There are two ways to motivate people. They are very close. In fact, they are only two feet apart.

One way is a kick in the seat of the pants. My father was the master of this technique. I can remember at least two times he kicked me with authority on my backside. Both times I deserved it. I had made poor choices and when he became aware he “motivated” me not to act that way. Obviously, this can be metaphorical. It can mean any method used to give negative reinforcement against bad behavior.

The other way is a pat on the back. This happens when we see someone doing a good job, and you offer encouragement to keep on this path. There are people who have the gift of encouragement. They write cards, give gifts, email, text and find any number of ways to show their appreciation of your work. They are full of kind words about everything other people are doing.

This two-foot difference is an enormous distance when it comes to motivation.

Through the years I have seen people who only know one way to motivate people. Most of my boy’s coaches in sports have been people who yelled and tried to use negative consequences to motivate them. Unfortunately, instead of motivating them, they withdraw and perform worse. I have also known people in Church who are purely into positive reinforcement. They fear any confrontation because they do not want to be mistaken as a negative person. The side effect is that people are never pushed to grow.

All of us want to see other people perform at their best. We want our young people to achieve great accomplishments and live up to their full potential. We want to see those close to us grow, mature and thrive. We want to lead others to the best possible future.

If you are experiencing trouble in motivating people, you may need to move your point of contact up or down a couple of feet to see a different result.

I know of two ways to further the kingdom of God here on earth.

The first way the kingdom comes is through organized ministry. One of the functions of a Church is to help organize people for maximum impact. We have a building which allows ministry to happen. We have put together programs to teach kids, influence teens, train adults, and serve in a several ways. The Church is here to help make ministry easier on everyone. Together as a group of people, we can do more than we could as individuals.

This means the Church needs people with particular gifts to use those gifts in ministry. Those who love children can find a place to serve lots of kids at one time in the Church. Someone with gifts of music can use that gift to lead hundreds of people in worship. Your gifts and abilities are needed to make a big impact through the ministries we organize.

The second way the kingdom comes is through unorganized ministry. This occurs when individual Christians take their gifts with them into the world. It happens one on one in hundreds of places at the same time. You can take the time to listen to the troubled kid in the lobby during the ball game. Your family can invite him into your home and share the love of Christ through your help and concern. These are unplanned moments when God puts things together as only he is able.

This means that Christians need to keep their eyes open for those God ordained appointments for ministry. You need to be available to use your gifts at unknown moments whenever they occur. Today could bring opportunities for you make an impact for his kingdom.

The interesting things are that neither of these two things should stand on their own. Serving in the Church will have limited impact if you are not willing to minister outside of Sunday morning. You will undermine your goodwill on Sunday if you have a negative attitude through the week. The other side is also true. If you try to make a difference one day at a time all by yourself, you will have an impact on a few people but miss thousands. The organized ministry of the Church will increase your influence by multiplying your gifts.

Believers are called to a life of service for the kingdom of God. If you are not involved in an organized ministry within the Church, you are missing the power of a working together. If you are only serving within the Church, you are missing the day-to-day chances to shine your unique light wherever you go.

If you are missing one of these areas, then you have two options. One is to “sign up” to be a part of something bigger. The other is to “open up” your eyes and your heart to the opportunities that lie around you.

All of us serving individually and together will help to bring God’s goodness into the world.

Recently I read an article that made an accurate analogy for the Church.

The simple call is for the Christians to stop viewing the Church like a consumer. Through the years the Church has slowly slipped into a religious marketplace. People attend and evaluate if they like the music, the preaching, and the childcare to see if it meets their needs. If they like the program on Sunday morning, they will decide if they will return. A program that is done with enough quality might even get a little money thrown into the plate.

The sad result of this shift is that most Christians want their Church to offer them exciting and challenging programs but are unwilling to help make it happen. They are spectators of religious activities instead of active participants.

Personally, I have seen this shift in a major way in the last 20 years I have been in ministry. The Church now provides more and better program with less and less support. Recently my wife has been leading a ministry to get more people involved in our Church. The majority of the time she is met with resistance. “We are already busy.” “We have no extra time to give.” Usually, before she can say a word people have offered up excuses on why they cannot possibly be expected to serve. Christians have been reduced to spectators and consumers.

The analogy goes something like this. When you go to Wal-Mart, you have no desire or plans to help stock the shelves. You would be appalled if they asked you to donate your time to make their store better. You are there as a consumer. You are not a participant. Therefore, they should not ask you for anything. Instead, they should be there to help you. They should strive to make you happy and be flattered that you come into their store at all. They are there for you.

This is the thinking that happens in the Church. The more we view it as a place to meet our needs instead of a place to bring the kingdom of God to earth the less we want to serve. The more we view the Church like a consumer who will take our money elsewhere if we are unhappy the less we give to the work of the Lord. Whenever we have an attitude that everything is here to serve me, the less we will be interested in giving our lives to the work of the Lord in the Church.

The Church is not like Wal-Mart. We are here to give glory to God in everything we do. We are here to make him happy with our acts of service and sacrifice. We are here to praise the Lord and give him glory. Doing any less makes us more like Wal-Mart than a Church.

Personally, I like Wal-Mart, but it is nothing compared to the Kingdom of God.

This week our Church is leading a Vacation Bible School program each night. As a result, my mind is on children’s ministry. I want to suggest to you at least five ways that you, as a believer, can support the children’s ministry at your Church.

1. Prayer. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Pray for the teachers, the volunteers, and everyone who works with the kids. Pray for the kids as they listen and learn. Pray for God to open the hearts and minds of the young people who give us their time. Pray.

2.People. Every ministry needs people to support it. Children’s ministry needs volunteers to register kids, teach them, support the leader and help in any way. There is a need for people to teach what the Bible says while modeling it with their lives. You will know the enormous impact your life will have just by being there.

3.Playful Spirit. The best volunteer is someone who can laugh and smile. It takes someone willing to get down on the floor and play with the kids. Take time to talk to them about their lives and listen to their many stories. But even if you do not serve in this area, then please have a playful spirit about those who do work there. Encourage bright colors, loud noise, and fun. More than once I have encountered a person in Church who gets angry about the noise and the mess the kids are making. Relax and enjoy it, in fact, encourage it.

4.Patience. Working with kids is like tending an orchard; it may take a long time to see some fruit. One week kids are excited and the next they are bored. One week you think you are making progress and the next you feel like you are failing. Even though you may not see big decisions made every week the seed of faith is still being planted and taking root under the surface. Who knows what it will one day produce?

5.Pick up. Children’s ministry is a mess. Toys are lying on the floor. Snacks smashed under the table. Full trash cans abound. I know it can be a headache to clean up after a group of kids, but I am thankful that a group of young people were present and learned about the Lord. The book of Proverbs says that where there are no oxen, the stable is clean. The problem is a barn is not made to stay clean but to house oxen. The same is true for children’s ministry. Embrace the mess as a sign that God is using your Church to reach the next generation.

I often hear people look at children in the Church and speak of them as the Church of the future. I honestly believe they are actually the Church of today. They are the ones who need our teaching and our example right now. We dare not wait until they are old to teach them the way of Christ, we had better start now. Children’s ministry is serious business.

I believe in children’s ministry, and I try to support it in every way I am able. I pray you will too.

Being transformed into Christlikeness is manifest in ways you might not expect. One of them is seen in who eats the last piece of pizza.

Let me explain the situation so that you understand.

Yesterday a group of people at our Church stayed after worship to set up for Vacation Bible School. We had a little over five hours to transform our entire Church building into a kid-friendly environment for maximum impact. While I did not get an exact count on the number of people I am going to guess it was around thirty total adults who stayed to help. Some were moving chairs, others were preparing food, some were getting ready for registration, activities were being set up, and there was a lot of decorating happening.

Our Church building was full of people scurrying around while preparing for well over a hundred kids who would attend our VBS. These people were selflessly giving up their Sunday afternoon on behalf of children. Many of the children these adults would not know in any way. Still, they served without payment or recognition.

As a small treat each year for this group of wonderful people, the Church buys pizza for lunch. Everyone eats, drinks and fellowships while enjoying a few down moments to refuel before going back to work. Each year it is always the same with these people. A few kids run up and grab some pizza first and slowly everyone else lines up and gets a slice or two. Then a few people go back for another slice, and the boxes empty rapidly.

Finally, we reach the last box, and the pizza disappears down to a final piece or two. Those pieces just lie there looking undesired by anyone. Every year the same thing. The last piece or two of pizza is the hardest to give away. (I usually end up eating them, but that is another story)

Typical logic would tell you this happens because everyone is full. Through the years I have found a much deeper cause for the neglected pizza. The reason is a matter spiritual significance. No one wants to take the last piece because someone else might want it.

The Bible teaches believers to consider others better than themselves (Philippians 2:3). These people are walking the way of Christ and living selflessly. That is what motivates them to give up their afternoon to set up for a VBS where kids they do not know will come to learn and enjoy. These people care about others.

That last piece of pizza will sit there because someone else may want it more. They may need it, and they can have it.

A piece of pizza lying in the box at the end of Church event is not a sign that everyone is full. It is a sign that people are being transformed by Christ to care about others.

Here is a slide for your Sunday afternoon. At 6:00 pm tonight we kick off our VBS. On Thursday night we will have a party with a bounce house. Praise Jesus 🙂

Here are some of the best articles I have read lately. A couple of them are specifically about children’s ministry. They seemed fitting with VBS starting this Sunday. Enjoy.

VBS Is Worth The Cost

3 Reasons Kids Ministry Is Important

The 5 Most Misused and Abused Bible Verses

A Letter to the Church, from a Pastor

Why Is It Important to Be Part of a Local Church?

3 Big Problems With Running A Church Like A Business

I am blessed to know several people pray for me regularly. Occasionally someone will ask me, “Do you have anything I can pray for specifically?”

I have a few patent answers to that question, but I know these do not just apply to me. They apply to everyone who works on a Church staff and usually anyone in a leadership position.

I hope you find these helpful.

1. Pray for them spiritually. As a Church leader, temptations lie around every corner. These come in a variety of ways ranging from sexual temptation to exaggeration to depression. Through the years I have repeatedly watched as Church leaders either quit and never return to ministry or as they implode on their own sinfulness. Personally, I believe the forces of evil that work against the Lord know that when a Church leader falls it hurts the cause of Christ in a big way. Pray that the men and women who lead the Church will stand strong in their faith.

2. Pray for their marriage. One of the biggest areas that get attacks is a leader’s marriage. There are the obvious sexual temptations but also the inappropriate emotional connections that can happen. When marriages are not being divided through sin, they are being split through service. Keep the leader or his wife busy, and they will not have time for each other. Over time they will grow apart, and divorce becomes a real possibility. If the Church leader is single, then pray for their purity until they find a God-fearing spouse. Fervently ask God for the Church leaders marriage to flourish and not flounder.

3. Pray for their children and family. Anywhere that Satan can drive a wedge in a family is a victory. Quite often it is with the spouse, but he will also attack the children and the parents also. The spotlight of being in a preacher’s family can often burn too bright for many kids. Pray that Church leaders would be Godly parents who can lead Godly children.

4. Pray for their work in the Church. Every week is another opportunity to do the Lord’s work. Each week I write sermons and articles, lead classes, make decisions, present the gospel, confront sin and try to lead people toward a growing relationship with God. It is a daunting task, and every Church leader would welcome the support that prayer brings.

As always, I appreciate the prayers of the people I lead. So does every Church leader. May these guide you into some specific prayers you can pray on our behalf.

In college, I had Megachurch dreams. I don’t know if this is true for all Christian college students dreaming of ministry, but it was for me. One day I was going to lead a large Church in a big city. People would know my name across the country as I spoke at conferences and conventions. I would be known for my great preaching, strong leadership, inspirational writing and of course my humility. I certainly had big dreams.

Then I went into ministry. My first sermon at a Church that would become my first located ministry had eight people in attendance. When I left a couple of years later, it was averaging 40 people in attendance, and with those numbers, I was sure to do an even greater thing if I was only in a bigger city. Then came my next ministry and then my next. After almost ten years I had never preached at a Church over 200 people.

Finally, my big day came. I started a new Church in a big city. This would be my chance to prove myself and finally gain some recognition. After eight years the Church’s weekly attendance was a little over 250, but I was miserable. My life and marriage were falling apart. I was far from the Lord and incredibly unhappy. The leaders there were gracious and granted me a sabbatical at the end of my ministry and it would offer me a chance to find myself.

After weeks and months of prayer, I kept coming to one big conclusion. God was calling me to be a pastor in a small town. I am a small-town boy, and this is where I fit the best. That lead me to Homer, Alaska and then down to Adrian, Missouri where I am currently serving. All total I have been the preacher in 6 Churches in 25 years and most of those have been in cities with populations of less than 5,000.

Along with this journey, God has blessed me with to opportunity to see Churches grow even in small communities. I have watched Churches double and triple in average attendance in places where it was thought impossible. It has truly been an interesting ride.

With each of these Churches, I have noticed numerous similar traits. Usually, the Church has started down a predictable path of struggle. They select poor leadership and frequently have too many leaders. They stop taking care of their property to save money for more important things. These Churches start living in the past and speak of yesteryear with great affection. They are extremely close-knit and care deeply for one another, often at the exclusion of outsiders. I could list about ten common characteristics in all of these Churches I have lead in smaller communities.

The good news is that each one of these issues is easily addressed. Sure, there will be some difficult meetings, ugly conversations and a few people will leave, but growth is possible in spite of all these struggles.

There is only one thing I have found in a small community Church that will kill it. There is only one attitude that is impossible to overcome. The Church cannot move forward with the mindset that says, “We don’t care about people outside of our walls.” If the kingdom of God is only for those who are already insiders, then it will fail to ever make an impact in its community.

Most of the struggles in leading a small Church are issues of methodology. People have no idea how to have a gospel impact, or they are clinging to the old ways of doing things. These problems can be overcome with teaching and leading. But an attitude that does not care about the people who are going to hell within our community is impossible to lead or teach.

Leading a small community Church is about getting people to see that every person in the world matters to God. Therefore, those people should matter to the Church too.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as he said it. The words filled the air as he said what he thought was a compliment. Instead, his words left me reeling through my brain and assessing every moment of being a parent. He said, “Your son is a good kid.” What he said may not sound like an issue to you, but please hear me out.

I am a parent of four teenage boys. I am also a Christian, and I happen to be a preaching minister. I have spent my life trying to make God the number one priority in my life while trying to teach to my kids. My goal as a Christian parent has never been to raise good kids; I wanted to raise Godly children. To there is a world of difference between these two things.

1. Godly kids prioritize God over all else. I want to raise children who ask, “What does God want me to do?” as their number one question. They strive to put God first in everything that they do and say. That does not mean they have to be a paid vocational minister like myself. It means they plan their lives around their faith no matter what situation in which they find themselves.

2. Being a good kid has an ever-changing definition. Everyone has a different definition of what it means to be good. Some would say that means you don’t hurt anyone with your words or actions. Other would say it means helping people. Still, others would say it means having no public flaws. When you settle into trying to raise a good kid you might be overlooking a vital part of their life. For example, my kid may be nice to others, but what if he has a pornography addiction? I believe that issue must be addressed and not ignored. I believe raising a Godly child means that we try to focus on every aspect of their life.

3. Godly kids value the things of God. They understand the need to read and apply the Bible. They see the need to be a part of a community of believers. They know what it means to serve others without expecting repayment. They know that being a follower of God is seen in everything they do, not just in what they claim to believe. Bible reading, prayer, service, Church attendance and Christian leadership are woven into the fabric of their lives.

4. Good kids can think that goodness is enough for Heaven. Somewhere along life’s journey, it is easy to substitute the idea that I need to be good to make my parents happy to I need to be good to make God happy. Heaven is not for good people, it is for people who have received grace. My kids are frequent failures at following God – just like I am! I want them to know that is okay. God values them despite their sins, and he offers them grace in Jesus. I do not want them trusting their own efforts to get them into eternity; rather I want them to throw themselves on the grace of God.

5. Raising Godly kids is far more challenging. Let me be 100% honest with you. Raising Godly children is one of the most difficult things in the world. Almost everything around my children is trying to pull them away from their faith. There is little support from other parents and often from other believers. It keeps you up at night replaying your action and down on your knees in prayer. There are many times I wish God wanted me just to raise nice kids because it would be far easier. I believe we are called as parents to give our best efforts at raising the type of children God desires.

Once again, if I am honest, I would say that most days I feel like a failure. I feel like I haven’t taught enough, encouraged enough or lived a good enough example. I fear my children will walk away from the Lord and never return. So, I spend time every day praying for them, their future spouse and the decisions they are making. I ask God to help me in every part of my parenting. Then each day I get up and do the best I can as I lead my home.

Yes, I hope people will one day say I have good kids, but I hope that goodness will flow from their life of faith and a Godly heart.