Building Relationships

Anytime a new leader goes into a church one of the very first things he or she should work on is building those relationships. In church life, unlike the business world, the church is filled mostly with volunteers so positional leadership is very short-lived and only gives one a starting place. People do not buy into ideas until they buy into the person. Trust is the number one character trait a leader must have and while it may be given in a small amount in the beginning, mostly it must be earned over time.

Over the last several weeks we have gone to dinner with six different couples in the church and I must say we enjoyed every single outing. No dinner has lasted less than three hours and the discussion topics were all over the place. I try to make it a point not to talk about church related things at all unless the other party brings it up. It is always interesting to hear about how couples met, what their hobbies are and how they found their way to the church.

In the men's class I am teaching we recently switched over to the Explore The Bible series curriculum, at least for now. Later other options will be considered. Curriculum choices should involve several factors and the experience of the teacher is a big one so knowing where they are in their spiritual journey is important.

We will continue to go to dinner with folks every week if possible until we have made one complete round. Also I will begin scheduling a time to visit each man in my SS class in their home for a short visit. In the classroom slowly we will begin the process from learning Biblical Truths to putting them in practice. By that I mean what we learn one week, a challenge will be given for those in the class to go out in the following week and put the truth into action with myself leading the way. I will then encourage my classmates to share their experience the following Sunday...though no one will be called on specifically. They will also have the option to share their experiences via e-mail, phone or text with me if they are more comfortable with that.

The church has sponsored a little league baseball team and both of the coaches are from our church so we will definitely be attending some of those games. We have invited the whole church out to the camp at the end of this month for a church-wide fellowship which we are also looking forward to. Stay tuned!

First Leadership Meeting

After everyone enjoyed pizza for lunch and the children were taken care of, the pastor began our meeting with prayer and then put in a video about leadership from John Maxwell.  I have long been a student of John Maxwell and was very familiar with the principles being taught, though I do not have the video that was being shown.  

After the video the pastor introduced me and I took about 20 minutes giving a broad vision of where we are headed in Sunday School.  I did introduce a few small changes that will begin on the first Sunday in April.  The first was introducing class rolls, which have not been used in the two months we have been here. I also asked the teachers not to think of these as class rolls but instead, to think of them as Ministry Lists (which is how they are officially labeled).  The people on this list are ones God has entrusted to our care.  Having ones name on this list does not obligate them to a class, bur rather obligates us to them.  

I also wanted all the Teachers from this day forward not to think of themselves as Teachers but as Shepherd/Leaders.  The most important characteristic I am looking for in a teacher--or make that Shepherd/Leader--is that they care about those on their ministry lists and demonstrate it.  There are some visitor/enrollment cards that will be included in their Shepherd/Leader packets on Sunday and we talked about how important this is.  I will also be handing out information sheets for all church members to fill out so we can begin a database.  We also briefly discussed the importance of keeping in contact with those on the the ministry list who are in-service.

We have now been to dinner with three couples in the church and have another one scheduled for Sunday after church.  There are some wonderful folks here and we are excited about getting to know them all better.  On another note Denise met with the pastor's wife on Friday and has been working diligently on launching the Women's Ministry which should kick-off in April.

Building a Dynamic Sunday School

Over the next year I have decided to use my blog to chronicle the process of building the Sunday School ministry within the church where we are currently serving.   While the entries will not be daily, I intend to make them on a regular basis.  It is my firm belief that when a Sunday School ministry is built correctly and is the foundation of the church, God is glorified, problems in the church are few, the gospel is shared on a regular basis, both physical and spiritual needs are met, worship is meaningful,  true disciples are made and there is never a shortage of leaders.

The Beginning

After several meetings with the pastor it is clear we are both on the same page on just about everything, especially leadership and Sunday School.  He prayed about us coming to the church and we prayed about it as well.  After attending worship services at the church we met with the Church Council to further explain what our ministry is about and to answer any questions they had.  It was decided that we could help the church so the following Sunday the pastor publicly announced us.  I will be serving as the Sunday School Director.

First Steps

The pastor and I communicate on a regular basis and one of the things I had mentioned to him that is a normal practice of ours when coming to a new church is to begin forming relationships with the people.  We have been to dinner with two couples in the church so far and another is planned for this week.  My wife is meeting the pastor's wife for lunch this week and I have already been to lunch a couple of times with the pastor. 

We have been here now for about four weeks and last week I became the Men's Sunday School class teacher.  This was a move agreed upon by all parties.  The seating in the class was set-up with four rows of church pews as seating and a lectern up front for the teacher.  Before teaching last Sunday I moved the lectern out and brought in padded chairs and arranged them in a circle.  I like it when everyone can see each other and it also works better for class participation, which I encourage.

Here is where we are starting from:  one adult ladies class, one adult men's class, one children's class (5 years to 5th grade), one youth class (6th to 12th grade), and a nursery class (infant-4 years).  No records are being kept presently, so there is no accurate record on attendance.  Our first Leadership (teacher's) meeting will take place this Sunday right after the service where we will provide lunch and childcare.  This will be mostly introductory and a vision of the importance of Sunday School and where we are going.  Class rolls have been created and will be included with a teacher packet which will be given to all teachers.  It will also include Visitor/New Member Cards (which are non-existent currently). My best guess is there around 55 attending the church.

The church just began a new ministry a few weeks ago that I think is a great idea; they sponsored a baseball team.  The children's minister here is the coach and another gentleman who helps out in the children's ministry is helping him as well.  I can already see outreach ideas popping up for this one!

One of the gentlemen who was in the Men's SS Class the week before I started teaching was absent last week so I asked the Pastor if he would like to join me on a visit to the man's house Tuesday night, which he did.  He is planning on being there Sunday.  I also spoke to another gentleman Wednesday night who has been coming to church but not to SS and asked him to join us on Sunday morning which he said he would.  I believe my first Sunday to teach we had a total of nine in the class.

There is currently no women's ministry at the church, but I have spoken to the pastor about this and how this is where Denise's heart is.  He is definitely in favor of starting this up and will speak with the Church Council soon.

We have no set/standard curriculum for SS but that will be changing soon as well.

Incomplete Strategy

One of the greatest mistakes of my generation, as leaders and teachers in the church, is that we have been satisfied with those in our care simply learning what has been taught. This is an incomplete strategy and does not lead to discipleship.  We are experiencing this lack of "true discipleship" all across the country.  We believe that it is our responsibility to equip the Saints so we teach and challenge our people but take lightly the area of follow-up and accountability.     Lifestyle evangelism and relationship building have taken the place of personal witnessing.  Now don't get me wrong, both of these certainly have a place in the believer's life but not at the expense of one on one sharing our faith.  It all starts with leadership in the church and for one reason or another we have dropped the ball in this area.  Certainly if leaders are not sharing their faith on a regular basis then they can not expect their people to do so.  It is important for us to see God at work.  If we want our people to invite folks to church, then they need to see and hear about those we have invited and are coming on a regular basis.  If we want people to share their faith personally, then they need to hear about our experiences and see God's saving faith in action.  Equipping is more than teaching and providing resources it is taking others with us as we go.  The Lord has convicted me first of the things mentioned here which is why I have put it in the blog.  I used to do these things when I taught a Sunday School class years ago and have made a renewed committment to get back to what I know should be happening. 

Band-Aid On A Puncture Wound

As the talks heat up a recommendation is surely coming concerning changing the name of the Southern Baptist Convention/Denomination.  It seems to me just one more step down the road we have been on for awhile now.  Membership in most all religious groups is down and has been falling so the powers at be scramble to try anything to stop or at least slow down the skid.  How exactly will a name change help?  Oh I have read the articles and heard the arguments about how "Southern Baptist" carries so much baggage or other peoples preconceived ideas may turn their heads.  If the denomination continues to stand firm on their beliefs then all we are really doing is putting on a disguise until they get in the door then right?    Was there a survey taken somewhere that is guiding this issue?  Is this seeker sensitive taken too far?  What is on the horizon....if teaching and preaching that Jesus is the only way offends the majority will that then be toned down as well?  Where does scripture say that majority rule should guide the church anyway?

Our world is all about trying to fix the external things because fixing the internal problems are hard and take much time and effort.  When churches began changing the name of Sunday School classes to Life Groups and everything else under the sun, did the attendance rise dramatically?  The church has changed through the years and certainly our methods may need to if it will equate to reaching more people for the kingdom.  That being said I have witnessed so many changes that came about because it is what the people wanted and not necessarily what God had revealed to the leadership.  Where do we ever find in scripture the people staying on the right road on their own or coming back to God without a Godly leader who comes on the scene to lead them back?

There are many smart folks out there with all kind of degrees who would point to this or that as the reasons for the decline of the church.  In my simple view it really comes down to one main thing and that is collectively we have not been making true disciples.  Now for this to happen the church must be intentional and invest much of it's time, money and resources.  When done effectively though the tremendous results can barely be measured.  What are the by-products of discipleship?  People give without any arm twisting, evangelize by sharing their faith, serve out of love, minister to those in need, are readily involved in mission work both here and abroad and use their gifts to the fullest extent.

Do We Owe Anything To The Past ?

Do we owe the past anything?  As a believer I know scripture teaches that God forgives us of our sins and once that happens it is not Him who continues to bring those things up anymore.  I know also that there may still be suffering connecting with the consequences of past sins. There might be other things that may not have been sins but could have hurt others in our past.  I praise God for many people He has saved that have no dynamic testimony so to speak because He saved them from so many things......my children were fortunate to be in this category.  I was not. 

One of my spiritual gifts is prophecy.  It comes with an ability to quickly recognize, have a love for and desire to speak the truth.  The downside of this gift is that when I write, it sometimes may sound that I am holier than thou and have it all together.  This is not the way it is however.  I was saved when I was 21 years old and can still remember it clear as day, the place, how I felt and even the Preacher's name.  The church where my salvation experience occurred was heavily focused on Evangelism but not on Discipleship.  There were many struggles I was dealing with at the time and though my wants and desires had changed, there was little encouragement or support to help me in my new life.  After time I drifted away from church and never made it very far down the road of holiness at all.  About 16 years ago the Lord led me to join a small country church and I began to study scripture on my own and attend conferences and seminars and came in contact with some very Godly men who challenged me to grow in my faith.  It has been a long road, a slow road, a very difficult road even to get to where I am currently in my desire to be a disciple of Christ.  While I may not have much difficulty recognizing the truth, it is still very hard at times to make the changes necessary in my life required to line up with it.  Sometimes things in our past ignite our passion to help others, this has certainly been the case for me.  One of the big reasons our Ministry was created was that God gave me a desire to help others in becoming true disciples and not to have to struggle the way I did. 

So how much do we owe to our past?  Are there people from days gone by that may have been hurt by us, even unintentionally, that we need to go back to and ask for forgiveness?  I believe this is what scripture teaches.  If we think back there might be a few obvious folks that come to mind but what about others we don't even know about?   I have made attempts to meet with some folks from my past and extended invitations to others. Though this could be a painful process, it is the right thing to do and one I want to do.  There is no one I can think of I have ever hurt intentionally but there might be some who have been hurt unintentionally.  Sometimes the only way we can know, is if they let us know.     

Are You Contaminated And Don't Even Know It?

In a blog I wrote a few months ago there was a section where I talked about being "Exposed or Contaminated".  This is a follow-up to that.  Simply put how to know if we have moved from being exposed to contaminated is that we have allowed the world to change us...in some cases to even set our standards.  Generally this is a gradual process, kind of the way tv has changed over the last 30 years.  Some of the things coming on tv today...even during prime time, would never have been considered years ago because the general population would not stand for it.  It happened little by little slowly over time, barely noticeable.   I think most believer's really don't understand what holiness and sanctification is all about.  Is this because we don't spend enough time in God's Word?  That could be it but I know several brothers and sisters in Christ who have and continue to spend lot's of time studying the scriptures.  We have plenty of knowledge but not as much change in our behavior?  When is the last time we made a change in our life because of what the Bible says or due to conviction from the Holy Spirit?  It does not happen near as much as it should I can tell you that.  Deeper Bible Study and knowledge of the scripture is not enough to grow in our spiritual maturity.  It seems to me that many believers have decided that it is my *actions* that count the most.  Wasn't this the same attitude the Pharisees had as well?  Jesus came along and dealt with the Spirit of the Law instead of the Letter of the Law.  I see fellow Christians out there everywhere that watch tv shows and go to movies that is riddled with profanity and lust (though there may not be any nudity).  Here is one test to see if we have been contaminated....do we look at the rating of a movie before we decide to go see it instead of finding out for ourselves what is in the movie?  Is nudity for "arts sake" ok with you?  Is it ok to watch programs with profanity as long as we don't use it?  Is profanity, "if used in a quote" acceptable?  How do tv shows and movies that are full of sexual humor, lying and deceit line up with Philippians 4:8?  Certainly books and magazines should be included as well. By overlooking or ignoring these things in our lives we get in the way of the sanctification process.  The good news is that we can change and are not stuck in a contaminated state.  With prayer, a commitment and some work we can push forward to being the kind of people God desires us to be!