 |
|
Search Term: ramsey
Through the Neutral Zone
When I went to Mainstreet, the church had been on a steady decline for several years, going from 330 people to 220. The worship service was so structured that if you went in at 11:10 any time of the year, they would be doing the same thing. If they did the responsive reading at 11:10, that's where they did it every Sunday. The preacher quit at 11:30 whether he was done or not.
The power brokers of the church were members of the fully-robed choir. They marched in and sang the anthem.
Then I showed up. My first Sunday, in 1993, I told them I wanted to begin the service with the song "Majesty." "You'll march in from the back, through the double doors, and charge forward like you're capturing the mountain. And I want you to sing."
They groused about it, but they complied. Because the new guy said so.
They had been doing things one way. I took them into the neutral zone. But what I wanted was to get to the point where we didn't have a choir at all. That's not something you pull off overnight. But in time, we got there.
A Few Thoughts Before XLR8 Begins
It is now 8:17 a.m. (EDT) in Huntington, Ind. The staff in the office has been in a "full court press" for some time now to get everything done for National Conference. Sometime this morning we will begin packing the trailer to bring all the necessary forms, reports, supplies, packets, name badges, agendas, sermon notes, computers, printers, posters, pens and probably a whole lot more I can't think of right at this moment.
We are checking and double-checking to be sure we have everything we need. I have checked with the main speaker, Tim Brown and he is set to be with us. We have had an excellent registration of over 850 individuals.
The point is: we are almost ready to make the trip to Sawmill Creek Resort, Huron, Ohio, for National Conference 2009. I am excited. Thanks to all who have been planning and praying for this National Conference 2009.
Just some thoughts....
- I am surprised how fast these past four years have flown by!
- I am thankful for travel safety for all who have traveled these past four years!
- I am so grateful for the staff that God has placed in this building!
- I am blessed to think of all the new friends who have come into my life in these years!
- I am burdened for far too many of our churches that don't "get it"!
- I am flabbergasted at those who don't know what "IT" is!
- I have realized just how dependent on God I really am to do anything of worth!
- I have been amazed to find myself in this position!
- I am so thankful for the planning team that helped plan every detail of this National Conference 2009.
- I am really looking forward to worshipping with all of you this week!
- I am blessed to be trusting in The One who has my future in His hands!
Well, that's it for this time. Hope to see you on Thursday. Drive careful 'ya hear!
A Church's First Staffer
L-r: Pastor Dan and Mary Alice Drake, Zachary Kennedy, and Courtney Clark.
Last Sunday, May 17, I was privileged to participate in a service at Olive Branch Church of Lakeville, Ind. (just outside of South Bend). I was there to install Zachary Kennedy as the church's Young Adult and Youth Pastor.
This is a historic thing for Olive Branchy--their first staff hire ever, as far as I know. Zachary graduated this spring from Bethel College in nearby Mishawaka, Ind. He and Courtney are to be married June 13. For now, the new position will be part-time, but the church is praying tha tit can become fulltime in the very near future.
Words from 1929 for 2009
While reading from Trial and Triumphs: History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, I came across a quote from our Bishop's quadrennial report of 1929:
"We stand in need of a great spiritual awakening throughout the Church. A greater emphasis should be placed upon the actual presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit in the lives of our people. A consciousness of the intervention of God...is the only antidote which will counteract the poison of materialistic teaching which is everywhere pouring in upon Christianity, killing the spirituality of the church and rendering the lives of thousands barren and unfruitful."
Wow! That could have been written about the Church in 2009 as well.
Reclaiming a Piece of UB History
Our lobby at Healthy Ministry Resources looks different. We added something new: a stained glass window from our former national office. Let me tell you its history.
Way back in 1834, the United Brethren denomination bought printing equipment for a new publishing house in Circleville, Ohio. In 1853, the publishing house moved to Dayton, Ohio, where the denominational headquarters was located.
After the division in 1889, our group lost everything. We had a temporary publishing operation in Dayton for a while. Then, in 1897, everything moved to Huntington, Ind.
Initially, we used a building on South Jefferson. But after 20 years, we built a new, multi-story brick building at the corner of Franklin and Warren Streets to house the publishing operation and the denominational offices. It was dedicated on May 2, 1917, by Bishop Fermin Hoskins.
Above the main entrance they installed this beautiful stained glass window that said "Publishing Establishment of the United Brethren in Christ." We relocated the offices to the current location in 1976, selling the other building to a local businessman. However, that stained glass window was still there 30 years later when I became bishop.
I thought we needed to reclaim that window. So we talked with the building's owner. He said we could have it, as long as we paid to have it removed and paid for a replacement. No problem.
And so, the window was removed, and we had it restored to pristine condition. Then a local contractor mounted it in this beautiful wooden case, which takes up most of a wall in our lobby. It is lighted from behind, and looks gorgeous.
Book: God's War on Terror
I am reading a new book, God's War on Terror, written by Walid Shoebat (Executive Media). Walid is a converted Muslim. Technically the book, in my opinion, is not edited very well, but as far as getting the point across, it is power-packed.
He says that the Bible is Futurology 101: "It is a detailed roadmap of so much evidence that God exists and His design from time immemorial regarding man's destiny with many details concerning the future, especially the coming war with an Islamic coalition against Christianity and Israel."
He believes that the nations that God goes to war against in the end time are all Muslim nations. His arguments are pretty convincing.
The book has 98 chapters and 490 pages. So you can see there are a lot of short chapters.
This is not devotional reading, but I think it is worth the read. Has anyone else out there read it? If so,I would be interested in your take!
Tell Me About Your Easter
The Easter season is always exciting for churches. That's when we see some of our biggest attendances, and it's when a lot of ministry occurs.
So tell me what happened during the Easter season at your church, so I can share it here with others. Or, just leave a comment.
Book: Inside the Revolution
I have been reading a new book by Joel C. Rosenberg, Inside the Revolution. He divides the book into three sections. - The radical element of Islam.
- Reformers within Islam.
- Revivalists within Islam.
This is a very fascinating and informative book. We hear mostly about the Radical element of Islam. They are the ones making the news on our TV, radio and newspapers. We hear less about the reformers--those who are Muslim but do not take the radical position of expanding by terror.
All of the sections were revealing and very informative. But the section on the revival that is taking place within the Muslim world gripped my heart. Joel reports that thousands responding to the message of faith in Jesus. I felt as though I were reading a new chapter in the book of Acts. Some of the stories of how people are coming to Christ literally gave me goosebumps and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. We're talking direct intervention by Jesus as he reveals himself to many people. We're talking about New Testament stuff here.
I strongly recommend that you read Inside the Revolution. It is a large hardback book and is relatively expensive. Possibly you could check out a copy from a local library. If they don't have it, encourage them to get it. Another possibility is that your local church could purchase a copy or two to loan out to members of that body. Or find a friend who has it and see if you can read theirs.
I believe this is a must read for United States Christians. We need to know the content of this book, which we will never get from our media. It would make you feel better to read the third section first, although I recommend reading the book as it is written. Also, you might want to re-read the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Matthew 23 and 25, Acts, and Revelation.
And by the way, I'd read anything I can get my hands on from Joel C. Rosenberg. He has written a series of five works of fiction that is his interpretation of the "last days." He also wrote a non-fiction work, Epicenter that contains all the information and research he did for the works of fiction.
Let me know what you think after your have read any of his books.
The Berry Bucket Analogy
In a seminar on Church Consultanting, I learned a concept that I found to be very helpful.
- You may have heard the Berry Bucket analogy before. You have four buckets of berries in your church.
- The Older Former Berries (those who are older than the pastor and were there when he arrived).
- The Younger Former Berries (those who are younger than the pastor and were there when he came).
- The Older New Berries (those older than the pastor but came since the pastor). The Younger New Berries (those younger than the pastor and have come since the pastor).
The Older Former Berries usually want the pastor to be a chaplain. The Younger Former Berries are mostly related to the Older Former Berries and are the "yes but" people. The Older New Berries are on board with the direction of the pastor and they bring some wisdom to the discussion. The Younger New Berries are the "Let's Go" people.
The former berries can never get heavier. So a great deal of the pastor's time is reaching and training new berries. And the closer you get to equilibrium, where the new berries equal in number the former berries, the level of conflict increases. You must count all four groups and help them know each other. And there should be a time in one's ministry where the new berries outweigh the old berries. That, of course, requires reaching new people for Christ.
I found this very helpful when trying to transition Mainsteet Church to be an outward -ocused church whose purpose was to "See Everyone Become a Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus Christ." How you treat each group is extremely important to the health of the church in transition.
If there are just a few new berries, it's more difficult to make a significant transition. Some former berries may get on board with transition, but the greatest momentum in the transition will come when there are new berries. Hopefully a good percentage of new berries are people who have recently come to Christ and are being discipled.
Two Books for Marriage Counseling
Let me recommend two excellent resourcesfor your premarital and marriage counseling.- Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas (Zondervan).
- Sacred Sex, by Tim Alan Gardner (Water Brook Press).
In my humble opinion, these are without a doubt the best books I have read on these subjects.They are very biblical in their approach. I used them as reference material whenever I preached a marriage series, but I also used them with the couples that came to me for their pre-marital counseling.
If you've been looking for good resources on these topics, you might want to take a look at these two books.
Two Books on the Bishop's Desk
I am asked quite frequently about the books I am reading. There are two, one of which I read some time ago. These books have gripped my heart.
- The American Church In Crisis, by David T. Olson and Forward by Craig Groeschel.
- The Multiplying Church, by Bob Roberts Jr. The forward is by Alan Hirsch and Ed Stezer.
Have any of you read either one of these? If so what did you think?
10:00 Saturday Night
I've been slow to post about the book "Prayer Coach" that we began a month or so ago. Well, I have been wondering if any of you have used the prayer patterns, i.e. praying through the armor, or the fruit of the Spirit, or even you body. It certainly provides a new, fresh approach to prayer.
I like that it's so teachable. You could teach a new believer to pray like that. And after all, that is one of purpose of the book--that we leaders begin coaching prayer. Anyone have any neat stories about trying it?
In reading the book, God has given me many flashbacks to events in my life that center on prayer. I think he just wants me to remember the power of prayer.
As I was reading recently, I remembered a time when I called for a special period of prayer at 10 PM on Saturday night to begin the first of September. The purpose: to pray for revival in our church. As you can well imagine, not many showed up. Actually, most of the time just one man showed up to join me in praying.
Harold I would would gather at the altar. Sometimes we would go through the sanctuary, stopping at each pew praying for those who would be sitting there the next morning. Sometimes we went to every classroom and prayed for the teachers and students who would be in those rooms the next day.
EJ and I lived about 3-4 miles from the church, and some Saturday nights I groaned when it was time to leave. But I went because I knew Harold would be there.
Harold lived just about half a block from the church. The man could pray. We prayed together at the altar until summer. When Harold passed away some time later, I began to reflect on his life, his friendship, and his love for the Lord. Looking back over church stats, I realized that the church had one of its greatest growth spurts during the time we were praying at the altar at 10 PM on Saturday night.
Well, don't know why I told all that, but I do believe that God is interested in his children coming to him with their needs, burdens, and praises.
Book: Epicenter
Ron Ramsey, BishopJoel C. Rosenberg wrote a series of five books of fiction dealing with his theory of how the world will end. He also wrote a nonfiction book detailing the facts and interpretation of Scripture that planted the idea for his fiction books.
The non-fiction book is called Epicenter and is published by Tyndale House. I personally believe it is worth the read, even if you don't read the fiction series. You might vigorously disagree with his views, but they are challenging and will make you think.
Shepherds Lead, Not the Sheep
John Edmund Kaiser in his book, Winning on Purpose, proposes that a new organizational structure is needed to assist and support church growth. The structure is called "governance" which is described this way:- The church board govern.
- The pastor leads.
- The staff manages.
- The congregation ministers.
This book and system is one that both Pat Jones and I have advocated for our local churches.
I came across an article written by Bill Essum on the Church Central website (www.churchcentral.com) and I wanted to excerpt a paragraph from that article for our consideration. The overall theme is that churches need to reproduce themselves in order to stem church decline in the US.
Bill writes:
There needs to be an end of democracy and consensus. Apostolic-led churches are structured around the Spirit-led leadership of a man or woman who listens to God rather than following a board. The more democratic the church is, the less likely it is to grow, much less become reproductive. Reproductive churches have small boards and very few committees if any. If you dig under the covers of the large megachurches and the churches that are planting churches, you won't find much structure; and the sheep aren't leading the shepherd. (Emphasis added)
I am tired of dealing with churches more interested in who is in charge than they are about being a Great Commission Church that is reaching lost people and seeing them become fully devoted followers of Jesus. I am tired of being called to churches where the sheep are trying to lead and the shepherd is just a "hired" employee.
I recently was in one of our churches talking about the need for that particular church to become more focused on Great Commission issues. One of the attendees took offense and pounded the table, "This is my church and we don't want to be one of those big churches."
I was able to inform the person they were wrong, it isn't our church. The Church belongs to Jesus. He is the head. And because Jesus is the Head of the Church, he is also the head of our church. Wasn't received real well.
Anyway, this whole debate about who is in charge in a local church is diverting much of our energy away from Great Commission ministries. To me, there are two crucial elements to what Essum is arguing:
- That the congregation sees the pastor as a Spirit-led man or woman who listens to God first.
- That the pastor is willing to lead. As Essum says, "The sheep aren't leading the shepherd".
I think that Essum makes a lot of sense. What do you think?
People Need to be Taught to Pray
I remember a young man who had come to faith in one of the churches I pastored. His wife was already a believer. They just had their first child. Anyway, in a sermon I talked about how the man of the house is responsible for seeing that prayer takes place in the family.
Well this young man came to me and told me he didn't know how to pray--not even to give thanks before a meal.
"What time do you eat your evening meal?" I asked him.
"About 5:30," he said.
I told him, "I'll be there tomorrow night and teach you how to return thanks for the meal."
I did that several times before he told me he could do it. Then I asked him whether he prayed with his new baby when they put him down for the night. He said he didn't know how. "When do you put your baby to bed?" I asked him. And for a couple nights, I showed up at their house, showing him how to pray over his new child until he told me he thought he could do it.
The point is--don't assume that people know how to pray.
We Always Have a Reason to Pray
I was with a group of guys who were discussing the question something like this: "When was prayer most meaningful and when was it not meaningful."
I'll never forget what one man said. "Prayer is most meaningful when I have something specific to pray about, and is least meaningful when I don't have something specific to pray about." How profound! I have continued over the years to think about that answer.
But I have since changed my mind.
A believer should always have something specific to pray about, don't you think? I mean, isn't one purpose of prayer to bring praise, honor and glory to our Lord? Yes, I know, we are also invited to share our petitions and then confessions, but to me the most urgent reason to pray is to give praise and glory to our Lord and King.
I guess that is why I enjoy reading the Psalms over and over. They teach me how to think properly about God and how to regard him in my praying and worship. Even aside from praising and adoring a holy, loving and generous God, is there any moment of any day that I don't have needs to be met?
A Daily Time with God
A few weeks ago I suggested that you read the book "Prayer Coach" and that we begin a discussion around the ideas of that book. It has been longer than I intended, but at last here is my first post about this matter of prayer and coaching others to pray.
Before we get any further, be thinking: do you have a daily plan for spending time with God? Because I'd like to hear about it.
To introduce the subject, I want to begin with an example.
Many years ago, probably around 1985, I developed the habit of reading five Psalms and five Proverbs every day. I either heard or read years ago that Billy Graham follows this practice.
While I was attending a convention representing Scripture Press, I found in another exhibitor's booth a little book called "31 Day of Wisdom & Praise," which has long since become out of print. This little booklet structures my Psalms/Proverbs reading. Each day I read five Psalms, and they are spaced 30 apart. For example:
- On Day One of a new month I read Psalm 1, 31, 61, 91 and 121, and Proverbs 1.
- On Day Two, I read Psalm 2, 32, 62, 92 and 122, and Proverbs 2.
Today, January 13, I read Psalm 13, 43, 73, 103 and 132, and Proverbs 13.
As I read each day, regardless of how many times I have read it, I find new and exciting things that God seems to be saying to me. Even in personal times of deep disturbances of my heart, God has spoken to me with comfort and help.
Yesterday I read Psalm 12:8, a verse I have read many times, yet this verse seemed to describe our culture. Listen:
The wicked freely strut about
when what is vile is honored among men.
Boy, is that true or what? Sin is being honored in our society and wicked people strut about. It is getting more and more pronounced. Wow! What a verse. Nearly every day I find a passage that speaks to me in a way that it has never spoken to me before. After all, if it is the Living Word, that is what we should expect. Is it not?
I follow the reading with a time of prayer. And I have adopted the pattern in my private prayer life to talk to God as I would talk to you. I would say that my private prayer is more of a dialogue with God than a "formal" prayer. I talk to him as a friend. In the past I have written my prayer out in a journal. For some reason I have not done that these past three years.
Now, I say all of this not to have you follow my plan but to ask a simple question: What is your prayer plan? Our prayer lives are lacking to the degree we have no consistent plan. If I skip a day or two or three or four etc., I really miss the time with God.
So, I'd like to hear about your plan. Caution: don't make something up to impress me. I'm not the one you have to impress. Post something in the comments (my preference, so others can see it), or use the "Contact" tab on the right to send me an email.
What Did Your Church do for Christmas?
United Brethren churches do a lot of neat things over the Christmas holidays.
- Helping needy families
- Participating in programs like Operation Christmas Child.
- Putting on special Christmas programs.
- Special gifts and recognition for the pastor and staff.
What did your church do this year? Let me know, so we can share it with others either here or on the UB News page. We created a form you can use.
Leaders LEAD
One of the things that leaders do is LEAD.
We desperately need pastors who will LEAD the congregation or ministry area that God has called you to lead.
You say, "Well, I can't." Then, did God make a mistake in calling you?
You say, "I don't know how. "Then learn some skills and begin to practice them.
We tend to think of the Type A personality who is the natural-born leader. If that doesn't describe us, then we beg off of leading. No! No! No! If God has called you to a position of leadership, then LEAD. If God has called you to that ministry, he wants you to LEAD.
To me, spiritual leadership involves:
- Discovering where God wants to take us.
- Leading in that direction.
How do you discover that? Pray. Read the scriptures. Pray. Read books on leadership. Pray. Study your ministry area to determine what the needs are. Pray. Then LEAD! You may not lead where or how I think you should, but if you're getting spiritual results, then you won't get an argument from me.
Book: Prayer Coach
The book Prayer Coach came across my desk as a freebie from the publisher, Crossway Books. It is written by James L. Nicodem, pastor of a church in St. Charles, Ill.
I had laid the book, aside but just picked it up a few nights ago. I haven't read far, maybe 2-3 chapters, but I did skip to the last chapter. It deals with the subject of Satan and how he tries to stop Christians from praying.
That chapter is based on Ephesians 6, where Paul describes the armored garment Christians are to wear. He describes how Satan wishes to defeat us. That chapter alone is worth the price of the book.
To me, it is a very refreshing approach to prayer in the life of a believer. It is serious and very practical, not stuffy. This type of book would make an excellent study for a group of men. (Women might find it interesting as well but it does have a sports analogy and Bobby Dowden wrote the forward).
Anyway, I'd like to suggest that you buy this book. You can order it from Healthy Church Ministries, 1-888-622-3019, if you'd like. And I'd like to have some discussions about the book on the BishopBlog.
I'll wait a few days until you get a chance to get the book, and then I'll begin offering some observations about each chapter, starting with chapter 1. Then invite any and all who will to engage in the discussion to jump in. Who know--it might be fun as well as profitable. It might be a way to energize our prayer life.
Recent Comments
View All Comments