NID New Starts

Where have you been?

Okay!  It's been a while.  Granted.  Many people and situations demanding time, more people interested in launching a new start and needing assistance, meetings, convention, etc., etc.  Not quite a loss of focus, but definitely more time demands.  Hmmmmm.  Sounds similar to what can also happen in a church or any ministry situation.  We have the best of intentions when it comes to living out our faith 24/7 and taking the Good News and love of Jesus to those in our communities, but there's a whole lot more demands on my time than usual.  I can't do everything.  My leaders can't do everything.  True.  We definitely run into rough spots no matter who we are or what we are doing.  We just don't want to stay in that rough spot forever or have it begin to define our schedules from now on.  Maybe it’s just a good time to pray for each other, asking God for wisdom and guidance as we seek out more and more opportunities to serve Him in the midst of the other things going on in our lives.  Take care and I hope to be back very soon! 

Who are the Lost? Prospects or People Jesus misses most?

Defining people as prospects is a sales term and does nothing to build relationships with unbelievers outside the church. Success in this model is defined as “selling” and the better the sales job, the more customers, and the bigger the store must grow, called the church. A church in Phoenix calls unbelievers “the precious.” Understanding this subtle difference leads Christ followers to “be the church” and not just “go to church.”

Attitudinal Change

I attended a church that's probably like the one you attend.  They are striving to be faithful to the Word of God.  They recognize that faith is created through the work of the Holy Spirit.  They are constantly praying about not being obstacles, but to instead provide as many opportunities to minister to and interact with people.

Because of the economic times in which we live, they have been trying to reach out to more and more people who need various kinds of help.  Instead of just viewing this as some kind of handout, which is just fine because it's great to have compassion and help people, they took it a step further.  They also viewed it as an opportunity to develop relationships and take a real interest in the people they were serving.  They realized they could also be in the same position and wanted to find genuine ways to continue to share the love of Jesus.

There really is an "outreach component" to everything we do because it just involves living our lives for Jesus.  It could be at church, at the store, in our home, at a friends, at work, etc., etc.  It's a 24/7 thing not an event or something left up to the Evangelism committee.  But this takes an attitudinal change worked by the Spirit.  I pray that He continues to unite us and grow us in our faith and life with Jesus.

Any thoughts?

How some churches successfully defined their local predicament?

  Where God has placed us you is no accident. We are here in the Chicagoland area because of His divine Plan and Purpose. Discovering our vision must take in the local favor of where God has placed us and the needs and hurts of this community. Here are how some congregations have responded to the community challenge:

Bandera Road Community Church in San Antonio has identified teenage pregnancy as a social issue to tackle in response to the fact that San Antonio has one of the highest teen birth rates in the country.

• Life Church in Portland, Oregon, has identified its local predica­ment generally as a culture of "self-reliance" and specifically as under-resourced education facilities.
• First Presbyterian of Midland, Texas, insightfully realized that as an "oil town" everything of value in the community lies literally beneath the surface. They see their local predicament as exposing the same dynamic from a spiritual-kingdom perspective: the need to explore and enter the deeper realities of Christ.
• Hope Baptist Church in Las Vegas has identified multiple issues, but one they are currently giving their attention to is homeless chil­dren, whose numbers continue to grow in the area.
• A church in Aspen, Colorado, recognized the opportunity to touch the world from their backyard, because a significant constituency of their fluctuating community is eighteen to twenty-four years old, young people who come from the upper crust around the globe. When I checked in at my hotel, the twenty-one-year-old woman from Norway had never heard the gospel.

Any Thoughts?

"The scorecard for the incarnational church has a much different metric than the level of participation at gatherings and church events.  It ultimately measures its accomplishments by the quality of life of those in the faith community and the people they serve."

There are those that think we need to "measure" more than people in the pew and involvement in church activities when it comes to discipleship or helping people to grow in their faith in demonstrable ways.  Any thoughts?

More Statistics

In the book, The American Church in Crisis, by David Olson, the following statistics are reported.  They were valid for 2005 and were declining prior to this.  He calls the four categories; weekly attendance, regular participants, active members, and inclusive members.  They move from most Christian to least Christian in definition.
1.    17.5% of the population attended a Christian church on any given weekend.
2.    If we expand the definition to include those who attend 3 out of 8 Sundays, the percentage goes to 23%.
3.    If we further expand the definition to include those who not only attend once a month or less, but  also occasionally contribute money to that church, the percentage moves to 37%.
4.    Finally, if we include people who report belonging to a particular church tradition, even though they have no authentic connection as shown by their actions, then the percentage goes to 52%.

There are many questions we could ask in seeking to reach people with Jesus.  Among them might be questions like the following:
What is our mission and vision?
Are we reaching anyone, and if so, who and why?
Do we understand the culture of the people around us and what their needs might be?
What could we do different to remove any barriers, if any exist?

Let's get a conversation going on other questions you can think of as to how we might reach more people with the Good News of Jesus.

Is Your Dream Attainable?

    On his latest blog John Maxwell has come up with ten thought provoking questions to help you test your dream.  I thought there were interesting to here they are:

1.

The Ownership Question:
Is my dream really my dream?

2.

The Clarity Question:
Do I clearly see my dream?

3.

The Reality Question:
Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?

4.

The Passion Question:
Does my dream compel me to follow it?

5.

The Pathway Question:
Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?

6.

The People Question:
Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?

7.

The Cost Question:
Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?

8.

The Tenacity Question:
Am I moving closer to my dream?

9.

The Fulfillment Question:
Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?

10.

The Significance Question:
Does my dream benefit others?

Thousand-Fold Workshop!

Celebration Ministries

invites your congregation's participation

in a Thousand_Fold Workshop!

Saturday, March 28, 2009, 9:00 a.m. to Noon

Celebration Ministries of Park Forest

424 Indianwood Boulevard

Park Forest, IL 60466

(708) 748-1995

Called workers, church staff members and lay

leaders can all benefit from this workshop!

• A continental breakfast will be available at 8:30 a.m.
• Lunch and fellowship will follow the workshop at noon.
• Free-will offering will be taken to cover food expenses.

Pre-registration for the conference is required.

Please register by Monday, March 22, 2009.

To register for this workshop, please contact Sue Green with LCEF

at the Northern Illinois District (708) 223-3117 or Sue.Green@ni.lcms.org

 

Church Websites

Going into all the World: Church Website Basics was the title of a recent issue of The Parish Paper.  What if your church visitors based their decision to visit your church, instead of another, on what they found on your website? How would it measure up?

• But do people really “Google” for a church?
• What should churches put on their Websites?
• What information is essential for church seekers?
• What information is essential for church seekers?
• What information is essential for members and regular
  attendees?
• Plus … The Top Ten Church Website Mistakes

Check it out on the NID website! (Notice Regarding Reprints)

Read More of The Parish Paper

Reaching More People through Small Groups

A District Workshop for Small Group Leaders

Sat, Mar 7, 2009 
8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Immanuel Lutheran Church
5211 Carpenter Street
Downers Grove, Illinois 60515-4519

Missional Outreach Ideas for Your Small Groups 
     Leader:  DCE Chris Rechsteiner, Celebration, Park Forest

Energizing Tips for Small Group Leaders
     Leader: Craig Mattes, Trinity, Lisle

Involving People through a Church Wide Emphasis
     Leader: Pastor Micah Greiner, St. Peter, Arlington Heights

More Information!

Register Online