by Clarence E. Stowers | May 26, 2009 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Communication, Conference/Workshops, Current Affairs, Decisions, Empowerment, Leadership, Other Stuff, Politics, Vision
The North American Church is in decline and there are plenty of conferences offering their latest & greatest pitch to stop the church’s decline.
Each year we’re invited to hear “celebrity” pastors share God’s plan for the church and how we ought to adopt it and be large and successful like them. Frankly, I’m surprised that there hasn’t been a venue to really address how and why churches grow. Many pastors & church leaders make their annual pilgrimage to Saddleback, Willowcreek, North Point, Fellowship, New Birth, Greater St. Steven FGBC, The Potter’s House, etc. and come away excited and delusional with unrealistic expectations. Ed Stetzer of Lifeway calls it ministry pornography. According to Ed Stetzer:
“Ministry pornography is an unrealistic expectation of an experience you’re never going to have which distracts you from the real thing.”
God used these churches and their pastors for a specific time and in a specific place. Unfortunately, that experience is rarely duplicated. If you were to take the aforementioned churches and transplant them in other areas, the results would be drastically different. Can you imagine Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, or Andy Stanley leading an inner-city urban church? Or, can you see Bishop T.D. Jakes screaming “Get Ready…Get Ready…Get, Get, Ready” at Saddleback or North Point Church? Simply put, God rarely does the same thing twice.
May I Offer You A Few Suggestions to break your addiction to ministry porn:
- Confess your addiction to ministry pornography & repent!
- Do not attend any conferences for one year
- Get alone with your Bible, pen, & paper and discover God’s purpose for the church (read Matt. 22-37-40; 28:19-20, The Book of Acts)
- Get a demographic breakdown of your community (US Census Bureau or your local Chamber of Commerce).
- After discovering the purpose of the church, write down how your church plans to reach that community (this is the hard part). Make sure it’s less than a paragraph because people don’t like to read long statements.
- Preach/teach a series on God’s vision for the church and how you plan to fulfill it.
- Reorganize your church’s leaders, staff, volunteers, and structure (in that order)
- Evaluate & tweak your plan/strategy
So, what’s your next step? I’d love to hear it!
by Clarence E. Stowers | May 1, 2009 | Communication, Leadership, Other Stuff, Success, Technology, Tools
Currently, I serve as the Senior Pastor of the Mars Hill Baptist Church of Chicago. Contrary to what many believe, pastoring Mars Hill is more than preaching, counseling, and praying. Aside from my pastoral duties, it can be compared to running a small business.
Yesterday, I received a phone call regarding my productivity habits & tools, thoughts on computer hardware, life hacking, and advice for young pastors, entrepreneurs, and leaders. The questions are as follows:
What type of bag do you carry and why?
Currently, I carry a Tumi Laptop Briefcase. It’s the Alpha Expandable Leather Organizer Model. I know this bag is rather expensive, but, after carrying cheaper bags, it’s worth the investment. Tumi bags are always sleek, modern, stylish, and durable. The Alpha model is not exception, with its bold, black, streamlined look. It excelled at each challenge I set for it. Trust me, you’ll enjoy this bag for decades.
What’s In Your Tumi Bag?
- Apple MacBook (That’s right – no PC here)
- BlackBerry Storm (yep, dropped my iPhone until they work out a few kinks OR until it comes to Verizon)
- Amazon Kindle (this is the future of publishing – imagine carrying ONE DEVICE around campus that contains ALL your books. Personally, I like it, but, I don’t see myself giving up books).
- Moleskine Notebook (Journaling, capturing leadership moments, ideas/planning, etc).
- Chicago Tribune To Go (gotta know what’s happening in and around Chicago).
- Wall Street Journal (gotta stay connected with the world – especially the financial world).
- Leadership Journal (The #1 Journal for pastors & church leaders).
- Rev. Magazine (The best magazine for ministry application).
- Homiletics Journal (A must have for those who take preaching seriously).
- Expandable File Folder (My life is compartmentalized so I need folders to reflect that).
- Starbucks Mints (I believe in fresh breath & I carry them especially for others & offer them immediately).
- Levenger True Writer Obsidian Pencil (I use this pencil when I’m suited up & taking notes in professional settings).
- Levenger Executive Rollerball Pen (ditto).
- Levenger Pocket Brief (This time-tested leather notepad is the tool for taking good notes on the run, at presentations, and over lunch)
- G2 Pens (The G2’s are everyday writing pens that don’t bleed – honestly, in my opinion, they are the best writing pens on the market).
- Flip Digital Video Camcorder (You never know when something may happen).
- Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki (This book is a MUST HAVE for leaders – sorta like a desktop reference guide).
What gadgets do you use on a day-to-day basis?
I have such a crowded life and crowded schedule. When people send me a link with a gadget, I’ll look at it and buy it if it looks interesting, but I don’t have time to check out everything I’d like to. Currently, I use the following:
- BlackBerry Storm (I use it as a digital camera & voice recorder)
- Amazon Kindle
- Platronics Discovery 925 (My bluetooth earpiece)
- iPod Classic (My constant companion loaded w/many audiobooks, music, & podcasts)
What are you using to manage your email?
Currently, I use Apple Mail, but, lately I’ve grown fond of Gmail. It has an excellent spam filter and I can access it from any computer anywhere in the world.
What’s your web browser of choice?
My browser of choice is currently Firefox. I do not use Windows Explorer (WE) and may switch to Google Chrome (Mac Version). WE has too many security issues for me and I don’t like its current interface. If they improve WE with Windows 7, I may look at it again.
Do you have any questions that I didn’t cover?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Apr 27, 2009 | Decisions, Empowerment, Leadership, Other Stuff, Success
Who you’ll be in five years depends on:
- what friends you surround yourself with
- what you read
- what you eat
- what you watch
- what you hear
- what you change
- what you let go
- what you plan for
- what new thing you try
- what new places you go
- what you believe about God
- what you believe about yourself
- what you believe about others
- what you invest your time in
- what you volunteer for
- what skill you’re learning
- what courage you have to make mistakes
- what mistakes you’ll make
- what you’ll learn from your mistakes
So WHAT are you doing today?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Apr 2, 2009 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Current Affairs, Leadership, President Obama, Race, Relationships
Racism still exists (even in the church)
That’s right, I said it!
Americans may be poised to elect an African-American as president, but it’s segregation as usual in U.S. churches, according to the scholars. Only about 5 percent of the nation’s churches are racially integrated, and half of them are in the process of becoming all-black or all-white, says Curtiss Paul DeYoung, co-author of United by Faith, a book that examines interracial churches in the United States.
Personally, I do not believe integrated churches work.
(when they are led by Black pastors)
(more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 31, 2009 | Christian, Christianity, Leadership, Preaching, Race
Henry Mitchell, former professor of theology at Rochester Divinity School said, “The central figure in the Black church is the Black preacher. He has no exact counterpart in the white church, and to attempt to see the White preacher on the same plane is to risk confusion, for the Black preacher includes a dimension peculiar to the Black experience.” In the Black church the Black preacher has perpetually served as a father figure to Black people, seeing to their welfare in all spheres of life whether they were social, political, economic, or the traditionally recognized spiritual aspects of life.
Growing up as a preacher’s kid, I saw in operation the validity of these statements. The Black preacher commanded the respect and obedience of his congregation. He was the most powerful man in our community & even today the Black preacher retains most of that prominence. Many Black Christians look to their pastors as an authority figure who should have a lot of biblical knowledge and wisdom. They are viewed as being above and a little distant from ordinary lay people.
Question:
What makes the black preacher unique?
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 24, 2009 | Empowerment, Leadership, Success
Recently I read an article in Outreach magazine and the feature was an interview with Erwin McManus, pastor of Mosaic in Los Angeles, CA. He said something so profound that literally stopped me in my tracks. He said, “I think a lot of pastors have a dream that matches the life of the pastor who is living the dream they want.” Wow, that statement made me think!
I believe there is a temptation to copy others both professionally and in ministry. (more…)
