TRIP TO THE NORTHEAST

My wife, Sandy, and I just got back from visiting 3 church planters in the Northeast. Our daughter, Rachel, went with us and was the official photographer.

The first visit was with Tim and Lori Byers in Conneaut, Ohio. This is right on Lake Erie not too far from the PA line.

On Saturday, the church had a "cookout". Here's a picture of Tim cooking and me trying to look like I'm helping.

People eating in the fellowship hall:

It was Tim's birthday, so he got to wear the birthday hat:

I would have helped clean up, but somebody needed to hold young Joseph Byers.

The beautiful church was built in the late 1800's.

Sunday morning service:

We drove from Ohio to upstate New York to visit Dana and Betty Booth and Jim and Sylvia Martin.

They bought a former Nazarene church building.

Shaking hands on Sunday morning:

Jim Martin is leading the singing:

We stayed with our son, Nathan, and his wife, Rachel (they've been married only 2 months). They work with the youth and children in the church. Here is a picture of them with the Booths and Martins.

Our third visit was with Tom and Pam Jones and Nate and Jenna Altom in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

We had a short time with them, but a good time with a lot of laughter.

While the Byers and the Booths bought former churches, the Jones bought a former bar and dance hall. Several groups have come up this summer to help them in the renovation. I think it's great that this building will now be used to save souls instead of destroy them.

Still more work to be done.

It's tough everywhere to start churches now and it's really tough in the northeast. I appreciate all these families who are working hard to spread the good news about Christ.

QUOTES THAT I LIKE


Some people collect stamps. Some collect autographs. Others collect antiques. Jay Leno collects cars. I like to collect quotes. (They are a lot cheaper than cars.) A good quote can communicate something important or interesting or funny in just a few words. If you are a preacher or teacher, I hope you use good quotes. They can help get the point across. And they are often memorable.
Here are some quotes that I like. Maybe you can use one or two of them.

Don’t waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin and inspiration will find you.

You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do. Henry Ford

I believe in planning ahead, because if you spend enough time planning, you never actually have to do anything. Garfield the cat

CS Lewis on the Christian faith:
If it is false, it is of no importance; if true, it is of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.

If you are talking to people about Jesus, you are having a 100% success rate in sowing the seed.

"Ninety percent of all those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit."
-- Paul J. Meyer

A couple of quotes from Steven Wright:
I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.
I’d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand.

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers

“Smoking is not a sin; but if you like putting dried leaves in your mouth and setting them on fire that’s your business.”


You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Wayne Gretsky

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.*

Listen as if someone were about to give you the winning lottery number and you would only hear it once.

People judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard boiled egg.

Never decide to do nothing just because you can only do a little.

God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us. Martin Luther

A little girl had just finished her first week of school. 'I'm just wasting my time,' she said to her mother. 'I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk!'

We don’t need more strength or more ability or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have.

I’d be happy to hear from you with some quotes that you like. As I said, I collect quotes.

THERE IS A GOD

This is the title of a recent book by Antony Flew. It is subtitled, “How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind.” Even though the father of Mr. Flew was a Methodist minister, he has been an atheist for most of his adult life. He authored several books stating the case for atheism and has debated many theists over the years. In 2004 he announced that he now believed in God. With all of the recent well-publicized books promoting atheism and attacking a belief in God, it is encouraging to read this book.

The main premise of this book is that the author has followed the evidence wherever it led. When Flew announced his change of belief he said,
“What I think the DNA material has done is that it has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce life, that intelligence must have been involved in getting these extraordinarily diverse elements to work together. It’s the enormous complexity of the number of elements and the enormous subtlety of the ways they work together. The meeting of these two parts at the right time by chance is simply minute. It … looked to me like the work of intelligence.”

He tells how the British National Council of Arts conducted an experiment by putting 6 monkeys in cage with a computer. “After one month of hammering away at, the monkeys produced 50 typed pages – but not a single word.” So then what’s the chance of the monkeys producing a Shakespearean sonnet of 488 letters? 1 in 10 to the 690th power (1 followed by 690 0s). If instead of monkeys you turned the entire universe into computer chips and had them able to spin out 488 trials a million times a second, the number of trials you would get since the beginning of time would be 10 to the 90th power. “You would never get a sonnet by chance.”
And yet some believe that a human mind got here by chance.

I also liked the chapter, “Did the universe know we were coming?” He imagines entering a hotel room on your vacation and everything is set to your likes – your favorite song is playing; your favorite painting is hanging there; your favorite snacks and beverages are there; all the grooming products that you use are in the bathroom; and even the TV is turned to your favorite channel. With each new discovery you are more inclined to believe that someone knew you were coming.
This illustrates how the laws of physics in our universe and the conditions on Earth are just right for life. If they were changed just a little, then life wouldn’t be possible. Since many atheists understand this, there is now a theory that there are many universes. We just happen to be in the one that is conducive for life. It is interesting that they are more willing to believe in an infinite number of universes than believe in one God.

Antony Flew believes in evolution and hasn’t become a Christian. But I still like seeing my faith confirmed. When I was a pastor, I liked to teach some apologetics. With our faith being assaulted so much by the modern culture; it helps to see that it makes sense to believe in God.

WHAT ARE YOU READING THIS SUMMER?

I love to read. I guess you would call it a hobby of mine. I probably read about 75-100 books each year. (Many of these books I borrow from the library. A good library can be a great resource and great bargain!) I read books about history, science, politics, coins, economics, business, fantasy fiction, and Louis L’Amour westerns. (Unfortunately, Louis is dead and I’ve read all of his books about 3 times) Of course, I read many Christian books and books about church planting.
Here are a couple of books that I’ve just finished reading:

How The Mighty Fall by Jim Collins.
This is a business book written by the author of bestselling Good to Great. I know that we don’t get our principles of ministry from the business world. I think that is a mistake. But I do like to see if there are principles in business that are transferrable to church work. In this book, Collins deals with the question of why big and prosperous companies failed. He lists 5 stages of decline.
1. Hubris Born of Success
This certainly sounds Biblical. Proverbs says that “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
If you have some success and start thinking, “This community and the Home Missions Dept are lucky to have me,” then maybe danger is lurking.
2. Undisciplined Pursuit of More
3. Denial of Risk and Peril
Under markers for stage 3, he lists Externalizing Blame. “Rather than accept full responsibility for setbacks and failures, leaders point to external factors or other people to affix blame.”
Now that can easily apply to church work. It’s easy to blame the culture, or our location, or those other Christians, or the sorry people in my church. But that way leads to death.
4. Grasping for Salvation
5. Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death

The YBH (Yes, But How) Handbook of Church Planting by Roger McNamara and Ken Davis

This is a pretty thick book (over 650 pages) that deals with just about everything you can think of in starting a church. It is subtitled A Practical Guide to Church Planting. Here are a couple of excerpts:

From the chapter on Dealing with Problems:
“Problems are synonymous with churches and church planting. You cannot have a church without encountering problems because churches are comprised of people and people have problems.
Don’t go around with a ‘persecution complex’ or feeling everyone is against you, but do recognize that trials and problems are a normal part of life and ministry. Even with good people there will be misunderstandings and differences of opinion from time to time.”
Then the chapter talks about the specifics of dealing with problems. I like the parts about teaching people how to forgive and teaching people how to handle gossip. Those two ought to be taught in every church.

From the chapter on Developing Lay Leaders:

Just the Right Person

Great people are ready to help me,
At the right time,
In the right way,
People I don’t even know yet.

I promise I will never give up
Because I don’t have the help,
But I will trust God to provide.

God has the resources to help me
that I have not even considered,
and multiplied thousands of persons
with all sorts of talents, skills, concerns, and contacts.
That God can bring into my life to fulfill His plans.

So I will open my eyes and see the faces
of people around me.
I will open my ears to hear what they are saying.
Today, tomorrow, next week
I’ll meet someone,
someone who is just the person I need.

And that right person will come along
to fulfill just the right place,
at just the right time,
and I will marvel knowing that God
arranged it so beautifully.


What are you reading? I’d be interested in having people who read this blog to post a comment and tell what you have been reading and what it has that is good.

I’M SICK OF ALLITERATION

I’m talking about having all the points of a sermon outline start with the same letter. Something like this:

Building Churches
1. Beckon People to Come
A. Be nice to them
B. Balloons are pretty
2. Babies Should Be Taken Care Of
A. Boy, they can cry a lot
B. Bake cookies at 325 degrees
3. Before you start, pray (Guess I should have made that the first point)
A. Bereshith means in the beginning
B. Bow you head

Obviously, I’m being a little facetious. I have used alliteration many times.
But some messages that I hear have outlines that stretch to get the points alliterated. They seem to be trying to make their outlines into works of art. I hear words that I’ve never heard of before: semi-pelagianism and solafidianism (which is actually a good word).

Having a cute outline is not the main goal for our preaching. I would rather hear a sermon that actually said something. I would like to hear some Bible content. I would like to hear some practical application. I would like to hear a message that leads me to some action.
And yes, it’s alright to tell a story or two – if the story relates to the point. Jesus told stories. (But I don’t remember too many of His alliterated outlines)

With some people, preachers only have one chance a week to give a true Bible message that can impact their lives. And with some visitors, preachers only have one chance, period. This is too important an opportunity to waste with mumbled clichés or outlines that seek to impress instead of teach.

I don’t really care whether your outline is alliterated, starts with each letter of the alphabet, or if you only have one point.
But say something!


The Bible is just as true and relevant in the 21st century as it was in the first century. People need to hear a message from the Bible that they can understand. In your town this Sunday, probably one of the most important things happening will be your preaching.
Please say something!

Try it. Break the addiction. Preach this Sunday without alliteration.

PREACHERS AND POLITICIANS

A couple of politicians have been in the news recently because their adulterous relationships have been exposed. One of these men is supposed to be a born again Christian and a member of a Pentecostal church. He was also very involved in Promise Keepers. The other is an Episcopal. As Governor of his state, he opposed faith-based license plates. He wrote,
“It is my personal view that the largest proclamation of one's faith ought to be in how one lives his life."
One lesson we learn from this is that when you do wrong, you will probably get caught. That shouldn’t be our main motivation to not sin, but fear of getting caught is part of what keeps me straight. That’s why most of us don’t drive 100 mph and run red lights. We don’t want a ticket. If you think you can cheat on your spouse and no one will find out, you are wrong.
Another lesson is that hypocrisy is hated. Both of these men lived lives that didn’t match up with their words. Of course, politicians are famous for making campaign promises that they don’t deliver. This brings me to the connection to preachers. Which is more important in leading churches and reaching people – trust or charisma?
Many politicians have a lot of charisma. They smile a lot, shake hands, kiss babies, and try to tell you what you want to hear. In our media age, charisma can go a long way in helping a person get elected.
For preachers, there is nothing wrong with smiling a lot, shaking hands, and kissing babies. There’s nothing wrong with personal charisma. What will really help us, though, to be attractive to people is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, and peace. I like people who show that they care for me. I like to be around people who show a true joy in living. I feel better being with people who exhibit peace even in tough situations. This is also true for patience and humility and gentleness. One of the best things you can do for your marriage is to walk in the Spirit each day. One of the best things you can do as a Christian to reach others is to walk in the Spirit each day.
But if we are talking about personal charisma and charm, than trust is much more important in reaching others and being a leader. You don’t have to have a life of the party personality to build a church. People are watching us. They want to follow someone they can trust. Some preachers are like politicians in that they are making promises that they don’t fulfill. After a while, people learn that the pastor doesn’t really mean what he says. Congregations get whiplash from all the new programs that some pastors keep promoting. And they certainly expect us to live what we preach.
I’m all for new ideas. I like to hear how other people are doing what I want to do. We may find a new method that really helps.But its much more important that we are Sprit-filled people of integrity

CHURCH PLANTING IS HARD


I work for the Free Will Baptist Home Missions Department. It’s a great job! I get to work with some of my favorite people – church planters. Before I came to Nashville to work here, I was a church planter in Delaware. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences of our lives. My wife, Sandy, and I have four children. Now that they are grown, Sandy is able to travel with me to visit church planters. Both of us have a heart for new churches and church planters and their families. In this blog, I just want to share about good books that I’ve read, ideas that I’ve heard about, and thoughts that I have about church planting and other facets of reaching people for Christ in North America.


It’s hard to start a new church.

* You have to find somewhere to meet for church services.
* You don’t have much money.
* Nobody knows anything about you.
* Since people attract people, it’s harder for you to draw a crowd because you don’t have any people yet.
* Somebody is always asking you what you believe – “So what’s the difference between Free Will Baptists and other Baptists?”
* You have to come up with all the organizational structure.
* A lot of people will come for awhile and then leave because they don’t like something about your preaching or the church doctrine or way you worship. Or they want more programs for their children.
* You attract a lot of people who are very needy or who have a lot of problems. You know that you want to help everyone, but they drain you of all your energy and don’t really give you any help.

And there are a lot of obstacles that apply to any church in America:
* People are busy.
* Americans are comparison shoppers.
* There are many false beliefs. Many people resent anyone who takes a stand on truth.
* People are suspicious about religious leaders.
* Our country has a culture of entertainment and pleasure.
* People have preconceived ideas about Christians and Baptists.



But you know what else church planting is – it’s fun!

* I was so excited at our first service (held in a living room with 35 people present) that I felt like my feet weren’t even touching the ground.
* Do you want real fellowship with other Christians? Work together on the new church building. At the end of the day you are tired, but it’s a good tired.
* You look forward to Sunday morning like you never have before.
* It is so good to have a crowd at your fellowship dinner that you don’t mind eating last and you’re not that upset that you have to eat dark meat chicken.
* Some people are saved. Their whole future is changed. That is the fun I’m talking about!

So if hard work and rejection will stop you, don’t try to start a new church. It isn’t for everyone.
But I’m sure glad I got to get in on it.