Along the Shore

I’ve mentioned in previous posts the cooperative situation in which my church functions. Like a large and growing number of newly planted Southern Baptist churches, we are not affiliated with a local association. We do cooperate on a modest level through our state convention. Currently, the majority of our missions dollars are being invested in a four-year international partnership to plant churches among the Pachitea-Panao Quechua people of the Andes Mountains in Peru. While we remain Southern Baptist in our doctrine, we tend to take more of a “point-of-contact” approach to our missions giving. Our people want to see where their missions dollars go. They want to see and touch the impact of their missions giving in a personal way. They are not satisfied with, nor supportive of, sending all of their missions offerings to a centralized Baptist fund.

But, lately, I have felt led to involve our people in a more direct involvement in church planting and missions in North America. I want us to get involved in planting strong evangelical churches in places where there are no churches. I wonder … how many more churches can we plant in the suburbs of Atlanta? What about those places where people have basically no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ … none at all? You know … those places where it just doesn’t work to run a couple of ads in the newspaper, do a bulk mailer, and have 200 people in attendance within four weeks. What about the places where the spiritual landscape is cold and dark … the Shadowlands of North America?

My friend and Mission M Possible ministry partner, Roger Ferrell, has also struggled with this same desire. In fact, he’s been doing something about it. Roger has been doing some research over the fast few months, trying to locate those places in North America where there is little or no Gospel access … places where there are no solid, evangelical churches. It hasn’t been easy. Our denomination (interestingly) has no information on this at all. But,believe it or not, these places do exist. Many are in Canada, but there are also some completely unchurched communities in the United States, as well.

So, Roger developed the idea for a new missional network (well, I helped a little bit) that we want to call The Shadowlands Project. Here’s our idea, in a nutshell:

1. Locate and target the most unchurched communities in North America.
2. Target one community at a time for the planting of a healthy, doctrinally sound, evangelical church.
3. Locate missional churches willing to invest in a network which has the sole purpose of planting churches in the those communities.
4. Invite those churches to invest, financially, in the support of a church planting family and/or team to relocate to that community and begin the planting of a healthy church.
5. Challenge those churches to invest a portion their North American missions volunteer efforts in the support of that new church plant.
6. Provide Church Planting training events and missions experiences for church groups through our “training wing” of the network, Mission M Possible.
7. Once the church planting task in that community is complete, shift the focus of the network to the next community on the Shadowlands strategic list.

We think this may be a new level … a new generation … of Baptist cooperation. It could be an especially attractive missional network for the rapidly increasing plethora of non-associational Southern Baptist churches. This could also be an effective, inexpensive way for new church plants to immediately and directly get involved in planting new churches and rapidly get church planting established in the “DNA” of that new church.

For the record … Roger and I are both lifelong Southern Baptists, but we will certainly welcome the input and cooperation of like-minded and like-hearted believers from other denominations or non-denominations. We just want to plant churches. We just want to be a part of a huge, difficult, challenging vision. But we do envision that this will be something that many Southern Baptist churches will be able to “wrap their minds and hearts around.”

We’re not asking anyone to abandon any association or group that they are a part and to which they are faithful. We simply want to offer a cutting-edge, “missions frontier,” point-of-contact missional network for churches that are up for the challenge. This won’t be easy. It won’t be something that someone can just mail a check to and then forget about it. The Shadowlands Project will require a real, hands-on, practical missions commitment.

Just think … if we could get just 50 churches to pledge support of just $1,000 per year, we could fund a church planting family (and perhaps another team member) in a manner that is generous and responsible. Not with a meager, insulting, welfare-level pittance of supplemental support. We could support a family with a livable salary until the church was established. We could give a church planter on the “last frontier” in North America the support of a strong and viable network. We could greatly increase this man’s opportunity for a successful, thriving ministry.

What do you think? Would your church be interested in The Shadowlands Project? Give us some input. If you’re interested in becoming a part of this new network and vision,please send me an e-mail with your phone number on it. Roger or I would love to talk to you about it.

James Cameron, the Canadian movie director famous for the cultutally transforming Terminator trilogy of films, as well as the disaster hit, Titanic, has set his sights upon a new film project.  It seems that he has a desire to “terminate” the “myths” of Jesus and “sink” the cruiseship Christianity. (Lots of puns intended…)

Mr. Cameron thinks he’s found the ossuaries (bone boxes) of Jesus and family, including his “wife,” Mary Magdalene (no kidding … deja vu Da Vinci Code, anyone?), in a tomb near Jerusalem first unearthed in 1980 (pictured at left).  So Cameron’s going to make a “movie” about it.  His cinematographic accomplices in this project are the fine folks at The Discovery Channel, who (from my humble, country boy perspective) seem hell-bent on exposing the so-called “fallacies” of Christianity with some horribly shoddy scholarship and feature stories based on historical “sources” of a universally recognized dubious value.

Here’s the lead-in to the promo on The Discovery Channel’s web site:

New scientific evidence, including DNA analysis conducted at one of the world’s foremost molecular genetics laboratories, as well as studies by leading scholars, suggests a 2,000-year-old Jerusalem tomb could have once held the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and his family.

Leading scholars, huh?  By whose standards?  And if that’s not enough, “dig” this …

The findings also suggest that Jesus and Mary Magdalene might have produced a son named Judah.

Of course, the scientist in me was intrigued by the information about DNA.  So I read further.  What is this compelling DNA evidence?  They discovered that the people in the tomb were blood relatives … except for one woman, who must have been a spouse.  Hmm… Now there’s a shocker.  All this fuss over a family grave.  How pathetic.  And they think that, since we all watch all three versions of CSI, and the memories of O.J remain so vivid in our minds, that the mere mention of the acronym DNA will cause us poor, ignorant, uneducated Christians to melt in our theological boots.

Somehow, these people have jumped from the people in the tomb being related to one another to, “This is Jesus’ family, Jesus himself, Mary Magdalene, and Jesus’ and Mary’s son, Judah.”  An interesting, laughable leap.  Did they really get some serious scientists and scholars to sign on to this unbelievable mischaracterization of information?

Admittedly, it seems that this tomb did contain ossuaries with names that included Jesus (actually Yeshua … Joshua), Judah, Maria (Mary), and Matthew.  Big whup.  Has anyone informed these guys how common those names were in first century Palestine?  It like archaeologists … two thousand years in our future, finding a tomb in Massachusetts marked, “Jack, Robert, and Ted – Brothers” and proclaiming … “This is the grave of the Kennedys!”  It just about that absurd.

And the article goes on to make an attempt to link these ossuaries with the now infamous “James” ossuary.  Last time I checked, that one had been moved into the realm of hoax.  But I may be wrong … if I am, I am confident that someone will correct me.
The Discovery Channel site also adds some interesting, though dubious, statistical analysis which somehow claims that the odds are 600 to one in favor of this being the tomb of the “Jesus of Nazareth Family.”  Yeah, right….

So, I guess we’re all supposed to wait with baited breath for Cameron’s big press conference tomorrow morning at 11:00.  Of course, he’s broadcasting from a secure, undisclosed location … I suppose as protection from us radical, fundamentalist Christians.

So where do I stand in all of this mess?  Well, first of all, I’m done with the Discovery Channel.  I know that much.  I have been growing weary of their continuous, not-so-subtle, insulting attacks against my faith.  I choose not to watch their mess anymore.

Beyond that, nothing can shake my faith.  I know my Savior lives.  I know and my believe that my Bible is true.  If it says, “Genuine Leather” on the cover, I believe that,too!

I’ll continue to hold on to the words of my Savior (not the Terminator) who has promised me, “I’ll be back…“

James Cameron only thinks he’s seen Judgment Day. 

This is a picture from Crossroads Fellowship. It was taken two years ago while we were converting a construction business and warehouse into our current worship facility.

The girl in the foreground, in the dark blue, is my daughter, Katie. She was 11 when this picture was taken. Her friend is named Carly.

What are they doing? Well, I’m glad you asked. You see, as we prepared to put in insulation and do the drywall work in the building, we decided to have a special time of dedication of the unfinished facility. We remembered the Scriptures, and the instruction on the Shema for the people of God to take the commandments of the Lord and, “Write them on the doorframes of your houses…” (Deuteronomy 6:9). So, we decided to obey that command … literally … in our new house of worship.

On that Sunday afternoon in February 2005, we gathered the entire church in our rough, unfinished building. Everyone brought their Sharpie markers and Bibles. And for the next two hours we wrote the Word of God on the walls, the studs, the stage, the steps, and the duct work … we even wrote on the concrete floor! We wanted to always know that our place of worship was literally surrounded by the Word of God.

Of course, there’s nothing mystical about a few hundred Bible verses scribbled on siding, wood, and concrete. But, then again, it’s still the Word of God, isn’t it? And though we cannot see it (it’s all covered and finished now), all of us who participated know that when we worship in our building, we are surrounded by God’s Word … literally.

It was an incredible day of fellowship and bonding for our (at the time) three-year-old church. The experience will be forever imprinted within the DNA of our congregation.

Here’s another picture. This is a dear saint named Mary Hodge. Just one year after this picture, Mary lost her battle with cancer and went to be with the Lord. But I know the exact spot where she wrote this passage on the wall. Awesome, sweet memories.

The Christian Post on-line ran a headline story entitled, “Baptists Asked to Crack Down on Sex Abusers.” This article reports the following:

The Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has started a campaign to call attention to alleged sex abuse committed by Southern Baptist ministers and concealed by churches.

SNAP presented a letter Monday to Southern Baptist Convention executive committee members in Nashville, asking the group to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on sex abuse and to create an independent review board to investigate molestation reports.

The convention’s response was, I think, appropriate. Convention president Frank Page responded that the denomination plans to teach its churches how to conduct background checks, and to require letters of recommendation for job candidates. But he rightly pointed out that Southern Baptist Convention does not have the legal authority to create an independent board to investigate abuse complaints in the local churches.

“As much as possible within our structure, we’re going to assist churches,” Page said. “We’re deeply concerned about this. We believe children are the most precious gifts from God.”

The article also pointed out that the Southern Baptist convention passed a resolution in 2002 urging its churches to discipline ministers guilty of sexual abuse and to cooperate with authorities in their prosecution.

But that response did not satisfy the leaders of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). Christa Brown, SNAP member from Austin, Texas, said that’s not enough. She claims that the Southern Baptists need an independent review board precisely because there’s no clear chain of command among Baptist churches. SNAP maintains that they have received approximately 40 reports of sexual abuse by pastors, some of them dating back several years.

Her solution? Here is what she suggests:

“The SBC also does not keep a list of ministers who have been accused of abuse.” She also added, “I believe kids are not safe in Southern Baptist churches.”

Kevin Bussey, friend and fellow blogger over at Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee, posted on this story today. He seems to agree with Brown that such a list is needed. The majority of comments on his blog post also seem to be going in that direction. But I must, at this point, respectfully disagree. I believe that it is neither wise, nor legal, for a denominational group that has no legal authority over autonomous local churches to compile any kind of “list” of people who have been accused of anything. Even sexual abuse.

Let me explain…

I refer you to Ms. Brown’s suggestion in the above quote. I added bold type to one word … accused. Again, that emphasis was mine. But it is a word that I think we all need to pay careful attention to.

Let us analyze this carefully, and thoughtfully separate our analysis from emotion. First of all, like many of you, I am not just a pastor, I am also a parent. I have two beautiful daughters. I shudder to think of dealing with the horror of sexual abuse in the lives of my children. I am repulsed by the very idea of sexual acts involving children. I abhor the sick, perverted predators who prey upon children. If I were the king of all things, their legal, earthly judgment would include a traumatic, painful separation from some of their select bodily members.

But let me ask … how many of you pastors have been accused of something that you did not do? I’m not talking about sexual accusations. Just plain old accusations … preposterous stuff. I’m sure that we all have, at one time or another.

I cannot fathom a ministry environment in which a vindictive person in one of our churches (do you know any of those?) or a political “hit-man” or fellow pastor in our convention (heard of any of those?) could sabotage the ministry of a faithful man of God … simply by making an anonymous accusation (that’s how these things get started) and getting that pastor’s name added to a “Southern Baptist Sexual Predator List.”

Really. Think about the abhorrent political life that exists in the background of our beloved SBC already. We already have self-preserving denominational bureaucrats who “mine” the blogs for information that they can use against people. We have people being skipped over for denominational jobs, or defunded by various Southern Baptist entities, or being “blackballed” in Southern Baptist life simply because of comments made on blogs! We have people writing letters asking for people to be “investigated.” This dispicable stuff is already occurring.

But can you imagine the destruction of ministries, churches, and families that could be wrought by a vindictive Baptist hell-bent on “cleansing” the convention of those who do not think like him (or her) simply by “dropping a name” or accusation for inclusion on such a list?!!!

My friends, we are not the Roman Catholic church. We have no governmental system beyond the local church. The police and law enforcement agancies already maintain lists of people convicted of sexual crimes. That’s their job. It is not our job, nor the job of our convention. Police records can be accessed through simple background checks. If a church fails to do a background check on a pastor, and that pastor turns out to be a predatory pervert, then that church should have its proverbial “clock cleaned” in court, if they are found to be negligent.

Baptists, let’s let law enforcement do its job. Let’s educate our churches on background checks and prevention. Let’s hunt down and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law. But please, let us never, ever, ever, start to compile lists of the “accused.”

Sexual abuse is an important issue. It must be addressed and fought with all of our resources. But it must not devlove to an atmosphere of “witch hunting.” Because, remember, in a “witch hunt,” an accusation is all that is necessary.

I enjoy preaching themed sermons in series. I tend to practice a “topical expository” form of preaching. I prayerfully develop a series of messages based on a particular issue or creative theme.

This Sunday I will be “wrapping up” a three-week message series that we have called, Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is. Obviously, this is a series that focuses upon stewardship and giving. It has been a rewarding series to preach. As always, stewardship is a challenging issue to address in our church environment. We have about 135 members, but well over 200 in attendance each Sunday. So, it’s a bit difficult to teach the principles of good stewardship without sounding like you’re asking for money. But, it is not a subject that I will shy away from. I usually preach a short series on stewardship each year.

Starting March 4 I will be preaching what I think is a pretty creative series. It has the potential for life-changing learning, as well as an awesome opportunity for fun and fellowship. I’m calling this series, March Madness. Obviously, I am seeking to capitalize on the popularity of the NCAA basketball tournament with a basketball-themed sermon series.

Here are my sermon plans:

• March 4 – “Out of the Line-Up” (Lack of Involvement in Ministry)
• March 11 – “Full Court Stress” (Dealing With Stress in Our Lives)
• March 18 – Intentional Foul!” (Sin)
• March 25 – “Time Out!” (Spiritual Growth Through Prayer and Quiet Time)
• April 1 – “The Shot Clock is Off” (The Nearness of Eternity)

As we have brainstormed ideas for our Worship Celebration area, we have decided to utilize the following thematic tools:

• Basketball goals and backboards mounted on the walls.
• A Scoreboard of the front/center stage wall.
• Various basketball theme decorations / banners.
• Basketball tank top jerseys for praise team / greeters.
• Referee Shirts / Headsets for our technical people.
• A “Coach shirt” for me.

We will use a variety of skits to introduce the message each Sunday. We are also considering using some fun “intro” music and “crowd noise” through the sound system to create a tournament-like atmosphere as people enter our Worship Celebration room. We have our “Design Team” that meets each Tuesday night to evaluate our worship and plan all of the creative elements and arts that will be used on coming Sundays.

This is the kind of stuff we do at Crossroads Fellowship. We are all about creativity. And it is my desire that our people will always be challenged, encouraged, and surprised when they come through our doors. We want to allow the Holy Spirit to create an atmosphere of expectation!

So, what do you think? I’m sure that some of my readers will think that we are Baptist heretics or something. Others may think that what we do is cool, but just a little “over the top.” Still, others may think we are “behind the times.”

What do you think? Can a church place too much emphasis upon the environment and the arts? How much is too much?

Can structure inhibit ministry?

That is a question that church leaders, especially church planters, often face. In order to provide a guiding document, and in order to protect our churches under corporate law, we must each have or develop a “Constitution and Bylaws.” But the question is, “How detailed should such a document be?”

It has been my experience that our constitutional documents and their ensuing structures, if they are too detailed and defined, can actually serve to inhibit ministry in the church. But a more generalized document can serve to facilitate ministry.

Case in Point (this is from a firsthand experience.): A small disaster struck a small southern community. Several families were affected by the disaster. A couple of local churches immediately came to the aid of some of the families involved. They provided immediate financial assistance and “adopted” families in order to provide housing and care. However, the majority of the churches in the community could not provide such aid. Why? Because pastors and leaders were “hamstrung” by their constitutions and business procedures. 

Many could not make any financial commitments without first “bringing it to the floor” in a church-wide business meeting. Some churches experienced an even more difficult time when their constitutions required the announcement of a special business meeting for such a purpose at least twice during regular church meetings prior to a special “called meeting.” But by the time three weeks would roll around, the crisis would be over, and the opportunity for ministry would be gone.

So, what should we do about our structures? How detailed should our church constitutions be? What must we do when our procedures, bylaws, and rules get in the way of ministry? How can church planters and pastors of future churches avoid these pitfalls?

I probably shouldn’t be writing this right now. I’m mad. The champions of the Southern Baptist status quo have inflicted a bit of “punishment” upon a very dear friend of mine. And it has ticked me off.

This dear friend of mine is named Roger. Roger is a Church Planter, pure and simple. He lives and breathes church planting. In fact, that’s how we met. We served together in a leadership role in a church planting project. Roger and his beautiful wife Caroline, and their three wonderful children, served for several years on the “missions frontier” of North America, planting churches in Maine. A couple of years ago Roger relocated back to the south to lead a “re-start” of an older, declining church. He is thriving in his new ministry. Just this past year he was thrilled (and I mean thrilled … ecstatic … beside himself, actually) when his local association asked him to come “on board” as their Church Planting Coordinator/Consultant. This is the kind of ministry that he lives for. And it was also an opportunity to earn a little extra (and much needed) income for his family. He’s been doing an incredible job, and has become a valuable equipper and resource person for the church planters in his area.

Roger and I really got to know each other over the past year as we embarked upon a vision together. We share an intense desire to see greater opportunities for training and mobilizing Christian young people … students … in the field of Church Planting. We started a ministry called Mission M Possible. We co-host a blog, called Student Church Planting. Hopefully, sometime in the next year or two, we will be able to train and mobilize church groups and youth groups to become involved (hands-on) in planting churches in some of the more unchurched communities in North America. It’s a huge vision, and we’re just a couple of ordinary guys, but we’re looking forward in faith. Roger is a great and visionary partner in ministry, and he is a passionate and loyal friend.

Roger recently engaged in Marty Duren’s (SBC OUTPOST) series of posts entitled Re:Imagineering the SBC. Throughout this series of posts, Marty challenged Southern Baptists to consider and share ideas for change and renewal in our beloved denomination. Roger contributed an incredible comment (#5) on a post entitled Re:Imagineering the SBC: Intro. The ideas he expressed were revolutionary. They were, most definitely, “coloring outside the lines.” They were thought-provoking and emotional. They stirred my Baptist heart. Here is a brief excerpt from his very lengthy, thoughtful comment on streamlining the SBC:

… we need to do away with the office buildings, decreasing administrative costs and time. Our state convention alone has a 45 million dollar building. NAMB’s building we have already discussed in previous blogs. Sell 10 or 12 of our largest convention properties and we will instantly generate 500 million or 1/2 billion dollars for missions. Let loose the staff who takes care of these buildings and we will save another 25 million dollars a year. Give all needed employees their desks and laptops and an office allowance and send them home. Since many of these folks travel all the time, they would appreciate seeing their families more. Have meetings at church buildings, most of which are nearly empty 5 days a week. This will increase connection with the churches and remind state conventions who they serve. And it will remind the churches that there are state missionaries who work hard and serve them.

Like I said, this is just a portion of his comment. I recommend that you read the whole text. Really, you need to. It will make you think. But you can see from this portion how revolutionary his ideas are. His effort at “Re:Imagineering” included the suggestion that we divest ourselves (as Southern Baptists) of real estate and truly invest our missions dollars in people. Wow. Shocking, huh? Unbelievable! Preposterous!

So, what did this simple sharing of ideas by an autonomous Southern Baptist pastor earn him? A partial removal of funding from his Church Planting Coordinator/Consultant income. No kidding. Apparently, someone higher up the funding food chain (not his local association) took issue with his ideas. His support of the Cooperative Program and Baptist structures was promptly called into question. I guess he just didn’t sound “Southern Baptist enough.” This particular entity found that it was no longer comfortable working with him. So they eliminated their portion of his funding … all for suggesting some ideas (albeit radical ones) on a blog.

So, Baptist reformers, let us all learn our lessons. It’s okay to be visionary! It’s great to have ideas! It’s awesome to think innovative, new things! Just keep your ideas to yourself. Don’t ever share them publicly. Most assuredly, don’t write them on one of those cursed, evil blogs. Why? Because it might cost you a paycheck, or job, or reference somewhere down the line.

Like I said … I’m mad. But I believe mine is a righteous anger. It simply infuriates me that an idea expressed on a blog … regarding a subject over which the one expressing it has absolutely no influence or decision-making power … can be used in a punitive manner.

I don’t see how people who do these things, who intimidate and punish faithful Southern Baptists, can sleep at night.

Pray for my friend, Roger, and his beautiful family as they find it just a little a bit more difficult to make ends meet this month.

So, I guess I’m just a “troublemaker.  Not a “team player.”  I suppose can “hang up” the idea of “going somewhere in the denomination.” But, at least, I can lay my head down on my pillow, praise God for the wonderful, beautiful local church that He has blessed me with, and sleep soundly tonight. And I can live with that.

A couple of years ago, while leading a Church Planting training event for middle school and high school students, one of my pretend, student-led “church planting teams” came up with an incredible church planting idea. They posed the question, “What about a church in a laundromat?”

They weren’t talking about an existing church with a laundry ministry. No! They presented a clear, well-thought-out proposal for planting a new, collegiate focused church in a laundromat. They figured that, after the initial investment in equipment, the new “church” would basically “pay for itself.” Students could bring their laundry to the “Laundromat Fellowship,” and while their clothes were in the spin cycle or tumbling toward dryness in one of those big, commercial dryers, they could enjoy times of fellowship, refreshments, and Bible study. Since laundry is (in the very least) a weekly need, it seemed to that group of students to be a perfect match for an innovative church plant.

It was one of the most incredible, original ideas that I had ever heard for a possible church plant … and it came from a group of teen-agers!

Well, imagine my surprise (and joy) recently when I came across an internet article entitled, “Detergent Church: Phosphate Free and Full of Life.” It is a reprint of a story from a local newspaper in Gemeintown, Manitoba (Canada). The essence of the story is the fact that there is a cluster of churches being started in laundromats, called “detergent churches.” (They claim that the pastor, who is hard of hearing, became confused at a conference about the “emergent church,” thinking that the speaker was saying, “detergent church” … but I don’t believe it. ) These churches, it seems, are springing up throughout Manitoba.

Pretty cool stuff. I’ll admit, the way the Canadians are doing things is just a bit too over-the-top “emergent” for me. In fact, I’m not entirely sure about their theology, because their worship practices are pretty doggone strange … so I’m not at all comfortable with providing a link. If you’re that curious, you can find it on your own, just don’t get too caught up in the way they do things.

But the principle remains. Laundromat churches! This is an innovative, “out-of-the box” opportunity for church planting that exists in hundreds of our college communities. Maybe we need to buy a few washers and dryers.

Does anyone have any extra quarters?

**Post Script – Kathy, a discerning reader at Along the Shore,  has informed me that the original internet article that I discovered telling about the “detergent churches” may, indeed, be a hoax.  Some of the names are suspicious.  There are several parts of the post that appear to be creative plays on words.  I have, therefore, removed the link that I added earlier to one of the comments.   So, maybe no one has actually started a church in a laundromat!  My students’ idea was an original one, and perhaps it remains untested!  If any readers can find evidence of a laundromat church plant, please post a comment and give us a link to investigate.   Geoff

We had one of those “teachable life-lesson moments” at our home a couple of months ago. Our beloved cat, Lizzie, passed away quietly on the sofa in my study around 6:00 AM one cold autumn morning. Over the years, Lizzie had become, almost exclusively, my daughter Laura Beth’s cat. Laura Beth had a very strong connection with Lizzie. They spent a lot of time together. Lizzie slept with Laura Beth every night.

Laura Beth was with Lizzie in that moment when she drew her final breath. It was heartbreaking, and there were many tears. But a little while later, after we buried Lizzie under the shade of the pines in our yard, I got a chance to talk to Laura Beth alone. I shared with her a simple reality. The older you become, the more that death becomes a more common … even an expected … part of life.

I believe that this simple truth in our lives can and must also be applied to church life, as well. I found an interesting article written by Frank Walton of the Northside Church of Christ in Tucson, Arizona, entitled “The Life-Cycle of a Church.” In that article, he proposes that there are three stages in the life of the church. They are:

1. The Risk-Taker Stage – A stage of zealous ministry and growth.
2. The Caretaker Stage – A time of comfort zone and “status quo.”
3. The Undertaker Stage – A time of “living in the past” and, ultimately, death.

Insightful stuff … We need to help our pastors, church members, and even our denominational leaders, understand that death is a natural part of life, even in the life of a local church. I don’t know the exact statistics, but the last time I looked, we were closing the doors on some 5,000+ churches a year in the United States. Local churches are, indeed, dying. While on a mission trip in Port Arthur, Texas, last summer, we drove by one dead, empty church building after another. The stories were all so incredibly sad. In many cases, the financially bankrupt congregations simply walked away and abandoned their facilities.

In my denomination, I would venture to guess that the vast majority of our churches are in the “Caretaker” and “Undertaker” stages. We often talk about how the majority of our churches are “plateaued.” I think that’s being a bit on the optimistic, generous side. As the Gen-Xers and Postmoderns remain largely unreached, I’m guessing that we are about 10-15 years of funerals away from a drastic demonstration of church closures in the Southern Baptist Convention. That is, unless something changes dramatically in the next few years.

So, what’s the answer? Frankly, I don’t know. But I think we need more “Risk-Takers.” I know we need more new churches that target unreached and fringe groups within our culture. And we need a strategic, concerted effort to rejuvinate our vast army of plateaued churches and urge them back toward the world of risk … the task of engaging the 21^st century culture (not the 1950’s culture) with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Hopefully, we won’t have to see many more signs like the one in the picture. What do you think? Is church death sometimes a part of local church life?

We have a spiritual emergency. I believe it’s a heart problem. It seems that selfishness and materialism have infected the church. Someone needs to call 911. We must find out if we’re “heart-dead” … or just “brain-dead.”

I don’t believe there’s any denying it. Think about it. How do we most often measure the “success” of our churches? We think about “things” that we can measure … ample cash in the bank account, a large and growing church building, lavish furnishings and equipment in our facilities, all the “right people” joining each Sunday, a perfect/beautiful pastor and pastor’s family, and the list goes on and on…

And isn’t it absurd how we expect the people of the world to “come to us” and bask in our success with us? We host event after event … concerts, dramas, revivals, conferences, crusades, even teleconferences … all in our vain efforts to pull people underneath our rooftops of success.

Tragically, as we toil busily to build our steepled empires, there remains within a short drive of our ample facilities home after home filled with brokenness, pain, and need. Families are disintegrating. Our culture is in a spiritual freefall. But we choose to look upon our own blessings rather than the needs of the communities around us. How holy of us.

In the January/February issue of Facts & Trends, a ministry magazine published by Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, Ron Sellers (president of Ellison Research) published the results of a study entitled, “Churches Tend to See Missions and Ministry as the Same,” that examined the views of churches and church leaders with regard to ministry action. The study included responses from a sampling of 811 Protestand senior pastors from across the nation. The responses were fairly consistent across all major denominational groups (including the SBC). The results were telling, but not surprising.

When asked what was holding their churches back from being more involved in ministry within their community, these pastors provided an ample supply of excuses. (Yeah, I said it, EXCUSES.) Here are a few:

• Lack of sufficient volunteers (58%)
• Lack of sufficient staff (56%)
• Lack of sufficient lay leaders (52%)
• Lack of sufficient funds (50%)
• Not enough time (41%)
• Lack of sufficient facilities (31%)
• Mostly older people in the congregation (26%)
• Live in a small town / rural setting (25%)

But here’s the most telling (shocking, heart-breaking, prayer-inducing) response of all. 39% of the pastors surveyed stated that they were “not highly interested in offering more programs for the community.” Why? Well, here were their reasons (I promise, I’m not making these up. I got them straight out of the magazine.):

• They would rather focus on spiritual needs than physical needs. (The “spiritual” rationalization for ministry laziness. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard that one!)
• They would rather focus on their own congregation than on the community. (Translation – These people are paying me, I need to keep them happy.)
• Their community has no major needs. (Can anyone say, “Denial?”)
• They don’t see it as a major priority for their church. (Hello! Out of body experience! Could someone read some of the “red-letter” words to these pastors?)
• They see other organizations doing these things better than they do. (Now there’s a good strategy – just outsource our ministry to the world.)
• Their congregation or community really isn’t interested in community outreach.

I guess that last one just tells the whole story, doesn’t it? How have we arrived at this state? How can we recover the biblical focus of ministry … earning the right to share Jesus Christ with the people of our community?

Is there still hope? I believe so. The church is just sick. It’s not on life support yet. But I think we all need a timely house call by the Great Physician.