General Baptist National Missions Blog

Performance vs. Transformation

November 29, 2007

Ever felt like you were just going through the motions? As a pastor or church planter, we get so busy "doing stuff" that sometimes we end up feeling as if we are just going through the motions. I wonder if we allow enough time in our schedules to slow down and allow God to transorm our hearts?

I have had the privilege of traveling around the U.S. and listening to many wonderful pastors ,and some not so good ones as well ,over the last few years. What I've noticed is that whether or not they are traditional or contemporary, expositional or topical, confrontational or narrative, some preach to perform and others preach out of their transformation. Let me explain:

I have heard many wonderfully scripted and polished messages, yet there seemed to be little passion or authenticity. At other times I've listened to poorly scripted and planned out messages, and yet was cut to the very depths of my heart. Was it because the Spirit spoke to me through the one and not the other? Possibly. Yet, I think something more was happening as well.

So often in our performance driven society pastors are expected to hit a "homerun" every Sunday. So, as pastors we look for that perfect message or perfect series to "WOW" the audience. We work hard to polish our messages in order to drive home our point with a series of strong stories and catchy phrases. Yet, week after week, it seems as if we preach to closed ears and deaf hearts. I wonder if it is because we have focused too much on performance and not from a transformation of our own hearts?

I'm not talking about whether the pastor borrowed the sermon off the internet or wrote it themselves. It goes deeper than that. A pastor can use another man's message and be profoundly and personally affected. A pastor doesn't have to be originial to be transformed by the word.

I heard Wayne Corderio share it this way. He said that as pastor's we tend to preach like this.

(He took his hand grabbed at his bible and threw his hands out as if scattering the words of God on us.)

Wayne continued by sharing that the most effective and powerful preaching comes when we preach like this.

(He took his hand grabbed at his bible, brought his hand to his heart as if spreading the word into his heart. He then took his hand grabbed at his heart and threw it at the crowd as if scattering the seed of transformation.)

I guess what I am saying is, good preaching is more than simply sharing a polished story, reading a few pungent scriptures and calling for a time of commitment. Good preaching inloves, the transformation of the speaker. Before we can expect the people to be touched and transformed by God's word, we, as pastors, must be touched and transformed by God's word.

We can perform well, once the word of God has transformed us. The question remains whether or not we can perform well without transformation first?

Posted 11/29/2007 in Stephen Gray

2 Comments - Add Comment

Life In The Fast Lane.

November 13, 2007

Church planting requires focus, and hard work. Never a dull moment and never a moment of peace. The demands grow greater as the church begins to grow and soon we find that every waking moment is spent "doing" something in the church. "It's our baby and we have to make sure it survives and thrives." We have invested our lives into this work and so we get busier and busier trying to make it better and stronger. The fact is the harder we work the more buried, behind and busy we get. God has created us to have rest. Don't live life in the fast lane.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels like the day always ends about three hours too early. There are some days that pass me by and I’m wondering what happened. Dance lessons, ball games, music lessons, homework - before we know it, bath time and bedtime. Where does the time go on weekdays? We as adults are busy with these daily responsibilities in our fast-paced society. Microwaves help prepare quick meals, drive-throughs provide food on the run and while an occasional evening of "running" is okay, a lifestyle of being on the run can be very stressful. In fact life on the run exemplifies most families today.
I have been the National Missions Director now for two years. I have discovered, it's not everything it was billed to be. Up early, on the road late, meeting hundreds of people and spending little time with family.

Does that resemble your life in any way? It does for millions of Americans everyday. Your day may not be exactly the same, but it’s just as hectic.

Here is what I am learning. I hope it helps you to avoid my pitfalls.

1. Constantly running at break-neck speed is exhausting in every aspect of life physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Our bodies can only handle so much activity and when we live a hurried life we will begin to see signs of this lifestyle become evident in our health. We suffer with personal illness and depression. Stress, heart attacks, constant illnesses of all kinds and chronic fatigue. Some of you here today are seeing doctors right now for things that are related to the constant stress which you allow in your life.
When Jesus was in the midst of His ministry he sent out the disciples to preach in the surrounding cities when they returned Jesus said to them. Mark 6:31-32 “Jesus said, come of by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest. For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.” (Message) Jesus recognized that the body will wear down if not properly rested. In fact this is not a new concept. In Gen 2 We see God putting his stamp of approval on one day for the purpose of rest. He called it the Sabbath. In the book of Exodus, as He was giving the law to Moses, He declared, “Work for six days, and rest on the seventh. This will give your ox and donkey a chance to rest. It will also allow the people of your household, including your slaves and visitors, to be refreshed.” (NLT) God created this body and understands the effects of a hurried life. When we abuse our physical bodies because we are not treating them properly, it becomes a spiritual problem. 1Cor. 6:20 "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's” (NKJ)

2. Living a life without margins breaks down the family. I have found that my children suffer because I am not there to give them the full attention they need. Pro 22:6 says, “teach your children to chose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.” (NLT) Actions speak louder than words. If you want your children to grow up living the hurried life, teach them early and they won’t depart form it.

3. Life without margins causes Spiritual weakness. Living life in the fast lane has serious spiritual ramifications. If you are anything like me, by the time the day is over, you finally sit down and attempt to read the Bible you are almost too tired to do so. Soon you find yourself drifting off to sleep. The eyes grow tired and pretty soon we find that you've read the same verse ten times and we still don’t know what it says. When we are not feasting on the word of God our spirit’s are dying of malnutrition.

My challenge, as well as yours is to sit down and learn to set proper margins in your life. Proper rest, quiet time with God, fun with the family are all godly endeavors. Sometime, as pastors, we get it into our mind that the harder we work for God the stronger our spiritual life becomes. In reality that is rarely the case.

Posted 11/13/2007 in Stephen Gray

1 Comment - Add Comment

Planting Fast-Growing Churches

October 30, 2007

A new book hit the market today called Planting Fast-Growing Churches. This book looks at the differences between slower growth, struggling church plants and fast-growing, dynamic church plants. Fast-growing churches are those that have reached 200 in average attendance and self-support within the first three years from public launch. This is a strongly reccommended book for any serious about church planting.

For more information on this book email Fastgrowingchurchplants@yahoo.com or go the ChurchSmart Resources and order the book. http://www.churchsmart.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=1141.

Read Ed Stetzer's Foreword, below the book cover.

PLANTING FAST-GROWING CHURCHES

FOREWORD BY Ed Stetzer

Throughout history, people have learned by oral tradition and from the stories of others. For centuries, workers’ skills and crafts were refined primarily by learning from others’ successes and failures. Today, however, this practice appears to be less common, particularly in Christian ministries like church planting.
It seems like everyone is a church planting expert nowadays. Many are making pronouncements about what works and what doesn’t; few are doing the work necessary to confirm their assumptions. Church planting books are being cranked out like romance novels—lots of promises and passion, but little facts on what does and what doesn’t help church plants succeed.
While common sense and intuition are often accurate, sometimes they are not. And while scientific data and the cold, hard facts are often helpful when predicting future performance, they are also fallible. However, common sense that is also backed by scientific research is a valuable resource, and a gift to those whose everyday work can be helped by the insight it provides. This is what Stephen Gray has given us in title.

Testing Common Assumptions
In this book, Gray tests the soundness of many commonly-held church planting strategies and theories by surveying plants from around the country and analyzing the significant differences between those that struggle and those that thrive. The results of this report offer an array of rich findings for church planters, planting coaches and denominational leaders, who should find in it encouragement and helpful information, as well as a few warnings.
Church planters should be encouraged that many of Gray’s findings support the conventional wisdom about church planting. For example, the study found that church planters who had strong emotional support, personal investment and conceptual freedom were more likely to succeed than those who had weaker support, investment or freedom. The research should also push planters to more and better preparation, as it confirms the effectiveness of the steady plodding by those who allot time to raise their own support and maintain relationships with coaches or other supportive figures.

Warnings to Note
The findings should also come as a warning to some—cautioning against three particular errors in planting. When we plant in a hurry, without freedom of vision, or with a poor funding system, we are more likely to fail.
The first error is haste, when the plant launches and consequently struggles because of insufficient planning or resources. These planters may have launched the plant too early, before the time was ripe and the necessary funding, staff or core group members had been gathered.
Birthing a church is like birthing a baby—certain systems must be in place for it to be successful. A premature baby may not survive if he or she is born too early, and, if they do survive, their development tends to take longer. So it is with successful church plants; a healthy birth requires the right amount of time for preparation and development.
The second error consists in planting a church with a top-heavy, agenda-driven structure, as the study’s results reveal that leaders who have little conceptual freedom are more likely to struggle. This might be a plant from a large church that is led by a pastor (or denomination, network, etc.) with a very specific, recognizable personality and ministry emphasis. Although not willing to invest themselves personally, the “overseers” are happy to throw money at the plant—so long as it remains faithful to the likeness of the mother church. Gray’s study shows that these “clones” tend to have a very poor life expectancy.
The third error deals with finances. Gray has again reminded us that planting a new church requires much more than just financial investment. Church planters need to pay close attention to this finding: The churches that received more funding for longer periods of time were overall less effective than churches that received less funding for shorter periods of time.
Granted, money can be a major factor in getting a church off the ground or getting the word out. But, when it comes to building an effective church, in the long run it appears that too much money has the reverse effect. A significant number of the successful new churches in Gray’s study became mostly self-supporting within the first 6 months of their launch.

Listen and Heed
So where do we go from here? “Listen, listen, listen!” the Proverbs repeat, reminding our prone-to-wander ears of the rewards of wisdom. When attempting a work as important to the Kingdom as church planting, this advice is essential. Gray’s report is a significant addition to the conversation about church planting strategies and, if the planter is prepared to accept it, a new tool to help church planters plant more and better churches.
It is not often that you get the advice of 112 church plants, with clear results from some that are thriving and some that are struggling. So, seize the opportunity provided by this unique book.
You will be encouraged as you read this book. If you haven’t planted a church yet, let this study soak in; you have much to learn, but don’t ever lose the teachable spirit you have right now. If you are a seasoned church planter, you may be challenged to think a little differently about the types of churches you create. Either way, consider this an oral history of lessons learned, passed on to you through this book.

Posted 10/30/2007 in Church Planting

2 Comments - Add Comment

Church Plants And Tithing

October 4, 2007

A lot of conversations take place about the issue of tithing and church plants. Over the last few years I have heard many church planters and church planting leaders passionately defend their viewpoint of the issue of tithing. Should a church plant be required to tithe from the beginning? Should the tithe be directed back toward the birthing entity, denomination or should it be focused on the community in which the church plant is being birthed? What do you think? Here are the three most popular ideas being shared and defended. (Maybe you can add another.)

No. A church plant should not be required to tithe from the start. It is expensive to plant a church and they need every dime they can gather in order to survive. A plant should be given at least 3 to 5 years to get on its feet before tithing.
No. A church plant should not be required to tithe, but they should give something. A new church needs a lot of money to start off right, but should give a portion of their income toward the birthing entity. The rest of their money should be focused on the community it is trying to reach.
Yes. A church plant should be obedient from the start. They should tithe back to the entity that birthed it in order to assist in the planting of other churches. God does not ask us to obey in increments. God will not bless us if we don't do what's right form the beginning. Besides, tithing off of a little, from the start, is easier than trying to tithe once the budget goes up. If tithing is not in the DNA of a church from the start, it will be hard to start later on.

Posted 10/4/2007 in Stephen Gray

3 Comments - Add Comment

Church Planter Training

September 28, 2007

Recent research reveals that greater care must be taken when training church planters for the field. Often church planters attend a one week/three day seminar. But is it enough?

God has not called us to be foolish about our preparation for the work he has commissioned us to do. Any denomination that takes church planting seriously should focus on the issue of training. That training should be specifically designed to prepare a church planter for work on the field.

Sixteen years of ministry in an established church did not prepare me for the difficulties involved in church-planting. Most of what I learned I gained through reading and mentoring from outside my own denomination. I was lacking a broad base of knowledge required to be an effective church planter. A proper training, specifically designed for church planters, would have given me a greater level of success.

This realization that specialized training is a necessary part of good church-planting has grown over the last decade. Bob Logan was one of the first to offer a “boot camp” for church planters. The success of those boot camps has led to the development of others. Now, dozens of parachurch organizations that offer the training needed to prepare planters more adequately for the process.

While many church and parachurch organizations have recognized the need for this type of training, few have researched the impact of training on church-planting. An analysis completed by the North American Mission Board, on the church-planting process of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2003, shows that training made a major impact on the effectiveness of their church-planting efforts. Worship attendance of churches whose pastor had received specialized training was three times higher than those who received no training. Church-planting training has become a key component of the church-planting process.

The research studied the difference between struggling church plants and fast-growing church plants. A total of 21 difference were discovered between these two groups. One of the findings revealed that more training may be need to prepare a church planter than has been typically offered.

Planters leading fast-growing church plants indicated they received significantly more church plating training than did leaders of struggling church plants. A majority of struggling church plants (76.5 percent) received less than a week of training. By contrast, a majority of fast-growing church planters (74.4 percent) received one week or more of training more than two weeks of training.

The implication of this discovery is huge. Most church planting seminars are designed around a two to three day event. This study implies that further development is needed to extend the training of individuals in order to prepare them for the specialized field of church planting. Whether that training comes all at once or is broken into smaller pieces may be inconsequential.

Most denominations would never dream of sending a missionary to a foreign field without adequate preparation. Missionaries are taught would about the culture and traditions, along with a host of other issues pertaining to the mission field. Many missionaries spend months on end at language schools learning how to speak the language so they share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, when it comes to the missions field at our back door we send a planter to a three day seminar and wish them the best. If church planting is as important as we claim it to be, then we must do better.

Posted 9/28/2007 in Stephen Gray

2 Comments - Add Comment

Should we celebrate when churches die?

September 24, 2007

Churches die. That's a fact. Yet, many of us have bought into the idea that our church was meant to last until Jesus comes. That is simply not the case. Too often churches struggling to stay alive pursue the search for the fountain of youth. Many believe that if they can’t find that fountain of youth, the doors will close and they will be considered a failure. While we may mourn the passing of a great work, I think we need to correct our ecclesiology.

Understand that there is a big difference between "church" with a small "c" and "Church" with a capital "C". The Church (capital C) is eternal and will never die. But, the local church (small c) is community of believers. Those involved in these local community of believers age, move away, and eventually die. Churches have life-cycles. Some last longer than others and some are churches for a season.

If a church closing is a failure, then all of the churches of Acts were miserable failures. Realize not one of them exists today. However, what we do have is the legacy they left. The churches of Acts were springboards, stopping off points in history for the spreading of the gospel. They served as the foundation for future works. Your church is proof of that. Your church exists today because the churches of Acts were sending bodies that did not think about self-preservation. Rather, they thoughts about the multiplication of the kingdom and the spreading of the good news.

No church was intended to be around forever. The problem rests in the fact that many congregations see their church as a castle to protect, instead of a small part of God’s kingdom-building process. We are not called to be castle fortifiers, but kingdom builders. We need to come to terms with the fact that many of our churches will not last for another 15 years, but they might be a stepping stone in the history of God’s multiplying and spreading kingdom. Instead of fighting to keep a church on life-support, let's celebrate what God has done. Let's have proper funeral and throw a party for their faithfulness.

Can you imagine what might happen if churches fighting to stay alive, where celebrated, closed and the assets where used to plant another vibrate, growing church? What kind of a legacy could that church leave for future generations?

Posted 9/24/2007 in Stephen Gray

2 Comments - Add Comment