What I love about my church today (June 12, 2011)

Each week, I want to share something I appreciate about my community of faith, the Belton Church of Christ located in Belton, TX.  Each week, I will highlight one “bright spot” in my congregation.

I participated in worship today as a hearer of the Word. Joe Baisden preached about God’s grace to the Belton Church of Christ. I love our church because I have experienced God’s grace through the life of Joe Baisden.

Joe Baisden

Joe preached at the Belton Church of Christ for 33 years. Joe’s ministry in Belton was marked by:

1.     Love for the community- Joe joined Belton. He has always been an advocate for our community. He has been active in city government, schools, community service organizations. Under his leadership, Belton Church of Christ gained the reputation of being a church for the community.
2.     Love for individuals- Joe has a heart for the hurting. He prioritized people above everything else. Joe is always quick to respond to those who are physically ill or grieving. Because of Joe’s pastoral heart, Belton Church of Christ became known as a caring congregation.
3.     Absolute integrity- Joe Baisden is a man of character, a man of his word, and a man of the Spirit. He does what he says, and he follows through with his intentions. Joe instilled his sense of right and wrong in the congregation.
4.     Gratitude- Joe writes thank you notes for every act of kindness he notices. In fact, if you write Joe a thank you note, he will write a thank you note for your thank you note. Joe gives thanks at every turn. Gratitude is a foundation of godly character.
5.     Dependence upon God’s Spirit- Joe is known as a person of prayer and a man of the Scriptures. He talks about Scripture from an experience that says he has lived the Bible for many years. Joe’s dependence on God’s Spirit has shaped the spirituality of Belton Church of Christ.

I was able to receive Joe’s teaching about God’s grace because Joe lives as a grace-oriented man. His ministry at Belton Church of Christ is a grace to me. He has treated me with kindness and grace, and Joe has inspired me to continue to walk in his legacy. I love my church because of the character established by Joe’s 33 year ministry!

 

What characteristics would you like to be known for when people survey your career?

 

 

What I love about my church today (June 5, 2011)

Each week, I want to share something I appreciate about my community of faith, the Belton Church of Christ located in Belton, TX.  Each week, I will highlight one “bright spot” in my congregation.

Courage is the ability to do the right thing even when it is difficult.

I love my church because of the courageous people I know and love. David and Kristi are close friends. When we moved back to Belton Church of Christ, my wife and I started a LifeGroup with this couple. Our children play together and are all good friends. Over the past 18 months of co-leading LifeGroup we have grown together with them. Being friends with them has been a joy and is one of the easiest things I do.

David and Kristi live in Harker Heights, a city almost 20 miles from Belton. We have a large number of people in our faith community who live in Harker Heights and Killeen. Despite having a significant amount of people in these other communities we do not have any LifeGroups meeting in that community. People who want to connect in LifeGroups must drive to Belton or Temple to join groups. David and Kristi feel a burden for their community and for the the BCC families in west Bell County. Because of these passions they are leaving my LifeGroup and starting a new LifeGroup that will meet in their home. This will immediately provide a place for 12 people who are currently not connected to be connected in LifeGroups.

Tonight was the last time that David and Kristi are a part of the LifeGroup I have called home for a year and a half. There are so many reasons for this couple to stay with us. Our friendship, our comfort, the joys of seeing our children play together, our common interests in superhero movies (well, for David and me anyway), a common love for Christ and for God’s Word. Easy would be to stay with us. God’s mission calls for them to go and birth a new group. I love their courage to do the right thing even though it is hard.

How have you seen courage in your faith community?

 

 

Imitation: The Scariest Part of Ministry

“They are really listening and watching.”

The anxiety ratchets up. The heart beats faster. This isn’t excitement. This is fear.

One of the scariest parts of ministry to me is not the times when people ignore me and discount my words. Far more frightening are the moments when I realize people are watching me and listening to me because they believe that by being like me, they will become more like Jesus.

They are watching, listening and imitating.

Here are some thoughts about imitation:

1. Imitation is expected. The writer of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Scriptural discipleship expects believers to imitate Christian leaders.

2. Imitation is unavoidable. Embrace it. The Apostle Paul called on himself as a model for Christian behavior, going as far as to point to himself and say “imitate me.” He did not run from being a model for imitation. He embraced it.

3. Imitation multiplies your best moments. The times when you are most alive and passionate will be the moments that are sticky and contagious for others. People who are passionate about worship will most likely multiply passionate worshippers. People who are passionate about sharing faith will most likely multiply evangelists. Leaders who are most excited about Bible study will most likely multiply Bible students.

4. Imitation breeds your worst traits. As contagious as your best moments are, your worst traits are downright pathogenic. The cracks in your character will give permission for others to take the easy outs and not grow and develop into the fully mature and healthy disciples God wants them to be. If you have a problem with authority, you will pass along harmful attitudes to those who look to you as a leader. They will mistrust parents, adults, elders, and other leaders. If you are morally permissive, those who follow your lead will most likely imitate your permissiveness. If you have an integrity issue, they will imitate your level of honesty and integrity.

A man who’s life I imitate said, “What you do in moderation they will do in excess.” This is especially true in student ministry.

Because Christian leadership is about not just giving a set of correct propositions but modeling a way of life, here are a few suggestions.

1. Know yourself. Know what makes you feel alive, and know your darkest moments. Don’t be content to simply admit you have an authority issue, but understand the root of that problem. Investigate your history. Understand your story. Answer the questions “Who am I?” and Why do I do what I do?” In the same way, know your strengths the best things about you. Knowing these things can help you be more intentional about what you pass along to others.

2. Imitate others. Find others who are healthy Christian leaders and learn from them. Take them to lunch. Ask all kinds of questions. Get in their homes and see how they treat their families. Watch them interact with their elders, church board, their staff, their friends. Make a commitment to learn from others and pick up on their best behaviors.

3. Imitate Christ. Pour yourself into the life of Jesus through the Gospels. Know the life and actions of Jesus as well as his teachings. Interrogate the example of Jesus and ask yourself what lies in the gap between Jesus’ attitudes and actions and your own attitudes and actions. Prayerfully explore how to imitate Jesus more fully.

Imitation is frightening when we realize others are following our examples. This is not accidental! This is God’s intention. Embrace it humbly and continue to be formed into the image of Christ.

 

What’s in a name?

Stop confusing people with insider language.

Church leaders as a rule are creative people, and we often get caught in our own web of creativity. We dream up ministry concepts and church programs, and in order to make it shine just right, we want to give the creation the perfect, clever, creative name. Alternatively, church leaders use acronyms to name areas, events or programs in the church. Both of these approaches create confusion.

Here are some thoughts on why you should simplify terminology in your church.

Make disciples, not noobs.

1. Confusing terminology creates a hurdle between your guests and your congregation.People who are coming into your congregation want to know if they belong with your tribe. Confusing terminology presents the image that there are insiders who “get it” and everyone else are outsiders.

2. Confusing terminology disrupts assimilation. New members in the congregation want more than anything to fit in and become fully integrated members. Cute names and acronyms become a reminder that new members are still “rookies” and not full members of the congregation.

3. Confusing terminology works against your communications. Speakers and writers have to work around the clever names or the acronyms when communicating information and this works against clear, simple communication. The energy spent explaining these words could better be spent communicating the essential information.

4. Acronyms are easily misinterpreted (and reinterpreted). When people do not know the meaning of the acronym, they will begin creating their own meanings. As a former student minister, trust me when I tell you this is not a good thing. Sometimes people will make their best guess and get it wrong. Sometimes people will simply take delight in making up their own meanings that serve to erode your credibility.

5. Figure out what it is and call it that. Imagine the conversation that you have to have in order to explain what something is. “The luncheon will be held in the FLC.” “What’s the FLC?” “The Family Life Center.” “And that is what?” “The gym.” “Oh!” Figure out what it is and then do as best as you can to name it what it is. This example can be used to designate areas of your facility, publications, ministry programs, minister titles and more.

Recently, we started sending out daily email updates to our congregation in order to update people on prayer needs and any breaking news. A conversation started over what we would call this. “The Belton Blast,” “The E-vangelist,” and other names were thrown out. I thought about the confusion we were building and suggested calling it the Daily Update.

It is a small thing to be sure, but it speaks to the passion to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Every little thing counts to create a certain culture in your congregation. Simple terminology is an intentional decision to make it easy for people to belong, to assimilate and to communicate. In short, it is a healthy choice for your congregation.

What is the most confusing name you have heard at a
congregation?

 

What I love about my church today (May 22, 2011)

Each week, I want to share something I appreciate about my community of faith, the Belton Church of Christ located in Belton, TX.  Each week, I will highlight one “bright spot” in my congregation.

I love my Church today because they know what to applaud.

Change the Rules...Change your Strategies

My congregation has been in a series called “Game Changer” exploring how Christ’s resurrection changes the strategy of our lives. So far, we have had messages dealing with parenting, finances, and fearful living. Today’s message was how the Resurrection changes how we have a relationship with God. The text for today was Ephesians 2:1-10. Because of the Resurrection we stop earning our way to God and instead participate with Christ’s victory. The message was intended to help people seeking a relationship with God to accept God’s grace.

As this message was coming together, another great thing was happening. A couple that had taken our membership covenant the previous week wanted to be baptized. I have thoroughly enjoyed talking with them and getting to know them. The wife is a life-long believer who had simply never taken the step of baptism. The husband was raised in a faith tradition that practiced infant baptism instead of believer’s baptism. Both found our congregation to be a people they believe they can join and belong and they wanted to be immersed into Christ with this congregation. As I stood with the husband and we were eyeing the baptistery, I asked him if he had ever seen a baptism before and he said “no.” We quickly gave him some instructions!

Another more somber event is happening as well. Our Children’s minister whom I love is retiring. She tendered her resignation and wrote a letter to the congregation that I was asked to read on her behalf. She made me promise not to make a big deal out of it, so I decided to read this at the beginning of the message time.

1. At the beginning of our worship assembly, we baptized Jeff and Lisa. The congregation erupted with applause. (The only thing louder that the applause was Lisa’s answer when I asked if she believed Jesus is the Son of God.  She shouted, “YES I DO!”)

2. I read Carol’s resignation letter. The congregation rose to their feet to applaud Carol and thank her for her work.

3. At the end of the message, we said “There is something better than earning your place and that is living by grace.” The congregation applauded. (I had to stop and wait before I could finish.)

I remember listening to Reubel Shelley when I was in college. He stopped in the middle of a lecture to give a quick aside about applause in church. (Applause in my congregation in the early ’90s was still somewhat uncomfortable.) He clapped his hands and said, “Do you know what this is? This is how the next generation says, ‘Amen!’” Today, I heard “Amen. Amen. And Amen.”

When does your congregation applaud and why?

 

Catalyst Dallas Top 10

If it

I went to Catalyst Dallas from May 12-15. Here are my top 10 Catalyst moments in no particular order.

1. “Unplugging is the competitive advantage of the digital age.” – Scott Belsky. Belsky is passionate about coaching people to make ideas happen. I use the Action Journal designed by Belsky to help creative unorganized types to be able to follow through with thoughts generated in meetings or brainstorming sessions. Belsky struck me with these words at Catalyst. The ability to turn off distractions and do work is a rare gift in our day and age.

2. “Integration is the time between when the first black person moves in and the last white person moves out.” -Dr. John Perkins. Dr. Perkins is a civil rights leader who has paid the price for his convictions. Now in his 80′s, he has earned the right to sit in a chair and tell us plainly that homogeneity and class boundaries in the local church diminishes the Gospel of Christ and is heresy. If John Perkins says it is heresy, I’m listening.

3. The Russian Bar Trio- Catalyst planners have an amazing ability to give “wow” moments. And sometimes the “wow” makes no sense! Why did we need to see a Russian woman do crazy stunts? It sure won’t be a part of any spiritual growth plan…but it was cool. Behold a segment shot from my iPhone 3GS. You have to turn your computer sideways. Sorry.

4. “When faced with danger, you can get safer or you can get braver. Jesus didn’t come to make you safer; he came to make you braver.” -Gary Haugen. Gary looks like Howie Long and he heads the International Justice Mission, dedicated to bringing peace to the oppressed in the world in the name of Jesus. His speech opened with the question, “When did the disciples figure out following Jesus was dangerous?” Still chewing on the implications here. Another related quote was from Christine Caine. “The goal of life is not to arrive safely at death! Jesus called us to freedom, not safety!”

5. “Never take control. Take responsibility.”- Donald Miller. Miller is frankly a better writer than speaker, but he did well. He used Joseph (OT) as an allegory for learning to lead. Miller’s quote challenges me to realize that leadership is service to God and to others and it is not about my getting my way. This is easier for him to preach than for me to practice.

6. Red Panda, Finger Rockets, snap pops, and Tony Romo-Yeah. More over the top moments. Instead of explaining them all, I just have to tell you that at points I was thinking “I sure hope people at home believe that there was actually church leadership content here as well!”

Why yes. This IS a Chinese woman catching stacks of bowls on her head from her foot while balancing on a 10 ft. unicycle. Your question is?

7. “What stories do you want to tell your grandchildren? What stories do you want your church to tell? Do you want to tell stories of faithfulness or playing it safe?” -Andy Stanley. Stanley got me with this question. This is inspiration and motivation wrapped up together. We have dreams and visions and yet we choose to play it safe and go for the small, sure bets instead of the murkier, riskier and yet more satisfying and faithful options. Eventually, faithful living will take us beyond common sense. In this talk, Stanley talked about 3 particular types of courage that ministry might call for. 1. The courage to stay when everything appears to say, “Go.” 2. The courage to go when everything appears to say, “Stay.” 3. The courage to ask for help when it is easier to pretend you are okay.

8. “The most loving thing God has ever done for me besides saving me is wounding me.” -Matt Chandler. Matt is a popular preacher in the Metroplex who was diagnosed with a tumor in his brain. The past year has run the gambit of treatments. Matt’s talk at Catalyst was a review of substitutionary atonement theology. It was addressing Matt’s concern that church leaders are so attractional that sometimes the Gospel is not communicated. In the midst of Chandler’s romp through the New Testament, he spoke this one sentence which was a profound way of describing his experience of his illness and the working of God through it all.

9. “There is nothing sadder than a 50 year old fat man in skinny jeans. Be yourself. Authenticity trumps cool everytime.”- Craig Groeschel. Craig is the senior pastor of LifeChurch. He is an impressive communicator and I loved his topic. He talked about the challenges of older and younger generations in the church. The older generation needs to give responsibility, not just assign tasks, to the younger generation. Also they need to communicate that they believe in the younger generation. The challenge for the younger generation is to give respect and honor to the older generation and to wait. He made a comment that has stuck with me. “You young leaders overestimate what God will do in the short term and underestimate what God can do in the long term.”

10. “What is on your to-don’t list?” -Andy Stanley. Andy closed out Catalyst with a challenge for leaders to maximize their strength instead of focusing on improving weaknesses. It is true that we have a culture that pushes us to focus on our shortcomings instead of releasing us to do what we are uniquely gifted to do. This session has challenged me to re-evaluate the way I spend my time and energy and to invest in my giftedness. The challenge with this is being okay that some things are not going to happen the way I want them to, but that opens up the door for people who have that gift to walk in and bring that to a level I would have never been able to do. The truth is that there are people for whom my weaknesses are their strengths. Focusing on strengths and letting go of weaknesses will ultimately benefit the entire organization or congregation. I’m still working through this talk!

BONUS ITEMS.

A. Scott Harrison from charity:water was amazing. His passion for providing clean water for millions of people is contagious. Here is an example of someone who has reimagined what non-profit ministry can be. Please look into this ministry. http://www.charitywater.org/

B. Chris Seay looking miserable and uncomfortable as host. Chris does not have a cuddly or warm demeanor, so getting him to be MC was unintentionally humorous. I learned that Chris despises Snap Pops more than I thought humanly possible.

What were your big takeaways from Catalyst Dallas? What on this list sparked your imagination?

Chris Seay in a moment of looking less miserable than other moments while interviewing a man who benefitted from Compassion International.

 

What I love about my church today (May 15, 2011)

Each week, I want to share something I appreciate about my community of faith, the Belton Church of Christ located in Belton, TX.  Each week, I will highlight one “bright spot” in my congregation.

NEXT STEP tells who we are, what we believe, and how to get involved.

Every month we have a membership orientation called NEXT STEP where people come to us who are interested in joining our congregation. I enjoy leading NEXT STEP because I get to be in a room with people and let them know who we are as a church, what we believe, and how to engage with us in ministry.

This morning was a special NEXT STEP gathering. There were 7 families represented and we started sharing our stories. I heard phrases like, “I haven’t been close to God, but I want to make it right,” and “I have been in and out of church my whole life but now I want to come and stay.” Another new friend said, “I have been away from God and the Church, but I want to raise my children here and be a part of this church.” Another family said, “We are going to have a baby in September.”

I was so blessed to listen to these stories and to get a glimpse into their lives.  It was so refreshing. It also is amazing to hear what interests people who are new to the church culture. I was told today by a woman that she wished I would preach longer because it is so engaging that she isn’t ready for the sermons to be done. I share this not to point to my effectiveness of my preaching, but to show how different people respond differently! (I told her that she and I were going to get along just fine, by the way.)

After our session was done, I talked with some people from NEXT STEP and they expressed their interest in being baptized into Jesus.  Although these people had been churched, they never had taken the step to be immersed. They were waiting to have a church family in which to belong.  I am excited about further sharing Jesus with them.

I appreciate my church because it is normal for us to have God-seeking people come to us because they believe that they will be able to grow close to God with us. This is a blessing and I take their trust seriously.

Does your congregation have a clear process by which people can become part of your body?

 

Catalyst Reflections from Day 1

Catalyst Dallas contained many powerful moments. I will capture the moments that stick with me the most after some time to reflect.

1. Scot McKnightinvited us into the world Jesus imagines through telling parables.  The parables themselves

Scot McKnight

are a portal that draw us into a different reality-the Kingdom. In order to help us understand the nature of parables and the Kingdom, Scot used a Tolkien story about a man who paints leaves. This man passes away and finds himself in heaven where he sees a tree decorated with the leaves he painted in his life.  Scot suggests that the theme of many of these parables is to understand that the little acts that we do in this life will have significance beyond that which we can imagine. He further illustrated by telling stories of students who are “painting leaves” through courageous, small steps.  Unfortunately, his stories tended to focus on success (the worship leader leads at Willow Creek, the activist speaks at the G8 summit) and undermine his thesis. Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to share stories about the community formed when people live out the small, courageous “leaf painting” actions of disciples. I very much appreciated Scot and his words. He writes an excellent blog that I encourage you to look into. http://www.patheos.com/community/jesuscreed/

Michael Hyatt

2. Michael Hyatt shared “How to lead from your heart.” Hyatt is currently blogging his lecture for all to use as aresource. Highly recommended. http://michaelhyatt.com/three-reasons-why-you-must-guard-your-heart.html

3. Mark Batterson ended the Lab day by sharing his experience of planting the National Community Churchin Washington DC.  Mark shared the remarkable growth of his church from being a church plant in search of people to being a massive church with expansive ministries. He told his story by using the Numbers 11 narrative of God sending the quail as a metaphor for how God might be waiting to bless us. Batterson told a story about how his church needed a drummer when the were small, so he prayed for a drummer.  He bought a drumset on faith and immediately they found a drummer. It was here that my mild discomfort became more acutely painful. Mark flew his flag over financial successes. With tears in his eyes, Mark recounted that a congregation that started off with less than $2000/week contribution was now able to buy and pay for $10 million in real estate debt free. Only in the American church would prayer life center in on finding the drummer to play in the worshipband and to experience God through financial success. I know Batterson has a heart for people and for God. I wish he defined success around life change and peoplemeeting Christ through his ministry. I am in awe of Batterson as a visionary leader but felt that his was too close to a wealth gospel.

Mark Batterson

I will post more reflections from this time. Brandon Baker has some excellent summaries posted on his Practical Youth Ministry page.

http://practicalyouthministry.com/catalyst-dallas-distilled/

What about you? What were some of your takeaways from Catalyst Dallas?

 

What I love about my church today (Mother’s Day)

Each week, I want to share something I appreciate about my community of faith, the Belton Church of Christ located in Belton, TX.  Each week, I will highlight one “bright spot” in my congregation.

This week, I am so thankful for the community that helps me parent my children. My wife Debbie and I formed friendships with others who were having children about the same time as we did. These friendships lasted even while we moved away from Belton for three years. When we came back to Belton, we re-entered these friendships and quickly developed even deeper relationships with these people. One thing I love about my church family is that we have given each other permission to make parenting mistakes and to be honest with one another knowing that forgiveness and understanding awaits us.

On Saturday, I made a mistake with my parenting. It turned out to be nothing serious, but it could have accidentally hurt one of my children. This happened while at a birthday party with these friends from church. I risked being honest with everyone about my mistake. The response was instant and immediate grace. One of my friends came to check on me and said, “Hey, are you okay?” She then told me a story of a mistake she had made while parenting. Another friend came up and shared a less-than-proud moment. They gave me grace in a moment where I did not want to give myself any grace, especially since I was scheduled to speak on parenting the next day! In that moment, they accepted me beyond my role of minister and treated me like a friend who needed encouragement and forgiveness.

I love my church because of a network and a community of mutual support, mutual ministry and mutual forgiveness. This is what I need in order to parent my children, and I want to give others the grace that they have given me.

When have you been given grace from others from your faith community?

 

The Healthiest Thing Mom Ever Told Me

My mom does not put family first. Here’s what she said.

“Jordan, I love you. I cannot love you any more than I do.  But I love Jesus more. And if I ever have to choose between you and Jesus, I choose Jesus.”

My Mom and my daughter. Don't be fooled. Mom loves Jesus more.

I don’t remember the context of why she made this comment to me.  As a matter of fact, I don’t believe there was a context. Mom has a way of just blurting out the most important concepts to her family, leaving us to scramble for contextual clues or precipitating circumstances. She said these words to me the first time (but not the last time) when I was in middle school. After reflecting upon my childhood, I would have to say that these 4 sentences were the healthiest words my mother ever gave me.

Hal Runkel, director of Scream Free Parenting*, says that children need to know their space and their place.  Their space is their area of freedom where they have ownership. Their place is the boundary that denotes where their authority and freedom ends. My mother trusted me and gave me my space, but with these words she also put me in my place.

I knew then that Mom loved me.  She still does. I believed her when she said that she cannot love me any more than she did.  But having witnessed her character, her passion for the Lord, and the values of her life, I also knew that she really did love Jesus more than me.  I knew that if I put her in a position to compromise on her values, to turn a blind eye toward disobedience against God, or to condone any life choice that did not coincide with her understanding of Jesus revealed through Scripture, my mother would love me enough to not adapt to my beliefs and my choices.  I knew what to expect. If forced to make a choice, she would choose Jesus over me. I could not count on holding my mother hostage emotionally for her to enable my unhealthy life.

I cannot help but to wonder how deeply these words have impacted my life. My mother did not put family first. Thank God for that!

What was the healthiest thing your mother said to/did for you? Please join in the conversation!

*Scream Free Parenting