Scott Cheatham’s Weblog

What if your church could catch a vision as being the most loving place in your town? Perhaps others have given you indications that this might not be the case in your congregation. In a nice little story, Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges share the story of a pastor and his elder who have both had epiphany moments in their ministries to take Beacon Hill Community Church in a new direction. A letter begins the transformation and a phone call from a departing member brings about a realistic look at many church situations that exist today. So many times, the church is about the programs, ministries, and busyness of being that it forgets about the basic reason for its initial formation.

The story is of course fictional and takes our main characters on an inward journey to identify what’s most important in their lives and the lives of those they lead. In the end, a new course for the church is charted and new blessings abound. In between, many of the all too familiar problems that plague churches crop up and are dealt with through the lens of this new direction.

“The Most Loving Place in Town” is an excellent story and is designed to challenge church leaders to make their churches the centers of love that Jesus calls them to be. I would have liked to have seen more pages included to add some finality to some of the story lines the characters enter into but that was not the book’s purpose. It was meant to be a short, fast moving story. I was able to finish the book in three days and still have time to review the study questions in the back.

You can read this as a stand alone book or include it as a study guide for a small group, leadership team retreat, etc. Blanchard and Hodges weave a nice tale in a short book. If you serve in church leadership in any form, I think you’ll like “The Most Loving Place in Town”!

I was talking with a pastor friend of mine about my thoughts on the blog this week when he shared an awesome vision for his church. He didn’t even realize he’d done it but I got excited just hearing him talk from his heart about his burden for the work and where he could see it going. The problem is, would others even buy into it? That’s a big question.

Building a culture in your church is an investment of time. Sometimes it takes years before you’re ready to make that bold move. It just depends on people. As I’ve shared this week about the cost of following Jesus and why it should be a joy for us, I’m painfully aware that sometimes, that isn’t the case. People don’t always buy in. They criticize the dream. They tell others and can potentially shipwreck any voyage into the depths of God’s amazing blessing. These “vision villains” can be anyone, including your family. They can really stifle your dreams if you let them.

I encouraged my friend to write down his vision and do it while it was fresh in his mind. Patience is the key in many instances. When we model a life of sacrifice to others, some will get on board. As others see the numbers increase, their influence will also increase and your “dream team” takes root. Jesus started with 12 disciples and left them to evangelize the world. It can happen!

When we understand the reality of the gospel and internalize it. When we make a bold stand for the Lord and strive to follow only Him. When we really pull up anchor and not look back. When all these things stir our hearts, then God can begin to work. He just calls us to a step of faith. A step that has no guarantees. It’s excited, scary, and refreshing all at the same time. Do it and you’ll never be the same.

Follow God boldly where he leads. You might be surprised just how far He’ll take you!

Be blessed this weekend.

Today’s church has many stresses placed on it by a culture of expectation. More than ever before, church planters are facing an ever higher mountain to climb in order to reach others with the gospel. The stress to have ready made teams to work in a variety of areas at the start, a large cash budget to pay for the many “things” that will attract others, and the basic need of trying to raise funds to support the team members themselves all put tremendous pressure on the team to succeed coming out of the box.  The established church isn’t immune either. It’s pressures might be a bit different in scope but the problem is the same. We build a church culture around performance but not spiritual expectation. What do I mean?

Look at it this way. You want to come to church expecting God to show up. I know I do. Many times though, the work can get stifled when we are so focused on other items, programs, and “things”, that we forget that the reason we gather to worship is not just to be taught, but to be challenged to expand beyond our limits to reach others with the life giving message of Christ. Is this the driving force of your worship? Author Neil Cole is asking many of these same questions on his blog recently.  His new book, Church 3.0 (pictured at right) is a manifesto of what he feels is the next wave of church life. It is due to be released next spring and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Some have criticized Cole for his ideas but I for one find them refreshing. In a sea of books awash with the latest fads, Cole is asking for a resurgence of the basic things that made the church great. You can do this in the context of modern culture but it takes work. Cole has overseen the planting of hundreds of churches so he speaks from a position of execution and not just theory. That makes a big difference.

It doesn’t matter the size of demographic makeup of your church. What I want to know is why we gather? What is our purpose in mission? Are we seeking Christ or self gratification? All good questions to ask at midweek as we ponder the weekend. Are you making a sacrifice for God’s church so that others might be saved? In life, we teach our children to make the sacrifice of getting up early to go to school, working hard and making something of themselves. This is sacrifice. We do this in every aspect of our lives so should our service to Christ and his church be different? Only when it costs us something, can we really feel fulfilled in our spiritual walk. God does incredible things with people who live a sacrificial life. I encourage you to search the scriptures, see how many times we are told to love others, and then challenge yourself to take action! Your life, and your church, will never be the same!

Under Construction!

In October, I’m preaching a series of messages on the sacrifice of the local church. If we are to be the kind of church Jesus died for, than the blessings of the Lord should come at some cost to us. This tends to fly in the face of people who routinely take scripture out of context and say that the Bible tells us that the blessings of the Lord are free and that we are not able to buy our way into anything. That is true to some degree. You cannot buy salvation. The bible is clear on this:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

My reply to people who take this route is to ask the question “Then what do we do about this passage:”

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  (Luke 9:23 ESV)

It is not enough to just accept Christ’s grace in your life. As we are called to serve Him, we should also understand that the grace that purchased our salvation was not without cost. Indeed, it cost Jesus His life. In light of that, shouldn’t our focus as a church be on what we can give back to Jesus rather than what we can get? For many today, church is just too expensive. Thousands are spent on the various baubles and toys to attract people because we’ve been told it’s the only way to get them. But are we teaching people to die to self and to live for Christ? When Paul was training Timothy to pastor the church he said these words:

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,  (2 Timothy 3:12 ESV)

Really? Does all include me? If so, does all include the congregation? If it does, then are we teaching this to them? In my own church I was convicted that I was not and my studies into God’s Word kept drawing me deeper and deeper into this topic. It’s not a flashy topic. It doesn’t look good on a postcard and it sure doesn’t make for a good marketing campaign does it? Some might think it points to negativity or hopelessness but far from it. In fact, the Apostle Peter said as much when writing this:

Resist him (Satan), firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:9-10 ESV)

An eternal glory! That’s a great promise. That doesn’t sound negative at all. The problem is, many times, we forget to teach about the sacrifices we must make to follow Christ. To take up the cross and follow Him. I want to be a part of something that costs me. I don’t want to ride in for free. If it has eternal consequences, than I should welcome a commitment and a cost. To deny that is to deny the blessing of the Lord in my life.

This past week I was working out in a local gym and a young man crossed my path with an interesting t-shirt. On the shirt it said in bold letters “Pain is the body’s way of removing weakness”. There’s spiritual truth to that. How can we know joy without sorrow? How can we know love without experiencing evil? How can we achieve success if we don’t know failure? In the next few weeks, I pray my messages will touch hearts in our church and change the lives of those around them as they serve others. We are planning a big outreach day on the week following the series’ conclusion. My hope is that our hearts (mine included) will be ready to receive God’s blessings when we are well aware of the cost.

The Bible - It's Electric!

I recently challenged myself to increase my intake of scripture. No, I’m not eating the pages of my bible, just making time to take in more of God’s Word.  As a pastor, there are so many schools of thought on how we should use the bible.  There’s our devotional time, our study time, and our reading time.  Study time can consist primarily of sermon preparation but also can include bible studies you lead.  So some pastors try to get by with reading a few chapters a day and preparing their sermons.

While sermon prep time can be rewarding, actually reading the bible has its own benefits.  Devotional time usually includes a few chapters and that’s it.  I enjoy my quiet times in the morning with my coffee and my journal but I wanted more, much more.  I recently purchased the Bible translation I use on MP3 discs and transferred them to my MP3 player that I use when I walk or travel in the car.  I primarily listen to music and audio books on the player but I decided to include bible time as well.  In fact, I set aside time in my mid-day to listen to an entire book if I can and take notes if I’m able.  This week, I’ve listened to First John 3 times already.  I’ve made some notes for potential sermons, but I’ve also begun to grasp some overall concepts that perhaps I’ve missed in the past.  I also have my bible on my Sony Reader eBook device so I can read several chapers if I’m found to have some time I wasn’t counting on (late appointment, waiting in line, etc..).

The point is, I’m spending more time listening to what God is telling me. The audio bible has benefits I never thought it would.  While I still read devotionally and spend time in sermon prep, I now have increased my intake of God’s Word by 30-to-50 chapters a week simply by listening to it as well.  My prayers are more fulfilling, my spiritual walk has improved, and I believe it’s helped my sermons I present each week.

I understand how hard it can be for someone who’s never read the bible to start picking it up and reading it daily but really, it’s the only way to spiritual growth.  Habits can be made and priorities changed if our desire is in the right places.  When I was working 50-60+ hours a week in radio, I still found time to read each day because it was THAT important to me.  Think about it.  How much time do we waste watching meaningless television shows and yet, we cannot find the time to read 30 chapters of scripture each week?  This would take less than a half hour each day and yet, I’m always amazed at the people I talk to who feel powerless in their Christian walk but do not read the bible daily.  They cannot see the connection between growing in Christ and reading His Word.

So how much is too much for you?  Is it worth the investment for meaningful life change?  I think so and I hope you do too.

Is the micro-blogging service “Twitter” growing past it’s “geek” factor chic?  I think so.  Recently, I’ve been reviewing several items discussing the service.  I’ve downloaded ebooks for church leaders on Twitter, there’s a great free business ebook about learning how to use Twitter more effectively, and then there are the countless posts on blogs, forums, and Twitter itself on how best to make Twitter work for you.

Generally when I share my love of Twitter with others, I either get a smile (you’re a geek!) or a shaking head (I don’t get it!).  This excludes the friends I have who actually DO Twitter and understand its usefulness.  So how can a 42 (soon to be 43) year old pastor and parent utilize Twitter?  The following are just a few of my ideas that I hope you can use..

1. You can use it to promote your web sites and/or blogs.

Many that follow me know that I use Twitter to let them know when I have a new blog post up or to promote older posts that haven’t been read in a while.  The benefits to this are numerous.  You gain new friends, your writing (if you do that sort of thing) gets noticed on a larger scale, and you share in an exchange of ideas.  So many times I write blog posts seeking interaction and Twitter has allowed that to happen.  People who live close by and across the World in the United Kingdom and Spain will drop me a line to share thoughts and ideas.  In addtion to “tweeting” about daily happenings and the unusual, regularly promoting yourself through Twitter may seem a bit over the top to some but I can tell you from my own experience that my blog site’s readership has increased by nearly double since I began this practice.  #2 will take this a step further….

2. Use hashtags to research topics you like.

The new rage in Twitter is to use hashtags (#) to mark a post for easy retrieval.  Twitter’s own search site allows you to enter a favorite hashtag and it will pull up all posts containing that tag.  In the productivity world, David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” system is quite popular.  ”Tweeters” that wanted to discuss GTD set up the hashtag #gtd and then add it to their tweets.  There’s even a Twitter Church, #twurch, and one for using the popular “Facebook” site #fb (A service called selective Twitter uses this hashtag.  More on that in #3).  When you tag your Tweets with one of these ‘tags’, you might be surprised who reads it.  David Allen himself reads the hashtags on his system and many times will answer questions for you.

3. Twitter updates your Facebook page.

Not every tweet needs to be on your facebook page.  It used to be “all or nothing” when it came to integrating Twitter with your Facebook account.  When the idea of merging the two social media networks first surfaced, I jumped on it and soon, every tweet I posted was available for my Facebook friends to read.  Then, as I began reading the sites of my other friends, I realized it was overkill.  It’s annoying for your friends to have to sift through every stinkin’ tweet on your facebook page.  Enter “Selective Twitter” as a Facebook add on.  With selective Twitter, you can tweet to your heart’s content and when a certain tweet seems appropriate for your facebook page, you hashtag it with #fb and “Selective Twitter” will take only those posts with the hashtag and use them to update your facebook status.  It provides more control over your networks and make using Twitter even better! And last but not least…

4. Twitter makes a great informational tool for your church/business

I’ll use my church for this illustration.  We have a Twitter account for my church and I use it exclusively to disseminate information about our church to the congregation.  Even members who refuse to use Twitter can “follow” the church through Twitter by sending a simple text message. Then, anytime I post anything about the church, it will send a text message to that person’s phone (and anyone else who does have Twitter and adds us as a friend and then elects to receive notices from us) and pass along the information.  Best of all, that person can opt in or out of the service at any time.  For me as a leader, it means one less list for me to manage.  It also provides a place where I can send one message (whether I have internet or not) and have everyone in my church up to date with little effort.  I can send last minute reminders, cancel services in the case of inclement weather, and pass along kudos for jobs well done.  All of this from my cellphone and all with the free Twitter service.

How do you use Twitter (assuming you do).  These are just a few short ideas that I wanted to share but I know of many other ways people are leveraging Twitter for their benefit.  Share your ideas here if you have time and let’s discuss them!

Pastor and author Robert J. Morgan has written a nice article about “Why Go To Church” for his blog.  I liked this comment:

I need a weekly counter-cultural experience to counter the culture that I’m in.  I need to counteract the popular culture in my life.  When I go to church, I’m participating in a global weekly network of a billion people who are doing the same thing at the same time;

You can read the entire piece by clicking here.

Yesterday, I baptized a lady by the name of Peggy.  Peggy recommitted her life to Jesus earlier in the week and surprisingly, she had never been baptized.  When I explained to her about the reasons for being baptized and also the fact that Jesus modeled it for us, she wanted to follow the Lord in baptism also.  Since Peggy is in a hospital here in Denver, I wondered if the staff would allow a ceremony in their chapel.  They did and on a beautiful sunny Friday morning, Peggy came dressed in her hospital bathrobe and 20-25 of her closest friends.

Immersion baptism wasn’t possible but the staff at the hospital made every effort to bring what they could to the ceremony.  I explained that this was all about the heart and the actual act itself would be God honoring regardless.  The hospital is Catholic in origin and it’s beautiful stained glass sanctuary let in a marvelous prism of light.  The many colors danced in the sunlight as a cup of water from the baptismal font was brought forward for me to use by the hospital chaplain.

As her husband poured the water onto her head and I began to pray, I saw tears welling up in her eyes.  Her body is ravaged and doctors are doing all they can but in this moment, God’s Holy Spirit moved in a way no human being can ever hope to move.  I was reminded of the scene of Jesus’ baptism when he came up from the waters…

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
(Matthew 3:16 ESV)

The presence of God filled that space as we baptized her in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  People clapped and some raised hands in praise to the Lord.  Peggy hugged me tightly and thanked me for my time.  As a servant of God’s, I could see no other place I would rather be.

After shaking hands and posing for pictures, I left the family to their celebration.  Only God knows how the medical processes will work.  But on this day, Peggy confirmed to her God, her family, and friends that the Holy Spirit’s work had just begun and her eternal destiny is now secure.  It’s all about God.  To Him be all the glory and honor.

The sunlight on my face as I walked back to my car was warm and welcome.  God’s presence was amazingly powerful as I thanked him for calling me to serve Him.  I’m still awed that he called me out from a successful career to serve Him in a place where I knew no one.  He has guided me every step of the way and never failed me.  I love Him.  That’s enough.

Be blessed this holiday weekend.

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.

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?