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We loved a Leadership cartoon published last summer. The pastor, pointing to a spike on a chart, says, “And this is where we added ‘dot-com’ to our name.”

Now it’s happened. Fellowship Church has become fellowshipchurch.com.

“Technically, we’re not changing the name, but we will add.com to the existing logo where appropriate,” Preston Mitchell, pastor of spiritual development, tells us—places such as the roof of the church, which is in the flight pattern of Dallas-Fort Worth International airport. Church leaders hope to attract people to their Web site, featuring sports, weather, stock quotes, classifieds, devotions, movie reviews, and news on fellowshipchurch.com.

“God created the Internet . … We have the responsibility to use what God has created to reach people,” Mitchell says. The congregation, pastored by Ed Young, Jr., presently draws 13,000 to three weekend services.

“This was bound to happen,” says church historian Bill Leonard. “(And) this was bound to happen in Dallas. I would have bet half the ranch on that.”

with material from Wired.com

My .community

We asked pastors who they’re communicating with online:

The Leadership Survey

Currents

Seven Encouraging Signs

The Christian faith is reaching people in unpredicted ways, according to researcher George Barna. From his surveys conducted last year, the pollster sees the promising evidence of the gospel’s impact.

1. The number of adults who read the Bible during a typical week has risen from 34% to 40% since 1996.

2. Three-fourths of all adults donated money to a church last year (although only 8% of born-again Christians tithe).

3. Nine of ten adult lay leaders prioritize faith among their life goals.

4. Half of all unchurched and non-Christian adults say they are seeking meaning and purpose in life, a good entry point for evangelism.

5. Voter turnout in the 2000 presidential election was higher among born-again Christians than among non-believers.

6. The percentage of adults who earn more than $60,000 annually and have accepted Christ as their savior has nearly doubled since 1991, from 13% to 25%.

7. In the past nine years, the percentage of Catholic adults who believe in salvation by grace alone and who have accepted Jesus as their personal savior has grown from 16% to 24%.

Barna’s hopeful signs were part of an analysis of all his surveys—some encouraging, some not—last year. America is entering a period of moral anarchy, and the next ten years, he says, will be crucial to determining the capacity of the church to impact society.

from Barna Research Group

A Letter to My Successor

What details do you leave for the next pastor?

While the incoming and outgoing presidents were on the platform outside the Capitol Building on Inauguration Day, one network’s camera peered through a window into the Oval Office. On the president’s desk was the traditional sealed envelope, left this time by President Clinton for President Bush. It contained the usual good wishes, information about a few hot spots in international relations, and the letter Bush’s father had left for the incoming Clinton eight years earlier.

I received such a welcoming letter as I assumed a pastorate one time. It was a detailed notebook filled with useful information about the church and community. My thoughtful predecessor saved me months in gathering the data.

If you prepare a notebook for your successor, consider including the following:

• A church history. If your church has an official history, insert information on the culture of the church, who they are and how they got there.

• Copies of important church documents. Include the constitution and by-laws, articles of incorporation, 503(c) documentation, tax exemption letters, building and inspection permits, and budget and income history.

• Mission and vision statements. Even if they change later, he’ll need to know what you and the congregation had in mind. Make a list of long-term projects and their status.

• Personnel and job descriptions. The unofficial ones are even more important than the printed and voted-on versions. The new pastor needs to know who fills the baptistry, who orders the light bulbs, and who schedules the lawn care.

• Community information. Demographic data, official contacts and referrals, pastors you’ve enjoyed knowing, a good mechanic, a reasonably priced dry cleaner, and your favorite restaurants.

• And a word of encouragement.

Steven A. Long Kissimee, Florida

Uncle Sam Wants You …

… back in the Social Security system.

Almost one-fourth of ministers (23%) have opted out of Social Security, according to a Leadership survey, but tax expert Dan Busby says few left the system for legitimate reasons. Now, a window to return is open for a short time.

“This is an opportunity for thousands of ministers to take a step of integrity and start paying the taxes they owe,” Busby says.

Some pastors withdrew simply because it meant they could keep more of their paychecks, but that wasn’t valid. Form 4361 required a minister to be opposed to receiving (not paying) Social Security and Medicare benefits based on conscientious or religious objections. Pastors who do not presently object for those reasons have until April 15, 2002 to return. That will mean paying Social Security taxes for the years 2000 and 2001.

Pay It God-ward

Intentional acts of kindness turn church outward and upward.

Inspired by the movie Pay It Forward, a Southern California church gave away $10,000 one Sunday just before Thanksgiving and told the recipients, in turn, to give the money to good causes and needy people. Denny Bellesi, pastor of Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, didn’t expect the response—or the press coverage—this planned act of kindness received.

“We thought it was just going to be our little church,” Bellesi says, “and now it’s gone everywhere.”

The $10,000 giveaway was a lesson on stewardship. “What would people do if they stopped to realize, ‘This isn’t my money’?” Bellesi wondered. He preached on the parable of the talents and distributed the cash. His twist on this enacted parable was that afterward he didn’t want a penny back.

During the services, the pastor randomly chose 100 people and handed each one a crisp $100 bill. He also issued three rules: “Recognize this isn’t your money; it belongs to the Master. Invest it in people’s lives outside of this church body; we don’t want the money back. And ninety days from now, tell us what happened.”

For many, deciding how to “pay forward” the $100 wasn’t easy. Some tossed and turned at night. Many found themselves in prayer. Most tell amazing stories: One man wrote his college friends from thirty years ago and shared his idea. With their contributions, his $100 turned into $11,000—enough to fund two missionaries who will show the Jesus film in Africa for a year.

A woman wanted to use her money to buy story books for a children’s hospital. When a disgruntled client at work heard of her plan, his heart softened. “I own a warehouse full of children’s books,” he said. “Come, take all you need.”

“The unchurched world is sick and tired of hearing from the church,” Bellesi says. “I think they want to see something. ‘Is Christianity real? Show us.'”

And his church has, appearing on a number of news shows, and changing lives. Bellesi may not star in Pay It Forward 2, but he has inspired enough stories to fill a book.

—Drew Zahn

Who’s it all about?

Me! (and Harry Potter)

U.S. schoolkids were asked who they think is the most important person in the world today. Among their rankings:

Harper’s Index (Dec. 2000)

Ideas That Work

Wood Shop Catechism

I dreaded teaching junior high Christian education—until I started a hands-on approach much like the vocational courses taught in high school. Our teenagers still recite the books of the Bible and memorize basic doctrines, but they enjoy it more since we combined it with service projects.

In a two-year course, our students serve in 10 ministries. They are given a checklist of tasks and an adult mentor. The teens take over many jobs performed by deacons and elders. Among the more popular choices: reading Scripture in the worship service, teaching Vacation Bible School, helping the altar guild, nursery workers, kitchen staff, ushers, and greeters.

The program has worked well in both parishes I’ve served. Kids who hate tests really like the hands-on approach, and we like knowing we’re training a new generation of church leaders.

David Coffin St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Montpelier, Ohio

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