Church, Preaching, Worship

Preaching or Worship?

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And how will they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:14

There seems to be an open debate now being waged over the character and centrality of preaching in the church. There is a perception of two competing events: preaching and worship.  The church today seems to be moving the line between the two towards the experiential worship side. Sermons are no longer something to be excited about and yearned for by the congregant but seen as taking second place to worship.

How did this happen? Given the central place of preaching in the New Testament church, you would think there would be no debate. No other religion has made the regular and frequent assembling of groups of people, to hear religious instruction and exhortation.  The very act of proclamation or preaching is an integral part of Christian worship.

Yet, numerous influential voices within evangelicalism suggest that the age of the expository sermon is over. In its place, some contemporary preachers now substitute messages intentionally designed to reach secular or superficial congregations–messages which avoid preaching a biblical text and thus avoid a potentially embarrassing confrontation with biblical truth.

The shift from expository preaching to more topical and human-centered approaches has grown into a debate over the place of Scripture in preaching, and the nature of preaching itself.

Two statements about preaching illustrate this growing divide. Richard Baxter once remarked, “I preach as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” With vivid expression and a sense of gospel gravity, Baxter understood that preaching is literally a life or death affair. Eternity hangs in the balance as the preacher proclaims the Word.  The other is by Harry Emerson Fosdick pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City, “Preaching is personal counseling on a group basis.”

The current debate over preaching is most commonly explained as an argument about the focus and shape of the sermon. Should the preacher seek to preach a biblical text through an expository sermon? Or, should the preacher direct the sermon to the “felt needs” and perceived concerns of the hearers?

Clearly, many evangelicals now favor the second approach. Urged on by devotees of “needs-based preaching,” many evangelicals have abandoned the text without recognizing that they have done so. These preachers may eventually get to the text somewhere in the course of the sermon, but the text does not set the agenda or establish the shape of the message. It becomes a conclusion in search of a text.

Shockingly, this is now the approach evident in many evangelical pulpits. The sacred desk has become an advice center and the pew has become the therapist’s couch. Psychological and practical concerns have displaced theological exegesis and the preacher directs his sermon to the congregation’s perceived needs.

This mode of preaching denigrates its place to less than the Word of God and, consequently the need of something else for the church to find God.  And this other something easily becomes more and more emphasis on experiential worship.

The current debate over preaching may well shake congregations, denominations, and the evangelical movement. But know this: The recovery and renewal of the church in this generation will come only when from pulpit to pulpit the herald preaches as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.

Comments?

Church, Ministry, Sermon Illustration

Magnificent uninvolvement

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I have used a phrase most of my adult life to describe someone who is a part of a church or other organization that just belongs but does nothing for its furtherance, “magnificent uninvolvement”.  This is a person that enjoys the community but without adding anything to that community.  It has become an art form of slippery non-commitments.  When someone asks for a decision about anything the pat answer is, “let me get back to you”.  When pressed brand new excuses come up.  Excuses like, “I am really too busy”, “I am compartmentalizing my life right now and can’t make a decision right now”, or “I am not ready to jump in with both feet.”

In my opinion, there are three reasons for magnificent uninvolvement.

The first is the person simply has a feeling of uselessness.  They have seen the up-front ones, the ones that are seen and admired, as the ones who should be doing the community involvement.  They are called but are not so-called that they see their place. They read in their Bible I Peter 4:10 and don’t see them seeing anything of worth to be used.  For the forlorn few, remember ministry is not just preaching. A board member suggested that all the church should have a method of finding a ministry.  The preacher interjected, “What would we do with 100 ushers?”  These people need to be taught.  Taught that there are special places, ministries, and gifts for all.  And, in turn, given the possibility to use and exercise in their gifts.  And yes, allowed to fail.

The second group is the hurting.  They have tried to become more active.  They have tried to use the gifts that God has given.  They ventured out to be what God wanted them to be.  But the response was judgment.  Others in the church did not see perfection in the offering and were too quick to tell the fledgling minister he was not producing the expected.  The church saw them as a threat to the status quo (which means all messed up in the first place).  Those who have been hurt by the judgment of others needs to be simply loved.  They need time to heal.  They need time to be in a community that does not judge.  Ministry is messy.

Lastly, there is a group that really irritates me.  The simply lazy.  In their lazy life, the only thing they do well is to criticize. They sit back and exclaim, “I won’t do anything until something changes around here.”  “Until everyone else does as I want them to do, I am not going to step up.”  It was Charles Spurgeon who said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”  This group becomes only consumers and not collaborators.  What they need is a fresh infilling of the Spirit of God.  But usually, that is the very thing they are running from.

Comments?

Bible, Life, Ministry, Personal, Sermon Illustration

Toll of rejection

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Being rejected more than once can be a bruise that will not heal quickly.  It seems to linger on until the next blow or rejection.  Sometimes you get to a point where you don’t feel quite as bad.  It becomes an acceptance of the off-color places in your soul.  It can even get to a place where you feel as though you deserve the abuse.  You feel like you don’t belong in the mainstream.  That you belong on the outside edge.  A place where you expect a disapproval.

In the Bible, a person like this would have been called unclean.  You start to feel like an outcast. You just want to give up.  You don’t want to be around those who tell you over and over, “You don’t belong here.”

Then comes the story from the Old Testament.  He was the son of Jonathan, who was the son of King Saul, Israel’s first king. You see Mephibosheth was disabled.  Both of his feet were useless.  In those days he would be called an outcast, a mistake, a person who didn’t belong.

When King David invited him and the rest of the family to join him to eat with him, he reacted just like someone who had been rejected so many times before.

In response to the invitation of King David, he hung his head down low and Mephibosheth said, “Who am I that you pay attention to a stray dog like me?” 2 Samuel 9:8.  You see rejection had taken its levy on his heart.  He could not see himself in the presence of the King, let alone eat with him. He had taken all the worlds opinion of him and deep down in his soul, he didn’t think himself worthy to be acknowledged, let alone invited in.

The church is becoming the instigator of pointing fingers at the different, the ones that don’t quite fit the mold.  And in response, those who need acceptance and love the most have started to believe the lies that they don’t belong. That they don’t matter. That the “church” will never have a place for them.

And yet King David, the man after God’s own heart, was not deterred. He insisted to Mephibosheth: “You belong here.”

And the story goes: Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, taking all his meals at the king’s table. He was lame on both feet.” 2 Samuel 9:13

Christians, churches, humanity — this must be our attitude toward anyone  and toward any person or group whom society has deemed “less than.” The fringes of society, the ones who are rejected turned away and told they don’t belong.

We must — like King David — insist otherwise.

Because if you are a human being, then you are indeed an image-bearer of the Most High God. So hear me when I say: You belong here.  You belong on this earth.  You belong at the King’s table.  You belong at the feet of Jesus.

Comments?

Church, Personal

Sometimes enough is enough

Sometimes they pronounce it very plainly. “You are not a team player.”  Other times it is much subtler in little glances or even the lack of eye contact. The message is clear, there has been an unpublished decree from some upper room, “you don’t belong here.”  It is a subtle treatment that wears a person down over time.  It is like a rope that has been stretched and wrapped so often it has become a frayed in the middle.  The ends are still OK, but there is a fear of putting any large strain on it.  The rope might just break.

It happens to anyone who doesn’t seem to quite fit the mold, the current standard, or group expectation.  It happens to anyone who makes others squirm a little when they are confronted with someone not quite like them.  But to the maverick, to the person who is a little different, the message is as plain as if it was plastered over the announcement screen in the middle of the morning service.

Most of us can recall incidents in our lives when we felt pushed aside when we were left out; times we didn’t belong. And those memories are always painful.

It’s a lonely feeling when you know you don’t belong. I went out for freshman football in my hometown.  The school was on emergency double sessions because the main Gymnasium had burnt down during the summer.  But the bus only ran in the morning.  The practices were in the afternoon.  I was a new kid, untried and unknown.  I didn’t even know much about football.  I was separated into the “other” group.  I felt if given a chance I could well make the team.  But being segregated early set my fate.

You are welcome to attend and give of your offerings, but don’t ask to be included in any ministry.  You don’t fit into the current vision for the church.  There are some attempts to bring the stray lamb back into the fold: a text message, a canned card from the Sunday School and the like.  But really when finally understanding the tense atmosphere I was a part of it was not enough.  Nothing like the parable of Jesus in leaving the ninety-nine to find the one.

I have become an itch the leadership of the church can’t scratch, and they don’t know how to deal with it. What’s more, we aren’t willing to try. We’ll just stick to how we’ve always done things because that’s what keeps us comfortable. If you would be just a little more normal.   After all, it’s sometimes necessary to sacrifice the needs of the few for the needs of the many.“

The rest is history.

We left the church after a grueling, anxiety-riddled couple of years.

Listen carefully: if a church sends you the message that you don’t belong, then get up and go. Shake the dust off your feet and move on. They are wrong, but fighting will only make things worse. Trying to push for inclusion in a place where you’re not wanted is an exercise in futility. Accept it for what it is, feel the pain, and walk away.

There are greener pastures ahead, I assure you. There are churches and faith communities who will open their arms to you and say, “You belong here.”  That is what I yearn for.  A community of flawed people loving other flawed people.

We all need a place to belong. We need to know we’re welcomed, wanted, loved.

In a well-known passage of the gospel of Luke, a “sinful woman” brashly enters the home of a respected Pharisee during a dinner party. She breaks a jar of perfume and anoints Jesus’s feet with it, and all the guests are shocked and appalled.

“She doesn’t belong here!” they cry.

But Jesus refutes their claims and blesses her for being right where she is.

Because every single person belongs at the feet of Jesus. He never turns anyone away.

Church

Where are the white hats?

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Right before our eyes, the church has been changed.  Once the church was considered a positive in any community.  In the early days of the West, a church was built before a school.  It was the place to be a part of the community.  It was a place where help could be found.  It was a place that was thought only as a good thing.  But today, I have seen a change.  The church has become typecast as something entirely different.

The church is pictured in the press, social media, and entertainment as an antagonist to progress.  For the casual non-believer, it is not unreasonable to view the church as actively working against advances to science, healthcare, education, politics, art, foreign policy, sexuality, and gender identity and equality.  The church is perceived as a detriment to all that is new, modern, contemporary, and understanding.  And the very institution of the Church only seems to stand up and say something is when it is against something.  Shouts of “don’t do that, don’t think that, don’t say that, don’t drink that, and don’t vote for that” is the new normal.

The church has become that anti-character or the antagonist on the world stage. The response to this typecasting is a gentle whisper.  “We can’t compromise on our values,” is the common answer from the church.  I am not saying we need to change the values of the church but to change the perception by doing something else.  That something else is to reclaim our role as a protagonist.  Become the good guy.  We need heroes, white hats, open arms, and open hearts.  No condemnation, no judgment; simply become more than a hard wall of an unbending standard.  We need to direct our attention and our zeal and our efforts to the provision of love.

We need to be a place of non-judgmental acceptance in our community.  A place where the lonely find a smile instead of a ruler.

We need to be a place where the hungry are fed and not set roadblocks.

We need to provide a place of safety.  A place of hope.  A place of fresh starts.  A place of vision.  A place where you are more likely to be mentored than taught.  A place where you are welcome in my home.  A place to share a meal and a hug.  The church is to provide a compelling vision of a better life than to coerce them into a superficial deistic moralism.  A church where you are never threatened, ensnared or bullied.  Instead, it is a place where you are pointed, challenged, exampled and released to make your own decision.

When Charlie Rose was interviewing Steve Martin about his life as an actor, he asked: “what is the best advice for new and aspiring entertainers?”  Steve Martin replied, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”

We need a better agent to cast the church into a better role.  Not one of the bad guy wanting to steal the cattle and run away with the heroine, but the guy in the white hat that the whole community rallies around to reclaim the town.

What do you think?

Life, Worship

God with us

There are many types of communication available to us today.  Our attention is has been driven to the screen.  Big screens in theaters with surround sound have become the norm.  There seem to be a cold war on the size of our home TV with the largest and highest resolution monsters are the price of the war.  Even our computers have large screens.  Laptops have almost replaced the desktop but still, the screen is the important part. Phones have all but become ubiquitous in everyone’s pocket or purse.  My generation was a generation of the page. But now the younger generation doesn’t seem to have time for a real page-turner of wood pulp; generation of the screen.  All these screens have become the communication medium of choice.

Even in church, the pew bible has been replaced by overhead screens.  Even more and more the church shows up with their bible on their phone or tablet.  They look up the scripture for the day at that is the total of the reading for that day or maybe for the week.

I was reading the advent story this afternoon in a real in the hand bible with split leather cover and I discovered the greatest communication tool ever conceived.  Three words struck me: God with us.

God the eternal, everlasting, all powerful, all knowing, unchanging has a desire to communicate to me.  And His preferred method is not a screen, a video, or even a book.  GOD wants to communicate on a one to one basis.  Face to face.  Life to life.  God WITH, God in the same place as, God the companion, God the helper, God the united in hope and love, God the company we desire.  God with us. Not as an overbearing and authoritative being waiting to stab his creation with a lightning bolt upon any deviation of conduct.  He is so close, so united with us that any punishment would also hurt HIM.

Our sins, our transgressions, our willful steps of defiance always hurt HIM.  That is true empathy.  He feels our pain, our lives of quiet desperation.

We celebrate Advent, that gentile waiting, let us wait with our hearts and ears open and we will hear the heart of God because he is already here.  GOD WITH US, the greatest communication of all time.

What do you think?

Church, Ministry

Over the top leadership.

Biblically speaking, there has always been wolves within the sheepfold. In the first century church, they went by many names: false teachers, greedy for selfish gain, deceitful workmen, and ravenous wolves. Some were called Gnostics, others today we call antinomianism (look it up).  But whatever the name they specialized in hijacking congregations then abusing power.

It is the abuse of the position of headship that led to ruin. Throughout history, there have been thousands of examples of this type of undue ungodly leadership. Such pastors may use pressure tactics, political maneuvering, and/or persuasive speech to manipulate a congregation into acting on their behalf. When they don’t get their way, these controlling pastors usually either mercifully move on to another church, cause a stir in their current church, and/or blame the congregation for not following their lead. Simply put, hijacking pastors are building their own kingdom rather than Christ’s kingdom.

In my studies there are some general character traits:

  1. They never express grace to anyone not living up to their standards.
  2. Are always right and never wrong.
  3. Cannot accept criticism without becoming defensive.
  4. Are not willing to share the pulpit.
  5. Do not support other ministries.
  6. Resist accountability.
  7. Feels threatened by former pastors.
  8. Surround themselves with “yes men” rather than edifying leaders.
  9. Do not entrust ministry to other leaders.
  10. Undermine programs that they cannot control.
  11. Insist that everything in the church-run through them.

Do you have anything to add to my list?  Leave a comment.

Church, Ministry

“Control is an Illusion”

I have been in a position of leadership in several churches over the years.  I have, in retrospect, have come close to a leadership style which may well be called micromanagement or for simplicity sake MMP.  As a MMP (MicroManagement Pastor)  I could not leave things to others.  I had to put my two cents into everything.  And it was exhausting. In one church it led to my resignation because I just could not do it anymore.  The church was in a building program and I had to be there pounding nails with everyone else.  I had the ill and infirmed to visit.  I had three messages a week to prepare.  I had to put the board agenda, compose a newsletter, mock up the bulletin and go fetch the flowers for service.  Songs had to be picked out.  And on and on and on.  I wanted to control the minutia and the total.

I have yet to find anyone who likes a MMP; not even the MMP himself.  There are those who need close oversight and crave for direction but ultimately hate it.  The reason why it is so hated is that is just annoying. It’s overbearing. A MMP among Christian leaders reflects poorly on our faith and the gospel. It doesn’t work, and that’s mainly because it’s not the way God designed things to work.

To try and lead this way is a failure to lead.  It is just the far wrong end of the stick.  True leaders, whether in business, church or any other environment, should be empowering.  True leaders should set others up to succeed.  It is providing the tools for excellence.  When leadership in a church bears all the burden of success or failure, that leaders undermine all those that are being led.  It takes away their opportunities to shine and never shows them a way forward. Instead of raising up new talent and new leaders it suppresses both and limits everyone’s effectiveness.

President Truman had a plaque on his desk; “THE BUCK STOPS HERE.” There has to be a place where the life of the church guided.   Micromanagers don’t realize they are making life harder for others. These MMPs cannot or will not see the damage they are causing. They don’t see the damage they are causing to themselves. By taking on all the burden of work instead of empowering others to do it well, a MMP is stockpiling stress and burden. If the inclination is to do all the work instead of helping others do it then maybe being in a position of leadership is the wrong fit.

I believe God has uniquely gifted every person. Leaders are tasked with seeing those gifts, feeding them, and giving people room to use them.  It is not seeing what needs to be done and trying to fit someone into it. It is not creating a graph of the jobs of the church and squeezing someone into each vacant spot.  I would rather have Godly filled and talented people do what they are meant to do than one hundred people doing something because of my perception of a need. It is God’s job provide gifts and the Christian’s job to use those gifts for the furtherance of the church.  MMPs either cannot or will not do this. They see people as tools to be moved as chess pieces or foolish sheep to be shepherded. They cannot recognize that the people under them may be better at certain tasks and responsibilities and that this is a good thing! Those serving under a micromanager cannot reach the potential God has imbued them with until they are free to use their gifts. Micromanagers stand in their way.

It boils down to a trust issue.  If the leader can’t trust people to do what they have been empowered for and gifted to do, it is not just a point of view toward people.  It is a lack of trust in God. The MMP reflects a lack of grace.  It is a headstrong disconnected view of God’s grace and mercy.  Grace and mercy in the church is allowing someone to do the best possible.  It is not an expectation of perfection.  Grace is giving responsibility and space to those who are flawed and might well fail.  When a leader can’t give any leeway to try new things or take some risks it is a lack of grace. However, when leaders show that aspect of grace, people under them feel both safe and free to pursue great things. Grace allows bigger things to be accomplished where the MMP crushes them.

What do you think?  Leave a comment.

Church, Ministry

Church Leadership Limits

There is a broad spectrum of churches.  Some are defined by their theology, some by the worship style, some are characterized by their denominational ties, and some are simply the delegated church of a community.  At issue today is those churches that have become a mirror of a personality.  Yes, the church should be patterned after the personality and person of Christ, but not after a personality of a worship leader, pastor, or preacher.  When a single person becomes the only one making decisions when everything from the who will teach a Sunday School class to what will be sung in the worship service it is a harbinger of what could well become a cult.

To what extent should the leadership of a church control or limit the freedom of its members?

Guidelines here:

  1. The absolute authority within the church and the individual Christian is God. All other authority is subordinate.
  2. All Christians live in a society and have responsibilities to others.  Never-the-less, it is to God alone that we are primarily accountable and responsible.  It is not our families or friends or church or community or society that will be our ultimate judge.
  3. There is a tension between the encouragement to follow spiritual leaders and the individual liberty that Christians must retain in Christ.  A Christian should not allow liberty to become license or irresponsibility, but do all out of love for others.
  4. A leader must first be a servant. The leader should be the first to get his hands dirty. The leader must be the first when someone is in need.  The leader must be standing at the ready to do whatever is asked.
  5. The New Testament says little about church leaders insisting and demanding obedience from their fellow-believers.
  6. There are definite limits to the authority of church leaders.  For example, a leader does not have the right to tell people how to live their personal lives.  Christians should not accept domination, exploitation, manipulation or any kind of spiritual abuse.  In morally indifferent matters, where there is no clear statement in Scripture, everyone must be free to live according to his own conscience.  However, individual freedom should be regulated by love.
  7. The Church exists in union with God through Jesus Christ.  It consists of believers-in- community as Christ’s living body whose primary loyalty is to God through Jesus Christ, not to the leaders themselves.  It is a living organism rather than an organization.
  8. The ideal is ministry by community to achieve corporate maturity.  Ministry belongs to the whole church.  Although there was an organized leadership of elders (bishops) and deacons in the NT churches, there does not seem to be any gap between the “clergy” and the “laity”.  Rather all those with spiritual gifts, including the gift of leadership, are called to equip all believers for mature discipleship and service.
  9. The five key ministries of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher, collectively provide a healthy spiritual diet for any church, if they are held in balance (Ephesians 4:11).

 

What do you think?  Leave a comment.

Church

Why Church?  Post three.

Why Church?  Post three.

I just received new input to my question as to the why or why not of church attendance.  I am still trying to digest it but it does point to the second-most reason for attending church or, conversely why they don’t. Being accepted as an individual.

I confess that all this stuff is based upon a very imprecise methodology, but never-the-less this strong current seems to push its way through the seemingly calm waters of church attendance.  There is an unspoken expectation of conformity within the church. There are unspoken guidelines that are placed upon everyone that attends.  If the leader of worship asks everyone to stand, it is expected that all will stand, even if it causes pain.  If there is a special offering for whatever is the cause of the day, there is an expectation that all will give.  If the unstated theology of the church states you will vote and vote a specific way, there is an expectation that you will.  Every church seems to have a set of rules that must be conformed to.  I have seen theological statements made on literally hundreds of church websites that spell out to the last detail of who is God and what He expects.  There is little space for individuality. It is conformity or nothing.  There is no room for being unique.  As one respondent wrote, “People are messy.” The attainment of perfection as defined by the church crowd is not attainable.  It is a moving target.  One person expects one behavior and another expects something different.  And when one person steps out of line, pressure is applied to bring them back into conformity.

The very expectation of conformity squeezes out the individual.  This expectation of conformity also unleashes comparison, judgment, and hypocrisy.  It leaves little room for me to live, breath, or to be my own person.  When I try to be the unique me, my acceptance in the church is in jeopardy.  Sure, the church is full of unique people, but there is a constant pressure to conform to the perfect image of what a Christian should be.  Or at least what the current envisionment of what a Christian should be.

In my research, this is often characterized as “the church is a bunch of hypocrites.”  Hypocrites because of this internal expectation of conformity is not even held to by those who expect it in everyone else.

People who are accepted in their individuality like church.  They are valued for their uniqueness. People what to be what God has made them, not what the expectations of others would have them be.  There is no predetermined mold for what we should be.  A church that accepts the way we are and all our idiosyncrasies, warts and all, is the church where you are welcome and is a joy to attend.

The Study of God and Life