Scott Cheatham’s Weblog

Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation–an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No–but at least we don’t take God’s Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ’s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can.
(2 Corinthians 2:15-17 MSG)

My heart has been troubled recently.  Even as I write this, I am praying for God to move in a way that satisfies my thirst for his wisdom.  What am I questioning?  I am not even sure but I think it has to do with attitudes in a day when people need Christ now more than ever.  Let me explain:

Recently, I was reading the thoughts of a person I very much respect in ministry circles.  He had decided after years of attendance at another church that it was time for his family to move on to a new challenge.  In short, he settled on the mega church that was running five services, thousands in attendance, and of course, had a children’s ministry layout to rival even the largest Chuck E. Cheese restaurant.  I read similar thoughts from another leader I know and his thoughts were almost identical.  Both spoke of how their kids were dragging them to church so they could play in the play area (and of course, get some God in there as well).   In neither case did I hear anything about what was being preached from the pulpit.  That bothered me.  Perhaps it was an oversight but more and more as I seek to reach out to families, I struggle with issues like “Do you have a dynamic children’s ministry?”  Of course we do but that’s my opinion.  What is your definition of “dynamic”.  This is just one area but it really bugs me how we have created a church culture of “me” instead of “we”.  Many parents will visit and see that our ministry is housed in a cafeteria and wonder what their kids are learning.  Do they get to play?  Do we have a play area?  The questions go on and on.

To be fair, I realize the value of a solid children’s program but maybe this is where I’m old fashioned.  I believe the kids should learn how to sit, how to read and interact with a lesson, and THEN perhaps have a time of play when all is done.  What is it parents want their kids to learn?  Is it “dynamic” babysitting or do they want “dynamic” bible teaching?  I’ll never have the money to duplicate what I see in so many church plants on line.  To be honest, I don’t want to either.  That sounds selfish but I can’t justify spending that amount of money so junior will drag his mom to church and we call that evangelism.  I guess I’m missing the boat here and will be considered “behind the times” by some.

The above scripture spoke to my heart in this area.  I realize that as a pastor, I get the very words I speak from God and my job is to take His wisdom and present it the best way I can.  I am to preach the word.  That’s why earlier this year, I struggled with the idea of video preaching.  My thoughts were well documented and I received a fair share of criticism for them but that’s okay.  Interaction is what blogging is all about and I learned a lot from others who benefit from the things I questioned.  I just can’t shake the words from this passage out of my head.  For some, the smell of who we are will be a welcome fragrance while for others, stench!  I want to be relevant.  I want my church to grow to healthy levels…not mega church levels, just healthy.  I love my people too much to go “CEO” on them and ignore them after they’ve given me so much to see a dream realized.  I will preach and present God’s wisdom as honestly as I can.

My back and forth struggle comes from others who question what we do, why we do it, and why we aren’t already running 200 in our services.  Only God knows these answers.  I know that church planting is a difficult endeavor in the best of times but with an economy that’s in trouble and gas still very expensive, people are questioning themselves when it comes to things like church.  Some will follow, others will stay for a season and leave while still others smell “stench” and leave after a visit.  I’ve spent some lonely nights on a mountaintop prayer spot I made my own when I first moved to Denver.  As I look out over the city and see the lights, I envision each as a lost soul that needs salvation.  God give me just a handful of lights!  Help me to better serve them.  When you can’t offer a McDonald’s playland for their kids, do you have a chance?  I still think so.

My friend I mentioned at the beginning of this piece is a talented speaker and writer.  He has great leadership qualities and yet, he chose to relocate to a “safe” zone in my opinion rather than bring his gifts to a church that could really have used them to make a difference in the community they serve.  It makes no difference who he is.  He is a representation of much of the population we reach out to.  So many people could benefit churches that need the qualities they possess and yet so many will choose a “safe” option because it’s already built.  I believe Jesus calls us to something more challenging.

My time in God’s word constantly breaks me.  I made a decision years ago to read scripture and allow myself to be shaped by it and not to see how it could fit into my life.  I’ve been tempted many times to go another route but I know it’s what God expects.  So many get angry when they pursue this path because God will challenge our very best thinking but still, HIS word shapes me.  I don’t shape the word to fit my desires anymore.  Sometimes it costs me.  Not anything near what it cost Jesus to redeem me so I’m even selfish for saying that.  I guess this post is more about searching than anything else.  It feels cathartic for me to write it even as I sit in the quiet and listen to peaceful music.

To my readers, I pray for you often.  Pray for me if you are so inclined.  I am so blessed here and have a wonderful church family.  My supervisors are excellent as well.  I just want to do my very best to reach others and build a life-changing church for the glory of our Lord.  I pray over the decisions we make all the time.  Being in this position means you will get criticized.  I just want to know that despite that, God is pleased and that’s all that matters to me.

Have a blessed day!

A Solid Resource

Do you have an intentional plan to grow as a leader in the coming year? As the summer winds down and fall comes upon us in a few weeks now is a great time to consider this question. A year ago, I purchased the “One Year Personal Growth Plan” resource from the Church Leader Insights website. For many in business and ministry, the fiscal calendar begins with back to school. My own personal planning runs from September 1-to-August 31 each year. I usually take the month of August to begin planning goals, ideas, big-days, and special events for our church family. Last year, I added the practices from this resource to my calendar. I listened to this resource again earlier this month and set in motion my plans to continue growing in the 2008-09 year.

This audio training, running about 70 minutes, features Nelson Searcy and Roy Mansfield from the “Journey” church in New York. In that time, they share with you a complete system of growth for the next 12 months. They do this in four areas: Annually, Monthly, Weekly, and Daily. All four areas are important and in each, Searcy and Mansfield give you tips for incorporating growth strategies into your year.

Personal growth may sound a bit egotistical but it’s not. I believe that as a leader, I must continue to grow each year if I expect God to grow our church. It’s no accident that healthy churches have excellent leaders and those leaders didn’t develop their skills by chance. They came as a result of a focused effort to improve. This resource gives you the tools to do just that.

You can download this training for $20 from the Church Leader Insights online store. I do not work for them nor do I benefit in any way if you purchase this. I do believe in passing along great tools and this is one of them. Get this now so you can listen and plan over the next few weeks to grow as a leader in the year ahead. I’d like to connect with anyone who has used this and find out how it’s helped them. As always, you can comment below.

Monday, I stopped after sharing some thoughts about the subject of what discipleship is and what it seems to be in many places.  As I thought more about my words, I want to clarify that I’m not an anti-program type guy, just one who wants to make sure we don’t huddle all the cattle into the pen and think one way is the only way it’s going to get done.  If we want a fast-food discipleship program, then be my guest but I think it’s so much more than that and for the depth of what I think churches should be, it has to be more than that.

A Great Book

One of my favorite books on this subject was written by David Ping titled “Quick to Listen Leaders”.  The basic premise of the book is to learn to spend time listening to others in order to more effectively minister to them.  This applies to discipleship also.  Many times, we are ready to trust a willing person with a “mentor” to disciple and lead them through the ten followup lessons we have after they make a decision to follow Christ.  These are not bad at all but to think we can copy some lessons with bible quotations and expect the other guy to “get it” shows an extreme lack of concern for the fledgling Christian’s faith journey.

We must learn to understand the other person better in order to see to it that they are properly ministered to.  This does not happen unless you stop to get to know the other person.  There are many ways as a church body we can make this happen.  Among my peers, I am best known for my ministry to several Wal-Mart employees.  This didn’t happen as a result of a program but because I was asked to perform a funeral remembrance for a well-loved employee at my local store.  After the event was complete (We did this in full view of customers in the back of the store near the baby area!), I was asked to stay to console many who were crying and upset by their loss.  To be honest, it would have been quite easy for me to walk out of the store and let management know I had another commitment to attend to.  But instead, I made a phone call and moved the commitment and wound up staying the better part of the morning to talk to some of the employees.  This hasn’t been forgotten in the years since.  I still shop at that store, employees that know me stop and share their struggles, ask for prayer, and some even ask to meet with me at the local Starbucks nearby so they can just talk (and I can just LISTEN).  Several families from that store have attended or are still attending our church plant as a result.  Discipleship can happen anywhere.

What does discipleship look like to you?  For me, it’s about relationships and building up others with the truth of scripture.  But, I cannot pass along those truths unless I know exactly what that person needs in order to give the right words.  Think of it this way: You go to a doctor because you are not feeling well and instead of him taking the time to listen to you he asks a few general questions, makes a reasonable diagnosis based on your answers, and then gives you a medicine that is common to all.  He doesn’t ask if you are allergic to it.  If you are, tough!  You are in a minority and need to go elsewhere because the group approach is treating many others who are less concerned than you.  Is this what you want in medical care?  Than why would you settle for less in spiritual care?  Many do and don’t even know it because their needs haven’t been diagnosed properly and they are thrust into church life without having shared their struggles, needs, questions, and wonders.

My greatest joy as a pastor is spending time with my families, my elderly folks, my young newlyweds, and my kids.  When I can see a life changed for the better by the healing balm of Christ, I know that we’re doing the right things.  It’s a little messier this way.  It’s not always as easy as a program, but it’s the only way I see that Jesus ministered to others.  He not only did this but trained others to do so.  That’s our task!  To multiply discipleship amongst the gifts of our diverse congregation to make them disciples and teach them to do the same with others.

Let the journey begin!

I’ve been asked to write a piece for a nationally published magazine on the subject of discipleship and more importantly, what that looks like in my ministry context here in Denver. What follows will be my research into this idea and as always, your input through comments is welcome.

Discipleship is a complex or simple term depending on who you ask. Some have the perception that it is merely teaching others about Jesus. Others feel that a 12 step program with resultant manuals for classes is necessary. Still others take folks around a baseball diamond which eventually leads them home and, rhetorically, to completion in their initial journey. For all of these methods, there are many others too numerous to name. All have the goal of helping someone achieve a stronger bond with Jesus. At least, most of them do.

For me, discipleship is what the dictionary says it is: “One who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another” or “A convinced adherent of a school or individual”. Of course, for our purposes that person is Jesus. As his disciple, I accept his teaching and have taken on the responsibility of spreading that teaching to others. What that looks like to others is the subject of many books, programs, and seminars.

There is so much that could be written on this topic. For the purposes of publication, I will condense as best I can. For here, I can write a bit more and explore my thoughts even as I express them. As a pastor, this subject is always at the front of my mind. As a church planter, discipleship is crucial if the fledgling church is to have any lasting effect in the community it serves. How do we reach people? Once reached, how do we disciple them? How do we bring back injured sheep who’ve made horrible mistakes? All are questions I’ve asked recently even before I was asked to write.

I do want to explore this further on Wednesday and perhaps even next Monday. We’ll see. For now, it’s enough for me to say this. I’m convinced discipleship is more about the time I spend with someone modeling the life of Christ as best I can rather than the amount of information I try to cram into their head. That’s not to say doctrine isn’t important. It most certainly is. The key for me is to train others to be disciples. It sounds so simple but really, why can’t we do it more successfully then? That is where my thoughts take me as I consider this further. I’ll have more on Wednesday.

My most recent reading has been the “Life of Robert Murray M’Cheyne” by Andrew Bonar. This nearly 200 year old writing chronicles the life of one of my favorite preachers. M’Cheyne was a Scottish born minister who died weeks before his 30th birthday. I’m not quite done with the book yet so a review will come later. What I’m most interested in today was M’Cheyne’s deep concern for life change. One of the reasons I enjoy M’Cheyne’s teachings was his emphasis on living a life that honored God. M’Cheyne took time to create a bible reading plan that’s still in use today. If you want a copy, simply Google it. There’s any number of copies of it available in many different sizes.

M’Cheyne’s concern for holiness in his life struck a chord with me. I always strive to better myself in this area. As a pastor, I don’t think we can ever feel that we’ve “arrived”. As I read many different church planting blogs, I read about exciting outreaches, preparing for additional worship times, volunteers “knocking it out of the park”, the successes of video series like the “One Prayer” series, and the mundane, day-to-day stuff that makes up life. What I don’t read much about is how each of these church planters are being touched in their quiet times, if they have one at all. I’m not talking about lip-service quiet times where we stop at Starbucks, read our bible, look out the window pensively and then take off to the next thing. I’m talking about a devoted time of communion with the Lord of our lives and the master of our fate, both personally and professionally. I realize that any success I have as a planter comes not from my own creative genius but from the blessing of God who can take it all away in a heartbeat.

To the pastors who read this I ask: “What steps are you taking to improve in this area?” As we plan our days, fill out our day-planners, and monitor our task lists using the latest productivity fad, are we including in this time for personal renewal and life change? If not, how can we expect to see lives changes in our churches? Am I doing all I can, including improving myself, to help others see changes in their lives and their service to the Lord increase?

It’s something to think about.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)

Today I share part two of my thoughts regarding this passage in 2 Peter and the list the apostle gives us. I want to point out that lists are great and give us a road map of some things to strive for but the lists and the practices themselves are merely a way for us to grow in our relationship with God. If we use these types of lists merely as “checkoffs” in a box that we set up, then we really aren’t allowing God to use them to strengthen our life with Him. That is the whole purpose of spiritual discipline. I pray that if this list has touched and challenged you, that you will give it the respect it deserves but do not elevate any higher than God Himself. With all of that said, we move on to the final three traits that Peter highlights…

1. Godliness. Peter is speaking of a reverent fear of the Lord. A magnification of Him in our hearts. Adoration that’s truly heart felt. Do I have this at all times? Do I make it known to others? Remember the first four in this list have to do with preparing our hearts for the outward work we are called to do. Moral excellence, knowledge of good and evil, self-control and patience all help to guide our speech and our actions and keep a check on our emotions which can run out of control if we are not careful. Now, Peter adds a Godly fear of the Lord with adoration. This leads to the cornerstone of what we should strive for in the final two traits…

2. Love for other Christians. Peter speaks of “brotherly affection” here. He is referring to our love for those in the church. As a pastor, I know full well I am called to love the church I lead even if at times, my emotions say otherwise. What about you? Do you love your church? Can you say that you love the people in it even if there are some you may not like? This type of love is necessary if we are to take it, and go out into the world which brings us to the last trait.

3. A genuine love for everyone. “Brotherly affection” brings about a genuine love for people. We are called to witness to them. Do we, as Jonah did, secretly cry for their destruction, or, like Jeremiah, do we weep over the lost and do what we can to love them? This is perhaps the hardest trait of all and I think it’s not by accident that Peter finishes up his list with this one.

To love others is what we are called to do. This is not easy and sometimes, we may feel it to be an impossibility. Peter never said it was automatic. He told us here to work on it, to be adding to it. He tells us that if we do, we will NOT be unfruitful. In fact, later in the passage, he tells us we will not fall if we do this. I believe him. I pray you do to. Take this “list” and seek to grow in these areas. See if God doesn’t bless us. Share with me your thoughts. I’d love to know if you see more to this than I.

Be blessed.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)

Earlier this month, this passage was one I came across in my devotions. A simple list of traits but in them is found fruitful living for our Lord. In my work as a church planter and pastor, I come across so many books, kits, conferences, and DVD programs designed to give me the information I “need” to grow the church. None of these are necessarily bad but I think sometimes, we can get caught up in the authority of the author or speaker and forget about the one who inspires them. It’s refreshing when God takes a simple passage like this one and implants it in my heart. This week, I’ll divide this passage up into two parts. Today, I’ll look at the first four traits on the list and Wednesday, I’ll discuss the last three. Lists like these are found throughout scripture and form a good basis for spiritual disciplines and growth. So let’s look at the first four as Peter writes about how we are to supplement our faith…

1. Am I supplementing my faith with virtue? By virtue, Peter is writing about excellence. An excellence in valor. Do I make a conscious choice each day to live as a Christian man? Do I model this to my family and, man to man, to my teen age son? It’s easy to let little things slide and get caught up in the busyness that is life but to do so robs us of a wonderful life with God. Excellence is something we should always strive for but how much more important is this when following Jesus?

2. Knowledge comes next. Knowledge of what is good and what is evil. Knowledge of God’s will for my life. This is something we must pursue daily and discernment is knowing how to filter the junk out of our lives as it arrives. If we have that kind of knowledge, our hearts will stay pure and our focus will be razor sharp. What steps will I take today to learn something that will aid me in living out God’s purpose for my life?

3. Self-Control. This one was an issue when I was a twenty-something back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I remember thinking back to a time when I thought others were simply not moving quick enough or that they didn’t say what needed to be said. As a young Christian, I battled self-control in my life wanting to be wise but realizing very quickly that this life with God would be one that would take years to develop. Now in my early 40’s, I thank God for those lessons and for my pastor who was able to channel those emotions into something productive while God prepared me for what I’m doing now. If makes sense that in pursuing virtue and knowledge that self-control would follow on Peter’s list. I think once you have some knowledge of the Lord’s work in your life and you are pursuing excellence in serving Him, learning the fine art of self-control becomes easier. Not easy, but easier.

4. Steadfastness. Patient endurance. Again, Peter puts his list together in a logical manner. The fruit of self-control, developed with the first two traits, brings about the patient endurance needed to serve God over the long haul. We live in an imperfect world and if you are a pastor, you lead imperfect people. Imperfect people will do things to harm the church and your family and if you are not mature enough to practice self-control, amidst other things on this list, you will surely fail because you will react in a way that dishonors God even if you feel you were justified. James builds on this thought when he says:

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
(James 1:4 ESV)

In other words, our character is strengthened and our preparation for service is improved having learned to deal with issues that test our self-control. Our human nature is to retreat when we see something that we know is going to hurt us and we’d rather just avoid it. The bible tells us to let steadfastness have “its full effect” and not seek to remove ourselves prematurely. When we do, we stunt our spiritual growth. Better to go through the trials and endure the hardship and pain, then to remove ourselves and not be hardened for the battle that we are called to be in. So I ask myself, am I avoiding anything? If so, what should I do to face any crisis head on? Am I practicing solid morals and self-control to aid in my patience? How will this help me to grow in the future?

On Wednesday, I’ll flesh out the final three traits as outlined by the apostle Peter. For me, this list was a challenge. I’ve outlined all seven traits and put them in my day planner. My challenge to myself is to look for ways to strengthen them all in my day to day life so that I can be a fruitful servant of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Until Wednesday, be blessed!