My pastor is retiring at the end of this month.  This saddens me because he is not only a great man of God; he is the only pastor I have had.  No one really enjoys change much but the leader of a church leaving can raise concerns and even cause some arguments and dissension in a local body of believers.  There have been some questions raised because of a new young adult fellowship that has been initiated.  I have also played a part in the establishment of this group.  And I am assuring anyone that reads this that we are not doing or saying anything to cause division.  Wayne, one of this group put it exactly the way all should see it.  He said The Bridge (our group) is an addition, not a subtraction.  We want to help each other and the unchurched in these age ranges in our community.

The church has started the process of determining who will take up the mantle of our pastor and move this congregation forward.  We all seem to have different ideas about what we think we want in a pastor but the question should be what do we need.  Every church is different and has different ministry opportunities and finds itself in the middle of different communities.  No two will need the same things.  But I want to ask a few questions here today for discussion.  A lot of my commentators go to my church but not all.  And I know there are other readers.  I ask that all respond.  These questions are not just about my church.

What role does age play into your choice?

Do you think a couple with children living at home would be a positive or a negative choice?  Why?

How important is “style” to you?  This is meant in relation to their preaching.

Would you want someone you have known previously to be your pastor?

How much education should the pastor have?

Would you want a single pastor?  Why or why not?

Should someone in your local assembly (church) have the first shot?

Do you have any special requirements you are looking for?

These are just a few that I am wondering about for now.  If the comments come I may add more as they warrant.  I am not looking for the things we should all be in agreement about already.  We all know we need someone with integrity and anointing, someone that is a student of the bible, and someone that is filled with the Spirit and operates in His gifts.  These and other such things are not what I am looking for.  I am looking for practical things that you are interested in.

This is not for comments that are meant to demean anyone.  Jesus is monitoring this discussion with me.

Love you all

Tags: Bible, Church, congregation, Discussion, dissension, Fellowship, Love, man of god, ministry, pastor, style, town hall, War

My daughter had her first accident this evening.  While driving the speed limit on the interstate in the drizzling rain she somehow lost control and hit a guard rail which sent her back across the two lanes and off the other side.  According to the word I received the car is probably totaled.  The airbags did not engage but, God is good and He is merciful; she was not seriously hurt.

I was reminded of an accident many years ago where the state trooper, on arrival at the scene, declared his surprise that I was able to stand and address him.  The paramedics told my daughter something similar.  Even though I lived for many years in opposition to God, sometimes actively fighting for the enemy of us all, I can look back and see the many instances where it seems the protective arms of our Creator were wrapped around me.

I believe this is true for my daughter, and my other children and grandchildren.  I believe it to be true because no matter what we are doing or where we are in life, God loves us.  He loves us before we love Him and He loves us even if we never love Him.  I also believe it to be true because I am praying for them all.  My wife is praying for them all.  In fact, there are a lot of us praying for them all.

It is an amazing thing to realize that the Creator of all things cares enough for every one of us that He protects us even if we do not deserve it.

I praise God tonight.  Not for what He does or has done.  Not even for His part in saving my daughter from harm.

I praise Him for who He is.  Because who He is, is the answer to all we need.

Pray for your loved ones tonight.

Love you all

Tags: Creator, God, grandchildren, Love, Praise

I don’t feel like I am doing much of anything.

I asked some questions on Tuesday that hit close to home.  I believe that we all have problems fulfilling the great commission.  If we think we don’t we are probably deceiving ourselves.  I have been serving Jesus for seven years now and I have personally not had one person that I have asked actually come to my church.  I have not personally led anyone to accept Christ as Lord of their lives.  I can’t even convince my kids that God is worth serving.

With my limited ability I do my best to teach two classes a week at church.  I read the bible a lot, read all sorts of forums and blogs and try to interact with both Christian and non Christian to a degree.  I pray.  I will discuss God and the Kingdom with anybody at anytime.  I write these blog articles and try to promote it and my brother’s blogs also.  I pray before meals in restaurants and in hospitals while visiting family.  I try my best not to even make a promise that I am not sure I cannot keep, much less lie.  I am not ashamed of the gospel or my Savior in any way.

But is any of this in any way really going out and making disciples?  Is it still possible to even do that in the hustle and bustle of life in the good ole USA?  (Read Mikes comment on the previous post.)

To answer my own last two questions from Tuesday is inextricably tied into my own personal mission.  If I am not doing it then to some degree my church is not and if it is not then we are not seeing the growth we should.  We will knock the seeker sensitive churches, and rightly so in a lot of ways, but if they are growing by the thousands and our growth is in single digits, what is really so bad if only ten percent of their growth is real. Ten percent of thousands is much more than 100 percent of nothing or even ten.

We live in a world and at a time that is way too busy.  But Jesus did not say “go when you have the time.” He said leave it all and follow Him before we are told to go.  Have we and are we willing to strip down to the necessities and fulfill our mission?  Are we really ready to forego some traditions and styles if it will keep the few visitors we have long enough to start the discipleship program?  I just don’t know.

Shannon talks about relationships more than anyone I ever met before.  He has it right.  In his last comment on my site he brought up the thoughts about being the church instead of doing church.  This the biblical approach.  I think I had a post in the past also about this but you will have to search the archives.  Being the church is relational at the very core.  Going out to make disciples is relational.

So I do know that it starts with relationships.  We absolutely must start new ones and grow deeper in the relationships we have.  And since we must do everything on the go, we must figure out how to do relationships on the go.  How and what would that look like?  Here is some food for thought.

The most obvious is right here.  The internet.  Reach out with blogs and forums.  There are loads of free resources out there.  Satan definitely uses the internet in a number of ways but why can’t we use it to reach out all over the world and talk about the fact that Jesus is King.  That is the heart of the gospel.  Satan has no control except when we let him.

Look at all the ways we stay in touch with everybody, all the time.  Are you texting, tweeting, IMing, emailing, etc.?  Are any of those instant communications about Jesus’ love?  Could they be?  We must engage the communications mediums of the day and learn to use them effectively.

When you go in a store or a restaurant, do you greet the cashier or waitress or do you sort of just ignore them?  These are relationships even if they are only momentary and temporary.  Being a witness, the traditional understanding of what we are to be, is much more than just praying before that meal while eating out.  Being a witness is also relational.  Letting someone know that you notice them and appreciate them is one way to impact the world even if it seems so small.  But add them all up.

Does anybody even know their neighbors name anymore?  Do we care?  There are relationship opportunities all around us.  At the mailbox, at the gas pump, at the dry cleaners, at the ball parks.

We have to develop strategic approaches to create relationships in the world of today.

Going and making disciples in our busy world will not look like it did a hundred years ago.  Life is tremendously full and busy and time still passes by at the same pace it did thousands of years ago.  I, for one, wish I had more even though I have a lot at the moment.  We have to get creative in our methods of fulfilling our mission.  We cannot afford to just let it go as we have been.

And I must start, myself.

Love you all

Thanks to Shannon and Mike for much of this post.

Tags: blog, Christ, Christian, Church, great commission, King, Kingdom, Lie, Life, Love, mission, neighbor, Personal, Relationships, traditions, USA

I know that some are starting to think I am angry or at the very least too harsh in my views.  Maybe so.  But there are many things out there going on in the body of Christ that are not very helpful to the health of that same body.  If you choose to not see this then I cannot make you look.  But I can call out in desperation for sincere inner reflection.  This is what I am doing.  And for those that read and respond that I personally know from my own church, what I write on this blog is not necessarily all aimed at you.  I do have people reading that I do not know personally and that are not even in the Church of God.  This post and all the previous ones are based on my observations of the church in general.

I have been so hesitant to speak out directly for fear of offending.  I know some of you may not think so but I have been cautious.  It is starting to come out in frustration though.  So starting in this post, which on Tuesdays usually is anyway, I am going to start asking questions instead of giving my opinion for a while.  I want to know if I am wrong.  I really want all of us, especially myself, to speak truthfully and start coming to some profitable conclusions.

“Mat 28:19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

These are the questions.  In light of the commandment and instruction Jesus left us in Matthew, I ask the following.

What are you personally doing to follow this command?

What is your church doing to follow this command?

Is your church growing from the addition of new disciples?

I really want to know.

Love you all

Tags: anger, Body of Christ, Church, frustration, jesus, Self, town hall