Continued from yesterday.
Saddleback's strategy is based on the truths listed against each myth (see yesterday's blog, italics). Spiritual growth begins with commitment, is a gradual process, involves developing habits, is measured by five factors, is stimulated by relationships and requires participation in all five purposes of the church.
Raise the level of commitment.
Ideally every church should be known for the commitment of its members. A good way to assess whether your church is maturing is to ask whether standards of leadership get tougher as time passes. Each time you raise the standards for leadership you bring everyone else along a little bit. Focus on raising the commitment of the leadership, and others will follow.
Ask people for commitment. If you don't ask for it, you won't get it. And if you don't ask for it, other groups will. One of the most helpful things a church can do for people is assisting them in clarifying what commitments to make and what to decline.
Ask confidently for a big commitment. Jesus always asked clearly and confidently. He demanded that people drop everything and follow Him - and they did! People want to be committed to something that gives significance to their lives (Luke 14:33). People do not resent being asked for a great commitment if there is a great purpose behind it. They respond to passionate vision better than need.
Be specific in asking for commitment. Tell people exactly what is expected of them.
Explain the benefits of commitment. God attaches His promises to obedience. Explain epersonal benefits, family benefits, church benefits and eternal benefits.
Build on commitment rather than to commitment. It is important to start with whatever commitment people are able to give, even if it seems weak at first. Also break commitments into steps. Celebrate each time someone commits to moving forward.
Help people develop spiritual growth habits.
There are many habits that will be heplful. Four basics are time with God's word, prayer, tithing and fellowship. Sign a commitment in writing, and renew annually.
Build a balanced Christian education program.
It should contain:
Knowledge of the Word of God. Regularly offer "new believer" studies. 5 core books for these: Genesis, John, Romans, Ephesians, James.
Perspective. Understanding the word from a larger frame of reference; understanding how things fit together.
Conviction. Help people discover reasons for doing things that are as important as life itself. (The church MUST teach biblical convictions in order to counter the secular values to which believers are constantly exposed).
Skills. Help people learn how to do the above!
Character. The ultimate goal for the program (Eph 4:13). It is the only thing we take into eternity!
29 February 2012
28 February 2012
Purpose Driven Church Ch18a - Developing mature members
Tonight's chapter is long, very long. Over 30 pages long. So this will have to be a multi-part entry. I'm mainly concentrating on providing a concise version rather than commenting on it, unless there's something I just can't leave alone!
God's will for every believer is spiritual maturity. The ultimate goal of spiritual growth is to become like Jesus. How does this happen? How do we become mature?
Myths about Spiritual maturity
1) Spiritual growth is automatic once you are born again.
Many churches have no plan and leave it all to chance, assuming that Christians will automatically grow to maturity if they attend church services. This isn't true. Churches are filled with people who have attended services for their entire lives yet are still spiritual babies. Hebrews 5:12 laments about people who need elementary truths when they should be teaching.
Spiritual growth is intentional. It requires commitment and effort. Phil 2:12-13 says that we need to work out Salvation (not work on! There is nothing we can add to what Christ did). Growth that leads to maturity begins with the commitment described in Rom 6:13.
2) Spiritual growth is mystical, and maturity is attainable only by a select few.
Spirituality is linked in our minds to cult members in robes and monastic people such as monks or nuns. Many Christians feel that maturity is out of reach. This is partly due to biographies which gloss over the humanity of godly people and imply that you have to pray 10 hours a day, move to a jungle and plan to die as a martyr!
Spiritual growth is very practical. Any believer can grow to maturity if he or she will develop habits needed for spiritual growth. 1 Tim 4:7 - Spiritual fitness. Anyone can become physically fit if they exercise and practise good health habits. Spiritual fitness is about learning spiritual exercises and being disciplined to do them until they become habits.
3) Spiritual maturity can occur instantly if you find the right "key".
Many sincere Christians spend their entire lives seeking for the an experience, conference, revival or book that will instantly transform them into mature believers. This is futile.
Spiritual growth is a process that takes time. Eph 4:13 says we arrive at maturity, implying that maturity is the destination in a journey. If you lead people to commit to growing spiritually, teach them some basic habits and give them guidance on the way, you can expect to see them grow.
4) Spiritual maturity is measured by what you know.
Maturity is often confused with knowledge of and/or ability to debate doctrine. While knowledge of the Bible is foundational to spiritual maturity, it isn't the total measurement of it.
Spiritual maturity is demonstrated more by behaviour than beliefs. Deeds must be consistent with creeds (James 2:18). By their fruit you will recognise them (Matt 7:16)! As well as knowledge, we can measure maturity through perspective, conviction, skills and character. Knowledge increases responsibility (James 4:17).
5) Spiritual growth is a personal and private matter.
Most spiritual growth teaching is self-centred and self-focused. This is unbiblical.
Christians need relationships to grow. Growth does not occur in isolation (Hebrews 10:24 - 25).
Relationships play an important role in moving people to maturity; Fellowship is not optional for the Christian, it is mandatory. The litmus test for a Christian is whether they love other believers (1 John 3:14).
6) All you need is Bible study to grow.
Many churches are built on this myth. They stress the teaching of Bible content and doctrine, but give little emphasis to emotional, experiential and relational development.
It takes a variety of spiritual experiences with God to produce spiritual maturity. Genuine maturity includes having a worshiping heart, building and enjoying loving relationships, using talents in service to others and sharing your faith with the lost. A strategy to bring people to maturity must include all of these. Christians do more than study the Christian life, they experience it.
Because some groups glorify experience, evangelical churches tend to overreact by de-emphasising it. Deut 11:2 says we remember what we have learned of the Lord through our experiences with Him.
Continued tomorrow night . . .
God's will for every believer is spiritual maturity. The ultimate goal of spiritual growth is to become like Jesus. How does this happen? How do we become mature?
Myths about Spiritual maturity
1) Spiritual growth is automatic once you are born again.
Many churches have no plan and leave it all to chance, assuming that Christians will automatically grow to maturity if they attend church services. This isn't true. Churches are filled with people who have attended services for their entire lives yet are still spiritual babies. Hebrews 5:12 laments about people who need elementary truths when they should be teaching.
Spiritual growth is intentional. It requires commitment and effort. Phil 2:12-13 says that we need to work out Salvation (not work on! There is nothing we can add to what Christ did). Growth that leads to maturity begins with the commitment described in Rom 6:13.
2) Spiritual growth is mystical, and maturity is attainable only by a select few.
Spirituality is linked in our minds to cult members in robes and monastic people such as monks or nuns. Many Christians feel that maturity is out of reach. This is partly due to biographies which gloss over the humanity of godly people and imply that you have to pray 10 hours a day, move to a jungle and plan to die as a martyr!
Spiritual growth is very practical. Any believer can grow to maturity if he or she will develop habits needed for spiritual growth. 1 Tim 4:7 - Spiritual fitness. Anyone can become physically fit if they exercise and practise good health habits. Spiritual fitness is about learning spiritual exercises and being disciplined to do them until they become habits.
3) Spiritual maturity can occur instantly if you find the right "key".
Many sincere Christians spend their entire lives seeking for the an experience, conference, revival or book that will instantly transform them into mature believers. This is futile.
Spiritual growth is a process that takes time. Eph 4:13 says we arrive at maturity, implying that maturity is the destination in a journey. If you lead people to commit to growing spiritually, teach them some basic habits and give them guidance on the way, you can expect to see them grow.
4) Spiritual maturity is measured by what you know.
Maturity is often confused with knowledge of and/or ability to debate doctrine. While knowledge of the Bible is foundational to spiritual maturity, it isn't the total measurement of it.
Spiritual maturity is demonstrated more by behaviour than beliefs. Deeds must be consistent with creeds (James 2:18). By their fruit you will recognise them (Matt 7:16)! As well as knowledge, we can measure maturity through perspective, conviction, skills and character. Knowledge increases responsibility (James 4:17).
5) Spiritual growth is a personal and private matter.
Most spiritual growth teaching is self-centred and self-focused. This is unbiblical.
Christians need relationships to grow. Growth does not occur in isolation (Hebrews 10:24 - 25).
Relationships play an important role in moving people to maturity; Fellowship is not optional for the Christian, it is mandatory. The litmus test for a Christian is whether they love other believers (1 John 3:14).
6) All you need is Bible study to grow.
Many churches are built on this myth. They stress the teaching of Bible content and doctrine, but give little emphasis to emotional, experiential and relational development.
It takes a variety of spiritual experiences with God to produce spiritual maturity. Genuine maturity includes having a worshiping heart, building and enjoying loving relationships, using talents in service to others and sharing your faith with the lost. A strategy to bring people to maturity must include all of these. Christians do more than study the Christian life, they experience it.
Because some groups glorify experience, evangelical churches tend to overreact by de-emphasising it. Deut 11:2 says we remember what we have learned of the Lord through our experiences with Him.
Continued tomorrow night . . .
23 February 2012
Purpose Driven Church Ch17b - Turning Attenders into Members
Continuing the chapter we started yesterday . . .
Develop a membership covenant
This one scares me, a little - I ask myself "Who am I to demand a commitment like this?" But I can see that it is biblical. We're asked to be willing to lay down our lives for each other. And that takes commitment - surely to goodness it's not too much to ask people to commit to doing what the Bible says you should be doing anyway!
Make your members feel special
Feeling that one belongs is important. Whilst this can be difficult to do, it's fairly self-explanatory all the same.
Create opportunities to build relationships
Relationships are the glue that holds a church together. People join because of the pastor, but they stay because of the friends. Relationships need to be intentionally developed. Weekend retreats are really good for this - they spend more time together in one weekend than they will spend together on Sundays for a whole year.
Encourage every member to join a small group.
This combats the feeling that "we'll lose the small church fellowship if we grow!". Both large group celebrations and small group cells are important for the well-being of the church. Small groups are the most effective way of closing the back door of your church.
Keep communication lines open
Informed members are effective members. Use any means of communication available to you.
We're in this together.
Continually emphasise this. Preach it, teach it and talk about it. We belong together. We need each other. We are connected as parts of one body. We are a family! Koinonia has healing power.
Develop a membership covenant
This one scares me, a little - I ask myself "Who am I to demand a commitment like this?" But I can see that it is biblical. We're asked to be willing to lay down our lives for each other. And that takes commitment - surely to goodness it's not too much to ask people to commit to doing what the Bible says you should be doing anyway!
Make your members feel special
Feeling that one belongs is important. Whilst this can be difficult to do, it's fairly self-explanatory all the same.
Create opportunities to build relationships
Relationships are the glue that holds a church together. People join because of the pastor, but they stay because of the friends. Relationships need to be intentionally developed. Weekend retreats are really good for this - they spend more time together in one weekend than they will spend together on Sundays for a whole year.
Encourage every member to join a small group.
This combats the feeling that "we'll lose the small church fellowship if we grow!". Both large group celebrations and small group cells are important for the well-being of the church. Small groups are the most effective way of closing the back door of your church.
Keep communication lines open
Informed members are effective members. Use any means of communication available to you.
We're in this together.
Continually emphasise this. Preach it, teach it and talk about it. We belong together. We need each other. We are connected as parts of one body. We are a family! Koinonia has healing power.
22 February 2012
Purpose Driven Church Ch 17a - Turning Attenders into Members
This is a long chapter, so I'll do it in two sections. I think it deserves to be tackled thoroughly, as this is an area where Sanctuary has historically been weak.
Gathering a crowd is difficult, but compared to the task of turning the crowd into a congregation, it's positively simple. Warren describes it aptly in these terms: "The community talks about 'that church', the crowd talks about 'this church', but the congregation talks about 'our church'." We're talking about developing a sense of ownership and contribution.
"Floating Christians" just believe. This is about belonging to a particular church. Being in relationship with other Christians is important to our growth.
Being a member of a church is less about administrative things - name on a role, membership fees, rituals - and more about becoming a vital organ of a living body. People who become Christians at a church do NOT automatically follow through and join the church (and boy do I ever know that!). The church must take the initiative in assimilating new people. When God wants to deliver baby Christians, He looks for the warmest incubator He can find!
Develop a plan to assimilate new members.
Warren lists 12 questions that will determine the best assimilation plan (and remember these are unique to each Church).
1) What does God expect from members of His church?
2) What do we expect from our members right now?
3) What kind of people already make up our congregation?
4) How will that change in the next five to ten years?
5) What do our members value?
6) What are new members' greatest needs?
7) What are our long-term members' greatest needs?
8) How can we make membership more meaningful?
9) How can we ensure that members feel loved and cared for?
10) What do we owe our members?
11) What resources or services could we offer our members?
12) How could we add value to what we already offer?
Prospective members also have questions:
Do I fit here? - acceptance
Does anybody want to know me? - friendship
Am I needed? - value
What is the advantage of joining? - benefit
What is required of members? - expectations
Communicate the value of membership
Church membership has changed from conformity to commitment. People join churches when they can see a "value-for-value benefits they receive in return for their commitment".
This is where a personalised purpose is important. You need to emphasize the fact that the church provides them with benefits they cannot find anywhere else in the world.
The church should be positioned as a family rather than an institution. "Organised religion" is a dirty word; yet people want to be more spiritual. Also there is a current longing for belonging.
Establish a required membership class
This class sets the tone and expectation level for everything to follow. The best time to elicit a strong commitment from membersis the moment they join. If little is required to jon, little can be expected of them later on. This should be a STRONG class, which doesn't mean a LONG class (Saddleback's is 4 hours long and taught in a single day). It should be taught by senior leadership. It should cover:
* What is a church?
* What are the purposes of a church?
* What are the benefits of being a member?
* What are the requirements for membership?
* What are the responsibilities of membership?
* What is the vision and strategy of this church?
* How is the church organised?
* How can I get involved in ministry?
* What do I do now that I'm a member?
This should also include a clear explanation of salvation. People will want to join who are not believers!
Use varied teaching methods. Completion of the class should be a requirement of membership. Also think of different age groups.
(Continued tomorrow night!)
Gathering a crowd is difficult, but compared to the task of turning the crowd into a congregation, it's positively simple. Warren describes it aptly in these terms: "The community talks about 'that church', the crowd talks about 'this church', but the congregation talks about 'our church'." We're talking about developing a sense of ownership and contribution.
"Floating Christians" just believe. This is about belonging to a particular church. Being in relationship with other Christians is important to our growth.
Being a member of a church is less about administrative things - name on a role, membership fees, rituals - and more about becoming a vital organ of a living body. People who become Christians at a church do NOT automatically follow through and join the church (and boy do I ever know that!). The church must take the initiative in assimilating new people. When God wants to deliver baby Christians, He looks for the warmest incubator He can find!
Develop a plan to assimilate new members.
Warren lists 12 questions that will determine the best assimilation plan (and remember these are unique to each Church).
1) What does God expect from members of His church?
2) What do we expect from our members right now?
3) What kind of people already make up our congregation?
4) How will that change in the next five to ten years?
5) What do our members value?
6) What are new members' greatest needs?
7) What are our long-term members' greatest needs?
8) How can we make membership more meaningful?
9) How can we ensure that members feel loved and cared for?
10) What do we owe our members?
11) What resources or services could we offer our members?
12) How could we add value to what we already offer?
Prospective members also have questions:
Do I fit here? - acceptance
Does anybody want to know me? - friendship
Am I needed? - value
What is the advantage of joining? - benefit
What is required of members? - expectations
Communicate the value of membership
Church membership has changed from conformity to commitment. People join churches when they can see a "value-for-value benefits they receive in return for their commitment".
This is where a personalised purpose is important. You need to emphasize the fact that the church provides them with benefits they cannot find anywhere else in the world.
The church should be positioned as a family rather than an institution. "Organised religion" is a dirty word; yet people want to be more spiritual. Also there is a current longing for belonging.
Establish a required membership class
This class sets the tone and expectation level for everything to follow. The best time to elicit a strong commitment from membersis the moment they join. If little is required to jon, little can be expected of them later on. This should be a STRONG class, which doesn't mean a LONG class (Saddleback's is 4 hours long and taught in a single day). It should be taught by senior leadership. It should cover:
* What is a church?
* What are the purposes of a church?
* What are the benefits of being a member?
* What are the requirements for membership?
* What are the responsibilities of membership?
* What is the vision and strategy of this church?
* How is the church organised?
* How can I get involved in ministry?
* What do I do now that I'm a member?
This should also include a clear explanation of salvation. People will want to join who are not believers!
Use varied teaching methods. Completion of the class should be a requirement of membership. Also think of different age groups.
(Continued tomorrow night!)
21 February 2012
Purpose Driven Church Ch16: Preaching to the Unchurched
Warren's first comments in this chapter resonate strongly with me, because like him I have a solid catalogue of years of sermons on my computer.
My initial idea in putting this together was some vain hope that one day I'd have so much of the Bible catalogued in my sermon list that I could rotate through and just re-use them. Well, that was a vain hope anyway (sermons date faster than you might think!).
But according to Warren, there's another reason - Ask yourself the question "Would this make sense to an unchurched person?" It is quite possible to preach a biblical sermon which is totally doctrinally sound which wouldn't make the slightest difference to someone who hasn't "signed on the dotted line" so to speak.
Warren has some tips.
Adapt your style to your audience.
If you're preaching to believers, preaching through a passage verse by verse is useful. This is because a Christian should accept God's word as authoritative and be motivated to learn the scriptures. But neither of these are true of unbelievers, meaning this tactic may well be ineffective with them. When preaching at the Areopagus, Paul initially found common ground. With unbelievers, the Bible ISN'T common ground; rather, our shared human experiences are. Instead of starting with the Bible and applying it, you need to start with common experience and move to what God has to say about it. So far so good. Warren then suggests using lots of verses with each topic; I'm not sure about this. I have ringing in my ears David Jackman's comment "A text out of context is a pretext for a proof text". However, the general principle is sound. Warren finishes with the concept that both book exposition and topical exposition are necessary in order to grow a healthy church.
Make the Bible accessible to Unbelievers.
This part is fairly intuitive to Australian Christians, many of whom moved away from the King James Version many years ago (but even here some of us still have the idea that if it was good enough for Paul it's good enough for us . . .). So:
- Read scripture from a newer translation. Clarity is important (I would additionally point out that the English language changes rapidly, and even a ten-year-old translation can be out of date in some communities!).
- Use pew Bibles. Unchurched people don't know where Bible books are, so it's useful to be able to tell them the page number.
- Select scripture readings with the unchurched in mind. Some passages are hard for an unbeliever to understand.
Provide an outline with scriptures written out.
The benefit of this is fairly self-explanatory.
Plan your titles to appeal to the unchurched.
Remember - felt needs. An unchurched person is more likely to come if the topic of the service sounds like something he or she would be interested in. Catchy titles are good.
Preach in Series.
Try announcing sermon titles in advance - people can bring friends on days that sound appealing! New series should be announced on the days you expect a lot of visitors (e.g. Easter) - it creates a hook for first time visitors. Ideally series should run four to eight weeks.
Be consistent in preaching style.
Don't try targeting believers and unbelievers in the same service. Teach theology and doctrine, for sure, but do so in a way that is accessible and connects with the needs of unbelievers.
Choose guest speakers carefully.
Hear hear. We've had problems with this one in the past.
Preach for commitment.
Always offer unbelievers the opportunity to respond to Christ. The way this is done will vary depending on local culture and the layout of your building. Saddleback uses cards. Their welcome card has a decision card on the back! They collect cards and offerings at the same time at the end of the service. Processing happens immediately. This is private; baptism is the public profession.
Clearly explain exactly how to respond to Christ.
Plan out your time of commitment (Think through what you want to happen).
Be creative in inviting people to receive Christ (don't just say/do the same thing every week).
Never pressure unbelievers to decide (People need time to think).
Offer multiple ways to indicate a commitment (Try cards, altar calls, Spiritual surveys).
Expect people to respond (don't be surprised when they do!).
The primacy of preaching
Although styles change, nothing can take the place of Spirit-anointed preaching.
My initial idea in putting this together was some vain hope that one day I'd have so much of the Bible catalogued in my sermon list that I could rotate through and just re-use them. Well, that was a vain hope anyway (sermons date faster than you might think!).
But according to Warren, there's another reason - Ask yourself the question "Would this make sense to an unchurched person?" It is quite possible to preach a biblical sermon which is totally doctrinally sound which wouldn't make the slightest difference to someone who hasn't "signed on the dotted line" so to speak.
Warren has some tips.
Adapt your style to your audience.
If you're preaching to believers, preaching through a passage verse by verse is useful. This is because a Christian should accept God's word as authoritative and be motivated to learn the scriptures. But neither of these are true of unbelievers, meaning this tactic may well be ineffective with them. When preaching at the Areopagus, Paul initially found common ground. With unbelievers, the Bible ISN'T common ground; rather, our shared human experiences are. Instead of starting with the Bible and applying it, you need to start with common experience and move to what God has to say about it. So far so good. Warren then suggests using lots of verses with each topic; I'm not sure about this. I have ringing in my ears David Jackman's comment "A text out of context is a pretext for a proof text". However, the general principle is sound. Warren finishes with the concept that both book exposition and topical exposition are necessary in order to grow a healthy church.
Make the Bible accessible to Unbelievers.
This part is fairly intuitive to Australian Christians, many of whom moved away from the King James Version many years ago (but even here some of us still have the idea that if it was good enough for Paul it's good enough for us . . .). So:
- Read scripture from a newer translation. Clarity is important (I would additionally point out that the English language changes rapidly, and even a ten-year-old translation can be out of date in some communities!).
- Use pew Bibles. Unchurched people don't know where Bible books are, so it's useful to be able to tell them the page number.
- Select scripture readings with the unchurched in mind. Some passages are hard for an unbeliever to understand.
Provide an outline with scriptures written out.
The benefit of this is fairly self-explanatory.
Plan your titles to appeal to the unchurched.
Remember - felt needs. An unchurched person is more likely to come if the topic of the service sounds like something he or she would be interested in. Catchy titles are good.
Preach in Series.
Try announcing sermon titles in advance - people can bring friends on days that sound appealing! New series should be announced on the days you expect a lot of visitors (e.g. Easter) - it creates a hook for first time visitors. Ideally series should run four to eight weeks.
Be consistent in preaching style.
Don't try targeting believers and unbelievers in the same service. Teach theology and doctrine, for sure, but do so in a way that is accessible and connects with the needs of unbelievers.
Choose guest speakers carefully.
Hear hear. We've had problems with this one in the past.
Preach for commitment.
Always offer unbelievers the opportunity to respond to Christ. The way this is done will vary depending on local culture and the layout of your building. Saddleback uses cards. Their welcome card has a decision card on the back! They collect cards and offerings at the same time at the end of the service. Processing happens immediately. This is private; baptism is the public profession.
Clearly explain exactly how to respond to Christ.
Plan out your time of commitment (Think through what you want to happen).
Be creative in inviting people to receive Christ (don't just say/do the same thing every week).
Never pressure unbelievers to decide (People need time to think).
Offer multiple ways to indicate a commitment (Try cards, altar calls, Spiritual surveys).
Expect people to respond (don't be surprised when they do!).
The primacy of preaching
Although styles change, nothing can take the place of Spirit-anointed preaching.
17 February 2012
Announcement
Hey all. Big week. And having operated more or less at full capacity from Tuesday morning till now, I am not really functioning. Hopefully next week will have a bit more blog action.
16 February 2012
Sanctuary Purpose pt 2: DISCIPLESHIP
We train and prepare God's people to live strong Christian lives.
Sanctuary Purpose introduction (read first!)
Tonight's post is different. We're still reviewing the Purpose Driven Church (and I will write some more about the next chapter tomorrow night). However, at tonight's Bible Study we introduced some material on the purpose of Sanctuary Church, Baulkham Hills.
As elders we have drafted some purpose statements. Each has (we believe) a solid, Biblical basis. However, we have tried to put them into common, contemporary English, avoiding (as much as possible) Christian jargon. The idea is that a person should be able to read and understand them without first learning to speak or think like a Christian.
Each of these statements will be published in a separate Blog entry. I encourage Sanctuary Church members to comment on each one. When you do, please put your name in the text of your comment (sometimes the comment system calls you "anonymous" even if you have logged in)!
Non Sanctuary members are ALSO welcome to post any comments if you think it will be helpful in further refining our purpose statements.
As well as these, I will publish the worksheets we used in Bible Study tonight.
2) In what ways is Sanctuary Church like that image?
3) In what ways is Sanctuary Church NOT like that image?
Answers to cloze activity:
This means a minimum of: 365 new Christians per year !!!!!
Why did this happen?
God wants his Church to grow and His sheep to be found!
A healthy church is full of people sharing Christ with others.
5 reasons the church exists:
Psalm 96: 1-10:
Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The church exists for DISCIPLESHIP.
John 13:34 - 35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
The church exists for FELLOWSHIP.
As elders we have drafted some purpose statements. Each has (we believe) a solid, Biblical basis. However, we have tried to put them into common, contemporary English, avoiding (as much as possible) Christian jargon. The idea is that a person should be able to read and understand them without first learning to speak or think like a Christian.
Each of these statements will be published in a separate Blog entry. I encourage Sanctuary Church members to comment on each one. When you do, please put your name in the text of your comment (sometimes the comment system calls you "anonymous" even if you have logged in)!
Non Sanctuary members are ALSO welcome to post any comments if you think it will be helpful in further refining our purpose statements.
As well as these, I will publish the worksheets we used in Bible Study tonight.
--
Acts chapter 2:41 - 47
That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
1) Think about the passage above. What are some amazing things you can imagine if a church like this was set up in Astoria Park?
2) In what ways is Sanctuary Church like that image?
3) In what ways is Sanctuary Church NOT like that image?
Answers to cloze activity:
One key characteristic of the New Testament Church:
“Every day their numbers grew.”
“Every day their numbers grew.”
This means a minimum of: 365 new Christians per year !!!!!
Why did this happen?
God wants his Church to grow and His sheep to be found!
A healthy church is full of people sharing Christ with others.
5 reasons the church exists:
Matthew 25:34 – 36: “Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.” (MSG)
The church exists for MINISTRY.
Psalm 96: 1-10:
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” (NIV)
The church exists for WORSHIP.
Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The church exists for EVANGELISM.
Ephesians 4:11 – 13: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11 – 13: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
The church exists for DISCIPLESHIP.
John 13:34 - 35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
The church exists for FELLOWSHIP.
14 February 2012
Purpose Driven Church Ch15 - Selecting Your Music
I have to say that I'm interested in what Warren has to say on this subject. After all, I am a musician myself.
Warren starts by talking of the power of music to persuade. I agree to some extent, although I am not sure it has the near-mystical power he imbues it with. However, he also mentions the problems that many churches have with "Bach to Rock" in a service.
I'm not sure this is as much of a problem in Australia. One thing that the dominance of Hillsong over Christian music in Australia has done is to identify a particular sound that is more or less typical of churches. It's fairly contemporary, although we'll certainly happily adapt songs from earlier eras (but in a contemporary way).
Correctly Warren identifies the choice of your music style as important and controversial. This may well be correct, but it's a battle we fought years ago, not just as a congregation but as a Christian culture.
Nevertheless, an important aspect deserves mentioning - no style of music is right or wrong; it is the message that makes the song. There is no "Christian Music", only Christian lyrics.
Again, what Warren attacks over the next few pages is something which remains fairly rare today in Australia - the attitude that "hymns" are somehow sacred, whereas other kinds of music are not. I don't think you'll find many Christians in Australia that would object to songs on the grounds of style (although you'll find many people objecting to, for example, Hillsong music on the grounds of theological content, which is a question for another time). I don't think any Christian I know would have a problem with accepting a contemporary pop/rock sound as being culturally accessible for our local community.
Moving on to practical suggestions for music in church:
Preview all music you use.
Make sure that all music fulfils supports the purpose of the event you are using it in. Is the song of edification, worship, fellowship or evangelism? Are the lyrics doctrinally sound and understandable? How does it make me feel?
Speed up the tempo.
Lively singing is good at first (although then it can be good to move into a slower and more meditative sound). Unbelievers usually prefer celebratory music over contemplative music because they don't yet have a relationship with Christ.
Update the lyrics.
Just as the Bible needs translation from old English to contemporary English, so too many songs can be reclaimed by translating the lyrics. Remember that even contemporary songs sometimes contain Hebrew or Greek phrases which are familiar to Christians but mumbo jumbo to others (e.g. Jehovah Jireh!).
Encourage members to write new songs.
New songs are good, especially if they are home-grown.
Replace the organ with a MIDI band.
Again, more of an issue in the USA than here. Even small churches in Australia are more likely to have a guitar than an organ for most services.
Don't force unbelievers to sing.
People can be quite comfortable listening to the music. Focus on performed music in seeker services, and save times of congregational praise for believers' services.
Make your music count.
We need to be willing to set aside our personal preferences for the sake of the Gospel.
How does Sanctuary rate? Well, we're a long way ahead of what Warren is imagining as he writes to various churches. However, it's been a while since we introduced a lot of new songs; maybe it's time for us to do some writing.
Warren starts by talking of the power of music to persuade. I agree to some extent, although I am not sure it has the near-mystical power he imbues it with. However, he also mentions the problems that many churches have with "Bach to Rock" in a service.
I'm not sure this is as much of a problem in Australia. One thing that the dominance of Hillsong over Christian music in Australia has done is to identify a particular sound that is more or less typical of churches. It's fairly contemporary, although we'll certainly happily adapt songs from earlier eras (but in a contemporary way).
Correctly Warren identifies the choice of your music style as important and controversial. This may well be correct, but it's a battle we fought years ago, not just as a congregation but as a Christian culture.
Nevertheless, an important aspect deserves mentioning - no style of music is right or wrong; it is the message that makes the song. There is no "Christian Music", only Christian lyrics.
Again, what Warren attacks over the next few pages is something which remains fairly rare today in Australia - the attitude that "hymns" are somehow sacred, whereas other kinds of music are not. I don't think you'll find many Christians in Australia that would object to songs on the grounds of style (although you'll find many people objecting to, for example, Hillsong music on the grounds of theological content, which is a question for another time). I don't think any Christian I know would have a problem with accepting a contemporary pop/rock sound as being culturally accessible for our local community.
Moving on to practical suggestions for music in church:
Preview all music you use.
Make sure that all music fulfils supports the purpose of the event you are using it in. Is the song of edification, worship, fellowship or evangelism? Are the lyrics doctrinally sound and understandable? How does it make me feel?
Speed up the tempo.
Lively singing is good at first (although then it can be good to move into a slower and more meditative sound). Unbelievers usually prefer celebratory music over contemplative music because they don't yet have a relationship with Christ.
Update the lyrics.
Just as the Bible needs translation from old English to contemporary English, so too many songs can be reclaimed by translating the lyrics. Remember that even contemporary songs sometimes contain Hebrew or Greek phrases which are familiar to Christians but mumbo jumbo to others (e.g. Jehovah Jireh!).
Encourage members to write new songs.
New songs are good, especially if they are home-grown.
Replace the organ with a MIDI band.
Again, more of an issue in the USA than here. Even small churches in Australia are more likely to have a guitar than an organ for most services.
Don't force unbelievers to sing.
People can be quite comfortable listening to the music. Focus on performed music in seeker services, and save times of congregational praise for believers' services.
Make your music count.
We need to be willing to set aside our personal preferences for the sake of the Gospel.
How does Sanctuary rate? Well, we're a long way ahead of what Warren is imagining as he writes to various churches. However, it's been a while since we introduced a lot of new songs; maybe it's time for us to do some writing.
13 February 2012
The Valley . . .
Well, it's been an interesting week. And interesting in a not-so-good kind of a way.
Unfortunately, I've been unable to find my copy of Purpose-Driven Church to do the next chapter. Mere probably knows where it is, but she was already asleep before I twigged to the fact that it was missing (and I know better than to wake her).
However, the sad events of this week have taught me something interesting, and I thought I'd publish a little devotion I put together for my Church last sunday, relating to what I have discovered.
--
THE VALLEY
Psalm 23: 4-6
This week has been a tough one, as some of you will already know.
On Wednesday afternoon, I went onto Facebook, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. The first message I read was from one of last year’s Yr 12 group. It was a fairly regular tribute, the kind that you see when someone dies. Which is always sad, but generally kind of safe and remote.
Then I noticed something that would change everything. The name she was giving was “Emily”. And she linked to the FB page of one of her classmates.
Emily was a cheerful, bubbly kid. She was small and blonde. She reveled in her small size; Her Year Jersey read “Shawty”! She was also very likable. I can’t think of one person in her year that she didn’t get along with, and vice versa. She was a peacemaker.
It’s hard to know what goes on in a person’s heart, but she said she was a Christian, and I certainly saw no evidence to contradict that claim. And I guess I’d be in as much of a position as any other teacher to know, since I was her roll call teacher for two years.
Emily was absolutely beside herself with excitement about her 18th birthday and party, which would happen on Thursday and Friday respectively. I’d had a few discussions with her on FB, teasing her gently about her excitement. “You’d think you’ve never had a birthday before!” I said. She laughed, of course.
I wonder if I would have said that if I’d have known that she wouldn’t make it to that birthday.
Tuesday night she went to bed as normal. She had no reason to suspect that anything was wrong; her last Facebook status reveals only a newfound appreciation of Peanut M&Ms. She wasn’t drinking or taking drugs, and she hadn’t mentioned any health issues, mental or otherwise.
Emily never woke up on Wednesday.
It took about 12 hours for the news to spread through the School community.
Now, whilst this is a sad story, why do I mention it?
I do so because it illustrates something that I think many of us have experienced at one time or another. It’s something that is mentioned in a popular psalm – Psalm 23. In modern translations, verse 4 says “Though I walk through the darkest valley”.
This is an accurate translation, but it lacks the poetry of the older versions such as the King James version, or even the earliest version of the NIV; and I’m going to use it here:
“Though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death”.
We’re going to complete the sentence and look at what happens despite the Valley shortly. But first let’s look at that phrase.
On Thursday, which was otherwise a bleak and rainy day even without this situation, we had to break the news to the students and staff. Most of them had already heard the news through various social media systems, but some hadn’t, especially the Year 7 class (many of whom had only arrived at the school this year, and therefore had never met her).
What was interesting was that even in my Year 7 class that day, Emily’s death cast a really strong pall over everything we did that day. You could sense the sadness. It was hard for students who had never met the girl to understand why, but it was absolutely palpable to anyone there. Everyone from the Principal to the Photocopying lady was affected.
This wasn’t my first experience of it, but it was certainly one of my clearest examples of the situation David describes in Ps 23. I truly understood what it was like to “walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.
A shadow is cast by an object. It therefore takes on some of the characteristics of that object such as its size and general shape, although it can appear bigger than the object is. Since it’s actually a pattern of blocked light, it can obscure the presence of things that you can normally see.
In the same way, when we’re walking through the valley where we can sense the shadow of death, we see something that has the same general look and feel as death. It often appears bigger than it should, and when we’re there it can be hard to see or sense God. Perhaps that’s one reason why many people don’t seem to see Him these days – we live our lives very much in a permanent state of darkness and shadow.
Now, notice what follows in verse 5: God DOESN’T promise that we’ll avoid the Valley. In fact it’s inevitable. David doesn’t even say “If I walk through the valley of the Shadow of death; he says “WHEN”. We live in a fallen world where there are bad things that happen – wars, diseases, and 17 year old girls dropping dead the day before their birthday.
God simply promises that He will be there with us.
That’s an important point. No matter where you are, no matter what’s going on in your life, you are never alone.
Sometimes God works partly through His people. At School this week that’s been very evident. Even within the midst of their own grief, people have been looking out for each other, spending time with each other, praying for each other.
But there do come times when we face the Valley without other humans. We feel alone. And the amazing truth of this passage is this – even then, even when no-one else dares or cares to be with us, Our shepherd – our father in heaven – is still there, still caring, still listening.
The interesting thing is that line “Your rod and staff comfort me.”
Shepherds used to carry two simple tools – a rod and a staff. The staff was also called the “crook”, and it’s the long stick with a curved end that you see in all images of shepherds.
The rod was a weapon. It could be used to defend the sheep against predators. So from that point of view, we can understand that it might be comforting to the sheep. But it was also used to smack a sheep that went the wrong way! So maybe there’s an aspect of God’s correction in there too.
Certainly that can be said of the Crook. When a sheep strayed into a place the Shepherd couldn’t or shouldn’t go, the crook was a way that he could reach out and grasp the animal. So the crook is an instrument of direction.
Something to correct you, something to direct you, something to protect you. Poetic, isn’t it? We could put that into a song. But the reality is that we need God to do those three things. And whether He’s protecting, correcting or directing, each one of those is a reminder that He’s there, taking an active interest in our lives. So when you’re in that dark place, the Valley, anything God does is comforting – a hint that no matter how it feels, you are not alone.
There have been times in my life when my atheist friends’ gibes have almost hit home. But this week has not been one of them.
The reality is that when you pass through the Valley, it’s then that you sense God and His power. And it’s then that you truly realize what it is to be loved by God.
Unfortunately, I've been unable to find my copy of Purpose-Driven Church to do the next chapter. Mere probably knows where it is, but she was already asleep before I twigged to the fact that it was missing (and I know better than to wake her).
However, the sad events of this week have taught me something interesting, and I thought I'd publish a little devotion I put together for my Church last sunday, relating to what I have discovered.
--
THE VALLEY
Psalm 23: 4-6
This week has been a tough one, as some of you will already know.
On Wednesday afternoon, I went onto Facebook, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. The first message I read was from one of last year’s Yr 12 group. It was a fairly regular tribute, the kind that you see when someone dies. Which is always sad, but generally kind of safe and remote.
Then I noticed something that would change everything. The name she was giving was “Emily”. And she linked to the FB page of one of her classmates.
Emily was a cheerful, bubbly kid. She was small and blonde. She reveled in her small size; Her Year Jersey read “Shawty”! She was also very likable. I can’t think of one person in her year that she didn’t get along with, and vice versa. She was a peacemaker.
It’s hard to know what goes on in a person’s heart, but she said she was a Christian, and I certainly saw no evidence to contradict that claim. And I guess I’d be in as much of a position as any other teacher to know, since I was her roll call teacher for two years.
Emily was absolutely beside herself with excitement about her 18th birthday and party, which would happen on Thursday and Friday respectively. I’d had a few discussions with her on FB, teasing her gently about her excitement. “You’d think you’ve never had a birthday before!” I said. She laughed, of course.
I wonder if I would have said that if I’d have known that she wouldn’t make it to that birthday.
Tuesday night she went to bed as normal. She had no reason to suspect that anything was wrong; her last Facebook status reveals only a newfound appreciation of Peanut M&Ms. She wasn’t drinking or taking drugs, and she hadn’t mentioned any health issues, mental or otherwise.
Emily never woke up on Wednesday.
It took about 12 hours for the news to spread through the School community.
Now, whilst this is a sad story, why do I mention it?
I do so because it illustrates something that I think many of us have experienced at one time or another. It’s something that is mentioned in a popular psalm – Psalm 23. In modern translations, verse 4 says “Though I walk through the darkest valley”.
This is an accurate translation, but it lacks the poetry of the older versions such as the King James version, or even the earliest version of the NIV; and I’m going to use it here:
“Though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death”.
We’re going to complete the sentence and look at what happens despite the Valley shortly. But first let’s look at that phrase.
On Thursday, which was otherwise a bleak and rainy day even without this situation, we had to break the news to the students and staff. Most of them had already heard the news through various social media systems, but some hadn’t, especially the Year 7 class (many of whom had only arrived at the school this year, and therefore had never met her).
What was interesting was that even in my Year 7 class that day, Emily’s death cast a really strong pall over everything we did that day. You could sense the sadness. It was hard for students who had never met the girl to understand why, but it was absolutely palpable to anyone there. Everyone from the Principal to the Photocopying lady was affected.
This wasn’t my first experience of it, but it was certainly one of my clearest examples of the situation David describes in Ps 23. I truly understood what it was like to “walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.
A shadow is cast by an object. It therefore takes on some of the characteristics of that object such as its size and general shape, although it can appear bigger than the object is. Since it’s actually a pattern of blocked light, it can obscure the presence of things that you can normally see.
In the same way, when we’re walking through the valley where we can sense the shadow of death, we see something that has the same general look and feel as death. It often appears bigger than it should, and when we’re there it can be hard to see or sense God. Perhaps that’s one reason why many people don’t seem to see Him these days – we live our lives very much in a permanent state of darkness and shadow.
Now, notice what follows in verse 5: God DOESN’T promise that we’ll avoid the Valley. In fact it’s inevitable. David doesn’t even say “If I walk through the valley of the Shadow of death; he says “WHEN”. We live in a fallen world where there are bad things that happen – wars, diseases, and 17 year old girls dropping dead the day before their birthday.
God simply promises that He will be there with us.
That’s an important point. No matter where you are, no matter what’s going on in your life, you are never alone.
Sometimes God works partly through His people. At School this week that’s been very evident. Even within the midst of their own grief, people have been looking out for each other, spending time with each other, praying for each other.
But there do come times when we face the Valley without other humans. We feel alone. And the amazing truth of this passage is this – even then, even when no-one else dares or cares to be with us, Our shepherd – our father in heaven – is still there, still caring, still listening.
The interesting thing is that line “Your rod and staff comfort me.”
Shepherds used to carry two simple tools – a rod and a staff. The staff was also called the “crook”, and it’s the long stick with a curved end that you see in all images of shepherds.
The rod was a weapon. It could be used to defend the sheep against predators. So from that point of view, we can understand that it might be comforting to the sheep. But it was also used to smack a sheep that went the wrong way! So maybe there’s an aspect of God’s correction in there too.
Certainly that can be said of the Crook. When a sheep strayed into a place the Shepherd couldn’t or shouldn’t go, the crook was a way that he could reach out and grasp the animal. So the crook is an instrument of direction.
Something to correct you, something to direct you, something to protect you. Poetic, isn’t it? We could put that into a song. But the reality is that we need God to do those three things. And whether He’s protecting, correcting or directing, each one of those is a reminder that He’s there, taking an active interest in our lives. So when you’re in that dark place, the Valley, anything God does is comforting – a hint that no matter how it feels, you are not alone.
There have been times in my life when my atheist friends’ gibes have almost hit home. But this week has not been one of them.
The reality is that when you pass through the Valley, it’s then that you sense God and His power. And it’s then that you truly realize what it is to be loved by God.
10 February 2012
Another announcement
A week has gone by with no commentary action, and for that I apologise. A lot of stuff has happened this week, some of which has made Commentary activity seem (temporarily) a lot less important.
That said, Sanctuary Church has made some real progress in determining its purpose; for that, we thank God for His wisdom. Thanks also to those who have prayed for us.
And as for the Purpose Driven Church, we'll resume on Monday.
That said, Sanctuary Church has made some real progress in determining its purpose; for that, we thank God for His wisdom. Thanks also to those who have prayed for us.
And as for the Purpose Driven Church, we'll resume on Monday.
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