This Side of the Pulpit » Entries tagged with "church growth"
Power and Humility
Rachel Held Adams writes about Mark Driscoll* and such mega-church consumerist evangelicalism: When you build your church and your culture around hierarchy and power, you are naturally going to be 1) highly-organized, and 2) personality focused. But when you build your church and your culture around humility and service, you are naturally going to be 1) organic, growing at the grassroots level, and 2) less dependent on one or two flashy personalities and more dependent on the daily faithfulness of regular people…. The Mark Driscolls of this world pull in (and publicize) the big numbers because that is how they measure success…. We are part of a living, growing Kingdom in which the last will be first and the first will be last, in which the peacemakers and the merciful and the meek … Read entire article »
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How to Increase Church Attendance
This is a longer post than normal, but I wanted to include the whole interview. Of course we must remember that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. But when a congregation realizes that God is in control, all things are blessings. In the following interview conducted by the Rev. Andy Dimit, you will read about some of the exciting things happening at Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, IL. From 1989 to the present, average worship attendance has increased from 38 to 93, and baptized membership has gone from 105 to 197, which includes the baptism of 18 adults and 48 infants and children as well as the confirmation of 35 adults and 7 youths. What Pastor Mech, a graduate of the St. Louis Seminary, relates is the story of how … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
BTW, Whatever Happened to Falco?
The Enid News and Eagle published a story on July 27, 2009 about the closing of a nearby rural church. Ringwood (OK) Presbyterian Church, established in 1895 closed its doors on Sunday. Only 12 active members remained for its last service on Sunday. Many factors contributed to its decline, most notably the loss of population in Ringwood itself. What struck me about the story was this paragraph: Most of the members started going because it was the most popular church at the time and their children wanted to go with their friends. Barbara Percy said it was an active church at the time, and the congregation still numbered in the 90s as last as 1995. We denied it in Elementary School, in High School and now. We deny it when it comes to movie … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Must Read for LCMS Folks
If you are a member of an LCMS congregation, I urge you to go here and read what Scott Diekmann is writing about the Mission Revitalization program that is being developed our denomination.The link is to the first part of a series he is working on. Frankly, I find it chilling in its complete betrayal of what it means to be a Lutheran church. When our hope (and plans) for change are anything other than the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as given in the Sacraments, we are going the way of King Saul. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Conversionism Again
The second issue with conversion: so many who leave seem to be saying, “The LCMS is not Lutheran enough…so I’m becoming Orthodox (or Catholic).” The modus operandi of many of those who leave is unflagging criticism of the LCMS followed by unflagging praise for their new communion. It doesn’t make much sense. But there is something else going on here: crisis. Something overturns the apple cart and it gets these pastors thinking. Something forces these pastors to wonder if the struggle is not lost, if the LCMS is something other than it says it is. Often the sacramental and worship life or practice in the LCMS serves as the tipping point. They realize that the LCMS does not do what it says Lutheranism says it does. This brings them to question … Read entire article »
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Wish Dreams and Lutheranism: Part IV
So you want to be a rock and roll starThen listen now to what I sayJust get an electric guitarThen take some time and learn how to play… And in a week or twoIf you make the chartsThe girls’ll tear you apart (The Byrds) Option #2: Get yourself a Mission Church The Wish Dream for Lutheranism proposed this for the simple reason that sometimes it is easier to start with a clean slate. Renovations can only go so far. When you take the house down to studs, or even the foundation, it’s not a remodel anymore. The mission church option allows the enterprising pastor to get it right from the start. When transfers or life-long Lutherans come in, it is simply a matter of explaining to their raised eyebrows, “We’re a mission church, we do … Read entire article »
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Today it Happens
Apparently the Convocation in St. Louis has no spies in attendance, for there has been nary a peep about what has been happening. But today the Task Force on Structure is presenting their plan. Hopefully we will soon here what they are proposing. I’m anticipating this greatly. Why? This is one the “legacy” items that our Synodical President wants to accomplish; so much is riding on it for him. This is a Big Deal for him and will be for us. Whatever is presented today will be presented to District Conventions next spring and then on the agenda for the National Convention in 2010. And as I said before, some suspect that this is going to be divisive for the Synod and put many … Read entire article »
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Texas Site Reconfigured
Or, How the Temperature is Reduced By Several Degrees The website for the Texas District LCMS Youth Gathering has now been changed. Kari Jobe, one of the pastors of Gateway Church is now being billed as “Song Leader” and has fallen from top billing to third. It is good to see that the webmaster and planners of this event have responded to the scandal and offense this has caused. But as another website suggested, spend some time there and ask yourself “Does this look Lutheran or does it look like a mainstream Evangelical non-denominational youth gathering?” Es sheint als ob einen andere Geist. … Read entire article »
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Turning Up the Heat
Lord have mercy! I go to Texas for a little vacation and look what I bring with me: The Texas District LCMS Youth Gathering is featuring a “Lead Worshipper” who is the female worship pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake Texas. Yes, a pastor of a non-denominational church is leading worship at an LCMS youth gathering. Yes, she is female. And yes, we still do not ordain women in our denomination. Call us backward if you will, but we do not believe Scripture supports it. And yes, we still do not believe in worshiping with those who do not agree with us in doctrine…. Father Hollywood has an excellent post about this. Here is a key section of his post: This kind of thing will expand, and will continue to send a message to … Read entire article »
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