This picture was, and still is, the most meaningful image I came across on the afternoon of 9.11.01

I was shaving.  Dallas, Texas.  Tuesday.  the 11th of September.  2001.

Running a bit late for work I turned on the news as I was getting ready.  Both towers were in flames.  There was speculation about other targets, buildings, fires, and planes.

They kept replaying the footage of the ‘explosions’ at the Towers.  At moments not even sure they had been planes that hit the building.  Everything was happening too fast.  Live.

I picked up the pace.  Then, as I watched, the South Tower fell.

At that moment the entire country experienced a collective moment of dissonance. disbelief. separation from self, reality.

for a moment, an entire nation failed to breathe.  hearts skipped a beat.  shock.  adrenaline.

the world seemed to slow on it’s axis.  coming to a halt.

for a moment.

then slowly speeding up again, we all tried to digest a lifetime’s worth of emotions in the space of single moment.

warp speed.

from that moment forward my memories of September 11th are less like a fluid sequence of actions and thoughts more like a staccato recollection of emotions.  a machine gun like barrage of pictures loosely strung together with sounds and feelings.

the phone call to mom on the way to work to say i was ok.  she was worried because i worked at a huge church in a large city.  she wasn’t sure we wouldn’t be targeted.

a hastily formed meeting with pastors and media staff to plan for the crowds.  we didn’t invite anyone but we instinctively knew they’d come.  they did.

standing outside the building, earbud in place, watching all that entered.  half security, half abandonment.

opening the sanctuary for prayer.  choosing music. selections from michael w. smith’s freedom project.  the title only now seems appropriate and sarcastic.

a mighty fortress is our god.  a hymn.  it seemed to fit the need of our soul.

a hastily edited video of stills from the war zone once known as new york city.

a stirring message from the only person, other than the president and the anchor, we wanted to hear from that day.  our pastor.

crowds.  crowds in church like no time before or since.

an openness.  an openness to light.  to darkness.  to god.  to hate.

an comfortable awareness that our souls were showing.  an awareness that would only later become uncomfortable

patriotism.  of the sort that had not been, and soon would not be, acceptable.

unity.

In 2003, I wrote this about that day:

“Two years ago today, everything changed. Early that morning the entire media department huddled in my boss’s office for prayer. At that time we didn’t know why the planes had hit the buildings… we weren’t even sure that more buildings weren’t soon to follow. Could Dallas be next? There were SO many unanswered questions, yet there was one thing we knew for certain: God was in control. The ensuing hours and days were long and arduous. We experienced great highs as thousands of unchurched seekers came through our doors. There were also tremendous lows as we cried alongside the hundreds of hurting people who stopped by the church hoping to find healing for emotional wounds.In crisis we cry out for a connection with our Creator. This September 11th, I hope that you will take a moment to remember that dark day. Many of those who filled our pews two years ago are still unchurched and destined for an eternity in hell. For Christians, 9/11 should not be an occasion for political maneuvering or “God and Country rallies”, it should instead push us toward inner spiritual revival and action.”

Where were you?

but more importantly… where are you now.

Okay, let’s get this out of the way up front. I’m not writing this post to say that all megachurches are great or perfect because we all know that megachurches can have their flaws and weaknesses just like any size church can.

However, I’ve heard three common myths about megachurches over and over and over and almost every megachurch is thrown under the bus for these three things. Saddleback Church, in California has taken a lot of criticism over the years, but I want to tell you about my experience there earlier this weekend and how they debunk these myths.

They were kind enough to invite me to come speak at Radicalis, a new conference they launched this weekend for college students and young adults. I spoke with both Rick and Kay Warren as we challenged them to make an impact with their lives around the world.

MYTH #1: MEGACHURCHES DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT PEOPLE.

There is often this belief that at a megachurch you’re just a number. People don’t really care about individuals because they’re so focused on numbers and pastors of megachurches do everything they can to avoid contact with their attenders and are simply out of touch with them. However, often, nothing could be further from the truth. When you listen to Pastor Rick teach these college students you can tell he has a real heart for them. In fact, I watched him walk around and literally hug the neck of EVERY one of these kids (whether they wanted him to or not ). I’ve learned a lot about pastoring just from watching Rick walk through a crowd.

MYTH #2) THEY’RE ALL FLUFF. 

For years I’ve heard people accuse Pastor Rick of cotton candy theology. They’re always quick to point out that he’s fond of preaching about “felt needs.” However, I listened as he challenged these students to make a radical decision to follow and root their lives in Christ. He never stopped short of calling them to fully surrender to how God wants to use them in life. Powerful, effective and very challenging.

MYTH #3) THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES

Megachurches are often criticized for not caring about the larger church. They’re often pictured as churches that are only out for themselves and don’t care who they crush in their pursuit of numerical growth. Nothing could be further from the truth at Saddleback. They could have easily pulled this event off by themselves, but they intentionally partnered with other churches in the Southern California area. While they certainly had enough staff and volunteers to lead worship they allowed the worship guys from other churches to come share the stage. They invited and introduced the other pastors and made it clear that it wasn’t about Saddleback, but about the Kingdom.

Anyway, in a world where we tend to hear the worst about the church, especially the megachurch, I wanted to pass along my personal experience. There are a lot of myths in general floating around out there about the church these days. Don’t jump to conclusions and buy into everything you hear. God uses all kinds and types of churches to reach His people.

Frankly, I think that this is pretty much right on.

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taken from withoutwax.tv 

Is your church doing all of these?  Which do you agree/disagree with?

1. Sing hymns.

2. Preach through a book of the Bible.

3. Talk about sin.

4. Celebrate the Lord’s Supper more frequently.

5. Have a Scripture reading in the service.

6. Transition creative content from popular commercials and other media to creating your own, wholly original content.

7. Read, study, and teach theology.

8. Put as much effort and resources into men’s ministry as you do women’s. On the flipside, pair up younger women with wise, older women in mentoring relationships with the same conviction you have about men being in accountability and mentoring partnerships.

9. Hire from within.

10. In promotional material, use actual photos of actual people in your community.

11. Preach the Gospel.

And now, a few additional ones…

12. Elders.

13. Use the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds in worship.

14. Have a book table.

15. Less music. Fewer instruments.

16. A couple of good mercy ministries.

17. Partner with a third world church, and instead of going over on a “mission trip,” send a small team to find out what they need that you can provide.

18. Pray the Psalms.

19. Train up some hymn-writers.

20. Defy labels.

21. A counseling/teaching ministry aimed at marriages and families.

22. Teach the classic disciplines of the devotional life.

I’m not precisely sure which ones I agree with, but it is challenging nonetheless.  Perhaps the point of all of these is to be sure you are always giving your church roots–something foundational–in order to help your people see how their faith is grounded…

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gleaned from Jared Wilson’s 11 Innovations for Your Church! and Internet Monk’s A Shocking Agenda for the Church.

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In this corner you have our friend Mr. Bookworm. He’s not quite thirty years old. He’s very intelligent. He’s read Calvin, Edwards, Luther, and Bavinck. He knows Warfield and Hodge, Piper and Carson too. Since coming to the Lord in college, Mr. Bookworm has been on fire for learning. He listens to a dozen sermons each week on his iPod. He has a better grasp of current theological debates than most pastors. He loves Christian conferences, the good meaty ones. Mr. Bookworm knows all about hermeneutics, propitiation, covenant theology, the regulative principle, and the ordo salutis. He’s even teaching himself a little Greek. Hebrew and Latin are around the corner. Ugaritic, if he’s got time.

Mr. Bookworm is smart, serious about his faith, and genuinely wants to serve the Lord. But he’s twentysomething and not all that mature. In terms of knowledge, he’s playing in the Major Leagues, but as far as wisdom he’s batting below .200 in A ball. He doesn’t have gross sins, just some annoying ones. On the truth-grace scale, he’s all truth. He’s obnoxious, bordering on abrasive. He lacks all sense of proportion. He can’t see that a debate over presuppositional v. evidentialist apologetics is not as serious as Athanasius v. Arianism. Everything is a first-order issue because there are no other kinds of issues.

To make matters worse, Mr. Bookworm talks too much. He sees every conversation as a forensics match waiting to happen. He’s opinionated. He doesn’t ask questions. People are scared of him and he doesn’t know why. Except for those in complete agreement with him, Mr. Bookworm doesn’t have many friends. He’s not trying to be rude or arrogant. In fact, push come to shove he can be a winsome fellow. The problem is he has all this knowledge and doesn’t know how to use it wisely or winsomely.

In the other corner is Mr. Simple-Faith. He’s been a Christian for 40 years. He prays and reads his Bible every day. He’s raised four godly children. He’s been married for over 30 years. He’s quiet, sincere, and well-respected by everyone. But he’s not a huge reader. He never has been. He reads two or three books a year, one of them might be a Christian book, usually something popular and pretty lightweight. Mr. Simple-Faith has decent theological instincts. He knows the Bible is all true, Jesus is the only way to God, hell is real, and we can’t earn our way to heaven. He’s orthodox, but beyond the basics he’s pretty ignorant and, frankly, not very interested.

So who would you rather have as an elder in your church? Mr. Bookworm is more impressive, but Mr. Simple-Faith is probably going to make better decisions and be better received by the members of the congregation. Personally, I’d rather have maturity outpacing knowledge instead of the other way around.

Learning to Drive the Right Ride

It should go without saying that the goal is to have both. A mature Christian with little theological knowledge is not living up to his potential. A knowledgeable Christian without maturity has potential he doesn’t know how to use.

A theologically astute, immature Christian is like a five year old flying an Apache helicopter. Here’s this massive weapon; it can destroy arguments and defend against heresy. It can soar to the heavens and take in glorious sights no one at sea-level will ever witness. This theological helicopter is good for search and rescue, just as good for seek and destroy. Every congregational army would be thrilled with such a vehicle. It’s fast. It’s furious. It’s impressive. But it’s also dangerous. And with a five-year old behind the wheel (or whatever they have in choppers), some people are going to get hurt. It’s not wrong for a little kid to have a helicopter, but it would be nice if he grew up and took some flying lessons before taking the thing out for a spin.

On the other hand, a mature Christian content with the barest theological knowledge is like a 45-year old riding a tricycle. If I had to choose, I’d go with the trike-riding middle-aged man, but only because he’s a little safer than the five-year old fighter pilot. In a perfect world, the 45-year old would learn to ride something for grown-ups. Sure he can get around on the tricycle. But he can’t go very fast or very far. He’s limited in terms of what he can see and experience. He can’t do much to beat back enemies or scale new heights. He’s steady, but not the best he can be.

The goal in Christian discipleship is that we don’t have to choose between kids flying helicopters and adults riding little bikes. We want the most mature pilots flying the most intricate machinery. Our aim is for Mr. Knowledge to grow into Mr. Head-and-Heart and for Mr. Simple-Faith to learn to be Mr. Deep-Truth.

And if our congregations haven’t reached this equilibrium yet, we can at least provide a safety instructor for the kids and kick off the training wheels for the adults.

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written by Kevin DeYoung and posted at The Gospel Coalition

1. A staffed welcome center
2. No cheesy gifts (including Starbucks cards)
3. Do talk to me.
4. A good website with clear instructions
5. No visitor’s card.

Definitely some interesting thoughts for church leaders to wrestle with within their own ministry context…

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Dear church members,

I am looking for a church. I’m already a believer, so I’m an easy catch. You don’t have to convince me that God exists or that it is important to come to church regularly. I’m even one of those in the 20th percentile who will be actively engaged, eager to serve in my giftedness. I really want to find a church home (and soon), but I confess this search has been harder than I expected.

I see so many things that make me want to turn around and walk out the door.

Oh, I know that no church is perfect. I’m not searching for that. I guess I have just been surprised at how awkward it feels to be a visitor, and I wonder if you really remember what it feels like to be in my position. So this letter is just to give you a peek into what I have been experiencing as I go from one church to the next. I know those of you who have been in church for a long time forget how hard this searching process can be. So take a moment and hear me out. I think I might have some helpful suggestions for your church.

Please don’t set up a visitor welcome center and then not welcome guests when they show up there. Pick wisely the people who staff that center. I know it is easy to get talking to people you already know, but I really think the welcomers should keep themselves available so they are ready to help a newcomer the moment they show up to ask questions. I mean, I’m happy to eavesdrop on your conversation about Sally’s driver’s test for a couple of minutes, but after that I get a bit restless. We visitors already feel a bit conspicuous, so don’t make me wait too long to find out where the sanctuary is and if that coffee you are offering is free or not.

Please don’t offer me cheesy gifts for coming to visit your church. I don’t need Starbucks gift cards or fancy pens. And for sure don’t offer me a copy of the U.S. Constitution along with a 10-minute diatribe on why I need to vote biblically and morally. Your gifts feel like bribery to me. They make me feel like you are selling an image instead of offering a place to belong. I want your authenticity and commitment to Christ to be that which draws me back, not the promise of another book or CD. Give me a Bible if you want because I might not have one. Offer me information on your church to take home and read. But please don’t treat me like the only single girl in a room full of ready-to-marry bachelors. Let’s just say I’m more interested in who you are than how you look, and I won’t walk down the proverbial aisle until I know for sure that we are destined to be together.

Please talk to me. Don’t give me an inquisitive glance and then just walk away. Don’t forget that visitors don’t know anyone. We feel like we stick out a bit anyway. Come up to us and shake our hands. Introduce yourselves. Ask a few good questions. Nothing is worse than spending over an hour surrounded by people and not having anyone say anything to you.

Please include on your website what to expect if I come to your church. I need to know how to dress. I need to know if my kids go to the service with me or not. I would like to know most of that before I come so I can be prepared to entertain my kindergartner during your 45-minute sermon.

Please don’t force me to fill out a visitor’s card. Don’t make me write down any information, especially if I have already sidestepped your first appeal to get me to do so. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, so don’t make me have to keep coming up with excuses. The truth is that I’m not going to fill out anything until I am sure that your church might be a real option for me.

I know you have a lot to do. I know people are busy on Sunday morning trying to get their kids to Sunday School on time or trying to get in that last-minute conversation before the service begins. I know you want people to join and be a part of your church. I know you can’t always be on your game. I’m just trying to help out, trying to let you know what it feels like to be on the other end of your hospitality.

Thanks to all of you who genuinely welcomed us, who walked us to the sanctuary, who actually sat with us and introduced us to others. Your kindness ushered us into His presence, and for that we are thankful.

I love you, church. I really do.

Your searching sister,

Mentanna Campbell

Mentanna Campbell, a blogger and mom, recently returned to the United States after serving as a missionary in France for years. She started looking for a church. And then wrote this letter.

“When King Charles II of Spain died in 1701 with no heir, the result was the War of Spanish Succession, which embroiled France, England, Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands in a conflict that lasted 13 years.

“Planning ahead for succession matters. It’s a lesson churches are learning, too, especially congregations with lead pastors of long tenure. How well a church plans for leadership transition may determine its long-term health. Failure to plan may result in stagnation, or as Spain discovered, serious conflict.”

The Elephant in the Boardroom: Speaking the Unspoken about Pastoral Transitions says that, “One way or another, every church will eventually lose its pastor or minister yet few congregations prepare for this dramatic event. The pastor’s departure evokes a range of reactions and problems—sorrow and grief, uncertainty, loss of mission and momentum, power struggles—yet no one wants to talk about this elephant in the boardroom.”

To that end, here is a semi-random list of helps that I have recently run across:

• BOOK, Transition Plan: 7 Secrets Every Leader Needs to Know, by Bob Russell and Bryan Bucher
• BOOK, Choosing a New Pastor: The Complete Handbook, by Henry A. Virkler, PhD
• BOOK, Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide to Reaching Twenty-first Century Listeners, by Graham Johnston
• BOOK, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know, by Wayne Grudem and Elliott Grudem
• BOOK, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church: Mandate, Commitments and Practices of a Diverse Congregation, by Mark DeYmaz
• BOOK, The Leadership Jump: Building Partnerships Between Existing and Emerging Christian Leaders, by Jimmy Long
• BOOK, The Elephant In the Boardroom: The Causes of Leadership Derailment, by Adrian Furnham and John Taylor
• PDF, Heir Apparent, Leadership Journal by Skye Jethani
• PDF, Passing The Torch: Changing Church Leadership in a Changing World, by Donald Bowen

“The legacy of baby-boomer pastors depends on their willingness to empower the next generation of church leaders. Likewise, the effectiveness of younger pastors depends on their willingness to learn from the wisdom of their elders.” —-Skye Jethani, managing editor, Leadership Journal

I’m thankful that our church has done a lot of reading, research, and connecting with talented individuals who are experienced in succession.  It is really paying off, but I fear there are many other churches out there who may need to be reminded that, in a sense, we are all terminal and our homegoing might be tomorrow…. or even today.

Don’t delay, for the good of the body of Christ.

“On the night of September 11th, after a day of confusion and sadness and loss, there was only one place I could think of going. This past Friday, after another such day, I went to that same place. I went home. To Elaine’s.

“For the last decade-and-a-half, I spent more nights in Elaine Kaufman’s restaurant than anywhere else on Earth;… But how many amazing relationships formed in her saloon, how many story ideas were birthed, introductions made, laughs shared, lessons learned? That‘s a calculation impossible to make, in part because the gifts Elaine gave me will never stop paying dividends.

“Elaine lived for two things: inspiring people to do more than they ever imagined possible, and making the interpersonal connections that allowed those things to happen.

“The relationships that grew at Elaine’s were incredibly organic, spurred by like-minded people sharing a home where creativity and ambition were nurtured.

“Infinite possibility was what you encountered every night at Elaine’s.”

If only our church’s were half as inspiring…

excerpts from Mediaite

At times like that we are humbly reminded that he is the Potter and we are the clay, he is the Master and we are the servant.

To make it even more difficult, God does not tell us ‘why.’  Certainly not then.  Dr. Bruse Walke said, “God rarely, if ever, explains why.”  One thing is for sure, at that moment the door closes we do not think that it will lead us to something better.

The 19th Century Scottish essayist and historian Thomas Carlisle put it this way: “When the oak tree is felled, the whole forest echoes with it, but a hundred acorns are planted silently by some unnoticed breeze.” When the door slams in our face we don’t think that poetically.  All we can hear is the falling of our oak and thud as it hits the forest floor, destroying our dream, our hope, our anticipation.  We don’t think at that moment that there are some acorns being whisked away and blown to a place that will grow and bear fruit for God’s glory through an open door.

TRUTH #1:  God is Sovereign

Daniel 4:35 says “All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’”

Psalm 115:3 says “Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.”

TRUTH #2:  God’s plan is profound and often to us very strange

Revelation 3:7 says “This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:”

Acts 16 is also a classic example of this.

GUIDELINES ON OPEN and CLOSED DOORS

1. Since God is sovereign, he is in full control on both sides of any door
2. Being in full control, God takes full responsibility for the results
3. The closing of a good opportinity occurs in order to lead us to an even better one
4. Not until you walk through the open door and look back do you realize the necessity of the other doors being closed

I have no idea what closed doors you are living with, for all I know you are going through self-loathing and blame.  Or even worse, you may be blaming someone else because a door closed.  Because I don’t know which one to speak to directly I speak to all of you and say:

Let it be.  Let the oak fall.  Let the acorns scatter.

God moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform;
He plants his footstep on the sea and rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright design
And works his sovereign will.

Let it be.  Let it be.

summarized from a message given by Charles Swindoll at Dallas Theological Seminary on January 18, 2007.

MULTICULTURAL DIRECTOR — Preschools will be minority white by 2021, with the rest of the nation to follow by 2042, and not only in big cities.  Churches will first need children’s directors who can lead the new heterogeneous society.

CREATIVE ARTS DIRECTOR — A title already in use, more of these positions will be created as worship leaders in medium and smaller congregations realize they don’t have the technological expertise needed for computer-aided worship, and the teen/geek volunteers in their AV booths don’t have the maturity or creativity required to produce quality techno-savvy services.

BOOMER DIRECTOR — Boomers start hitting retirement in two years, and the senior population will increase by 35% by 2020.  The senior adult pastor will need new tactics to reach boomers, who don’t want to be called “seniors” and won’t appreciate the ministry that served (or still serves) their parents.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH PASTOR — A rebirth of the education director, this pastor will focus on keeping the church’s renewed interest in spiritual growth simple, yet structured.

CHIEF OF STAFF — The executive pastor may become more strategist and gatekeeper than operations officer.  Like an E.P. on steroids, this experienced pastor will handle staff, sticky situations, and logistics, while keeping the senior pastor’s back.  Give facilities duties to an “Operations director.”

NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR — As multi-site churches grow, so does the need for coordination between the campuses.  Otherwise, the sites grow apart into separate congregations.

summarized from ChurchExecutive.com

God can use anybody for his purposes, no matter their experience or shortcomings.  God simply desires a willingness and a heart that is honest and open… whatever the ‘call’.

While many see Moses as a leader, it is easy to forget that he was not the sole leader of the people.  He was the first but not always the strongest.  Many might say that his protégé Joshua exceeded Moses’ own leadership ability.

Joshua took the reigns from Moses, stepped into leadership at a time of great instability and turmoil, and led the children of Israel into the Promised Land (a land which Moses saw but never experienced).

Many church staff up-and-comers aspire to be a Joshua.  And while Joshua often led well, this is not the type leader that most churches really need.  They already have a Moses on the scene who’s work is not yet complete.

Many churches need an Aaron.

Aaron, Moses’ brother, comes onto the scene as a relatively unknown quantity.  Yet, he lived the leadership experience of most leaders, perhaps one might say fulfilling a more important role than even Joshua.  Few leaders are ever called to be a ‘Joshua’–to step in during a crisis after a seasoned leader is removed by God, take the reigns, and continue the pace without missing a beat.

Most leaders live their lives as an ‘Aaron’.

Aaron was selected by God to assist Moses.  Like Aaron, most leaders will not be the final authority; most will lead from within the organizational chart rather than from the top.  In a critical time of transition for Moses, God used Aaron to accomplish critical leadership functions for His kingdom, and Aaron’s leadership left a mark that can still be seen today (Exodus 4:10-17; Exodus 32:1-6; Exodus 19-29; Numbers 12:1-3; Leviticus 8:1-9).

John Maxwell says that, like Aaron, the “leader in the middle” needs to see themselves as divinely positioned by God and serve with their best effort to glorify God, just as if they were the senior leader.

The church needs less Joshua’s and more Aaron’s.