Category Archives: Church Trends

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COMPASSION

Significance Begins HERE

Compassion is the result of expressing empathy for others’ suffering. It is one of the most quintessential components to living a peaceful and harmonious life and brings immediate and long-term happiness when practiced.

When there is a desire to develop compassion in your life, the key is to make it a daily practice. Start each day with meditation, when interacting with people practice compassion and when preparing for sleep, reflect on compassion. By incorporating this practice into our daily lives, it becomes a part of us.

Compassion also carries positive physical benefits. Practicing compassion has shown to increase DHEA by 100%. DHEA is an anti-aging hormone. Practicing also reduces cortisol by 23%, which is the stress hormone.

Compassion feeds spiritual and emotional being as well. It allows us to be happier and to share our happiness with those around us. Most of us desire peace and happiness and to share with others so it is logical to practice compassion to achieve that which we can have as quickly as right now.

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1 Statistic That Matters

Why Faithful Worshippers Are Attending Less

Statistics, Statistics, and more Statistics! Have you ever trends-and-statistics found yourself weary of stats and trends? Everyone has an opinion and social media gives people an outlet. However, there is one trend that has emerged that is on every church leaders mind these days. Reality now states that committed worshippers are attending church less and less. That statistic and trend is getting everyone’s attention. So before we go into cardiac arrest, consider some of the rationale behind it.[1]

  • Increasing involvement with kids activities including more “multiple activity” commitments (sports, music, etc.) for longer duration with greater competitiveness.
  • Greater mobility in general and the rise of virtual work places. Twenty-five percent of white-collar Americans travel as a part of making a living. People with discretionary time are more likely to be traveling or working in environments outside of their typical home environment.
  • Access to church online. Now its is easier to stay connected to the church, if you have to travel or if you have problems at home getting ready for church in the morning. Within two minutes, I can be streaming one of many great services from across the country from my laptop to my widescreen via Apple TV for the entire family.

OK now what? Before we set off in a knee jerk flurry of action, let us not lose sight that people are committed to something. The question becomes are they committed to the agenda of our church? Examine these insights:

  1. Add VALUE not VENUES – do we need to offer another program that requires people to attend a meeting or is there a way to offer this content digitally? How do we extend the shelf-life of teaching programs that can be adapted to small group meetings without coming up with something brand new every meeting.
  2. Think training over teaching – how can we create a “chat-room” atmosphere where community is built and people can continue the dialogue without a worship service atmosphere?
  3. Design ministry ENDS and not MEANS – The myth that is perpetuated today is that the greater the activity the greater the spiritual vitality. Start with the type of disciple that you are attempting to produce. This will aid in the discovery of the ENDS over the means.

The ultimate goal is not to get people to attend church more, but to become like Christ. You don’t need a lot of church activity to be a follower of Jesus. Think about it: Is Jesus going to give you a scorecard in heaven asking you how many times people came to your worship services, Bible studies and service projects? Or, is He going to wonder what kinds of thinking, being and doing those things produced in the lives of your congregation?

[1] Will Mancini founder of Auxano. Accessed 24 August 2015 http://Ministrytodaymag.com

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Crucial Conversations

Not all conversations are created equal. There are conversations that drain the brain of vital energy and creativity. Then there are conversations that stimulate energy and creativity.FD2659C3209C01E345DE0A88ED638FBA  It is funny at how we avoid certain topics and embrace others. In the faith landscape of America there are conversations that must occur in 2015. In a blog post Carey Nieuwhof suggested a similar discussion that really got me to thinking about conversations that I may not be engaging in and really could be hurting my leadership ability. I would offer 5 crucial conversations that we should engage in ASAP!

  • Are our leaders healthy – really? In the book “The Advantage” Patrick Lencioni suggests that organizational health trumps everything else in the market place. That health presumes healthy leaders. In my opinion this is the most crucial topic of our times and the most ignored. We focus on healthy models of production instead of the health of the practionner.
  • Why are young adults walking from churches? There is a beginning trend and far too early to  declare a cultural shift – people desire to engage the actual mission work of the Kingdom instead of hearing sermons and songs. Don’t get me wrong, this is not to suggest these are insignificant. Rather it is to say that if we are not missional engaged in our community then we are not serving our attendee’s very well. Give them a purpose for belonging and a challenge that is bigger than their ability to write the check.
  • What cultural shifts are we ignoring? The culture is changing faster than the church. I do not believe this is healthy. It is not to suggest that we should go through a season of rapid change for the sake of it. We should however, change to demonstrate the relevance of the gospel message in any culture, race, gender, and location.
  • How do we respond to people who attend church less often? As we continue to shift to hyper post-modernity, people feel less guilty in participating in church and they are less likely to offer loyalty to your cause. The rise of online options and other various ways to engage faith, people feel more likely to take charge of their time and use how they see fit. Occasional is the new normal. The non church attender hates hypocrisy and loves transparency. How are we responding?
  • What are we really willing to change? Change does not come easy. We are willing to die on the matte for the sake of tradition even if it is wrong – after all we have to save face! We can swear and curse all of the changes in social media and technology or we can embrace these changes and adapt our thinking. If our belief system is truly true, then we have nothing to fear. That which is true is true through the ages, places, and spaces of the time continuum. We need only contextualize our methods to meet a new day. YES we will grieve over what we have lost, but we must press forward or lose relevance!

Leave a comment – I would be greatly interested in engaging the conversation with you. I am one to hear other conversations that you feel should be included in this article. Leave a voice message. I will attempt to respond to your comments.

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5 Things I Am Praying For In 2015

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As we prepare to say good-bye to 2014 and hello to 2015, let us review some of the key take away’s in 2014. According Bible Gateway the #1 Bible verse is John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave is only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The #1 word searched in the Bible (both English and Spanish) is “Love.” Google Search Engine states we searched trillions of subjects. We searched “hope” instead of fiction, we searched for “belief” and for “cure” instead of fantasy. A search of various 2014 in review opinions reveals that we started the year out celebrating Colorado’s right to recreational marajuana  and Affordable Health Care Act and it would seem that we are ending the year celebrating transgenderism while searching for a missing Asian Airliner. Somehow between the smoke and celebrating our interpretation of human design we manage to land a space probe on a comet deep into outer space. Go figure! In fact Dave Barry’s 2014 in review is entitled, “There’s Just No Explaining 2014.” The bizarre nature of 2014 caused Rush Limbaugh to declare in a December 2014 broadcast that “the truth is inadequate to persuade people from what they want to believe.”

We all have presuppositions that shape our worldview that is manifested by our behavior. My worldview is biblio-centric. The bible allows me to believe in God sending his Son Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, raised on a cross, buried in a tomb, raised from the dead on the 3rd day, and is now ascended and seated at the right of the heavenly Father. Therefore, there are 5 things I am praying for in 2015.

  1. A Greater Prayer Emphasis – Prayer is not for ceremonialism that adds a touch of class to pomp and circumstance of life. Prayer is the heart-beat of the believing community of Christ-followers. Perhaps 2015 is a year that we live out 2 Chronicles 7:14; “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
  2. Stand Up For Biblical Truth – We are living in a country that grants the freedom to believe and express our belief’s. However, that freedom does not preclude the right to annihilate another’s right to believe in an eternal God. I am praying for strength of conviction by those in the pulpits of our nation to speak truth with passion and a freshness that energizes conviction. Multiculturalism is leading our nation to moral rot. By definition “every person’s truth cannot be true at the same time and in all places.” The Law of Noncontradiction states that something cannot be true and not true at the same time when dealing with the same context. Focus groups and polling data does not instill moral absolutes that you can build your life upon.
  3. Intentional Evangelism – Ed Stetzer’s article, “Why Pentecostal’s Are Growing In Number” suggests this growth to be sociological and not so theological. His reasoning suggests a “shared conviction of urgency” is what contributes to this growth. Pentecostal’s believe their message is significant and urgent enough that the whole world needs to hear. Therefore, evangelism becomes a primary concern and not an ancillary after-thought. If our message is compelling, then our voice should be passionate – “Go into all of the world…” is still mandated by scripture. Non-christians are waiting on an invitation to go to church – invite them.
  4. A Strong Mission Agenda – A mission agenda is more than holiday good-will. It is a deliberate agenda that challenges people to pray for the nations, participate in short-term missions projects at home and abroad, an action plan that keeps missional needs in front of people throughout the entire year.
  5. Deliberate Discipleship – The Great Commission of the church is still disciple-making of the converts so that more converts can be discipled. This requires intentionality of the subjects offered coupled with missional activity. Learning that does not have a practical outlet carries only minimal value. When linked to practical hands-on application truth becomes alive. These twin realities also lend themselves to positive church membership expectations. People want to learn, but they also want to participate.

These are my thoughts for the New Year. I would love to hear what you are praying for in 2015. Share your thoughts below or leave a voice message and I will do my best to respond to you.

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Stay “Mission True”

Remaining true to your life mission personally and organizationally is the greatest challenge of our time. Rapid changing IMG_5705-1280x853environments are forcing decisions that may or may not allow organizations and individuals to stay on task with guiding mission principles. In terms of the religious world of North America, Thomas Rainer reports from his research that 90% of churches are loosing ground in their communities. He reports that it takes 86 church members to gain one person for Christ in a 12 month period. Yes, there is pressure! Yes, drifting is a real possibility! However, drifting is not inevitable!

I would suggest three truths to keep you and your organization missionally true!

  1. Remaining mission true is built on knowing why you and your organization exists. This begins with a comprehensive understanding of the historical journey that has brought you to this time and place. Celebrating victories and learning from failures. This journey of comprehension gives you the ability to articulate the reason for existence.
  2. Remaining mission true differentiates between means from mission. In other words you need to know personally and organizationally what is immutable/unchangeable! Gains can have compromise attached to it – will you choose the gain and sacrifice the mission? You must settle where you will budge and where you will absolutely STAND!
  3. Remaining mission true only changes when the core is strengthened. To remain mission true does not imply that you become stagnant. Change is eagerly embraced when it strengthens the core reason for existence and thereby allowing expansion for the right reasons. Expediency forces poor choices that can lead to drift.

Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church states that we should be stubborn about the vision. Be flexible with your plans – strategies and timelines are always up for grabs. Remaining mission true always begins with understanding purpose. Defending the purpose becomes the chief responsibility in your life and for the board member of any organization.

What are your thoughts? Have you been part of mission drift personally or with an organization? How did you recover? Leave an comment or voice message. I will respond to your comments.

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Netflix Vs. Church

I have noticed recently a number of articles that have been written NetflixBuilding4about the business model of Netflix and how they have dominated the live-streaming entertainment business. They shut-down Blockbuster. We are watching a rearrangement of cultural desires and patterns of life taking place before our eyes. We are given front-row access to this shift in our culture. So what does Netflix have to do with the church? Is there anything that we can take away from this cultural shift that is occurring?

I do believe there are some take-aways from the business model of Netflix and how it is impacting every aspect of our culture. Here are a few observations.

  • We consume content on our terms – think about that for just a moment. Live-sports venues are about the only time that someone else’s schedule is OK with us. Otherwise technology has given us options of when, how, and whose content, commercial free, we will even listen to. Also we have the capacity to stop and start content so that it fits our rhythm of life.
    • There are two subcategories that emerge – one being that our traditional time-slots for doing church is up against the flexibility of people’s lives. Secondly, evidence seems to point out that relationships and mission are going to be more important than singing and preaching in the coming years.
  • Content consumption is personal – technology allows content to be available on multiple platforms and devises. I may start content consumption on my computer, continue in  my car’s bluetooth capacity, and conclude it at Starbucks on my phone.
    • With this new freedom people consume religious content in much the same way – multiple platforms and time schedules.
    • Also there is a great opportunity to call people to a higher purpose. Mission focused, mission driven churches will draw people who are longing for something bigger and more significant than themselves.
  • People pay for content they do not use, until one day they won’t – It is an interesting phenomena  currently. People are paying for cable television they do not watch because it does not fit their life-style rhythm. Until one day people, just like me, decide to stop paying for something that does not meet the need any longer. Netflix has changed the playing field on content consumption.
    • I have noticed a shift in just recent years on church attendance patterns from people that I call stable solid Christians. The freedom to consume content and the various platforms on which it will be consumed gives people new choices that did not exist.
    • Could it be that if our church only offers minimal set times to consume religious content that we may wake up and realize that people may not keep something that is not used that often.
    • If the churches content is that good, then we need to discover multiple ways to make available that content, yet while challenging people to purposes that are bigger than themselves.

I have declared for years that the way we do church today is not the way church will be done at the end of time. I know that our traditions are sacred to us and we are willing to stand up and be heard. I will say that the changing perceptions of the church and the changing patterns of life  should force a new dialogue on what is the main reason for the churches existence? That is a question for future blog posts.

Leave a comment below or use the voice message at the right. Let me know what you think on this subject. Consider your own patterns of content consumption and see if things have not already changed in your life. Let’s talk!