Church Planting Series, Part four
How many Ash Wednesdays have you experienced? What has that accumulated repentance worked in you? How have the dust and ashes formed you?
A wise professor said to me, “You can have one year of experience forty times, or you can have forty years of experience.”
Is this a “repeat” Ash Wednesday or are you being led deeper into the presence of Christ and under the shadow of His cross?
I heard Frank Wess play a couple of weeks ago. He’s a jazz flautist and saxophone player. But that description doesn’t do him justice. This 86-year-old musician hobbled onto stage with the help of a cane and a young escort. Mr. Wess steadied himself against a stool. Then he picked up his flute and melted the hearts of everyone in the room with smooth and stirring melodies and improvisation. He moved to the sax and reached inside our souls with sounds smoother and sweeter than grandma’s cake batter. His music—-his presence—-brimmed with the sweet and painful accumulation of what life this side of heaven brings.
Mr. Wess talked about his “buddy” Duke Ellington. Frank Wess had been there. And when he raised his hand to command the Jazz ensemble, the other director floated toward the wings of the stage so the man who had jazz running through his veins could teach the “kids” a thing or two about the soul of music.
You may not be 86-years-old, but is the sweetness of the cross of Christ getting into your circulatory system as you march ahead in life—and not simply appearing on your calendar?
St. Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Will the beginning of Lent for you be part of a soul-stirring score brimming with the sweet and painful gifts your Savior earned for you? And will your Gospel voice melt the economic downturned, hopeless feeling, life struggling hearts of everyone in the room?
I’m not talking about whipping up some feelings or manufacturing a load of emotions. I’m talking about the sweetness of the cross in your life. I’m talking about the real impact of Jesus in you over the long haul of years.
The most powerful factor in ministry, in church planting, and in personal witness is the sweetness of the cross of Jesus in you. If it’s all just a job, if you’re simply running through another program year, if you’re in it to build funding, forget about it.
But if no one can hold you back, if you’d hobble out there—pay or no pay, if nothing can stop your determination to bring the sweet melody of redemption to the people God has placed around you, then play on. And watch souls be changed.
“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Knee Factor
Church Planting Series, Part three
A couple of weeks ago I watched and listened to President Obama’s talk at the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. It was a good talk. But it wasn’t the main event at, or the main point of, the prayer breakfast.
Most of the focus of the prayer breakfast happens behind the scenes. I got a chance to attend the National Prayer Breakfast a few years ago. The great uncle of a friend of mine is one of the people who, with Doug Coe, helped form “the fellowship,” the organizing “non-organization” that makes the Presidential Prayer Breakfast happen. They insist it isn’t an organization because it’s all about personal relationships and small groups.
What they say is true. I got a chance to sit with Doug Coe and some of his colleagues as they spoke with the president of a Caribbean nation about Jesus Christ. I sat with congressmen and judges as they shared Jesus with invited guests from all over the United States and world. I witnessed citizens and leaders working to bring the blessing of the Savior to others—-including our nation’s President. I saw rooms full of prayer breakfast organizers from every state of the Union praying for the Holy Spirit’s work at this event.
Prayer FOR the president and others is the bedrock of the sound bites you hear on the evening news. There is so much more to the story.
The same should be true of every church plant.
In my ministry experience I’ve found that there is a lot of talk ABOUT prayer. Getting down to business and PRAYING is another story.
I’ll never forget the man who entered the small sanctuary of our mission church to attend a wedding rehearsal. He was early, so he asked me if he could kneel at the front of the church and pray. He said, “My pastor is a man of prayer; my church is a church of prayer; and I want to be a person of prayer, too.” I said yes—-and I learned something.
Starting that day, I contacted a couple of people who were prayer leaders. We talked about how we could make sure our church was a church of prayer. The main takeaway of the meeting was that we needed to stop simply talking around the issue. We needed to start praying.
Many types of prayer efforts followed, but the common thread was that in all prayer events and other gatherings as a church, we took time to pray. Let me emphasize that: we took TIME to pray. In addition to teaching about prayer—-which is very important, we actually prayed.
When there was silence for prayer in a worship service, I made sure there was enough time for people to really pray. I supplied “prayer starters” to people for daily prayer and for leaders at meetings. We grew a team of prayer leaders who kept prayer running through the veins of our life together. We had people on their knees in prayer. We invited people to pray. We modeled prayer. I read John Maxwell’s book “Partners in Prayer,” and I resolved to grow as a man of prayer.
The first New Testament church plant was immersed in the gift of prayer—-the gracious open door of communication with the Lord (Acts 1:14). What's happening behind the scenes as you venture into ministry?
A couple of weeks ago I watched and listened to President Obama’s talk at the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. It was a good talk. But it wasn’t the main event at, or the main point of, the prayer breakfast.
Most of the focus of the prayer breakfast happens behind the scenes. I got a chance to attend the National Prayer Breakfast a few years ago. The great uncle of a friend of mine is one of the people who, with Doug Coe, helped form “the fellowship,” the organizing “non-organization” that makes the Presidential Prayer Breakfast happen. They insist it isn’t an organization because it’s all about personal relationships and small groups.
What they say is true. I got a chance to sit with Doug Coe and some of his colleagues as they spoke with the president of a Caribbean nation about Jesus Christ. I sat with congressmen and judges as they shared Jesus with invited guests from all over the United States and world. I witnessed citizens and leaders working to bring the blessing of the Savior to others—-including our nation’s President. I saw rooms full of prayer breakfast organizers from every state of the Union praying for the Holy Spirit’s work at this event.
Prayer FOR the president and others is the bedrock of the sound bites you hear on the evening news. There is so much more to the story.
The same should be true of every church plant.
In my ministry experience I’ve found that there is a lot of talk ABOUT prayer. Getting down to business and PRAYING is another story.
I’ll never forget the man who entered the small sanctuary of our mission church to attend a wedding rehearsal. He was early, so he asked me if he could kneel at the front of the church and pray. He said, “My pastor is a man of prayer; my church is a church of prayer; and I want to be a person of prayer, too.” I said yes—-and I learned something.
Starting that day, I contacted a couple of people who were prayer leaders. We talked about how we could make sure our church was a church of prayer. The main takeaway of the meeting was that we needed to stop simply talking around the issue. We needed to start praying.
Many types of prayer efforts followed, but the common thread was that in all prayer events and other gatherings as a church, we took time to pray. Let me emphasize that: we took TIME to pray. In addition to teaching about prayer—-which is very important, we actually prayed.
When there was silence for prayer in a worship service, I made sure there was enough time for people to really pray. I supplied “prayer starters” to people for daily prayer and for leaders at meetings. We grew a team of prayer leaders who kept prayer running through the veins of our life together. We had people on their knees in prayer. We invited people to pray. We modeled prayer. I read John Maxwell’s book “Partners in Prayer,” and I resolved to grow as a man of prayer.
The first New Testament church plant was immersed in the gift of prayer—-the gracious open door of communication with the Lord (Acts 1:14). What's happening behind the scenes as you venture into ministry?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Trust Factor
Church Planting Series, Part two
Several years ago I worked with a cluster of congregations to develop a plan for regional outreach to families. We found a perfect venue—centrally located to all the congregations. We settled on a theme: Marriage enrichment. We had teams in place from all the congregations. We then took the step to delegate responsibility. That’s when everything came to a screeching halt.
It turned out that some pastors could not release tasks to laypeople. The pastors couldn’t let go. They couldn’t trust others to carry out ministry tasks.
Church planting cannot travel that pathway.
I was visiting with a church planter recently and listened as he described all the “hats” he had to wear in his start-up venture. My advice: GIVE THE HATS AWAY. Share the hats! After all, you can only wear one at a time.
This takes trust. Of course, you have to train, disciple, mentor, organize, and maintain accountability. You can’t toss hats into the crowd and let anyone do what he or she pleases. But in a responsible, pastoral, God-pleasing way, you must give the hats to servants who are raised up by the Lord.
If Gospel outreach is to happen and if a church is to be formed, you need more than just you.
I remember thanking God for the people He raised up in our church plant setting. In addition to getting the job done, these Christ-filled servants ended up doing MORE than I could ever accomplish or imagine. At the beginning stages of our ministry two men led our little group into assisting another church plant. We had an immediate mission focus! Phyllis and Jan took the initiative to grow music ministry in wonderful ways. Kay made sure every event we had was warm and welcoming with her beautiful decorations. Pam decided that college student outreach needed some motherly touches—including FOOD! Paul decided to research and become well-versed in Biblical stewardship initiatives for our fledgling group. Al stepped forward to visit the sick. Richard gathered small groups. Maryann asked if she could expand care ministry.
I met with, dialogued, supported, trained, and assisted in these efforts as needed. But what if I said “no”? What if I didn’t trust God’s people to do His mission?
I would have been suppressing the spread of the Gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I would have been hindering the work of God. I would have been selfishly hoarding the message of the cross. The church would be about me and about what I alone could accomplish. Simply because I would not trust the people of God with the work of God.
I like to compare the ministry to scenes in those old Western movies when the horse rider is knocked off his horse and is being dragged behind the steed. The cowboy is holding on for dear life, trying to keep his balance on the bouncy, dusty ride. That’s the ride you’re in for when you trust God and His people. You have a hard time keeping up with the thundering hooves of God’s Kingdom galloping into this world.
God entrusts His mission to us. Will you trust His people to have at it? If you will, you are ready to plant a church and see a ministry grow!
Several years ago I worked with a cluster of congregations to develop a plan for regional outreach to families. We found a perfect venue—centrally located to all the congregations. We settled on a theme: Marriage enrichment. We had teams in place from all the congregations. We then took the step to delegate responsibility. That’s when everything came to a screeching halt.
It turned out that some pastors could not release tasks to laypeople. The pastors couldn’t let go. They couldn’t trust others to carry out ministry tasks.
Church planting cannot travel that pathway.
I was visiting with a church planter recently and listened as he described all the “hats” he had to wear in his start-up venture. My advice: GIVE THE HATS AWAY. Share the hats! After all, you can only wear one at a time.
This takes trust. Of course, you have to train, disciple, mentor, organize, and maintain accountability. You can’t toss hats into the crowd and let anyone do what he or she pleases. But in a responsible, pastoral, God-pleasing way, you must give the hats to servants who are raised up by the Lord.
If Gospel outreach is to happen and if a church is to be formed, you need more than just you.
I remember thanking God for the people He raised up in our church plant setting. In addition to getting the job done, these Christ-filled servants ended up doing MORE than I could ever accomplish or imagine. At the beginning stages of our ministry two men led our little group into assisting another church plant. We had an immediate mission focus! Phyllis and Jan took the initiative to grow music ministry in wonderful ways. Kay made sure every event we had was warm and welcoming with her beautiful decorations. Pam decided that college student outreach needed some motherly touches—including FOOD! Paul decided to research and become well-versed in Biblical stewardship initiatives for our fledgling group. Al stepped forward to visit the sick. Richard gathered small groups. Maryann asked if she could expand care ministry.
I met with, dialogued, supported, trained, and assisted in these efforts as needed. But what if I said “no”? What if I didn’t trust God’s people to do His mission?
I would have been suppressing the spread of the Gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I would have been hindering the work of God. I would have been selfishly hoarding the message of the cross. The church would be about me and about what I alone could accomplish. Simply because I would not trust the people of God with the work of God.
I like to compare the ministry to scenes in those old Western movies when the horse rider is knocked off his horse and is being dragged behind the steed. The cowboy is holding on for dear life, trying to keep his balance on the bouncy, dusty ride. That’s the ride you’re in for when you trust God and His people. You have a hard time keeping up with the thundering hooves of God’s Kingdom galloping into this world.
God entrusts His mission to us. Will you trust His people to have at it? If you will, you are ready to plant a church and see a ministry grow!
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