Church, Ministry, Ramblings

The CHURCH as a business?

I have seen and lived two worlds: the world of church and the world of business.  The disturbing point is when a church starts to act like a business.  This hybrid diminishes the Godly center for the external edge.  Pastors start to act like Chief Executive Officers marketing Jesus as a product. The Bible uses many colorful words to describe the church. It’s a family, a body, a fellowship, a holy people, a flock, and more.  However, it is never described as a business.

It’s not that there are no business aspects to leading a local church or denomination. Much like a family is better off when we manage our money and time more effectively, most pastors would serve Jesus, their church and their families better if we used good business principles to manage our time, energy and resources more efficiently, too.  But using wise business principles is not the same as running a church as though it was a business.

There are many things and/or attitudes that are simply wrong.

  1. A business is always about customers and sales. In too many churches, we tell our “guests” to sit back, relax and enjoy the service”, to be consumers of the heavenly juice that will be provided on que and in four-four time.  We provide the best coffee, the perfect temperature, the songs are on key, the sermon never exceeds the allotted time, and the pews are always padded.  There is little to challenge or, (heaven forbid) make our customers uncomfortable by talking about repentance and sin. While there’s a lot of finger-pointing at the rise of a consumer culture in new, seeker-friendly churches, the customer model happens in churches of all types. Big and small, old-school and new-school, high and low liturgy, denominational and nondenominational. Church members are not supposed to be passive customers. We’re supposed to be active participants in the ministry of the church.
  2. A business has a leadership hierarchy. Either the Pastor is the Chief Executive Officer with all its responsibilities and authority, or the Church Board wields this big stick. If the he pastor is seen and acts like he is the owner or manager, the membership feels restrained in doing anything without the CEO’s permission. When the pastor acts like they own the church, church members will either push back, give in, or leave.
    Conversely, if it is the board that is the ultimate business owner it is just as problematic. That form of church governing isn’t wrong (the church I pastor requires congregational approval for big decisions), but when it’s abused – as any good thing can be – the church members become more like passive investors demanding a return for their money. Board membership becomes more important than actual servanthood, pastors are afraid to take a potentially unpopular stand, and actual ministry grinds to a halt under the heavy hand of procedures and pettiness.
    Either extreme business model there is no expectation or encouragement to think outside of the stated and codified business statement. The result? Burnt out pastors and shallow members.
  3. A business is accountable only to shareholders. In every church, there is a special group of default members.  Those in this group could well be classified as shareholders.  They have been in the church since it began, they have paid their dues, they have served in every capacity possible, they have their own pew, and are the first to disapprove of any behavior that is not what they perceive to be within the norm.  They seem to hold sway over all.  Their displeasure is felt both in the offering plate and gossip. “Why does the (fill in the blank) do it my way?”
  4. Perhaps the biggest problem with these three skewed visions of the church is how we treat (or ignore) Jesus. If anyone in the church is acting like a boss, they’re crowding out the place where Jesus should be Lord. And when church members act like customers, they’re missing out on the extraordinary joy of serving Jesus.  Prayer is more important than process.  Servanthood in more important that bi-laws.  Faith is more important than fidelity to fragile feelings.

Businesses have employees and customers. The church has family members. Businesses have bosses. The church has a Lord. A head. A savior. And a king.

Comments?

Life, Ramblings

FOMO

We can easily become overwhelmed by a world that is most concerned about image.  A new term for it is FOMO.  Fear of missing out.  With this social malady comes the distraction of constant demand for more.  There is a craving of putting on a good front: a projection of a successful self.  More entertainment, more screens, more experiences, more of everything is touted as the solution to FOMO.  This solution is worse than the illness.  The external view point by definition is on the outside.  It does nothing for the inside.  The group of people that are hardest to minister to are those who seem to have their act together.  On the outside they seem to have it all but they live in poverty of the inner life.

But scratch the surface and you realized there is still pain.  FOMO can never be satisfied primarily because it is all external.  FOMO comes from inside and our culture is one of externals.  There is little in our world that offers much to build the cry of the inner life.

The continuance, strength, peace, depth and wisdom that flows from God is the only answer.  It is the inside that is crying out.  It is the inside that needs.  It is the inside that requires something.  And that something is an inner depth of God in us.

What do you think?  Leave a comment.

Church, Life, Psycolog, Ramblings

Church Attendance Pt2

There are segments of our Western culture that are flourishing.  Technology seems to ingrained into every part of what we call life today.  The world seems to be saying it can provide you everything you need.  “I can provide all things at a click of a mouse or a tap on the screen.”  It is a beautiful place that we have made.  You don’t have to go to the Grand Canyon to feel the awe, you can get virtual glasses and the latest program.  You can buy all that is needed to lead a full and exciting life.  If you are lonely just log on to Facebook,  if you are hungry call up UBER to deliver a gourmet meal in less than an hour.  A world of products are just a click away.  Special industries have popped up to provide vacations, amazing experiences, and gastronomic delights.  Entertainment can provide an endless supply of music, music, live sports and the latest shoot-em-up gaming experience.  There seems to be a constant hum in the air.  But it is so much driven by individualism.

It is about my experience, my location, my food, my dog, my witticism, and my life.  Happiness and stimulation without commitment.  It may not be George Orwell’s new world, but the outcome is the same.  Dull automatons marching to the glare of a screen plastered to your face.

This new found freedom is at the expense of something else.  One writer called it the vanishing of institutions.  If we can be ourselves, if we can life our lives in constant self gratification and self forfillment, what do we need with institutions?  What do we need with the Church?

The Church is our beliefs and ethics in the flesh. The Church is a bringing down from heaven the life of God to become a operating on earth.  There is a shared set of beliefs that the whole agrees and defines itself.  The Church exists to pass along our beliefs.  The Church exists as a place to turn our beliefs into action, in real behaviors, to educate.  It is more than a broadcast message hoping some would friend it.  It is not about information it is about values.

Values, including love, forgiveness, self sacrifice, the greater good, hope, acceptance and service, must be passed on.  And the passing from one generation to the next is one of the reasons the Church exists and will continue to exist.  When the Church stops passing on values and changes to a broadcast mode of information, then it fails.  Broadcasting of information without values becomes part of the hum and will die with all pet rock and the VCR.

Yes I go to Church.  It is an act of faithfulness to a value system.  Oh I love the old hymns and a well crafted sermon is a delight to my ears. Never-the-less, when you get down to it, it is more about legacy, it is more about passing something along.  It is about endurance of life.  It is about community.  It is about being a part of something that is more than elections across a screen.

What do you think?  Leave me a comment.

Church, Psycolog, Worship

Flash Mob Church

You may have not noticed but there is something happening in the Church.  There has been successive waves of growth and wane.  Waves of people coming in the door staying just long enough to figure it all out and then move on to the next congregation.  I don’t know what they are looking for, I do not know what would keep them long term, or for that matter do I even desire them to stay longer.  You see they are what I call locusts.  They fly in, sometimes in great clouds, to land and partake of the feast.  There is great excitement about these new numbers.  Energy is spent to make them comfortable, liked and accepted.  Some of them proudly proclaimed how much they loved our church and they attended only sporadically at times, they saw themselves as a part.  Some saw attendance as a once a month thing, others a little more.  However, when the time comes for them to fly away there is no warning, they are just not there anymore.  As suddenly they appeared out of the dark, they simply disappeared.  No amount of email and visitor cards stopped their vanishing.

Oh there are those who are there all the time; never wavering, steady, resolute.  I used to say, “saved, justified, sanctified and petrified.”  Never-the-less why has this phenomenon happening?  Why has the Church become more of a Flash-mob experience?  If an individual church has two-hundred members, but only one-hundred is ever there at one time, what does that say about our new church culture?  The church becomes like a roller coaster. Has it always been that way, or has something changed?

I think it is not the preaching or even the preacher.  It is not the musicians or ever the type of music.  It is not the thousand hours of video work put into the presentation of the week splattered up on the white boarded front of the church.  It is that our culture has changed.  Changed from a Church oriented, family empowered, God designed culture to one of emphasis on the individual.  The individual who can determine what they like.  The individual that sets the boundaries.  There are no moral absolutes.  We have to be tolerant to everyone’s feelings and “specialness”. We want the new younger crowd to be welcome and comfortable.  To draw them out of the world to a God that fills them with awe and wonder.  But the church seems at times more like a “Me generation” rally than worship of God.

The church attendance roller coaster is simply a response to change from THEE to me.

What do you think.  Leave a comment.

 

 

 

 

Church, Personal, Ramblings

Church Attendance

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When I went to my denominations educational institution were I was required to attend chapel.  I went to school at night so each evening between classes all the prospective preachers would hike down the little hill to First Church.  It was conveniently on the same campus.  It was not an option.  If you did not go it would be noted in your permanent record.  With enough checks you were put on probation and ultimately you would not be allowed to graduate.

The thought of my outward religiosity as some criteria for my spirituality troubles me.  And this concept has plagued me as I finally graduated and became a Pastor.  At every service I would take mental notes as to who was there and who was absent without leave.  Thank God I have overcome this terrible judgmental attitude in my life.

I don’t think God keeps a gradebook and checks every time you or I miss a church service.  The problem is that sometimes the establishment, sometimes called the church, does not quite look at it that way. Church attendance is seen as a mandatory thing.  “You can’t have good and Godly Christians staying away from the gracious open doors of the church.”  Though Christianity purports to operate under the auspices of grace, love and freedom, there seems to be a hint of Torah-caliber parameters to be upheld.

“We can’t have our congregation out during the summer for vacation.”

“The building will fall down and the lights not glow if we let our board members take some family time off.”

Here the institution called the church seems to have taken something so beautiful, so wonderful, so life giving, so filled with awe (Worship) and found a way to grade and monitor people’s performance.

So how exactly do you go to Church? “Because you just have to.”  Some churches even have little cards that every person or family in a pew has to fill in every service just to keep count.

There are two directions of inspection going on.  There is first an assessment of my spirituality. I see the sly glances by the pious attempting to determine if I am holding my head at the right angle, placing the proper envelope in the plate as it goes by, and I standing when I am told to. And if I am not there filling my spot there is a negative assessment of my commitment and spirituality.  If you miss a couple of meetings, you become bombarded with email and notes asking if you are alright.  Secondly this inspection process can well become reciprocal. Church is also where I could well assess the spirituality of my fellow adherents. This is the part I am most concerned with.  I cannot control or change the assessments of others of me.  But I cannot allow myself to fall into the same behavior.

It does not matter if I am the only one in the pew. It does not matter if Harry Holiness is in his place either.  Worship is what I do and it is not for anyone else.  If I am right with God, if I am in the spirit that God would have me in, then it really doesn’t matter whether I am in my pew or on vacation.  Mandatory church like mandatory chapel was in college is a stupid.  God isn’t keeping score.  God does not have a grade book to keep my attendance.  I am saved by grace and not by what I do.

Now don’t get me wrong here.  Worship with a body of like believers is a wonderful thing.  It can pick you up when you don’t feel like it.  It is a place where we can be with people who know more about you than some family members.  But I am not going to Church just to please others.  I am not going to church to meet some grading criteria.

There is no way to guilt me into it; I have given up guilt with the new life in Christ.

What do you think?  Leave a comment.

Bible, Life

Simple and easy

Luke 5 presents a unique insight into what it is to be open to guidance.  Guidance even from someone that is not an expert.

The air was permeated with the smells of old fish and rope.  The little ship had been out all night with Peter and his crew but with nothing to show for their efforts; not even a single straggler. They were bone tired and were washing and stretching their nets out on the beach to dry.   They were looking forward to a time of relaxation in the cool morning breeze with the gentile sun on their face.  These men were tired and just wanted to go home.  But here comes a crowd heading right for Peter and his freshly laundered nets.  There is no record of Jesus asking to use the boat but he needed a pulpit.  At risk of losing both his nets and boat Peter and his crew sat in the boat behind Jesus trying to stay awake as Jesus taught the crowd.

“When He finished teaching, He said to Simon, ‘push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch’”. (Luke 5:4).  It is with a little hint of sarcasm that Peter responds; “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow.”

Here was this itinerant teacher, without a synagogue in which to teach, telling me a full time journeyman master fisher how to fish.  The nets now well trampled had to be washed again. It did not look like Jesus was any hurry to get out of the boat. He continued to sit in the bow with a look of expectation and a smile that Peter would come to look for before any great lesson to be learned or miracle to be had.  With a rough hand over his brow to shadow his eyes from the early sun and knowing full well there were no fish to be had this time of day, Peter agreed.  He had the crowd move off the nets and placed them again in the boat and set off tired and  probably a little more than frustrated.  The instructions from Jesus were simple and not very creative.  “Go out to deeper water and throw out your net.”  It was a waste of time for the master fisherman. It went against all the experience and intuition accumulated over his career.

I don’t know where the fish were all night but everyone within a mile took a detour that morning and found the net.  Peter tried with all his strength and skill to bring the net it but it would not come because of all the fish.

Jesus did not explain it was a great miracle to show Peter some well needed lesson.  No new teaching for the fisherman.

Sometimes following Jesus is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy.  Remember the one telling you to fish is also the one who created the fish.

 

Personal

Daughter

Daughter:

I was going through some pictures  it struck me how much you mean to me.  Wasn’t it just a very short time ago that I first met you in the hospital in your mother’s arms? I remember well that tiny fragile bundle.  You wrapped your small sweet smelling hand around my finger and smiled.  You will always be Daddy’s little girl.

Twirling of batons , drum lessons, cake decorating, Grandmothers, late nights, candles on the window sill, tears and smiles; all punctuated your growth.  You grew up and now you have a daughter of your own.  How time flies.  I was not always there when you needed me. The Church often nudged you and the rest of the family into second place.  For that I am sorry.

I have always been quick with a word of advice and for what it is worth, please forgive me for spouting off again.

I want so much for you.  I want you to be whatever your heart pushes you toward.  While I am fully aware that at times your head gets in the way of just being you.  Don’t imitate anyone else; remain true to your vision of life.  Don’t pretend to be someone you are not, just to satisfy other expectations.  I discovered not too long ago that the definition of perfect is simply doing or being better than expectations.  My daughter you are perfect.  The world seems to want for us to put on a disguise hide our real person.  Sadly, over a period of time these disguises become the only thing the world sees.  You are the best daughter God ever made.  Don’t let the child in you die. As long as you nurture this child within you, you will find happiness and joy in life.

Remember that when someone loves you, it is because you have within you something very unique and special.  When someone loves you it is because you have touched them and given them joy.

The world in which we life is a wondrous place and sometimes small and petty things get in the way and try to hide its marvel. Strive to look beyond the seemingly harsh things that would steel your joy. You make it worthwhile.  Your strength and persistence makes a difference. Open your heart to goodness. No matter what happens, don’t let negative people or thoughts take hold of you. The choice between being an optimist or a pessimist will remain right there in front of you. Choose one, choose wisely!

My sweet daughter, if you ever get to a place you need a hug or advice, Dad is always to listen and pass no judgements.   If you get to a place where you find yourself close to failing at what you have a mind to do, I am here to give you a shoulder to cry on and a strong arm to hold you up.

There is a purpose in everything and everyone that comes into your life. Be bold, be brave and believe in the power of your dreams – the dreams that shine in your lovely eyes like stars will illuminate your way.

It is true that with every passing day, I will grow older and weaker. A day may come when I will become forgetful. But even then, you with your bright smile, will light up my heart.

I love you, dear daughter!

 

Life, Personal, Preaching, Theology, Uncategorized

Holy and the day to day

For some reason, when it comes to our relationship with God, there are a lot of Christians who have taken the position that since God extends His grace to me when I sin, I ought to keep on sinning so that I can get more of God’s grace my life. On more than one occasion I have witnessed those who claim to be disciples of Jesus intentionally choose to do something they know to be sin and comment that it’s OK because they know that God will forgive them.

There seems to be an inner desire that wants to presume, to do something based upon unknown or future consequence.  To do something without proof.  Christians frequently presumes to act, teach, and promote beyond what the Lord has written. We frequently see the following rationale offered to justify man’s action, soothe his own conscience, and silence the inner plea to submit to God’s Word:

  • God is our Heavenly Father. He loves me! Does He not want me to be happy? I know my Father wants me to have this, because it will make me happy!
  • God may have been strict in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament we are under a system of grace. Therefore, we are not in bondage to worry about keeping every law perfectly. We do not have to worry about tedious, detailed observances of any kind.
  • Do you really think God would send me to hell just for doing this?
  • Will God really condemn me for this one sin?
  • What’s so bad about doing this?
  • Who will be hurt by doing that?
  • No one will ever know about what I do.

True, God is our heavenly Father, and He dearly loves us; however, He seeks our best interest, which is not always what we want, what satisfies for the moment, or what makes us happy in this instant.

But we pull out the Big Bible and quote from Matthew 7:9-11

Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The assumption here is that we know more about what is good for us than God.  We are assuming that we have judgment, clarity, foresight, knowledge, and wisdom paramount to God!

Since what we want and what God wants for us are often two distinct paths, only presumption would ignore God’s revealed will for us in exchange for satisfying our palpitating desires.

So then how should we live?

Let’s start with the fact that while It’s simple, It’s not easy.

I have discovered that losing weight is simple, but it’s not easy. All you have to do to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than your body needs. That’s simple. You figure out how many calories your body needs each day to maintain your present weight and then you eat less than that.  But restriction of the day to day snacks, and occasional cans of soda is not so easy.

The day to day life in Jesus is simple but it is not easy.

It’s Something I Have to Do

Nobody else can do it for you and you can’t do it for anyone else.  You are the only one that can die to sin in your life. Your wife can’t do it for you.  Not your Pastor or even your neighbor. It is my decision for me.   My deciding to live a holy life, that is a life that is in the center of God’s will and obedient to God’s will.

 God can’t or won’t do it for you, in the sense that he won’t take away your free will and force you to live a holy life, He’s willing to help in the form of the Holy Spirit. With God’s help you can do it. Do you believe that? But you have to want to. And it is a partnership.

Comments?

Uncategorized

What does it really matter?

I made my way out to the little strip of lawn in front of my office, illuminated by my store front window light and one street light across the way in front of the local glass shop.  I really don’t remember how I got into a sitting position on the curb, but there I was. It was as if I had resigned to be picked up with the trash, I was on the curb and waiting to die fingering the keys to office. My chest pain had become almost unbearable. Each heart beat would cause a radiating pain down my arm.

I had been living in our little town for a while and had never heard a siren.  No police chases, no fire calls, and no ambulance runs had ever pierced the sweet serenity of our little town.  Well at least until now.  The hospital was about two miles away and I could hear the first blast of that industrial strength distress signal.  It was not one of those electronic sirens you hear today, but one that had to wind up to reach the optimal pitch and only wavered when a corner was turned as the sound bounced off walls and buildings. The siren was attached to the top of a station wagon style ambulance that had been re-purposed from being a hearse from the local mortuary.  I could imagine all the sleepy folks in town being awakened at the scream of the siren which most likely had been not heard but once in a blue moon.

As it got closer I was less and less concerned with my state.  The anxiety was going away. Help was almost here. Almost, in a surreal, out of body experience, I realized I could be dead in a matter of moments.

New thoughts entered my mind: I thought about my wife, of roast pork, kids, the little church I had attended last Sunday, and God.  All the things you would normally think about as you faced the abyss of an approaching blackness.  I also thought of the minutia in my life; did I lock up my office completely, were the lights turned off, were my shoes tied, tomorrow as garbage day and I wondered why the house next door had painted their screen door red. It was at this point I experienced an epiphany. It was a lesson to be learned.

It really didn’t matter.  The world would continue.  I thought I was going to die, but it really didn’t matter.  At that moment, facing the end, I understood the importance or rather the lack of importance of my life.  I was content in my home.  I was content with how my kids had been raised.  I was content with the affect I had made on this little town.  My life, while seeming so important to me was of little consequence to the bigger picture.  The phrase that kept coming to mind was that was quoted to me by my father, “don’t sweat the small stuff and it is all small stuff.”

I guess the lesson learned is not to worry about that future that much.  We all are going to come to this same place someday.

Oh, of course there is a concern about our loved ones and all that I would have missed, but in reality I had no control over that.  We are just who we are.  An in that moment of time I realized enough is enough.  It was not about my aspirations or my plans but it was about being who I was.

I cannot be you.  I cannot be even be what you expect.  I can only be me.  When approaching the end of life, it is not about a comparison between whom I could have been and who I ended up to be.  The only regret is not being the best me I could have been.  It is the lessons we have learned along the path.  It is the small nudges He has given me along the self-conceived path to move me to a better understanding of who I needed to be.  It is not up to you or anyone else to dictate or judge me.  If this is all there is, then so be it.  If there is something more then I was ready.

The two ambulance attendants placed me on the stretcher amid my pain induced fog.  The lights were flashing and out of the corner of my eye was my wife waving me goodbye.  I passed out.  No bright light, no special warmth, just darkness and pain.

By the way I didn’t die. “Lesson taught and a lesson learned.”

Church, Life, Sermon Illustration

What is a Saint?

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What are little boys made of:
They are made of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails,
What are little girls made of:
They are made of sugar and spice and everything nice.

But what makes a saint?
They are made of very real stuff; costly stuff, the stuff of conflict and struggle. They are made of failure and defeat. They are made of repentance and renewal. I once asked a Junior High Class in Sunday School what made a saint. After quite a bit of time in silence and seemingly looks of question, one particularly quarrelsome young man exclaimed, “A saint is a dead Christian.”
God’s saints are men and women seasoned by many of life’s deepest and most tragic human experiences. Saintliness comes from hard times. Saintliness comes from fires of life. When you around one of these special people you can almost smell the smoke on their clothes. They most often focus not on doing things right, but more on doing the right thing.
They have within them a fire that burns as much as a candle burns and puts out a special glowing fire. The brightness of thier lives determine the length of the candle. Their real character is not determined by reputation. Their real character is not determined by their professions. A saint’s character is determined by the Spirit of Christ that dwells and shines through them.
I have met a few saints and none of them would like the title.

The Study of God and Life