3 Redeeming Myths of the Reformation

Wittenberg

Emperor Nero didn’t really play the fiddle while Rome went up in flames. Paul Revere didn’t ride through the night shouting “The British are coming! The British are coming!” And, no, a little George Washington didn’t actually chop down a cherry tree and told the truth about it later. Nevertheless, the well-meaning but misinformed still tell these stories—and many like them—over and over and over again.

What’s true of myths of world and American history is also true of church history. Over the course of 500 years, several exaggerations, misrepresentations, legends, and outright lies have been told and retold. Many of these myths are hard to bust. However, a few “myths” of the Reformation may still be redeemed. Some of them may, in fact, be true; we just can’t prove them. Others may not be entirely accurate, but they highlight an important truth of the Reformation worth remembering. Read More

Also See:
31 New Episodes of 5 Minutes in Church History

What Matt Chandler and Tim Keller’s Churches’ Transitions Mean for the Multisite Movement [Podcast]

After the influential Texas and New York bodies announce that their campuses are becoming autonomous, what’s next?

Has one of the biggest trends in evangelical churches been eclipsed by a new one? Multisite congregations number more than 5,000 and researchers say this trend is as ubiquitous as the megachurch movement was 20 years ago.

The Village Church, one of Texas’ largest multisite congregations, announced this week that it would be transitioning into five distinct congregations over the next five years. This news comes several years after its Denton location became an independent congregation “In part, Denton leaders and members didn’t want to build their strategy on the Matt Chandler brand,” CT reported in 2015. Listen Now

Related Articles:
Matt Chandler’s Village Church Ends Multisite Era
The Village Church Transition: Ushering in the End of the Megachurch Era?

Our Strong Right Arm

Have you ever noticed how naturally we take pride in our own achievement and rejoice in what our own strong right arm has been able to perform? In matters religious, just as in all others, the tendency is for us to put the emphasis on what we ourselves do.

The primitive savage for example comes to the conclusion that his god is angry with him. His fowls have died or his wife has, or he has a pain in the tummy or has been defeated by his foes. The situation is intolerable. Therefore he must do something. He chooses out a choice victim and offers it in sacrifice to his god, and he believes that if he has chosen the right victim and performed the ceremonies correctly he will succeed in his object. His strong right arm has triumphed.

Or consider a religion of a very different type in Judaism. In our Lord’s day the Pharisees had made a very close study of the Old Testament, and especially the first five books which to them were sacred Scripture par excellence. In the Law (as these five books are called) they found that there are 613 separate commandments. Salvation for them then became a simple matter. Simply keep these 613 commandments and you are right! Here is a religion of a very different type from the foregoing, but again we discern the same principle–man’s salvation rests on what he himself does.

So with the mystery religions. Not a great deal is known about these (is it a coincidence that women were not admitted?), but it is known that the essence of the various cults consisted in submitting the initiates to various horrifying experiences and then bringing them out into a sense of calm and the vision of the god or goddess. Again if one would be saved one must do something; in this case submit to the rites of initiation. Read More

Also See:
The Day of Atonement was a Copy of Christ’s Atonement

3 Shifts to Making Disciples in Chaos

On any given Sunday, we are missing about twenty percent of our congregation.

Someone asked me just the other day, “How large is your church?” I’m sure in a moment like that I’m not the only one is tempted to respond with a figure more representative: “Well, if everyone actually showed up at the same time, which they never do, we’d have X people.”

Do you find it harder to keep up with your people than it once was? I know I do! Sometimes it can be frustrating when you don’t see people for weeks. Additionally, you as a pastor can’t realistically “keep up” with more than 75 people on your own, which makes them hard to effectively shepherd. This reality also makes it much easier than in the past for individuals or even whole families to “fall off the radar” and “out of church.” And the reason is simple. We pastors experience it every day in our work. Life is chaos! We know it because we live it! Read More

7 Principles to Lead as Jesus Led

We can draw inspiration from the ways that Jesus led.

Jesus did not come to be your leadership guru. He came to die on the cross, for your sin, and in your place.

Yet, he did lead. And we can learn from how he led. If we look closely, we see that his leadership was wrapped in humility and servanthood. Even for those in high leadership positions, we all ultimately submit to one Person, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus also led perfectly. Now of course we are not perfect, but nonetheless Jesus’ model guides us towards towards more Spirit-led leadership that honors all those under our care. The more we follow Jesus, the more ‘perfect’ we can be in emulating and taking on the characteristics of a good leader. And when we lead like Jesus, we leave a legacy that is shaped around Jesus.

Gene Wilkes has helpfully categorized seven principles that we can take to heart to inspire our leadership. I have personally found these helpful in different leadership positions I have been in. None of us is perfect, but we strive to be leaders who at the end of each day may hear the voice of our God saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Read More

Related Article:
Great Leaders Live By Strong Convictions

The Biggest Difference between Good Speakers and Great Speakers

What makes the difference between a good speech and a great speech? They share many common qualities: important subject, accurate research, clear writing, organized material, relevant illustrations, passionate communication, and so on.

But they differ in one important area.

Good speakers are focused on their speaking. Great speakers are focused on their audience’s hearing. Read More

Worship Isn't About Feelings - ADDITIONAL UPDATES

I grew up in the church, and by the time I was a teenager was well acquainted with the concept of a “mountaintop” spiritual experience. If you missed out on this (bless you), then here’s the basic idea.

You go to a retreat. Or a camp. Perhaps a conference, or just some youth bonfire night. Honestly, it’s just best if there’s a bonfire involved. It really adds to the experience. But I digress. At this retreat/camp/conference you spend large quantities of time hearing teaching, praying with others, confessing and repenting, and rededicating your life to the Lord.

By the end of this thing, you can’t believe you ever struggled with sin to begin with. Who could, with such a great Savior to follow?? You’ve broken up with your boyfriend, you’ll never drink again, and TV is a thing of the past. From here on out, it’s all Jesus, all the time. Read More

Related Article:
New: Make Church Announcements Great Again
New: 12 Things That Can Discourage Congregational Singing
New: Strong Congregational Singing: 12 Things To Avoid
New: How Can Believers Cultivate A Culture Of Family Singing? [Video]
The Thing That’s Holding Our Worship Hostage

My grandparents, my mother's parents, both came from families with a culture of family singing. They sung or hummed hymns and gospel songs as they went about their daily chores. Whenever we drove any distance - even to and from the grocery store, they sung. My mother would join in. I did not feel the full impact of this experience until I started attending church again in the 1980s. They had passed on to me their love of church music and of singing.

The Death of Christendom

I mentioned in an earlier post Darrell Guder’s definition of Christendom as the “centuries in which Western civilization considered itself formally and officially Christian” (Missional Church, pp. 5-6). It was an era that emerged when the church moved from the margins of culture to the power center of culture.

It happened when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. You can read more about that here. This event changed the nature of Christianity and the way the church understood it’s purpose for the world. Read More

Related Article:
How to Plant a Church (in 1953!)

Why Our Willingness to Offend Can be a Loving Choice - UPDATED

The melding of culture and Christianity has wrought in me both great sadness and a great sense of urgency. We need voices who will call out the false shepherds of our day—those who, like in the days of Jeremiah, say ‘peace, peace’ where there is no peace and who heal the wounds of God’s people superficially. We fear offense above all, yet perhaps offense is the very thing necessary to lead people to true peace and healing.

The Word of God is, by its nature, offensive. It is described as a sword, and it divides, exposes, and digs into deep, hidden places. It also leads us to God, to truth, to healing, to fulfillment, and to freedom.

As I have thought about this, I have been reminded of that season in my life 21 years ago when I was deeply offended by my friends and family. Revisionist theology had emboldened me, and at some level I hoped everyone in my world would be as enlightened as I thought I had become. But neither my wife, nor my friends and family, were swayed by my feelings. They loved me, but they did not affirm me in my newly claimed identity. Offended by much of Christianity, I walked away from the people who loved me, and I walked away from the church. Read More

Also See:
New: Is the Church Ready to Respond to ‘Christian’ Polyamory?

1 in 3 Protestant Churchgoers Personally Affected by Suicide

Survey also finds one-third of victims were attending church before their death, but few pastors knew of their struggle.

Suicide remains a taboo subject in many Protestant churches, despite the best efforts of pastors, according to a new study from LifeWay Research.

Eight in 10 Protestant senior pastors believe their church is equipped to intervene with someone who is threatening suicide.

Yet few people turn to the church for help before taking their own lives, according to their churchgoing friends and family. Only 4 percent of churchgoers who have lost a close friend or family member to suicide say church leaders were aware of their loved one’s struggles.

“Despite their best intentions, churches don’t always know how to help those facing mental health struggles,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. Read More

I am one of the one in three Protestant churchgoers who knew someone who took their own life. In high school and after college I knew a young women who had made several unsuccessful suicide attempts. She would go to a party where the other party goers upon learning of her history of attempted suicide encouraged her to kill herself. She was in treatment at the time for depression and suicidal impulses and appeared to be responding to treatment. She went home after the party and took an overdose of medication. When this attempt failed, she shot herself in the chest. What was so sad about her death was that she had a lot going for her. She, however, had made the decision in her own mind not to live. It did not take much encouragement for her to act on that decision.

Why We Need Reformation Anglicanism

Why Should We Care about the English Reformation?

The two greatest issues facing Christianity in the West are (1) the Bible’s growing lack of authority in the Church, and (2) the lack of transformed lives among those who attend. The same two issues confronted English Christians in the early sixteenth century.

The medieval catholic church had rejected the Gospel’s offer of free pardon, teaching instead its own system of rules so that a person, in effect, had to earn forgiveness, even if a person very much needed God’s help to accomplish that task. Yet, at the same time, so many people were failing to lead the holy lives necessary for salvation, especially the clergy and those in religious orders, that the Christian faith itself was being brought into disrepute daily. Read More

Five Habits of Healthy Churches

We’ve worked with hundreds of churches across the globe. We’ve seen what makes churches thrive and what makes them deteriorate.

After years of working with and observing different churches, we’ve come up with five habits of the healthiest churches. Read More

The Pope’s Crisis of Conscience

Ever since August 11, when 40 Roman Catholic leaders presented a 25-page letter to Pope Francis (a “Filial Correction”), the issue of Christian conscience has generated discussion. Conscience is recognized as the inner core of a person that identifies morally good and evil choices in accord with right reason and God’s Word.

The discussion, however, has opened a can of worms.

The word “conscience” appears several times in the document, which seeks to correct the Pope’s recent statements on divorced Catholics. But it mostly does so in quoting Francis himself, who uses it to justify greater latitude regarding “irregular” situations in the church (“mortal sins,” and “heresies” according to other Catholics). Therefore, rather than merely evoking conscience as a means of inspiring obedience, the Pope also claims it as a way of recognizing “what for now is the most generous response.” Read More

Is Spirit Baptism the Privilege of Every Christian?

Spirit baptism has been a much-debated issue since the 1870s when holiness-movement churches began breaking away from the Methodist church in America over issues of sanctification and seclusion from sin.

The conversation ratcheted up in the aftermath of the Azusa Street events that launched the modern Pentecostal movement in 1906. Currently, six or seven different interpretations concerning Spirit baptism have found broad support.

The main points typically debated are these: Does Spirit baptism occur at the time of conversion, or later? And, is it the privilege of every believer, or only for those who seek it as a separate experience? Read More

The Best Sermons Tell Stories

I love how the Bible is a giant, well-written story. God could have just made sure we were handed a set of bullet-point instructions, or one of those super vague assembly manuals you get with IKEA furniture, but instead he gave us stories.

Stories of creation and man’s fall into destruction. Stories of redemption. Stories of suffering. Stories of flawed protagonists making tragic choices. Stories of heroic women. Stories of God’s longsuffering patience toward his people. Even in the major/minor prophet books which are less narrative driven, God speaks to his people through metaphors and surprise reveals. And then, of course, there’s Jesus, who spent most of his time using stories to explain things.

To be clear I don’t mean the word “story” to imply “made up.” My point is that God’s relationship with us, his plans for us, his instructions to us, all exist in the rich tapestry of God’s redemptive plan for the world. I would argue that most of humanity’s best made up stories (like movies, books, television shows) capture bits of the one true Story God is telling in our world.

And yet when so many of us pastors get up to preach week to week, we aren’t storytellers, but proposition-givers. There’s nothing wrong with the “three point sermon where all the points begin with ‘P,’” but sometimes we get so caught up accurately exegeting life-principles we don’t invite people into the compelling, terrifying, inspiring, life-altering narrative of God’s kingdom invading our world. Read More

8 Reasons Your Church Is Not Reaching People

Go into all the world and make disciples.

That’s the mission God gave His church.

And even though we have creative purpose statements and fancy website slogans, that’s still the heart of the mission of the church you’re leading.

Our job is to reach people and help them follow Jesus. That’s business.

So let me ask you a simple question.

How’s business? How is your church doing at accomplishing this God-given mission? Are you truly reaching people?

It’s easy for a church to be about maintaining the status quo, keep the saints comfortable, or stay busy doing good things. But we must never forget that our job is to reach people.

Here are eight reasons your church might be struggling to reach people who need to hear, know, and live out the Gospel. Read More

Luther Company: Remembering the Rest of the Reformers

Thomas Bilney, an early English Protestant martyr

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther did something remarkably unrevolutionary: he posted a list of “theses,” a common practice in 16th-century academia. It notified the community of matters to be disputed in an academic debate.

Even the content of these theses was not, on its face, particularly controversial. The familiar thematic emphases of the Reformation — faith alone, by grace alone, through Christ alone, under the decisive authority of the Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone — were yet to be fully articulated.

Nevertheless, in hindsight, we mark this moment as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The heart of its conviction comes in Luther’s first proposition:

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.

Luther was convinced that the Roman Church had departed from a biblical understanding of repentance. Instead of radical life-change, grounded in an embrace of the gospel’s promises, repentance was identified with penance — a performance of prescribed behaviors done to make amends for sin. Read More

Four Kinds of Churches on the Attractional Spectrum (Where Does Yours Land?)

You may have noticed that there has been a bit of conversation around the web about “attractional” churches. The question is often posed as to whether your church is attractional or missional in regard to its approach to reaching the lost.

Rather than discuss that polarization, I’d like to take a moment to look at the four places churches land with respect to attractionalism. Most articles ask, “Are you attractional, or not?” I’d like to ask, “Since every church is attracting someone, do you know who you’re attracting and why?” I suspect that most churches (in the U.S. at least), fall into one of the following four categories. Read More

Introducing Revitalize and Replant with Thom Rainer

Revitalize & Replant is a weekly discussion on church revitalization and replanting featuring Thom Rainer, Jonathan Howe, and Mark Clifton. Revitalize & Replant with Thom Rainer is presented by the North American Mission Board.

Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory. Learn More

image: kwolfram/thomrainer.com

If I Were the Devil...

Because Satan knows that fallout is widespread when leaders crumble, he always aims his arrows at those who lead God’s church. He wins, at least temporarily, when failings –whether among laity or staff – distract the church from doing the Great Commission. Were I the enemy, here is how I would attack leaders today. Read More

At Some Point You've Got to Share the Gospel

There is a lot of talk (and rightly so) about the best way to do evangelism in an urban context. Do we stick on events or run services? Do we forget programmes and focus on relationships? Do we go attractional, missional or some other buzzword approach altogether? Do tent meetings and mission weeks work anymore or ought we to find other means of sharing the gospel? Questions abound.

I am convinced we oughtn’t to be dogmatic about these things. I share the majority view within evangelicalism on door-2-door evangelism, but I am also conscious that there are places where this sort of work continues and is seeing real fruit for the gospel. For every few people who won’t come to an event, you can find one who will. Whilst some people want solid relationships before they will give the gospel 5 minutes, there are others who really respond to direct appeal in the safety of a fairly anonymous meeting. There are those who will readily buy into ‘services’ and those who won’t. I’m sure this is basically in line with Paul’s ‘all things to all men’.

When thinking about what we ought to do, it will depend on your context. Some urban areas, and different people in different places, will suit different approaches. CAP job clubs may sail in one place and be a total dead loss in another. Sitting around in community hubs and engaging with locals might work on some estates and be a total waste of time in other deprived areas. Some places might have mosques to engage while others don’t have a single Muslim within 5 miles of the estate. We’ve got to find the approach that works in our particular context rather than trying to prescribe ‘models’ for the urban context as if there is any such thing as one type of urban context. Read More

The Context of the Early Church

Context is vital. Without it, we can’t communicate with one another. The meaning of our words is determined by their context, the setting or background in which those words are spoken. Consider, for example, the words steel sinks. If you hear these words at Lowe’s or Home Depot, you would assume there are steel sinks available for purchase, whether for your home or workshop. But what if you hear these words spoken by a professor lecturing on material sciences and engineering? You would assume the professor is describing the material properties of steel. Steel is denser than water, so steel sinks to the bottom of a body of water. Context determines the meaning of our words.

This is no less the case with God’s Word. It is divinely situated within an ancient historical context. We also have to pay attention to the grammatical and theological context of the Bible. But it’s definitely important to consider the historical context when reading Scripture. Obviously, we do not need to understand all the intricate historical, cultural, and social details behind Scripture to believe its primary message. God’s story of redemption in Christ is simple and clear. But understanding the ancient context provides at least two advantages for readers of the Bible. Read More

Pastor as Overseer of Worship Music

Most people would typically understand and agree that one of the pastor’s main responsibilities is the weekly preaching and teaching from the pulpit. Further, most would agree that the pastor is the overseer of the doctrine that is taught in the church, although it is most likely within the bounds of the confession or doctrinal statements already laid out by the church.

Though preaching is likely focal point of the pastor’s ministry, let us not deduce the office of pastor (or elder) to his being merely a preacher. (Although the term “merely a preacher” may be a bit of an oxymoron. Preaching the mysteries of Christ as revealed in the written Word of God is no “mere” task). Read More

Even in Continuing Anglican and Episcopal churches in which the role of the pastor as overseer of worship music is clearly delineated by church canon and by Prayer Book rubric, some pastors may, for various reasons, neglect this responsibility to the detriment of the worship of the church. In Anglican worship the selection of music for the service often requires liturgical and pastoral judgments that only a individual trained in liturgics and pastoral ministry is equipped to make. Ideally an Anglican pastor should receive training in the area of worship music as well as in these two areas so he can also make informed musical judgments in collaboration with whoever is the music minister of the church.

5 Reasons Ministry-Specific Facebook Pages Are a Good Idea

QUESTION FROM PHOENIX, AZ: Do you endorse different Facebook pages for the different departments? I’m looking for a way ministry leaders can get pertinent info out to those interested without clogging up main communication channels in the church. It seems there would be challenges ensuring those pages reflect our values and don’t get us into any sticky situations.

I wholeheartedly endorse this approach. When it comes to corporate communications, there is a balance between institutional control and individual empowerment. It looks a little different depending on each environment, but here are some simple thoughts around the concept. Read More

God Loves a Cheerful Itemizer - FURTHER UPDATES

Experts assess how Trump tax plan to double the standard deduction would cost ministries bigly [sic].

If you make between $50,000 and $100,000 a year, you’ll probably give less to charity under President Donald Trump’s proposed tax plan.

So says a study commissioned by Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs.

Back in May, researchers from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy ran the numbers on the Trump administration’s proposal to double the standard deduction from $6,300 to $12,600 for individuals, and from $12,600 to $24,000 for joint filers.

This week, key Republicans affirmed the plan, which also increases the child tax credit and eliminates most itemized deductions except for mortgage interest and charitable contributions.

The changes, which still have to get past Congress, would mean less money in the federal government’s pockets—and also mean less for ministries. Read More

Related Article:
New: Donald Trump's Pants on Fire claim about the estate tax, small businesses and farms
New: Donald Trump's dubious claim that his tax plan won't benefit him
New: These Are No Reagan Tax Cuts
Trump's massive tax cut -- for the rich

Trump's tax proposals are not only going to cost churches and other charitable organizations hugely, they are also going to negatively impact single parent families, large families, and upper middle income earners in states with high income taxes. To pay for these tax cuts Congress can be expected to further dismantle the nation's social safety net. Those who can least afford it will pay for the tax cuts.

Will the proposed tax cuts reinvigorate the economy? The last time the corporate tax rate was lowered, the corporations that benefited from the lowered rates did not plow the money back into the economy. Rather they used the money to pay larger dividends to their stockholders. The same thing can be expected to happen this time if these proposals are adopted.

Trump and the Trump Organization also stand to benefit greatly from the cuts.

Liturgy for the Non-Liturgical Christian

"Their first taste of ... liturgy is like sucking on a lemon."

We like to think that there are liturgical churches and nonliturgical churches out there. But actually what we have is a distinction between churches that are self-conscious about their liturgy and churches which like to pretend they don’t have one.

So writes Doug Wilson in Mother Kirk: Essays on Church Life. And he’s right. He’s right as I observe it from theory and from practice.

Liturgy is making a comeback among many in the the younger evangelical crowd. Yet it’s worth pointing out that most of these youngsters (and older folk too) who think they are moving from non-liturgy to liturgy as a kind of ‘adding to” in their Christian church experience, need first to realise that something entirely different is happening.

For to move from nothing to something has a spark and energy about it that is palpable. You can feel the zing if you have nothing liturgical about you at all, no religious framework that you can draw experience from, and then one week you become a Christian and find yourself in a church that has a set liturgy. Simply put, it’s exhilarating.

But here’s my experience with those who move from a longstanding so-called “non-liturgical” church frame (think the average seeker/attractional church) to a self-consciously liturgical expression of church (either a confessional church, Anglican/Catholic/Orthodox, or one of the newer independent churches that has rediscovered liturgy). Their first taste of such liturgy is like sucking on a lemon. And the expression on their faces as they do it only reinforces that picture. Read More

Church of England Resurrects Tradition to Attract Millennials

In the past we’ve touched on the delicate balance that churches must maintain while appealing to millennials without pandering or changing theology. But what if we’re focusing our efforts in the wrong places?

What if the loud music and fog machines are actually clouding the Holy Spirit and preventing people from connecting with God? What if, instead of adapting to a modernized culture with our church services, we kicked it old school? Like, really old.

Well, that’s exactly what the Church of England is doing. Despite growing secularism in the country, the church has seen attendance grow over the past several years with the help of a centuries-old liturgical tradition: Evensong. Choral Evensong is an evening prayer service that is delivered mostly through song, offering a restful, reflective time to worship God and pause from the busy-ness of life. The choir performs live and is often highly skilled and well-trained. Read More

A word of caution to North American Anglican readers who may be entertaining the idea of copying what the Church of England is doing. Cathedral choral evensong requires a particular setting - the cavernous space of a cathedral and its particular acoustics, "highly-skilled" and "well-trained" choristers, and the wide spread belief in one or more segments of the larger community that attendance at a performance of choral evensong is a worthwhile experience. All three conditions may exist in a number of cathedral towns in the United Kingdom. They likely as not do not exist in your town here in the United States.

In the last few years there have been a number of articles extolling liturgical forms of worship as the best way to reach Millenials. These articles use anecdotal evidence to support their claim. According Ed Stetzer who "holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College, is executive director of the Billy Graham Center, and publishes church leadership resources through Mission Group," the research on Millenials and church attendance does not support the claim that Millenials are flocking in droves to liturgical churches. Some Millenials who attend church are attracted to liturgical forms of worship. However, the larger number of church-attending Millenials are attracted to so-called non-liturgical forms of worship. This has been my own observation in regards to the church attendance habits of university students and other young adults in the community. I live on the outskirts of a university town in westernmost Kentucky and I am one of a small number of senior adult students at the university.Those who do attend a church are more likely to attend a "contemporary" worship service, even those coming from a liturgical church background. Catholic students are likely to attend a student Mass which incorporates elements of "contemporary" worship.

Clearly there is no one particular form of worship that appeals to all Millenials. There is no substitute for getting to know the Millenials in your community and starting from there. Worship gatherings may not be the best way to reach and engage that particular segment of your community's population. A lot of the young adults who might never attend my own church's traditional language Prayer Book services would work along side of members of the church upon a community service project that they considered worthwhile.This entails getting to know them and learning what they regard as valuable or important.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing liturgical forms of worship - far from it. Rather I believe that it is a mistake to concentrate all our efforts and resources on one approach that may not yield the results that we hoped it would, an approach that does not take into consideration our particular ministry target group's leanings.

It is noteworthy that the non-denominational church with which I sojourned from 2007 to 2016 has experienced a drop in the number of university students attending its worship gatherings. The church continues to grow but it is not reaching and engaging students as it once did.This may be explained in part by a shift in the church's focus from the university student body to the larger community and changes in the church attendance patterns of the students enrolling in the university. A great band and an inspiring preacher do not hold the attraction for the latest group of students that they did for earlier groups. There is also less visible student involvement in the various ministries of the church today than there was 9 years ago. At that time students formed the backbone of the church.

John Hus - Martyred Reformer

The Council of Constance

John Hus, like John Wycliffe, ministered and died more than a century before the Protestant Reformation officially got underway. Wycliffe and Hus were the two most prominent and influential individuals in paving the way for the Reformation that followed their lifetimes. Hus (also commonly spelled Huss) helped lay the foundation for the Reformation through his courageous proclamation of the truth, even when doing so cost him his life. Read More

image: pd-us

7 Reasons Why Church Members Don't Know Their Church's Doctrine

For years, I’ve required doctoral students to complete a theological survey of their congregations – and we’ve learned that many church members don’t know their church’s basic theological positions. They can neither summarize nor explain their church’s doctrine. The reasons for this problem are many, but here are a few.... Read More

R.C. Sproul and Daniel Henderson on the Human Condition

Can Unbelievers Do Good Deeds?

Imagine a circle that represents the character of mankind. Now imagine that if someone sins, a spot—a moral blemish of sorts—appears in the circle, marring the character of man. If other sins occur, more blemishes appear in the circle. Well, if sins continue to multiply, eventually the entire circle will be filled with spots and blemishes. But have things reached that point? Human character is clearly tainted by sin, but the debate is about the extent of that taint. The Roman Catholic Church holds the position that man’s character is not completely tainted, but that he retains a little island of righteousness. However, the Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century affirmed that the sinful pollution and corruption of fallen man is complete, rendering us totally corrupt. Read More

Broadcasting Bad Theology

In today’s world, entertainment rules the day. As author Neil Postman wrote in his book, we are “Amusing Ourselves to Death.” Whether it is video gaming, television, Netflix, internet or sports — Americans love mindless escape, as we hang out in various worlds of non-reality, as often as possible.

Ratings, views, tweets, and sales are the barometer of success in our media crazed-culture. Advertising dollars and high-value sponsorships flow toward enterprises that attract the largest audience and demonstrate an upward trend in ratings. Sadly, these influences can also affect how we conduct “business” in the spiritual arena. I am certainly not against the appropriate use of high-tech tools to advance the work of the Gospel and the Church. God can use various means of delivery via television, radio and internet when these are properly managed and biblically motivated. But we also must be honest in admitting that in many ways the culture has influenced the message more than our message has changed the culture. Read More

Who Do You Think You Are? The Audacious Authority of Preaching

In those brief moments before I begin to preach, as the arrows of doubt arrive from every direction, I have a few counterattacks ready. I repeat the words of Spurgeon, echoing the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” which is exactly what I need to remember when imagining that the impotence of my words might thwart God’s work.

"The words of Scripture, precisely because they are the words of God, are inherently authoritative. This is why we have the audacity to preach."

I repeat another mantra directly from our Lord Jesus: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). The words of Scripture, precisely because they are the words of God, are inherently authoritative. Indeed, this is why we have the audacity to preach. Since God has appointed his Word as the means by which we are drawn into the light of his presence, it does everything I can’t. “Your word is truth. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” Read More

How to Move From Song-Leading to Worship-Leading

Leaders, how do you go from just leading songs to leading worship? How do you get a congregation to get past just singing songs to actually worshiping God? Let me suggest some insights to help you grow as a worship leader. Read More

Related Articles:
Attitude Is Everything! (The Attitudes of Worship)
Actions Speak So Loud (The Actions of Worship)

image: churchleaders.com

9Marks Journal: The Reformation and Your Church (Fall 2017)

This edition of 9Marks Journal is devoted to the Reformation and its meaning for the 21st century church. It is packed with great articles. It may be read online. 9Marks also offers three download options. Learn More

2 Critical Questions to Evaluate Your Church’s Culture and Systems

Having coached a lot of church leaders and assessed numerous churches, I’ve noticed that most of us evaluate the health of our church by asking the wrong questions. Leaders can end up feeling defeated or focused on wrong solutions if they’re not careful.

I want to refocus how you evaluate the health of your church by giving you the two best questions to start asking today.

These questions narrow the scope of what you are evaluating to, what I believe, are two crucial elements: culture and systems. Read More

image: outreachmagazine.com

7 Ways That Pastors Can Help Their Congregations Grow In Ethnic Diiversity

I’ve recently blogged about why God is magnified through ethnic diversity, along with why diversity is both more important and less important than you might have thought (and why diversity in the local church is more, if not less, than ethnic diversity).

Over at Desiring God, Greg Morse has an excellent post on how all of us—those in the pew, and those from the pulpit—can grow in this area and see lasting fruit. Here is his section for pastors in particular. Read More

Related Articles:
Four Ways That Diversity - More Than Uniformity - Magnifies God
Why Gospel Diversity Means More - Though Not Less! - Than Ethnic Diversity
Whites Only? A Birmingham Letter for Wittenberg's Door

Seven Characteristics of Liberal Theology

The National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.

What is theological liberalism?

Liberalism is both a tradition—coming out of the late-18th century Protestant attempt to reconfigure traditional Christian teaching in the light of modern knowledge and values—and a diverse, but recognizable approach to theology.

Like any “ism,” liberalism is not easy to pigeonhole. But Gary Dorrien’s magisterial three volumes on The Making of American Liberal Theology present a coherent picture of a movement that has been marked by identifiable hermeneutical and sociological commitments. Even if one wishes to avoid liberal theology, it would still be wise to know something about a movement that has exerted such considerable influence over the past two hundred years.

Below are seven characteristics of liberalism that have been culled from the first volume of Dorrien’s trilogy. The headings are mine; the indented text is from the book. Read More

What may surprise some readers is the degree to which liberal theology has come to permeate the thinking of evangelical and Catholic churches that view and identify themselves as conservative. Since it is not radical in its claims, it has gained acceptance. Often as not these churches are unaware of its liberal character or origin.

Is Belief in the Bible Circular Reasoning?

The Bible is true! Why do you believe that? Because the Bible tells me so!

Isn’t this just a big loop? Couldn’t anyone from any religion make the same claim about their sacred writings? Yes and yes. Does this mean religious people are crazy? No. Here’s why.... Read More

image: theolatte.com

Sam Storm and Chuck Lawless on Christian Meditation, Silence, and Solitude

10 Things You Should Know about Christian Meditation

The word “meditation” has developed something of a bad reputation in certain Christian circles. In this article I want to reclaim it as one of the essential spiritual disciplines for all believers. Read More

8 Reasons to Set Aside Two Hours of Silence and Solitude This Week

In my discipleship class at Southeastern Seminary, I require students each semester to complete a 1-2 hour silence and solitude retreat. I allow them to take their Bible, but no electronics, no music, no noise. They often debate the value of the assignment when I announce it, but they’re grateful when they’ve completed it. Here’s why setting aside this time matters.... Read More

The Helpful History of Minority Demonstrations

American football fans display their respect for the flag

John Richards responds to Ed Stetzer's article on Kaepernick’s protest

This weekend, President Trump fired the tweet heard ‘round the sports world. And the sports world—specifically NFL players and owners—responded with protests and demonstrations. As he is apt to do, Ed penned a very thoughtful response to the controversy and proposed a Christian response.

I’m grateful Ed asked brothers and sisters to move beyond the protest and seriously consider the issue of race in our country. I also echo his sentiments that white evangelicals stop, listen, reflect in prayer, and ask how you can act when issues like this arise.

I did take exception to something he mentioned in the article. After a conversation today, he suggested I write a response giving a perspective I hope might be helpful in framing the Christian response. Read More

When did dropping to one knee or kneeling become a gesture of disrespect? Since ancient times vassals, serfs, and others in a subordinate position have paid homage to their lords in this manner. They have stood in their lord’s presence only with their lord’s permission. Indeed standing in their lord’s presence was viewed as an affront to their lord, an affront for which they might forfeit their lives. The Anglican practices of kneeling to pray and kneeling to receive communion are derived from this longstanding custom as is the Anglo-Catholic and Roman Catholic practice of genuflecting before the altar if the reserved sacrament is present

If one goes to a football game, one is likely to observe far greater disrespect for the American flag among the fans than among the football players. Fans wear American flag bandanas, head scarves, T-shirts, and hoodies. They mop the sweat from themselves with American flag towels. They may sit on American flag cushions. Such practices are hardly respectful of the nation’s emblem. Yet we do not hear our president criticizing the fans for their disrespect for the flag. As several news articles have pointed out, President Trump has both personal and political reasons for his attacks on the NFL and its players. He has a long-running feud with the NFL from the days that he was the owner of a football team. His attacks on mostly Black football players for what he describes as disloyalty plays well with one segment of his base.

Reviving the Dying Small-Town Church

The percent of rural congregations shrunk from 43 percent in 1998 to 32 percent in 2012, according to the National Congregations Study. At the same time, rural attendees dropped from 23 percent to 15 percent.

As seats empty, those left are looking for help to keep the doors open. Some denominations are turning back to circuit riders, while others are experimenting with multisite options.

Still others are turning to Village Missions, which provides the pastor, pays his salary, and supports his work.

“Each year we put out $1.2 million in salary support alone” for 200 missionary couples in the United States and another 35 in Canada, executive director Brian Wechsler said. And he’s looking for more: “There is a big need for more missionaries. We have 20 open places—our challenge has been recruiting.” Read More

 Related Articles:
Innovative Plans Fill Pulpits In America's Rural Churches
Rural Multisite Church: The Challenges & Advantages of Being One Church in Multiple Locations
Transforming Church in Rural America

Four Ways To Know If You Are Called To Start A Church

Church planting is one of the greatest callings and privileges in ministry.

It’s an incredible way to reach people far from God. You meet people and invest in lives to a degree that you never imagined when you said “Yes” to planting a church.

But, church planting certainly has its fair share of challenges, too. It’s not easy or for the faint-hearted.

Our family has the privilege to be on this church planting journey now for eight years. The number one question I get asked is “How did you know you were called to start a church?” The second most asked question is “How did you decide where to plant a church?” Read More

Prince of Translators: William Tyndale

William Tyndale (ca. 1494–1536) made an enormous contribution to the Reformation in England. Many would say that he made the contribution by translating the Bible into English and overseeing its publication. One biographer, Brian Edwards, states that not only was Tyndale “the heart of the Reformation in England,” he “was the Reformation in England.” Because of his powerful use of the English language in his Bible, this Reformer has been called “the father of modern English.”

John Foxe went so far as to call him “the Apostle of England.” There is no doubt that by his monumental work, Tyndale changed the course of English history and Western civilization. Read More

For Every Minister Who Struggles With Your Prayer Life

Real prayer is about relationship. And relationships are hard. Even (especially?) with God.

A healthy prayer life is hard work.

If you’re one of those Christians who finds your prayer life to be easy, joyous and endlessly fulfilling, we’re grateful for you and the role you play in the body of Christ. But that’s not the way it is for most of us.

Pastors are not immune to struggling with our prayer life. In my experience and conversations, plus almost every poll taken about the prayer lives of ministers, pastors who struggle with prayer are in the majority.

So if you’re a minister who is less than satisfied with your prayer life, I hope it helps to know you’re not alone.

Prayer is really hard for most of us. Including me. And I think I know why.

Prayer is hard because the results are long-term. Read More

Bob Kauflin and David Santistevan on Worship

Worship Is My Life, Not My Role

Leading worship starts and ends with the way I live my life, not what I do on a public platform. Encouraging others to glory in Jesus Christ is an activity that extends far beyond the twenty to thirty minutes I give to it on Sunday mornings.

But how do we realign our hearts and thoughts to that reality? Read More

Have We Become Too Dependent on Songs?

The problem with worship songs is that we become dependent on them.

But I love songs. I really do. But they are a blessing and a curse. While worship is a song, it’s not only a song. And we can become so accustomed to songs that our hearts have forgotten how to worship.

When was the last time you were alone in a room without an incredible song, and just poured your heart out to God?

Have songs become more than they should be? Read More

Joe McKeever and Pete Scazzero on Discipleship

Why a Lot of Professing Christians Never Attend Church

When you don’t want to do something, you shouldn’t have to have an excuse.

If you do not want to go to church, for instance, if you can skip church for a whole year and never miss it, you should “man up” and admit, “I’m not a Christian and don’t believe all that Bible stuff. Church is for people who take the Lord seriously. Not me. So, I don’t go.”

Hmm. That felt ‘mean,’ didn’t it? But it’s dead on accurate.

Please read on. Read More

Why Do Some Christians Make Such Lousy Human Beings?

A number of years ago, a friend who had quit attending church asked me privately, “Why is it that so many Christians make such lousy human beings?” In other words, why are so many of us judgmental, defensive, unapproachable and touchy?

A large part of the reason is a faulty, compartmentalized understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Read More

Colin Kaepernick, the NFL and Protesting the National Anthem: How Should Christians Respond?

NFL football player praying

Free speech can be quite controversial.

But this shouldn’t be surprising. If we all agreed on everything, we wouldn’t need the First Amendment. Unpopular speech is why we have the First Amendment. And, let me be clear, Colin Kaepernick was exercising his First-Amendment right when he kneeled during the national anthem.

Yesterday, President Donald Trump exercised his First-Amendment right when he called on NFL owners to release players who took a knee during the anthem. And when the president called on fans to boycott NFL football, that was still about citizens exercising their rights.

So, none of these things are illegal. But the question is, are they helpful? To be honest, I don’t know much about football. Google only recently told me that Kaepernick is a quarterback. He has been protesting what he sees as racial injustice in America by kneeling during the national anthem. Read More

The World’s Best Small Churches

What if every small church stopped worrying about getting bigger, and decided to be a great church starting right now?

No one will ever make a list of the best small churches in the world.

And they shouldn’t.

After all, a great urban small church looks very different from a great rural one. Same with a great Baptist and Methodist church. Or a great small church in Japan or Costa Rica.

Even if there was a way to figure that out and put it on a list, it would be a really bad idea. I can’t imagine all the arguments, ego and pettiness that such a list would provoke.

But what if there was such a list? And what if that list could somehow be an accurate one? In this make-believe scenario, could you imagine your church being on the list of the world’s greatest small churches?

If not, why not? Read More

It Costs to Reach Your Community, and It’s Worth It

There are tens of thousands of churches in America that haven’t baptized anyone in at least a year. Even though The Great Commission and The Great Commandments are core to who we are as the church, we’re struggling to engage our culture with the Gospel.

One of the reasons so few churches effectively engage in outreach is because they ask the wrong question. Too often, the first question asked is, “How much will it cost?”

The right question is, “Who will it reach?”

How much is a soul worth? If you spend $500 on a social media ad that reaches one unbeliever for Christ, is it worth it?

If your church gets serious about developing a comprehensive evangelism strategy, it will cost money! With this in mind, let me share some insights about financing your strategy, based upon my experience as Saddleback has grown over the years. Read More

If I Were Planting a Church from Scratch

Nobody plants a church from scratch.

We planted a church out of our main campus 5 years ago, but it was not from scratch; not by a long shot. The 40 people who went out, went out from us. They went out with values, beliefs, traditions and expectations that came from their time inside our mission and fellowship. There is nothing wrong with that. It saved them time, it helped them avoid mistakes and it gave them a common language and the foundation for an effective culture.

But.

What if you could start a church from scratch?

What would you do if you didn’t have to bend, adapt, edit or translate – what would you do if you could design a church from the ground up? Read More