15 Signs That A Church Is In Trouble (Posted from MMI blog)
#1 – When excuses are made about the way things are instead of embracing a willingness to roll up the sleeves and fix the problem.
#2 – When the church becomes content with merely receiving people that come rather than actually going out and finding them…in other words, they lose their passion for evangelism!
#3 – The focus of the church is to build a great church (complete with the pastors picture…and his wife’s…on everything) and not the Kingdom of God.
#4 – The leadership begins to settle for the natural rather than rely on the supernatural.
#5 – The church begins to view success/failure in regards to how they are viewed in the church world rather than whether or not they are actually fulfilling the Great Commission!
#6 – The leaders within the church cease to be coachable.
#7 – There is a loss of a sense of urgency! (Hell is no longer hot, sin is no longer wrong and the cross is no longer important!)
#8 – Scripture isn’t central in every decision that is made!
#9 – The church is reactive rather than proactive.
#10 – The people in the church lose sight of the next generation and refuse to fund ministry simply because they don’t understand “those young people.”
#11 – The goal of the church is to simply maintain the way things are…to NOT rock the boat and/or upset anyone…especially the big givers!
#12 – The church is no longer willing to take steps of faith because “there is just too much to lose.”
#13 – The church simply does not care about the obvious and immediate needs that exist in the community.
#14 – The people learn how to depend on one man to minister to everyone rather than everyone embracing their role in the body, thus allowing the body to care for itself.
#15 – When the leaders/staff refuse to go the extra mile in leading and serving because of how “inconvenient” doing so would be.
This is certainly some good stuff that every church leader ought to look at seriously! Hope we can all learn from it.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Missional or Mission-minded
This past weekend was awesome! We took a team of 9 people from Bridges of Hope Fellowship to The Summit Church in Knoxville, Tennessee for a mission trip. www.thesummitlive.tv
The Summit is a new church plant that is one year old. They have leased a store building and needed help to pour new life into an old structure. They called it "Extreme Makeover: Church Edition." There were 100 volunteers who descended upon the building to serve the church through all types of construction. It was covered by two different television crews out of Knoxville, WBIR and WVLT. WBIR interviewed me about our involvement in the project and I was happy to obligue.
For our team, this was a first for about 4 of our people. We had the privilege of sowing into the ministry and community of others. I had never pulled wire before, but I have now. My crew (Natalie, Dwight, Cathy & Steven Clayton) pulled metal clad wiring throughout the walls for the entire children's ministry builidng. My knees are certainly feeling it after being on the hard concrete floors for two days. Next time I'll know to take some knee pads. Oh well, you live and learn!
The trip was great for our people. We had great fellowship down there and back. We had church as well as laughed so hard that we literally cried. I can't wait for the next trip.
So, in my opinion, missional is where you actually engage the community in missions hands-on and get outside of the four walls of the church. Whereas, mission-minded is where you talk about missions and give to missions, but never put it into action. I am working hard to model for the people at Bridges of Hope the servant leader model of a pastor. I want to serve along side of our people, not dictate to them how to serve.
Thanks guys for making it a great weekend of service to God and The Summit! I think everyone should go on a mission trip. Your life will never be the same!
The Summit is a new church plant that is one year old. They have leased a store building and needed help to pour new life into an old structure. They called it "Extreme Makeover: Church Edition." There were 100 volunteers who descended upon the building to serve the church through all types of construction. It was covered by two different television crews out of Knoxville, WBIR and WVLT. WBIR interviewed me about our involvement in the project and I was happy to obligue.
For our team, this was a first for about 4 of our people. We had the privilege of sowing into the ministry and community of others. I had never pulled wire before, but I have now. My crew (Natalie, Dwight, Cathy & Steven Clayton) pulled metal clad wiring throughout the walls for the entire children's ministry builidng. My knees are certainly feeling it after being on the hard concrete floors for two days. Next time I'll know to take some knee pads. Oh well, you live and learn!
The trip was great for our people. We had great fellowship down there and back. We had church as well as laughed so hard that we literally cried. I can't wait for the next trip.
So, in my opinion, missional is where you actually engage the community in missions hands-on and get outside of the four walls of the church. Whereas, mission-minded is where you talk about missions and give to missions, but never put it into action. I am working hard to model for the people at Bridges of Hope the servant leader model of a pastor. I want to serve along side of our people, not dictate to them how to serve.
Thanks guys for making it a great weekend of service to God and The Summit! I think everyone should go on a mission trip. Your life will never be the same!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
People Coming, People Going
People Coming, People Going
(Two Disciplines for Good Leaders)
By Ray W. McCollum
"Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve,and one of you is a devil ?"
John 6:70 KJV
Whether you're leading a company, a sales team or a local church, you have to realize there are always people coming and people going. Very few things are permanent. So how do we build teams that make it for the long haul?The pressures of leadership sometime leave us feeling lonely and in urgent need of more help. A common mistake we make in those situations is to hire (or promote) the wrong people. And the second blunder usually follows, keeping the wrong people once we know we've made a mistake.In his book "Good To Great", author Jim Collins gives us two corollaries we need to remember.
Rule #1 "When in doubt, don't hire...Keep looking."
Making sales quotas was a harsh reality in my years in sales management leadership. I often found myself in desperate need of additional sales help, and in the pressure situations, hired the wrong people. I can't tell you how many hundreds of hours I wasted training, coaching and encouraging people I hired in haste, knowing deep down in my gut they probably wouldn't make it.You would think I'd learned my lesson by the time I went into the ministry at age 43. Wrong. The biggest mistakes I made in my early years as a Pastor involved hiring and promoting the wrong people. Oh, the price I've paid to be able to write this Leader Letter! When in doubt, don't hire. When in doubt, don't promote. It takes a lot of discipline to wait, to keep looking, until the right person comes along. And they will. Until then, we're better off doing nothing.
Rule #2 When you know you need to make a people change, act!
The right people will come. The wrong people need to go. This doesn't mean, as Pastors, that we necessarily cease fellowship. (That's usually up to the party that's "going"). But we simply have to deal with situations in which we know that we've got the wrong person in the wrong job. Jim Collins points out that when we fail to "act" on the people change we need to make, two negative things happen: (1) The situation usually gets worse and becomes harder to address. (2) The "right" people wonder what's taking you so long to let go of the "wrong" people.The "coming" and "going" of people is a fact of life. A good rule is to be "slow" in hiring or promoting the people who are "coming" and be "fast" to act decisively once you know you've got people on staff who need to be "going". Jesus chose His twelve apostles very carefully, and never failed to hold the standard high for those who wanted to stick around. When it comes to fellowship, it's "whosoever will"; when it comes to staff situations, it has to be our call!
(Two Disciplines for Good Leaders)
By Ray W. McCollum
"Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve,and one of you is a devil ?"
John 6:70 KJV
Whether you're leading a company, a sales team or a local church, you have to realize there are always people coming and people going. Very few things are permanent. So how do we build teams that make it for the long haul?The pressures of leadership sometime leave us feeling lonely and in urgent need of more help. A common mistake we make in those situations is to hire (or promote) the wrong people. And the second blunder usually follows, keeping the wrong people once we know we've made a mistake.In his book "Good To Great", author Jim Collins gives us two corollaries we need to remember.
Rule #1 "When in doubt, don't hire...Keep looking."
Making sales quotas was a harsh reality in my years in sales management leadership. I often found myself in desperate need of additional sales help, and in the pressure situations, hired the wrong people. I can't tell you how many hundreds of hours I wasted training, coaching and encouraging people I hired in haste, knowing deep down in my gut they probably wouldn't make it.You would think I'd learned my lesson by the time I went into the ministry at age 43. Wrong. The biggest mistakes I made in my early years as a Pastor involved hiring and promoting the wrong people. Oh, the price I've paid to be able to write this Leader Letter! When in doubt, don't hire. When in doubt, don't promote. It takes a lot of discipline to wait, to keep looking, until the right person comes along. And they will. Until then, we're better off doing nothing.
Rule #2 When you know you need to make a people change, act!
The right people will come. The wrong people need to go. This doesn't mean, as Pastors, that we necessarily cease fellowship. (That's usually up to the party that's "going"). But we simply have to deal with situations in which we know that we've got the wrong person in the wrong job. Jim Collins points out that when we fail to "act" on the people change we need to make, two negative things happen: (1) The situation usually gets worse and becomes harder to address. (2) The "right" people wonder what's taking you so long to let go of the "wrong" people.The "coming" and "going" of people is a fact of life. A good rule is to be "slow" in hiring or promoting the people who are "coming" and be "fast" to act decisively once you know you've got people on staff who need to be "going". Jesus chose His twelve apostles very carefully, and never failed to hold the standard high for those who wanted to stick around. When it comes to fellowship, it's "whosoever will"; when it comes to staff situations, it has to be our call!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Update on my health
These last five and a half weeks have been really difficult for me and my family to go through. You have to understand me. The worst pain I have ever really dealt with is allergies, so for me to have really bad lower abdominal and lower back pain constantly without stopping, it's major.
I started out with my family doctor and went through bloodwork, CT Scans, and plenty of other run arounds. And still no answers.
About 3 weeks ago, I went to the Cookeville ER and had another CT Scan, bloodwork, crazy juice :), and they sent me home with medication.
Over the past week and a half, the pain has intensified to even greater levels. I am to the point of being frustrated and ready to get answers from doctors at gun point. ;>) Just kidding.
All this time, I have still tried to continue working and taking care of my regular responsibilities. It hasn't been easy, but I press on.
Today, still in great pain, decided to go back to the Cookeville ER and get some answers. I figured if they see you and don't hear from you, they think you have gotten better. But, if you keep coming back, then they know you mean business and can't keep doing the same thing over again.
Well, my nurse, Ashley did a great job of taking care of me. She was gentle and got me whatever I needed. They did urine tests, bloodwork, lots of x-rays, a fast IV drip, and some medication. After the doctor examined me and checked my tests, she concluded that I have a severe case of IBS (irrital bowel syndrome) from being under lots of stress and needed to be referred to a Gastroenterologist first thing in the morning. She said that sometimes the pain can be so great that they might have to hospitalize the person. So, with a prescription and some directions in hand, I left the ER to come home and rest. I'm supposed to call Dr. Bremer, setup an appointment and the ball is rolling toward more answers.
Thank you to all of the wonderful people who have prayed for me over the last 5 and half weeks. Your prayers have been strength to me and my family. I ask that you continue to pray for us as we press forward and find out what the future holds for me healthwise, HEALING!!!!
What do I miss most? I really hate that I missed the 3rd night of the awesome VBS taking place at Bridges of Hope Fellowship this week. Oh well, I'll be there tomorrow night for sure, unless something else happens.
I started out with my family doctor and went through bloodwork, CT Scans, and plenty of other run arounds. And still no answers.
About 3 weeks ago, I went to the Cookeville ER and had another CT Scan, bloodwork, crazy juice :), and they sent me home with medication.
Over the past week and a half, the pain has intensified to even greater levels. I am to the point of being frustrated and ready to get answers from doctors at gun point. ;>) Just kidding.
All this time, I have still tried to continue working and taking care of my regular responsibilities. It hasn't been easy, but I press on.
Today, still in great pain, decided to go back to the Cookeville ER and get some answers. I figured if they see you and don't hear from you, they think you have gotten better. But, if you keep coming back, then they know you mean business and can't keep doing the same thing over again.
Well, my nurse, Ashley did a great job of taking care of me. She was gentle and got me whatever I needed. They did urine tests, bloodwork, lots of x-rays, a fast IV drip, and some medication. After the doctor examined me and checked my tests, she concluded that I have a severe case of IBS (irrital bowel syndrome) from being under lots of stress and needed to be referred to a Gastroenterologist first thing in the morning. She said that sometimes the pain can be so great that they might have to hospitalize the person. So, with a prescription and some directions in hand, I left the ER to come home and rest. I'm supposed to call Dr. Bremer, setup an appointment and the ball is rolling toward more answers.
Thank you to all of the wonderful people who have prayed for me over the last 5 and half weeks. Your prayers have been strength to me and my family. I ask that you continue to pray for us as we press forward and find out what the future holds for me healthwise, HEALING!!!!
What do I miss most? I really hate that I missed the 3rd night of the awesome VBS taking place at Bridges of Hope Fellowship this week. Oh well, I'll be there tomorrow night for sure, unless something else happens.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
God's Wink
Sometimes, we all need a little (or big) wink from God to let us know that He is there and cares. I mean, we don't have to have it, but it sure does provide a boost of encouragment.
This past weekend was full of them. I spent Friday and Saturday in Athens, Tennessee doing a wedding rehearsal and wedding for my cousin, Sean Collins. He married a sweet and beautiful girl, Crystal Hicks. Okay, so I'll admit, she is way out of his league in looks. LOL! Afterwards, we grabbed Dwight from his grandparents and headed to Chattanooga where we met our good friends, Derek and Kristin Coverly and their girls. It was a great surprise to see Kristin's mom, Deanna, too. We had a great time of food and fellowship before getting on the road to head back to McMinnville.
Sunday, the service was great. The Appalachian Mission Team shared their stories and we worshipped the Lord in an awesome way. I preached on "Breaking Selfishness" and challenged our people to live selfless lives for Christ. During the service we had several exciting announcements:
1. The offer of a FREE building from another church. We would have to move it to our land and have it setup. The Leadership Team would meet and discuss the logistics and so forth. The congregation cheered with excitement.
2. Then, I announced that a man in our community approached me and wanted to make a $1000 matching gift to help us during these tough economic times. We have until August 19th to raise $1000 above and beyond our tithes and offerings. Praise God!
After church our family went to lunch with The Claytons at Fiesta Ranchera. Mexican is always good, especially when you can take a nap afterwards. LOL!
Sunday night, The Claytons joined us for worship at Gum Springs Baptist Church in Walling. Pastor Brent preached from James 5 on "Does God still heal today?" It was a great message and right on Biblically. We stayed around after the service and enjoyed an ice cream social that the ladies provided from their Women's Ministry. Nothing like a good fattening snack! It was delicious.
So, needless to say, God winked in our direction several times over the weekend. Thanks God for always letting us know that you are right there.
Today (Monday), I slept in a little and relaxed. Got to the church around lunch time and worked up until time for dinner at 5 p.m. We check out Dairy Queen with Cathy and Steven Clayton before heading back for an awesome meeting with our Leadership Team at Bridges of Hope. It's been a long afternoon! Guess I better sign off and get ready for another busy day tomorrow.
Keep on looking for those God winks. They are there when you least expect them!
This past weekend was full of them. I spent Friday and Saturday in Athens, Tennessee doing a wedding rehearsal and wedding for my cousin, Sean Collins. He married a sweet and beautiful girl, Crystal Hicks. Okay, so I'll admit, she is way out of his league in looks. LOL! Afterwards, we grabbed Dwight from his grandparents and headed to Chattanooga where we met our good friends, Derek and Kristin Coverly and their girls. It was a great surprise to see Kristin's mom, Deanna, too. We had a great time of food and fellowship before getting on the road to head back to McMinnville.
Sunday, the service was great. The Appalachian Mission Team shared their stories and we worshipped the Lord in an awesome way. I preached on "Breaking Selfishness" and challenged our people to live selfless lives for Christ. During the service we had several exciting announcements:
1. The offer of a FREE building from another church. We would have to move it to our land and have it setup. The Leadership Team would meet and discuss the logistics and so forth. The congregation cheered with excitement.
2. Then, I announced that a man in our community approached me and wanted to make a $1000 matching gift to help us during these tough economic times. We have until August 19th to raise $1000 above and beyond our tithes and offerings. Praise God!
After church our family went to lunch with The Claytons at Fiesta Ranchera. Mexican is always good, especially when you can take a nap afterwards. LOL!
Sunday night, The Claytons joined us for worship at Gum Springs Baptist Church in Walling. Pastor Brent preached from James 5 on "Does God still heal today?" It was a great message and right on Biblically. We stayed around after the service and enjoyed an ice cream social that the ladies provided from their Women's Ministry. Nothing like a good fattening snack! It was delicious.
So, needless to say, God winked in our direction several times over the weekend. Thanks God for always letting us know that you are right there.
Today (Monday), I slept in a little and relaxed. Got to the church around lunch time and worked up until time for dinner at 5 p.m. We check out Dairy Queen with Cathy and Steven Clayton before heading back for an awesome meeting with our Leadership Team at Bridges of Hope. It's been a long afternoon! Guess I better sign off and get ready for another busy day tomorrow.
Keep on looking for those God winks. They are there when you least expect them!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Starting the weekend
Where has this week gone to anyway? It seems like it was just Monday yesterday.
Today I am getting ready to make my way to Athens, Tennessee for the wedding rehearsal tonight of my cousin, Sean, and his soon-to-be wife, Crystal. They are getting married out in an open field. Bet it's going to be hot! I'll be officiating their wedding on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (EST). Afterwards, we'll pick Dwight up and head back to McMinnville to get rested up for Sunday's awesome worship celebration.
I plan on taking the other time I'm there to visit the grave of my grandparents, drive by the old home place, visit with friends and family, and just plain relax, if that's at all possible.
I am also looking forward to seeing Megan again. She is the front desk clerk at Comfort Inn in Athens. On our last visit, I stood and talked with her for a long time. She moved there from Detroit, Michigan to be close to her family. She has recently had a baby and her and her boyfriend are looking for a church home. She is in her early 30's, I would guess. The problem is the same as many other people. She is sick and tired of the cold and lifeless traditional church. She is looking for a pastor who is REAL and transparent with his people. She laughed and said, "Too bad I don't live in McMinnville." However, I did recommend her to a church in Athens where a good friend of mine pastors, Christ Community Church. This sounds exactly what she's looking for in a church. Please keep her, her boyfriend, and their baby in your prayers. They need a touch from God.
Well, the mission team arrived home safely last night around 10 p.m. They were so excited and ready to go back next year. They will be sharing in the service this Sunday at Bridges of Hope.
Gotta go! The highway is calling.
Today I am getting ready to make my way to Athens, Tennessee for the wedding rehearsal tonight of my cousin, Sean, and his soon-to-be wife, Crystal. They are getting married out in an open field. Bet it's going to be hot! I'll be officiating their wedding on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (EST). Afterwards, we'll pick Dwight up and head back to McMinnville to get rested up for Sunday's awesome worship celebration.
I plan on taking the other time I'm there to visit the grave of my grandparents, drive by the old home place, visit with friends and family, and just plain relax, if that's at all possible.
I am also looking forward to seeing Megan again. She is the front desk clerk at Comfort Inn in Athens. On our last visit, I stood and talked with her for a long time. She moved there from Detroit, Michigan to be close to her family. She has recently had a baby and her and her boyfriend are looking for a church home. She is in her early 30's, I would guess. The problem is the same as many other people. She is sick and tired of the cold and lifeless traditional church. She is looking for a pastor who is REAL and transparent with his people. She laughed and said, "Too bad I don't live in McMinnville." However, I did recommend her to a church in Athens where a good friend of mine pastors, Christ Community Church. This sounds exactly what she's looking for in a church. Please keep her, her boyfriend, and their baby in your prayers. They need a touch from God.
Well, the mission team arrived home safely last night around 10 p.m. They were so excited and ready to go back next year. They will be sharing in the service this Sunday at Bridges of Hope.
Gotta go! The highway is calling.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
It's Reaping Time!
I am so excited after the day I've had. My only problem is, I can't share everything that I've found out today. That's the pits!
My day began with a time of prayer and relaxing this morning before picking up Brent, a great pastor friend of mine, in Walling to head to Sparta and meet Duane, another great pastor friend of mine, for a fabulous lunch at El Tapitio. I ordered the taco salad chicken fajitas and it was delicious, as always. We laughed, shared, and prayed for each other around the table. Nothing like good friends with whom you can be totally transparent.
After lunch, Brent and I headed back to his church for a time of fellowship and prayer at the altar. Sweet times!
Then, I found out today that the Lord may be giving our church (Bridges of Hope Fellowship) a building to put on the back of our land on Hwy. 56 for FREE. Wouldn't that be awesome? We could use it for worship, offices, children, youth, etc. until we get our new facility built next year. Then we would use it as a youth facility and possibly some community support groups or an apartment for visiting pastors, teams, etc. We would probably have to pay to have it moved and then to renovate it to our needs. If God can provide the building, the other is a piece of cake. Let's give God praise in advance people!!!!!
Also, I received another piece of news that will assist our church during these tough economic times for everyone. I'll be sharing this great news this Sunday, so don't miss it! Hint: $$$$
This afternoon, David Clayton, Natalie, and I made a quick trip to Murfreesboro to pick up a few more pieces for the sound system. It's almost ready for the weekend! Afterwards, we stopped by my new favorite barbque place, Bar-B-Cuties. Delicious!!! We'll be back cutie!
Finally, I have just settled down to relax a bit before bed. Thinking about our mission team in Appalachia that will return home late Thursday night. Praying for their safety, protection, and blessing.
Final thought: I keep seeing this saying around every corner lately, "God never guides where His grace doesn't provide." How true that is. Sometimes it seems that God has forgotten all about us, when in fact, He is only preparing us and our faith for what is to come in our journey of life. Praise God that He is always faithful!!!
My day began with a time of prayer and relaxing this morning before picking up Brent, a great pastor friend of mine, in Walling to head to Sparta and meet Duane, another great pastor friend of mine, for a fabulous lunch at El Tapitio. I ordered the taco salad chicken fajitas and it was delicious, as always. We laughed, shared, and prayed for each other around the table. Nothing like good friends with whom you can be totally transparent.
After lunch, Brent and I headed back to his church for a time of fellowship and prayer at the altar. Sweet times!
Then, I found out today that the Lord may be giving our church (Bridges of Hope Fellowship) a building to put on the back of our land on Hwy. 56 for FREE. Wouldn't that be awesome? We could use it for worship, offices, children, youth, etc. until we get our new facility built next year. Then we would use it as a youth facility and possibly some community support groups or an apartment for visiting pastors, teams, etc. We would probably have to pay to have it moved and then to renovate it to our needs. If God can provide the building, the other is a piece of cake. Let's give God praise in advance people!!!!!
Also, I received another piece of news that will assist our church during these tough economic times for everyone. I'll be sharing this great news this Sunday, so don't miss it! Hint: $$$$
This afternoon, David Clayton, Natalie, and I made a quick trip to Murfreesboro to pick up a few more pieces for the sound system. It's almost ready for the weekend! Afterwards, we stopped by my new favorite barbque place, Bar-B-Cuties. Delicious!!! We'll be back cutie!
Finally, I have just settled down to relax a bit before bed. Thinking about our mission team in Appalachia that will return home late Thursday night. Praying for their safety, protection, and blessing.
Final thought: I keep seeing this saying around every corner lately, "God never guides where His grace doesn't provide." How true that is. Sometimes it seems that God has forgotten all about us, when in fact, He is only preparing us and our faith for what is to come in our journey of life. Praise God that He is always faithful!!!
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