Category: Religion

Check Out My Other Blog: ProductiveMinistry.com

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Yesterday marked the start of another blogging endeavor for me. Rocky Hernandez and I officially (re)launched ProductiveMinistry.com. What does that mean for this blog? Not a whole lot, other than I’ll probably be shifting away from posting ministry-related blog posts on this blog.

If you’re in ministry, either professionally or as a volunteer, I highly recommend clicking on over to the blog. We’ll be adding a lot more content in every week. You can also connect with PM by subscribing to the RSS feed, following on Twitter, or becoming a fan on facebook.

Take a look then comment either here or there or on Twitter. Any feedback is truly appreciated.

Same Kind of Different as Me [Book Review]

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I tend to read mostly non-fiction, leadership, or personal development books in my personal reading. So when Brea (my wife) and about half a dozen other people suggested that I read Same Kind of Different as Me, I hesitated. While the book is non-fiction, it’s more of a biography than anything else. I wasn’t sure if I’d really enjoy the book that much.

Let me tell you this: If you have not yet read this book, do yourself a favor and add it to you reading list. I got through it in about three sessions (albeit LONG ones). It captured my attention, my mind, and my emotions. The authors draw you into their lives and tug at your heart. It’s a story of transformation, compassion, and forgiveness. The main characters’ lives are extremely different, but they are drawn together through what can best be considered God’s will.

The main thing I took away from this book is that I need to step out of my comfortable bubble and start loving people who are different than me with the tangible love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, when I do this, I need to do it not because I’m better than anyone else (I’m not) or because others need it (they do), but because people matter. All people. People who may seem different than me, but really are the same.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?

The Muppets Reloaded and What Churches Can Learn

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Talk about making a comeback. I remember watching The Muppets over twenty years ago, but they seemed to disappear sometime around 1990. That seems to be changing as they are quickly refreshing their image through social networking sites—YouTube in particular. A few months ago they posted their version of Bohemian Rhapsody which has had close to 13 million views.

Their latest video to hit YouTube is Beaker’s Ballad. It pokes fun at itself and Digg/YouTube/forum flamers. Here’s the video:

This makes me wonder how churches can do a better job at doing the same thing. Churches have notoriously been behind the times and are considered by many to be irrelevant with what’s going on in the surrounding culture (when did we stop using felt boards for teaching?). I hope we can change that.

While face-to-face and in person conversations are the most important things we can do, the church should be involved where people are. Thankfully the cost of doing things like this, in terms of both dollars and time, has come way, way down in the past few years.

Greg Simmons posted some thoughts along these same lines today over at Church Tech Matters. He wrote:

I’m trying to let go of the worry about the “How to…” and focus on the “Why to…”  God has still been able to use the tech/media and the operators – with all their imperfections – to reach people in need.

That kind of reminds me of what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23:

“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

The task of the church is reach people with the Gospel using whatever means necessary. We live in such exciting times with the tools and resources available that allow us to connect in new and compelling ways. Let’s not squander the opportunity God has given us.

[Thanks to Mashable for posting the link to the video.]

It Was Not the Season for Figs – Mark 11:13

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Fig TreeDo you ever read something and a short phrase jumps out at you and just gnaws away at your brain? That happens to me a lot. Today as I was doing my daily Bible reading it happened again. I was reading in Mark and  the statement “It was not the season for figs” (Mark 11:13) captured my attention and wouldn’t let go, so I did some digging.

The context of the verse is that Jesus came to the fig tree looking for fruit but found none. It’s a symbolic judgment against the religious leaders of the day, in that they have the appearance of goodness but are lacking in what really matters. Mark points out that the fig tree had leaves but no fruit.

Typically this type of thing is easy for me to just take at face value, but the phrase “not the season for figs” really bothered me. Why would Jesus curse a tree if it was just doing what it was supposed to be doing, as in it wasn’t yet time for fruit to be there? Was Jesus being unreasonable?

Through a little bit of digging in some of my commentaries and resources I’ve come to this conclusion: When Jesus is present it’s time for action. The Jews of that day were not ready for Jesus and opposed his ministry. In the verses and chapter that follows this encounter with the fig tree, the religious leaders of the day are shown as being in conflict with Jesus. The fig tree is symbolic of them. They appear to righteous, but aren’t producing. They weren’t ready for the savior of the world to come. They wanted Jesus to act on their terms, but Jesus requires everyone to follow his plan.

All in all, Mark 11:13 probably isn’t the most controversial verse in the Bible, but for some reason I had to check it out deeper. This is why I love the Bible. Almost every time I read it God shows something new to me.

What’s a verse that’s bothered you lately?

Fig tree image courtesy of flickr user BigBlackBox


Two Mega-church Pastors in Dallas, Two Very Different Media Reactions

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The Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex has no shortage of mega-churches or mega-church pastors. It’s been called The New Capital of Evangelicalism by Christianity Today. It’s not unheard for a mega-church to be across the street from another mega-church. There is also a history of at least one other Dallas pastor getting caught in a money scandal.

Yesterday, I asked how much a pastor should make for his work, but today I want to look at another angle of the Ed Young saga. That is how the media portrayed him and another area mega-church pastor very differently this past week. The other pastor is Matt Chandler from The Village Church.

If you’re not familiar with Chandler, here’s a brief history. His church has grown rapidly in the past seven years that he has been the senior pastor. The average attendance when he began was around 150. Now they average around 6,000 each weekend and have three campuses. This past fall he was diagnosed with brain cancer and had surgery to remove a rapidly growing malignant brain tumor.

The Associated Press ran a story last weekend that was very favorable to him. They pointed out that he drives a car that he affectionately calls his Dodge “Gimpalla” and has over 140,000 miles. They also were very gracious in their descriptions of his desire to “suffer well” for the glory of the cross of Jesus Christ.

What struck me as I reflected on these two portrayals in the media was how Matt and Ed stand in juxtaposition to one another. One pastor is an over-the-top personality who’s known for elaborate sets, props, and creative communication in his preaching. The other is known for his simplicity (not to mention his self-described yelling at his church while preaching) in pointing people to the cross. They really are two very different personalities and have been portrayed as such by the media.

I’m not intending to pick on Ed Young. I still think he’s a good guy, loves the Lord with all his heart, and is leading his church properly, but I can’t help but think of verses like 1 Timothy 3:7, “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace.” Also, Jesus’ words to his disciples as he sent them out to do work in Matthew 10:16: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

These two stories were good reminders to me that the outside world is watching our actions and I need to make sure that I reflect Christ in everything I say and do.

What’s your take on these two stories in the media? Share your response in the comments.

What Should a Pastor’s Salary Be?

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This past week WFAA Channel 8 ran a story that painted Ed Young, Senior Pastor of Fellowship Church, in a very negative light. The gist of the report was that Ed’s salary ($1 mil) and various perks (private jet, $200k+ parsonage allowance) are intentionally kept hidden from his congregation and he’s profiting from his non-profit church behind their backs.

While I think the story had some holes in it and didn’t paint a complete picture (no interviews from people defending Ed), it did raise a few questions that I think are worth asking of every church and pastor. In particular, how much money should a pastor be paid for his work?

I know there are quite a few opinions on how to determine the answer, but here are just a few examples:

  • Pastors should not be paid for their work. While this opinion is rare in the United States today, it can be found. Some people think that all pastors should be bi-vocational (work one job to earn a living while serving the church).
  • Pastors’ salaries should be less than the average salary of their congregations. The idea here is that pastors are servants. If someone is making less money than another then by default they will feel like more of a servant.
  • Pastors’ salaries should be comprable to the average salary of their congregations. There’s an expectation for pastors to live in the area in which they serve and be able to relate to their congregants every day lives, so they’d have to make about the same amount of money to do that.
  • Pastors should make more money than is average in their area. Ministry is a stressful profession. In addition, many pastors are highly trained, well educated people. When you compare the work of many pastors to jobs in other lines of work you’ll see that salaries are pretty high in those other jobs.

The actual dollar amount will of course be different from one town to the next, but these are some ideas that I’ve seen used to determine a pastors salary.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image courtesy of flickr user borman818.

One Church + 600,000 Volunteer Hours = Awesomeness

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The Rock Church in San Diego is stepping it up. They’ve volunteered over 400,000 hours to the city’s mayor so far this year and will end up giving 600,000 hours by year’s end.

“What I like to point out, though, is that we are one church in one neighborhood, having this kind of impact,” said Pastor Miles McPherson. “We as one congregation are doing more community service than some huge national organizations.”*

I’m really impressed with what they’re doing. They’re addressing a real need and making a tangible impact in their community.

What are some other stories you’ve heard of churches doing similar things?

*Read more about this from the Christian Post.

Review of “Church Unique” by Will Mancini

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Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement (J-B Leadership Network Series) Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement by Will Mancini

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is one of the best books I’ve read on church leadership this decade. It has a great combination of theory and practice. Every church leader should read this book and consider whether or not his or her church has truly discovered its vision. I’m going to read this book again, at least one more time.

The basic concept of the book is that too many churches simply copy what either Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, or Bill Hybels have as their vision of what their church is about and try to apply their vision to their own church. The problem is that each person has a unique blend of giftedness and passions that will drive how they lead the church. What are stated as aspired values and vision may not be the church’s actual vision and values.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. It will shape your understanding of how to establish clear vision for church leadership.

View all my reviews.

How I prepare a message (Part 1)

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I’m preaching at my church this Sunday, so I thought I’d walk you through the prep work that I do for most messages I give. I don’t always do all of the steps in the exact order I’ll be sharing this week, but this will give you an idea of the steps I take.

The first thing I do when I’m giving a textual message (where I follow a book of the Bible as opposed to a particular topic) is to really dig in deep to the text to understand what the author was originally trying to communicate. I do a couple things during this step. First, I pray a lot and ask God to give me wisdom in understanding what the author is communicating. Second, I read the passage. A lot. Using different versions (ESV, NIV, TNIV, NET, NLT, MSG). I’m trying to make sure that the text reads me before I try to read the text (hope that makes sense). Third, I try to break the passage down into manageable chunks. These chunks then become my major points of the message.

The passage I’m preaching on this week is 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. It’s part of a series we’re doing on living as resurrection people.

You can see the end product of this part of my prep work below. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

1 Corinthians 15.50-58 Sentence Diagram

Finding God in Unexpected Places

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What’s your theology of how God communicates to people? Do you believe that he only speaks to a select few? Do you believe that he has ceased speaking since we have the total sum of his thoughts in the Holy Bible? Do you believe he only communicates to people who love him?

I hadn’t really thought a whole lot about this. I’ve read a few books about finding truth in pop culture and movies, but didn’t really think about whether or not God actually speaks to people who don’t claim him as their God. I’ve been of the mindset that all truth, if it is indeed true, is God’s truth. If it’s true it will somehow point back to God.

Today, as I was doing my Bible reading, God made it clear to me that he speaks to people who don’t claim him as their God. Check out Genesis 31:24-30:

God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” … Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? … It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?”

I find that there are three things in this passage interesting. First, God spoke to Laban, who was not one of his chosen people. He was a heathen who worshipped foreign gods. Second, he obeyed God. Even though Laban didn’t recognize God’s authority, he refers to him as “Your God”, he obeyed his instructions and didn’t harm Jacob. And third, he didn’t change his lifestyle after this encounter with God. Notice at the end he talks about the idols as “my gods”. Just because God speaks to someone and they listen to his instructions doesn’t mean that they are going to change their life and follow him.

So, what does this mean for us today? We probably need to realize that those of us who are Christians don’t hold a monopoly over God’s communication with the world. God is the King over ALL creation and may choose to speak directly to people without asking us about it first. Especially considering how our culture has become very interested in spiritual matters, this is no doubt true today. Another thing to keep in mind is that people may have had an encounter with God, but that by no means guarantees that they will give their lives to him. Also, remember to evaluate EVERYTHING by the authority of Scripture. When God speaks he does not contradict himself.