89 Days With Jesus

Recently, I sat in a denominational meeting. The discussion was about a particular program, organizational structure, and the implementation. In the middle of the heated discussion, the argument was interrupted by my friend, Vance, who said, “What we have here is a Jesus problem.” Then he proceeded to deal with what I believe is the basic problem that the Church must face: How do we place Jesus Christ at the center of all that we’re doing and trying to do in the Church today? There are strategic plans, goals, programs, staff; there is complaining about someone’s leadership or another group’s theological position; the laity complain about needing a better pastor, and the pastors complain about needing a better congregation. 

Vance is right – what we have is a Jesus problem. Somehow, in the midst of all of our highly developed and sophisticated solutions, we need to get back to following Jesus Christ. That’s not a simplistic, evangelical criticism of the Church; it’s just the point that we must let the main thing be the main thing. If what we do is not based upon a clear commitment to Christ, an understanding of His teachings, and willingness to follow Him, we become hypocritical, confused, and ineffective.

Certainly, though it may be hard to say, it’s not always easy to ascertain the Christ-centered approach, but that’s our job. As I wrestled with how to get this clear for us as the Church, it seems that the simple answer is to begin by reading, studying, discussing the four Gospels. There are other things we can do to get on track – prayer, retreats, change of priorities, clearer responsibilities, better loving relationships. It seems to me, however, if we don’t remember clearly what Jesus Christ taught and who He is, we can continue to emphasize the wrong things.

There are 89 chapters in the four Gospels. Why not spend the next 89 days with Jesus? Join me, the Christyle Community, and Christians all across the nation in reading through those chapters as a start to getting our priorities in personal life, church life, business life, and the life of our country back on track. Follow along with our Facebook event (you will need a Facebook account to access the information).

I also have developed some free materials to help guide the study. Email me if you are interested!

Accountability

One of the hardest things in life is to deal with the issue of accountability. Certainly, God has promised us His forgiveness and love. God has placed in our world so many blessings and so many things to enjoy. Part of that is to enjoy God’s loving forgiveness. At the same time, the Bible is clear about accountability. In Galatians 6, Paul writes in vv. 7-9,

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This interesting statement about reaping what we sow makes it clear that there is accountability. So much is said in our society today about our culture being a kind of “entitlement culture”; that is, we feel entitled to get so many benefits without ever doing the work or putting forth the effort for them. Matthew 25 is very clear in three stories that Jesus told that there is an accountability for what we do. It seems to me that this simple idea of reaping what we sow is not a harsh thing but a healthy thing for all of us to understand. We teach our children to study their lessons for school so that they learn. Yet, we, as adults, often skip responsibilities, don’t follow the teachings of Jesus, and expect there to be no accountability or consequences.

In Matthew 25, Jesus says that there is a judgment day. We will be separated: sheep from goats. In the same chapter, He tells us that we will be judged on what we do with what we have been given, that we will be allowed into the feast only if we are prepared. I know this sounds like your mother telling you to pick up your clothes, your teacher telling you to do your studies, or the highway patrolman telling you to slow down.

I pray that we remember that accountability is a good thing for governments, church leaders, and average, ordinary people like me and you!

Final Instructions

Our culture in the United States has shifted significantly in the last 15 years. There was a time when we truly were a nation that celebrated being “under God.” Today, while we may historically be a nation under God, our culture is much more non-Christian, agnostic, or atheistic. We claim to practice freedom of religion, but there are a lot of negative comments toward the Christian in our culture today. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the average Christian to share the faith. Yet, when you read Matthew 28:18-20, there is no question about it. Jesus’ final instructions were to go make disciples. It wasn’t a choice; it was a commandment. Since that time, theologians have called it the Great Commission. Whatever we call it, these were His final instructions.

I have struggled greatly with this understanding throughout my entire ministry. Making disciples is so important. Yet, as our culture has changed in the last 15 years, I have come to realize that sometimes it is very difficult for a Christian to share his faith. The criticisms are great; the lack of concern is significant. Still, we are called to make disciples.

It is out of this concern that I have written a book called TELL. It is about how to share your faith in a very secular time – how to tell the story of Jesus Christ in a sometimes agnostic world – how to share the faith with your skeptical nephew who hasn’t been to church since he was three; how to explain your beliefs without getting into arguments or creating confusion about the differences of denominations and the points of view of individual Christians.

The fact that the culture has changed and it’s difficult to share is not a valid excuse for not sharing our faith. It is simply a description of where we are called to share and work. The book TELL deals clearly with four ideas that are absolutely necessary for us to be effective in telling others about Jesus Christ. The the publisher finished the book last week; it is available through our website or by emailing us here. See our website for more details about the book and read some very motivating endorsements from church leaders across the country! 

If you would like me to speak on evangelism in your local church, please email us here. Like us on Facebook and follow us Twitter!

Photo Credit: Busy Nation Under God Contemporary Flag Oil Painting by Laurie
painting by artist Laurie Justus Pace taken from http://www.dailypainters.com/paintings/69654/Busy-Nation-Under-God-Contemporary-Flag-Oil-Painting-by-Laurie-Pace/.

Methodist Tsunami

Lovett H. Weems, Jr. - UMC Realities from Lewis Center on Vimeo.

What Lovett Weems says in his presentation on the status of the United Methodist Church is powerful and scary. The statistics are clear. We have been declining and we will decline more with the death rate of older Americans.

Lovett discusses the financial adjustments that need to be made. Certainly, that is powerful and realistic, but the real answer isn’t in financial adjustments; it is in evangelism, enthusiasm, and making disciples of Jesus Christ. It isn’t in a membership campaign or effort to save the institution by recruiting a few more young members.  It is imperative to do what Jesus taught, follow the Great Commission, and make disciples. Somehow evangelism has become a topic that is hard for persons to deal with.

I’m teaching on evangelism all across the United States, speaking in every geographic section, large churches, small churches, districts, other judicatory gatherings. There is probably no American clergy today speaking more on evangelism than I am. What I am finding is encouraging. I am excited about the response of the laity and clergy across the Church. We are ready to do something about this. We are ready to reach people for Christ. But we desperately need more training, understanding and, practical help. I would love to know your response, questions and ideas!

Preaching Conference

We just finished holding a three-day event that we called an Evangelism Conference and Preaching Academy.  It was held in Dallas, and the response to it was fantastic.  Particularly exciting is the response to the preaching part of this event.  We had two of the best-known preachers in the country who spoke to us about preaching, John Ed Mathison and Jim Moore.  We also had the associate pastor at First Church Arlington, Estee Valendy, a 28-year-old clergy in her beginning years of preaching, who spoke to us about preaching to the younger generation.  Alyce McKenzie of Perkins School of Theology, Bill Lawrence, and David Mosser spoke about preaching today in a variety of ways.  We held panel discussions and had numerous workshops.  One of the really helpful aspects was a workshop with noted speech and drama teacher, Diane Stamper, who really provided coaching.  The response by the participants was fantastic, and the evaluations showed how helpful this was. 

I want to do it again, and I’d like your ideas.  We’re currently working on getting a brand new, redesigned website up and running, so check back with us soon here and let’s dialogue about what is needed to help all of us to do a better job of preaching in this highly secular world.  Even better, let us know on our Facebook page or email me.  

Needs-Based Preaching

Too often, our ministry does not relate to the real needs of those we are attempting to minister to.  The power of Jesus Christ is the power to relate to where we are and where we hurt. Jesus said in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”  If this was His ministry, and if He asked us to follow Him, then the Church ought to be doing the same thing.  We need to be responding to the real needs of our society.  Too often, when we prepare sermons, we do it to share the particular ideas that we feel are important but which may have nothing to do with the needs of the people.  We share concepts of doctrines and principles that may be important in a scholarly discussion in seminary, but, for a young mom who is struggling to raise her children, they are irrelevant.  So often, we explain and proclaim as if we were motivating other clergy rather than laity who live in a very secular world where most of the vocabulary of the Church is misunderstood or irrelevant. 

We are called to respond to the needs.  In Matthew 25, Jesus said, “If you have done it for the least of these, you have done it for me.”  The standard of being okay with God is to be a sheep instead of a goat – meet needs.   

What After Easter?

As pastors and church leaders experience the excitement of the seasons of Christianity, there are ups and downs in our emotions. After Easter, we are tired. We have been so busy and it has been so intense. After the Easter pressure, we feel we deserve a break. We do! There is nothing wrong with taking a break. Yet when the local churches program takes a break – we do less ministry or provide fewer opportunities for learning or fellowship – then a people begin to think that it is only worth going to church at Christmas and Easter. We sometimes gripe about having only a Christmas and Easter crowd but one of the reasons is that is when we do our best ministry and programming and so people tend to think that is the time to attend church.

Lots of churches across America have come to realize that Christmas and Easter are an opportune times to launch new programs and new ministries in order to encourage people to return the following Sunday. When Sundays are a letdown with less emphasis, programming, ministry, and care, we tell the congregation that it is less important.

Some simple guidelines that I have learned through trial and error: first, if I am going to be off a Sunday or two after Easter or Christmas make sure you have the best substitute you can find. You need someone as good or better than yourself to preach the Sunday that you are gone. Second, you need a new emphasis: start a new sermon series or ministry, using the excitement of Christmas or Easter to launch it. Use the Lent and Advent season to really plug the new ministry. Third, we need to be sure that the ministry of the church continues every week through the entire year. The work of God is year-round work.

People are creatures of habit. The church work does not have a vacation. The need for the Gospel is always there. Members as well as visitors participation oftentimes flow with the excitement of the program and demand of the involvement with the church. Years ago, my friend Lyle Schaller did research about churches that are growing and wrote some significant explanations comparing what he called “high-demand” churches and “voluntary associations”. The high-demand churches were the ones that were growing, people respond positively to the challenge, the demands and opportunity. If we want to reach more people for Christ and have people becoming more fully devoted disciples of Christ, then the church never takes a vacation. The Christian community is always open, responsive, helpful, active, and demanding.

My exhausted friend, after Lent and Easter says “I need to take a break”, and the answer is – you deserve a break today and some time off but our task as a leader is to see that the quality and excitement of the church goes on whether we are in town or on vacation. That is not hard to do at all!

Loyalty and the Last Supper

Churches all around the world will celebrate the sacrament of the Holy Communion this evening. It is the night of the Last Supper. The night when Jesus was so close and clear with his friends. It is also the night that he was captured and they ran away. So much in our world has to do with loyalty. Loyalty to value and purpose. The story of Jesus’ crucifixion is about his loyalty to his calling from God and the response of many of his friends and followers is a story of their struggle with loyalty. I believe the church today needs to reconsider our loyalty. The powerful message of Jesus is a call to loyalty.

Effective

Leadership Nexus has been committed to doing the most effective job of teaching and training possible. My experience as the leader of the Large Church Initiative and Robert Schuler’s Churches United for Growth and Mission, really taught me how important effective teaching and training is for the church. Seminary education provides a portion of our training but not nearly all of what we need to know to be effective. I remember over the years of my ministry going to LCI events, Robert Schuler’s training, or other events and receiving inspiration and insight into doing God’s work better. I would love to have your suggestions about what is needed for training. Business and industry is now finding that doing webinars or online seminars is the way to do training. It is much less expensive and more convenient. I’d love to hear your response on what is the best way to do training today.

Preaching & Communication

I organized the Leadership Nexus ministry with the goal to serve the needs of the Church – to provide the kind of training that we need to be more effective in our task. I have asked a lot of people what kind of training they feel we need, and I get a lot of interesting answers! Most consistently, however, the answer I get from administrators in the Church, like Bishops, superintendents, and lay leaders of various denominations, is that clergy need help with their preaching. Recently, as I have spoken to several of my friends who are Bishops, they have described our preaching as “terrible.” That is a pretty negative commentary.

Today, we research and develop most everything we do in our society. We have learned how to travel faster, fly further, and communicate better. Communication has become the focus of so much research and development. Social networking, movies, television production, theater, and the arts have come to specialize in the science of communication. We have studied learning theory and realized that people learn in different ways. We have studied communication through body language and realized how important our posture, hand movements, and eye movements are in communicating. We have become experts in relationships and learned that the way in which we speak – the language, the pronouns we use – has so much to do with the relationship of communication. We have realized that stories and pictures, movement and sound are important in communicating. Therefore, the communication industry is operating with a new effectiveness by using this research and these techniques. We have realized that music is useful for setting the mood and creating motivation. All of these advancements and extensive research have provided the tools for advertisers, movie and television production and all areas of communication.

So often, the Church has only relied upon the simplest spoken word form of communication. Certainly, very cognitive, logically sequenced ideas communicate, but, all too often, it’s the emotion, the drama, the feeling, and the mood that create the motivation for significant decisions and major learning.

Out of our academic, logical learning experiences in seminary, too often, we have come to see the sermon as an extension of a graduate course and the worship service as nothing more than a lecture. In our high-tech, emotionally-loaded, communication-focused world, the sermon is simply boring. In a world that so desperately needs to hear the Good News, it’s time that we who have taken on the responsibility to be the preachers learn how to communicate effectively, and to lead people to make decisions to follow Christ. It’s time that all of us find the ways, means, styles, systems, and ideas that make our presentation of the Gospel attractive, clear, motivational, and helpful!

I’m committed to finding a way that we can do preaching academies across the United States to preach, share, and learn from each other on how to communicate better and better. The need is so great! The opportunity is now. As church attendance has declined all across the country, one of the reasons may be a direct proportion to our lack of communication abilities. It’s time for us, clergy of all types and styles, to become highly effective communicators of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Preaching Academy - May 2-4 Arlington, TX


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The Emergent Church

In 1955 the movie called “Rebel without a Cause,” starring James Dean and Natalie Wood, was produced. This drama caught lots of public attention in a significant way. I suppose many of us have been rebels with a cause or without a cause. Sometimes we just want to change things. Sometimes we want to change for a good reason. One of the debates about the Emergent Church today is that the movement is “a lot of rebels without a cause.” Many others believe they are persons who just want change. Some say they are too liberal and some say those caught in this movement are too conservative. The Emergent Church movement is lead by many exciting authors and leaders. Some very exciting things are happening for the Church of Jesus Christ and for the Kingdom of God. There are also mistakes being made and foolish ideas being proposed. One of the persons I have found most helpful in interpreting the kind of changes that are happening is Phyllis Tickle. She is a genius woman, brilliant! You need to read her book, The Great Emergence. Leadership Nexus with the help of St. Luke’s UMC in Memphis is holding what we are calling “Navigate” with Phyllis Tickle as the principle speaker. Visit our “Navigate” webpage for more information.