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The Challenge of Unity (Part 3)
Ministry can be a tug of war … often local churches struggle with different
factions pulling against one another for the leadership of the agenda of their church. Sometimes it looks like this …
1) First, there is the pastor pulling in the direction that he believes God is calling them to;
2) Then there is the leadership board that thinks their job is to tell the pastor what to do;
3) Often there is a small but powerful group of people trying to control the church;
4) And then, sometimes, there is something wrong with the congregation and simply don’t want to do anything.
What happens when all of this is going on at once? Yes, that’s it – nothing happens! There is a lot of energy being expended, but nothing good happens – and, in fact, people get injured and tired and simply drop out!
As we have said, unity is impossible when everyone has to have their own way! In essence, this is one of the biggest challenges of the church! We have to pull together if we want to get something incredible done!
So, what causes different people within the congregation to pull in different directions? We have already talked about:
Challenge #1: Selfishness
- We have said in part 1 that unity happens when we point people to their calling, Ephesians 4:1-8.
Challenge #2: Immaturity
- In part 2, we noted that unity happens when we grow people into Christ-likeness, Ephesians 4:11-16.
And now …
Challenge #3:WORLDLINESS
Worldliness connects with immaturity (Challenge #2) so closely! Look at the evidences of worldliness that are listed in this chapter…
1) We think like the people on the television (Ephesians 4:17-18)
2) We enjoy sensual programming – especially sitcoms and Hollywood update shows (Ephesians 4:19)
3) We are excited when invited to party (Ephesians 4:19)
- Ephesians 4:17-24 teaches us that unity happens when we move people out of the world.
There are four specific ways we can help move people out of the world. Paul tells us …
“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” Ephesians 4:17
In other words,
1) We must help them change the way they think.
How do we help people change the way they think? Understanding their condition helps us understand the method we will need to undertake. Paul says,
“They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.” Ephesians 4:18-19
Because of their condition listed in these verses …
2) We must help them change their distance from God.
But how do we help them do this?
3) We must help them put off the old self.
But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires … Ephesians 4:20-22
What you ‘wear’ indicates what you think. Where you look is where you go. Our task is to help them put away those old patterns of life that are damaging and detrimental to a walk with God.
What else do they need to do to be moved out of the world? We are told that they are …
“… to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:23-24
4) We must help them put on the new self.
This ‘new self is made up of (1) Right living (we find that in the Bible) and (2) Holiness (which indicates an absence of being dirty – to stay clean you have to stay out of the dirt and filth of this world and take frequent cleansings – 1 John 1.9). We help people by moving them out of the world and into the spiritual world.
Unity is all about being on the same team, pulling in the same direction. In order for this to happen, we must all be in the same world … with an intimate spiritual connection to Jesus Christ. These are lifestyle changes born out of a life with God and his family and its the leader’s responsibility to help others move into these changes.
Posted in Leadership Blog, Multi-ethnic / Urban
Tagged agendas, church, conflict, ministry, Unity
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Bob Moeller Shares on Marriage and the Recession!
We are excited to have Bob Moeller share with us today on marriage and the recession. As Mike Powers caught up with Bob, they discussed the current stresses and strains a marriage undergoes in times like these.
Bob Moeller is a pastor who cares deeply about marriages and helping couples connect their hearts, for a lifetime. Bob and Cheryl are the Co-founders of For Better For Worse For Keeps Ministries. Bob is currently the syndicated television host of the weekly call-in program, “Marriage: For Better, For Worse” on the Total Living Network. The TV show is in it’s sixth year. He has authored ten books, two of those books were nominated for Gold Medallion Awards. Three of those books are on marriage, written with Cheryl, including The Marriage Miracle, Keep Courting: 100 Ways to Keep Courting After Marriage, and For Better For Worse For Keeps.
Bob is an in-demand conference and weekend retreat speaker, author, television host, radio personality, and someone who works with couples to help them connect their hearts in marriage. Bob and Cheryl publish Marriage Minutes E-Devotionals, FREE to your email inbox, 5 days a week. You can sign up for Marriage Minutes E-Devotionals, by writing to office@bobandcherylmoeller.com. He is not a licensed or professional counselor, but rather a pastor to couples. He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Write Bob: forkeepsministries@gmail.com
Want to keep up to date with TV and radio topics, notes, events, conferences, and news? Join For Better For Worse For Keeps Ministries Fanpage on Facebook.
Bob and Cheryl, have been married 31 years and are the parents of six amazing children (ages 11 to 27), one awesome son-in-law, one grandbaby-to-be, and three lively dogs with large appetites.
Posted in Interviews, Transformed
Tagged Bob Moeller, Cheryl Moeller, For better for Worse, The Marriage Miracle
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What God is Doing in Multi-Ethnic Churches Can Be Found in Outreach’s 2010 Top 100 Largest & Fastest Growing Churches In America
By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Ph D
“We want to know how God is at work in His church and celebrate what He is doing.
All of our churches long for the same thing: to give the Gospel to those in need of redemption and deliver care to those in need”
~ Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research
God loves people – people from every race across the planet. Eleven o’clock Sunday morning continues to be the most segregated hour in America. However, evidence from Outreach’s 2010 Top 100 surveys reveals that multi-ethnic churches are making up a significant portion of both the largest and fastest growing churches in America, and that is good news.
Among the 100 Largest Churches in America, at least eleven on the list are multi-ethnic. While it can be difficult to ascertain their ethnic makeup through their web presence, these churches make a visible presence as to their intentionality:
#1 Lakewood Church, Houston, TX. Lakewood.cc
#13 Crossroads, Cincinnati, OH. Crossroads.net
#19 The Rock Church and Worldwide Outreach Center, San Bernardino, CA. RockChurch.com
#23 The Rock Church, San Diego, CA. TheRockSanDiego.org
#34 New Hope Oahu, Honolulu, HI. eNewHope.org
#38 Abundant Living Faith Center, El Paso, TX. ALFC.com
#43 The Church on the Way, Van Nuys, CA. TCOTW.org
#45 Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center, Sayreville, NJ. FFMWOC.org
#57 Victory World Outreach, Norcross, GA. VictoryAtl.com
#98 Eastlake Church, Chula Vista, CA. EastlakeChurch.com
#100 Christ Fellowship, Miami, FL. CFMiami.org
A search of the 100 Fastest Growing Churches in America websites reveals ten churches that obviously seek to reach out across racial lines. These include:
#3 The Rock Church and World Outreach Center, San Bernardino, CA. RockChurch.com
#4 People’s Church, Oklahoma City, OK. PeoplesChurch.tv
#7 Cornerstone Church of San Diego, National City, CA. TurningtheHearts.com
#10 Newhope Church, Durham, NC. NewhopeNC.org
#23 Oasis Church, Nashville, TN. OasisChurch.tv
#25 New Hope Oahu, Honolulu, HI. eNewHope.org
#52 New Hope Leeward, Waipahu, HI. NewHopeLeeward.org
#69 New Life Community Church, Chicago, IL. NewLifeChicago.org
#72 Christ Fellowship, Miami, FL. CFMiami.org
#100 Westover Hills Assembly of God, San Antonio, TX. WHAG.net
Two of the above churches are listed on both lists! These two churches are located in the Western United States. The 3rd fastest growing church in America is also the 19th largest church: The Rock Church and World Outreach Center, San Bernardino, CA. The second multi-ethnic church on both lists is New Hope Oahu, Honolulu, HI. It is #25 on the 100 Fastest list and #34 on the 100 Largest roll.
Commenting on this trend for this article, Stetzer responded …
“I think it is fair to say that most of the largest and fastest growing churches are more monocultural than we would all prefer. Part of that is because it takes more work to be multicultural — and many churches lack the commitment to learn from other cultures and communities. But, since multicultural churches reflect the Kingdom of God where every tongue, tribe, and nation gather, it is worth the effort.”
Truly, multi-ethnic ministry reflects the heart of God and the hope of Heaven as depicted by that future praise and worship service where “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9, ESV) will sing God’s glory! These surveys indicate American Christ-followers are contributing to that.
You can read the article and see much more at Unity in Christ Magazine.
Anne Jackson Gives Us "Permission to Speak Freely!"
What a joy to welcome Anne Jackson to the Transformed podcast today! Anne Jackson wants you to confess – and she’ll go first in her new book, Permission to Speak Freely.
This book flows from the responses to the blog post question: What is the one thing you feel you can’t say in the church? Anne began to work on Permission to Speak Freely as a way to show other followers of Christ that they are not alone in their battles with fear and secrets.
Anne’s current book, “Permission to Speak Freely” will help you and your friends find hope and healing from the pain of addiction, adultery, loneliness, lost faith and so much more!
The book “Permission to Speak Freely” is available today on Amazon here.
You can learn more about Anne, read her blog and so much more by clicking here.
Posted in Interviews, Transformed
Tagged addiction, adultery, Anne Jackson, brokenness, faith, loneliness, lost faith, Permission to Speak Freely
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The Challenge of Unity (Part 2)
Ministry can be a tug of war! In our last blog, we talked about the harm such pulling in multiple direction can have upon the local ministry. Our summary was: nothing valuable happens! There is a lot of energy being expended, but nothing good happens – and, in fact, people get injured and tired and simply drop out! The lesson every person in every church needs to learn is this:
UNITY PRODUCES GREATER RESULTS THAN INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS!
Last time we spoke of the first challenge to ministry unity: SELFISHNESS. If this was our only challenge, this would be formidable. We spoke of this last time. However, we now have to move from the challenge of selfishness to our second challenge in the church:
Challenge #2: IMMATURITY
I think the easiest way to help you see what immaturity looks like is to illustrate it:
Immaturity finds itself when an individual …
1) Refuses to be trained by the pastor (v. 11-12)
2) Refuses to do the work of the church ministry (v. 12)
3) Refuses to take sacrificial responsibility for the church (v. 12)
4) Acts like a child by following the latest fads of culture and Christianity (v. 13-14)
5) Follows deceivers because of their greed and desires (v. 14)
* When the church is filled with the spiritually immature – all we are going to be able to do is provide milk, change diapers, and stop the crying!
Tommy Tenny tells us that many of our members have become “Milk Babies” in padded pews! “Unfortunately, the Israelites suffered from the same problem many Christians do today. We have become addicted to the anointing, the relayed word of good preaching and teaching. Too many of us have become “milk babies” who want to sit on padded pews in an air-conditioned and climate-controlled building where someone else will pre-digest what God has to say and then regurgitate it back to us in a half-digested form. (We’re afraid of getting ‘spiritual indigestion’ from messages we think are “too rough” to handle.) Tender tummies are unused to tough truth!
“The solution is hunger and desperation for God Himself without intermediaries. We need to pray, ‘God, I’m tired of everybody else hearing from You! Where is the lock on my prayer closet? I’m going to lock myself away until I hear from You myself!’ (Tommy Tenney. The God Chasers. 2001. Destiny Image Publishers, Inc. Shippensburg, PA. Pg. 74.)
How do we grow “milk babies” into mature, Christ-followers? We need to understand that …
- Unity happens when we GROW people into Christ-likeness.
How does this growth into Christ-likeness happen? Paul tells us exactly what has to happen:
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ …” Ephesians 4:11-12
Paul teaches four steps to this growth process:
1) Pastors equip the leaders (Ephesians 4:11-12). The pastoral team members are your spiritual coaches. Their task is to make sure you are fit for the game of life; life on earth in all it’s dimensions: Relationships, finances, career, and most of all your spiritual walk with and for Christ. When we listen to our coaches, life (all aspects of it) goes so much better.
2) Leaders do the ministry with the people (Ephesians 4:11-12). Each weekend across America two similar scenarios are played out. In our great sports arenas we see a small group of individuals working intensely for the prize of victory and desperately in need of rest while thousands of people watch, offering their own criticism and advice. Often at the same time in smaller venues around our great country we see thousands of spectators watching a small group of people seeking to bring them into the very presence of God, all the while offering personal thoughts and ideas on how to do the job better.
When our leaders engage those very ‘arm-chair’ worshippers in the ministry, much changes and lives are impacted for the glory of God. In fact, this is the design of people doing the ministry under the coaching of their pastors. As more and more people take up the work of the ministry, the ‘immaturity quotient’ of the church decreases. This is the very process Paul described some 2.000 years ago.
“… until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ …” Ephesians 4:13-15
3) This is the process of people growing up in Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15).
As this process continues to move forward, Paul tells us the result of this process:
“… from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Ephesians 4:16
4) Our church is built up in faith, health and size (Ephesians 4:16)! In other words, the more people who DO the work of the ministry, the healthier the church becomes. As the church becomes healthy, it grows numerically as well.
Challenges to unity happen ever day in ministry. Following the Biblical steps to overcoming selfishness by pointing people to their calling and immaturity by growing people into Christ-likeness by having them DO the work of the ministry brings unity, health and growth to our church!
Next time we will continue our exploration of how to bring unity to our ministry by unpacking Paul’s advice to combat the third challenge.
Posted in Leadership Blog, Multi-ethnic / Urban
Tagged Ephesians 4, equip, equipping, growing up, immaturity, ministry, pastor, pastors, Unity
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The Challenge of Unity (Part 1)
Ministry can be a tug of war! Consider the forces that pull against unity within a 
local church each and every week:
1) First, there is the pastor pulling in the direction that he believes God is calling them to;
2) Then there is the leadership board that thinks their job is to tell the pastor what to do;
3) Often there is a small but powerful group of people trying to control the church;
4) And then, sometimes, there is something wrong with the congregation and simply don’t want to do anything.
Now, what happens when all of this is going on at once? Yes, that’s right – nothing valuable happens! There is a lot of energy being expended, but nothing good happens – and, in fact, people get injured and tired and simply drop out!
The lesson every person in every church needs to learn is this:
UNITY PRODUCES GREATER RESULTS THAN INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS!
The reality is this: Unity is IMPOSSIBLE when everyone has to have their own way! In essence, this is one of the biggest challenges of the church! We have to pull together if we want to get something incredible done!
Over the next 4 blogs, I would like to answer the question, “What causes different people within the congregation to pull in different directions?” Ephesians 4 gives us 4 possible motivations. These are the four challenges to unity within every church. This week we look at …
Challenge #1: SELFISHNESS
Selfishness plagues every church, for selfishness is the evidence of spiritual immaturity. Ephesians 4:1-3 provides 6 evidences of selfishness …
1) A lifestyle of self-serving (v. 1 – opposite of the calling of Jesus)
2) Pride (v. 2 – opposite of humility)
3) Being loud and unkind (v. 2 – opposite of gentleness)
4) Being impatient (v. 2 – opposite of patience)
5) Hatred (v. 2 – opposite of love)
6) Being divisive (v. 3 – opposite of unity)
How do we turn people away from selfishness? We turn people away from selfishness by pointing people to their calling. How do we do this?
Unity happens when …
1) We walk worthy of our calling – (Ephesians 4:1)
This is what the Apostle Paul teaches us, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called …” Ephesians 4:1
We are called to be ‘witnesses’ of Jesus. In being a witness, we are call to glorify God with our life. Our motivation for this is Christ’s gift of salvation: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Clayton King speaks to this battle against selfishness within all of us when he says, “I want what is easiest, safest, and most convenient. But then the Holy Spirit speaks to me, as I am sure He does to you, and reminds me that my life is not my own anymore. I am compelled by a greater calling and a greater mission than my own self-preservation” (Dying To Live. Clayton King. 2010. pp 30-32).
Not only do we need to walk worthy of our calling, we also see that unity happens when …
2) We bear with one another in love – (Ephesians 4:2)
Paul explains this when he says, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love …” (Ephesians 4:1-2). Note the passage does NOT say, “Be a bear with one another.” Quite some time ago I learned from my vet that “Bitten dogs bite.” Likewise, when we are in pain, we often lash out at others. When we are patient and seek to understand others, we are fulfilling this command.
As we bear with others because of our desire to walk worthy of our calling …
3) We are eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3)
Selflessness means we choose to set aside our agenda and our preferences for the greater good of the entire body. This is a decidedly difficult decision for the baby or immature Christ follower. Why? Because it means we have to set aside ourselves and put others in the center of our universe – just as Jesus did during his life on Earth.
What do we unite over? We unite over two things in particular.
1) We unite over the essentials of faith (Ephesians 4:4-6)
All too often we quibble about the smaller matters and fail to unite over the essentials of the faith.
What are the essentials of the faith? Paul lists them as, “There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
2) We unite behind the gifts of faith (v. 7-8)
Jesus gives gifts to the church … they are ‘grace gifts’ to lead and guide his people into all that he desires for them. As Paul explains, “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men” (Ephesians 4:7-8).
When we move from the challenge of selfishness to our second challenge in the church in our next blog, we will explore exactly what these gifts are – and be prepared, they are most likely not what you have in mind!
Posted in Leadership Blog, Multi-ethnic / Urban
Tagged bearinging with one another, ministry, selfishness, tug of war, Unity
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Matthew West Talks About ‘The Story of Your Life” Tour
Matthew West spoke with our own Mike Powers recently about his new album project, “The Story of Your Life,” Operation Christmas Child and the center of God’s will for our lives.
You can order your album here!
Matthew West is a Contemporary Christian musician from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released four studio albums and is known for his number-one hits “More“, “You Are Everything” and “The Motions“. He was nominated for five Dove Awards in 2005, two of which were for his major label debut album Happy.
First starting out as an independent musician in the late 1990s, he released three independent albums before signing onto Universal South Records. With the release of his Dove Award-winning debut album Happy (2003) came the success of his first radio single “More” which stayed at number one on Christian AC charts for nine weeks and received two Dove Award nominations. His second record History (2005) was followed by a 2006 re-release of the originally independent album Sellout. West’s third studio album Something to Say (2008) was released in January of the following year and also enjoyed chart success with number one hits “You Are Everything” and “The Motions“.
In addition to his main solo career, West has worked as a songwriter for many Christian musicians and groups such as Point of Grace, Mandisa and Natalie Grant as well as mainstream country acts Rascal Flatts and Billy Ray Cyrus.
For more information about Matthew West click here.
Posted in Christan Music, Interviews, Transformed
Tagged Matthew West, The Story of Your Life
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Help! Our Community Is Changing! (Part 2)
by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith (c) 1999
In part 1 we discussed the rise and decline of the urban church. We ended our
Somewhere between the birth and the death of the local church selfishness took center stage, replacing self-sacrifice. From a clear goal of reaching that community with the Gospel, the church wanders in an aimlessness that brings about its death.
God has a better plan!
In September of 1988, God sent me to this dying church in East Los Angeles Country as pastor. The church was in stage six, and as I walked towards my car the evening I accepted the call, the head elder told me, “Well, I hope you can make this place go. You’re our last hope.” Driving home I had no idea of what to do or what had happened to this church. What was most intriguing to me was the demographics of our community. When the church was formed, only a few thousand people lived there, and yet a vibrant church flourished! When Melodee and I arrived the community had over 56,000 people and was struggling to survive.
That night began my long road trip towards understanding the dying, urban church. Here’s what I learned in that eleven year “on the job” training, a gift given by a gracious and patient God.
This is work, the ministry!
Stage One: Focused on Mission. As I examined the stories of the few who were still at our church at the time of its birth, they told of the excitement of winning people to Christ. In their stories came comments like: “We all got into a car and brought our friends with us to hear the evangelist at church. Two of my friends received Christ that night.” In the birth of the church there was a clear focus on the Gospel mission. Seeing people brought to Christ provided the life and energy to continue the hard work of the ministry.
Stage Two: Focused on Discipleship. As the church expanded, it did so because it taught its people to reach out and grow in faith at the same time. It hit me while sitting at a mortuary one day with a family: Churches grow because they are filled with babies! There is an incredible excitement with new life that is missing when one is constantly losing people. Just as sorrow and hopelessness often result from the death of a loved one, so too joy and enthusiasm are generated at the birth of a new child. Expansion occurred at our church because of the constant excitement of new life.
Stage Three: Focused on Leadership. As each child grows, their parents teach and train them in the skills needed at that stage of life. So too, the growing church, often out of necessity, trains more and more new converts to take over ministry. By giving away the ministry, ownership developed at our church. One old-timer Charlie, then an elder, told me, “They gave me a three-hour training and put me in charge of a group of 5th grade boys. I was terrified at first. As the weeks passed I grew more confident. Then I started to love those boys. Pretty soon all of them had received Christ, been baptized and brought a friend to Sunday School.” It is here, when new leaders are developed, that the church takes on depth. It is also at this point that the focus must once again, intentionally be refocused on mission.
Stage Four: Refocus on Mission. Here is where the invasion into the community occurs. It is at this time that those who make up the church must make a Kingdom choice. Will they stay and “do it all over again?” Attempts were made in the 1970s and 1980s to reach out to the incoming Hispanics. Some were faulty in philosophy. Others were still jaded with prejudice. It wasn’t until we were deep into stage six that we effectively did the things necessary at this stage.
We began with a Spanish-speaking service. We sought out friends who were bi-lingual. We established relationships with children who were more fluent in English than their parents, inviting them to Sunday School and our youth programs. We made them a part of our church, of our family. As we intentionally sought to reach out to the second cultural generation of our church, we would be successful. Growth came slowly at first. With every new convert came new excitement and energy. With the new faces came new music styles and new ideas. Each energized the church in new ways.
Stage Five: Refocus on Discipleship. Here we began a one-on-one discipleship program after mass teaching some 30 people in a program. Appointing a couple to head up this program made the pastor’s job easier, and shared ownership in the ministry. The church began to regain strength, slowly reversing the effects of stage six. Roofs were repaired. Buildings were repainted. New music was purchased. New life began to rise from the decay. As the team of discipled men and women grew the possibilities also grew. After one particularly successful multi-church rally, the team members sat together in the back of the sanctuary, almost unwilling to go home. Drawing out their hearts I asked, “So what are you thinking?” Debbie said, “We did it!” “And …?” I asked her. “And … it feels so good!” she said. As the old-timers “parent” the new cultural generation, the church energy, ownership and financial levels rise. Ministry to others becomes the norm again as people are praying for their unsaved friends, relatives and co-workers. New babes in Christ bring more enthusiasm.
Stage Six: Refocus on Leadership. In order to assure the stability of the church when the “old-timers” of the first cultural generation are gone, these new disciples must be trained and handed the reigns of leadership. It is at this point that the graciousness of our first generation came forth. “We aren’t going to be here forever,” Paul told me one day as he nominated a young man for a position. “It’s time they learned like we did – by doing it!” In this transformation of ministry, hearts are shared. There is no longer the destructive language of “them” and “us.” Only “we” exists. Color and nationality no longer mean anything. All are one in Christ, and all are one family in him.
Stage Seven: Re-Refocus on Mission. And so the community will no doubt change again. If we have done our job right, the second cultural generation will make the hard choice and choose to birth a third cultural generation by focusing again on the Gospel mission. Soon, many people will have received Christ from several cultures and in several generations.
A vibrant, discipling church!
In order for this process to repeatedly occur, leadership must help the people maintain a focused mindset on three gospel elements: mission, discipleship, and leadership development. When the local church acts on these three priorities, seeing those who are all around them as their responsibility, its future is bright with hope!
————-
Eagles In Leadership exists to help you and your church. Should you desire, we are here to help assist you in your leadership needs.
Help! Our Community Is Changing! (Part 1)
by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith (c) 1999
With tears in my eyes, I realized God had accomplished what He had set out to do among us. Our church now looked like our urban community, over 90% Hispanic. We had intentionally followed what now was a very clear road map. It had not been easy, nor without opposition. Yet before me that Sunday was a worship center that mirrored our city. The process of change from a small, dying, predominantly white church to the vibrant and growing, Hispanic-lead fellowship was a work of God’s grace.
It ain’t pretty, just true!
As the quality of American cities declines and churches disappear, pastors and denominational leaders across our nation are asking hard and honest questions. Most of these deal with the issue of change.
Change. The word evokes many emotions: fear, trepidation, excitement, wonder and bewilderment. Community change. The phrase is a reality all too common for us. It conjures up such obstacles as aging, mobility, ethnicity, and technology. Church change. To many this phrase may seem an oxymoron. Every week dozens of congregations in America choose to dissolve compared to the few who are willing to redefine their role in a changing world.
As a whole, the Christian community for the past several decades has been more interested in the American Dream than the Great Commission. When the city goes through urbanization, the church often folds up shop and moves to the suburbs. With a pastorate of eleven years in East Los Angeles County, CA, I was able to see the stages of urbanization have their effect upon the local church. How does this happen?
The natural process of decline
Stage One: Inception / Formation. As our community began in the 1920’s, so did its optimism. In 1926, several folks came together to start a work under the American Sunday School Union. People were saved and growth was the norm. As optimism reigned, people said, “Let’s get over there!” There was the excitement of “new birth” all around.
Stage Two: Expansion. As the Bible study / Sunday School grew, people began to say in their enthusiasm, “Let’s start a church!” Eventually a new church sprouted up among the orange orchards to the east side of Los Angeles. With the birth of this new church, a more permanent platform for evangelism and discipleship in this growing community took root. Each step of growth brought the infant church into its young adulthood.
Stage Three: Stagnation. With the building of the church facilities, there came a great expenditure of energy, time and financial resources. People got tired. However, the optimism was still there and the call of the faithful was “Let’s grow our church!” As the community grew, so grew the church, often through transfer growth.
Communities however grow to a certain point and then begin to stagnate. So did our community. Affluence took over. The automobile made it easier to drive further to work and people moved again; this time out of the community. With this stagnation of the community, the church changed its focus from evangelism to edification. “Our needs” replaced the needs of others. “Middle age” symptoms had set into the church as a whole.
As John Ortberg says, “It is possible for a church to go 20, 30 years or more without producing fruit. People are not challenged, volunteers not trained, resources not well-stewarded – and no one complains (Leadership, Spring 2000. 29).” This is stagnation at its clearest.
Stage Four: Invasion. The inevitable demographic change then occured as “white-flight” took its toll. “They” arrived. Whether that is the Hispanics, as we experienced, or the Chinese, Koreans, Iranians, etc., “they” arrive in increasing numbers. Soon the church was supported by “long-haul” Christians who lived in the suburbs and commuted to church property on Sunday. Increasingly, the local church looked less and less like its community. At this point, a clear message was proclaimed quietly: “Let’s close our church to ‘them’”. The church became more like a Country Club and less like a Rescue Station. Like parents whose grown adults return to cramp their new found freedoms, these immigrants caused prejudice to rear its ugly head.
Stage Five: Evacuation. “Let’s flee out church!” became the cry. People admitted their fears of the “way the neighborhood is going.” We heard people say, “This used to be such a nice community.” Our church felt the deepest wounds of evacuation in the 1970s and 1980s. Even the long-haulers began to drift away and the church went through a period of decline. The heart for evangelism had been lost and the masses all about the church facility were almost ignored. As the old-timers went into retirement, having done their bit for God and Kingdom, the church suffered deeply. We became a church of extremes with several very young families and several very old families. Only those who were unable or unwilling to get out of town remained behind.
Stage Six: Deterioration. A lack of people means a lack of finances and people to work on the facilities. Services, suffering from a limited pool of talent and ministries, were curtailed or terminated. I can remember the church organ sat on the platform for five years – never being played in all that time for lack of someone to play it – before we decided to remove it. Selfishness had borne its fruit and those long gone had forgotten about “their” church. Now in the midst of survival hope was lost. The church was now in its “old age.”
Stage Seven: Degradation and Death. In most churches, defeat comes when the few who have attempted to “hold out” now admit the cause is lost. With a heavy heart the dissolution clause is enacted and the church facilities are sold. With the sale comes the loss of the new cultural community for Christ.
Somewhere between the birth and the death of the local church selfishness took center stage, replacing self-sacrifice. From a clear goal of reaching that community with the Gospel, the church wanders in an aimlessness that brings about its death.
But God has a better plan!
And we will talk about that next Monday in part 2!
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