Posts Tagged ‘church’

Feb
02
2012

5 Ways You Can Help Your Church

So, yes, your church is imperfect. After a few weeks there you have realized this, I hope. You’re pastor is either a bit boring or too over the top. You wish for a bit more depth in his messages or perhaps a bit more practical application. The music has too much drum or too much organ. The youth ministry needs more teaching or more pizza.

And maybe you’ve read one of the rash of books telling us how the church has gotten it all wrong for all these years, why the youth are heading for the exists. So you’re convinced that you’re church needs to either get more missional, more doctrinal, more seeker-oriented. More something.

Here’s the thing. You’re probably somewhat right. I’m guessing the church you attend has inadequacies. But it’s likely that its served by staff who genuinely care about the Lord, about people, and about doing it right. They’re probably missing some big things and making mistakes.

But, as I look at Scripture I see that God uses churches like this. Imperfect, clumsy, a bit off. Actually these are the only kinds of churches God can use because the only kinds of people he has to work with are . . . . you guessed it, sinners. You’re one of them. Even though you’ve done the research, read the books, attended the seminary, you are still an imperfect human filled with sin. You’re saved only by the grace of God and not you’re merit.

I say all this to say one thing. You can gripe about your church and find another. And perhaps that’s what you need to do. I’m not minimizing serious church issues, abuse, etc. But, largely, church problems are caused by imperfect sinners.

What I’m saying is that you can see your church become more fully effective by becoming part of the solution. Be the change you want to see. Here are five ways you can help your church from an admittedly imperfect, learning, needy pastor:

1) Be Committed. 

The best way to make your church better is to be there consistently and faithfully. Seriously, you can’t gripe about a church you hardly frequent. And you have no idea how it encourages and motivates the heart of the pastor and staff to see you present at most functions regularly. And your regular attendance makes a statement to the world that God’s called-out assembly means something to you. It makes a statement to the devil that you are standing with Christ and His body. And it makes a statement to yourself that church is more important than anything on Sunday. Also, part of being committed is to be at your place of service at the right time. If you’ve signed up for a ministry, be there when you say you will be. The church is depending on you.

2) Be On Time

This seems small, but it’s big. Get up early on Sunday morning and be at church on time. I must confess that before I was a pastor I was habitually late to church. I always came, but I was usually late. Now that I’m a pastor I realize how this totally stresses the church staff. We actually like to know who is going to be there and who we can count on. And I think punctuality at church makes a statement about how much we care about the Lord. If we were as punctual at work as we were at church, I wonder how long many of us would keep our jobs. That’s sounds a bit harsh, I know, but getting to church early and on time helps your church become the church God intends it to be. If you’re supposed to serve in a particular area, make a special effort to not only be on time, but be early. Give the attention to that ministry that you would to something you value such as your job or your favorite hobby.

3) Be Positive

Come to church with a smile. I’m not saying be plastic or inauthentic. If you’re suffering through a crisis,the church should be the first place to cry. Don’t come with a mask. But also don’t come with a super-critical eye. Come intending to give back to the body with your gifts and talents. Come intending to be fed the Word, but also disciple and encourage others. Come ready to love and forgive and hug and forbear. Come to church ready to forgive small and big slights. Also, be pro-church. Greet guests warmly, advance the church goals and ministries with a smile. Be positive, not cynical.

4) Be Prepared

You can prepare with prayer. Before you walk in the doors, you might pray for your pastor and the staff. Pray for the Spirit’s presence to be strong in the service and in the preaching. Bathe the entire church body in prayer. Think of some of the neediest members in your church and commit their needs to prayer. Most of all, before you walk in the church doors, pray that God will use you to impact someone’s life for the Kingdom that Sunday. Sunday not simply an ordinary day. Church is not something to simply cross off our list. Church is the expression of Christ in the world. You are the church. Be the church. Pray that God powerfully uses you to change lives. And pray that through the preaching and worship and prayer you’re heart will soften to the gospel and you’ll become more like your Savior.

You can also prepare by preparing your own heart with Scripture. Be a person of the Word and doctrine so that your heart is ready to soak in the teaching on Sunday. Nurture your spiritual life so that the soil of your soul is ready to be changed for God’s glory.

5) Be Solution-Oriented

In #3 I said to be positive. I want to offset that by saying being positive isn’t being a flatterer or Kool-Aid guy. What I mean by this is that you help your church being gently discerning. If you see an area of improvement, make a note to try to be a difference maker. Ask the person in charge of that are if you can help solve the problem. In other words, rather than complaining about a dirty bathroom or a gap in the childcare, politely and kindly bring this to someone who can affect change and offer to help. The pastor and the staff don’t see everything. They sometimes need some help from committed members on the ground level who can give them some critical feedback on services in the church.

Closing:

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, just a few ways you can make your church what God intends it to be.

 

Jan
17
2012

Creativity is Cool, but So is Maturity

By now you’ve read some of the dust-up online about two prominent pastors and their presentations of intimacy and marriage. Mark Driscoll and his wife Grace have written what seems to be a very raw, personal book, Real Marriage. Ed Young, Jr is launching a new preaching series/book/media blitz in which he and his wife are broadcasting live from their bed for 24 hrs on their church roof (Yes, you read that right).

I have not read Driscoll’s book and don’t intend too, though I highly respect Mark’s ministry and feel that he has been a terrific leader in advancing the gospel through church planting and leadership development. I don’t know Ed Young Jr nor have I read his latest book. He is a gifted preacher who seems to be leading many to faith in Christ.

I have read some terrific commentary on both issues. I’ve also read some snarky, arrogant triumphalist commentary and some downright unfair commentary. In my view, the two best pieces on both issues were written by Mathew Lee Andersen and Ed Stetzer.

However, a critical point I think has been missing in the discussion of evangelicals and sex and marriage is the issue of maturity. Pastors serve a vital role in their churches and communities. Besides being the person tasked with clearly teaching and preaching the Word of God, pastors are also spiritual leaders. Fairly or unfairly we are held up as examples of propriety, maturity, and grace.

I don’t know Ed Young, Jr personally nor do I know Mark Driscoll. They have ministries that far dwarf mine and likely have forgotten more about ministry and the Bible than I know. But I wonder if their actions reflect a church culture that seems to reward creativity without limits. A church culture that eschews maturity.

Maturity thinks things over and says, “I wonder if this is a good idea to put a bed on top of a roof?” or “I wonder if this is a good idea to do a provocative sex series that will intentionally offend some?” or “Is this the best idea?”

The pastor should be the adult in the room, not the juvenile. That doesn’t mean we have to go back to liesure suits and legalism. That doesn’t mean pastors have to be boring, dour, sad people (though some see this as their mission, another post for another time). But it also means there has to be lines we won’t cross with our creativity.  Call me a square or a prude, but I’m pretty sure broadcasting from a bed on a roof crosses that.

I’m in favor of church change, innovation, and contextualization. But at my funeral and on my tombstone I’d like it to be said simply, “He preached the Word of God”, not “He did crazy stunts that brought attention to his church.”

Jul
21
2011

Why You Should Tithe

If you wanted to start a heated argument among Christians, just bring up the subject of tithing. Some say that tithing was a principle reserved only for Old Testament law. Others say that tithing is antithetical to grace. I hear all those arguments, but still, I think it’s good practice to be a regular giver. I can’t tell you, with integrity, that tithing is a specific command of God as prescribed in the Bible. But I can tell you that it’s a habit of wise, mature, Bible-believing, Christ-following Christians.

This is a discussion that could fill several books (and it has), but I’ve found three reasons why tithing is vital to the growth and discipleship of every believer.

1) Tithing demonstrates commitment to the body of Christ. We live in an age when Christians are spiritual free-agents, hopping from church to church and shopping for a Sunday experience as they would a new car. Many have even written off the local church as out-dated, stuffy, and too restrictive. And some churches are all that and more. But the Church is still the bride of Christ and so out of love for His sacrificial death for us on the cross, it is only reasonable that we return that love toward His Church. Plus, it is only in a community of like-minded believers that we can fulfill our spiritual gifts, find accountability, and work together to bring the gospel to the nations. Giving is an expression of this. Like church membership, a regular pattern of giving demonstrates our full commitment to that local church.

2) Tithing demonstrates committment to the work of Christ.  You can have all the bumper stickers you want. You can read big, thick books by dead guys like Calvin and Edwards. You can talk about adopting orphans in Africa. (all of these good and important things to do). But when you commit to giving a percentage of your money, every single month, to the local church where you have joined, you are telling the world how important Christ is to you. I want to clarify. Tithing won’t make Jesus love any more than He already does. Tithing won’t fix your bad attitude or make your prodigal return home. But tithing does reflect the attitude of your heart. It helps answer the question, Is Jesus something we do on Sunday only or is He the center of my universe? Hard to sing, “He is my all in all,” if all we are doing is scraping loose change together for the offering or grudgingly giving to the benevolence fund once a year. When you tithe, you have “skin in the game” to quite a good friend of mine. It demonstrates how much you love Jesus.

3) Tithing introduces you to the joy of faith over your finances. God never promises to make you rich if you give to the church. That is a false, unbiblical message. But committing a percentage of our money toward the Lord’s work opens the door to faith. It allows us to fall back on God’s providence, trusting that He will help us meet our needs with what is left. There is a joyful release in a regular, habitual, lifestyle of giving. There is a wonderful opportunity for you to experience the promises of God. I won’t lie to you, there are some seasons of life where tithing is difficult, where it really tests your commitment to Christ. But those are also the seasons where you see God work most vividly.

So I encourage you, if you haven’t made the commitment to a regular pattern of giving to your local church, do it today. Not because the church needs money (which it certainly does), but because you need more joy.

Jul
12
2011

The Church and the Parachurch

I’ve only been a pastor for three years, but I’ve noticed one of the acute pressures of this role (a role that I thoroughly enjoy and cherish, by the way). It’s the pressure to place emphasis on certain aspects of needed ministry in the church. And much of it comes from parachurch ministries.

I’m generally a fan of parachurch ministries. I think they help the larger body of Christ by specializing in needed emphases such as child training, origins, special ethnic outreaches, and activism/politics. I’m deeply grateful for many of these ministries as they serve pastors by informing, training, and helping the church. And their resources are invaluable as we tackle these issues as they come up.

But – and you knew one was coming – ministries that specialize in one area tend to look at the entire church through the eyes of their emphases. For instance, a creation ministry might feel that if pastors simply preached on creation/evolution more, than the larger body of Christ would be more spiritual. Or a financial stewardship ministry wonders why pastors don’t speak on giving/debt more. Or a Jewish outreach wishes churches would emphasize more outreach to the Jewish community.

Each of these emphases are important. And yet, the pastor is sitting in the leadership position and sees the entire church as a whole. And so while he thinks the origins debate is vital, he’s also dealing with a marriage in crisis and a teenager who just attempted suicide. Therefore, he sees the unique and diverse spiritual needs of his people more than the parachurch ministry does.

And if he’s an expository preacher–that is one who preaches consistently through a book of the Bible–he’s not open to suggestions for Sunday morning topics because he’s concentrating on what the current text says to his people. And he wants to be faithful to preach the whole Bible. Now, when one of those texts happens to come upon a subject like tithing or Jewish outreach or family issues or missions, then of course, he’ll address it and that parachurch ministry with its resources is a huge help. Also, as a pastor, I’ve seen times when I need to do a series on a particular subject–and yet I’m still concerned with preaching in context and doing it in a biblically balanced way.

I’m not bashing parachurch ministries. But I think they serve a vital purpose in the body of Christ. But when I hear Christian leaders who lead them say things like, “If more pastors preached . . . ” or “You’ll never hear this in a sermon . . .” I cringe and want to say, “What about pastors being faithful to the text in front of them?”

I confess to having this attitude myself when I worked in politics. I was trying to advance a conservative cause (a good one) and wondered why good pastors I knew were constantly hesitant to jump on board immediately and host the organization I represented. Now I’m a pastor and I know why.

Here is where I think parachurches can help. When they respect the balance of the church and the pastor’s role in shepherding his people. Most do this. In fact, when I talk to these leaders they are always sensitive to the needs of our church. Perhaps greater flexibility in scheduling events, understanding why their cause isn’t the #1 emphasis in that church, and a recognition that their role is just a small slice of the overall fabric of the larger body of Christ.

I’d love to hear from other pastors and parachurch leaders on what they think about their partnership.

Jun
27
2011

5 Ways You Can Love Your Church

As a pastor and a lifelong church-goer, I’m in love with the Church. Even though the Church has a thousand problems (and every week it seems another book is coming out extolling those), the Church is still Christ’s beloved bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). And every week, pastors of big and small churches labor to deliver the Word of God. And paid staff, part time staff, and volunteers give of their time and energy to make their church best express the gospel in the community.

So in a sea of angry anti-church blog posts, Twitter rants, and angst-filled books, I want to give five simple ways you can push against the culture and love your church this week:

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Dec
10
2010

Friday Five Interview: Jonathan Merritt

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Today I have the privilege of chatting with Jonathan Merrit. I’ve been following the work of Jonathan in the last couple years as God has given him a platform to speak and write on subjects relevant to a younger generation of evangelicals. Southern Baptists will know Jonathan as the son of Dr. James Merritt, a past President of the Southern Baptist Convention and a reknowned pastor and teacher.

Jonathan is a thoughtful writer, speaking on the intersection of orthodox Christian faith and culture. He is author of Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet (2010), which Publisher’s Weekly called “a must-read for churchgoers,” offers a biblical justification for care of creation. His work has appeared in respected outlets such as USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Post’s “On Faith,” BeliefNet, Christianity Today, and CNN.com. Jonathan is also the editor of Q.

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Jul
15
2010

Hating on the Church

It has become rather fashionable these days for Christians to hate on the church. Almost every day, a new book is put out by someone who is disolutioned with, has a lengthy critique of, and has a new solution for the church. But I wonder if it is spiritually and intellectually easy, and I dare say, lazy, to hate on “the evangelical church.”

When I first started writing, I succumbed to this crutch. I would find a really meaty Biblical principle and in the course of constructing my devotional or article, would add the line, “most Christians” or “most churches,” as if I, in my limited experience with other churches, had a good grasp of the evangelical church as a whole.

The truth is that heaping scorn on “the church” or “most Christians,” is easy and it is a nice cover for our own failures. And it is true that there are problems in the Church of God. The Church is far from perfect and always needs introspection and change. But the Church is also Christ’s bride. Christ loves the church.

Imagine how I’d feel if someone told me they really like me, but strongly dislike my wife. Well. I’m not a very confrontational guy, but you attack my wife and I can get pretty angry. Imagine how Christ feels.

Its also a convenient escape from the change and growth God wants to do in us, personally. When I’m reading Scripture and applying lessons to “the church” or “most Christians who don’t  . . . ” or even “the culture,” then I’m saying that I’ve got everything figured out. You see? I’m not applying Scripture to me, Dan Darling. I’m applying it to other people. Oh, I’m good at that. Great at that. I can give you seventeen bullet-points of where the church, most Christians, and the culture is doing astray.

But in my life, God is most concerned with me, my growth, my sanctification, my development, my repentance, my outworking of the fruits of the spirit.

So, if we want to keep avoiding the obvious work of growth in our hearts, keep hating on the Church. But if you desire genuine transformation, let’s start reading the Scripture back to ourselves, with the attitude of Paul, who said, “I am the chief of sinners.” I’m the problem and nobody else.

Jun
18
2010

Friday Five Interview – Charles Stone


Several years ago, when I was working for a Christian organization and the editor of their monthly devotional magazine, I had the chance to meet Charles Stone, Senior Pastor of Ginger Creek Community Church. Actually I “met” him via email. We had the opportunity to print an excerpt from his then-new book, Daughters Gone Wild, Dad’s Gone Crazy. This was a great book that chronicled the  journey he took with his daughter who rebelled for a time but then came back to the faith.

Since then, we’ve become friends. Charles graciously endorsed Teen People of the Bible. We’ve also ran into each other at writer’s conferences, etc. I highly recommend his blog: charlesstone.net.

Well, now Charles is out with a brand-new book, 5 Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them. It is a revealing look at pastoral burnout. I’m nearly finished with the book and I can say that it has challenged me and has educated me on the rigors of ministry. I highly recommend it for both pastors, board members, and lay people.

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