. And the best part: God was ready to welcome those 2,000 guests.
God has been at work setting up this new church for months now, pointing us to the facility, reaching people in the area with the desire to encounter Him through the church, and equipping people to serve as ushers, greeters, media coordinators, worshippers, pastors, and children's ministers. Everything from the carpet to the sermon ultimately got its start in His initiative. Stacy and I were simply thrilled to be a part of it, and to feel the Holy Spirit at work in that place. Stacy and I have been growing alongside everyone else during this process--I spent the morning of the first service overwhelmed by my own personal encounters with Him--God had something for all of us that day.
Many months of new beginnings lie ahead for us in this new facility, and if you are looking for a church home in the North Dallas area, please join us! We would love to host you, and God would love to encounter you here...
Could the Church Reach All the Nations in Your Lifetime???
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20
"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
Christian leaders in the United States have high hopes for the near future. Christian movements in India, China, South America, the Middle East, and elsewhere seem to have tipped the scales in our favor, opening the floodgates of the gospel and for more workers to spread the message. For once, reaching all the nations seems to be a goal that we can reach in a generation.
Isn’t that exciting?!
New Evangelism Tools are helping with the spread of information, as radio transmitters, internet evangelism sites, cell phones, and other devices transmit Christian programming 24/7 audibly, visually, and in the heart language of people all around the world. The Jesus film continues to be one of the most amazing evangelism tools in the world today, available in over 1,100 languages at present.
So what does that mean for me? What does that mean for missions?
Unfortunately, the people groups left in the world today are some of the hardest groups to reach…and the quickly expanding body of Christ means we need more people who are willing and equipped to deepen new believers’ faiths – pastors, teachers, and lay leaders. There’s no shortage of need for workers or funding at the present time. More than ever, we need people who are willing to sacrifice the comforts of a ‘normal’ American lifestyle in order to work among people who don’t have written languages, bilingual people, or running water. We need people who will risk their lives to reach people who remain God’s enemies, and our enemies.
If you’re not involved, please, get involved with missions in some capacity. Go, Pray, or Give via the International Mission Board or another agency. www.imb.org
Read more on reaching the world at Christian Post.
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