Better Than One

Super Saturday 2010 is a one day training event for all leaders in any church.  The theme this year is:  “Evaluating Ministry Health”.  How is our church and ministries doing?  Do we have enough leaders and workers?  Are they trained and ready to go?  Do the workers or leaders understand their vision and purpose for their ministry?  All other occupations or jobs require people to stay current and up-to-date.  How about our church leaders?  When is the last time they have been challenged to “raise the bar” in their assigned ministry?

There are 6 sites for Super Saturday: 

8-21  Lexington / 8-28  Louisville               

9-11  Williamsburg & Paducah             

9-18  Russell & Bowling Green

It is exciting to be in a state that provides such strong and encouraging training for churches and leaders.  Super Saturday leaders come from all over the state, other states, and LifeWay.  Dr. Chuck Lawless from Southern Seminary will be the large group speaker at Lexington and Louisville. 

It is a great opportunity for churches to travel together and discuss what they expect coming to the event.  When they go home,  they get to review the day, what they have learned, and what next steps they are ready to take.   If you are coming,  Thanks and God bless.  If you are still considering Super Saturday,  go to our website and sign up.  If you cannot come on that day,  who can?  One person can make the difference in your church or ministry.

Hispanic Ministry Track is at FBC, Danville on August 7th and at Cooper BC in Louisville on August 21st.

For More Information:

Registration:  $35 per person

www.kybaptist.org/supersaturday                502-489-3572 or 866-489-3572 (toll free)   supersaturday@kybaptist.org

No Childcare Provided

“I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”      (Phil. 1:6)

I talked to a pastor about his Ministry Toolbox reports.  Two of his strengths were:  Worship and Discipleship.  One of his weak areas was Evangelism.  As we discussed these, he mentioned that one of the problems was changing the heart of the people.  As I was reading in my devotional book “Voices of the Faithful, vol 2″, today’s scripture was Ezekiel 36:26  “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”  God is still in that business.

“Comeback Churches” book mentions that one of the strong comeback function is “Renewed Belief in Jesus Christ and the Mission of the Church”.  I suggest that you consider preaching a series of sermons that relate to Jesus Christ and how he connected to people.  The Gospels are full of Jesus meeting people that illustrate how we can bring people to Jesus.  Neil Cole in his book “Organic Church”, asks the question,  “Are we bringing people to Jesus or are we bringing Jesus to the people?”  Both are right.  Jesus often went to the people but at other times, people came to Jesus.   For people to have a change of heart, they must see Jesus and his love for others. (Visual Bible is a good resource to see a positive Jesus as it literally follows Matthew NIV)  Take time in sermon preparation to think of how your people can use this picture of Jesus and people in their lives.  Help them apply the love of Jesus.

Revelation 2:4 says, “Yet I hold this against you:  You have forsaken your first love.”  Many of our congregations and people have lost their first love.  Read Ronnie Sivells blog before this one “What’s Hampering the Church?”  Could it be that our people have lost their first love?  Mike Glenn in his Tuesday night meetings with young adults at Brentwood BC in Nashville uses a guided prayer to emphasize prayer before worship. (Examples are in Mike Glenn’s book “In Real Time”)  That might be a good idea for your sermon series about Jesus.  Transformation of our people must have a foundation of prayer.

I was visiting last week with David Tucker at Sherman BC and he mentioned he was reading “essential church?” by Thom and Sam Rainer.  In trying to keeping high school students in church, he takes time during his Sunday sermon to walk in front of them and relate some part of his sermon to them.  That is not hard to do but how many pastors are speaking every Sunday to their students. 

 Have you read “essential church”?  Many churches want to keep and find young adults for their congregation.  Based on research conducted by LifeWay Christian Resources, the nationwide survey of more than 1000 young adults uncovered another ominous trend:  fading percentages of church attendance among young demographics.  From 50% among pre-World War II builders, the number sinks to 34%for “busters” born 1964 and ‘77, and 29% for “bridgers” (1977-94). ” These numbers have remained the same as each generation gets older.”  says, Thom Rainer.  “So we eo have a little bid of a crisis.  We’re losing our young adults.”

Importance of Small Groups  – One prescription the associate pastor of a Florida church outlined is small groups.  Whether that means cell groups, Bible studies or Sunday school, he pints out that 83% of those involved in a small group are still in church five years after joining.  Among those who only attend Sunday services, the retention rate drops to 16%.

Why They Leave 

• They simply wanted a break from church
• Left for college or had work responsibilities
• Don’t feel connected to people there
• They disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues
• They decided to spend more time with friends outside the church

Start by simplifying

• Simplify the path members can follow to discipleship – Ministry Blueprint:  What is your church going to do to help people become more like Christ?
• Your purpose/mission statement must be clear
• Alignment or getting everyone  on board with the same process
• Focus – Eliminating outdated committees or programs

Ed Stetzer has written a good young adult book entitled “Lost and Found”  His research team surveyed almost 200 church to search for trends and found these common characteristics:

1. Creating Deeper Community
2. Making a Difference through Service
3. Experiencing Worship
4. Leveraging Technology
5. Building Cross-Generational Relationships
6. Moving Toward Authenticity
7. Leading by Transparency
8. Leading by Team

One other excellent resource is “in real time” by Mike Glenn, pastor of Brentwood BC in Nashville area.  He decribes how his church created Kairos, a young adult worship ministry.  Kairos means “appropriate time” or “fullness of time.”  Kairos describes the right time to tell the punch line of a joke or the right time to pick a piece of fruit from the tree.  Kairos, the young adult worship experience on Tuesday night, is about creating that right moment for someone to encounter the risen Christ.  Take time to read this jouney of young adults who have reached the Nashville community.

Please don’t spuander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us.  God reminds us, “I heard your call in the nick of time;  The Day you needed me, I was there to help.”  Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. 

- 2 Corinthians 6:1-2  The Message

“Sing a new song” (Ps. 144:9) reminds me of the redemptive process of my spiritual journey.  It also relates to our church music discussions.  “Comeback Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson identified their worship mood of comeback churches as celebrative and orderly.  Celebrative can mean different things.  It doesn’t mean that every worship style will look alike.  There is a sense that when we gather together for worship, there is a sense of celebration, energy, passion, joy and gladness.  There is something worth celebrating that we have to focus on and talk about.  There were churches in the research that discovered their passion for God often by examining their worship. 

Worship matters.  It is about God and not about what we like or don’t like.  We sit around and talk about our style and forget about loving and adoring God.  Worship cannot end the refocusing process but it has often been the beginning.  Many churches in the research began their transformation by focusing on their worship first.

Most comeback churches experienced changes in worship.  How can you lead the church to consider some new ways to express themselves in worship?

1. Make sure there is a biblical foundation for everything you do.
2. Teach what the bible says about worship
3. List churches in your area that offer worship that is connecting people with God in a celebrative way.
4. Visit these churches
5. Consider trying some different worship in your own church
6. Bring it home and discuss the following:                                                                                                                                What are these churches doing?                                                                                                                                               Why are they doing it?                                                                                                                                                             What impact is it having?                                                                                                                                                        What are we doing different from them?  And Why is what we are doing not working?                                               What can we learn?  What can we try?                                                                                                                                 What could we incorporate or implement into our church?

In REV magazine, I found an article by Stephanie Caro about worship planning.  She said her church was not a megachurch or even a large church.  We’re just a plain old struggling mainline denominational church with about 150 in worship on Sundays.  Here are her 10 worship planning commandments:

1. There must be coffee.
2. We don’t use a printed order of worship.
3. Every week is different.
4. Each Sunday has a clear theme and spiritual life lesson.
5. Communicate the message in at least five ways.
6. The entire service is the message.
7. We target our services to be about an hour.
8. When we do have a sermon, which is most Sundays, the length is 12 to 14 minutes.
9. We don’t use official greeters.
10. Cultural graphics are important.

In the last 12 months, Stephanie said that her worship service has experienced a 37% growth in attendance.  In a recent survey of regular churchgoers, over 90% said they leave church without having “felt a touch from God”  We want more for our people.  I know you don’t agree with every commandment but some encourages us to think about what we are doing.

What is the appropriate worship for our context?  People in Peru worship differently from people in Malaysia because they are in a different context.  When Rick Warren planted his church in Orange Co. California, he surveyed what radio station was listened to most and built his worship music around that style.  I know churches who are secure and stayed in their traditional worship style.  I know others who are in the process of moving from traditional to blended in the next months.  I know churches who are satisfied with their blended worship.  I know others who are ready to start offering a contemporary service to reach younger adults.  What form of music and worship would God use in this context to bring Himself the most glory and honor?  How can we have worship here that transforms us and transforms our community and makes Jesus more widely known?

“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his Glory and Grace” – Helen Lemmel

I’m coming back to the heart of worship – And it’s all about You.  It’s all about You, Jesus – I’m sorry, Lord for the thing I’ve made it – When it’s all about You – It’s all about You, Jesus -Matt Redman

That I’ll wake up to find Your glory defined – And I will finally bow at Your feet – I will lift up Your name in honor and praise – When I cross over Jordan, I know that I’ll be running home to You – Building 429