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Another list! This time I received a list of the 50 Most Influential Churches in America, courtesy of The Church Report. (I was also pleased to see that three of the top ten were pastored by Preaching Contributing Editors -- I always knew we had some influential guys on our team!) (See our Link of the Week if you'd like to see the full list.) It did get me thinking: what have been the most influential churches in my world? I guess I have to start with Somonauk Baptist Church, a small church in a small Illinois town (population: 900) where I first learned about God's love. There was Florida Street Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC, where I gave my life to Christ during a Bill Glass revival. And First Baptist Church of Merritt Island, FL, where I heard Adrian Rogers each Sunday for several years and learned how powerful preaching could be. As I moved into my teenage years, Arlington Baptist Church in Jacksonville nurtured my faith and provided a setting in which God called me to ministry. Union Flatrock Church near Osgood, IN, was the church that first trusted me to serve as their pastor, and Immanuel Baptist Church in Tallahassee is the church that helped me stay in ministry at a critical moment in my life. Now Brentwood Baptist Church is the place where my family has found a spiritual home, and where our oldest son has made his own commitment to Christ. It's healthy to look at great churches across America and recognize their influence on our approach to ministry, but the most influential church is the one that told you about Jesus and helped you give your life in His service. May your church and mine continue to grow in their influence in the lives of others. Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" (Michael’s blog) for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. Recent topics: Term limits for judges; A sharp left turn
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament The September-October issue of Preaching contains a pair of articles about preaching Old Testament texts. One of the premier books on this topic is Sidney Greidanus' volume, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament (Eerdmans). One reason to preach from the Old Testament, he notes, is that "it reveals truths we know from no other source." "For example, only in the Old Testament do we receive the comprehensive revelation of God as the sovereign Creator, wholly other than his creation yet involved in it. Only in the Old Testament do we learn that God created human beings in his image for fellowship with him and with each other, and with the mandate to develop and care for the earth. Only in the Old Testament do we receive a picture of the human fall into sin, resulting in death, brokenness, and enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Only in the Old Testament do we hear of God electing Abraham/Israel as a beachhead for restoring his kingdom on earth. Only in the Old Testament do we find details about God's covenant with Israel, the ten words of the covenant (Decalogue), the blessings and the curses. Only in the Old Testament do we hear of the coming Messiah and the Day of the Lord. "The various teachings of the Old Testament are sufficient to form a comprehensive worldview, namely, the interrelationship between God, human beings, and the world." (Click here to learn more about the book Preaching Christ from the Old Testament)
Standards for moral integrity In a recent edition of his Ministry Toolbox newsletter, Rick Warren shares a list of the guidelines he has established for his church staff to help protect against moral problems. This is a list that any church would be wise to adopt: Saddleback staff standards for maintaining moral integrity:
*The first three do not apply to unmarried staff. (Click here to read the full article.)
Are you ready to reach aging Boomers? In a recent edition of the Pastors Today newsletter, LifeWay president Thom Rainer talks about the fact that within five years, the oldest Baby Boomers will start turning 65, initiating a major demographic trend that will impact society and the church. He talks about several key factors for church leaders to recognize: • About two-thirds of the 76 million boomers are unchurched, which means they attend church no more than twice a year. • Our early research indicates that many of these boomers are becoming profoundly nostalgic. Among the unchurched boomers, we found that a significant number would return to church if it resembled the church of their childhood. • Typically, gospel receptivity wanes as a person ages. But the boomers may defy this trend. Indeed, early indicators tell us that gospel receptivity may actually be on the rise among the members of this huge generation. • The senior boomers will have the largest accumulated wealth of any group in America's history. • This age wave will include tens of millions of men and women who want to make a difference in their older years. They have pursued many paths to happiness, and the unchurched boomers tell us that none have proved satisfactory. • These older adults will respond poorly to most forms of senior adult ministries in churches today. They will walk away from churches that focus on travel and entertainment as the primary "ministries" to senior adults. • The age wave adults will desire more than an occasional mission trip as a means to make a difference. They want to invest themselves in something that is meaningful and longer-term. • These new senior adults will not perceive themselves to be older adults, and any organization that communicates to them that they are old will quickly lose the allegiance of this generation. • The age wave generation is increasingly desirous of studying deep biblical truths, even among the unchurched boomers. (Click here to read the full article.) http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703
ILLUSTRATION: Persistence Persistence implies a steady pursuit, an unwavering focus, a dogged determination. In Romans 2, Paul says that those people who doggedly pursue immortality are the ones who receive it. This is very disheartening for me. I have confessed my spiritual ADD. I can pay attention for several minutes, but after that I am thinking about something else. Most of us are the same way. We leave the worship service on Sunday committed to a different life. We are determined to do well. We do OK on Monday and Tuesday, but by Thursday we have started to struggle and lose our resolve. Come the weekend, we are limping into church promising that next week is going to be different. Sound familiar? Perhaps some lessons from my running friends would serve us well here. First: You have to stretch. Runners slowly extend their muscles to prevent injury and to prevent becoming too tight. For believers, we stretch when we read the Bible and see the life God has made possible for us. Second: Start slow. Pacing is important. Amateur runners try to run too far and too fast. They burn out. Too many times we try to do too much in our Christian life. We try to work on our attitude, study the ancient Greek manuscripts and memorize a Bible book a week. Start slow and gradually build your pace. Remember, there is a reason Jesus walked everywhere He went. Third: Rest. Recovery time is vital. Time spent in prayer, just in the presence of Jesus is the most important time we can spend as believers. The radical teaching of Christianity is that Jesus is alive. In His presence, our lives are restored and healed. Eugene
Peterson has a book entitled, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
and the theme is about how disciples of Jesus keep showing up everyday,
trying to follow Jesus a little better everyday. Persistence --
that's the word -- a determined commitment to following Jesus in
the moments of any given day. Slow and steady wins the prize in
races and in faith. (Mike Glenn, Brentwood Baptist Daily Devotional,
3-2-06)
ILLUSTRATION: Opportunities In his journal for LeadershipJournal.net, Gordon Macdonald commented on the performance of the Swiss woman who had been in the number-two position in the snowboard race for the gold medal at the recent Winter Olympics: "I recalled that she was at least 50 meters back when the American athlete decided to "hot-dog" it (play to the crowd, as they say) and fell. The replay shows the Swiss snowboarder flying by to the finish line (and the gold) as the American frantically tries to get back on track. Go back five seconds before the fall when the American was so far out in front. Why didn't the Swiss boarder relax and settle for the second place silver medal? What made her keep pushing so that she was in a position to capitalize on the sudden fall of the leader and take the gold? Character, I guess. "We live our lives under the discipline of uncertainty," wrote Fred Mitchell, an English missionary leader of 60 years ago. "We never know what emergencies may be approaching, what (opportunities) may be ripening, what chances may be on the way, what temptations (may be lying in) ambush ready to spring unawares." What an important reminder: keep your eyes open to opportunities that may come your way when you least expect it. God seems to enjoy surprising us like that.
ILLUSTRATION: Change, Urgency In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles, there's a wonderful conversation about whether the Lord of the Manor has installed electricity in the old castle. The reply is, "No, Sir. He's decided to wait a generation or two to see if it catches on."
ILLUSTRATION: Misunderstanding A lifeboat was called out to rescue a yacht in trouble. The coastguard, trying to get the yacht's location, called it on the radio. "What is your position? Repeat, what is your position?" And the reply came back, "My position? Well I'm marketing director of a medium sized computer software company in New York."
ILLUSTRATION: Urgency, Hurry "It is refreshing and salutary, to study the poise and quietness of Christ. His tasks and responsibility might well have driven a man out of his mind. But he was never in a (rush), never impressed by numbers, never a slave of the clock. He was acting, he said, as he observed God to act -- never in a hurry." (J. B. Phillips)
"Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish." (Jean De La Fontaine)
From the sponsor of this week's edition: Preach. Pastor. Prepare at Dallas Seminary. "Dallas Seminary is the ideal place for the student who wishes to maximize his or her potential." -- Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, and founder of The Urban Alternative Whether you have been in the pulpit for one or twenty-one years, Dallas Seminary can help you sharpen your skills. Learn more about the Master of Theology or the Doctor of Ministry programs today, and join the ranks of grads such as Tony Evans, Andy Stanley, and Chip Ingram. Click here for more information or call 1-800-3-Dallas.
ILLUSTRATION: Ingratitude, Helpfulness A man was writing at the post office counter when he was approached by an older fellow with a post card in his hand. The old man said, "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you but could you address this post card for me? My arthritis is acting up today and I can't even hold a pen." "Certainly sir," said the younger man, "I'd be glad to." He wrote out the address and also agreed to write a short message and sign the card for the man. Finally, the younger man asked, "Now, is there anything else I can do for you?" The old fellow thought about it for a moment and said, "Yes, at the end could you just add, 'PS: Please excuse the sloppy handwriting.'?" (from Cybersalt Digest)
Books worth a look . . . Though the long-term pastorate should be our ideal, the reality is that most pastors will serve in several churches during a typical life of pastoral ministry -- which means that we will leave several churches on the way to the next one. That makes Lawerence Farris' new book Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation (Eerdmans) a helpful guide to making such transitions purposeful and healthy. (Click here to learn more.)
"A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." (Harvey Mackay)
More random thoughts 1. When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane and going the wrong way. 2. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. 3. For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism. 4. Never do card tricks for the group you play poker with. 5. No one is listening until you make a mistake. 6. Two wrongs are only the beginning. 7. The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. 8. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. 9. Change is inevitable . . . except from vending machines. 10. Always try to be modest and be proud of it! 11. How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hand . . . 12. Love may be blind but marriage is a real eye-opener. 13.
If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving isn't for you.
And finally . . . News flash: they have dumb criminals down under as well as in the USA. Three prisoners who had managed an escape from their New South Wales jail were recaptured when they tried to flag down a ride -- from an undercover police officer. The episode is recounted in a July 28 article in the Sydney Morning Herald. The three fugitives managed to get about 125 miles away from their minimum security facility before stopping the police officer, who was able to identify them from parts of the green prison uniforms they were still wearing. Asked about the arrest, a police spokesman said, "You never know what's lurking around the next corner. Though you don't normally have them fall into your lap like that. He was just the right person in the right place at the right time." (Thanks to Steve Grose for sending the link.)
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