by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 9, 2008 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues
9 Reasons I'm Starting Not to Like "SOME CHRISTIANS"
- They consistently seem angry, bitter, and worried. I thought Christians were supposed to reflect joy and kindness and peace.
- They don’t dream big dreams. That seems odd given
the fact that we’re supposedly worshiping a God who is “able to
accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare ask or hope.”
- They don’t like it when other people or ministries experience success.
Think about it. There are Christians who would be overwhelmed with joy
if Mars Hill experienced fewer salvations, fewer baptisms and our
attendance dropped.
- They use prayer as an excuse for inaction. They’re waiting for God to do his thing, but they aren’t willing to step out in faith and obedience.
- They’re more concerned with the BMW next door than the lost person who drives it.
Most Christians are jealous of people with money. They’re willing to sacrifice time
and money for those without it, but they’re satisfied to let “rich”
people go to Hell.
- They would rather people live life without Jesus than give up their personal preferences.
What happens when your preferred teacher doesn’t teach? What happens
when your preferred worship leader doesn’t lead? What happens when you
don’t like the music?
- They are fake. They dress up a certain way on Sunday and they live as completely different people the rest of the week.
- They think they’re better than other people. That’s why they create rules to follow. It helps differentiate why they are holy while others are not.
- They’re comfortable with mediocrity. Doesn’t
matter where. Think Christian music and movies. Think how we invest our
time and money. You don’t seriously think God deserves our best do you?
The reality is that I’ve sinned in just about every one of these
areas. It pains me to say that, but it’s true. If people hear the
Gospel and reject Jesus, that’s one thing. If I’m the barrier to people
accepting Christ because of me and my sin, that’s a completely
different deal. Fortunately, God’s much bigger than my stupidity.
When does your humanness get in the way of people knowing the hope,
forgiveness and love of Jesus? Does your life make people curious about
the claims of Jesus or does it make them flee? What would you add to
the list?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Nov 19, 2008 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Communication, Conference/Workshops, Events, Leadership, Preaching, Travel
Wow, it's been at least three years since I've attended a conference. THREE YEARS!!!
I've made plans be part of Catalyst's newest offering: a One Day
leadership experience (glad someone figured it only took ONE DAY to say what they have to say) packed with teaching and insight from Andy
Stanley and Craig Groeschel, two leading voices in the Church today.
They say we're going to learn how to:
- Discover the key to creating and sustaining momentum in your organization
- Identify and break through the barriers to momentum and overcome personal leadership lids
- Leverage the three triggers which ignite organizational momentum
- Create a culture of continual improvement
- Embrace a new approach to leading organizational change
I really like these two guys & I'm pumped to hear what they have to say!
by Clarence E. Stowers | Oct 14, 2008 | Christianity, Church Issues, Communication
One of the lessons I’ve learned while being in the ministry for the
past 16 years is sometimes what people say isn’t exactly true…things
such as…
WARNING…
(you will probably only like this post if you are a pastor or a staff member of a church!)
What They Say: “I’m looking for a church that preaches the Word!”
What They Mean: “I’m looking for a church that
preaches MY view of the Word. I think the King James Version translation should be
used…I think BLANK should be talked about a lot while BLANK should be
ignored. And if you ever stop preaching my view of the Word I will
leave and tell others that you don’t preach the Word!”
What They Say: “Lot’s of people have been coming to me and saying they don’t like is…”
What They Mean: “I basically only have three
friends…and all of them think exactly like me. The other night we were
enjoying a time of self righteousness because, after all, we are right
about everything…and were also slandering you (in the form of prayer
requests) and thought it would be wise to approach you with our pet
peeve. We’ve actually talked to no one else about this but said “lots”
because we wanted to validate our dysfunction.”
What They Say: “I’m leaving the church.”
What They Mean: “Beg me to stay. If you will just
ask me I will share with you several ways you can compromise God’s
vision that He’s given you, thus becoming nothing more than a people
pleasing pastor who is more interested in popularity than obedience.
If you don’t bow to my demands I will remind you that I tithe and that
the church needs my money, reducing you to an ineffective preacher…one
who is paid for a service for the pleasure of another person.”
What They Say: “I want a church that is more focused on discipleship.”
What They Mean: “I want a church where everyone
knows me and how important I am! I don’t want to reach people who are
different from me, be it economic class or race or even musical
preference. I already know WAY more than I do…but I somehow equate
spirituality with knowledge rather than application and I rather enjoy
feeling intellectually superior to those who don’t know as much as me.”
What They Say: “Don’t take this personally…but…”
What They Mean: “I am about to lower the BOOM on
you…but you can’t get angry because I told you not to take it
personally. Even though you have dedicated your life to this and
pretty much invest every ounce of energy you have to this cause…and I
think about it once or twice a week…you need to receive my attacks,
even when they are personal…and you cannot retaliate because, remember,
it’s not personal.”
OKAY, that was fun! I typed it all with a smile. Trust me…I’m not
mad or frustrated with anyone…I just thought a pastor or two MIGHT get
a smile out of this. 🙂
by Clarence E. Stowers | Oct 2, 2008 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Empowerment, Leadership
THROUGH IT ALL…LEADERSHIP IS REWARDING!
As I shared over the past few weeks, at Mars Hill, we have been trying to get our minds and hearts around some of the data that points to unmet expectations. What do you do when not as many people are inviting their friends…not as many are growing in Christ…not as many are tithing…not as many are reading their Bible…not as many are attending…and not as many are being baptized?
These questions are very real for us right now, and over the next few days I will share some of the stages of unmet expectations I have recently experienced…
WHEN WE EXPERIENCE UNMET EXPECTATIONS, WE REASSESS, REGROUP, & START LEADING AGAIN
At some point, we MUST decide to lead. We stop blaming, questioning, justifying or redefining–and we hunker down and lead through the crisis. We figure out what is wrong and we get on our faces before God, and we begin to fix it. We face the really tough data and talk about the facts of our situation which might be embarrasing or self-condemning. We acknowledge where we are wrong and we get risky and determine to try some stuff to get back on track. We stick our necks out and cancel some stuff that has perceived success, and add some stuff that has no historical track record. We work through the feeling of failure, the muddy conversations and awkward staff meetings. We don't jump ship because the waters are suddenly rocky. No, instead we rally the troops, and we do what leaders do in times of crisis…we lead.
Anyone else identify with any of these stages of unmet expectations?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Sep 30, 2008 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Empowerment, Leadership
LEADERSHIP REQUIRES HONESTY!
As
I shared last week, at Mars Hill, we have been trying to get our minds
and hearts around some of the data that points to unmet expectations.
What do you do when not as many people are inviting their
friends…not as many are growing in Christ…not as many are
tithing…not as many are reading their Bible…not as many are
attending…and not as many are being baptized?
These
questions are very real for us right now, and over the next few days I
will share some of the stages of unmet expectations I have recently
experienced…
WHEN WE EXPERIENCE UNMET EXPECTATIONS, WE TEND TO REDEFINE SUCCESS
We say things like: "Well, it's not attendance that really matters anyway. We'd rather have 100 mature believers than 1,000 in a crowd. It doesn't matter how many are coming in our doors–what really matters is how many we are sending out our doors."
MY RESPONSE: Instead of figuring out why we keep missing the target, we just move the target to the location where our arrows are landing. Rather than adopting a "both/and" mentality — we say that it is "either/or." We are tempted to say, "Either we are growing in numbers or we are growing in our faith. It can't be both. Either we are having an impact on the community or we are helping believers mature. It can't be both. Either we are attractional or we are missional. It can't be both." Really? Why not? I think it is dangerous to redefine success just because we are missing the mark.
What do you think?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Sep 21, 2008 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Empowerment, Leadership
LEADERSHIP CAN BE EXHAUSTING!
As I shared last week, at Mars Hill, we have been trying to get our minds and hearts around some of the data that points to unmet expectations. What do you do when not as many people are inviting their friends…not as many are growing in Christ…not as many are tithing…not as many are reading their Bible…not as many are attending…and not as many are being baptized?
These questions are very real for us right now, and over the next few days I will share some of the stages of unmet expectations I have recently experienced…
WHEN WE EXPERIENCE UNMET EXPECTATIONS, WE TEND TO BLAME OTHERS.
It's the fault of the congregation. They stopped giving. They stopped inviting their friends. They think they're mature and deep, but they aren't contributing to the cause.They are whining but not helping.
MY RESPONSE: In our frustration, we tend to blame the people. Sometimes we might even design messages with a prophetic tone to get them to be better, stronger and more committed. Rather than lead them through the difficulty, we preach them through it.
Three down…two to go…
