Church and Church Buildings
Sep 12, 2011 Church Planting
A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend a day in Detroit with the guys from Restore Church. One of the highlights of the day for me was a tour of old abandoned church buildings. For me it was a reminder of Jesus’ words to Peter:
“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16:18
To the uniformed eye, it would appear that the gates of hell have prevailed against these churches. And then we remember that a building is not a church. There was a time when the church met in these locations, but not anymore.
Link to Detroit Churches Photo Album
Tags: church, church planting, detroit
Leaving a Church
Feb 23, 2011 1 Timothy
During the course of Riv’s current series on 1 Timothy, I am blogging about stuff I can’t get to during the weekend services.
I’m not sure I should be surprised, but the most hotly discussed portion of this past weekend’s message was my quick comment that there good reasons to leave a church but most people do not have one. The most awkward part was the conversations I had with people in the lobby who were in the middle of leaving their previous churches to go to Riverview.
This is a debatable issue, for sure, but I would like to lay out what I think are some legitimate and illegitimate reasons to “make the jump” to another church. This is by no means exhaustive, but I just want to spur your thinking a bit.
Good Reasons to Leave a Church
Jesus is missing. Recently, I attended a church service where Jesus’ only appearance was an accidental reference by the pastor when misquoting a text. This is by far the best reason to leave a church – Jesus is never or rarely mentioned. Instead of teaching about the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, the sermons in some churches constantly focus on what you must do (moralism) or the myth that you are already good enough (universalism). If you always feel that you are being called to an ideal you can’t achieve and Jesus isn’t declared as the solution, you might be hearing moralism. Further, if you are never ever uncomfortable and squirmy during a sermon, it’s possible that you are listening to universalism.
The Word isn’t Taught. If your pastor doesn’t teach from the Bible (and explain what the text means instead of apologizing for it), then run…don’t walk…to another church.
No Mission. Throughout the Bible, God constantly gets on his people for failing to be a light in the world. The church exists to give God glory and proclaim the redemptive message of Jesus to the world. If the church is only focused on itself, it has lost its mission.
Family. There are times where the needs of your family require a move to a new church. Recently, a great family moved from Riv to another church in the area because the unbelieving husband didn’t feel comfortable at Riv. He really liked another church in town, so his wife graciously agreed to make the change. I am praying that this will lead to his salvation. Another family made the move to a different church because their children were really struggling and felt more connected at another church. I truly believe it was the right move for their family, but this is one to be careful with. If you are not careful, you can inadvertently teach your children “it is all about them.” This can breed in them the self-centeredness that causes many to jump from church to church their whole lives.
Doctrine. This is another one to be careful with, but if you find yourself constantly disagreeing with the doctrine of the church you are attending, you may need to make a change. With this one, you should really study what the Bible has to say about the issue and then bring your concerns to one of the pastors to discuss it with him. If the issues are in debatable areas, then you need to decide if you can agree to disagree or if your concerns are too big and it’s time to move on.
Bad Reasons to Leave a Church
“I’m Not Being Fed.” This is the biggest one I hear and I am always a bit skeptical. If the church is not teaching the Word and not talking about Jesus then I agree, you are not being fed. However, most of the time this just means someone doesn’t like the teaching pastor or the style of the church. Usually it is supposed “mature Christians” who say this sort of thing. They are the types who should be pouring themselves into others, not worried about themselves.
“Things aren’t the Same.” Growing organisms change. It is only stagnant and dead organisms that stop changing. Change, while often painful, can be a great thing. And besides, if the church keeps growing it will change again. Who knows, the things you like may come back like skinny ties.
How to Leave a Church
I love what Ray Pritchard has to say about this. He says if you must leave a church, do so quickly, quietly, and graciously.
Tags: church
“A Trustworthy Statement…” Part 2
Feb 8, 2011 1 Timothy
During the course of Riv’s current series on 1 Timothy, I am going to take some time to blog about some interesting stuff I wasn’t able to get to during the weekend services.
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.-1 Timothy 3:1
This is the second of three times in 1 Timothy where Paul starts a sentence with “The saying is trustworthy…” The first time was a declaration of the main thing in 1 Timothy 1:15. This time, he is talking about the office of overseer (a term synonymous with elder or pastor). An overseer is responsible for God’s church. It is an awe-inspiring, humbling, and frightening thing to know you will one day stand before Jesus and give an account for his church.
No one should ever walk into the pastorate lightly.
It’s not a task for someone who is afraid of heavy lifting, as Mark Driscoll has often noted. The hours are crazy, the workload can be insane, the burden of caring people’s lives is sometimes overwhelming. For an excellent talk on the difficult work of an elder, check out this teaching by Steve Sommerlot.
With that all said, I can’t imagine doing anything else. The honor and privilege of serving God and his church is without measure. We need more men who are ready to lay down their lives for the ministry.
Overseeing the church is indeed a noble task.
Compelled by Love
Nov 10, 2010 Book Reviews
Just got done reading Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living
Compelled by Love holds at its core the truth from 1 Cor 13:13: “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Starting from the strong foundation of Trinitarian love, Stetzer and Nation challenge individuals and churches to live a life of love, which leads inevitably to a life of mission.
Moving beyond the clichéd Western view of romantic love, the authors of Compelled by Love paint an intensely biblical picture of agape love. Motivated by the love God has poured out on them, the trajectory of a Christ-follower’s life ought to be forever changed. Appropriately, the authors start with the church (which is a refreshing change from the individual-centric nature of our culture) and move from there to assume the life of individual believers within the church will impact the world around them for Jesus.
The book is at the same time both theological precise and thematically captivating. This is a rare combination in much Christian literature.
The authors didn’t leave these truths in the realm of theory but took specific time to apply them practically—not in a dogmatic nor legalistic way, but with such a tone that the reader finds himself wanting to live the kind of life they describe. One thing kept ringing in my head as I read this book. If I love God, I will obey Him. If I am to obey Him, I must love. I don’t think this was explicitly stated in this book, but it is a grand theme threaded throughout its pages.
I’m excited that I will be spending the rest of this week with one of the authors, Ed Stetzer since he is the prof for the next class I am taking. Looking forward to learning a ton from him.
Church Planter
Sep 6, 2010 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
My friend Darrin Patrick has published a book that I am very excited about. It’s called “Church Planter” and you can find it here.
I haven’t had a chance to read it, although I am hoping to while I’m flying later on this week. I’ll post a review of it soon (although, unless he really tanks on it, I suspect it will be a good review).
Check out this video that not only promotes the book, but kicks pastors, men, and boys in the butt:
Tags: church, church planting, marriage
One of the…
Aug 30, 2010 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
One of my favorite phrases is “one of the…”
Let me use it in a sentence for you: “I am one of the pastors at XYZ Church.”
Not sure if it’s me, but I am hearing this phrase more and more lately and I smile each time. It seems that perhaps we are beginning to recapture the often neglected biblical principle of a team of pastors/elders leading the church together.
Recently I have heard this phrase used by Larry Osborne, Mark Driscoll, Greg Surratt, and Pete Wilson to mention a few. They are from a wide range of theological / denominational camps, by the way.
I like.
Tags: church, elders, leadership, pastors
Over or Under Doing the Church
Apr 12, 2010 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
This past weekend, we continued our series at Riv called “How to Kill a Church.”
The reason I am doing this series is I love the local church. The church is the Bride of Christ and each local church is a unique expression of her. Unfortunately, many people either over or under do the church.
Overdoing the Local Church
You may be overdoing the local church if…
- You make gray areas into black and white doctrines and use them to show you are the “true church”
- You have an us vs. them attitude toward other churches in your community
- You think your methods are the Biblical way to “do church” and you look down on other styles
- You spend more time “at the church” then in the community
- You have no non-Christian friends
Underdoing the Local Church
You may be underdoing the local church if…
- You meet in a coffee shop with your buddies and misquote “where two or more are gathered” to say you are a church
- You have no biblically qualified leaders (see 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1)
- You have no church discipline for unrepentant sin
- You have no mission
- You have no biblical teaching
Tags: church
