Why We Go to Church
Why We Go to Church My three year old son is in the asking why phase of childhood. Whether it's asking him to eat lunch, turn off the t.v., or go potty his response to every given order is, "But, why?". This past Sunday morning, after explaining to him why he needed to get dressed and why he needed to eat breakfast, I informed him we were going to church. His immediate response was to ask why. I paused and pondered how I would respond to my inquisitive three year old. In that moment it was like my whole spiritual life flashed before my eyes. ...
As a Christian, how do you reconcile the many horrific things done by and in the name of the Church historically with your faith?
I spend some time answering questions on various sites and I thought I'd share a question I recently answered: As a Christian, how do you reconcile the many horrific things done by and in the name of the Church historically with your faith? The Crusades, the Inquisition, patterns of systematic child abuse by various clergy. The Biblical allowance of slavery, oppression of women, intolerance of other faiths and peoples. So much of the history of the Church and what it has (and does) stand for appears so un-Christian. My Answer: I reconcile them the same way that, as a parent, ...
Who Are Our Closest Friends?
As I held the phone my chest was tight, clenching my teeth waiting for my brother to respond. I tried explaining why I had not adequately planned nor expressed my desire to see him over a week-long beach vacation near his house. Reasons raced through my mind as I felt misunderstood and small. My brother exhaled slowly and deliberately, like he could feel the swell of a wave from deep within, and was determining whether he should let it roll and crash or try to push it back down to the dark. I could tell this was suddenly about more ...
Why Do People Attend Church for the First Time?
Selling Milkshakes I watched an interesting marketing video from a Harvard professor talking about an essential marketing question, “What is your product selling?” For example, He focused on the milkshake and asked the question, “What is the milkshake selling to the customer?” More than just a frosty dessert, it's "selling" a feeling for the customer. For commuters buying a milkshake on their way to work, they might be buying something to hold and do during their commute. In the afternoon parents might buy a milkshake hoping to pacify their crying child. So, in that case the milkshake is selling peace and ...
Dear Church Planter, Launch Size May Not Matter as Much as We Thought
DOES CHURCH LAUNCH SIZE MATTER? What we know: In 2014, Lifeway Research estimated 4,000 churches began. If the first year of a church plant costs around $150,000, then those new plants together cost $600,000,000. If this number rings true each year, then the American Church is investing over half-a-billion dollars in new church plants each year! But, the question is- what's working? There's surprisingly sparse research on what factors contribute to a successful plant. Ed Stetzer contributed to two great resources. Here's one from Lead.net, and here's a PDF to download of his initial research. Anyone involved with church planting will share time-tested factors contributing to ...
There’s No Such Thing as a “FAILED” Church Plant
Not My Jeans I was shopping with my wife a few months ago and as I passed through the men’s section I noticed my choice of jean style was “skinny” or “super skinny”. Now, I’m not sure I want to find out the difference because I would not describe myself as either. I thought about asking an employee to point me towards the plump and chubby section and anxiously await the Gap’s first dad-bod clothing line. But, calling a pair of jeans “skinny” affects the wearer’s perception of the jeans and possibly himself. How we speak about something affects our ...
Millennials and the Church: the Good, the Challenging and the Ugly
https://www.flickr.com/photos/26324411@N00/1617694299/in/photolist-3sX7a2-agqfBP-e8awnU-dPnukK-8njHa9-J5p2p-7tGbnf-rU4e6-4Zm8eh-5o3H1t-ocE6KV-7oRoEC-pctzNd-4z9Nv5-qbakCD-pTVr5v-a3mQQ6-8TpGGM-E9XWY-8dxY2p-7aPrvz-8TQhJG-4z9Q9d-eiwixk-98Ukfr-cZkSCw-99ACEa-a3n4yL-4z5B84-7nrody-re3kVo-eiC5SU-ffKnAb-bEm86H-5Ug3K-4z5uFp-z4aYL-LdyjL-8M21gB-6Js48T-4ZmjHb-9xZ8bN-eK1rJM-cT8XTy-a3D8Au-8E1rGm-6Sw2fV-8TzTxP-8G423W-5iATSt/ Millennials I read a fascinating article about Millennials and the church from the Washington Post a few weeks ago. The author commented how they’re leaving the church at a faster rate than previous generations and made suggestions on what could be done. In fact, Pew Research found that Millennials are more willing to identify themselves as “not-religiously affiliated” more than any previous generation. There is definitely a real spiritual shift with this younger generation, so the author raises an important question. I love her observations about their needs, and think every pastor and church planter should pay attention ...
There’s No Such Thing as the Perfect Day
My plans were perfectly laid. I would wake up, get the kids off to school, then enjoy a perfectly organized day of studying my brains out and cleaning the house. The kids would come home as I casually cooked dinner and later would tell my wife about the day's great accomplishments. But, days never work out like we plan do they? One of my kids had to stay home sick. Our car had to be taken into be fixed, and the internet wasn’t working so I was unable to study. As my week unfolded I noticed the similar pattern of ...
Attending Church for the First Time Can Be Scary
The First Day Remember your first day at the new school growing up- what it was like knowing no one? Remember being dropped off at camp, as you balanced trying to be cool saying good-bye to your parents, but terrified to see them leave? Remember your first practice with the new team, dance group, or club? It’s so easy to forget how scary it is to do something new. Once we feel a part of a community or group, it’s hard to remember what it was like to not feel that connection. Cognitive Psychologists coined the phrase, curse of knowledge ...
The Most Important Question a Leader Asks
I recently began a management and leadership degree and realized something very important about leading others. I’m working on two classes and both challenge me to grow by answering a critical question, possibly the most important question- Who am I? The better I understand myself as a leader (strengths, weaknesses, personality, leadership style), the better I’ll be able to lead. This idea was reinforced in The Leadership Challenge when the authors ask, “WHO ARE YOU? This is the first question your constituents want you to answer. Finding the answer is where every leadership journey begins” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p. ...