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6 keys to resuscitation

My last three churches were in decline when I arrived. In all three—one suburban, one large town, and one urban—keys to turning things around were similar:

Build hope. First, point to God; Jesus Christ said, “I will build my Church.” Second, point to the church’s strengths. Third, point to churches that have turned around.
Look forward publicly and backward privately. In two churches, the previous pastors had been forced out. Hurt feelings and tensions needed to be addressed, but not from the pulpit. Publicly, I pointed to the future we could share.
Fix the facility. Peeling paint and disrepair sends a message the church is dying. We tackled the most obvious disrepair immediately with a few gallons of paint and volunteers.
Preach dynamic sermons. I put more effort into sermon preparation than anything else.
Emphasize prayer. When my present church called, I said I would come only if they agreed to hold an all-church prayer meeting every Sunday evening and if the leadership would commit to attending regularly. They did.
Develop new leaders. I sought to move new people into leadership as soon as possible. They had bought into our new vision and were not part of previous factions.

—Stephen Grunlan Balboa Community Church San Diego, California

Murphy’s Laws of Ministry

Rev. Murphy was a recovering optimist

When you rush and arrive early for a meeting, it’s the wrong evening or you’re in the wrong place.
When you arrive late for a meeting, it started on time.
The broken equipment that is driving you crazy will work fine when the custodian tries it.
The week you wait till Sunday morning to print out your sermon, your computer will freeze.
The one Sunday you preach from a hastily prepared outline will be the Sunday a search committee shows up.
The obnoxious driver you honk at on Friday will visit your church on Sunday.
When you send the elder chairman the corrected board minutes, you will accidentally send instead your completed application to a search committee.

—Jim Schmotzer, James D. Berkley, and the Leadership editors

Fear of Losing Control?

Lessons for leaders

Southwest Airlines has become a much-admired company. Southwest’s ceo, Herb Kelleher, talked in Leader to Leader (888-378-2537) about how he stays on top of a growing organization. Many of his insights were remarkably apt for pastoral leaders:

“A financial analyst once asked me if I was afraid of losing control of our organization. I told him I’ve never had any control, and I never wanted it. If you create an environment where the people truly participate, you don’t need control.”

“The more that people will devote to your cause on a voluntary basis, a willing basis, the fewer hierarchies and control mechanisms you need.”

“I have always believed that the best leader is the best server. And if you’re a servant, by definition, you’re not controlling.”

“You go to meetings not to issue orders or instructions; you go to learn the problems people are having and see if you can help.”

—NetFax (800-765-5323)

Is Membership Important?

6 Reasons to Join a Church

Many attend but never join; here’s the case for making things official.

Hillside Baptist Church in Illinois developed a brochure that explains the significance of adding yourself to the church roll.

Membership says, “I belong here,” and God says that believers belong together (Heb. 10:23-25). You sense that God wants you here with the people of Hillside Baptist Church at this time in your Christian life, and you want to make a public declaration that you are committed to God’s work through this church.
Membership says, “We share the same ministry goals,” and God says that believers are to be committed to one another for the sake of spiritual impact (Eph. 4:16). You believe that Jesus has a work to do in Hillside, Chicagoland, Illinois, and around the world, and you’re willing to join with others to see that it gets done.
Membership says, “I accept responsibility for a group of fellow believers in the family of God,” and that’s God’s plan as well (Gal. 6:1-2, 10). You want to be part of a caring network of people, sharing one another’s joys and sorrows, and helping one another grow through worship, Bible study, and fellowship.
Membership says, “I am accountable to mature brothers and sisters in Christ for my walk with God,” and God warns against spiritual autonomy (Heb. 13:17; Matt. 18:15-20). You don’t want to go it alone in standing for Jesus Christ, and want to receive the guidance, equipping, and assistance necessary to remain on target.
Membership says, “I accept responsibility for how things are done here,” and God says that’s how it should be (1 Cor. 12:20-27). Members elect elders, deacons, and other church officers, approve an annual ministry budget, as well as call pastors to serve as our spiritual leaders. Every member has a say in shaping our church’s direction and ministry goals.
Membership keeps us legal (1 Tim. 3:2; 1 Peter 2:13-17). The State of Illinois recognizes churches if they have a credible membership and organization. Obedience to these laws affirms that we are responsible citizens with a desire to serve.

Best Devotional Books of All Time

Proven nourishment for the soul

Christian Reader magazine asked 15 Christian leaders, including Jill Briscoe, Bruce Shelley, and Ravi Zacharias, to identify the best devotional books of all time. Their top 10 would make an excellent list for current and future lay leaders:

10. Prayer by Ole Hallesby
9. The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
8. The Book of Common Prayer, by Thomas Cranmer and others
7. The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis
6. The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence
5. The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer
4. Confessions, by Augustine
3. The Screwtape Lettersby C.S. Lewis
2. Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan
1. My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

—Bob Putman and Herbert Hage. Adapted by Pastor Bruce Hoppe for use at Hillside (Illinois) Baptist Church.

Ideas that work

Helping Seniors Pray for Students Linking generations through prayer

Today’s young people need prayer to stay strong in their faith. Who better to pray for them than wise, older Christians?

At Christian Church of San Angelo, Texas, members of the seniors Sunday school class make a three-month commitment to pray for the church’s high school students. (After three months, each senior can opt out of the ministry, choose to pray for someone else, or keep praying for the same teen.)

So that seniors know how to pray, teens fill out questionnaires listing their school schedule, goals for the year, and specific prayer requests. Seniors are also given notebooks with sample prayers on various topics (e.g., remaining sexually pure, developing a hunger for God).

Teens don’t know who is praying for them, but some seniors choose to reveal themselves. Some seniors send monthly postcards, reminding teens they haven’t been forgotten.

One senior commented, “I like being a prayer partner because it has brought me closer to God and made me more aware of the problems our young people face.” Another senior said, “I like watching those I am praying for as they mature and grow in Christ.”

Meanwhile, one teen wrote her prayer partner a letter in which she stated, “How wonderful to know that every day someone has prayed for me. I appreciate you. I am praying for you, too!”

—Rebecca Livermore Christian Church of San Angelo San Angelo, Texas

Online Bible Study

How church members can study the Bible any time, anywhere—and help your preaching

At Cornerstone Covenant Church we’ve created an Online Bible Study group.

On Monday, I send my sermon text for the coming Sunday’s sermon, plus a few discussion questions, to group members through e-mail. The “discussion” that follows helps people think about the Bible passage; it also helps me with sermon titles and occasionally an illustration. I learn how people are thinking about this Scripture.

One advantage of this online Bible study is that people can participate at any time of the day or from any place with e-mail access. The Online Bible Study group has grown to 33 members, including a businessman who travels a lot, a teacher who accesses the Bible study on her morning break, and a few office workers. About one-third of the group has no direct connection with the church.

We use a free e-mail list host (listserv or majordomo) at http://makelist.com. Others can be found by having a search engine look for “free” and “listserv.”

—Brad Boydston Cornerstone Covenant Church Turlock, California