Categories
Creativity

Coming Soon to a Church near you

In 2017, everything is overdone and overblown. News coverage and headlines for politics, sports, and even the weather is streaming 24/7. While we sleep, our smartphones collect the latest happenings around the world and place it on our screens for us to view as soon as we awake (remember when we woke up and the first thing we did was read the Bible, just saying).

However, I think we have lost something amidst all of our instantaneous news gratification. Whatever happened to waiting in anticipation or for that matter, waiting on God? I can remember the hype and excitement that would bubble up within me as I once awaited the date for special television events to arrive. News didn’t happen overnight. These “once-in-a-while” and “bigger-than-life” events were not broadcast every day on TV like they are now. No, I had to wait sometimes months for the special events to come, and when they finally did, I taped them. The special events often came with an announcer or commentator that made the program worth the watch!

A lot of the up and coming announcers on TV today have all the knowledge in the world. They know what they are talking about, speak well, and are politically correct. But all I hear is Blah. They are too plain or vanilla. Where’s the charisma, the originality, the following? Where’s the passion, the flavor, the energy? The old-school announcers made the special events we watched fun. There’s no flavor anymore. Like many in our world, the announcers of today have been cloned and mass produced in a cookie-cutter approach. There are no standouts. There is nothing particularly unique about them. This is because spokespeople for the media today are doing nothing more than what their bosses tell them to do so that their station’s biased worldview will be presented and so that certain groups won’t be offended. In other words, they’re not allowed to be themselves anymore. They are just a puppet on a string.  

It’s also sad commentary that “we the people” have to visit to other countries websites, etc. to get the true news about our own.  Everyone seems to have their own opinion on what is happening in the world and likes to share it on their social media accounts. Amidst all the subjectivity, we have lost the objective truth found in God’s Word. When everyone plays the game of life (and it’s not a game) by their own rules, someone is bound to get hurt.

Isn’t it great that we have the best news in the world called the gospel and it comes to us in the unfiltered and unadulterated form of the Bible. The Bible is true news and news that stands the test of time. Bible characters are real people depicted not through rose-colored glasses as perfect people, but rather as people who have glaring weaknesses. They, like us, have been body-slammed by life’s circumstances and need a Savior to lift them off the mat.

Over a year ago, I did some strategic planning for NGM in my context. I live in the deep South, and in the deep South, there are some old-school wrestling fans. The church facility I worship in is a metal building and has the same appearance as a nearby building where local wrestlers meet on the weekends to compete against each other. I received an idea from the Lord to plan an evangelistic event whereby my church would bring in an ex-wrestler to speak to the lost in a facility where they would feel right at home.

Thirty years ago, wrestling stars like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, the Macho Man, the Ultimate Warrior, Sting, and Lex Luger would wrestle their big matches on pay-per-view. Back then, pay-per-view events weren’t every week and thousands would order. Because of the high price, I would turn to my scrambled cable channel and do my best to hear any mumbled words I could and see any glitched pictures that might appear.

In three months (yes, you will have to wait), The Heights Church is bringing in former five-time WCW Champion Nikita Koloff, “The Russian Nightmare” to share his story about how the Champion of Life, Jesus Christ came to his rescue. If you happen to be anywhere in the local vicinity, feel free to come by and join us for this main event on Sunday, May 7 @ 11 AM.  I promise you there will be no dropkicks or elbow drops from the top rope.  

Categories
Great Commission

NGM mantra and anthem

Mantra: Seek to understand before being understood

I cannot remember a time where our nation has been divided on so many fronts. Much of the polarization does stem from generational differences, but not all. In talking to the next generation, one does however, need to be cognizant of the generational gap or disconnect. Recent sports talk has highlighted how old-school NBA players view current NBA players and vice versa. Charles Barkley, an NBA superstar in the 80’s called this generation of players “AAU babies” and too sensitive. However, another 80’s tough guy and ex-NBA player Charles Oakley was kicked out of Madison Square Garden this week after placing his hands on security. Have we stopped to consider that both sides may have a valid point and that we may not have to choose sides or to the point, choose generations?

I was recently discussing the Super Bowl Halftime show featuring Lady Gaga with a student of mine. We entered the discussion with two different viewpoints. For starters, he loved the show and I hated it. My problem was not with Lady Gaga as much as it was the image of America she portrayed as she sang “God Bless America” and “This Land is My Land.” Lady Gaga is a sex image and I understand that she portrays America to a tee in 2017. What I wanted my friend (from the next generation) to understand was that these songs took on different meanings in 1987 and America would not have allowed Lady Gaga to sing these songs thirty years ago before a Super Bowl began. As the country has become secularized, it makes perfect sense that Lady Gaga would be America’s choice to represent the country to the world today.

What my friend wanted me to understand was that Lady Gaga did the opposite of what he expected. She was not overtly political and was conservative compared to past Super Bowl performances (remember Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction). I told my friend that I did not think Lady Gaga’s dance moves were that conservative (and the picture you see above is not from this year’s Super Bowl).

Here is what I want you to take from my encounter. My friend and I did not get in an argument. We both heard each other’s viewpoints and walked away with a better understanding. We were both right. The America I grew up in is not the America he grew up in. While I grew up in the 80’s singing the same songs at PTA with a nationalistic pride, he grew up in country where not recycling is viewed as worse than looking at porn (don’t believe me, just read Barna).

I find it disheartening that our nation’s morals have plummeted over the past thirty years, but let’s not blame the next generation for all of our generation’s failures. And in fact, it wasn’t all of our generation’s failures that are to blame either. Every generation inherits sinful natures, attitudes, and behaviors from the generations preceding. Let’s help the next generation understand we all have a sin problem and we all need a Savior!

Anthem:

I see your generation standing on the truth In each and everyday saying God is on the move Anytime the Gospel stirs a searching souls And someone says “send me, here I go

I know, I know, I know, I know God is on the move, on the move Hallelujah God is on the move In many mighty ways God is on the move, on the move Hallelujah God is on the move On the move today

I recently heard this song on the radio and the first line that I wrote above rang in my ears as clear as a bell. This is NGM’s anthem! When someone from the next generation responds to personally fulfill and advance the Great Commission (Mat 28:19-20), God is on the move! NGM is all about gospel advance and reaching the nations. To do so, the next generation must stand on the truth. The anthem is missional, but it is also theological. Missions without theology or theology without missions creates an off-kilter balance that ends up awry from the start. The next generation must both be crazy about going but just as crazy about the truth!

Categories
Politics

Make America Spiritually Great Again

When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. -Proverbs 29:2

Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people. –Proverbs 14:34

A new day has dawned. Perhaps you were one of the millions watching a live screen of President Trump’s inauguration today. If so, you will most likely remember where you were when President Trump placed his hand on the Bible and was sworn into office. I was sitting in a chapel room with K-12th grade Christian school students. I found myself reminiscing my childhood times when President Ronald Reagan was leading the USA and patriotism was running high.

Morals and values were highly prized in that day and time. The next generation knows nothing of the days when America was spiritually great. They don’t know what the Jesus Movement was or how thousands of hippies gave their lives to Christ in the 70’s claiming One Way! The name Billy Graham, in the mind and hearts of the next generation, is synonymous to Joe Smith (just an ordinary name).

If you’re a 14 year-old living in America today, all you can remember is one President and his name is Obama. All you’ve known is division, terrorism, and that the government has promoted the homosexual and the transgender lifestyle. You’ve seen power stripped from police in uniform and given to the people. And you’ve known nothing but a media that is set on its own agenda. Yes, if you’re 14, all moral innocence and purity has been lost and America has not been so great to you.

I was reading an old blog post written by the late Adrian Rogers on this historic day and wanted to share some insights from this great pastor:

It appears that most Americans believe the economy is the top issue. But I had rather leave my children and grandchildren the legacy of a godly nation than great wealth to be squandered in a godless society. No, righteousness is our greatest need.

When we lose character—righteousness—then we will lose liberty. People who cannot live responsibly from within must be governed from without.

When government takes over, whatever it subsidizes, it must control. An example is our educational system—subsidized by government—which has gradually outlawed God in our schools. In place of the Ten Commandments, we have values clarification, the glories of our welfare state, one-world government and a new world order. Hitler said in 1920, “Give me the minds of the children, and in one generation I will give you the Fascist super state.” So in our public schools, the Bible is out and humanism is in.

As far back as 1983, The Humanist magazine stated, “The battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith. The classroom must and will become the arena of conflict between the old and the new, the rotting corpse of Christianity and the faith of humanism.” Classrooms became Humanism’s newly designated “Sunday School.”

Our forefathers said that our government is to “provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare.” Not “provide the general welfare.” When we see the government as a cow to be milked rather than a watch dog to be fed, we’re in trouble. Give us a land where freeborn Americans can go out and do what the Bible says: work. For “if a man will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10).

These are great quotes to read on a day like today! Trump said in his inauguration speech that he wants to put the power back into the hands of the people. This is a good thing but the real power is found in God, answering the prayers of his people. Where there is righteousness, there is liberty, and where there is liberty, there is room for God’s Spirit to work. Without a free country to live and work in, next generation ministry (NGM) might not even be possible.

The political structures and forms that are set up to guide both national and church governments matter. In a free country such as ours, next generation ministry can be attempted in a single-elder (single-pastor) or plural-elder congregational form of church government. No matter your choice, give next generation ministry a try and here’s my speech: “Let’s make America spiritually great again.”

Categories
Next Generation Ministry

NGM: Take the step

It’s a new year and perhaps you’re considering making the move. Is your church ready to move away from traditional children and youth ministry by making the leap to next generation ministry? It is a leap . . . a leap of faith. What will the pastor think? What will the people (the members) think? Will they back you or will you lose your job?

Faith is the opposite of fear. Worry and doubt often creep in replacing peace and prayer. But don’t lose heart. Many great feats would never have happened had fear won the day. Would man have ever landed on the moon? Would Columbus have ever sailed the ocean blue? Missionaries GO because the risk is worth the reward — even if they lose their life, they know what awaits them in heaven.

You do need to get your pastor’s blessing before moving ahead and it would be good to give your families, leaders, and students a heads up with informational meetings preceding the move. But at the end of the day, you still have to jump. And you have to bring a significant number with you.

I can’t promise you everything is going to be smooth. I’m almost two years into my next generation ministry experiment and not everything has run as planned. Sometimes leaders don’t show, curriculum goes missing, and on some weeks, the crowd may wane, but it is important to stay the course. Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. I know I am glad I didn’t go back. NGM is a great model because of the unity it will bring your church family as it works within an overarching strategy for making disciples of the next generation. NGM is also family-friendly and intergenerational-friendly.

Allow for me to give you two examples for encouragement as you near the cliff and attempt to jump to the other side. I recently went to the movies and watched Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. As I watched, there was one character that stood out to me, not to mention the sassy K-2SO droid. Chirrut Imre was a blind human male born on the moon Jedha. He was of the order of spiritual warrior-monks of a group called Guardians of the Whills. I’ll skip all the biographical information about Chirrut and just say I liked him because he could kick butt. A blind man who knows how to use a weapon and take names!!!

Second example: As a child growing up in the state of Georgia, I became familiar with a man who pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950’s by combining blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel styles. Known as “The Genius,” this man was blind from the age of seven. I knew of him because he famously recorded the state song Georgia On My Mind. Yes, I am talking about Ray Charles, the African-American man who sat behind a piano with his shades on and could play you straight to sleep.

Both Chirrut and Ray were blind, but their lack of sight did not prohibit them from being great. Yes, one character is fictional and one is not, but in their own world, they exhibited a trait that goes against the grain. They went against all odds and came out on top. Helen Keller comes to mind too as she was both deaf and blind but still earned a college degree.

Go ahead . . . JUMP! But before you do, let’s add one item to the mix: a blindfold. If God is calling you to jump, he is going to make sure your feet land on the other side—so we might as well make this jump look exciting and daring. I can’t help but think of daredevil Nick Wallenda right now, known for his tightrope walks and high wire acts which are done without a safety net in place.

As you look across (don’t look down) and pray above, I feel led to leave you with Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Categories
Parenting

NGM: Parents are Primary

Next generation ministry prioritizes parents! Next Generation leaders understand that parents are the primary spiritual disciple-makers, primary spiritual influencers, primary spiritual nurturers, primary spiritual trainers, and primary spiritual leaders of their children. Next generation ministry leaders work hand in hand with parents so that the church and the family can partner together to raise spiritual champions.

Rob Rienow states that God created the home to be “the spiritual transformation center.”[1] Parents should serve their children as spiritual guides passing their spiritual heritage down to their children in spiritual conversations and spiritual actions. If parents are faithful to hand their spiritual heritage off to their children, spiritual growth and spiritual health will develop and a spiritual legacy can continue or begin.

Parents should have family Bible times in the home. These family gatherings could include a time of Bible story, prayer, song, game, and food. Making the event an intergenerational family meeting is all the better as many families have grandparents living in-home. As family worship meetings occur, families engage in spiritual disciplines resulting in both spiritual formation and spiritual maturity in the lives of those who attend.

Lync Taylor, next generation and family pastor at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, TN has identified eight components that are central for next generation leaders leading next generation family ministry: (1) Create family ministry purpose and goals, (2) Understand that equipping the home is the central place of influence, (3) Build your family ministry on biblical truths, (4) Have an intentional comprehensive strategy, (5) Keep age-graded ministries as a vital part of church programming while championing the home, (6) Develop catalyst spiritual conversations that parents can have with their children, (7) Help parents grow spiritually themselves, and (8) Capture stories that convey the telling of life change.

Lync also discovered five methods for equipping and resourcing next generation families: (1) Focus studies, (2) Coaching guide that includes conversation starters, missional ideas, and daily devotionals, (3) Parent classes, (4) Weekly emails, and (5) Resource area somewhere in the church. Lync says next generation parents should leverage teachable opportunities (“God-moments”) and exert daily spiritual influence (“As you go”) on their children.

Timothy Paul Jones has noted how every next generation family event must TIE into the parents. TIE stands for the next generation leaders Training, Involving, and Equipping parents to be the primary spiritual disciple-maker of their children.

[1] Rob Rienow, Visionary Parenting: Capture a God-Sized Vision for Your Family (Nashville: Randall House, 2009), 9.

Categories
Great Commission

2017: What are you scared of?

I am beaming with excitement for the year 2017!  I have waited in great anticipation for a book that comes out this year entitled Share Jesus Without Freaking Out by Alvin Reid.  I plan to buy copies of this book to share with all the leaders and students in my next generation ministry. And I would encourage you too to purchase this book as well.

Dr. Reid or Doc as I call him (we are good friends) has often told me the #1 fear in America is public speaking and the #2 fear is snakes. As a middle school student, I loved snakes and wanted to become a herpetologist.  Now, I’m glad I’ve changed my professional aspirations! In middle school, I got nervous speaking, but now I rather enjoy it.  The point I’m making is our fears tend to change over time, but I can understand if you still hate snakes and making speeches (most of America does).

I have other fears though, fears of which will probably make you laugh. When I walk into a post office, I feel like a lost puppy. I don’t know what to do. Tax work scares me. I feel awkward at banks, can’t relate to tellers, and though I like the sound of the drive thru tube, just give me the ATM. I still hate heights, won’t ride a roller coaster, and though I don’t mind flying, airports aren’t my thing.

Maybe you feel right at home while walking in or working at a bank, post office, or airport, while it scares me to death.  Our differences are what makes the world go around.  And as you can see, we often fear different things.

Fear or no fear, Christians are not sharing the gospel like they need to. I think sharing Jesus has become the Christian’s #1 fear. How many Christians do you know of that don’t even say the name of Jesus at home. You don’t have to tell the next generation that you’re scared to tell others about Jesus.  They already know. They are your kids, your grandkids and they’ve been watching you for all the years you’ve been alive.  When you don’t talk about Jesus at home, you’re sure not going to talk about him in the world.

Go ahead, say it…Jesus…there—you did it!…and don’t just say it at church by finishing the hymn out…the sweetest name I know. If his name is really that sweet, you need to get used to saying it wherever you go…at school…at work…to your neighbor…at the lunch table…and the list goes on.  It’s not a duty, it’s a privilege.  You talk about that which you love the most, that which you are most passionate about, but the church has made sharing Jesus sound so complicated, that no one feels capable of doing it or that it’s even possible of being done.

You don’t have to rehearse a perfect gospel presentation or go to a twelve-week training program on evangelism before you start telling others about what Jesus has done for you. All you have to do is open your mouth! The Holy Spirit is pretty good at giving you words too! The outlines, the canned presentations, etc. aren’t bad and can assist you in this endeavor. But why not start with a natural conversation as opposed to an awkward presentation. This way, both you and your hearer will feel more comfortable.

People have always needed to know about hell, but if that’s all they hear you screaming, I’d be running the other way too! We’re not supposed to be hollering madmen scaring away those we’re trying to win to Christ. It’s often the scared man who begins to open his mouth and proclaim Christ that finds success. It’s because this timid soul comes across as someone who doesn’t have it all together. Oh…you mean, they’re just like you and me? Now, I can listen to a guy like that!

Don’t freak out! Just be yourself. When you come across as that person who doesn’t have all the answers, I think you’ll find people are more willing to listen to what you do have to say.  And guess what, they’ll probably ask you more questions and you will probably have some questions for them…funny how that works. Need a resolution for the New Year? How about sharing Jesus without freaking out!

Categories
Jesus

He didn’t need 10,000 angels

I learned a long time ago that it good to develop friendships with people whom you have nothing in common with.  Though I do not care to spend ample time with these type of friends, I do at times find their company a breath of fresh air.  For example, I can’t carry a tune in a bucket or sing a lick, but from time to time I enjoy listening to a symphony or talking to a musically inclined artist.  I don’t particularly enjoy attending plays or dramas but I recognize the value of doing something different every now and then, such as attending The Nutcracker in this type of season.

As a teenager, I first developed a friendship with the type of person who was crazy over Star Wars, sci-fi, and comic superheroes.  Though I picked up a little of this person’s interest in Star Wars, I never came around to finding sci-fi or superhero movies all that intriguing.  I guess it was just not real enough for me, lol.  But I respect other people’s interests, even if they are not my own. 

That being said, IGN came up with a list of the Top 100 Comic Book heroes.  Now, I realize for those of you who are die hard Marvel, DC, or other comic book fans, a name that is missing might cause you to become irate and hysterical.  Anyways, in alphabetical order, here they are (remember, I’m just the messenger).     

Adam Strange, Aquaman, Barbara Gordon, Barry Allen (The Flash), Batman, Beast, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Black Panther, Black Widow, Blade, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Bucky Barnes, Captain America, Captain Britain, Captain Marvel, Catwoman, Cerebus, Cyclops, Daredevil, Dashiell Bad Horse, Deadpool, Dick Grayson (Robin), Donna Troy, Dr. Strange, Dream of the Endless, Elijah Snow, Eric O’Grady (Ant-Man), Fone Bone, Gambit, Ghost Rider, Green Arrow, Groo, Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Hank Pym (Ant-Man), Hawkeye, Hawkman, Hellboy, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Iron Fist, Iron Man, James Gordon, Jean Grey, Jesse Custer, John Constantine, John Stewart (Green Lantern), Jonah Hex, Judge Dredd, Ka-Zar, Kitty Pryde, Luke Cage, Martian Manhunter, Marv, Michonne, Mitchell Hundred, Moon Knight, Nick Fury, Nightcrawler, Nova, Professor X, Punisher, Raphael, Reed Richards, Renee Montoya, Rick Grimes, Rorschach, Savage Dragon, Scott Pilgrim, Sgt. Rock, She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, Spawn, Spider-Man, Spider Jerusalem, Storm, Sub-Mariner, Superboy, Supergirl, Superman, Swamp Thing, The Atom, The Crow, The Falcon, The Hulk, The Rocketeer, The Spectre, The Spirit, The Thing, The Tick, Thor, Tim Drake (Robin), Usagi Yojimbo, Wally West (The Flash), Wasp, Wildcat, Wolverine, Wonder Woman, Yorick Brown

Now that the school break is on, it is a good time for families to go to the movies.  And every holiday break seems to bring a movie which stars a superhero or superheroine.  This year, it just happens to be Doctor Strange.  Again, that name does not mean much to me, but I realize some of you may have been chomping at the bit waiting years in anticipation for a movie with this title.   

I find the superhero phenomena fascinating.  To me, it represents man’s attempt or way to save man.  Pride, power, prestige, popularity are just some of the words that come to mind.  Would we ever throw a cape on Jesus or give him X-ray vision.  Would we give Jesus an iron fist or claws made out of metal?  Not in a million years!

Why? Because Jesus represents God’s way to save man.  Born as a baby who was both man and God (a miracle in itself), Jesus could have used superhuman powers when tempted by the devil, but he chose not to (Mat 4:1–11).  Though Jesus pulled off many miracles, he doesn’t often get the same credit as one who can leap from building to building with spider webs coming out of his hands. 

Jesus is the foci of next generation ministry.  Without him as the center of attention, our vision gets skewed.  A superhuman could never do what Jesus did because he or she would not neglect to use the power within if it could save his or her life.  Jesus gave up his life out of love for us when he had all the power in the world to stop it from happening by calling on 10,000 angels (Mat 26:53).  Now, which feat do you find more impressive?  I’ll go with the real-life guy who lived the life I couldn’t, died the death I should’ve, and is coming back again!

Categories
Next Generation Ministry

Go, Fight, Win with NGM!

Those of you know me know how passionate I am about the game of basketball.  I love to watch football but the sport I enjoy playing the most has always been basketball.  My favorite basketball player growing up was none other than #32, Earvin “Magic” Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers.  While most of my school friends were infatuated with a guy by the name of Mike, I stayed true to the Magic Man.  Back then, I would argue back and forth with my playmates that Magic was better than Jordan.  Of course, that was before the tongue-waving, nike-wearing Jordan went on to win more titles than Magic.

I always liked Magic because he constantly exuberated a smile, truly loved the game, worked harder than everyone else, got his teammates involved, made everyone around him better, and was the on and off court leader of the team.  People gravitated to Magic.  It wasn’t just because he had an infectious smile that could light up a room or because he made passing en vogue and contagious with all the assists he dished out.  It was because people genuinely felt he had their interests at heart.  Philippians 2:3–4 speaks to this Christ-like attribute called humility. 

Now granted, Magic had his faults and we are all aware of his licentious lifestyle, but on the court, Magic was a sight to behold.  His dazzling array of passes, change of pace tempo, and unparalleled vision with eyes in the back of his head made Showtime run!  All the Hollywood stars and all of LA lined up nightly to see this new kid on the block — and from his first game in 1979 to the very end of his career — the fans never left disappointed.  The fans were guaranteed a show and the fans always got their money’s worth.

What does Magic Johnson have to do with next generation ministry?  Well, there’s always a rising star in the background who seemingly follows in the footsteps of those who came before them (the next generation).  This past Saturday, I watched a kid by the name of Lorenzo Ball play a college basketball game against Ohio St.  Lorenzo plays for the UCLA Bruins (what are the chances its in LA again) and has been compared to Magic.  UCLA is now undefeated at 12-0 and everyone knew this player and his team were special after they won at Kentucky in the famous Rupp Arena. 

Lorenzo is like Magic in that he makes the game fun for his teammates, is a humble kid, and is an unselfish pass-first point guard.  But what you do not understand about Lorenzo and what you may not understand about Magic is the quality that makes players like these great.  It’s the same quality found in guys like Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.  It is the insatiable desire and will to win at all costs.  Winning drives these men.  Winning can always be taken too far, but for these guys, the refusal to lose is at the core of their being.  What makes us want to watch guys like these bounce a ball up and down a court like a puppet on a string is one simple fact: They are winners!

Don’t miss this!  Don’t just skim over the word winner without giving thought to what it takes to win.  All the sweat, blood, and tears that one exerts to make themselves great while no one else is looking.  All the sacrifices and suffering incurred that end up making the difference between a win and a loss.    

I think Donald Trump, who “wants to make America great again,” was right when he said in his campaign that America doesn’t win anymore.  We’ve forgotten how to win.  What made America great in the past was its wins!  USA didn’t play games.  If American went to war, they won.  As a nation, we were feared.  Of course, back then we knew our strength came from the Lord and not from our military.  Our trust was in God’s might more than man’s strength and we knew He was sovereign in all affairs. 

I recently heard that John Lennon once said, “win the children, win the country.”  I have not been able to find the quote, but I do agree with it!  Next generation ministry is about winning the children of this country to Christ so we can win the world to Christ.  We have to figure out how to win again — in basketball, in this country, and in ministry.  I am convinced we can!

 

   

Categories
Next Generation Ministry

NGM: Knowing is only half the battle

My favorite toy to play with as a child was GI Joe.  I also loved the cartoon.  As a boy, I would take a beanbag and figuratively speaking turn the bag into a mountain.  Using all of the bag’s natural crevices, I would station Joe’s on one side of the mountain and Cobra’s on the other.  From that point on, it was all-out warfare between the forces of good and the forces of evil.

Over time, God has blessed me with many good friends who have served in our nation’s military.  I have always had a profound respect for the service men I personally knew (not all are still alive) and would glean as many insights and lessons as I could to implement in my own life.  The Bible speaks of a soldier’s discipline (2 Tim 2:4).  The apostle Paul was well-acquainted with spiritual warfare (2 Cor 4:8-12).

I think the terms “spiritual warfare” and “war” are apt descriptions of the Christian life.  As Christ-followers, we are always on call.  The war never ends this side of earth, though the victory has already been won.  We never get a break.  24-7 for 365 and do it all over again the next year.  For the Christian, life is war.  I have always appreciated John Piper’s call for the Christian to “make war.”  The status quo, games as usual, go with the flow, ho-hum Christianity just isn’t good enough in a time of war.

But there are so many battles to fight.  Where do we start?  And why?  A great general or commander knows whom, when, and how to fight.  A great general also knows where the battlefront is.  The battlefront must be defined because the army who controls the battlefront often wins the war.  We could just as well ask the question, “which hill are we willing to die on?”

Do we die fighting against gay rights, abortion, gambling, porn, immoral media, or a host of other cultural and political travesties?  No, we don’t (Barna would say).  We know Satan is the enemy and we know the gospel is of upmost importance.  But still, where do we begin and what hill are we willing to die on?  I think George Barna was right when he wrote, “the battlefront is found in the minds, hearts and souls of our children.”[1]  Barna continues, “Ever the strategic mastermind, Satan knows well that if you destroy the character and hope of children, you rule the world!”[2]

We must do everything we can to help the next generation obtain a biblical worldview.  If we can train children to love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength, Barna says we won’t have to invest time battling over moral and spiritual issues (see above) because the culture will have been shaped from within.  Barna reiterates, “The cumulative effect of their character and beliefs will redefine the contours of our culture” and we will not need to then “worry about how to motivate people to read the Bible, how to encourage people to attend worship services, how to raise enough money to maintain the ministry and how to get believers to pursue the Great Commission.”[3]

If we could produce a world where we won the entire next generation to Christ, I know Barna would be right.  In that kind of world, we would experience spiritual utopia.  But realistically, this isn’t going to happen either (read the Bible).  There is always another battle on the landscape and we are told to put on our spiritual armor (Eph 6:10-20).  All moral and spiritual issues are worth fighting over because they all encapsulate what we would call the biblical worldview.  Suffice to say, however, I think Barna is onto something the church has all too often missed:  Battling over the next generation should take priority.

Yet actions prove where priorities are when church leaders are unaware of the spiritual content children in the church are learning, the only thing that matters is babysitters (oops, I mean leaders) are in place, leader training and recruitment is minimal if not non-existent, and “less than 15 percent of the average church’s ministry budget is allocated to the needs of children’s ministry.”

Next generation ministry is about prioritizing students in both word and deed.  Let’s not just say children are a priority.  We know that they should be.  Let’s show them they are!

[1] Barna, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, 50.

[2] Ibid, 51.

[3] Ibid.

Categories
Revitalization

NGM: Revitalizing the Church

babyIn my last post, I wrote about some efforts the small traditional church can employ to keep their doors open.  I provided a starting point (Acts 2:42-47) where struggling churches can begin.  Next generation ministry (NGM) can certainly revitalize a church, but implementing the NGM model is not a foolproof guarantee for success.  The reason: A church is so much bigger than NGM.  All generations gather together to worship the Lord in a church.  So what else does The Bible teach can be done to promote spiritual awakening, renewal, revival, and revitalization in a church?

Let’s begin again with prayer (you can never pray enough) by observing 2 Corinthians 4:4: “4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” We must pray for all generations to see the light.  Christmas and Easter seasons provide great opportunities for people to see the light!  And keep praying (Luke 18:1-8).

Next, the entire church body must be at work.  Dedicated staff working alone will never get all of God’s work done in a church.  At the same time, neither will dedicated members who have lazy staff.  Oftentimes, it just comes down to ministry leaders releasing power so that their members’ full potential can be achieved.  I Corinthians 12:12: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”  And we all must be led by the Spirit.

Speaking of the Spirit, 2 Corinthians 3:17 states “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Perhaps God doesn’t want his church to meet every Sunday, sing three songs, listen to a three-point sermon, and go home.  Churches and members alike are known for getting in a rut.  We must learn again to be led of the Spirit and to break the routine.  Where Jesus is, there is life, not boredom.

I did not plan to give you a bunch of verses from Corinthians.  It just worked out that was the way the Spirit led me.  But if you think about it, the church of Corinth was a struggling church.  The Corinthians lived in a pagan world and needed to know how they could once again be spiritual winners.  So that I break the monotony (see the third point above), I will give you a verse from Romans: “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us (8:37).”

Finally, the church must balance its in-reach/outreach component.  Yes, the world needs to be won to Christ, but not to the neglect of the sheep already in the fold.  But if the church only ministers to its own, what good does it serve the world (it would be better off dead).

Like Jesus, I love life too!  I don’t want to see any church die.  Just today, I watched a baby (during the service, mind you) make his way to the front of the church (his parents were watching).  Talk about life…this little one just wanted to climb the step of the church podium. Taking baby steps is exactly what dead churches need to do to incorporate life into its worship.  Like a baby climbing a step, the church will need to believe it can climb out of its depths of despair.  All it takes is faith.  For a baby, faith in its hand and leg muscles; for a church, faith in the Word of God!