Yesterday morning I felt awful. I am very sorry for that. I was unable to carry a train of thought, keep focused or do any of the things I wanted to do on a Sunday morning. Today I am feeling better but I am still fairly weak and tired even after roughly 16 hours in bed. During that time I did have a thousand thoughts go through my head that I wanted to share this morning. Years ago I used to do a “Monday Morning Mind Dump” on my previous blog. It was just a bunch of random disconnected thoughts about life, the Church and all things Christian. Today I thought it might fit my last day by calling it a purge 🙂

– Thanks for being so kind and patient with me yesterday. In more than 20 years of ministry I have only been sick on Sunday morning 4 times. I am sorry, but it happens.
– Thanks be to God for getting me through the sermon. Twice I almost got sick, but managed to make it through. (Did you notice the long pause?)
– I am glad the Holy Spirit is not connected to how I feel. He can work through words even when I am struggling.
– Ministry is very personal to me, I find no way to separate it from my life.
– Praise God for the Baptisms lately. 3 in the last 3 weeks and I have a couple more being discussed. 1 re-dedication. 2015 has had a great start.
– Why don’t people take advantage of all the Church has to offer – like Children’s Church, RUSH youth group and Sunday School?
– Last week’s posts on A Small Church in A Small Town had some positive feedback. Lots more I could write. I hope you read and enjoyed.
– Never say “Hello Stranger” to anyone at Church – its offensive even if they laugh.
– Pray for our leadership as we start into our time of leadership selection.
– I am looking for anyone with computer skills to help me/the Church.
– Watched several movies lately. Most were not that good. I did find it interesting how the movies portrayed the Church and Christians. It is never very positive.
– I hate Tax Season. Even with a return I still hate all the paperwork
– When you’re a preacher and you get sick, a day off is not really helpful. Sunday is always coming.
– The only time I was too sick to preach on Sunday morning I showed a video of a sermon. Better make sure I have another one setting ready.
– Thanks to Adrian Christian Church for your support of me and my ministry. May God bless you all.

That’s it for now. Until next time. Thanks for reading.

I am continuing my series of posts on life in a smaller Church (under 300) in a smaller town (Under 10,000). I have already wrote about the Pastor, the Past, the Leadership and the Senior Adults. Today I want to talk about the outreach of a smaller Church.

As a believer in Jesus I feel I am commanded to share the gospel of Jesus with the whole world. I take that command seriously as a person but also as a Church leader. Now, I also believe there is no one way to share our faith. That belief has led me to try everything I could to reach out and tell people about Jesus and the ministry of the Church I was leading. I have held revivals, put an ad in the phone book, held big events, done mailer cards, participated in community service and the list could go on and on. Some of these have been a great success, we brought people in the door and introduced them to the Church and to Jesus. They returned and eventually gave their life to Jesus. Unfortunately some things did not work too. I once held a coffee night outreach and had set up for over 50 people to arrive to only have 6 people show up, none of whom every attended my Church.

With all that said, I have found that in a smaller Church there is one form of outreach that always works. It is the single best way to share the ministry of the Church and introduce people to Jesus. In fact, I think this might have greater impact in a small town than anything else the Church can do.

What is this magic outreach system? WORD OF MOUTH.

Small Churches in small towns grow when people start talking about their Church. I would take it a step further and say that many other events have had success only because people invited their friends and family. I think that in a big city a Church needs to make a statement that says, “We are here, do not ignore us.” In a small town everyone knows the Church is there people just need to hear that they are invited to be a part of it.

The question for each one of us is very simple, “Am I telling people what is going on in the Church for the Lord, and then inviting people to come and be a part of it?” It is still the best way to reach people with the message of Jesus, especially in a small town.

I am continuing my series of posts on life in a smaller Church (under 300) in a smaller town (Under 10,000). I have already wrote about the Pastor, the Past and the Leadership. Today I want to talk about the Senior Adults in a smaller Church.

When I was first entering ministry my fellow students, and honestly some faculty, told me that I should be wary of the senior adults in my congregation. I was told that they will not want anything to change and they will fight you at every turn. I was given the impression that senior adults would hold back ministry while secretly plotting against me. As a result I was skeptical of all seniors adults, questioned their motives and built up barriers between myself and them.

Through the years I have learned a couple of big lessons that have changed my view of senior adults and my relationship with them.

1. All Ages of People Have Deeply Flawed Individuals. I will be 100% honest, I have met some really mean and hurtful senior adults. I will also tell you that I have met some really mean and hurtful teenagers, twenty year olds, thirty somethings and even those in their forties and fifties. There are people with huge character flaws in every age group. Because people had warned me about seniors I began to paint all of them with the same brush and that was simply not fair to them. Most of the seniors I have met are generous, kind, thoughtful and loving.

2. Everyone Resists Change. Through the years I have had more resistance to change from younger adults than older ones. In fact, many times younger adults will not want to change and they blame the older adults to make themselves feel better and look better. The harsh reality is that all people resist change, even when it is good for them. Maybe this gets magnified for senior adults because they have seen so many changes, but I am still not sure that is true. There are senior adults who change more quickly than younger people because they have already seen change over and over again and do not fear it.

3. Senior Adults are a Great Resource to a Church. Leadership guru John Maxwell said that he once held a leadership conference that was mostly for senior adults. He quickly changed his sermon once he saw his audience. He said that he reminded them that they are in best position to help the kingdom of God at their age. They have more free time than ever before, they have more resources than ever before and they have more knowledge through experience than ever before. He says that at the end of conference more than half of the crowd committed to some type of ministry.

Through the years my disdain for senior adults has changed into joy. I love sharing my life and my ministry with older members of my congregation. Sometimes it is hard to visit as much as I would like as my family pulls me different directions then their lives. I find myself closer to people whose kids are in the same activities as my kids simply because of proximity. That does not mean that I do not care, I care greatly and I am glad they have been a part of the Churches I have served. I wish all Churches and Church leaders would show their appreciation to their senior adults not for what they have done but for what they are doing. My experience is that most Churches would fall apart without them.

I am continuing my series of posts on life in a smaller Church (under 300) in a smaller town (Under 10,000). I have already wrote about the Pastor and the Past. Today I want to talk about the leadership in a smaller Church. I am not talking about paid staff, I am speaking of the volunteer Elders and Deacons who led the Church – many of whom have led for years.

Leadership guru John Maxwell once said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” While I believe that is an overstatement, because I believe everything rises and falls based on God, I do understand his insight. Leaders can move a Church forward or they can hold it back. A good volunteer leader is a valuable asset to a Church. I have made three observations about leadership in a smaller Church

1. Many Churches are held hostage by one big bully. A wiser, older minister once told me this truth. After my experiences in Church and in talking with other Pastors I am convinced he was exactly right. While I believe this is true, I really have no definite answer why this happens. Maybe it is because of sin, maybe because of personal insecurities, maybe because of a lack of faith, or maybe a dozen other reasons. For some reason many smaller Church have one person (usually an older man) or a single family (usually the wealthiest) who hold the Church hostage to their own agenda. These Churches usually have a strong sense of family since everyone is committed to this one person or family, but the faith to attempt new things is often squelched in favor of the tradition this leader likes the most. So the Churches last forever but always remain small. Pastors come and go quickly as they learn they are not allowed to lead in new directions. Unfortunately because of their size many of these congregations hire newly graduated Bible College students and scare them or even hurt them. The damage these congregations can inflict is both local and global for that reason.

2. Many Churches have weak leadership who are doing their best. I have met some very wonderful men in smaller Churches who are trying to lead, but have no gifts of leadership. They are not very decisive, they try to make everyone happy, confrontation is avoided, and vision is non-existent. These Churches usually grow to 100-175 because of the friendly nature of the leadership but they rarely get bigger because of the weakness of the leadership. Something new gets tried and someone complains and the Church abandons the activity to keep existing people happy. This type of Church often has a high turnover rate. New people are coming all the time while other people are quickly slipping out the back door. Strong leaders (and often men) get frustrated and leave looking where they can use their gifts and stretch their faith. People are often proud that they are not like those “big unfriendly Churches” and are very content to not reach out with the gospel in new and exciting ways. The people who attend these Churches are wonderful individuals they have just never had a leadership that could lead them anywhere better.

3. A few Churches have strong leadership. Once in a while a new believer comes to Jesus and he has leadership gifts that he uses for God’s glory. These Churches are stepping out in faith and trying new things. They are reaching new people and building disciples. This type of Church often grows out of the smaller Church definition quickly and into a medium Church category. Sometimes the new leader walks in from the outside as a transfer to the congregation. Sometimes he is the hero who confronted the bully and won. His leadership is attractive to other men, especially younger men, and the Church moves forward in strength and faith. I have seen these congregations go from attendance in the 70’s for years to suddenly over 200 people. I have seen one Church grow to 600 in a town of 1,000. I also notice that these Churches begin producing Bible College students and leaders for the future.

Now, I do believe that God is in control of the world and I have seen Churches with poor leadership experience amazing growth and Churches with strong leaders takes years and years to see any growth. But those are the exception to the rule. Most Churches grow both spiritually and numerically based on the leadership.

So what does that mean for you? Here are a couple of closing thoughts:

– Pray for your current leaders. Pray they will listen to God and grow in their leadership.
– Pray God will raise up strong leaders. Pray for people to lead the congregation well.
– Show appreciation to those who voluntarily lead well. Send an email, a text or a card to that Elder or Deacon and say “Thanks.”
– Praise God for the leadership of the past. Someone’s leadership got your Church to this point. Thank God for them.

I am continuing my series of posts on life in a smaller Church (under 300) in a smaller town. The Church I currently serve is in a town of 1,600 people who are mostly rural in nature. Life here is different from life in a Church of 300 plus or in a town of 20,000 plus. It is really different from a Church of over 1,000 people or in a community of over 100,000 people.

Yesterday I looked at the role of the Pastor and today I want to look at the past of a smaller congregation. Every congregation I have served had a strong history. The Churches had been around for a long time in their communities. One in northern Indiana was not only the oldest Church in town but one of the oldest in the state.

One thing I have noticed about smaller Churches is that they have a sense of stability. Nothing really seems to faze a smaller older congregation. That is because they have been around long enough to see it all. The Church has had high and lows and they have had difficult times and wonderful times throughout their history. They have survived through all of those experiences and they believe they will survive long into the future.

In fact, one common conversation has occurred in every congregation I have served. That is the talk about “good old days.” Every Church has told me about the time their attendance was the highest in worship, the time their Sunday school was averaging the most people and the time their VBS had every kid in town. Without exception, every Church I have served had some glory day that everyone remembers fondly.

The downside to this stability and glorious past is that there is usually no plan for the future. The Church once had a great ministry going and it slowly passed. Now there is no plan to try to get it back again. There is this thought that says, “Growth comes and goes and one day it will come again.” “If we are patient and keep doing things the same way, one day the glory will return.”

The hard reality is that this is simply not true. Growth both spiritual and numerical will not return without some plan to make it happen. You see, when I begin to ask more and more questions I find that those glory days of the Church were usually preceded by strong leadership, daring plans and leaps of faith. The Church tried contemporary music, they experimented with two services, they offered the most outrageous VBS ever or did some great event to shake things up. For a few moments the Church planned, prayed and served and something great happened. Then over time the Church lost that leadership, and sometimes the faith, to dare action and it slowly slid down into disarray. Now it looks backs happily into the past and backs blindly into the future.

After years of experience I have learned that it is great to celebrate the past. I deeply appreciate all those who have paved the way for me to be here as a Pastor at this Church. But in order for a Church to go forward it needs to turn itself toward the future and dream about what God can do based off of what he has done.

I am going to do a series of posts this week about being a smaller Church (under 200-300 people) in a small town.

First, you need to know a little about me. I grew up in a town of 500. We attended the local Church in that town until I was 5 and then we went to a nearby town of 15,000 for Church with a congregation of 200. On top of that, I have been a preacher/pastor since 1993 and every Church I have served has been under 300 people. In fact, the largest Church I have served averaged 278 in a community of 60,000 – but my average Church is 125 in a town of less than 10,000 and usually less than 3,000 people. You need to know that I write this material not as a large church pastor looking down on small churches in small towns but rather as a person who is living this reality every day of my life.

Second, you need to know that I feel God has called me to this community of people. Personally I have felt God calling back again and again to a small church in small town. His calling on my life has not just been to be a pastor but to help lead some of these congregations through difficult times and into new levels of growth. God has allowed me to lead 4 congregations to new growth levels in my time as their minister and I have truly been blessed on this journey.

With all that said, I have come to learn a few things about smaller churches in small towns that are worth exploring. Many of these concepts have a very big upside, but they also can have a big downside. I want to explore that in the coming week (or more).

The first issue that I would like to write about is the role of the Pastor. Being a pastor in a smaller congregation is completely different from being the pastor of a larger congregation.

1. Smaller Churches have only one staff member usually. Occasionally there is some part-time staff, but even those are students in a local college or just Church members with no formal training. This means that pastor is called upon to do more than one job. A small Church pastor is often called upon to be youth minister, children’s director, worship leader (at least planner), counselor, administrator and any other duties that needs filled. The upside is that the preacher can connect to everyone in the Church on a very personal level. We can serve side by side in almost any area. The downside is that some pastors are not good at other areas. Take me for example, one congregation had me leading singing. I can’t carry a tune, but the position needed filled so I did it. God bless those poor people.

2. Smaller Churches are dependent on volunteers. Since the preacher can’t do everything he needs reliable people to serve along with him. The preacher in a smaller Church is often pleading for more and better volunteers. The hard reality is that in a smaller Church the number to draw upon is very small. Many simply don’t want to volunteer, many don’t feel qualified, many are burnt out after years of service and many just serve because of necessity while waiting to quit. There is a great upside to this truth though. Everyone in the Church is needed and everyone has a chance to use their gifts and abilities. Ask me how you can help and I can give you a page of ideas. The number of volunteers in a small Church is usually well over 50% of those attending. The downside is that a smaller Church cannot offer the ministries a larger Church can offer. I often have to tell people I am sorry we do not have a ministry for 3rd graders who are left-handed and struggle with the onset of early stress related disorders 🙂 We struggle to have youth group and children’s ministry let alone specialized areas of ministry. I do not have volunteers and I do not have the time. It doesn’t mean that I, the Church leaders and the Church do not care – it just means we don’t have the manpower.

I tell you all of this because I listen to lectures on Church growth. I read articles about how to grow a Church. I attend conferences on how to reach the lost. And most of them leave me very empty because my Church is not like the larger Church and it is not like the Church in a bigger town. Being a Pastor/Preacher of a smaller Church in a small town is different from being anywhere else. In order for the Church to reach people with the gospel it requires everyone in the congregation working together as a team with all of their gifts and abilities. When a Church can grasp that concept, it finally starts on a road toward growth.

Here are some of the good things I have read on the web lately.

CHURCH –

* Carpet Splitting over at Christian Standard

* Top 30 Blogs Christian Leaders Need to Read in 2015 by Brian Dodd

FAMILY –

* 7 Things Husbands Should Stop Doing – By Mark Merrill

* 5 Things the First Year of Marriage Taught Me About Myself – by Philicia

* Maybe Life’s Biggest Moments are Really the Small Ones – at We Are THAT Family

* 10 Texts to Send Your Kids or Grandkids by Mark Merrill

* The Day I Didn’t Make Cheerleading at WonderHERful

God taught me numerous lessons this past year and I know He wants me to learn more in the coming year. Unfortunately, you do not learn by passively letting each day go by. I think you need to be asking questions all the time. These may be questions about yourself or about the circumstances you are experiencing. Here are some of the questions I am continually asking myself.

1. What do I need to remove from my life?

I am fully aware that some of the behaviors in my life are counterproductive to my long-term dreams. This may be as simple as removing some of the chocolate or soda from my diet. It can also be as tricky as watching movies with nudity or foul language in them. Jesus reminds us that for a plant to grow there must be pruning.

2. What do I need to add to my life?

I once read a statement from Dr. Phil that said something to the affect of, none of us really change we simply exchange one habit for another. I am not sure I completely agree with it, but there is definitely some truth to it. For example, I not only need to remove the junk food but I need to add exercise. Instead of lying around eating sugar and getting fat I need to get up and do something active to fill that time. If I am going to remove something negative I had better have plan to fill that void with something positive.

3. How can do things better?

Numerous things in my life are not necessarily bad. In fact, many things I do are very good. The problem can be that I am not doing them effectively. How can I improve my Bible reading time, my prayer life or my spiritual reading? Is it better to listen to something or read it myself? Is it better if I take notes or simply sit back and absorb? How can I maximize the time I am using for good in my life?

4. Does this matter in the big picture of things?

Early in life I was often caught up in the minutia of the moment. Little flaws would drive me crazy. Momentary disagreements would derail me. One sentence statements would keep me up at night. Lately I ask myself “big picture” questions. Is that one disagreement indicative of my entire relationship or just this one moment? Will this one flaw throw off my entire effort or be just a minor distractions? Will I care about this issue in a year? When I ask myself this question it helps me to calm down and not be so emotional in the moment. That dent will not matter in a year compared to the scar I can give with my words in the moment.

5. What did I learn from that experience?

At least half of what I attempt fails. Maybe more. Some blog posts never get read. Some sermons get a nice yawn. Some family times end in arguments and frustration. Some ministries fail. Some dreams die before I am able to take the next step toward them. You know what I mean, because we have all been there. I have come to believe we can focus on the failure or we can learn from what just happened. With that knowledge we can do try to avoid the same mistakes the next time or do it differently altogether.
The flip side is also true. Sometimes I actually succeed. The blog gets praise, the sermon goes well, the ministry is effective and my relationships are great. I still need to pause and ask myself, “What went right?” How can I repeat success unless I learn from those experiences too.
Failure or success must be constantly evaluated so that we can learn from each day of our life.

These are the questions I am asking myself this year. Some of them I ask daily, some weekly and some monthly. I will often sit down at lunch alone and just start thinking. Often I bring a notepad and jot down ideas that come to mind. It has resulted in blog posts, sermons and always life lessons that are making me into the person God wants me to be.

If you ask anyone who teaches in the Church who learns the most when you teach, most of them would say “I do.” Teaching others usually produces a big step of growth in knowledge and faith for the teacher. It doesn’t matter whether it is your first time teaching or your thousandth time teaching, there is always something that God is teaching you through the process. I am no different. Even after over 20 years of ministry I manage to learn something new every week or at least I get reminded of lessons I learned years ago and have since forgotten. So today I thought I would share a few lessons God is teaching me in my ministry through my current season of life.

– I must force myself to connect with other people. (I am naturally introverted)
– I need God’s grace daily and often hourly.
– My family is my greatest ministry.
– Giving people are an enormous blessing from God.
– The Bible has numerous stories I cannot explain.
– Most people are looking for attention.
– Almost no one cares what you accomplished 10 years ago or 5 years ago or 2 years ago or even last year.
– People who serve are rare and more valuable than gold.
– Love people, no matter what.
– Jesus never ceases to amaze me. He is more complex and wonderful than I learned growing up.
– Laugh often – even at yourself especially at yourself.
– Appreciate your parents
– The Church can occasionally be an ugly place, but it is still the greatest organization for good that I know.
– You must lead yourself before you can lead others.
– Say kind words daily to your spouse and your children and anyone else you come in contact with.
– Children’s ministry is more important than worship today.
– Very little compares to the joy of hearing my children laughing.
– The greatest compliment you can give my preaching and teaching is your obedience to God.
– I am ready for Jesus to return any day now, but I am not quite ready to go and see him.
– God never ceases to show up and amaze me.

Those are just some of the things God keeps impressing on me. What about you? What is God teaching you these day?

Yesterday I wrote about my role as a father and today I am thinking about my role as a Pastor. Here are some lessons I am trying to teach other believers in my Church through my words and my actions.

– We are all in this together.
– Serve.
– People will help you if you ask.
– Jesus is more complex than we are told.
– Think of other people.
– Your ALL children are watching you.
– God will bring something good from bad situations if you let Him.
– Yes, children are the future of the Church, but you are the present Church.
– Obedience is greater than praise.
– It’s okay for your children not to be involved in every activity at school.
– Senior adults are the greatest asset in any Church, if they will do something.
– God’s grace is sufficient.
– Love is an action word.
– To have a strong Church you need strong leaders.
– Faith needs daily deposits
– People willing to teach are more precious than gold.
– Don’t criticize.
– Church growth is about friends and family coming to Jesus, not just numbers.
– Step out in faith regularly.
– There is a lot of bad theology out there, use your bible and your brain.

Once again, I know there are numerous other lessons I am constantly trying to teach. These are the big recurring themes in my life and ministry right now. I am sure some will adjust and new items will take their place as the Church here grows in the faith and in their number. Hopefully these are lessons that you are currently learning from me, otherwise I might be wasting my time:-)