Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 389

Easter Teaching Tools

A burden of my heart for many, many years is how I can best be used to equip pastors and other leaders in the local church. Time pressures seem to grow greater and burdens heavier with each succeeding generation. Even today, when information is more readily available than ever before, preparing sermons and small group or Sunday School lessons can often be pushed into a corner.

To assist leaders I am beginning a new type of post that will run most Tuesdays focused on providing content helpful to those tasked with teaching or preaching in the local church. You can expect videos, quotes, word studies, anecdotes, research & statistics, recommended resources, book excerpts, and much more.

Most weeks will have a theme that ties the content together as well. I pray you find these helpful and that they enhance your teaching and preaching in the local church.

Research

This week's research is based on my pastoral history and that of many others. I want to challenge you as you prepare your lesson or sermon this week to remember who your audience will likely be. We know attendance at many, if not all, churches will be above average, but what we often fail to remember is that the people new to the pew on Easter are typically dechurched, not unchurched.

The vast majority of your visitors will have grown up in church and likely claim to be Christian. You can think of Easter as more of a "religious reunion." Christmas services and Christmas Eve services tend to be filled with more unchurched attendees who have yet to hear a clear Gospel message. Easter attendees typically know the story, they just might not be living it out in their daily lives. Often times, they know the "what," they are just missing the "why."

Theology -- Secret Church

This Friday night, David Platt will be hosting the 12th Secret Church event at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. LifeWay has partered to provide live video streaming of the event to churches around the globe. There's still time for you to be a part of Secret Church. Also, all previous Secret Church events and resources are archived and available for free at Radical.net. Previous topics include two Easter-themes:

The Cross of Christ Crucifixion, Salvation, and the Glory of God

Book Excerpt -- The Case for Easter, Lee Strobel

"When Jesus was crucified," [J.P.] Moreland told me, "his followers were so discouraged and depressed. So they dispersed. THe Jesus movement was all but stopped in its tracks. Then, after a short period of time we see them abandoning their occupations, regatehring, and committing themselves to spreading a very specific message—that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of God who died on a cross, returned to life, and was seen alive by them.

"And they were willing to spend the rest of their lives proclaiming this, without any payoff from a human point of view. They faced a life of hardship. They often went without food, slept exposed to the elements, were ridiculed, beaten, imprisoned. And finally, most of them were executed in torturous ways. For what? For good intentions? No, because they were coinvinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had seen Jesus Christ alive from the dead."

Yes, people will die for their religious convictions if they sincerely believe they are true. Religious fanatics have done that throughout history. While they may strongly believe in the tenets of their religion, however, they don't know for a fact whether their faith is based on the truth. They simply cannot know for sure. They can only believe.

In stark contrast, the disciples were in the unique position to know for a fact whether Jesus had returned from the dead. They saw him, they touched him, the ate with him. They knew he wasn't a hallucination or a legend. And knowing the truth, they were willing to die for him.

Recommended Resources

In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement
Mark Dever & J.I. Packer

An important anthology that reaffirms the classic doctrine of substitutionary atonement and counters the ongoing attacks against it.

If ever there was a time and a need for an enthusiastic reaffirmation of the biblical doctrine of substitutionary atonement, it is now. With this foundational tenet under widespread attack, J. I. Packer and Mark Dever's anthology plays an important role, issuing a clarion call to readers to stand firm in the truth.

In My Place Condemned He Stood combines three classic articles by Packer-"The Heart of the Gospel"; his Tyndale Biblical Theology Lecture, "What Did the Cross Achieve"; and his introductory essay to John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ-with Dever's recent article, "Nothing but the Blood."

Cries from the Cross: A Journey into the Heart of Jesus
Erwin Lutzer

Last words are always important. The cross is widely misunderstood in the present day; many in the world are deeply offended by its powerful truth.

Erwin Lutzer, pastor of the Moody Church, gently leads readers on a journey into the heart of Christ to help them grasp what Christ Himself wants us to know. Jesus was not silent on the cross. Come turn your attention to His cries and be utterly changed

Music -- It Is Finished, Matt Papa

Matt is providing audio versions of this song as well as the chord chart for free through Good Friday on his website - MattPapa.com

Five Principles for Leaders Who Eat Elephants

In 1994 I wrote my third book entitled Eating the Elephant. The book was on change, or more precisely, the pace of change in an organization. Of course, the title was based on the well-worn joke: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

The positive response to the book surprised me. Chuck Lawless and I would later write a revised version that is still on the market today. In organizational leadership, change is a topic of much interest. All leaders know they should lead change; many are uncomfortable knowing the best pace of change for the organization.

Countless books and articles have been written on leadership and change. For this brief article, I offer five principles on the pace of change. In other words, I attempt to demonstrate how fast or slowly one should eat an elephant.

All organizations are constantly changing. The first issue is not whether the organization will change. That is a given. The issue is how proactive the leader will be in the change process. Those who deny the reality that change is taking place are among the first to lose their leadership rights of that organization. Effective leaders are intentional about change leadership. One of my top ten favorite leadership books is the classic by John Kotter, Leading Change. The title of the book itself states its thesis. If we are not active leaders in change in our organizations, we are not effective leaders. We must be intentional about the pace of change, the ability of the organization to embrace the change, and the impact of our leadership credibility as we affect change. Leading change is active, intentional, and strategic. Pace of change is one of the most vital issues in change leadership. Change that is too slow will cause the organization to fall behind, sometimes too far behind to catch up. Change that is too fast will disrupt the organization to the point that the change becomes the focus instead of the mission of the organization. Change that is too rapid has also been the reason for the downfall of countless leaders. Change is ongoing, and so is change leadership. There is no one point where the task is complete. There may be key markers where the organization can take a breather. But the task of change leadership is never done and always active. Change is first about people. Effective leaders understand that change impacts people. Some deal with it well; others do not deal with it well at all. A good leader will understand the diverse ways people respond to change, and he will help them manage it. Change leadership is not some theoretical exercise done in a vacuum. Change affects real people in real ways.

We all know stories about the extremes of change leadership. On one extreme is the weak leader who fears change for a number of reasons. He may not want to deal with critics. He may be insecure in his own job and leadership. He may simply fear the unknown of change and prefer the perceived stability of the present.

On the other extreme is the overly aggressive leader who moves so fast that the organization deals poorly or not at all with change. His leadership is so disruptive that the organization is weakened and wounded.

Somewhere in between those two extremes is the right balance of change leadership. There is no magic formula or simple chart to follow. Every organization is different. But every organization needs leaders who are effective in leading the change.

And the most effective change leaders will know just how much of that elephant should be eaten right now.

(Note: In a forthcoming article I will deal with discovering clues to understand the best pace for change in an organization.)

Friday is for Freebies: HCSB Study Bible

My giveaway this Friday is the black, genuine leather version of the HCSB Study Bible. The unique, full-color design and format are the direct result of a nationwide research project. The result is a visual Bible that's comprehensive, easy to read, and easy to use, with features and formats specifically designed to enhance your Bible study experience. You can also go to MyStudyBible.com and dive right in for a complete digital experience.

This Bible has a retail price of $79.99 and features 15,000 study notes, 290 Hebrew and Greek word studies, 66 highly detailed book introductions, 62 maps, 27 topical articles, 20 charts, and 18 illustrations, all focusing on the most important topics and questions in Bible study.

To be eligible to win, tell us who will win the Final Four games played tomorrow and the final score of the Kentucky-Louisville game.

The deadline to enter is tipoff of the first game Saturday (6:09 PM ET).

Notable Voices (March 29, 2012)

Should Christians "Name Names"? -- Aaron Armstrong

One doesn't need to read too many blogs or follow that many people on twitter to come across Pastor A calling out Pastor B for something Pastor B said. It happens often. Sometimes there is a need for Pastor A to speak up, often times there is not.

The Bird or the Carport? -- Jay Sanders

Last week Rick Santorum pledged to ban pornography if elected President. While that's an ambitious goal, Jay reminds us that it's not the elimination of pornography that should be the goal. The goal should be the gospel transforming the hearts of a people enslaved by the bonds of sexual sin. Eliminating pornography, or any other "vice," isn't the answer. The gospel of Jesus Christ is.

Pastoral Idolatry: 10 Common Forms of False Righteousness in Ministry -- Eric McKiddie

Eric provides a quick list of 10 ways we as pastors can drift into self-righteous ministry. All pastors need to read this because we've all fallen into these traps from time to time.

Accept the Job Offer or Walk Away? -- Amy Gallo

I am regularly approached for counsel by local pastors who have been offered new, exciting postions in ministry. I appreciate that they would come to me for advice, but unfortunately I can't help all of them. While this article from the Harvard Business Review is primarily geared toward secular business jobs, the prinicples easily fit within the context of ministry.

5 Ways to Keep Your Team Happy -- Dave Ramsey

One of the things I am most proud of here at LifeWay is the workplace environment. We are typically rated as one of the best places to work in Nashville. Another company on the list with us is The Lampo Group. From all accounts Dave is a great boss, and his people love working for him. This short list provides five ways you can motivate your team and create an enjoyable work environment.

Thank God for Smaller Churches and Their Leaders

In a previous post, I wrote about the migration of people from smaller churches to larger churches. I noted several reasons for this trend, not the least of which was the growing urban and suburban population base in our nation. And that growth has come at the expense of the rural population. Today only 16 percent of our population lives in rural areas. Just a century ago, 60 percent of the U.S. residents lived in rural areas.

Such trends are real. The data cannot be refuted. But the reality of the trends does not diminish the value of smaller churches.

Understanding the Smaller Church

Definitions of the smaller church are elusive. The smallness of a church is a relative matter. For example, I was recently in an association of 40 or so churches where the largest church had a worship attendance of 450, but 30 of the churches had an attendance under 100. In that case, a church of 450 was very large, and a church of 100 was one of the top ten largest churches. Is a church of 100 in worship attendance then large or small?

For simplicity, I define a small church as one with a worship attendance less than 200. There are certain group and sociological dynamics that take place when a church breaks the 200-attendance mark. In my denomination, the majority of churches have an attendance below 200. But the majority of members are in larger churches.

Serving the Community Well

Many of the smaller churches are in areas with a small population base. Rural America continues to become more rural and less populated. But those communities still need churches, and many faithful leaders and members are serving those communities well. Bivocational pastors lead many of these churches. Though we don't have precise numbers, we believe that as many as six out of ten churches have bivocational pastors. These pastors are faithful leaders who sacrifice much for the churches and communities they serve.

Other small churches are in transition areas, and the congregation has been steadfast to maintain a presence in their communities. Ministry can be difficult, but the church members serve faithfully.

Large Is Not Always Better

Perhaps one could argue that, if a smaller church were effectively reaching people for Christ, it would not remain small. Such an observation warrants a few comments.

First, some smaller churches are indeed not effective in their ministry beyond the walls of the church. But neither are some mid-size churches. Or larger churches. Or megachurches. Simply stated, ineffectiveness is not always related to size.

Second, many of these churches are in areas with a small population base. But relative to the community size, they are very effective.

Third, some smaller churches are in communities whose population is in constant transition. I spoke this past week with a pastor whose church is in a community dominated by a military population. He told me he had been at his church fourteen years and, in that time, he had almost seven different congregations. His church had reached a significant portion of the military community, but an equal portion had transferred to another place.

Thank You

As researchers and pundits of the church, people like me have to be careful that we do not so focus on the larger churches that we forget the faithful ministry of those who serve in smaller churches. God is doing in a great work in many of these 300,000+ churches.

So to all of you who labor and serve faithfully, please accept my deepest gratitude for all that you do for His glory. You have chosen to pour your life into a ministry that receives little earthly recognition. And though your ministry is not always easy, you know that your greatest reward comes from the One who has said emphatically that the last will be first.

Thank you members and leaders of smaller churches. I thank God for you, your lives, and your faithful ministry.

October Baby Opens Strong

October Baby had a strong opening this past weekend placing eighth overall at the box office with an opening weekend gross of $1.7M and third among major releases in per screen average ($4,352 per screen). As expected some members of the press have taken shots at the movie in their reviews, but those snide remarks had little to do with the movie. The real issue at stake is the rights of the unborn.

LA Times coumnist Gary Goldstein provided an honest, charitable review stating "Andrew and Jon Erwin's faith-based anti-abortion drama is poignant, no matter which side of the debate you fall on."

In her review for Baptist Press, Joni Hannigan wrote "No doubt the movie sends strong messages about the beauty of life, the importance of each life -- but it's not preachy. It doesn't need to be. It's pro-life, but October Baby is also about choices. It's about the choice to save a life. It's about the choice to adopt a child. It's about the choice to raise a child. It's about the choice to forgive. It's about the choice to forgive others. It's about the choice to forgive one's self."

John Hanlon of TownHall.com offered up one of the best pieces about the movie in his interview of John Schneider. "Regardless of your feelings about the issue of abortion, October Baby does offer up a unique perspective. The film does offer up its share of values but it's accessible to believers and nonbelievers alike."

If you haven't seen October Baby yet, I encourage you to do so. Take a friend. Remember, every life is beautiful.

Endings and Leadership

It may be the toughest part of leadership. It would at least seem to be toughest part of leadership because it is often the area most avoided by leaders.

Many leaders avoid endings.

We believe we must perpetuate the one area of our organization that is no longer effective because it has done so well in the past. If we just gave it one more chance it would be okay. But we have given it many chances, and it continues to be ineffective. We just find endings difficult.

There is a person hurting the organization with his poor performance. Everyone around him knows he is ineffective. The leader knows he is hurting many for the mythical good of one. Indeed, the leader desires to raise the bar, but this person is holding him and the organization back. He decides to avoid the short-term pain of making a change.

Endings and the Organization

I recently met with the leader of a large organization. He shared with me many good developments in his organization. But he said there were two major roadblocks that kept the organization from truly moving to the next level. Both of them were related to endings.

There was an area that continued to decline. It was once the heart of the organization. But today it is ineffective. Indeed, it is being subsidized by the rest of the organization, much to the resentment of others who are not connected to that legacy area. The leader knew what needed to be done, but there was such a sentimental attachment to the area that he could not bring himself to do it.

Likewise, the leader was having difficulty making a move on a high-ranking executive who was not effective in his position. He simply liked the guy too much to hurt him and his family. But his ineffectiveness was hurting others in the organization, and it was hurting the organization itself. And he also knew that the ineffective executive was miserable because he was such a bad fit for the position. Still the leader procrastinated in the decision he knew he had to make.

Endings and Us

Endings are not only difficult for leaders; many individuals often have difficulty bringing things to an end in their own lives. The abused wife continues to go back to her abusive husband. The worried dad continues to enable his drug-dependent adult son. The miserable employee continues to hold on to his job because he is fearful of losing his paycheck; or his pride prevents him from admitting that he is a bad fit for his job.

Many of us have continued harmful habits. We know they are not good for us, but endings are not easy for us either. We thus keep doing the bad things we have been doing.

The Difficulty of Endings

Why do so many leaders have difficulties with endings? Why do so many individuals have challenges with their own personal endings? Let me suggest a few reasons:

• There are political repercussions for bringing about the ending. The objections will be so loud and so painful that the leader avoids the pain and the conflict despite the obvious need in the organization.

• That which needs to end has strong sentimental attachments. Leaders instead let sentiment rule over the best decision for the organization.

• Some leaders feel that endings reflect lack of compassion or lack of Christian concern. But in reality, one often sacrifices the good of the whole organization for the perceived good of one person.

• Other leaders want to give an area of the organization "just one more chance." Despite multiple chances, they live in a fantasy world that refuses to see reality.

• Some individuals are fearful of bringing endings to phases of their own lives. I remember well leaving my comfortable corporate job to go to seminary many years ago. The fear of the unknown held me back for a while. But if I had not brought that ending to my own phase of life, I would have never known the blessings I have experienced since then.

Great leaders have the wisdom and the courage to know when to affect endings. And no organization can ever move to the next level unless its leaders are sufficiently willing and courageous to lead toward those endings.

Friday is for Freebies: The Apologetics Study Bible

My giveaway this Friday is the black, bonded leather version of The Apologetics Study Bible. This Bible will help today's Christian better understand, defend and proclaim their beliefs in response to a postmodern age bent on challenging everything they believe.

This Bible has a retail price of $59.99 and features more than 100 key questions and articles placed throughout the Bible about faith and science which prompt a rewarding study experience at every reading. Hear from the top apologetics thinkers of our day such as Chuck Colson, Norm Geisler, Hank Hanegraaff, Josh McDowell, Albert Mohler, Ravi Zacharias, Lee Strobel and 90+ more contributors as they submit compelling evidence, historical fact and supporting arguments to bring the Truth to light.

To be eligible to win, tell us the best book you've read recently-- other than the Bible.

The deadline to enter is midnight CST this Saturday. We will select one winner from the entries on Monday morning.

Notable Voices (March 22, 2012)

The Gospel Project Webcast & Matt Chandler's Chapel Message -- Ed Stetzer

Last week Lifeway was priveleged to host more than 60 pastors and bloggers for our offical launch of the Gospel Project with a webcast featuring Ed Stetzer, Trevin Wax, J.D. Greear, and Matt Chandler. Matt also preached for our LifeWay chapel service. Ed's got both the chapel audio and the webcast video over on his blog in case you missed it.

The Subtle Art of Sabotaging A Pastor -- Jared C. Wilson

Jared writes a "Screwtape Letter" on the dangers of what he considers the universal temptation for pastors: they want people to be pleased with them. His caution against pastors seeing themselves as a professional, as an employee of the church, is something ministers fall into quite often and can decimate the effectiveness of their ministry.

44 Funny Church Bulletin Bloopers To Make You Smile -- Charles Specht

I posted a top-ten list of these on my blog nearly a year ago. This list is picks up right where my post left off. It's amazing what one simple letter change can do to an announcement.

The Gospel for Sinners -- Fabienne Harford

With a much-needed gospel-centered movement sweeping through our churches, we must take care to not accidentally make obedience the unofficial enemy of the gospel. Nor should we see grace as a license to sin. Christianity is a worldview with tons of conditions, and God meets both sides of the conditions. We shouldn't see obedience in the Christian life as a works-based view of the gospel, but a gospel-based view of works.

Love for Orphans Transforms -- Jedd Medefind

I've talked about one half of the "right to life" platform this week with my post on what the Bible says about abortion and one about the upcoming movie October Baby. The other half entails with orphan care. Jedd outlines four distinct ways that orphan care can lead us to living out the gospel in our families: a caring for orphans reflects the heart of God, makes the Gospel visible, defies the gods of our age, and invites a journey of discipleship.

Should I Divorce If I'm Miserable? -- Russell Moore

Dr. Moore has tackled some difficult issues in his "Questions and Ethics" series. This might be one of the most common questions facing marriages today, and Russ lays out a beautiful, biblical framework for the need to remain committed to ones marriage. I pray couples would heed more biblical advice like this than pop-culture psychology when it comes to marrital difficulties.

Seven Ways Leaders Regain Their Drive

In a previous article, I shared with you my interviews with leaders who, at some point in their careers, lost their drive. I summarized the reasons behind their diminishing drive in seven points ranked by frequency of response.

In this article, I share with you the results of my follow-up question: "What did you do to regain your drive once you lost it?" As a reminder, these interviews were done over a one-year period as I met with leaders in informal conversation. My methodology is thus anecdotal rather than scientific. Still, I found their responses to be both helpful and encouraging.

These responses are again in order of frequency. Most leaders either gave one or two ways they regained their drive. Very few gave three or more.

They started viewing their work with a greater purpose. These leaders looked at the good their organizations accomplished. They began intentionally focusing on that greater purpose. Their work thus became a mission, and the paycheck became a tertiary motive to get the job done.
They confronted others in the organization who seemed not to value their work. Most of the time the confrontation was with a superior in the organization, but not all the time. They had honest conversation with their bosses and peers. Sometimes they discovered that others' perspective of their inferiority was just wrong. Most of the time they were right, so they sought constructive criticism to improve their contribution to the organization. We further learned from some of these leaders that they felt liberated confronting their challenges head on. Many of them admitted they had been in denial with themselves and others about their shortcomings.
They sought a new position in the organization. Some realized that their loss of drive was because they were a bad fit in their position in the organization. They thus took a position that better matched their abilities and competencies. A few even took a pay cut and demotion in order to have a better-fitting and more rewarding position.
They left the organization. Several of the leaders told us that they were simply not a match for the organization. They thus began an exit plan to find a job that was a better fit. When they did, their drive and enthusiasm returned.
They stopped focusing on the critics. Some of these leaders were drained due to persistent criticisms inside or outside the organization. The criticism drained them emotionally and physically. They thus lost their drive. They began to regain their drive when the critics were no longer their focus, especially if the critics were not helpful in the leader doing a better job.
They sought help for their physical needs. I was surprised at the number of leaders who discovered some physical reason for their loss of drive. Some of the problems were as simple as being out of shape. Others sought medical help and discovered significant medical problems. Once those problems were addressed, their drive returned.
They confronted their own entitlement mentality and negativity. Some of the leaders told us that they were their own worst enemies. They had simply developed a bad attitude. They viewed their job from an entitlement perspective. They were negative about most anything. One leader labeled his change "an attitude adjustment revival." He said the toughest step was the first one: admitting that he was really the problem. Once he did, he discovered a renewed drive and joy for his work.

Almost all leaders go through lulls and tough periods in their lifetimes, whether they are in midlife, early life or older. These men and women I interviewed taught me that good leaders look in the mirror regularly, and they get honest feedback from people they trust. Those two perspectives will likely show us why we are losing our drive and, more importantly, how we can regain it.