The Next 5

Last week we met together as a staff for some 'saturated' pancakes.

As we were all finishing up with our breakfast, we had the beginnings of a really good conversation.

The question was a philosophical one - what will the church (not just GCF but the church as a whole) look like in the next 5 years?

It really had me thinking for the rest of the week. So I thought that I would jot down a few things that I think are going to be critical for the church, as well as the people in it, in the next 5 years.

1. Transparency

Without a doubt, this is huge. One of the biggest problems in the church today is that people have hurts or issues they want help/counsel with, but they don't speak up because all they see is perfect people in the church. They end up thinking they're the only ones who are dealing with ___________.

If the church is going to grow and be a force to be reckoned with, we have to be willing to be real and transparent. Now I'm not talking about glorifying sin or being given license to sin, I'm just talking about being real, transparent & honest with each other. Because here's the truth - when we're transparent, it gives other people permission to do the same. If the church is going to be viewed as a safe haven, where all are welcome, transparency needs to be part of it's DNA.

2. Relationships

Can't stress this one enough. It's often been said that people will walk in the front doors of the church for the preaching (or the music or the _________), but they stay for three reasons - one of which is relationships.

I believe relationships are critical to every aspect of our lives. The church needs to be a breeding ground for relationships. Real, authentic relationships of people doing life together. Inclusive rather than exclusive. The people that you actually WANT to hang out with on a Friday night. People you count on for good conversations. People that watch your kids. That's what makes coming together on a Sunday morning so fun. The church needs to be a family, where there's always room for more.

3. Power of God

Let's face it - there are some big issues out there. People are ashamed of their past, are just 'surviving' in the present and are worried about their future. We are living in a time where one sermon ain't gonna cure our problems, and the latest self-help book won't make a dent. We've got significant questions and we need significant answers. More than any other time when I've been alive, I see people having an open mind, and legitimate need towards the supernatural side of God.

I think too often that which we fear imprisons us. We see so many things that make us apprehensive towards the things of God that we are willing to not even take a chance.

I can safely say that I was the same way. I had plenty of questions and I saw enough people to keep me out of the church for good. Then I got to a point in my life that I didn't have all the answers. I got to a point where I said, "ok, I'll check it out". I'm glad I did. I'm glad I didn't let that which I feared, imprison me. Because it was at that time that I decided to have an experience for myself that I encountered the supernatural side of God and my life hasn't been the same since.

Critics say that God is a crutch for weak-minded people. I can't change their opinion. But they can't change mine either. I would encourage such people to have an open mind and to walk with God for a bit and then tell me what the weak part is - I'd love to see it :)

4. Communicating for today

I love this topic. Simply put - the message can't change, but the packaging HAS to change.

Gone are the days when people sit and listen to a 2 hour sermon. It's a waste of time. Yep, I just said that. I believe it's a waste of time for the people listening and the person that prepared it. You might have some great revelation that God himself spoke to you, but if it's wrapped in the middle of a 2-hour long sermon, it's safe to assume your audience won't get it. The mind can only absorb what the butt can endure. Better to split up a talk that long into several messages. Sunday comes again next week, just like this week.

I believe that our job as leaders, especially those that communicating is part of their responsibility, is to present the Bible in a way that is honoring to God. Communicating in a way that is a catalyst for producinglife change in the people that are listening to it.

Personally, I'll use whatever method I can if it means that a person will understand the Bible more than when they came in. That means videos, movies, dramas, music (both secular and Christian), dance - whatever it takes for a person to have a love for the Bible, and ultimately, for God.

5. Growing & Going

I admit, that sounds a bit churchy, but for some reason I like it :)

I talked quite a bit about this in my last message at GCF. Again, simply put, it means we take responsibility for our faith and then we use the growth we are experiencing and share it with the world. That means that there is more to our spiritual walk than Sunday morning.

Here's a great quote I recently heard: "What you put in your mind eventually gets to your heart. And whatever is in your heart becomes your pursuit." Our spiritual growth needs to be what we are pursuing. Only 12% of people today attend church. That means statistically, your friends will have a spiritual conversation with you before they walk into a church.

We need to grow, and then go. It's vital.


Well I admit that got long, but those are the 5 that I see. I'd love to hear your comments and/or some trends that you see.

My list

I talked on Sunday about my task list and how everything on it was very 'right now' sort of things.

As I look at my list today and for the upcoming weeks, it is very different. There's still some 'right now' tasks on there, but 80% of my tasks are all future-planning type stuff that either require me to organize or think creatively.

Love it!

Sunday

Had a lot of fun giving the morning message yesterday. I got to speak on a topic that I really enjoy - revolutionary spiritual growth (how you grow as a Christian).

I tried a new approach to sermon prep. My goal was to do the whole sermon without notes. I've seen it done before and it really impressed me. I've always wanted to have the information so a part of me, that it just comes out, without notes.

Consequently, that took quite a bit more work.

Usually what I do is start with a bare bones structure for the sermon. A lot of that taken from Andy Stanley's, "Communicating for a change". After my structure is complete, I will write out the sermon, word for word - just to get all my thoughts down on paper.

Usually at that time, I'll just study what I've written, etc. This time I broke down the sermon into paragraphs and assigned a one sentence intro to the paragraph. I then memorized the one sentence intros and the general flow of the message.

I really enjoyed it. I felt freed up - I wasn't relying on a piece of paper. Now the sermon didn't go exactly as it was on paper - never does! (Which I'm thankful for!)

Funny thing happened while I was speaking - I was differentiating between spiritual growth and revolutionary spiritual growth. To illustrate that, I was explaining four habits of spiritual growth, equating each one of those to the ingredients of a strawberry smoothie - which I was making on stage (apron and all!)

Once I blended the smoothie, I took a drink of it and a lot of the powder mix must have been underneath the straw. I got a big gulp! It was pretty funny to me!

If you missed any part of the message, it will be posted on the GCF Website.

America

I was thinking this morning about the election results and just how much of a history-making night it was last night and how for the first time in history, we have an African-American president. That in itself is amazing.

I was also thinking of our friend, Deo Mwanje, from Uganda, Africa.

When Deo was here a couple weeks ago he was watching all the campaign coverage with us. He said something that is ringing in my ears this morning.

We were discussing how politics work in Uganda. He said that they are similar to the US in that the country becomes divided with party loyalties, etc. He said that remains even after the election. All the drama we've seen from the two campaigns - he said that it's like that all the time in Uganda.

We went on to discuss how it's different in America. Oh sure, America is definitely divided pre-election. Some McCain supporters, Some Obama supporters. But as we're now on the other side of the election and we see the results, I believe that we are able to rally behind a leader and get some things done. It doesn't mean that we're all going to magically agree on everything we've been talking about the last few months, but there is a coming together. Almost a 'ok, we've got clarity at the wheel -- let's get down to business'.

I'm thankful this morning that we as a country can have spirited conversations, make our voice heard, and in the end, no matter who wins, be a country that can come together after it's done and accomplish some things.

Medicine Hat

Every October LifeLinks does an international leadership conference in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.

The experience at this year's conference was incredible on several levels. It was good not only because of what we heard there, but also because of the people. We saw a lot of old friends and also made some new ones.

I have so much stuff to process - I actually didn't want to read on the plane on the way home because there was so much stuff in my head already.

I'll be blogging a bunch of my thoughts from the conference in the days to come.

Definitely worth the trip.

Quarter of a point

I play in a fantasy football league in Yahoo where you pick different players across different teams. How well they do reflects on your score - if the QB you choose scores a touchdown in his game, you get 6 points, etc.

My team, the Barbaric Barbarians, went ahead and pulled out the victory by a quarter of a point. That is by far the closest game I've ever seen in fantasy football.

I actually thought I was going to lose - I had Morris & Welker from the Patriots left - both playing last night. Morris was my trump card - I was hoping to get 25+ points out of him. He got injured and went out at the half.

Somehow I squeaked out the victory. By a quarter of a point.

Go Barbarians!

Remembering

We had a trememdous amount of fun today during our service.

A couple weeks ago our worship leader, Ross Eicher, asked everyone what songs they would like to hear during an upcoming worship service. He let everyone know that he would comprise his worship list today from those songs.

What a great idea.

There were songs that I haven't heard in years. When the familiar chords began to play, I instantly remembered my days of leading worship at Lighthouse Church in Helena, MT. It was a church plant that was being pastored by my first pastor, John Swanson. It was in that church that I really learned a lot about life and ministry and made some friendships that are still foundational to my life today.

Hearing those songs today and remembering my roots was a good reminder for me. It made me realize that one of the dangers in ministry for me is that sometimes I confuse my own Christianity with my job. It's the fine line between giving out & receiving. Today was a good day to sit back and receive. It was fun to take that trip down memory lane.

Ross even managed to put "Awesome God" in the list. :)