Good News

Last week I ended the blog saying, “Let’s never give up on sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.”  Many consider Christianity a moral code – teaching and advice on how to live.  But it is not first that.  It is first news.  There’s a big, big difference. 

Advice is something you believe someone should follows so that things go well for them.  It’s about the future.  News is about what has happened, the past.

Let’s say an army was approaching.  Advisors … advice-givers would tell everyone in the town, barricade this, build up that, store this, cover that, … archers here.  On the basis of worry, how might we save ourselves is the matter.  We live in a certain way based on advice rooted in effort.

The phrase “good news” is a translation of the word, “euangellion.”  See the prefix, “eu,” for “good.”  See “angel” in “angellion” and an angel is a messenger.  An euangellion was a technical term for a herald, someone who ran back from, say, a field of battle, to the hometown.  They’d shout, “Our King won!” People would then live a certain way but based on news rooted in someone else’s effort.

Christianity is all about good news.  Two thousand years ago Jesus rose from the dead.  It’s possibly harder to disbelieve the evidence than to believe it.  Based on that victory we live in a certain way.  Thanks be to God!

For info on the resurrection I recommend:  The Case for Easter by Lee Strobel and The Resurrection of the Son of God by Tom Wright.  The first is short and the second is long.  

New Christian

New Christian …

I was at a meeting today.  A guy named Joe asked Reuben and then me how we met Jesus.  He was asking because he just met him on May 23.  Someone asked him to church and out of politeness he went.  The message and the presence of Jesus hit him like a ton of bricks.  He became, in his words, “born again.”  He travels a lot and this was his first men’s disciple meeting.  He had a new Bible that was called, The Beginner’s Bible. 

He shared that he told a colleague about his experience and got the reply, “Oh yeah, I tried that once.”  After a bit, Joe was pretty confused and a little angry at some other ways the man was treating him.  Instead of taking it to him, he prayed.  He prayed because that was the first advice he got about being born again – you should pray.  A little while later the man apologized and Joe thought, “Man, this really does work!” 

I noticed the whole room nodding and encouraging Joe.  It was as if everyone was remembering anew, “Jesus does work!  I mean, truly.”  New Christians I have always thought are vital to churches.  Worship, it’s higher when you are standing next to a person who is feeling like, well, they have been born again.  Education, it’s real when you are the one teaching a brand new Christian what’s what.  (Joe said he’d been propositioned by three women in the last month and that had not happened to him in years.  The men in the room said, “It’s Satan trying to mess you up.”  See, they were teaching him.)  Fellowship, go to the nursery window of a hospital and watch the family peering in at the newborn.  Is that fellowship or what?  Evangelism, it’s higher because you see once more but up close and personal and now, Jesus is touching lives.  So off you go ready to share him convinced he’s who he said he was. 

Let’s never give up on sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.  

Still Time

There's still time to sign up for the Leadership Summit.  It is avaliable in every major city in the United States.  It is the one conference I go to year in and year out.

There's still time to volunteer to help with VBS at Cocoa.  We'll be doing it in conjunction with Celebration Tabernacle.  It starts this Sunday evening in Flaniken Hall.

I do a little volunteering at Civil Air Patrol, Merritt Island.  One of the first mini-lectures I gave was on the difference between the urgent and the important.  Do you know the difference?  It's critical to realize that the urgent feels important but may or may not be.  Conversely, the important may or may not feel urgent.  It is simply the road to ruin to not get that some very, very important parts of life are not and never will be urgent.

A deepening life with God is seldom experienced as urgent.  But is there anything truly more important?  Make room in today for the important.

Have you heard of C.S. Lewis' essay, "On Learning in War Time"?  He was in university when he was called up to WWI.  He took a little Latin book or something like that with him.  For everyone else, they'd get back to learning after the war.  For everyone else, the trenches were too dirty to read in.  For everyone else, the situation wasn't quite right.  He realized that in real life there is always something that makes it less than ideal to learn, some reason to say, "I'll do it tomorrow."  But learning is important.  It may not be urgent.  It is important.  And he made room in today for it.

Summer Reading

I found myself reading to my Sunday School class the other day from an old favorite, Devotional Classics by Richard Foster.  It got me thinking about summer vacations and reading and suggesting a summer reading list. 

Devotional Classics.  Three or four pages of sampling from all the masters from Ignatius to Nouwen.  With good reflection questions, too.

Winning on Purpose.  John Kaiser.  Short and some of the best common sense about churches around.

The Great Divorce.  C.S. Lewis.  The Screwtape Letters.  C.S. Lewis.  Both are short and sooo insightful!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.  Paul Brand.  This is an amazing book about God and how he made us.  Written by a doctor. 

To Be Successful

In our Sunday School class last weekend I asked not what must someone do to be successful.  That will get a general answer showing some perspectives and values.  We asked what must a pastor do to be successful.  That's a little different than what a dentist must do.  Or someone in another role.  We asked what must a pastor do to be successful here.  A pastor may be successful in a storefront church but not here, in a megachurch but not here, in a church in Montana but not in Florida.  After all, local situations are particular.

Two matters came up that I was grateful for.  Neither one will really say what the a pastor must do to be successful at Cocoa Presbyterian.  I do think a step towards success in that matter, however, is asking the question itself, "What must a pastor do to be successful here?"

The first matter that came up was what a pastor must do to be successful to me and to us.  Of course.  I and we are the nest.  I and we are the home team.  I and we are doing the calling.  I and we come to this church.  We are bringing the pastor here to do something for me and us.

So the pastor can do what that line of thinking will produce and he or she should.  To an extent.  The line of thinking does not necessarily, though it may, hit what will make the church successful in terms of God and the world he is seeking.  The issue to ponder is whether focusing on the needs of the 100 or 200 or whatever who are present in a church means that they are satisfied while 1000 outside the front door are missed because they have a different set of concerns than those inside.  The question to yoke with what a pastor must do to be successful with us is what a pastor must do to be successful with them.  A church is never present just for us but for us and them.

The second matter that came up was what must a congregation do to be successful with a pastor.  Isn't that a good question?  Pastors around the world are thinking, "Wow, and you are already a step in that direction just by asking the question."

As a pastor my short answer was and is -- love the pastor.  We already know that he or she is human and therefore does not have the whole package to do everything well all of the time.  Even Pastor Jesus had people leave his church, and worse, and he was God!  But if in a family the best thing a man can do is love his wife because that means good things for her, for the kids, for him, then that's the same in the church.  Do you know anyone who does better with judgment than encouragement, reservation rather than support, criticism rather than care?  We can still be truthful.  Even then, though, remember what some wag said, I think very rightly about most human being's psyche's, "One 'You Turkey' erases nine 'Atta Boys'."

WHAT IF?

Let’s say that we are going to redevelop the church campus from head to toe.  Let’s say that you are on the committee to plan that.  In our Presbyterian system most rank and file members of the committee say, “We’ll simply recommend something to the session and the final responsibility will be theirs.”  But what if we said going into it, to that committee making the plan, “and we will do what you say.”  Period.  The church will do what you say.  We’re not going to put it to a vote.  We will do what you say.

My question is how do the dynamics of work in the committee change because of the responsibility bequeathed?  That this isn’t going to be about study alone, about hypotheticals, about recommendations where someone else has the real authority and responsibility?  This is about real action, results people will live with.  Let’s also put the committee members’ names on a plaque on the property when it is all said and done. 

If you’re like me, you can already feel a seriousness enter the equation.  We might imagine a few people saying,  “This isn’t for me,” and resigning.  It might protract decision making if the people involved fear being criticized by the church members for the final decision.  They might look for a fail-proof decision.  (This reminds me of two important maxims .  If a job is not worth doing, it is not worth doing right.  And, If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing not right.  The second is for the perfectionists of the world who don’t act because they are in pursuit of perfection.  Ten decisions at 80% good equals 800 points, let’s say.  One decision at 99%, knowing that we will never make 100%, equals 99 points.  And both took the same amount of time.  800 points to 99.) 

We can take some pain out of the process if we assure the committee members of our up front decision to support their decision. 

I submit that authority and responsibility and action combine for the best learning and best decisions.  Try it with your kids – we have $500 and 5 days for vacation.  We will do what you research and then decide.  Let’s have a decision in two weeks.  Try it with your employees.  Try it with your students.  Try it with your church committees.  

Leapfrog

I promised last week to tell how Peachtree Presbyterian at least used to leapfrog the get-a-person-to-keep-coming-and-feel-a-part process.  Before doing so, however, note that the point isn't just to get members.  Because you can have an uninvested member.  Would you rather have an invested person who isn't technically a member?  Too often we get hyped up about categories and nomenclature and overlook the organic reality.  I'd rather have someone who actually belongs rather than only technically belongs.

Peachtree, the largest PCUSA congregation, is quick draw McGraw.  They would invite everyone new at that service to meet immediately following the service.  They would there have coffee and treats and welcome from significant members of the staff and congregation.  There would be a moment of "here's our heartbeat" communication and then there would be one on one or one on couple visits.

Let's say I am the Peachtree person visitng with you the visitor.  I have a form.  I find out your address, email, and people you know at the church.  I'd then tell you a little bit about our Sunday School classes (like the 20's & 30's class) and our hands-on ministries (like the every Saturday morning Habitat crew).  With a menu of options I would then ask, "If you were to try one of these, which would you maybe give a shot?"  With that answer I would hope that you actually would give that one a shot.  Why not?  Just take a peak?  See if it works for you?  The visit wraps up.

The visitor gets the standard welcome letter.  Some places will deploy emissaries with fresh baked bread put into a bag that has the church's name on it.  The bag has handles so that if the person is not home you can leave the bag on the door knob.  In it is a note saying, "We loved having you at our church today.  Please come back."

But key beyond the above is that I would contact the teacher for the 20's & 30's class and the leader of the Saturday morning Habitat crew, if that is what the visitor had said they might be interested in, and I would tell them that visitor Joe Smith had indicated he might be interested.  Those leaders would get Joe's info and personally invite them.  "Hi, Joe.  I'm head of the 20's & 30's class.  I understand you might be interested and I would very much like you to come.  I'd love to meet you.  This is where we are in the building."

If the person registered in the sanctuary or a Sunday School class as a first time visitor but did not come to the after church time where "the visits" transpire, that person would be specifically called and invited to the time the following week.  This time was set up before the main worship service.  They would get the interview if they came and the process would be set in motion.

One more thing ... all who came to the coffee and refreshment and meet the pastor and the interview time before the worship servie would be asked if they would like to join the church.  Like right now.  We can do this now.  Why not?  There's a 30-day shipping free refund type of thing added.  Then they would swear them in and introduce them at the beginning of that next service!

Some will say that that is setting the bar very low for membership, that it should require some orientation.  Their point, and not a bad one, is that once we have their name and info and initial commitment, we have been given a pathway for orienting them.  We can legitimately send them membership materials.  We can legitimately send them a pledge card.  We can legitimately call on them to help with this event.  And all of that will be on the job training!  Why wait around and hope a visitor come around enough to eventually sign up for an orientation?

Is there attrition this way?  Yes.  But no more attrition than a more passive way.  Is there "membership gain"?  Yes, a lot more than the passive way.