Where Oh Where Have you Gone

It’s July!?!?    Wait what happened to June?!?!   Man this summer is flying by. We have had a crazy sumemr already Bible School wrapped up last week and it was pretty awesome. I will say that we did not reach our goals…didnt even come close but it was still great. I think we are establishing a rep of quality around here and that means a lot.   In just a few days I will betaking some tiome off to head home to Rock Hill SC. Gonna spend the fourth with my wife’s parents and then go to my home church on Sunday. Get refreshed a bit see some friends and maybe meet my buddy’s new baby….who is almost not a baby anymore. Then on Monday we are off to camp with the youth group. We have had some last minute additions and it has really filled us out. I am excited. Hope I can let you know some great things soon.

Church Bully

After being in the ministry for ten years I ave learned to expect certain things in every church.  One of the people you will always encoutner is a church bully. I define a church bully as a singular church member who expects to have the final say in all matters whether or not they are informed about why certain things are being done.  In the comings and goings they will have their pet peeves or projects and will try to intimidate you into yeilding to their will.

This issue is not one to be taken too lightly.  Now you must be wise and pick your battles and you must recognize which issues are worth dying for.  But, there is a line that you must draw or you will find yourself hopelessly at the mercy of the bullies.   Bullies want control they think they  own the place and you for that matter. I have found that most church bullies think that the pastors are nothing more than employees and they the employer.   At some point you have to make a stand. If you do not your ministry will begin to suffer. The old adage goes “give the devil an inch and he will take a mile”.  When you give power ove ryou to someone the snowball effect begins to take place and one thing leads to another and you will find yourself with no ability to make decisions for yourself. One of the most important things in ministry is leadership and if you can not make decisions and be respected for them then you will spend more time spinning your wheels than you will making progress.

Say NO to the Church Bully

Jon and Kate

I want to begin by saying I hate the show.  I leave the room whenever it is on.  I hate how the personalities of both of the “stars”.  Whether it be reality or not Jon is portrayed as the whipped husband and Kate as the domineering wife. It bothers me.  That being said I was tired bored and curious when the encore of their “big announcement” came on last.  Our youth had just left our hosue afetr a VBS afterparty and the wife was chauffering one home. So I watched. It was like night and day.

I know one thing is certain. That reality television is not real. The producers take the worst of you and expose it to the world.   Last night they flipped the switch on the characters. Jonwas acting all bold and brazen and Kate was broken and humbled.  I do not judge who they are for I do not know them but found this blog by Walt Mueller very insightful. Being a neighbor of the family for a little while he saw things that were not captured by the cameras or at the least not put on TV.

I feel for the kids. The parents gave up and made a mess of their lives. They want to claim the show had nothing to do with it but we all have seen the changes that each have gone through.  The show gave them fame, money, notoriety, and respect.  They have books and speaking engagements and have drastically changed their appearance over the years. Weight loss, plastic surgery and hair styles all have manifested themselves and looking at the before and after shots how can anyone claim the show did not change them. How many non TV families actually can do those things…  I know we can’t.

Matthew 16:26 puts it best…

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

Do what works

You have heard that you cannot please everybody. It is very important to understand that when programming in ministry.

For far too long we have held the fantasy that programs draw people. They don’t programs simply get the people you have in activity.  But many churches and church have run themselves into the ground by relying to heavily on programs that do not work.

I have worn several hats in church.  I have overseen Education, Outreach, Children and Youth ministries as well as several unofficial roles.  I have done all sorts of programming some have succeeded and some have failed miserably.  The key to sustainable ministry is to recognize when your programs are not working and being ready to pull the plug.

Many people will not be happy when you pull the plug and they will have their various reasons. Some may have been influenced by a similar program some may have some connection to the program as a lkeader or a attendee or as a parent of an attendee. But the fact remains that if it isn’t working it will drain your energy time and finances.  Be smart be aware. God didn’t call us to have great programs but to reach people and if your programs aren’t working you are wasting your time and you aren’t fulfilling God’s call.

Correcting sometimes causes Chaos

Over the past few weeks I have learned that correcting causes chaos.   The story is that 6 months ago we set out how we would do our summer program. Then about 6 weeks a go we started  having some incidents. We made a massive course correction and thought we had our bases covered. Well unfortunately I wound up losing about 3/4ths of the volunteers I had in the fall and  we had to make another shift last week.  So it has been chaotic to say the least

Ultimately though you have to do what is for the good of the minsitry. If you cant keep adult leaders you cant do something that requires  a lot of adult supervision. If you under staf and something goers wrong then you are irresponsible.  Paents will be mad and may stop coming but in the end the kids are safer and you are better for it. And your reputation doesn’t take as big a hit.

VBS Workdays

This week is a hectic one and next week will be one too. VBS begins next Monday and I am swamped this weekw ith prep. We have had two neighborhood Blitzes and looks like we will be doing some more at the end of the week. We have been doing work days getting props and scenery ready. We have about 1800 flyers that are going out and have had some good responses. We will see what is going to come of it next week I guess. Last year with no advertisement we had 80 kids so I expect great things this year.

A couple of interesting Posts

A church planter I have been following lately has posted a new blog here.  It calls out churches for being blind to what doesn’t work and wasting there time, effort and resources.  How long must we spin our wheels emploring methods of the past.  There are so many ways to reach out and we seem to just keep ignoring them….sad

Mark Riddle put this out on Twitter this morning -

Irony: Barna 12yrs ago “emergency! pastors must be leaders” ; Barna today “Emergency! people r leaving because the church is a business”

Wow isn’t that so true. We have boiled people down to a number. More people equals more money and more money equals more salary more staff and better status which automatically makes us better pastors….right?

Ummmmm……. NO!!    We need to lead but we need to lead people into a loving relationship. Where people feel valued as a child of God not as a statistic or notch on the belt. We need to be leading our people to making a difference in others lives.  So that we can make their lives better. Remember Christ said He had come to give us life and life more abundant and free.

A year on the job.

This week marks my one year here in Greenville. It has been a great time and I feel like I am settling in as far as being in a new town is concerned. It amazes me how fast this year has flown by but how much we have packed in in such a short time. I am really excited about the work we are doing here and look forward to how this church will be shaped as we bring a new pastor hopefully in the coming months. I wouldn’t trade this place for the world right now we have seen so many good things beginning to happen and from here any thing is possible.

he one thing I really wish I could accomplish is finding some good friends in the area. Right now me and my wife know few couples in our age group with similar priorities.  I do love the people here though they are very special to me. I can’t wait to see what happens THIS year

Pagan Christianity

I have just finished reading Pagan Christianity and thought I would share my thoughts.  While I find that all the research and history is incredibly enlightening I do not know that I would necessarily say that we can or should try to be just like the early churches. It is a matter of culture and what is acceptable and capable of working. I will say that it is humbling to know where the roots of our common practices lie.  If every Christian could understand how trivial the things we cling to are then maybe the church could be more functional and healthier.  I recommend reading this book but with an open mind and a cautious heart. It is not a book that we should take for the next how to guide but it does help one prioritize.

Seeking Book Recommendations

I love to read. I usually try to read 2-3 chapters out of two to three books a day. Sometimes it happens and other times it doesn’t. Right now though I want to expand my reading from books on religious stuff to more secular books on leadership and innovation. I would love to hear from some blog readers what you think and what you enjoyed reading.