These are quotes which stood out to me, possibly for use in a sermon someday. Their presence here does not mean I agree with them, it merely shows that I might want to reference them later. The default view is five random selections. Use the tag list on the right to view all quotes relevant to that theme.
There are those that say, and those that do.
Readers were asked to come up with old and new concerns for people of the Baby Boom generation. This is their list: Then: Getting into a new, hip joint Now: Getting a new hip joint Then: Moving to California because it's cool Now: Moving to California because it's warm Then: Hoping for a BMW Now: Hoping for a BM Then: Being caught with Hustler magazine Now: Being caught by Hustler magazine Then: Being called into the principal's office Now: Storming into the principal's office Then: "The Making of the President" Now: The making of the president Then: Getting your head stoned Now: Getting your headstone Then: Long hair Now: Longing for hair Then: Acid rock Now: Acid reflux Then: President Johnson Now: The president's johnson Then: Fighting to get rid of the lying president Now: Fighting to keep the lying president Then: The perfect high Now: The perfect high-yield mutual fund Then: Taking acid Now: Taking antacid Then: Elvis in the Army Now: Elvis in a UFO Then: Keg! Now: EKG Then: You're growing pot Now: Your growing pot belly Then: Seeds and stems Now: Roughage Then: Popping pills, smoking joints Now: Popping joints Then: Our president's struggle with Fidel Now: Our president's struggle with fidelity Then: Worrying about no one coming to your party Now: Worrying about no one coming to your funeral Then: "Going blind" Now: Going blind Then: Killer weed Now: Weed killer Then: Following the Grateful Dead Now: Following Dr. Kevorkian Then: Trying to look like Marlon Brando or Elizabeth Taylor Now: Trying not to look like Marlon Brando or Elizabeth Taylor
In public worship our habit is to slouch or squat; we do not kneel nowadays,
let alone prostrate ourselves in humility before God. It is more
characteristic of us to clap our hands with joy than to blush with shame or
tears. We saunter up to God to claim his patronage and friendship; it does
not occur to us that he might send us away. We need to hear again the apostle
Peter's sobering words: "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's
work impartially, live your lives in reverent fear." In other words, if we
dare to call our Judge our Father, we must beware of presuming on him. It
must even be said that our evangelical emphasis on the atonement is dangerous
if we come to it too quickly. We learn to appreciate the access to God which
Christ has won for us only after we have first seen God's inaccessibility to
sinners. We can cry "Hallelujah" with authenticity only after we have first
cried "Woe is me, for I am lost." In Dale's words [R. W. Dale in his book
ATONEMENT], "it is partly because sin does not provoke our own wrath, that we
do not believe that sin provokes the wrath of God."
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You'll Get More When You Ask For Less - Dr. Dan Reiland
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"What? What do you mean, 'You'll get more when you ask for
less'?! That flies in the face of all that we know about the
'big ask' and challenging people to big dreams!"
This was the response of a pastor when I offered a different,
more intentional and strategic approach to getting commitment
from his congregation. His name is Michael (name changed), a
pastor in Pennsylvania who is frustrated because of the
perceived low commitment level of his congregation. Michael
said to me over and over, "It's a struggle to get them to show
up, let alone participate." Knowing that Michael is not alone,
I'm writing this month on commitment with some observations,
thoughts, and experience that I trust will be practical, helpful,
and encouraging to you. The primary assumption in this article
is that people are willing to make commitments.
First, let me say that the idea of getting more when you ask for
less has an exception. The exception is in the area of finance.
When it comes to money, if you ask for less - that's what you'll
get.
Commitment is a frustrating area of ministry. And the 21st
Century experience of time compression doesn't help. The
"internet world" has increased our pace of life. Even your most
committed leaders "bag" meetings because they are too busy.
The majority of your congregation will give up to three "time
blocks" a week to the church, but it's likely you are asking for
more. Several problems arise from this scenario:
1. You dilute the significance of the important things by asking
for "everything."
2. You unintentionally overwhelm the people, causing them to get
frustrated or feel defeated. Their way of coping is to become
inconsistent or choose to do nothing.
3. You lessen your own leadership by communicating a lack of
focus and clear direction - also known as "program hopping."
4. The people think that "nothing really happens" at many of the
things you want them to attend. (Hey, that's what they think so
you need to embrace the reality!) This perceived lack of value
causes them to rethink participating the next time.
It is common for the leadership of the church to ask the
congregation to attend a list of activities such as, but not
limited to:
(1.) Sunday morning church.
(2.) Sunday night church.
(3.) Wednesday night Bible study, prayer meeting or other church
service.
(4.) Participation in a ministry - with all that entails.
(5.) Small group - sometimes two (a couples "home group" plus a
men's or women's small group)!
(6.) Sunday school class.
(7.) Whatever special or seasonal event that's on the calendar.
(8.) A meeting or two.
(9.) Dropping their kids off at the youth activities.
(10.) A special training class.
(11.) And of course, inviting a friend.
This condition of asking for too much puts your people in a
physical and emotional gridlock. They literally throw up their
hands (I've seen them do this in several churches as I conduct
"focus groups"), and ask: "What is important here? What do they
want?"
Some church leaders argue that offering many options provides
"more hooks for more people." I don't believe that works. There
are always exceptions, such as with multiple worship services.
That's a good thing - but you are only asking them to attend once
and giving them a clear set of choices.
When pushed to identify the "big three," pastors will usually say
they want participation in:
(1.) Sunday morning worship.
(2.) Ministry.
(3.) Small group (of any kind).
Are there challenges to this? Of course, but we can't give up on
this idea because there are challenges. The first, and perhaps
largest, challenge is if discipleship is not taking place in your
small groups, where does it happen? This is a topic for another
issue of "The Pastor's Coach."
My encouragement and challenge to you is this:
1. Gather as a leadership team and list all of the things you
ask of your people in a given week and month. Talk about which
of those things are directly connected to the process of life
change and which are merely a "one more thing."
2. Face the reality of "the big three" principle and determine
your priorities. Agree together that as a team you will ask your
people for these things.
3. Don't get hung up on the number three as much as the
principle of limited and intentional "asks." However, I would
challenge you to find a few growing congregations that get the
majority of their people to attend or participate in four or more
things a week. Compare your church to theirs before you raise
the number. The key word is "majority." We are not discussing
your core leaders and the small percentage of people who will
show up every time the doors are open - or when you promise free
pie and coffee!
4. Determine which of your ministries and activities are not
effective. What can be cut from your program? If they are
ineffective but can't be cut, why not? A good way to make this
determination is to measure the effectiveness of the ministry by
its Great Commission "fruit" - changed lives. If it doesn't
change lives, don't do it. The tough decision is based on the
fact that there are many good and life-changing ministries that
God is not calling you to do. They must be cut as well.
5. Give yourself permission to ask for attendance/participation
beyond your selected priorities if the commitment is short-term
and involves a select group of the congregation. For example, a
Membership Class or a New Christian's Class involves a small
percentage of your people and is a short-term commitment.
Some churches, accidentally or intentionally, make headway on
this issue because many of their people are involved in volunteer
ministry, perhaps monthly instead of weekly. Another idea is to
have the small groups meet only twice a month instead of every
week. There are certainly many creative ways to approach this
situation. My desire is to cause you to look at the "big idea"
and go from there. Keep your eyes on the real goal. . . life
change.
Losers have tons of variety. Champions just take pride in learning to hit the same old boring winning shots.