Scott Cheatham’s Weblog

In his book “The 7 Practices of Effective Ministry”, Andy Stanley asks his readers to start the process outlined in his book by doing one thing: Clarifying the Win. What is it you are shooting for?  What steps do we take to get there.  As a pastor, our church meets quarterly to remind ourselves what business we are in.  I regularly mention it from the pulpit.  We are in the business to create transformed lives.  To use a term coined by pastor and author Nelson Searcy, we track RTL’s or “Radically Transformed Lives”.

It’s easy to get caught up in the daily administrative work that must be done to keep a church moving forward.  It’s easy to create a lot of “busy” work to give yourself and others the impression that you are effectively using your time.  This applies in all areas of work but in the pastorate it can take the form of many little tasks that would be better delegated or those that could be done more efficiently.  This week, two very different people made decisions to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and thus, began the process of RTL’s.  One is perhaps nearing the end of his life (only God knows) and the other is in the very beginnings of her adult life and is having a child.  Both saw need of a savior and both have now inherited eternal life from the Master and Creator of all things.

To be certain, those mundane tasks must be done.  But as I sat outside on my porch last night and began to consider the week’s events, God used it to bring back a point that I always try to keep front and center.  HIS kingdom is what matters.  While the “other” things have value, if they are not being tweaked to bring about repentance and RTL’s then they need to be scrapped no matter how nice they look and no matter how much they keep us “busy”.  If all my energy isn’t being poured into RTL’s, then I’m wasting my life energy that He gives me.  Even pastors need a re-calibration from time to time.

In your business, as a pastor or otherwise, have you Clarified the Win?  As a Christian serving in the local church (if you are not the pastor), let me ask you…Are you working toward seeing yours and others’ lives changed?  How many RTL’s are you seeing?  While Salvation begins the journey, we are called to disciple and mature in our faith.  In business, we should celebrate the wins in our company.  Even when I worked in radio, our department (On Air) celebrated accoplishments from time to time.  No matter how small it was, it was our time to keep our team together.  In the church, we celebrate as lives are transformed for God’s glory.

If you’ve not taken time lately to “re-calibrate” and find out why it is you are doing what you are doing, now would be a good time to do it or at least make a note to ponder it at your next break!  May God Bless you today.

To build on my repost of Jay Baines’ writing yesterday, I wanted to give you some additional reading on this topic.  Mike St. Pierre at “The Daily Saint” put together a snippet on how to make sure you make time for the Almighty…

As my seminary professors turn over in disgust at this post’s title, I fully acknowledge that (theologically speaking) God is already everywhere.  No need to await His arrival and yet our mindfulness of God is at times lacking.

You can read the rest, including his tips by clicking here!

The reality is many Christians make very little time for God much less those who don’t know Him.  How do we improve?  What can we do?

Delaware Pastor Jay Baines has written a nice, short piece on his personal struggle with learning to get alone with God.  He writes:

…it is, many times, in my own personal office that I allow precious time to evaporate all because of the lack of discipline at the time to make the best choices.  I admit that I am very much a people person and love the busyness and noise of any given day and can feel right at home in large crowds.

You can read the rest of Jay’s thoughts by clicking here.

For many of us, this tension of “busyness” and solitude are a constant battle because our culture tells us solitude equates with laziness.  They have to managed for certain but BOTH are quite necessary.

The “Leadership Network” recently released a report claiming more young adults are flocking to megachurches than has been reported in the past.  As with any of these types of reports, it’s hard to gauge hard numbers because it really depends on who you talk to.  If these folks stopped by many of the coffee shops I’ve visited in Denver and spoke to the young adults there, it might be another story entirely.  However, their report can’t be ignored and it’s worth looking into.  Some initial observations from this report include:

The study, Scott says, shows that people who attend megachurches aren’t radically different from those who attend Protestant churches of all sizes. “But the complex organizational structure, multiple programs, and large scale social formats often create the possibility for interaction and involvement in ways that are different from smaller churches,” he says.

This is something that caught my eye.  Many young adults I talk to disdain the “complex organizational structure” of most mainline protestant churches they’ve attended.  In fact, I’ve recently had one young family tell me that the polity of such a structure is what is driving them away from their church because they feel they cannot get involved because of having to take so much time to get “in the system” of leadership.  While scripture is adamant about not putting a neophyte believer in leadership until they have grown some in the faith, this family isn’t that type.

As for the “multiple programs and large scale social formats”, I could see this one easily.  There’s a tension to manage when a new church is starting because there isn’t enough people to start “multiple programs” and yet, new attenders are conditioned to believe that’s the driving force of the church.  Social interaction can happen at any level but we as a culture have come to expect customized programs based on our ages, wants, and desires.  This isn’t just the case in church circles either.  Look at the long list of specialized programs offered at places like recreation centers and larger shopping malls.  Fast food operations tout in their advertising “Have it YOUR way”.  With this as a standard, it’s only natural to expect that the mentality of “my way” would carry over into church.

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how.
(Matthew 16:24 MSG)

I wonder how many truly take this verse to heart?  Another key comment in the report summary was this:

..Attenders report a considerable increase in their involvement in the church, spiritual growth, and needs being met at the megachurch.  Yet, 45% of megachurch attenders never volunteer at the church,  41% don’t participate in small groups, and more than 30% give very little money.

This part baffled me.  If you read the first part, it just doesn’t jive with the second does it?  If you’re not helping others and learning more about God’s Word, how can you grow?  Tithing is one of those issues that new Christians like to debate but the reality is the practice is more about obedience than money.  Once I embraced the fact that nothing I had was truly mine but given to me by God then I realized that I needed to be a better steward of my resources.  The financial crisis we are in now highlights the fact that money isn’t the end of all things but simply a resource that has be managed.  But according to this report summary, many will not give anything and probably a larger percentage give sparingly.

When it becomes more about the programs than the Bible, when serving OUR needs becomes more important than serving others, and when OUR wants are more important that Jesus’ we will have an unsettled heart and never be satisfied.  We will search endlessly to fulfill our desire not knowing that it could possibly be the wrong desire.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. (Psalms 42:1 NLT)

When our heart beats in unison with God’s all the other things fall into place and our perspective is changed.  When our desires focus on us rather than Him, then we will search for a “copy” that satisfies us…

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear.
(2 Timothy 4:3 NLT)

So I take reports like this to heart.  It’s sobering to see the reality of what the 21st century church is becoming.  We must seek to engage the culture but we must balance that with a rock solid commitment to never waver on the doctrines of our faith.  The balance is harder and harder to find.  And it’s not about megachurch versus small church.  This report summary focused on megachurches but I dare say this battle is being waged in churches of all sizes.

What do you think?

Do we need “X” amount of followers before “Tweeting”? Apparently, well known worship leader Louie Giglio does.  As I’m reading blogs and tweets during a quick break today, the band “Fee” tweets this:

I have discovered that @louiegiglio won’t tweet
until he reaches 5000 followers..
he’s almost there..EVERYONE FOLLOW and RT…TODAY

Say What?

Well, looking at @louiegiglio reveals over 5300 followers, (as of this post) and Fee’s post was earlier this morning.  I guess I can stop my Twittering.  I’m barely under 200 followers.  If 5000 is what it takes, than I doubt I’ll ever get there.  This begs the question: Has the cult of personality so enveloped the church that we have viral marketing for “celebrity” worship leaders?  Maybe this is all a big joke but I truly doubt it.  Is 5000 viewers more important than a few hundred?

Something to think about…

There’s not much for me to write about today..  In the past few hours I’ve had some interesting conversations about church.

When a church isn’t growing is it the pastor’s fault? If it grows, should he get all the accolades?  Surely the Pastor must LEAD.  He has to.  But in the same vein, people have to be willing to get their hands dirty.  Real growth comes from real sowing.

When a church baptizes more folks than they average in attendance in a month, is it really growth? Where they really changed?  I was asked my thoughts about a real situation involving a pastor.  For the sake of discussion I will use a hypothetical.  Pastor Whizbang averages 75 in service but yet he claims to be baptizing 15-20 a month when he meets with other pastors.  The question then becomes, why isn’t his average attendance climbing by AT LEAST half of that?  Are these people coming to worship?  Or are they just notches on a bible belt?  My take on this and this is what I told my friend…I don’t consider it a “conversion” of any kind until that person has shown by his or her fruit that they are committed.  I’ve baptized many folks but many of them fizzle out and aren’t involved.  Are they really converted?

Should we play secular “rock” music in our worship service? This one’s a hot button topic I’ve heard recently.  Some churches use a secular song with a message that ties to the message series or message itself.  Is it right or wrong?  Ah, the buttons that could be pressed.  I see it this way…I have about 20-22 minutes of music each week.  I want that music focused on the Cross and on Jesus Christ.  And more than that, I want the music focused on what HE has done for us and our response to that, not about ME or I or anything self-centered.  You can tie in songs to work with your message or series if you take a little time.  I know others will disagree with me on this one, but I figure those that want to hear Green Day or U2 will tune it in on their car radios when they leave worship.  We only have a few minutes to get their attention and focus on the main thing.  Maybe I’m old fashioned…

I had a good friend who reads here regularly comment to me that I might give off the impression I’m being negative and critical of others.  I respected his words and have taken them into account here.  I have in no way meant to be critical of these practices..but I do believe we can question them.  That’s what real learning is about right?  These are my convictions.  Your mileage may vary!

Now on to the rest of my day…I wonder what conversations lie in store next.

Overwhelming isn't it?

Are you addicted to your social networks so much that it’s robbing you of valuable time with your friends or loved ones?  There’s a good medium ground for such activities.  As a pastor, I’m always monitoring my time on line (I use mee-timer) to make sure I’m making the best use of the time as scripture commands.  It’s easy to get caught up in Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and all the other networks that are cropping up.

This week, Ibrahim Husain shared some great tips on how to manage your on-line life and balance it with your real-life:

Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, Friendster, Tumblr, Xanga… the list goes on and on.  And if you are any sort of tech savy, there is good chance you are a member of multiple social networks. Even I have accounts with at least 5 of these.  While there is a lot to be gained by using these services, there is also a lot to be lost.
Read the rest of this well-written article…

How do you feel about your on-line life? I’d like to have some feedback on how you manage your social networking both for good and for increasing your productivity.  Comment by clicking the comment link at the top of this post…

Have a great day!

Ed Young nails it good here. Those of you that visit my Facebook page would have seen this a few days ago. Thought I’d share it here too. It’s worth a watch!

Pass the cheddar if you want your church to grow!

I’m all for free market capitalism but I have to ask, why are some well known pastors charging a small fortune for their “kits”? If you are in church work, you know what I mean.  There are kits on how to grow your church, kits on how to retain visitors, kits on the biblical discipleship of others, and soon I’m sure we will have kits on how to make kits!

I don’t begrudge someone for selling an idea they came up with but how am I going to benefit by spending $200-$300 (or more) on a “kit” to retain visitors?  Aren’t their some good books on this topic already available for under $20?  If these well-known pastors were truly wanting to grow the kingdom this way, wouldn’t the kits cost under $100 so that any church could afford it?  If I were offering my stuff that I wrote myself, I would likely go the Anthony Coppedge way and charge under $10 for an ebook or something of that nature.  I guess I’m just thinking out loud as I read my blogs.  One pastor whom I’ve followed for years has gradually built up his “brand” and is now selling his stuff while his name is hot.  Good for him.  I really mean that.  I just wish that we could see a more “open source” type of market for this stuff.  I mean really, it was all drawn from the bible anyway so who gets the royalties there?

I write many bible studies, discipleship studies, and follow up lessons for new converts.  I’ve looked at others’ materials for this and have written and adapted my own unique sets for each area.  I guess I could fancy these up on CD and provide full-color graphics and sell them as kits but it seems they wind up on my thumb drive and I give them away to other pastor friends while loading up some of their stuff.  This “open source” sharing is ideal for spreading ideas.  Even on this site, I have a limited copyright for my writing as long as it’s not repackaged for profit by somebody else.

Better still is the work it takes for you to research and write these types of materials yourself.  Read your bibles daily.  Pick up a guide like Jerome Smith’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible and use it thoroughly to research topics and write your own material.  That’s what I did.  This July, I will be taking a few weeks away from the pulpit to focus my writing (no vacation!) on new lessons we will be teaching on how to use our bibles and related study tools more efficiently and effectively so that our congregation’s collective biblical literacy will rise.  Along with this, my church and a few of my friends’ churches are meeting to consider the idea of a “Bible Summit” day long conference that will focus on this very issue.  Our hope is to offer the material and seminar for free or a love offering only so that we can share ideas, build relationships, and grow our churches without paying a small fortune.

What kinds of materials could we put together if we worked collectively on such ideas?  I would be willing to hear your ideas on an “open source” site to share such “kits” and help each other.  Perhaps “thinking out loud” has its benefits.  I’ll be looking forward to your response.

A Sample Page from the Sundial Agenda

The geek in me never stops when I see new designs in day-planners.  On Thursday I was shopping at my local Borders Bookstore when I ran across Piccadilly’s “Sundial Agenda” day planner.  Earlier this month, I shared with you my fondness for a 24/7 planner since my days do not end at 5pm.  The fact that this agenda used a simple sundial layout immediately caught my eye.    As you can see at left, the day is laid out in a “clockwork” style fashion.  You simply add your tasks at the bottom and your scheduled appointments around the dial.  There are bigger samples of this planner at the Piccadilly site so you can check it out for yourself if you like.

The planner itself is bound in a faux leather cover with silver foil stamping, measures 8.5 by 5.5 inches (classic size), and uses two pages per day (one for the morning hours and one for the afternoon/evening hours).  The planner comes with enough blank pages for more than a three month period of tracking your days.  The design looks professional and will definitely be different from that of your friends’ who use such tools.

The best part was the price.  I actually found this in the “bargain” section at Borders.  Like the Piccadilly notebooks which are clones of the higher priced Moleskine books, this journal was affordable at $6.99 which is cheaper than Piccadilly’s direct web site charges.  I picked up two at that price just to try them out.

I enjoy more abstract designs in tools like a planner.  I routinely mind map my projects and outcomes and a day planner which is intuitive like this one is ideal for the way I see my day.  For the price, this is a nice planner if traditional lined planners aren’t your cup of tea.  The cover and binding are good for the price paid.  I did see one of the journals with it’s cover split which could possibly happen with hard use but your going to be using a new one every three months or so anyway.  For $7, it’s a nice, professional looking cover that will compliment rather than take away from you.  It’s minimalist style is very appealing to me since I can craft my day any way I please.  There’s plenty of blank space for notes, phone numbers, and other small details that hit you each day.  After I’ve used it for a while, I’ll let you know my impressions then.  For now though, I like this planner and wanted to tip you off on where you could find one if you’re interested to check it out!