Susan and I are in that place of transition.  For those of you who are not intimately aware of our lives, you wouldn’t know that we just did the most difficult thing that God has ever asked us to do and that was to communicate to our most precious church family that God has given us a new assignment.  As of December 19, 2011 we will be leaving the family that we have poured our lives into for the last 32 years and moving to work with a new family called Seacoast in the community of Irmo, SC.  It has been a bittersweet experience because as any of you who know us know, we are intensely loyal to family and friends.

We have spent the last 32 years of our lives pouring into the folks in the West Milford, Tri-State area and enjoyed every minute of it.  In fact, I had told the Lord that I would with joy spend the rest of my life living to love and serve this family.  During the last almost 10 years we have also had the opportunity to serve in the state of South Carolina through Aprecis  Group Leadership Services, our consulting firm.  During that time I came in contact with the Seacoast Church in Irmo and loved their pastor and the church movement as well.

Just recently I was invited to “put my name in the hat” when the pastor was going to move into a regional oversight position.  Susan and I didn’t want to “say no” if the Lord was wanting to do something different in our lives, therefore we said yes, let our names stand.  Then the process began to move forward…  Stay tuned to my next blog to see what happened next…

I feel like the luckiest (most blessed, for my religious friends) man in the world.  I have a wonderful wife and children, a wonderful church family, wonderful friends, good health, financial security (as much as someone can have during our recession), and most importantly, a wonderful God I serve.  I have purpose in my life every day when I get up in the morning.  It doesn’t get much better than this…

It would be easy for me to feel guilty about not blogging for the last number of months.  It’s easy to start something, but it takes some sticktuitiveness (that’s a real word!) and perseverance to keep on keepin’ on.  And once you’ve “blown it”, doesn’t it seem so very hard to start up again?  It’s kind of like dieting (which I’ve been doing all of my life, ugh!!).  Once you blow it, it’s soooo hard to not just “pig out” because, well… I blew it, so I might as well REALLY blow it!!!  I’m so frustrated and disappointed in myself I owe it to myself to have a really good pity party!

Here’s the good news.  His mercy is new and fresh every morning!!!  The essence of mercy is “not receiving what we really deserve”!  And frankly, without Jesus, I deserve nothing but judgment.  Thankfully, every day is a new day and a fresh start.  In fact, no matter how many times you fall… to be successful, you just need to get up one more time than you’ve fallen… and you’ll finish the race.

Have you fallen down…  Are you really tired and discouraged…  Just get up ONE more time… because it’s never too late to start over!  Remember, it’s not how you start that matters…  It’s how you finish!!!  Now, join with me and let’s finish strong!!!

 “Watching You” lyrics Sung by Rodney Atkins from the album: “If Your Going Thru Hell.” It was written by Steven Dean; Brian White; and  Rodney Atkins

Words:

Driving through town just my boy and me
With a happy meal in his booster seat
Knowing that he couldn’t have the toy
Till his nuggets were gone
Green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my breaks and mumbled under my breath
His fries went a flying and his orange drink covered his lap
Well then my four year old said a four letter word That started with “s” and I was concerned
So I said son now where did you learn to talk like that

[Chorus one]

He said I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah we’re just alike, hey ain’t we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I’ve been watching you

We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said lord please help me help my stupid self
Then this side of bedtime later that night
Turning on my son’s scooby doo nightlight
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
And spoke to god like he was talking to a friend
And I said son now where’d you learn to pray like that

[Chorus two]

He said I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We like fixing things and holding mama’s hand
Yeah we’re just alike, hey ain’t we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I’ve been watching you

[Bridge]

With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug
Said my little bear is growing up
He said but when I’m big I’ll still know what to do

[Chorus three]

Cause I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
By then I’ll be as strong as superman
We’ll be just alike, hey won’t we dad
When I can do everything you do
Cause I’ve been watching you

I hope you enjoyed it.  Your comments are welcome.

JPF

19?? – 1946              %65

1947 – 1964              %35

1964 – 1976              %15

1977 – 1994              % 4

1995 – Present         % ?

 George Barna’s research is equally as bleak regarding the next generation’s spiritual lives. 

 My question is simple.  Why?  What’s going on that is creating this rapid decline in the percentage of those that consider themselves born again Christians? 

Is it the pluralistic nature of the US now?  Is it the anemic condition of the western church at large?  Is this the great falling away?

 Is there anything that we can do to stem the tide?

 I believe that it’s time that the church come out from behind it’s four walls of protection and isolation and serve the people that Christ died for.  Instead of fearing contamination, let us be those that influence this next generation.

The church must give up the isolationist policies and the expectations that if we open the church doors, the world will come flooding in, to understand that Jesus went out to serve people in the “highways and byways”.  He went to where they are and didn’t ask them to come to where he was.  He met them at their point of need.

Instead of trying to get people into the church, let’s try to get the church to go to the people.  That’s how Jesus did it.

It’s what the younger generation is looking for.  A church that’s willing to get its hands dirty.  A church that is there to serve, not to be served.

 Let’s not be so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good. 

 See you in the streets… 

Until next time…

JPF

Challenge # 7 Raising money can be a nightmare for many pastors. We’re (blanked) if we do, and we’re (blanked) if we don’t! People are very sensitive to the church asking for money because it is many people’s perspective that’s all we do. If the truth be told, more pastors “fear” talking about money than those in the minority that overly challenge people in their financial stewardship.

Challenge # 8 Embracing change is the last challenge that I’m going to address. This may be the most important challenge of all those addressed. Although it is believed by many pastors that church people are unwilling to change to bring about growth, I’ve noted something different. I’ve noted that pastors are just as resistant to change as their church people are. We must all continue being change agents so that we can “keep pace with the Holy Spirit”.

Certainly this is not an all inclusive list of issues, but it surely is an accurate statement of challenges that all leaders experience when they’re attempting to grow an organization. It can be very frustrating because of the passion and vision of their hearts for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

May God help us not look at others. May He help us “own” our stuff. And may we not deflect, nor “blame shift” and become victims. When we accept responsibility for what happens we become empowered to make the necessary changes.

May His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Make it a great weekend and I’ll catch up with you on Monday.

Until then…

JPF

 Challenge # 5

Training Leaders is one of the most important issues for a pastor because if he/she doesn’t raise up leaders they end up being a one man/women show.  And everyone knows that is a quick path to burnout.  The other issue is having good materials to train leaders once you find willing bodies.

 Challenge # 6

Finding good musicians is another unending battle that every pastor experiences.  Finding musicians that are moldable is a difficult task at best.  And if you as a pastor, along with your spouse are not a singer or musician, you are completely at their mercy.  Excuse me for this thought, but managing musicians can be like herding cats. 

 Challenge # 7

Fostering diversity is another issue that every pastor needs to embrace, but is challenged to get people out of their comfort zones.  To truly be an expression of cultural diversity means challenging the status quo and being extremely proactive in facilitating the extraction of people from their homogeneous perches.

 The bottom line is this; to be a shepherd in the 21^st century is without a doubt one of the most difficult vocations that anyone can choose.  Therefore only those that are called should venture into this challenging but exciting arena.  And I applaud and pray for each and every one of you reading this post!

 Tomorrow we’ll talk about raising money, as well as the challenge being change agents in a culture that is constantly evolving.

 Until then…

JPF

 Challenge # 1

Either establishing or embracing the DNA (culture) for your church.  If you are a church planter then you have the opportunity to create your own DNA, but if you have gone into a church that was already established, the DNA is already in place.  You will need to bend (some times painfully so) in order to “fit” into the culture until you have the “authority” to bring about some changes.  It’s a very slow process I might add.

Challenge # 2

Establishing a vision/mission that is God’s vision for the church.  Usually we have these grandiose ideas that we’re all going to have megachurches and be megachurch pastors speaking to leaders all over the world.  Sharing with others the keys to success and how we did it.  …and then the alarm goes off and we wake up!!  J  Be yourself!

 Challenge # 3

Once establishing a vision/mission it is necessary to be able to clarify it for the masses that are going to be fulfilling the vision of the house.  You’d be surprised how muddy the waters get when we ask people to verbalize the vision.  You will have as many expressions of the vision as you have people.  You must work hard to internalize what you have on paper.

 Challenge # 4

After clarifying the vision/mission you have to develop a strategic plan to accomplish the “dream” that you’ve now set forth.  That is easier said than done.  Many pastors are practitioners more than strategists.  We need to understand what… who… and how!

 To be continued tomorrow…

Until then…

 JPF

I’ve told young potential pastors that “if there is anything else in the world that you can do instead of being a pastor and be fulfilled… do it!!!”  Pastoring is one of the most challenging of all of the people helping professions.

You are expected to be a “specialist” although you have only been trained to function as a generalist.  You need to be all things to all people.  This is a daunting task.  To meet everyone at their point of need no matter their age, education, socioeconomic status, gender, culture, or a myriad of other factors.

You need to be able to do a multitude of tasks well, the least of which is your ability to teach or preach.  Many young people are enamored with the thought of studying hour after hour preparing sermons and teaching that fulfills their youthful zeal and idealistic view of what pastoring is all about.  Studying and speaking is about 10% of what you do in the pastorate.  That is the reality of the situation.

Your training in Bible College or Seminary is a drop in the bucket of the education and training that you need in order to be successful as a pastor in the 21^st century.  You must embrace the value of becoming a lifelong learner in order to have any chance of lasting in this field as a long term leader.

Tomorrow I’m going to share with you some of the specific issues and realities I’ve struggled with through the years regarding the challenges of being a pastor in the US in the 21^st century.

 Until then…

 Make it a great day!

JPF

At our church we are simplifying our ministry and reinventing ourselves with a lean ministry philosopy in mind. People’s lives are frenetic in general to say the least. There’s no time to spend unprofitable hours at the church. We’re going to be lucky to get people for a couple hours a week. We better make them count. We’ve developed a strategy to accomplish a new paradigm for a new era.

We’re propagating a three-fold process to help people keep a balanced lifestyle. It’s simple: Receive… Relate… Serve… In order to keep it simple we recommend to our folks to attend one service per week. Attend one small group per week. And serve others one time per week. It’s simple, but it’s a discipleship process that fits the 21st century.

The day of asking people to be at church every time the doors open is effectively an expectation of the past. This is a battle that we WILL NOT win. We must change our expectations to survive and flourish.

Remember this; it’s as simple as loving God (receive), loving people (relate), and serving the world (serve).

Simplicity is in… Complexity is out…

Your thoughts?

JPF

1.    Church members can’t articulate the gospel clearly.

My response to this is easy.  Tell three stories; their story, your story, and His story.  It can’t get easier than story telling.  We can all do that.

 2.    Church members have few non-Christian friends.

We’ve been trained to insulate and isolate ourselves for fear of contamination.  It’s the power of Christ that is available to set free people from sin and bondage. It’s infiltration that we need.  Take back your city and the culture for God.

 3.    Church members lack of motivation to share the good news.

Some of us are comfortable in our lifestyles and don’t want to rock the boat with our friends and family.  Rejection is the predominate fear.  Is hell an acceptable option?

 4.    Church members are unable to answer questions.

We don’t need to have all of the answers.  We need to emphasize the fact that we have been changed and undeniably transformed by the power of God.  Let others assist us in the answering of questions.

 5.    Church member’s lives don’t properly reflect the good news.

People recognize that Christ-Followers aren’t perfect, they’re forgiven.  Humility and meekness prevent hypocrisy.  Don’t pretend you’re perfect when you’re not.  That’s what people resent about us.  Be authentic!

 6.    Church members are judgmental and lacking compassion

Serve others and the community and let them see that the church is about serving the needs of others and not judging their lifestyle.  This testimony of action will go along way to dispelling these stereotypes.

 7.    Church members don’t lead people to Christ, ministers do.

It’s about a lifestyle of relationship and friendship that cause people to stop listening to the myriad of voices around them and hone in on yours.  You are in touch with people that need Christ every day.  Share with them the good news.

Just thought I’d give you a few tidbits to consider for the weekend.  You can fill in the blanks with your own comments.  In fact, why don’t you comment on mine?

 Talk to you Monday.  Make it a great weekend.

JPF