The Visionary Leader...

Where are you going and what will it look like when you get there?

Isn't vision the thing that drives us to look forward to a big vacation or to get excited about an upcoming event? We count down the days until we leave for vacation because we can see in our mind what that vacation will look like. The rest and relaxation, the beautiful sights, the down-time spent with our spouse and kids, the indulgence in good food, etc. are all things we are longing for. As a result of this type of vision, we make plans and we pursue making this vision happen with more energy than we will ever expend on a project at work!

Lets shift this discussion to the church and spiritual leadership. Do you have a vision for what your relationship with God will look like this time next year, or in 5 years, or in 20 years? Even bigger, does your church have a vision for how it will be impacting a community (or even the world) this time next year, or in 5 years, or in 20 years?

I'm asking 2 very different questions here:

1) What is your vision in ministry? How are you impacting the Kingdom of God now and in the future? Have you really thought about it? Do you have a vision for how God will use you and your talents to reach lost people? Are you excited about pursuing this vision much like you would a great vacation? A disciple of Jesus that does not have a vision to pursue will not be able to impact the world around them. To have a vision, you MUST be in God's Word and you must be connected with Him in prayer. Ask God to reveal a vision in your heart then pursue it with every ounce of energy you have. You will certainly make a difference!!!

2) What is your church's vision in ministry? Do you have any idea? Does the church leadership make it clear in words and action? Sadly, many churches have no more vision than to just get through the next Sunday service or to the next big event. How is your church impacting the community around it? How is your church focused on changing people's lives who do not already know Christ? Is there a CLEAR plan of action that says, "HERE IS WHERE WE ARE GOING AS A BODY OF BELIEVERS, WHO'S ON BOARD?" A church without a clear vision will NOT impact the community and world around it.

If you are wondering what a "clear vision" is, let me throw out a few examples for you to consider.

PERSONAL VISION EXAMPLES:

- You have identified 5 families in your neighborhood who never attend church. Within the next year, you are going to develop a relationship with each of those families and personally invite them to join you in worship. You will not quit until you have succeeded.

- You want to start a small group Bible study in your home with people who do not currently know Christ or go to a church somewhere. Within the next year you want to start this study and have at least 10 people attending.

CHURCH WITH VISION EXAMPLES:

- Your church has started making it clear that everything that happens over the next 5 years will be focused on planting 5 new churches (one each year) around your state. Your Sunday school classes, Sunday sermons, small group meetings, etc. will all be focused on training people to use their gifts to contribute to this vision (financially, or as a planting family, or maybe even as a ministry staff member or elder). Instead of trying to grow bigger, your church will try to multiply itself into new communities.

- Your church has made it clear that it is going to make an intentional effort to reach every non-church going family living within a 5 mile radius of the church within the next 3 years. This means Sunday sermons and all classes will be focused on coming up with strategies to intentionally identify and reach these people. This makes it clear that EVERYONE in the church is a minister, not just an attender!

With vision like this, you will lose friends. Your church will lose members who don't have any desire to be true disciples who are making new disciples. You know what, that is OK! Give them a hug and wish them well. Hopefully at some point in their lives they will wake up to what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus.

But after the sweet hug and good wishes, GET BUSY. Following a vision is hard work. However, it is the ONLY way Christ's Church can advance.

We need some VISIONARY LEADERSHIP in our churches. Maybe the Holy Spirit is calling on you as you read this article to get out of your seat and start actually making a difference in this world!!!

Does it hurt?

Isn't it true that the most important things in life hurt? Think about it. If you want to get in good physical shape, you must experience some pain to get there. If you want to be financially successful, you must make some pretty big personal sacrifices to attain that goal. If you want your marriage to work, you must be willing to swallow a lot of pride and independence to see it succeed.

Something else is starting to really become important to me and it hurts too! I'm ashamed to say that it took me 36 years to finally get it, but better late than never! I am finally learning what it feels like to hurt for those who haven't given their lives to Jesus Christ.

Sure, I've been in ministry for several years and have always had a desire to see new people get excited about God in their lives. However, I seem to be entering a new era in my life where I am starting to really understand how important it is for me to share the message of Christ with those who are lost and dying. Ministry is really starting to become a passion of my life instead of just a job.

Over the past 5 years I have seen between 150 and 200 students graduate from my youth ministry. There is one sad truth about many of these kids...they are lost. I'm not saying they are living terrible lives or anything, but when I see some of them I hurt for them because they have no idea what the purpose of their life is. They are in a college with people they don't know. They are working jobs they have no desire to be working. They no longer have the safety of a stable youth group or social group of friends to depend on. They are lost and I hurt for them.

These students I mention are just a small example of how many lost people are surrounding me every day. Many times these are people that go to church each week. Other times, they are people who have no thought of or desire to know Christ. Either way, it hurts to see people who are lost and dying.

Listen, Church! When are we collectively going to start hurting for lost people so much that it leads us into action? If it is important to you, then the burden for the lost will hurt. I just need to ask you one simple question: Does it hurt?

A New-Old Way of Doing Things

I am currently leading a Bible study on Sunday nights with my youth group using Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" as a guide. Here is a selection from chapter 4 of that book that sparked an interesting discussion:

"In the United States, numbers impress us. We gauge the success of an event by how many people attend or come forward. We measure churches by how many members they boast. We are wowed by big crowds."

"Jesus questioned the authenticity of this kind of record keeping. According to the account in Luke chapter 8, when a crowd started following Him, Jesus began speaking in parables - 'so that' those who weren't genuinely listening wouldn't get it..."

"...The fact is, He just wasn't interested in those who fake it."

I have been working in local churches now for about 17 years. As I look back on these experiences, one thing seems to hold true - most churches are much more concerned with creating "church-attenders" than with creating true disciples.

Allow me to explain. Most places I have worked or observed have been VERY interested in the Sunday worship attendance, offering numbers, and other program attendance. While these are useful benchmarks to use for measure, they certainly do not tell the whole story of whether or not a church is truly making new disciples.

Unfortunately, most church-attenders are nothing more than that! They have no concept of what it means to have a real relationship with Christ. They have no idea what it means to multiply themselves by making it a passion to create new disciples. They just assume that is the preacher's job.

Jesus didn't care anything about collecting a gathering of people that would attend church on a regular basis. He wanted to find out who the true disciples were. He wanted to know who was willing to go out and make new disciples so those new disciples could go out and make even newer disciples.

I don't care who you are. If you are a disciple of Jesus, your job is NOT to dutifully attend church each week, put your offering check in the plate, and join a Sunday school class. Your job is to turn around and start making new disciples and training them to make new disciples and so on!

I don't care how big your church is. If your church is just full of a bunch of church-attenders, it is a failure!!! I'd rather have a small group of 20 people who are passionate about making new disciples and teaching them to make even more new disciples, than to lead a mega-church of 2,000+ church-attenders.

Let's get off this "bigger is better" train. Bigger is failure if it isn't creating true disciples. Let's follow the example of Jesus. Let's find out who is really paying attention. Let's take the few true disciples and pour our efforts into training them to be true disciples that multiply.

What good is it if you have a church with 800 people in it, but none of them have any interest in being true disciples? I am convicted to start a new-old way of doing things in my ministry. I want to pour myself into those who are sincere and ready to be disciples and teach them to make new disciples. My guess is that some of the "church-attenders" will drift away (or RUN away) with this approach, but I am convinced that they will be replaced with true disciples. I am also convinced this is the way Jesus always intended it to be.

Bottom line: I'm tired of wasting my time with people who just don't care. It is time to focus on those who want to make a difference. I'm ready to see the church get serious about discipleship and to quit pandering to the "church-attenders" who just don't get it.

Wanna join me???

What If...

What if we taught people to stop going to church and instead challenged them to start being the church?

What if we had such a passion for God's Word that we couldn't wait until we could spend some more time studying it again?

What if we viewed every person we talk to as a potential disciple for Jesus instead of viewing them as someone who might meet one of our selfish needs?

What if we worried more about the souls' of those who don't know Christ than we do about offending them with our message?

What if we changed the world around us rather than being changed by the world around us?

What if your next door neighbor knew how passionate you were about your faith?

What if your family knew that Christ was the center of your family's life rather than sports, careers, or social status?

What if you really believed that prayer was powerful and important?

What if the Holy Spirit was really working through you?

What if you were using your talents to grow the church for Christ?

What if you started making holiness and purity the basis for ALL of your decisions?

What if you viewed everything you have as belonging to God instead of yourself?

What if God put a vision for ministry in your heart and you actually followed it?

What if your church actually cared more about reaching non-Christians rather than whether or not the music was the right volume or style?

What if the Church in America did its job taking care of people so the government wouldn't have to do it by force?

What if people started hating you and gossiping about you because you actually started to live as a true disciple of Jesus all the time?

What if your most hated enemy felt your compassion and love tomorrow?

What if we truly had a relationship with God instead of just doing the "Christian" things out of obligation and duty?

What if God shook the foundation of your life to get your attention?

What would happen?

Be Where the Being Is

The first time I heard the phrase "be where the being is" was from my friend, Arron Chambers; lead minister at Journey Christian Church in Greeley, Colorado. It was a phrase his dad used to say and it has stuck in my mind as being an important concept since then.

To 'be where the being is' simply means that we need to make sure that we are working on and doing the things that are truly important. If I am home with my family, I need to be with my kids instead of being on the computer or glued to the TV. If there is a choice between an extra hour of work or getting home to help my wife do the evening routine, I need to get my tail home because the work will still be there tomorrow!

As a minister working in a church this is a vital concept, one that way too many ministers are missing. It is a concept that I am now focused on trying to learn for myself. It is a discipline that means I am committed to ministering to PEOPLE instead of staying busy doing STUFF in the office all the time.

There is a kid that graduated from my youth group a couple of years ago. He and his family are plugged into the church, but he has never made the decision to give his life to Christ nor has he been obedient in baptism. I am convicted right now that I should be ashamed that I have not been pouring myself into this young man to help him see the eternal significance of this decision. It is time to change that. As I think about it, I need to really change my whole way of approaching ministry. My personality leads me to be very "task oriented". The Holy Spirit has been speaking to me loud and clear lately that it is time I learn to be truly "people oriented". It is time for me to be where the being is.

Look, there are thousands of lost people in my community. There are just as many in your community too. What are you doing about it? Even if you don't work for a church, you are in ministry if you are a Christian. Are you working for the Kingdom? Are you focused on 'being where the being is'?

It really doesn't matter how much money you make or how many people like or respect you. It doesn't matter if you miss the football game today or if the Braves miss the playoffs. But your next door neighbor who is lost needs to hear from you - RIGHT NOW!!! He needs to hear about what God has done for you and how He has saved you. It is what really matters. It is time for us, as followers of Jesus, to start being where the being is. It is what we are commanded to do. Make a difference in your world today!!!

Bold & Stupid...

Don't you want your life to make a difference that actually matters? I think we all do on some level. But how many of us take the time to sit back and examine what we are doing with our life right now to see if anything we are doing is actually making a difference that matters. Many of us don't do that because we know that the answer is too depressing.

When I say "making a difference that matters", I am referring to the only thing that really does matter - glorifying my God and bringing the message of hope and salvation to as many people as I possibly can. Am I doing that with my life? Is it my passion and mission every day from the time I wake up until I go back to bed again (naps don't count!).

This morning I studied Acts 17. In this chapter Paul starts by reasoning with the Jews in Thessalonica. Once they run him out of town he moves on to Athens where he eventually gets a chance to enter the Areopagus and speak to the Greek philosophers there. I was struck by a few things in reading about this today:

1) Paul was not afraid to talk to ANYONE about Christ, no matter where he was or what their reaction might be OR whether or not he thought there was a chance for them to be converted.

2) Paul was prepared to speak intelligently about his beliefs and testimony. He was able to use reason and logic to defend his statements. The most intelligent people in Greece were not able to beat his arguments.

3) Paul had amazing FAITH that what he was saying was the absolute truth and that God's Holy Spirit would guide him as he shared this message of hope and salvation.

4) Paul was ALWAYS on point. Every day he talked about Christ to anyone who would listen.

What I take away from all of this is that Paul was bold and stupid to think he could go into the furnace with Greek philosophers and Jews and have any chance of winning them over. But he did it anyway and he was successful!

I want to be bold and stupid like Paul. I want to do things that are "impossible" unless God gets involved. I want to be exactly where God wants me and I want to share His message with as many people who will listen.

I work in a "restoration movement" church. We claim that we want to restore the church we read about in the book of Acts. It would be great to see evidence of that in our actions, not just our words!

Who do you think you are?

It has been waaaaay too long since I've posted a message, but today I am moved to do so...

I have a simple question for you...WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??? This morning I was looking around on Facebook, some might call me a FB Stalker, but I like to just read through the status updates of my friends to see what they are thinking and experiencing today. Now, please forgive me if I sound a bit condescending or self-righteous when I say this, but it seems to me that there are A LOT of "Christian" people who have no concept, whatsoever, of what it means to pursue HOLINESS and PURITY in their lives.

Let me explain. A vast majority of people on my friends list of about 750 people claim to be believers and followers of Jesus. However, when I look at the status updates of many of those people I see no desire or regard for glorifying God with the words and attitudes expressed.

Here is why I am moved to point these things out...

1) We were created to glorify God with EVERYTHING we do. James says that our lives are like a vapor, here one moment and gone the next. His message was simple. All the junk you think is soooo important (career, money, status, reputation, etc.) is all CRAP. It is worthless. James is asking you...WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? Your one point for being on this earth for just a tiny bit of time is to bring glory to your God. Let's be honest, most of us are just wasting it on stupid stuff we think is important and God is no more than something we do for an hour or so on the Sundays we feel like going to church!

2) 2 Corinthians says that if you are a believer then you are an AMBASSADOR for Christ. That means your words and actions are the words and actions of God to the people who hear you and see you. You literally speak for and represent Christ everywhere you go, including what you post on Facebook. What non-Christians see is a pretty lousy representation of God when they look at the way most of us are living and talking and acting.

Listen! If you are going to go around claiming to be a "Christian", then start representing Christ in the way you live. Yes, I mean ALL THE TIME! But if you are going to keep on saying and doing things that clearly are against what God wants from us, PLEASE quit claiming to be one of us! None of us is perfect, least of all me, but there is a big difference between the person struggling with and pursuing purity in their lives versus the person who just doesn't seem to care anymore. Which one are you? YOU MUST CHOOSE A SIDE!