Big Is The New Small

Sorry for the late post; but we have been really engaged in our LifeChurch.tv December Event;  which is leadership, vision and training event for LifeChurch.tv staff and spouses.   My quote for today is the title of our event, it is the opposite of Deja Vu.  Here it is:

Vuja De: “The sense of seeing something for the first time, even if you have seen it many times before.”

What are some things in our personal life or job that we experience and do every day; however they are constantly teaching us new things?

This week I am going to share some quick Drive-Thru Lessons that I have learned from several successful Drive-Thru type restaurants.  I think these lessons can be applied to life, work or ministry. 

Drive-Thru Lesson 1 (of 4)   

One of my favorite Drive-thru or rather Drive-in spots is Sonic Drive-in.  Here is a business who has it all figured out.  Sonic has basically said that we are not going to spend a whole bunch of money on a building, nor spend a bunch of money on personnel costs; instead we will give you a parking space with a screen to push a button to place your order.  What if churches were to take a similar approach?  At LifeChurch.tv we don’t spend a bunch of money on our buildings and we staff very lean; however we provide a quality, consistent and memorable experience.  

It’s important to remember that We Don’t Care about Your Fancy Building or Stained Glass Windows, but rather your product.  I am not saying that we should not invest and spend money in our place of worship; we just need to be wise with our spending.  As the “Church” continues to evolve, I believe people will be more and more turned off by lavish buildings. 

Thoughts from Sonic:

• The Mint- Tradition started by founder to remind customers that they are worth a mint.
• The Ad Campaign- Two hilarious and goofy guys in the drive-thru
• The Product- Consistent, Fresh, Variety and Evolving
• The Results- 3,300 Stores, Forbes Magazine, 20 years of positive sales growth 

Do you really care about a fancy church building?  Do you appreciate the Sonic concept?  Share your thoughts! 

I think I am going to order a Cranberry Apple Limeade, easy ice, extra cherry!

Thankful 3 (of 4) 

There are so many things that are readily accessible that I am extremely thankful for.  I am going to share three of them: Books, Blogs and Bibles: 

Books:  We are taught from an early age the importance of reading and the impact it has on a child’s performance in other areas.  The same is true for adults; as our world becomes more complex reading helps us to figure out our place in it.  I don’t care what you read, just read something and be thankful for all of the books that you have access to.    

Blogs:  Blogs have become a great tool for me to learn, develop relationships, be entertained and be stretched on a daily basis.  Blogs are impacting and changing the world in a major way.  Think of blogs from a historical perspective; how powerful would it have been to read Martin Luther King Jr.’s blog daily.  What if we could have read The First Letter of Peter through his blog or got a quote from Moses on his blog or if the Disciples were able to read each others blog?  I am thankful that I have the opportunity to blog and I have access to countless blogs.

Bibles: My Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel was asked a question in an interview by a ministry magazine; the question was “If you could have your people do one thing that would be most valuable for your church to change the world, what would it be?” Craig’s response “I would have our people daily read God’s word, and not just read it but do what it says.”  That is the bottom line truth; period, exclamation point.!  It is God’s Living Word!  You can watch Craig’s message here.  

Are we thankful enough for God’s word that we read it daily and do what it says?  Share your thoughts on Books, Blogs and Bibles!   

I have been loosely following the recent United States Senate Committee on Finances’ investigation of several Mega Church Pastors finances.  This probe is being led by Senator Charles Grassley (R) of Iowa.  Grassley said that he is investigating the finances of these pastors and their Mega Churches because of several complaints from the public and news media about some of the ministers’ huge salaries, multi-million dollar mansions, Rolls Royce and Bentley automobiles and even a $23,000 dollar toilet.  “A lot of money is going down the toilet, you could say” said Senator Grassley.  The Churches and Pastors being investigated include:  Creflo Dollar, Bishop Eddie Long, Paula White, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer and Kenneth Copeland.   

In Oklahoma last night a local news station researched the purchase price of some local Mega Pastor’s homes ranging from $95,000 to $1,000,000.  Most people interviewed didn’t seem to care; however one person interviewed said, “I live in a $150,000 home and if my pastor is living in a $1,000,000 home, I think I need to find a new church.”    Are you kidding me, that’s almost like saying I have a $150,000 house and my doctor has a $1,000,000 house, so I need to find a new doctor!  There are many stories of pastors being generous and not taking salaries from their church because of the Success of their books….   Hmmmmm Success vs. Excess, who is the judge?  

Is the Success vs. Excess standard only for Pastors?  Do you feel that pastors should only drive modest cars, own modest houses and have modest things?  I would love to hear your thoughts, perspectives and personal stories!    

The Bigger and more Successful your minsitry, the Smaller and more modest your spending?  BigIsTheNewSmall

Let’s talk about one of those Big Pink Elephant in the Room subjects that no one wants to talk about; yes I’m talking about Sex Offenders and the church.  I worked with an exclusive sex offender population for many years during my career in corrections.  It was during those years that I realized that Sex Offenders were one of the few populations that were treated differently; both behind the walls of a prison and on the streets of society.   Let’s be honest sex offenders are definitely not treated nice in prison and they can be treated equally as bad by their neighbors/society when they are released.     

The real question is should sex offenders be treated differently by the church and faith communities.  There is overwhelming research that sex offenders have the propensity to re-offend, which puts everyone on red alert.  That’s why Sex Offenders are all in a national database and are required to register upon their release.  There are over a half million registered sex offenders in the U.S.; Texas leads the nation with well over 51,000 registered sex offenders and Florida is a close second.  If you put a truth serum in most Christians they will tell you that they are uncomfortable around and even scared of sex offenders; especially when it comes to their children.  Let’s face it, insurance companies even have exclusionary clauses for churches that hire or allow sex offenders to volunteer; in other words no coverage. 

The church must play a critical role in helping sex offenders develop a relationship with Christ; in order for them to restore their lives, rebuild relationships and have freedom from certain thoughts/behaviors.  Hmmmmm, this same process applies to each of us and our sinful nature! 

Should Sex Offenders be allowed to be on staff, volunteer or be in a role that officially represents a church?  Is it appropriate for Sex Offenders to volunteer w/ children? Share your thoughts!

Yesterday we talked about, “It’s All About the Numbers” and there were some great comments and feedback.  My man David Turner wrote the following comment: “Many people don’t invite because they aren’t really plugged in themselves.  When you catch the vision of what God is doing at your church, you are more motivated to extend an invitation.”  The getting plugged in and catching the vision is critical; once you get individuals through the doors.  Some of the important areas to “get plugged into” include but are not limited to:

• Biblical Community, Small Groups
• Serving within the local church
• Giving cheerfully of money and resources
• Serving within the community
• To “Go” on missions and “Be” a missionary
• Go into all the world and share Christ’s Love

We must understand that each of these things happen at different rates, for different people and I think it’s OK to be patient.  It is equally as important to understand that we will not have the opportunity to do many of the above, if we don’t get people through the doors.  If we succeed at getting people catch the vision and get plugged in, then we are able to lead them to “GO” in to “All The World.”  Last time I checked evangelism was defined as: a zealous enthusiasm for a cause.  I can’t think of a more important cause to have a zeal and enthusiasm for, than leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ, which more times than not will happen through God’s chosen vessel “The Church.”  Remember that every number represents a name of an individual who will have the opportunity to be confronted with the Gospel.  If we do our part to get those numbers through the doors, God will change their lives.  Aren’t we talking about eternal life and eternal death?   

Should every weekend be a “Bring A Friend” weekend, and is your church “All About The Numbers?”  What are some other positives/negatives about being “All About The Numbers?”  Share Your Thoughts!

What I am going to share might not be popular, sexy, or politically correct; however I am going to say it anyway “It’s All About the Numbers.”  Yes, I am referring to the number of people that attend our church and your church each and every weekend.  The reason that “It’s All About the Numbers” is because behind each and every one of those numbers is a name.  About six years ago my family and I were simply some numbers that walked through the doors of LifeChurch.tv and some years later we represent Scott, LaKendria, Wesley and Jayden who’s lives are continuing to be changed.  Many of you have the exact same story or know someone with a story similar to mine; a number that walked through the doors of a church, which now represents a fully engaged partner of a church.  Here are some stats to gnaw on:

• 195 million non-churched people in America
• Only China, India and Indonesia have more lost people
• Each year 3,500 to 4,000 churches close their doors forever
• Each year only 1,100 to 1,500 new churches are started

On the Swerve blog, Craig is posting a series titled the “Future of the Church.”  In his post today (read it here) he discussed some of the changes churches made to be more “seeker sensitive.”   Although we are making some progress, in my opinion of the nearly 400,000 churches in America, there is far too many that:

• Assume everyone is a believer when they come to church.
• Assume everyone knows the language, has a Bible, or even cares about Christ.
• Are more inward-focused.

Yes, some churches need to change the way they think; however it’s time for us to get off of our politically correct, lazy, comfortable, and scared to say the wrong thing behinds and bring people through our doors.  Remember that every number represents a name!  

When was the last time you invited someone to church?  Is it all about the numbers?  Share your thoughts!

I would really like to get some comments and feedback on this one question.  All of you RSS readers, please chime in and share your thoughts as well!  OK, here is the question:

Should Pastors be able to drink alcohol in public?  Why or why not?  Is this a situational question?  Share your thoughts, share scripture…just sound off on this subject; you all have an opinion, and we want to hear them!

Last week Craig posted a blog on Swerve entitled “Where is God Working” in which he asked people to share some churches where God is doing something special…..  There were a ton of churches shared from around the country and I have been checking out many of the websites.  I ran across a comment that I thought was complimentary and intriguing; the NW Oklahoma City Campus of LifeChurch.tv was mentioned in a comment by Jimmy Paravane.  His comment also made me think about the about the “A-Word” Assume/Assumptions.  Below is the exact comment:

“3 churches in OKC come to mind. 1. The NW OKC Campus of LifeChurch.tv at http://www.lifechurch.tv/?p=745. Scott Williams is black! What’s he doing as Campus Pastor of a white-flight mega-multi-site church! Some of my assumptions about LifeChurch.tv could just possibly be wrong. This MAY call for some further research.”

I had read a post over a month ago entitled “Stereotype” from my friend in the blogsphere Anne Jackson; in which she outlined the stereotypical contemporary church pastor.  For the most part it’s accurate, I just happen to be the exception instead of the rule.  The post on Swerve today entitled “Kingdom Minded” really sheds light on assuming, divisiveness and speaking well of others.  If we don’t make any assumptions or only assume the best about people, pastors, ministries, styles…. it changes our perspective.   I am not saying that some of the assumptions and stereotypes are not accurate, I’m simply saying be careful and remember when we ASSUME, it can make a _ _ _ out of you and me.  

BTW- What am I doing as Campus Pastor of a white-flight mega-multi-site church? 

We are all guilty of assuming and stereotyping pastors and churches.  What are some stereotypes or assumptions that you have about: Contemporary Churches, LifeChurch.tv, Joel Osteen, “The Black Church,” Baptist Churches…..?