Currently Trending

Most of you know by now that I am a trends guy. I read a lot of articles and stats about trends in America, especially those having to do with church. I appreciate those people out there keeping the pulse of our culture. People like Ed Stetzer of Lifeway Research, George Barna of the Barna Institute, Thomas Rainer, Will Mancini and others.

These trend evaluators present some very thought provoking considerations. This issue of Freshly Bru’d will present 3 trends that may happen in the next ten years. Think about them and see if you agree as you look out on America’s church landscape. These trends come from Ed Stetzer of Lifeway Research.

Trend number one: The hemorrhaging of mainline Protestantism. Mainline churches are in trouble numerically, especially the United Methodist church, Evangelical Lutheran church in America, Episcopal church, Presbyterian church (USA), American Baptist church, United Church of Christ (UCC) and the Christian church (Disciples of Christ). There is a substantive decline of these churches and the numbers of people they are losing and connections does not look promising.

Trend number two: Continued growth of Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement. They have won the spiritual gift debate concerning cessationsim, have tamed down their practice of certain gifts and are moving toward a Spirit filled and Spirit led experience. They also have won the worship war debate.

Trend number three: Networks will explode in number and influence. Denominations still matter but networks are growing in influence and impact. Some are becoming their own denominations. (Like Vineyard, Calvary Chapel).

All of these trends have implications – some good, and some not so good. What good implications or bad implications do you see in the future relating to these three trends?

Blessings, 

P.S. Ever wish you knew more about the Bible? I’m not talking facts about it but the “How to’s” of it. How to read it, interpret it, apply it, how it’s put together and most of all, how to believe it. If you are interested in such things come this Sunday at 9:15am or 11:00am and bring a friend. 

Relationship is paramount

This post of Freshly Bru’d is committed to a very important reminder. The reminder is: only a very few people hear the gospel or show up at church without first being in relationship. In other words, most people who come to trust in Christ are invited to do so by a person they know.

That means God calls all of us not just pastors, to evangelize our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc… Personal relationships are the best way to reach out to people with the gospel.

Every Christ follower is to be on board with investing their lives in others. This investment will provide opportunities for those you are investing in to hear the gospel and see the gospel lived out in you, their friend.

As a pastor in the church it is true to say “I don’t know your friends” but you do. I can’t invest in your friends – you can. I can’t invite your friends to church – you can. What I can do is to make sure the gospel is presented well, over and over again and teach it well, but only you can invest and invite your friends who need the gospel.

There isn’t a person who gets through this broken world unbroken. As you live your life each day, week in and week out, connect with broken people as broken people who have met the One who restores. Invest in people’s lives. When the time is right offer restoration of the brokenness through Christ. That is evangelism. God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ to be sent out to reconcile others to Him. That is what I wanted to remind all of us.

Blessings, 

P.S. Need the courage to say “No” to something? Going along with the crowd? Some temptation? Some addiction? Filthy language? Drinking? Can I have the courage to say “No” to something that will ultimately cause me pain and sorrow in the long run? Yes, you can. Come and discover it this Sunday at 9:15am or 11:00am.

One and Done?

We all have heard of the “nones,” the fastest growing segment of our population who have no church background, affiliation or understanding of church life. But there is also a growing number of “dones.” Those who do have church backgrounds, affiliations and understanding of church life but are done with it all.

The top reasons:

The church is judgmental. Yes, it is, but as humans we are judgmental at every level: work, social class, race, etc…

The church is full of hypocrites. Guilty again. But leaving the church won’t make it better. Being authentic, transparent and helping others will.

The church is too institutional. It is possible to be too institutional instead of taking a loosely-organized organic community. But being anti-institutional isn’t good either. A happy medium is needed in the church.

The church is too political. True. But the good news is that God is not a Democrat, Republican or Independent. There is a whole new generation moving up (Praise God) who are tired of political bullying. They want meaningful conversations.

The church complicates my life. Too many events interfere with my life. Thankfully, God is raising up a generation of church leaders who are driven by God’s eternal purpose for the church rather than by programs, events and schedules.

The church is too dogmatic. Maybe. But truth is truth. And if we leave no room for dialogue or conversation then we can appear dogmatic. Let’s leave room for real discussion.

The church just wants my money. This is a tough one because Jesus and the Bible talk more about this subject than any other. Generosity and giving is a spiritual issue, not a financial issue. When we give, we reflect God’s nature, our faith grows and the world is ultimately impacted. We’ve got to talk about it.

The church doesn’t care about issues that matter. What matters to you may not matter to me. The single most important issue is the gospel and proclamation. I am impressed that the church is waking up to problems of poverty, education, environment, human trafficking, civil rights, etc… We shouldn’t be afraid to address these things.

The church let me down. No one church can meet everyone’s need, solve everyone’s problem, connect with everybody. So, what if nobody bailed? What if everyone decided to stay and work out their issues and be part of the solution?

Don’t say “I’m done,” rather “I’m done with my part in the problems I see, but I’m going to be part of the solution.”

Blessings, 

P.S. Facing a terminal illness? A child of divorce? Struggling as a single mom to raise your family? Choosing purity over promiscuity? All these things take courage. How courageous are you as a person? This Sunday at 9:15am and 11:00am we begin a three week journey on courage: standing strong during trying times. 

Stopping Leakage

Ok, it’s time again to refresh with you the mission of First Free. Why? Because vision and mission leaks, and therefore we have to be reminded of these things over and over again. To stop the leakage, we review our vision and mission to get us back to “why.” Usually we begin to feel lost in the “what” the church is doing. We must get back to the “why!” Nothing matters more than “why” we do what we do! Why do we worship, preach, teach, encourage Life Group participation and getting you involved in the community? Why do we also talk about you investing in your neighborhood, workplace and school? Why are we asking you to invite your unchurched friends? Why do we want you volunteering for agencies in our community? Why do we want you serving in the church? Why are we constantly changing the systems, structures, processes, policies and programs? Why? Because of our mission.  Our mission at First Free is this: to introduce people to a personal relationship with Jesus, develop them into fully devoted disciples (followers) and equip them to reach their community and world.   This is “why” we do what we do.  It’s easy for us to forget the main thing. It’s easy to view all of our processes and structures through the lens of the believer rather than through the lens of the lost. It’s easy for the church to become a cruise ship rather than a battle ship. It’s easy to forget that it’s all about changed lives – transformed lives through Jesus. Churches grow numerically and spiritually when their people are inviting. People invite when lives are changing. Lives change when we stay focused on changed lives – the mission. Every ministry in the church has its own miniature version of the mission. We must make sure they are aligned properly to the mission. Misalignment in the church, whether it is a person or a program, causes the same symptoms as a car when it is misaligned: it’s harder to steer, it moves off course easily, it takes more energy to move forward and eventually, it burns out (like volunteers in the church). So, review the mission of First Free. It’s stated above. Proper alignment to it increases forward momentum, energized you and the ministries you are involved in. Remember the “why!” Blessings,  P.S. Remember Ferguson, Missouri? Baltimore? What was your reaction? Ever think that the Caucasian race is superior to all others? Ever judge someone because of the color of their skin? This week’s Hot Potato is racism. Join me at 9:15am or 11:00am as we address this important subject. Don’t forget the free breakfast for anyone from 8:00am-10:30am in the Multipurpose Room.

How is your memory?

Sorry to say I almost forgot my 39^th Anniversary day. It wasn’t until the actual day that I remembered. Not one of my better moves. How is your memory? The older I am getting, the more it seems to be slipping. Cindy can call me at the office five minutes before I am to drive home, tell me to pick up a loaf of bread and I forget to do it. How about your car keys? Every day I waste five minutes of time searching for my car keys. I thought I’d taken them out of my pockets to place them where the keys are to be placed only to discover I forgot to – they’re still in my pocket.

Now, any doctor will tell you the big seven lifestyle based ways to improve your memory. Eat right (celery, cauliflower, walnuts, broccoli, omega 3, fresh vegetables), exercise, stop multitasking, get a good night’s sleep, play brain games, master a new skill (I think I am going to take up knitting.), and try mnemonic devices (like acronyms, rhymes, visualization).

I would like to add an eighth. It probably fits under the brain game skill but it has a dual purpose. It is memorizing Scripture. Not only does it help improve memory, it internalizes God’s truth in your life for all time. The Psalmist declared “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your Word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your Word I have treasured in my heart that I many not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:9-11)

Let me give you some tips for memorizing Scripture in hopes to improve your memory and to help you be continually conscious of God’s Word as you go through your daily routine.

1. Choose a verse to memorize that speaks to something in your life right now.

2. Start small. (John 11:35 says “Jesus wept.” There’s your first verse memorized.)

3. Write the verse down.

4. Say the verse out loud.

5. Incorporate the verse in your prayers.

6. Put the verse everywhere: bathroom mirror, refrigerator, computer, pocket, textbooks, etc…

7. Use music to help. (Sing it or find songs to put to Scripture.)

8. Make it a fun game. (Have someone quiz you or fill in the blank with missing words from the verse.)

9. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Get started today. You will be surprised how Bible memorization will help your memory! Well, unless it’s your 39^th anniversary.

Blessings, 

P.S. The second “Hot Potato” topic will explore what the Bible says about same-sex marriage. Don’t miss it. See you this Sunday, June 14^th at 9:15am or 11:00am.

"This is the Best Church EVER!" Until it's not.

Many of you know that I meet monthly with 8 other Bible teaching churches in our community. This of course is of great encouragement to me and others I meet with. We learn from each other, challenge each other and pray for each other’s ministries.

The one thing besides Jesus that we have in common is the understanding that there are times when church ministry is painful. We as a group have experienced similar pains in each of our ministries. One pain we have in common is the hurt when someone leaves your church. The very people who say “It’s my church home. I will never go anywhere else!” But they do. And every time, it hurts.

We all have heard the reasons: “I’m not getting fed any longer.” “We feel called to support a new pastor in town.” “We don’t sing my favorite songs enough and the music is too loud.” “I’m having some issues with ________ and feel it best to just move on.” “It seems like you’re all about numbers and reaching new people, what about me?”

Every one of us in my pastor group have heard each one of these reasons. Of course, there are a hundred other reasons given, but these are the most common.

I read an interesting article by Kurt Bubna concerning this very issue. Pastor Bubna says people leave because of one reason and it always boils down to this: they don’t love you anymore or at least not as much as they used to. Let’s face it, people rarely leave what they truly love: they don’t leave a dream job that they love, a spouse whom they love, a church that they love. It just doesn’t happen.

So how do you handle this reality? Many of you have had close friends who have left the church you love and you know the hurt I’m talking about.

The first thing we need to do is accept it. People are people and our emotions are fickle. That is why someone can say “This is the best church ever!” until it’s not.

The second thing we must do is get over it. Rather than fixating on the ones who leave, let’s focus on the thousands in our community who have no relationship with Christ or His church. The harvest is still ripe, and we still have a job to do.

The third thing we must do is learn from it. Jesus had people who followed Him because of His miracles but many of them left Him. (Read John 2:23-25)

Love people, serve people, but if they leave, stay the course and reach others. Entrust your life to the One who promises never to leave or forsake you.

Blessings, 

P.S. Have you ever felt that Christianity is nothing more than a bunch of do’s and don’ts? Have you ever felt another Christian imposes his rules on you? If so, come and discover what the single greatest impediment to being graceful is and what you can do to combat it. See you Sunday at 9:15am or 11:00am! 

Discouragement

Sometimes I get irritated with myself because I know something is true with my head but I don’t act as if it’s true with my heart. Have you been there? Take discouragement. I know in my head it is one of the enemy’s most effective tools against the people of God. I know if he can get us discouraged, experiencing defeat is right around the corner. I also know in my head that everyone experiences discouragement. How many children’s teachers, youth leaders, adult life group leaders have dreams of seeing spiritual growth among those they teach and lead only to become discouraged and quit? How many pastors have I met that get involved in a power struggle within their churches who become discouraged and lose heart? (A lot of them) How many men and women enter the world of business with big goals and high expectations but end up experiencing discouragement? How many singles are discouraged in their relationships? How many people enter a marriage but soon become discouraged with each other and marriage itself? So, if I know discouragement is the enemy’s tool and everyone experiences it, then why do I succumb to it so easily? Why do I allow my heart to be overwhelmed with discouragement when I know in my mind these things about how discouragement works? I think the answer is forgetfulness. I forget that God is faithful to provide encouragement. I forget that discouragement makes me feel detached from God and it’s at that moment I must chase after God. (Read Psalm 42:1-2, 6) I also forget that God gives me hope. The Psalmist says “The Lord will send His faithful love by day, His song will be with me in the night – a prayer to the God of my life.” (Psalm 42:8) Putting hope in God reminds us of His presence even in the valley of the shadow of death. (Psalm 23) I also let discouragement overwhelm me when I forget His grace is sufficient for me today, right now and every day. (Take a moment and read 2 Corinthians 12:9) Brennan Manning, one of my favorite authors writes “Suffering failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement and death will be part of your journey, but the kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever.” The hard work is to remember what we forget. Fill your mind with the encouragement of God and it will transfer down to your heart. Don’t forget! Blessings,  P.S If you have ever had someone judge you, misunderstand you, shun you, condemn you, blame you, reject you, you will not want to miss out on this Sunday’s message “To judge or not to judge? That is the question.”  Join me at 9:15am or 11:00am and discover how to be graceful; being a person everyone wants and needs.