Archive - christian leadership RSS Feed

Fruit of the Spirit – Joy – Galatians 5:22-26 (3:53)

April 26, 2013 in christian character, christian discipleship, christian discipleship training, Christian growth, christian leadership, Christian training, christian tranining with Comments Off

Here’s another devotional on walking in the Spirit vs walking in the flesh, looking at Galatians 5. Last time we looked at the fruit of the Spirit of Love. Today I want to look at the next fruit, Joy. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy….”

Here’s a definition of Joy for  you to consider: “to delight in God and His salvation for the
sheer beauty and worth of who He is, not based on circumstances. It’s obtained by doing the will of God.

Joy is mentioned in Scripture many times. One example is, “for the Joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Well, what was so joyful about that? This is right after the Garden scene, where Jesus is literally crying tears of blood and weeping and begging God to take the cup from him. Joy really does transcend circumstantial realities. It’s not happiness; it’s Joy. It comes from doing the will of God. There’s that inner satisfaction. There’s that inner joy from knowing that I’m doing what my Lord and Master has commanded me to do. You’re doing it in His strength, so you’re not actually the one doing it. It’s His love moving through you and you have that Joy knowing that even though you’re being resisted by the world and Satan and your sinful nature, you’ve submitted and you feel the joy of being on mission with God. You know that He will accomplish His will, even though you might not know what that is. Sometimes we don’t need to know. Sometimes I’m on a need to know basis and I don’t need to know. I’m just told to go … and God moves through me.

So I want to challenge you to consider your obedience with God these days. Is it bringing this gladness, this delight, this special presence of God, this inner Joy, this inner glow? And do people notice it? It is the fruit of the Spirit. God will help you experience Joy as you follow Him.

One of the things I love to watch is when pilots fly aircraft, especially in dogfight situations, in F15s and Raptors, etc. When they lose sight of their target, they call out, “No Joy!” So this would be you losing sight of the target of God’s will for your life. You will have no joy, but once you have acquired the target again which would be the will of God, you will be fully Joy.

Let’s pray: Father God I pray that you, by the power of your Spirit, would make your will plain to every one of us. Father, we come seeking your will. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done.  On earth as it is in Heaven. Father, we want to hear, “well done, good and faithful.” We want to obey. We want to be guided by you today. We don’t want to be distracted. We don’t want to be off-mission with you. We don’t want to be tempted away to pursue any other idols and listen to them. We want you to be our God and our Lord. Command us this day, Father, and strengthen us that Your will might be done. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

God bless you. Walk in the joy of the Lord today. Amen.

Confronting the “Deadlies” in the Roles of Our Life

February 26, 2013 in christian character, christian culture, christian discipleship, christian discipleship training, Christian growth, christian leaders, christian leadership, christian mentoring, Christian training, christian tranining, church engagement, church leaders, church leadership, Coaching, community, Connection Culture, discileship resources, disciple, discipleship training with Comments Off

In every role that we have in life there are sin-related challenges. Sometimes these are the same sin tendencies no matter what situation or role we’re in at the moment. On the other hand, it could also be that certain sin tendencies only come into play when we are exercising particular roles in our life.

Sin is hardly a popular subject, even in Christian churches. It is not unusual to hear that someone will in fact stay away from church because the preaching was on sin, and they don’t like being made to feel guilty. Perhaps as a consequence of that, the emphasis in some churches is placed invariably on things that will affirm people and not invite them to focus on their sin tendencies.

To perceptive observers, however, the question of sin is unavoidable. A good example is a book written in the late 70s by British journalist Henry Fairlie, entitled The Seven Deadly Sins Today, in which he freely admits that he’s not a believer and yet points out all the ways in which various kinds of sin are destroying society. Merely ignoring the problem will not make it disappear any more than ignoring any other kind of threat will cause that to disappear. It must be confronted with the power of Christ crucified.

Let’s look briefly at how sin might confront us in different roles. In particular let’s look at our roles as family members, as stewards of resources, as friends, and as professional people:

  • As family members, one of the besetting sins that is so often weakening family life is wrath (vs. meekness). The records of divorce and family dysfunction are filled with stories about the explosive temper of one of its members. People who truly and sincerely love their family members and yet fail to confront this sin have been known to say or do things that have completely destroyed everything they have most deeply loved on this earth. When we feel lonely, we are also tempted to the sin of gluttony (vs. temperance). Filling the hole left by disconnected relationships we turn to food, drink or drugs. We are roughly four percent of the world’s population in America, yet we consume 50 percent of the world’s legal mood-altering pharmacological drugs and 2/3rds of the world’s illegal drugs.
  • As stewards of resources, we see many instances of sloth (vs. obedience) or greed (vs. stewardship). Sometimes we read in the newspapers about the constant wrangling over public policy, usually in the form of what the government should do or not do. Without making a political point, it is worth wondering whether the government would have to be involved in certain things at all if people at the private level were taking seriously the issue of overcoming sloth or greed. The government and other agencies can do little more than deal with those problems after their consequences have taken effect. They are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, while it’s up to us at Christians to build the fence at the top.
  • As friends and neighbors, the sins of envy (vs. contentment) and lust (vs. chastity) come to mind. Many friendships have been destroyed by the resentment that comes from someone else’s success or prosperity. Entire revolutions have been attributed to envy as a causative factor. As for lust, society is experiencing a tsunami of relevant imagery that is having powerful effect. It is reported that among working-class white families in America, only 37 percent of children are living with both their mother and father (compared to 96% in 1960). Surely the promotion through the media of an anything-goes ethos bears major responsibility.
  • As professional people, as in many other roles, the question of pride (vs. humility) often rears its ugly head. We are trained by our world to base our identity on what we do, rather than what God does through us. Therefore, we are led away by Satan, our sinful natures, and this worldly system to achieve and accomplish things in our own strength, so that we might receive the glory. What a stark contrast to the life that God calls us to embrace, where He is guiding and empowering everything we say and do.

Let’s choose a bracing view of the tremendous power available to us as we deal with sin in all our roles in life. We have the duty and the opportunity to be dead to sin and alive to Christ and righteousness. Hear Martin Luther: “But what is God’s righteousness? It is when there is no longer any sin in us, and all our members and powers are subject to God, and used in his service that we can say with St. Paul (Galatians 2:20): ‘I live yet not I, but Christ lives in me.’ That happens when no sin reigns over us, but Jesus Christ alone with his grace.”

Of Character and Community: A Declaration of Dependence

February 4, 2013 in christian character, christian culture, christian discipleship, christian discipleship training, Christian growth, christian leaders, christian leadership, Christian training, christian tranining with Comments Off

We understand the value of collective action, and it is this unity of purpose toward which we must continually strive. However such unity and power is impossible to attain if it is not built on the foundation of individual character and godly intention.

Certain cultural trends have been working on all of us to discourage the building of character, the building of community, and the interaction between those two:

  1. Narcissism. It is one of the paradoxes of spiritual life that we edify ourselves by serving others. Conversely, we weaken ourselves through habitual self-regard and self-seeking. Today’s culture features an intense focus on celebrities, in addition to advertising that has slogans such as: “because you’re worth it.” (That one has been around for a long time, a sign that it really works.)
  2. Technology. Few, if any of us, are not tempted to think we can solve most of our problems with one more computer program, spreadsheet, or handheld gizmo. We keep looking for new methods of reducing our essential helplessness. This, of course, is nothing new. Our grandparents realized that freedom from excessive heat or cold could be achieved with the mere press of a button. In other words we keep reducing the need to depend on God until that tendency becomes a way of life. A warning against this aspect of technology shouldn’t signal a return to a pre-industrial age but just serve as a reminder to renounce the illusion of independence from God.
  3. Autonomy. It is natural to avoid an unhealthy dependence on others but the quest for autonomy can often lead to illusion and unhealthy pride. A friend of ours, for instance, wrote a biography of a well-known Christian leader who started a broadcast ministry on a shoestring and built it up to where he was very secure and didn’t seem to need anything from anyone. In spite of the good accomplished through his ministry, he behaved in an autocratic and unaccountable manner to the extent that close associates were aware of a general environment of fear throughout his organization. This diminished his personal character and simultaneously the quality of community life in his ministry.
  4. Lack of Standards. For several decades at least, the avant-garde, or forces of the counterculture, have been assaulting moral standards with impressive success. In fact the transformation of culture has been so thoroughgoing that the word “countercultural” can now only be assigned realistically to those who are trying to restore firm standards of behavior. The world laughs at them and conspires against them.

Even in many churches, the last thing people want to discuss or hear about is the challenge of overcoming sin tendencies. It is, however, this victory over individual sin tendencies that holds the key to stronger community, and it is stronger community that holds the key to victory over individual sin tendencies.

The two things exert reciprocal influence on each other. If we neglect the character side of the equation, we fail to trust in God to transform our character and help us to partake of the divine nature. We can learn to pray in a way that affirms that trust, e.g., “Thank you, Lord, that you’re working in me to strengthen my love and self-control.”

“Thy will be done” Matthew 6:10

November 13, 2012 in christian character, christian discipleship, christian discipleship training, Christian growth, christian leaders, christian leadership, Christian training, Uncategorized with Comments Off

Let’s look at the next phrase of the Lord’s prayer, as we’re looking at how to recalibrate our lives with our Father by praying the way Jesus taught us to pray.”Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be your name.” May Your name be glorified. “Thy kingdom come.” May I live as a part of Your group, Your church, in Biblically functioning communities. Then the next phrase is a very important phrase: “Thy will be done.”

To try and unpack this, I’d like for you to consider that we are sinful people, that if left up to our own devices, we drift away from doing the will of God. We want to do our own will. And so every time I pray this personally, the mental image I have in my mind is: I’ve got my sweatpants on and my sweatshirt on. I’m ready to go to the gym. And I’m saying, “Father, grow me! Train me to do Your will, not my will. I submit to doing Your will, not the will I gravitate towards, the will that my sinful nature makes me hungry for and the will that the Evil One is trying to convince me to follow. So I want to embrace Your training in righteousness, Lord.  Grow me.”

So that’s the value of Growth. This part of the Lord’s Prayer brings out the value of Growth. I like to say that growth is a process towards Christlikeness. So, it’s not going to happen all in one day. That’s why I think Jesus asked us to pray these kinds of statements. “Thy will be done.” It is showing up saying, “Grow me in Your will deeper today than I was yesterday. Help me understand what it means to walk according to Your will. Empower me to know that. Strengthen me. Grow me in habits that grow me to do Your will over my will. And do that daily.”

Let’s pray: Father, God, where would we be without You? We want to show up for Your training today. Grow us, Lord. Growth is a process towards full maturity in Christ. And none of us is ever done. So, Father, help us to know what Your training regiment for each one of us is today as we walk in Your Spirit. Help us to understand the sin that is so easily entangling us and know Your corrective path. We repent from our sin, Lord. We want to choose to walk with You. Thy will be done. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

“Thy kingdom come”

November 12, 2012 in christian character, christian discipleship, christian discipleship training, Christian growth, christian leaders, christian leadership, christian mentoring, Christian training, christian tranining, church leaders, Coaching, disciple, Discipleship, Uncategorized with Comments Off

We continue looking at this devotional series looking at the Lord’s Prayer together. Again, our goal is to recalibrate our lives with the values that God wants us to pray into our lives.

The first value we did was Glorifying God in our lives. That was the first phrase, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”

“Your Kingdom Come”
Matthew 6:10 (3:11)

The next phrase, “your kingdom come,” is a very important phrase to understand. We’re praying that we would live under the lordship of Jesus (He’s our King), in his community, within his Kingdom we call the church. So it’s basically saying that “I will live in Biblically functioning community with other brothers and sisters in Christ. I will live as a Kingdom citizen in this world.”

 

Unfortunately many churches aren’t operating as covenant communities with each other, really living out the commands of Christ together in covenant community as brothers and sisters in Christ. Most churches define churches as “you attend and you give once in a while.” God really didn’t have that vision in mind.

 

He had this deeper recalibration with him in mind for us. He wants us to see ourselves as part of a community. He wants us to stop trying to see ourselves as  individuals and start seeing ourselves as part of a whole: the body of Christ. And I will play whatever role within that whole that He’s calling me to play, but this phrase “Thy kingdom come” is focused more on the relational dynamics. Thy Kingdom come, in and through me.

 

So, we’re asking God to give us the wisdom and strength and guidance we’re going to need to build healthy, biblical relationships in this world. The value that this particular phrase gets at is the value of Group. In the Seven Values of Abundant Living, this Group value is defined as “groups of Biblically functioning community provide the optimal environment for life-change.” The Kingdom of God is all about life change. As we commit one to another in covenant community, to be brothers and sisters truly committed to the lordship of Christ, and living out our faith together in community, He transforms our world. We become this transformational community that impacts our culture for good, rather than the culture impacting us and weakening us.

 

So, let’s make a commitment today: “Your kingdom come, Lord.”

 

Let’s pray:

“Father, God, it’s our prayer that you would teach us to be your kingdom citizens, your servants, submitted to your lordship. Father, I pray for all the relationships in our lives that might be coming to mind right now that are strained, people that we have to confess sin to, Father that you would give us the strength to do just that, that we would repair and heal the brokenness that we are experiencing. Father, don’t let the evil one separate us. Give us the humility to confess our sin, to walk in your strength, the way you command us to in Scripture. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen

The Christian Calling to Rescue Cultures: Strength, Courage, Wisdom and Guidance

August 28, 2012 in christian character, christian culture, christian discipleship, Christian growth, christian leaders, christian leadership, christian mentoring, Christian training, Uncategorized with Comments Off

By: Rev. Jason Pankau and Michael Lee Stallard

This is the fourth installment in a series of articles about Christians who rescue cultures that Jason and Mike have written for Crosswalk.com. The first installment was The Servant; the second, The Courageous Coach; the third, Saving Our Kids. We hope that through this series you will be persuaded of God’s call for you to rescue the cultures you are in, that you will get ideas from the examples of others and that you will be encouraged to take action in rescuing the cultures around you.

If you have found these, or any other devotionals or articles we have shared with you, meaningful or if they have had an impact in your life in any way – we would love to hear from you!  Please send your story or thoughts to our office at mswank@lifespringnetwork.org.

Christians who rescue cultures take risks. Just think of John Wooden, the legendary college basketball coach we wrote about earlier in this series. Wooden stood up against prejudice at a time when it was the norm.  As head coach of the Indiana State Teachers College men’s basketball team, Wooden refused a post-season tournament bid in 1947 because the tournament wouldn’t allow young men of color to participate and Coach Wooden’s team included an African-American player named Clarence Walker.  Wooden’s refusal to participate in the tournament occurred 20 years before the Civil Rights Act was passed in America.  His actions in 1947 and again in 1948 helped open up post-season college basketball to all young men of color in 1949.  You can bet Wooden faced considerable opposition and ridicule.  This had to be anxiety producing and stressful.  Some people probably shunned Wooden for it.  His wife Nell likely felt pressure, too.  What gave John and Nell Wooden the strength to persevere?   We know the Woodens were Christians.  While we don’t specifically know how they coped, it’s likely that they turned to the Bible for strength, courage, wisdom and guidance.

Following are three ways the Lord provides help to Christians who rescue cultures and take risks for the Kingdom:

Be Prepared to Expect Adversity. The Bible prepares Christians to expect adversity so they’re not surprised. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Stay Connected with God. Christians who rescue cultures stay connected with God.  He’s a lifeline to them. The Bible gives us an up close view of this.  Read through the Psalms written by David and you will see that he consistently shared his pain and struggles with the Lord as he cried out to Him for strength, courage, wisdom and guidance.  In Psalm 5 David prayed:  ”Oh Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.  Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.  Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.  Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” Later in the same prayer, David praised the Lord and continued his plea for guidance: “Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your temple with deepest awe.  Lead me in the right path, O Lord or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.”

Jesus frequently emphasized the importance of staying connected with Him to produce fruit. In John 15:5-8 Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing… when you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

In John 17 beginning in verse 20, we read that Jesus prayed to God the Father that all disciples will stay connected to the Trinity: “just as you and I are one… may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” Notice that Jesus said “may they be one in us (italics ours).”  We are invited to be one with the Trinity, a community of three in one: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This unity of the Trinity points to a third way to gain strength and courage: stay connected to other believers who are part of the Body of Christ.

Stay Connected with Christian Community. Throughout the Bible we see the Trinity loving one another (e.g. John 3:35  14:31, 16:14, 17:1, 22-24).  In Scripture, we also see Christians loving and encouraging one another.  For example, David knew the bond of brotherly love in his friendship with Jonathan.  We see this in John Wooden’s life, especially in his relationship with his wife. Nell was his high school sweetheart, the only girl he ever dated, and they were married for 53 years before she died in 1985.  When UCLA dedicated its basketball court to Wooden he insisted that Nell be included and that her name appear before his. UCLA agreed and today its basketball teams play in the “Nell and John Wooden Court.”

We also need each other for guidance and to grow in Christlikeness. Several verses in Proverbs remind us of the wisdom in seeking the counsel of others.  When others speak truth in love to us, it helps us see our character flaws so that we can pray about overcoming them and ask others to encourage us and hold us accountable in the process. This is key to developing Christlike character.

Is God calling you to be a rescuer of the cultures you are in — your home, neighborhood, church, local schools, workplace, or other places? Pray about it, won’t you?  To follow your calling, be prepared to face adversity, and stay ever connected with the Lord and with Christian community. If you do, God, who David described as his refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble, will comfort and guide you, and provide you with the strength and courage you need to persevere and prevail.

The Christian Calling to Rescue Cultures: The Servant

June 25, 2012 in christian character, christian culture, christian discipleship, christian discipleship training, Christian growth, christian leaders, christian leadership, Christian training, Uncategorized with Comments Off

Jason Pankau and Michael Lee Stallard

An article written for Crosswalk.com, this is the first installment in a series of articles about Christians who rescue cultures.

 
Horst Schulze, a young German working in the hotel industry, noticed that many of his colleagues had an unhealthy view of themselves as lowly servants to the hotel’s guests.  That’s not how Horst viewed himself. He knew that every human being is created in the image of God, serving is the highest calling, and that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.

The young German had a passion for excellence, worked hard and continued to improve his knowledge and ability.   In time, Schulze became President and COO of Ritz-Carlton.  As a leader, he taught the people at Ritz-Carlton that they were “ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentleman.”  He told them to take pride in serving others and in becoming professionals who strived for excellence.  He walked the talk and it was not unusual to see Horst bending down to pick up trash or straighten something that was out of place.

In our book, Fired Up or Burned Out (Thomas Nelson) we wrote about Ritz-Carlton’s remarkable culture that resulted in the organization being consistently recognized for its outstanding customer service, quality and overall excellence.  Much of the credit for Ritz-Carlton’s success is attributable to the influence Schulze had in shaping a culture that values employees, gives them a voice and empowers them to make a difference.   Today, Horst is leading a new hotel company called the West Paces Hotel Group.

Schulze is a fine example for all of us to follow.  Christians are called to be workplace culture changers.

Three Types of Culture

There are three types of cultures. The worst culture is the Dog-Eat-Dog Culture were people with power try to control and dominate others.  You can also see the Dog-Eat-Dog Culture in communism and fascism, in drug and human trafficking networks, and in toxic homes and workplaces.

The second type of culture is the Culture of Indifference.  In this culture, people are so focused on themselves and on the tasks to achieve money, power and fame they fail to take time to connect with other human beings.  Because people are human beings and not machines, the culture of indifference gradually drains the life out of them and leads many to unhealthy addictions to alcohol, illegal substances, sex and pornography. America today has primarily become a Culture of Indifference. We are beginning to see it in America’s rising level of dysfunction.

The best culture is a Connection Culture where people feel connected to the people they work alongside and to their work (because it brings truth, beauty or goodness into the world). A Connection Culture is often the result of the influence of Christians like Horst Schulze who know an even greater connection through their connection to the body of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.   The body of Christ is the church that Scripture says even the powers of Hell will not overcome.

Only the Trinity has a higher degree of connection that the Church because the members of the Trinity have loved and glorified one another throughout all eternity (See John 3:35, 14:31, 16:14, 17:1, 22-24).

Connection is Biblical. Jesus prayed to God that believers would “all be one… so that the world will believe you sent me.” Paul states that “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” We are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation in the world by creating churches, workplaces and communities that have cultures of love and connection.

Time to Take Action

Cultures today desperately need rescuing.  This includes cultures in workplaces, in homes, in churches, in neighborhoods, in schools, and in nations. Consider the following statistics:

  • Disengaged Employees – In America, 70 percent of employees don’t feel connected and are not engaged at work. They show up for the paycheck, but don’t give their best efforts;
  • Loneliness – Across Western nations, physicians recognize an “epidemic of loneliness,” between 1985-2004, the number of Americans who had not discussed “important matters” with a friend over prior six months tripled to 25% of those surveyed.  The percent of Americans living alone soared from 10% 1950 to 27% in 2010.  A 2010 AARP survey found that 35 percent of adults older than 45 were chronically lonely as opposed to 20 percent a decade earlier;
  • Depression – Levels of depression today are 10X the levels of depression in 1960;
  • Substance Abuse – It has been estimated that although America has 4.5 percent of the world’s population, it consumes more than half of the world’s legal mood-altering drugs for anxiety and depression and two-thirds of the world’s illegal drugs;
  • Sexual Addiction and Pornography – Six to eight percent of Americans are addicted to sex (National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity), Seventy percent of 18-34 year-old American men visit a porn site monthly, and the average adolescent American boy watches 50 pornographic videos each week.

 
From a human perspective these statistics can be overwhelming but let’s not forget that with God nothing is impossible.  God calls us to be a Kingdom of priests who empowered with the Holy Spirit come together as the Church that saves the world from Dog-Eat-Dog Cultures and Cultures of Indifference. Will you commit to making a difference?

Hope and Power in Uncertain Times

April 19, 2012 in christian character, christian culture, christian discipleship, Christian growth, christian leadership, christian mentoring with Comments Off

Rev. Jason K. Pankau and Michael Lee Stallard

Acts chapter 8, says that Saul agreed to and witnessed Stephen’s stoning. This began a great wave of persecution that scattered believers from Jerusalem. Saul traveled from house to house to find Christian men and women and throw them into prison.

From the perspective of a Christian living during the persecution of the early church, the future could have looked bleak. The Roman Empire had all the Earthly power and used it effectively to crush any and every threat. Praise God, that’s not where the story ended. The Bible tells us that scattered believers preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. Then the Lord confronted Saul on the Damascus road and he was transformed into the Apostle Paul who went on to help lead the fast growing church. What an unlikely event! Who could ever have guessed that would happen?

Pondering this remarkable history gives us hope and makes us wonder: how might God use us during these dark days when news reports can make us feel our future is bleak?

To conquer an attitude of helplessness and hopelessness we need to stay close to the Lord, and to pray for and encourage one another like the members of the early church did. Together, we are a nation of priests with God-given power to transform the world. With the Holy Spirit comforting and counseling us, the body of Christ can transform every sector of society in every nation so that all glorify God. May it be so!

What part will you play in God’s plan for our future? Pray that He will guide your every step. Ask for the power of the Holy Spirit. Be in the Word to renew your mind. Obey His commands to maximize God’s transforming power in your life. Reject the temptation to love money, power and fame. Instead, put on the full armor of God, be strong and courageous and go into the world to transform it with the power of God’s love.

Jason and Mike would like to thank Ben Valentine of Trinity Church in Greenwich, CT, for a devotional he led that provided the inspiration for this edition of Devotional Thoughts.

Put on Your Strength!

April 12, 2012 in christian character, christian culture, christian discipleship, Christian growth, christian leaders, christian leadership, christian tranining with Comments Off

Rev. Jason K. Pankau and John B. Donovan

The natural drift of our minds is toward independence and self-sufficiency. This is understandable since, in the ordinary processes of learning and growth, we aim to become independent of our teachers. If we want to learn a foreign language, for instance, we obviously want to move beyond the point where we need our instructor to be constantly on hand.

God’s purpose for us, however, is to be in a close relationship with Him and with our fellow Christians. As Basil W. Maturin, a British spiritual author of the early 20th century put it:

“We need to balance independence with our dependence on others…The man who is recklessly indifferent to others bears the mark of failure stamped upon him, and he who is wholly dependent loses all individuality and all power of influence in the world. This is true of those who are naturally strongest and weakest, and it applies equally to women and men.”

Without this awareness of our dependence on God and our interdependence with others, we will never come into our full strength. By extension, we as the church will never come into our full strength either.

For this to take place, we have to submit to a regimen we might call “sacred training.” C.S. Lewis put it this way: “Jesus works on us in all sorts of ways… Through nature, through our own bodies, through books… But above all he works on us through each other.” Let’s expand our vision of what God makes available to us through others.

Most obviously, we can relate to one another through acts of love and also through reactions, the kind of forbearance that reflects the love that the Holy Spirit “pours into our hearts” (Romans 5:5). Our reputation for this also has an evangelistic dimension: Christians have often won new adherents to the faith simply by the love they share with one another. It is said that certain ancient Romans would remark, “See how these Christians love one another!”

Service is another aspect of this. A friend of ours is involved in an outreach initiative that aims to exercise spiritual influence in a medium-sized city near his church. The regular meeting of prayer and planning for this have brought a new social dimension to his life.  In addition, moving forward together into uncharted waters has added an unexpected measure of zest and zeal to the members of the group. As for potential impact, we have many examples, such as the Clapham Circle, a small group whose efforts resulted in many sweeping social reforms in 19thcentury England.

We can also engage in close and intentional spiritual relationships, particularly in the form of peer mentoring. We know personally of a number of examples where this has been transformative for people trying to cope with challenging family situations. In one case, when a husband was at his wit’s end, the influence of peer mentoring was mainly in the form of deep-level encouragement. In another case it was a matter of mentoring a man who was on the verge of leaving his wife.  Only within the peer-mentoring framework was he able to accept a negative reaction about this, and it saved his marriage.

Other benefits of small groups have long been obvious, especially when they show signs of covenantal commitment and life-sharing. For one thing, they are valuable for personal guidance. We can seek guidance from others as often as possible and be open to their insights. As it says in the Book of Proverbs, “in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14).

More ways could be mentioned for rebalancing our lives between dependence and interdependence. God spoke through one of His greatest prophets when he commanded: “Awake! Put on your strength!” (Isaiah 51:9). Let’s move toward full strength. In addition to private prayer, let’s avail ourselves of our resources as church communities.

Eliminating Pastor Burnout

January 20, 2012 in christian culture, christian discipleship, Christian growth, christian leaders, christian leadership, christian mentoring, Christian training, christian training resources, church engagement, church leaders, church leadership, Uncategorized with Comments Off

Jason Pankau and Michael Lee Stallard

Studies have shown that many pastors and church staff are burning out. They feel the pressure to preach and create programs and events that entertain and inspire congregants, many of whom hardly serve in their church.   This means added work for church staff and the faithful volunteers who shoulder most of the weight.

The current state is taking its toll. Pastors and church staff are working long hours to keep up, and as a result are spending less time connecting with the Lord, their families and friends. It’s no surprise, then, that they become spiritually and relationally disconnected.   This often leads to feelings of loneliness, emptiness and depression, exactly what Satan wants.   Disconnected individuals are more susceptible to temptations such as sexual sin, over eating or substance abuse, each illegitimate ways to treat emotional pain. Clearly, this is a problem. What can be done?

Eliminating pastor and church staff burnout requires a change of thinking and behavior. Job one is to teach the members of a local Christian body what a healthy Christian community looks like and how it contrasts with communities that are inconsistent with Christianity.

In helping people develop a vision for the Christian life, we like to begin with Jesus’ prayer in John 17 that describes Christians as being connected supernaturally, united as one body with the Trinity. Ask people to imagine what this might look like to have a local “church family” that is one with the Trinity. Show them Scripture verses that help them see that a Christian community is a church family that is marked by Christian love and humility, and where people serve one another, consider others as better than themselves, and seek the opinions of others. When we live submitted to the guidance and power of God and intentionally build a “Connection Culture” with one another, God produces much fruit through our lives and extends His Kingdom in a reproductive way. All truth is God’s truth so we like to show people the research from a variety of fields including psychology, neuroscience and history that proves connection helps us flourish in life from the time we are infants to our twilight years. By engaging the members into the mission, pastors can focus on their primary roles of equipping the body for works of ministry and they will discover the power of the body of Christ moving towards full strength. This is a very engaging place for pastors as well as congregants. It is an awesome thing to witness the Holy Spirit uniting/connecting a local body of believers who together are learning practically what is means to be “in Christ.”

If people are going to understand the need for such movement toward connection they need to first see that connection is waning in most churches today as people try to self-help their way to become disciples, even though it isn’t possible. Many people have been deceived into accepting the following myths which are obstacles to developing Chrsitlikeness and connection:

  • Myth 1: “God helps those who help themselves” (according to Barna Research, the most quoted “Bible” verse in America among adult and teen believers); therefore we can self-help our way to Christlikeness. Problem: It is indicative that most Christians have not been trained well enough in how to submit to God and abide in Christ to know that this quote does not come from the Bible. Too many are living in and through their own guidance and power. As a result, their experience of the abundant life and their witness to the watching world are diminished and they don’t experience the power of the Holy Spirit moving in and through them.

 

  • Myth 2: My relationship with God is a private matter, including my sins, so I will stay out of your business and I expect you to stay out of mine. Problem: There is a reluctance by many Christians to enter into Biblically functioning covenant community and make a commitment that they perceive may interfere or limit their lifestyle or plans.

 

  • Myth 3: I will mature as a Christian by going to worship services, praying and reading my Bible once in a while. Problem: Biblical truth is often presented in isolated (topical) form without a good understanding of how it fits into the Christian life as a whole, promoting the compartmentalizing of the Christian’s life. Also, there is an assumption that the appropriation of Biblical knowledge by itself will lead to spiritual maturity.

 

  • Myth 4: Jesus is our savior but doesn’t really require us to relate to Him as the Lord of our lives. We are all just doing the best we can to be good people. Problem: The church community typically focuses on making converts rather than making disciples.

 

  • Myth 5: It is the job of professional clergy to do the work of ministry and the “priesthood of all believers” is not practical or a good thing to encourage at our church. Problem: To influence many people simultaneously is generally considered the method of choice. Personal one-on-one discipleship appears to be too time-consuming, energy consuming, and inefficient.

 

As a result of these myths and problems, 70 percent of church-going Christians are disconnected. They show up on Sunday for inspiration or out of a sense of obligation but they hardly serve, give, seek the Lord or cooperate with the Holy Spirit to grow in Christlikeness. And they will not come to know the joy that surpasses understanding until they connect with the body of Christ.

Research clearly shows why the church in North America is dying: disconnected congregants stop giving and eventually leave. A 2008 survey by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University found that of the 38 percent of people in the survey who ended their support to at least one non-profit organization in the prior year, nearly 60 percent said they did so because they felt disconnected from the group. An online survey by Crosswalk.com recently concluded that 34 percent of people who attend church leave because of a lack of personal connections there and 53 percent agree that the primary reason they currently attend a place of worship is because of the friendships (i.e. connection) they’ve established.

From our research and experience as leadership and engagement experts who work with churches, businesses and government organizations, we know that the solution to struggling churches is both spiritual and systemic in nature. Churches flourish when people connect with God through Jesus Christ, with one another in Christian community, and with their calling of servanthood. A simple way to remember this is connection with Christ, community and calling. This creates what we’ve referred to as a “Connection Culture.” When these connections are in place it develops a holistic, transformational, disciple-making church community that mobilizes people to serve in the Spirit. It creates the church that Jesus said “all the powers of hell would not overcome” (Matthew 16:18). A church that develops a Connection Culture will find its staff fired up, not burned out, because people in the community are praying, growing, serving and giving.

Last year, I (Michael) went to visit one of the world’s leading churches and it was evident that connection is everywhere. Holy Trinity Brompton (“HTB” for short), an Anglican parish in London, is flourishing. As I observed the congregation and attended services, spoke with past and current congregants, and met with church leaders, it was clear that at the core of HTB you will find that people connect with Christ, community and calling. HTB is expanding into satellite church buildings owned by the Church of England in the greater London area that would otherwise be in danger of closing or have already been shuttered due to dwindling congregations. In addition to multi-site growth, HTB plants a new church nearly every month and aims to ramp up to planting 20 new churches a year. To train pastors, church leaders, and laypeople, HTB established a theological college, St. Paul’s Theological Centre. To train worship leaders, HTB launched Worship Central Academy last September.

Outside of the UK, HTB is perhaps best known as the church that developed Alpha, a 10-week course that introduces participants to the core beliefs of the Christian faith. To say that the Alpha course has been successful would be an understatement. The global reach of Alpha is breathtaking.   Since its launch in the late 1970s, more than 16 million individuals have completed the course. It is supported by all the major Christian denominations. At present, approximately 50,000 Alpha courses are being taught in 169 countries and in 112 languages.

To learn more about HTB and connection, read the case study found at this link: Alpha Church: The Church Flourishes When People Connect. At the conclusion of the case study, you’ll find 12 questions designed for pastors and church leaders to examine their own church culture and help them strengthen it. We encourage you to share the case study with others, too.

To start thinking about how a Connection Culture can transform your church, we invite you to sign up to attend a free webinar we are doing entitled “Protecting Pastors from Burnout.” It will take place next Tuesday, January 24, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time).

In summary, when pastors and church leaders develop Spirit-led cultures that connect people to Christ, community and their calling, pastor and church staff burnout becomes obsolete as vibrant members of the body of Christ actively pray, grow, serve and give. If the movement to connect and unite the body of Christ continues to grow, all the world’s present church buildings will be insufficient to hold the billions who see the Spirit of unity in love present in our churches and seek to know its Source.

Page 1 of 3123»