Raising Modern Day Knights

Recently one of our men attended a ceremony for his grandson at the grandson's church. The ceremony was basically a "coming of age" ceremony. The boy was becoming a man. Our man commented how impressed he was with the ceremony and how big an impact it had made.

It got him wondering, and me as well. Unlike many tribes and peoples, our culture has little or no ceremonies for children, particularly boys, concerned with the passage into manhood. I can think of the Bar Mitzvah for Jewish boys, and the quinceanera for girls who reach the age of 15 in the Mexican culture.

How do boys become men? Who will help them? We live in culture that has largely demasculinized men. I wonder if this could be one reason for the large number of incarcerated men who admittedly had little or no good relationships with their fathers.

All of this has set me to find the answers to the questions. I also will do something I've never done before- preach a series of messages on fatherhood this May-June. We need to recover a sense of manhood in our churches and in our culture. It is also no secret that men are staying away from the church in droves. Perhaps a recovery of true manhood- modern day knighthod- complete with its rituals, training and mores could help.

I'm on a quest.

Transitioning

Back on May 30, 2001, I attended a transitioning conference at People's Church, in Brentwood, Tennessee. It was notable in that the conference had been cancelled, but the handful of attendants didn't get the message until we arrived. Thus, the pastor and staff got us around a round table for a discussion of transitioning issues in a local church. The dialogue was probably more beneficial to me than other conferences I have attended with large groups and "star" speakers.

Among the notes I recently rediscovered:

"16% of the people are absolutely unchangeable. Get used to it."

"To get on with my life, I must face pain."

"We can't lead from preferences. There are too many."

"The laypeople bring involvement to the table. Staff brings commitment."

Advice For Leading Through Change:

1. What is your pain threshold?

2. Relationships, not authority are the keys to leading through change.

3. Decide wisely what hill you are willing to die on.
Some changes are not worth going through.
Maybe you don't need to change something as to start a new thing around it.

4. Decide that core values will drive change, not fads.

5. Guide changes through the mission statement.

6. Introduce ideas regarding change regularly in small groups.

7. Give people time to understand and process change. "Family chats."

8. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

9. Follow a season of intensity with a season of stability.
Down time is important for people.
Sermon series

10. Celebrate, congratulate, appreciate.

11. Create a change culture. Create a culture rather than a change thing.

12. Teach your way out of problems and through change.
Strong leadership doesn't guarantee the absencce of problems.
Rapid growth doesn't excuse unmet needs.
A large church doesn't mean an ineffective ministry.

Spring Break

This week has been...quiet. My family is visiting out of town and I am left behind. "When I come home, my house is dark and pots are cold." I find myself turning on some kind of noise so that it doesn't seem quite so lonely. I understand again God's wisdom in that "it is not good that man should be alone."

On the plus side, I have been able to get many things done:

1. I have reinstalled the Tiger operating system on my Mac. (No small task in and of itself.) This led me to get the new Leopard operating system which arrived today, after being ordered on Monday. Fast service!

2. Because of #1, I have had to backup all my music and files on a backup drive. Again, that is no quick task.

3. I fixed the bad rear tire on my bike (twice- after the "guaranteed not to leak" new tube did so.)

4. I took the bike on a very long ride which ended with the "guaranteed" tube going flat about a mile and a half from home. "Long walk." "Yep."

5. Because it is Spring, the grass has resumed its relentless growth which required yardwork. There was plenty of time for it, especially since the front curb has never been edged before. It will be easier the next time and the next time and the next time and the next...

6. I was able to reorganize my notes and plans for preaching for the next several weeks.

7. I spent extra time at the gym.

8. I didn't spend much time cooking. 'Nuff said.

9. I could watch anything I wanted on TV.

10. I left shoes in the floor every night. No one complained.

Actually, it has been quiet in my world all around. We have had fewer folks in the hospital this week, two staff member off, and less emergencies than usual. I'm try to be realistic, knowing that this too, shall pass.

Everybody needs a break. Mine is coming. In the meantime, someone has to make a living.

Resurrection Day

By convention, we call the day "Easter." It is a wonderful day to celebrate victory- victory over sin, death, and the grave. It is a wonderful day to see old friends, church and family members again and to wish them our best...until we see them again next "Easter."

For us, it was a glorious day. The sunny blue skies could not have made for better weather. The temperature was a bit on the cool side but tolerable. Inside the spirit of the church was also warm and sunny. I don't think I've ever heard our choir and orchestra do a better job. I preached that Jesus endured Friday because Sunday was coming. The service felt powerful and Spirit led. An usher shared that for the first time since he'd been counting, the two middle sections of our church had been above 100 people each. It was a comfortably full auditorium. I was invited to some friend's house for "Easter Gumbo" in part because my wife is out of town visiting her family. I enjoyed the day.

But...

Not to spoil the mood, but I do have a few thoughts on "Easter."

1. Instead of "Easter," I like to call it "Resurrection Day." Isn't that what it is? Agreed that it is a bit awkward, but I have to admit I wanted to substitute this term for "Easter" at every chance I got.

2. I wish everyone who attended church yesterday would make it a regular habit.

3. Over the years, I find that finding fresh ways to proclaim the message of the empty tomb is challenging. It is an old story. But I don't want to lapse into a tired retelling of it. It is too powerful for that.

4. Obviously, our churches have musicals and special events for Resurrection Day, but shouldn't we put the same kind of effort into each Lord's Day?

5. I'll save yesterday for the rainy day file. When things aren't going as well in life or the church, I'll pull out this rose and smell it again.

Oh, the savory fragrance of being in the Lord's House on Resurrection Day!

Fusion

I have spent the better part of the day with my dear friend, Vic Simpson, now a pastor in Maryland who led a number of church leaders in the Fusion and Evangelism seminars.  The Fusion Seminar is concerned with how to turn first time guests into fully engaged members of the church.  These seminars are a fairly new phenomena and we had to work out a few bugs in order to host it.

It was rewarding to have 22 people from as far away from Houston, TX attend.  This says that the material is needed and that the ministry of Church Leader Insights is becoming well known.  I was pleased that we are able to extend the ministry of Nelson Searcy, originator of the material, Vic Simpson, presenter of the material, and our church as distributor of the material.  I am prayerfully hopeful that we are impacting the kingdom of God from our little corner of Southwest Louisiana.

I have struggled for many years with how to close the "back door" of the church.  We have a wide front door, but once people have come through the door, what then?   Fusion provides some guidance.

As if to have the point made clear, one of our laypersons pointed out that in our church, a young person had checked boxes on a communication card desiring to be of service and no one had contacted her.  Ouch!  But it is something I need to hear. We all struggle finding people to do ministry.  But here is a gift handed to us, and we practically reject it.

Connecting people with ministry and service opportunities through our church is fulfilling to me as a church leader and for those involved.  They get a win, our church gets a win, and the kingdom of God is advanced. How could we go wrong?

It's been a long day, but a good day.  The real challenge is to implement the principles we studied.  Fortunately, I now have a team with which to do it.  Lesson for church leaders: Always encourage people to attend conferences and seminars with you.  When you implement new ministries and strategies, you have a support team already in place.

Who Is The Real Celebrity?

Of all places, it happened at a Texas Baptist Evangelism Conference I once attended.  But it is happening every day.
 
Three speakers were on the program that night.  One was a pastor.  One was an evangelist.  One was a professional football player.  Each man spoke of what Christ meant in his life.  Each man gave inspiring messages. 
 
The phenomenon I noticed occurred when the session was over.  As the people spilled out of the convention center, some stayed behind to visit with the speakers.  Who do you think attracted the biggest crowd?
 
The evangelist who poured out his heart?  The pastor who shared a powerful message God placed on his heart?  Or the football player who told of his Christian faith on and off the field?
 
You probably guessed it.  When the session was over, the crowd swarmed around the football player, seeking his autograph.  Hardly anyone spoke to the evangelist or pastor.  These two stood around smiling at folks and watching them crowd the football player.
 
Don't get me wrong.  I am glad for football players who live for Christ on and off the field.  Our society seems to worship sports figures and actors.  But it tends to ignore at best and insult at worst, preachers.
 
In eternity, will it matter whether one was a sports star or preacher?  Will one be more important than another to God?  I think not.  Our God is no respecter of persons.  It will not matter who they were in this life, how popular they were, or how well they played the game.  But it will matter whether they knew Jesus.  When they know him, everyone is special.
 
 

Easter Celebration

We spent a couple of sunburned hours yesterday on the church grounds manning beanbag toss booths, snack and treat tables, and a dunking booth, among other things.  I was greatly relieved, for it was my understanding that I would be a "victim" of the dunking booth.   Fortunately, I was spared by a couple of men who joyfully took turns being dunked.  "It's all for the cause,"  they agreed.

Of course, there was the traditional Easter egg hunt for the younger children.  I saw no frowns anywhere.  All seemed to be having a great time.

It was a glorious afternoon, the kind that I would order and save for a rainy day if I could.  A couple of people were discussing various types of sunscreen which made me wish I had I brought and used some of my own.  Fortunately, as I write a day later, my face is only slightly pink.

It was joy to see young families come out.  Some carried young children, others pushed strollers, and some simply chased their children around.

There was a table set up where volunteers shared "Gospel Candy," which is the story of the Gospel told with sweets.  It was a colorful hit as well.

The Celebration was a team effort headed up by our able children's minister, Amy.  

As I perused the Saturday paper, I noticed that seemingly every other church in our area had the same idea. There were bouncy jumps and egg hunts- "The Area's Largest," one headline shouted.  Some are doing them this weekend, some next weekend.  But seems everyone is doing them.

But one question our children's minister asked last weekend has me wondering.  "What if we took the money we spend on Easter Celebration and do something else with it?"  I wish she wouldn't ask questions like this.  I haven't stopped thinking about the implications of this think-out-loud query. 

What if we took the money we spent on Easter Celebration and used it some other way to reach and minister to people?

There would be fewer  bouncy jump rentals, which are a momentary thrill.  There would less candy bought, which may save trips to the Dentist.  And there would be the possibility of someone being touched with the gospel of Jesus Christ, which can save a soul.

What if?  The possibilities simply shine like the sun on beautiful Spring afternoon.