The new normal for Christians

There is an awful lot of talk these days about the “new normal” especially since NBC introduced “The New Normal” sitcom to its fall program schedule. I will not even begin to comment on the content and character of said program due to the adult and socially driven agenda of the series.

The media and news programs are also flooded with talk about what looks like the new normal in America. Here are a few examples of what we are being prepared for as more of the “normal” than the exception in the new America.

8% + unemployment

50% of Americans on public assistance programs

Continually falling wages and buying power

Retirement at later and later years, if at all

Muslim leaders entertained in the White House while our long time ally, Israel is snubbed

25% the new standard for tipping

The new normal in America is generating enormous amounts of concern and elevated levels of disgust. How have we fallen so far, so fast? Where will it all end? Is there any hope for a return to some of the healthier normal of the past?

All I can say is, there’s an election coming in a few weeks and if you are unhappy with some of the new normal talk and direction that we are confronted with and are experiencing daily, then get out and vote for the best candidate that is likely to change it. Otherwise, be quiet and just live with it.

The really sad news, though, is that the new normal is not just a disappointing direction of the country, it has infected the church as well. At a recent meeting of some fellow pastors our conversation centered on what seems to be the new normal for Christians. Here are a couple eye openers.

• The average American Christian gives 2.6% of his income to the Lord or an average of $17 a week.

Here’s a piece from Crown Financial Ministries that features a sermon by author Randy Alcorn. A summary: Randy says we’re living in the most affluent society the world has ever known. American Christians control 70% of the world’s Christian wealth. The average American Christian gives 2.6% of his income.

The average amount of giving by an adult in a Protestant church is $17 a week, which is $70 a month, or $840 a year. A full 96% of American Christians don’t tithe or give 10% of their income.

Crown includes this in the piece as well: The average Christian gives 30% less than the average churchgoer in 1933 during the Great Depression.

• Less than 20% of Americans regularly attend church. That figures out to a once every five weeks church attendance for the average Christian. That might be a little lower than your attendance patterns but it reveals an alarming condition. And the trend is trending downward all the time. Is this the new normal for church attendance? Is the church no longer a priority in the life of a Christian? Is the church relegated to a bottom five classification when it was once #1?

These and other statistics reveal that Christians are just going the way of our culture instead of shaping and leading it. It seems that lowered standards, commitment and values, that our society has embraced, have made their way into the church and Christian’s hearts as well.

Isn’t it time for the church to be the church and Christian to be just that, Christians who are serious followers of Christ rather than drifters. Isn’t it time for real Christ followers to be trend setters rather than trend followers? Isn’t it time to return to the normals of the past that were far better and more productive, both personally and for the kingdom of God? How about beginning with these two?

•  “A tenth of all you produce is the Lord’s and it is holy.”  Leviticus 27:30
• “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do.” Hebrews 10:25

Join with me in rejecting the new normal and sticking with the time tested standards of old.

Enough said. Let’s do it!

 

 

NVCC Reroof Job, June 2, 2012, start to finish

The Kind of Church God Blesses

May 29, 2012 By Rick Warren

London has some of the most beautiful, historic churches in the entire world. Yet they are also some of the most empty. I was struck by this recently when I was in the city to do a Bible study. Churches are dying off so fast that they’re being sold off to bars and restaurants. London churches are desperate for the blessing of God.

I don’t want to lead a dying church. I don’t believe you do either. So what does it take for a church to remain vibrant, exciting—and alive? It takes the blessing of God. Whenever God blesses a church, it grows, lives are changed and miracles happen. Churches that God blesses bless people, bless families and bless communities.

That’s what the early church had. God’s blessing was all over that church. If we want to have the blessing of God on our churches, we need to do what the early church did in Acts 1-2.

1.    Pray for God’s power. (Acts 1:3-4, 14) It’s God’s power that makes the Church different from any other organization or group. We have the Holy Spirit. Microsoft, General Motors, and Apple do not have the Holy Spirit. We do. He has also given the church an enormous assignment—to get as many people into Heaven as possible. Like the early Church, we need God’s power to do this.

2.    Use everyone’s language. (Acts 2:5-8) One of the great miracles of the Day of Pentecost was that, as the disciples preached, everyone heard them in their own language.  It was a complete reversal of what God did at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. But we don’t need this miracle today. Today’s Church speaks every language in the world. The Church speaks more languages than the United Nations.

But I believe the people in your church speak more languages than you realize. We all speak dozens of languages. If someone in your church is involved in IT or a baseball fan or a doctor or a salesperson, they understand a language others don’t know. If you want to be a church that God blesses, you need to realize that God has placed people in your congregation for a reason. They have a language that God wants them to use to share the Good News in the community.

3.    Employ every member’s talents. (Acts 2:1-18, 21) The early Church used all of its people in ministry. No one sat on the sideline! Everyone is involved in the ministry of the church. To be the kind of church that God blesses, your church needs to be the kind of church that won’t let people just sit. If that’s what people want in a church, let them go somewhere else. The kind of church God blesses uses the talents of those in the body.

4.    Be devoted to God’s Word. (Acts 2:14-40, 42) We should hear it, read it, meditate on it, and memorize it. But most of all, if you want your church to be one that God blesses, you need to do it—whatever the Bible says. Pop psychology won’t give you God’s blessing. Devoting yourself to God’s Word will. When Peter preached the gospel message during Pentecost Sunday, he continually went back to God’s Word in sharing the gospel. No other message—other than the gospel—has the power to change lives.

5.    Love each other deeply. (Acts 2:42). The early church practiced koinonia (which we call fellowship). It means they were as committed to one another as they were to Jesus Christ. The truth is, loving churches grow. Cold churches don’t. The early church was a loving church. The Roman government hated Christians and persecuted them, but even the Romans acknowledged that early Christians loved each other. They protected one another, cared for one another, and helped one another like no one else.

6.    Worship with joy. (Acts 2:46-47) God blesses a church that celebrates Him. People want to be where there is joy! There’s enough bad news in the world.  I think the church should be a place where good news is preached—the gospel. We could stand in our pulpits each week and preach about the sin of the week. But what good does that do? Honestly, I think it should be fun to go to church. God wired us to express emotion. But too many people have been taught not to express it in church. When we let go and worship joyfully though, people are drawn to our churches.

7.    Be willing to sacrifice. (Acts 2:44-45) The first church was famous for its generosity. Acts 2 says that the early church shared everything with one another. The early church didn’t just share money. Their generosity was much more radical than that. They shared everything! I wonder how many people the 21^st century church would reach if we sacrificed like the early church did.

8.    Reach our communities for Christ! (Acts 2:40-41) The first church reached people for Christ from its very first day. In fact, with 3,000 people coming to Christ, the first church was megachurch from day one! In Acts 1:8 Jesus commands us to be His witness throughout the world. Evangelism is not an option. As long as there is one person within driving range of Saddleback who doesn’t have a relationship with God, we’re going to keep trying to grow. I hope your church will do the same.

Food for “Feed the Kids” pours in at a 15% rate

With the first wave of our South side Richmond, “Feed the Kids” effort well under way we are seeing the food donations roll in. So far we have collected 107 bags from people in the Midlothian community. That figures out to about a 15% return on bags distributed vs. bags collected. That may not seem like much, but check out the comparisons.

According to some published reports from various nonprofits in VA, most “cold” call donations (mass distribution, phone calling, people unaffiliated with the organization) expect a 2% return at best (1% is not uncommon)

• The Boy scouts food drive most often collect between 2% and 10% depending on the neighborhood, weather, level of awareness, etc.
• AM Vets (which collects household items, not food) expects a 3% response, but notes that a number of items are not particularly usable.
• 4 different South side churches report a 2% to 4% return on neighborhood canvassing drives.
• Neighborhood drives that the VA does for homeless vets has a return rate of about 5% because the visibility and long-standing advertising in vet and medical centers etc.

Thanks to everyone who is participating in this first wave. If you still have bags to collect or would like to make a food donation, bring it on. Send me an email at steve@relaxedchurch.com and I will get any info to you that you might need.

We are now preparing to move on to phase #2 which is collection points at local grocery stores. The dates to set up tables are March 17 or 24 from noon to 3 pm. We will provide a list to those entering of items needed and invite them to purchase from the list and drop it by the table on the way out. Again, if you are interested in helping shoot me an email.

We are making a difference in the health and nutritional needs of many kids on the South side.

daddy

Jesus began the “Lord’s Prayer” with the words, “Our father in heaven.” The word for Father here that Jesus uses is the word Abba. Abba!  Not the Swedish dance group from the seventies. Abba is a word that actually means “daddy.” It?s an intimate, personal word. Abba-Daddy.

You need to understand how absolutely shocking it is that Jesus would use this word here to refer to God. He addresses God basically as “daddy.” Not, “Oh most gracious and holy sovereign Lord” or something like that. He goes with abba, daddy. In all of literature you will not find this type of familiar language for God. Jesus alone uses it. And what is he teaching us here? Follow closely because this is key. Jesus is teaching us that our prayers are more like a relationship with a father, than a speech given to a deity. Jesus is taking God, whom we place outside of the circle of our relationships, in the abstract, religious, “spiritual” realm, and he is moving Him right into the center of your circle.

When we pray we are having a conversation with the one who knows us better than anyone. We are having a dialogue, a talk with our creator, with the one is in the center of the circle of trust. We are not making a well prepared speech for an audience. You don?t do that in any relationship that is intimate, do you? At the end of my day, I don?t talk to my wife in bed and say “Sharon, who art in my bed, thou art wonderful and special to me.” No, I don?t do that. And Jesus is saying, “Look, you have a relationship here with God, a personal one, and so when you pray, treat it as such.”

Tragically in the church over the centuries we have taken what was supposed to be a relationship with God and made it into a religion about God. I meet people who say that they don?t like, or that they distrust organized religion. And I get that. I?m there too. Organized religion just takes God out of relationship and puts him into that separate world of the spiritual. Organized religion just gives you the formula. Just pray this prayer and God will do what you want. Just rub the lamp and the genie will come out and dance for you.

What Jesus calls us to is not a religion. Do you see that? He calls us into a relationship to the Father through Him. And what has happened over the centuries, is that people come wanting to know God and we give them a religion not a relationship. We say, “Pray this prayer this way,  jump through these hoops and then you will know God.” That makes sense if you are just out to sign people up for the Christian religion. But we aren?t here to do that. From the very beginning of launching this church we were not out to get people to sign up for the Christian religion. That isn?t our purpose. We are trying to get people to know Jesus, that?s it, get in a relationship with Him. That means if you are Muslim, or some secular atheist, or whatever beliefs you hold, we’re not trying to recruit you to some religion. We’re trying to get you to follow Jesus. And let me tell you, there are plenty of Christians out there as well that need to meet Jesus in a big way.

One half of all men have a major problem with porn

The following is a partial list of some interesting elements I heard at a men’s seminar yesterday.

• Fathers are a poverty reduction strategy for the home.
• One half of all men have a major problem with porn.
• 11% of the children born in 1911 were into a one parent home. 30% of children born today are into homes with one parent.
• The difference between a man and a women can be seen in how they watch TV. Women want to know what’s on. Men want to know what else is on.
• 6 of every 10 families pay the monthly minimum on their credit cards.
• More than anything else men need to become disciples of Jesus Christ.
• Your system is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently getting.
• The answer begins by getting men into the Word of God.
• Men are the world’s largest unreached people group.
• Men are not attracted to and are often turned off by flowers adorning the church setting.
• Wimpy love songs keep men from worshipping God.
• Men want to be called to discipleship rather than relationship.
• Discipleship is the process by which men become like Jesus.
• To be a disciple of Jesus is the highest honor to which a man can aspire. 

what people are saying about our new meeting place

Six weeks into our new Sunday meeting facility people are talking. I asked them to tell me their feelings about our new digs. Here are the comments as they have come in.

“I like it and think it is great!”

“Two Words! Love It!!!!”

“Much better. I like the closeness due to smaller size of the room. The kid venture is much better now w/ the separate rooms. I like the new setup!”

“It’s closer to my house. I enjoy the small rooms for the kids. Less space for the service, but overall its cozy.”

“I think the new meeting place is great!  The location seems to be getting some new faces, the sound quality for the band and your sermons are clear.” 

“Close to home logistically. In a good spot. Not 100% on the physical/cosmetic appearance.”

“It’s good – wish we could start some “other” classes.”

“LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. That’s all I have to say :”)

“Love it! Great area for KidVenture.  Made it to service last week for the 1st time and loved the cozy feel of sitting near people!”

“LOVE IT! Smaller space, more convenient, open to more neighborhoods nearby to draw members.”

“Love the new location.. Feel more like church and still we can be relaxed.. Love that the kids have there own space also”

“Love it. Great for the kids. Getting used to the acoustics/sound but that will come. Adds to the family atmosphere. I am a little worried visitor can slip in and not be noticed. Several people have seen our signs and asked me about our church. ( invite was extended ) Overall I think it was a good move.”

“We enjoy the new location and like that the space feels cozy. The facilities for the children are an extra bonus. :)”

“Love it! Love the smaller “sanctuary”…it really contributes to a closer worship experience. Love the classrooms downstairs….Love the way the band sounds. Love the opportunity to socialize after while cleaning up. Love the location. I really can’t think of anything negative at this point. Let’s just keep on keepin’ on!”

“We like the proximity to our home, it is closer and easier to reach than the school was. The new location is more churchy, so less relaxed. But, I applaud the choice of location, I don’t think there is a busier street in the county.”

“The new location is amazing, and the perfect place for us to grow as a church.”

“I think the new location feels more like a “close knit” group because folks are not spread all over. It is much easier to take down the stage and I like the Kid Venture set up.”

If you have been to one of our gatherings since moving to 530 Courthouse Rd., I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings about the new location.
And if you haven’t visited yet, I hope these comments from “those who know” will excite you to give New Venture a try.

 

Blessings and challenges of our new location

God has provided a new meeting place for New Venture. We have enjoyed the 7th day Adventist building at, 530 courthouse Road, for three weeks now. There have really been no major complications in the transition or in the services the last three weeks. The new facility brings with it several blessings. Here are the ones I can think of right off hand.

1. Individual class areas for all ages groups in KidVenture
2. A large group meeting area for KidVenture with built in audio/video equipment
3. Fully furnished classrooms for all ages
4. The capacity to store all KidVenture set up materials in the building
5. An adult worship area that will hold 150-175 adults with comfortable, stacking, movable chairs
6. Sound board and equipment that can stay set up all the time
7. A kitchen area to serve our refreshments from
8. The ability to hold fellowship meals
9. A staff and facilities committee at the Adventist church that is delighted to work with us.
10. The ability to start our services on time with everyone involved
11. A yard area for our kids to use when desired
12. A SIGN ON COURTHOUSE THAT IS SEEN BY THOUSANDS DAILY
13. Close proximity to our current ministry center
14. A storage area to keep all our set up equipment on site
15. A portable baptistery when we need it
16. Our own keys to the building and the ability to come and go as needed during the week
17. Same rent as our previous location
18. The ability to park our trailer on site for additional storage
19. The use of some of their projection equipment. And last, but not least
20. A baby cry room in the back of the auditorium

What a list of advantages. I am sure I could have come up with a few more if I tried a little longer. There are, however, a few disadvantages that we have to work to overcome in order to use the facility and worship setting to its maximum potential. My shorter list would include

1. The need to still set up the stage and speaker system each week
2. The need to set up several signs each week for information and directional purposes
3. A facility that we are renting but not really in control of
4. A smaller amount of space for information and sign up tables
5. A building that is traditional in style while we are quite contemporary in approach
6. A small entrance and welcome area. And perhaps the biggest challenge of all
7. A less than ideal set up to welcome visitors and guests. Let me expand on this last on briefly.

The building is set up in such a way that it is easy for us to congregate in our own little groups and enjoy talking and hanging out while visitors slip in and take their seat almost unnoticed or ignored. That is tragic to a guest. Guests decide in the first few minutes of their visit if they will return or not based on the kind of reception they receive. That means we are going to have to break out of our little holy huddles, constantly look around and go out of our way to greet and talk with new people. I’m talking everyone and not just the welcome people at the doors.

The major reason we moved from TCMS to this new location was to attract more traffic flow of friends, guests and visitors. Nothing would be more tragic than accomplishing our purpose and then squandering the opportunity. And once the opportunity is lost with a guest, we usually never get a second chance.

So I am appealing to everyone to make yourself a personal welcoming party to guests and visitors. The last thing we want them to do is leave feeling no one recognized their presence. Thanks for going out of your way. You will be glad you did.

Worship Etiquette or Impacting Guests

Now that we have brought into the picture an administrative assistant one of the first items on the agenda is to gear up some marketing for New Venture. We really haven’t done any since we moved into TCMS. And the school isn’t exactly on the “beaten path.” So it is imperative that we take steps to get the word out to the community in a number of ways about our existence and our location.

Meredith, our administrative assistant will be overseeing a process for increasing the return and retention rate of guests and visitors. What good is marketing if we can’t get people to return once they visit. Of course, the end objective is to get as many as possible connected with a growing adventure with God that leads them to become fully devoted followers of Jesus.

With that in mind I want to discuss a hand full (minus one) of things everyone of us can engage in to leave a high impact on guests to NV as well as maximize our worship experience each week. Hang with me now until you have process all four.

1. ENTER THE AUDITORIUM WHEN THE MUSIC BEGINS. By entering when the service begins, rather than one or two songs in, you get the full benefit of the worship experience. Those leading in worship have devoted a lot of time and energy to developing the service and it is kind of a downer when they begin with about 25% of the people in the auditorium. This also says to guests that you are serious about worship. And it avoids all kinds of distractions as a result of people lingering in throughout the first ten minutes of the service.

Now I know that one of the strong points of the NV Sunday is the time to hang out and visit with people you might not have seen all week. So continue to do that by coming a little earlier or lingering a little longer after the service.

2. SIT IN THE DESIGNATED AREAS. Let me word that from the opposite direction. Don’t sit in the areas that are roped off. They are roped off for a purpose. The purpose is that we don’t need those seats with our size crowd at the current time. In the future we will, but we don’t right now. If you have to climb over a rope to get to a seat-DON’T.

This is not just to prevent you from being a loner. The reason is that there is power and energy in closeness and togetherness. There is an enhanced worship experience when we are together verses spread out to the far corners of the auditorium. Not to mention the negative influence it has on guests when they see people all over the room who have stepped over the ropes to take a seat in a corded off area.

3. PARTICIPATE IN WORSHIP. After all that is the reason for being present, isn’t it? When the band leads in song-sing. And feel free to express yourself in any way you desire as you sing. Get in your zone and connect with God. As the message is spoken, follow along in the message notes. If you shouldn’t be talking, refrain from doing so, especially during the solitude of the communion time. As you leave drop your connect card in the basket with your offering for the day.

All of this says to the guests in our presence, these people love God and are fully engaged in connecting with Him through the worship experience.

4. GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO GREET AND TALK TO PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW. We want to attract everyone we can to NV and to Jesus. Often it begins with a visit to our Sunday services. But a one time visit accomplishes nothing if they don’t return again and again. Surveys reveal that one of the most influential elements of their visit and decision to return or not is the friendliness of the people at the church. You are a major player in the continuation of their worship experience with NV. I know, it is a stretch for an introvert to talk to people they don’t know. But, if you will let God lead you past the fear you will be used by Him in exciting ways.

There is a double benefit to these four practices. The first is that they will elevate your worship experience higher than it has ever been before. And the second is that it will highly impact the guests and visitors in our presence to give NV a second and third try and eventually make NV their church home.

Are you game?

The church is not here for us.

We are a society of consumer, big time consumers, even when it comes to churches, especially when it comes to churches. We want a church that meets our needs and if it doesn’t we will shop around until we find one that does. As a result we have created a climate of church hopping and church shopping.

In fact, this is how bad it has devolved.  This is incredibly popular.  We will go to one church for the worship because we really like the music there and then we leave early and get in our car and drive quickly to somewhere else to hear the preaching because we like the preaching there and then we take our kids on Wednesday night somewhere to the youth ministry because our kids like the youth ministry there and we go somewhere else for the ladies Bible study because it’s really outstanding while the whole time we are under no accountability, we answer to no one, we are not involved in genuine deep Biblical community, and we don’t give back because we are too busy consuming, and then what happens, we whine because we cannot find one church that meets all of our needs.

Can we be mature and talk about this? It’s a tragedy that American Christians are more consumers than contributors. As the leader of a new church the reality of this hits home often, especially when you hear of a family that has left to go to another church because the other church does a better job of “meeting their needs.” So can I be straight up with you and tell you what you are not going to find at our church and save you some time in the searching process?

You are not going to find… (Here’s the top 10)
1. A nice building of our own that is suitable to meet all the needs of the church.
2. A variety of programs that are designed to address “all” the needs of the church body.
3. A turn key facility that is all set up and cleaned by a custodian and all you have to do is walk in and enjoy.
4. A church campus that is ideally located in the community
5. A wide array of staff and finely tuned programs ready to meet all the needs of everyone.
6. Strong clout and influence in the community.
7. A place to hide if you want to forever remain anonymous.
8. A highly comfortable and convenient setting.
9. A substantial financial base of long time givers.
10. I’m sorry, I could only think of nine.

I suppose it is only fare that after identifying what you will not find at our church to let you know the flip side, what you will find. So here it is.
1. A place for bold and courageous people to serve and demonstrate authentic faith.
2. A place that witnesses more unsaved coming to Christ than any other kind of church setting.
3. A place to invest your resources that pay the highest return in kingdom results.
4. A place where radical life change happens regularly.
5. A place with a spirit and environment that is infectious and contagious.
6. A place that gets more accomplished due to lack of bureaucracy.
7. A place to be stretched in faith like you never have before.
8. A place where the Bible is communicated clearly and without compromise.
9. A place where corporate worship brings you into the presence of God.
10. A place with a children’s program that is second to none.
11. A place with a healthy, growing student ministry.
12. A place with small groups that provide friendships and a environment for living out faith.
13. A place that will challenge your comfort zone in a healthy way.
14. A place where you are needed.

Here’s the problem.  We’ve forgotten this. THE CHURCH IS NOT HERE FOR US. Did I really just say that? I must be insane. But friends, we are the church and we are here for the world.  When did we forget that?  “Can’t find a church that meets my needs.”  Grow up.  Church is not here for us.  We are the church.  We are here for the world.  When we grasp that, when we work together with that objective, God’s business will flourish like it never has before.  God will be glorified when the body of Christ acts like the body of Christ. And then, and only then, will our own needs be met as God has designed them to be met.

Isn’t that exactly what Jesus was driving at when He said, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “ (Matthew 10:39) Can I put that in today’s terms? Whoever lives life from a selfish perspective, always looking for how my needs can be met, will never come to experience the true meaning of what life is all about. But those who are willing to live life from an unselfish perspective, living for God’s objectives, discover true life. And I might add, those are also the only ones who come to discover true happiness.

So what are you looking for, your needs being met or real life and happiness?