Stop Buying Curriculum

For far too long, churches have fallen prey to the smooth sales pitch:

Buy this! 

It's the latest and greatest disciplemaking curriculum!

Six easy lessons to fully committed disciples!

Yet Jesus never used curriculum. He established personal relationships with people. He said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." He lived and worked with his disciples, teaching them by his actions, words, and attitudes how to love God and love people.

The 21st Century word for this is mentoring. If you want to know more about it, I recommend this article.

So stop buying curriculum.

And start mentoring.

Build relationships.

Demonstrate by your life, your words, your attitudes, what it means to follow Christ.

Stop Segregating Your Youth

That's right - Stop segregating your youth! Half a century ago, churches thought that the thing to do with youth was to put them in a youth group. And the results have been devastating. Both to the youth and to the church.

Let me explain.

First - the Bible never sanctioned separating youth from adults.

Check out Deuteronomy 16:9-14, where Israel was commanded, during the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths, to "rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter," 

When Joshua renewed the Covenant, "he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones" (8:34f).

Under Ezra, when Israel confessed their sin, it was "a very great assembly of men, women, and children" (10:1).

I could go on.

See also 2 Chronicles 20:13, Nehemiah 12:43 and Joel 2:15-16. The point is well taken that the Bible always expected children to be part of the worshiping, studying, and serving community.

Second -  In a study conducted a couple of years ago, "Fifty-five percent of American Christians [were] concerned with modern youth ministry because it's too shallow and too entertainment-focused, resulting in an inability to train mature believers."

Adam McManus, a spokesman for the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches, wrote:

American Christians are finally waking up to the disconnect between the clear teaching in Scripture in favor of family-integration and the modern-day church's obsession with dividing the family at every turn. Age segregation, especially during the tender and impactful teenage years, not only hasn't worked, it's been detrimental.

Third - As everyone knows, most youth drop out of church. The reasons they drop out are multitudinous, but one reason is that they have been separated in youth groups, and see no reason to "graduate" from youth ministry to the church. It is so unnatural.

Fourth - Recent research validates the efficacy of intergenerational discipling. See, for example, Holly Allen's Intergenerational Christian Formation: Bringing the Whole Church Together in Ministry, Community and Worship. 

Youth need to build a large number of relationships with authentic Christian women and men. One or two youth leaders cannot get the job done. If you really want to disciple youth, put them in meaningful relationships with adult Christ followers. And it will happen. It worked for ancient Israel. It worked for the church in its first 1,950 years. And it will work again. Just try it.

 

Stop Inviting People to Church

Ever since I started following Christ at age 16, I thought that "the thing to do" was to invite people to church. Oh yeah - as a pastor, I led congregational programs like "Bring a Friend Sunday." And we had Sunday school growth campaigns, where the idea was to invite family and friends to Sunday school. And I continued in this mode through the last 31 years as a lay member of my church.


But no more! I challenge you to stop inviting people to church!

Yes, you read that correctly. Stop inviting people to church. I started thinking about this after reading David Platt, “I realized I was on a collision course with an American church culture where success is defined by bigger crowds, bigger budgets, and bigger buildings. I was now confronted with a startling reality: Jesus actually spurned the things that my church culture said were most important. So what was I to do?”[1]

You see, 21st Century Discipling is NOT about growing bigger churches, bigger budgets, and all those things. It's about sharing Christ with your oikos (Greek word meaning family, friends, close circle of relationships). Sharing Christ should be a normal, natural part of life.

We do it by the language we use, by the attitudes we display, by the way we spend our money, by the people we hang out with, and by sharing our faith story whenever possible. Can you tell your faith story in 2 minutes or less? Try this:

1. Find the one word that describes what your life was like before you started following Christ. Write 2 or 3 sentences explaining that one word.
2. Then write 2 or 3 sentences telling what happened when you decided to follow Christ.
3. Then find the one word that describes the benefits of following Christ. Write 2 or 3 sentences explaining that one word.

Here's my faith story, developed by this process:

When I was 16 years old, the main thing I wanted was to be happy. I tried everything I could think of to be happy, but the end result was that I was miserable. That's when I asked God to forgive my sins and I prayed, "Lord, I've tried it my way and it doesn't work. I'm ready to try it your way. I'll do anything you want me to do." And when he forgave my sin, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. And ever since then, my life has been characterized by joy. Joy is so much more than happiness - happiness depends on circumstances, but the joy of the Lord is my strength, and I feel it even when circumstances are bad. 

My one word was "miserable." And my second one word was "joy." By remembering those two words, I now can share my faith story immediately, and in less than 2 minutes. The timing is important, because we live in a sound bite generation, and most people will listen for 2 minutes, but they won't listen to all the details of your life story.

Give it try! Stop inviting people to church, and start sharing your faith story. Your oikos will listen, and will want to know more about this Christ you follow.

---

[1] David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2010), 2.

Love and Mercy

I went to the theater and saw "Love and Mercy," the story of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Well, it was really two stories requiring two actors to play Brian Wilson. Paul Dano played Brian in the 1960s during his descent into substance abuse and mental illness, and John Cusack played Brian in the 1980s at the time of his rescue from drug addiction.

It's a powerful story of loss and redemption. There's nothing specifically spiritual or Christian about it, but it's a modern parable of good gifts lost and recovered 20 years later because of love and mercy.

And that story has captivated me for the past few weeks. I can't get it out of my mind. It reminds me of all the millions of lost people who Jesus found, forgave, cleaned up, put back on their feet, and gave a fresh start and a reason to live. It reminds me that no amount of scolding, condemnation, criticism, vilification, or disapproval can lead someone to faith in Christ. It reminds me of the old adage, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

You see, it was his future wife, Melinda Ledbetter, who loved him when he was unlovable and over medicated by an evil and controlling therapist. She took action to get Brian out of the therapist's greedy hands. And with appropriate therapy, and some love and mercy, Brian was reborn.

Click here to hear Brian sing the movie's title song.

The lyrics say it all:

I was sittin' in a crummy movie
With my hands on my chin
all the violence that occurs
Seems like we never win

Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
Love and mercy to you and your friends tonight

I was lying in my room
And the news came on TV
A lotta people out there hurtin'
And it really scares me

Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
Love and mercy to you and your friends tonight

I was standing in a bar
And watching all the people there
Oh the loneliness in this world
Well it's just not fair

Love and mercy that's what we need tonight
Love and mercy to you and your friends tonight

Love and mercy. That's what I need. It's what you need. And it's what everyone needs. And the best source for true love and real mercy is our Lord Jesus Christ. May his love and mercy set you free from whatever is holding you in thrall. And may his love and mercy be spread from you to everyone else in your circle of influence.

Love and mercy that's what we need tonight.

The Charleston Massacre

I was on a teaching and preaching mission in Trinidad and Tobago when 9 Christians were murdered by a hate-filled racist on June 17. Just about everybody in the world has weighed in on this unspeakable tragedy, and today it's my turn.

Jesus spoke about coming persecutions in Matthew 10:22, "you will be hated by all because of my name." Yes, I know that he was not talking about race hate, he was telling his followers that persecution was coming, no matter the source. Specifically, he said:

I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt. 10:16-22).

 We were all rightly shocked and horrified by the Charleston massacre. Things like that just should not happen on God's good earth. But the sad reality is that they do happen. And they happen a lot.

• Christian Solidarity International has issued a Genocide Warning for Christian communities and other religious minorities in North Africa and the broader Islamic Middle East.
  
• 100 million Christians in over 60 countries are persecuted for their faith.
  
• '70 million Christians' martyred for their faith since Jesus walked the earth.
  
•  "It seemed like it was me, the gunman, and God," said Jeanne Assam, describing her feelings as she confronted a man who charged into her Colorado Springs church.

I could insert more and more links, ad nauseam. But I won't, because you don't need convinced, you only need reminded of the global persecution of Christians. 

And, sadly, we should not be surprised when haters enter church buildings and kill Christians. It has been happening all over the world (particularly in the middle east and in communist countries), and there is no reason it won't happen in the United States. As long as mentally ill haters are alive, they will find a way to murder and maim Christians. 

And so main message today is this:

Christians in America --

Get ready to be persecuted for your faith. Jesus told us it would happen, and we have been safe and secure for such a long time that we have forgotten this ugly part of living in a sinful world. 

I believe things will get worse for us in the United States. 

Be prepared. 

Persecution is coming.

A New Definition of Disciple

The more I read and think about this, the more convinced I am that we need a new definition of disciple. My reading, my thinking, and my experience lead me to the conclusion that true discipleship is generational. 

1. There are four generations of believers in 2 Tim 2:2 -- "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."

     First Generation: Paul

          Second Generation: Timothy

               Third Generation: Reliable people

                     Fourth Generation: Others

A disciple is someone who disciples someone who disciples someone.

2. Very often in the Bible, when God saved someone he saved their entire οίκος (oikos) -- household, family, close associates. See, e.g., Gen. 6:17-18, Joshua 6:17, Mark 5:18-20, John 4:39-42, Acts 10:24; 16:14-15; 30-33, and many other places.

I was saved by faith in Christ at age 16, but nobody ever discipled me. I never told my mother, father, or brothers about the Lord and what he had done for me. My oikos never heard my faith story. I did not share Jesus with them, and this is the one big regret I have as a Christian. If I could have one do-over, I would go back and be discipled so that my oikos could hear and believe.

A disciple is someone who disciples someone who disciples someone.

And today, after 49 years as a Christ follower, I'm not sure if I can really call myself a disciple. Oh, I'm a Christian for sure. I'm saved. I'm born again. But have I ever discipled anyone who then discipled someone else? I just don't know.

How about you?

A disciple is someone who disciples someone who disciples someone.

Pew Research: America’s Changing Religious Landscape

On May 12, the Pew Research Center shocked the religious world with its headline, "Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow" (http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/). This was so big that  it not only lit up the Internet, but mainstream news outlets reported and opined on it. 

Now that the dust has started to settle, I shall chime in. I offer my theory alongside all of the other theories about why this shift is happening. And my theory isn't based on research; it's based on 40 years of ministry experience and observation.

With few exceptions, I have observed that when both parents love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love their neighbor as themselves, most of their children do, too. It's that simple. This is not true 100% of the time, of course, but in my experience and observation, it's true most of the time.

When mom and dad pray, worship, tithe, go to church, love their neighbors as Christ would -- most of their children follow suit. I saw this in my family of origin, in my wife's family of origin, and in the extended families in the four churches I have served (three in Indiana and one in West Virginia).

The bottom line is -- if you want to see a return to Christian faith in America, it starts with fully committed Christ following parents. Period. 

OK, so enough of my non-scientific, non-research-based rant. Let's look at one paragraph in the Pew study that is consistent with my theory:

Religious intermarriage also appears to be on the rise: Among Americans who have gotten married since 2010, nearly four-in-ten (39%) report that they are in religiously mixed marriages, compared with 19% among those who got married before 1960.3 The rise in intermarriage appears to be linked with the growth of the religiously unaffiliated population. Nearly one-in-five people surveyed who got married since 2010 are either religiously unaffiliated respondents who married a Christian spouse or Christians who married an unaffiliated spouse. By contrast, just 5% of people who got married before 1960 fit this profile.

So what happens in a religiously mixed marriage? I don't know, but chances are that you don't have a mom and dad who are both following Christ and working together for the spiritual development of their children.

And before you call me a bigot for "being against intermarriage," let me quickly say that I'm just observing. Choices have consequences. If you want to see more adults following Christ, then they need to start out as children following Christ. And if you want to raise Christ following children, then you need both a mother and father who are Christ followers. That's all I'm saying.

So I for one was not shocked when Pew released its report. Anybody with eyes open saw this coming. And if we don't return to the precepts of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, we are very likely to see a continued movement away from historic Christian beliefs in America.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deut 6:4-9, NRSV