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SPRING 2012

ol. 8, No. 2

CONTENTS 4 8

10 12 16 18 20 22

28 30 32

Maintaining a Trust Relationship With Church Members, Aubrey Maye Developing Trust Within Your Leadership Team, Mike Chapman Maintaining Trust in the Pastor’s Home, Bill Leonard The Pastor’s Wife and Trust Relationships, Lorna Gosnell #Trust Issues, Jared Waldrop Helping Children Develop Trust in God, Lance Colkmire Fostering Trust by Ministering to the Needy, Ronald K. Martin Trust and Participation at the International General Assembly, Daniel Black Building a Positive Church Image, Ron Schubert Ways to Build a Healthy Church Image in Your Community, Samuel Santana Building a Positive Pastoral Image, Harold Bare Sr.

35 Pastoral Trust Pledge 40 Facebook for Churches, Brian Gray 42 Church of God YWEA: Celebrating 50 Years of Global Influence, B. Randall Parris 43 “Touch” Outreach Activities During the Summer Months 44 Book Review: Radical Trust, Floyd Carey 46 Creating an Influential Church Image, Wayne Brewer, Jonathan Martin, Gerald McGinnis 48 18 Rules for Creative Meetings, Brad Lomenick 50 Six Reasons Young Christians Leave the Church, David Kinnaman 52 The Earth is Flat . . . and the Great Commission Is Doable, Patrick Ballington, Joe Cash 54 Establishing a Local Church Historical Commission, Jerry J. Jeter 56 How to Ensure a Porn-Free Staff, Doug Weiss

FROM THE EDITOR | Cameron Fisher

Engage Is Now Online

Engage was conceived for the church pastor and the staff associated with a local church, whether they be an associate pastor, children’s, youth, or music minister, or, of course, the senior pastor. Engage draws its mailing list from the latest computer file listings in the Business and Records office located at the International Offices. These records are the most updated because they come from the monthly reports submitted by ministers and church treasurers. Since Engage was launched in 2009, there has been a steady stream of those wanting to become part of the group that receives the quarterly journal. Printing more copies and then mailing them to these random requesters has become cost prohibitive. With this issue, we announce the availability of Engage online. Thanks to Pathway Press, they have created a website which is primarily for reading and researching the current and past issues of Engage. Visitors to the site can open past issues and read with the unique “page-turn” feature. There is a search tool to find articles by title, word, or author and there is also the option to download and print articles if desired. You can reach the new site by visiting www.cogengage.org or by scanning the QR code below on your smartphone.

Engage is now online! Download a QR reader app and scan the code at left on your smartphone or other portable device to read this issue and access past issues. You can also reach the site by visiting www.cogengage.org.

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Engage journal is published in the interest of providing resources for Church of God pastors. It is produced under the auspices of the Church of God Executive Committee. Executive Committee Raymond F. Culpepper, general overseer Timothy M. Hill, first assistant Mark L. Williams, second assistant David M. Griffis, third assistant Wallace J. Sibley, secretary general ENGAGE Journal Raymond F. Culpepper, executive editor Cameron Fisher, editor Floyd D. Carey, consulting editor Bob Fisher, graphic designer Phyllis Liner, editorial assistant Shirley Williams, marketing assistant Nellie Keasling, copy editor Engage invites feedback from readers on the content of the journal and suggestions for future issues. Please e-mail comments to engage@churchofgod. org or mail to Engage, P.O. Box 2430, Cleveland, TN 37320-2430. For information on purchasing ad space, please e-mail [email protected] or call (423) 478-7894.

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Maintaining a

TRUST

RELATIONSHIP With Church Members ■ by AUBREY MAYE

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HERE SEEMS TO BE a significant increase in the number of long-term pastors. I know in Virginia where I pastored the Azalea Garden congregation for 40 years, there is a considerable number of churches where the pastors have served over 20 years. This is a positive trend, indicating a number of things which are taking place in the pastoral ministry. Obviously, more ministers today are content to fulfill their calling through a long-term commitment to one congregation by building ministry relationships which last and will be effective in impacting the Great Commission. The success of these long-term pastorates doesn’t just happen. Among the important ingredients, the pastor and congregation have to develop a healthy trust relationship that undergirds the vision, weathers the storms (they will come!), and empowers the pastor for the long-haul. For a pastor to remain over a long period of time, this relationship has to endure, it has to be maintained, and it should be enhanced over the years. Most often there is a certain level of trust which comes with the appointment when the pastor arrives at a new church. It’s in the congregational bank in his/her name. I call this the “presumption of credibility.” The pastor has been credentialed by the denomination, possibly selected by the church search committee, and appointed by the state overseer—all of which should serve to commend you to the church. With little or no effort, this level of trust will continue for a period of time. The passing of this initial period has often been referred to as “the honeymoon is over!” For some pastors, this is the beginning of the end. But it doesn’t have to be. At this point, the pastor must begin to establish his own

credibility with the people through his lifestyle, his ministry habits, and his relationship with the church family. In a recent discussion with my middle son Stephen, he said something that really stuck with me concerning this matter of trust between the church and the pastor. He simply said, “Trust is a stewardship.” As I mused about his words, I thought: We can enhance it, employ it properly, or we can squander it. It is up to us. But, we will all stand before God and give account for the way we handled the trust which has been granted to us. In relation to writing these thoughts, I have read and reread much of Paul’s exhortations to Timothy, his “true son in the faith.” It is obvious that Paul loved Timothy very much and wanted him to be a successful and effective pastor. But Paul loved him enough to tell him the truth about many things, which were probably not easy to implement in his life and ministry. But those instructions are just as valid and important today as they were when Paul wrote them. I am convinced that Paul had two overriding concerns in his heart when he shared with Timothy these important issues about his personal devotional life, his need to practice self-control, purity as a way of life, his need to study and be prepared for ministry, the pitfalls of money and sexual lust, and the importance of being honest and treating people fairly. Paul was instructing his “beloved son” in essential qualities which must have been part of who he was as a person not just what he was attempting to do as a pastor. First, Paul was reminding Timothy about the spiritual qualities and ministry commitment that would be required of him in order to experience the blessings and favor of God upon his life and pastorate. This would be absolutely essential to success. The second reason I believe Paul was so straight-

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forward with Timothy was because he knew that in addition to the favor of God upon Timothy’s life, he must also have the confidence and trust of the people he would be leading. Paul didn’t pull any punches when he spoke about what it took to garner the favor of God and have the trust of God’s people. The success of pastoral ministry will come from maintaining both the favor of God and the trust of the people. Since maintaining the trust relationship with the congregation is critical to the effectiveness of the pastor and to the spiritual health and growth of the church, I want to leave with you a few thoughts which I feel can enhance the trust relationship.

WHO ONE IS AS A PERSON People in the local church expect the pastor to be a man of God. They expect him to be a God-called minister of the gospel who believes and preaches the Word of God. They expect him to be an honest and moral person, and they expect him to be fair. They expect him to be competent. Most don’t expect the pastor to be perfect (a few might), but they do expect him to be real. There should be no question about his commitment to Christ and his personal lifestyle. Trust should be enhanced as the people get to know the pastor better.

HOW MUCH ONE REALLY CARES

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The more people become convinced that the pastor really cares for them, the greater the level of trust. The demonstration of pastoral love and care for individuals and families when they are going through the most difficult times of their lives provides opportunities to build trust that can last a lifetime. Forty years of pastoral ministry in one place provided me with numerous opportunities to share with people during the times of their greatest losses and sorrows. I have been there when the husband or wife passed away, when the report from surgery was about as bad as it gets. I’ve shared in their times of grief and loss when all I could do was just be there and provide an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on . . . and I couldn’t answer their sad question, WHY? Many of these sad experiences with hurting families and their loved ones I have probably forgotten. But, they haven’t forgotten. It was some of these experiences that welded our hearts and lives together as nothing else could. Some of these vigils of compassion spoke things to them that a thousand words could never say. It was times like these that built trust relationships that still exist today, even though many of these people have moved on years ago. And when I have opportunity to see or hear from them, they still affectionately call me, “Pastor.”

I realize the danger of making such personal references to caring for hurting people. This could be viewed as self-exalting. That is certainly not the purpose. Like many long-term pastors, I have failed so many times to be where I could have been in times of need or to do things that I could have done to help those who were hurting. I have no basis to be prideful. I am just so thankful that God allowed me this wonderful privilege to be chosen by Him as a “pastor” and trusted by a congregation to serve them so long.

HOW TO HANDLE VOLATILE SITUATIONS The question is not if problems will arise in the church, but “When?” and “How serious?” The manner in which the pastor is able to manage and resolve problems in the church can enhance or diminish that pastor’s trust level with the congregation. Not long after I assumed the pastorate in Norfolk, I encountered a situation which I feel now could have ended my ministry there if it had gone the wrong direction. I was a young pastor with limited pastoral experience. The church council was made up of strong and prominent men of the church. One of the younger councilmen came up with a list of grievances concerning things I was doing and decisions I was making in the church. He convinced an older and more experienced councilman to bring the list to me and to request a special meeting of the council. He brought the list to me prior to the Sunday night service. It was customary for some of the men to go to the prayer room before the service, so I took the list of grievances with me to the prayer room. During the time of prayer that evening, I presented the list to God, and He gave me the peace I needed. In the council meeting following the service, I was able to go through each item on the list and dealt with it satisfactorily. The Lord enabled me to handle a very volatile situation which could have blown up in my face. I could have gone into that meeting insulted, angry, and vindictive, and I could have said things which would have damaged my relationship with those men and with the church. (I was the new kid on the block.) When the meeting was over, it was over! Instead of damaging my credibility, it was enhanced. I still had their confidence and trust . . . except maybe for the young man who composed the list. I learned an important lesson through that crisis. There will be times in the local church when difficult situations will arise when we do not know what to do. I learned a lesson which has served me well ever since that time. I learned that when I do not know what to do, I know where to go! During the years, I have endeavored to practice what I learned that night. I am sure that the practice of taking serious situations to God before I try to handle them has spared

me much grief and has enabled me to handle things in ways that enhanced my credibility with the church.

A GREAT COMMISSION FOCUS

Christ died and the very reason He established the church in the first place? How can we not give high priority to His last words to His church before He ascended to heaven? Is it even possible to have a great church which is not seriously involved in taking the gospel to the world? Here is my point. When a congregation understands that the pastor is deeply committed to Christ’s command and passionately believes that his congregation can actually touch the world for Christ, they begin to move into new realms of the blessing and favor of God. The possibility of really making a difference in the world can literally capture the imagination of the people, and the fruit of this greater vision will continue to enhance the confidence and trust of the people in the leadership of their pastor. It’s hard not to trust someone who continually manifests his love for the world. Regardless of how gifted and trained and how experienced pastors may be, they need the trust of those they lead. It is trust that allows pastors the privilege of influencing their people’s thinking, their choices, their Christian service, and ultimately their relationship with God. It is trust that allows pastors into the arena of their people’s lives as probably few others. Trust is a precious gift. We have no assurance that it will continue. Pastors have a lot to do with determining whether it will or not. How they respect it; how they use it; how they deserve it plays an important role in how trust will be enhanced over the years. Trust can be maintained! ■

To consider the Great Commission as an important element in maintaining the trust relationship between the pastor and the congregation might initially seem somewhat out of place. However, from my experience, I believe this to be a valid consideration. First, I can’t imagine pastoring a church without a serious commitment to the Great Commission. How can we not put a premium on the purpose for which

Aubrey D. Maye, B.A., served 40 years as senior pastor of Azalea Garden Church, Virginia Beach, Va. He has served on the following general boards: Evangelism and Home Missions, World Missions, Ministry to the Military, and the Executive Council; He is honored to be pastor emeritus of Azalea Garden Church; E-mail: [email protected]

THE EXISTENCE OF MUTUAL TRUST The trust relationship should eventually flow in both directions. Over time, the pastor should learn to trust his church in a similar manner as they place trust in him. It is important to the congregation to feel that they are trusted by their shepherd. About 20 years into my pastorate at Azalea Garden, our family went through a crushing and humiliating situation which was beyond our control. My wife and I were completely taken by surprise, and we were devastated emotionally and frightened by the future implications of what was happening. At that time, I wasn’t sure what the future held for me at the church. But, God gave me grace and courage to trust our congregation and to be open with them, allowing them the opportunity to minister to us the love, encouragement, and strength that we so desperately needed during this difficult time. They loved us and continued to trust us through the years it took to get through that dark journey. That experience strengthened the trust relationship between me and the church in a mutual sense. I learned to trust them in a new dimension.

insights & trends WHEN TITHE DOESN’T MEAN A TENTH. The average percentage of income given to churches: 1968, 3.11%; 1985, 2.59%; 2008, 2.43%. U.S. MUSLIMS TO DOUBLE BY 2030. The number of Muslims in the United States is expected to increase from 2.6 million to 6.2 million by 2030. By 2030, Muslims will be as numerous as Jews or Episcopalians are in the United States (Pew Research Center, January 2011). SOCIAL NETWORKING—CONNECTING WITH THE UNCHURCHED. Regardless of location, social networking is being utilized by local churches: Suburbs (57%), Urban (54%), and Rural (39%) (LifeWay Research). Impact: Churches must use every available means to minister to the unchurched.

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DEVELOPING TRUST Within Your Leadership Team ■ by MIKE CHAPMAN

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O QUALITY OR TRAIT is more important to the successful function of a team than trust. I think it is safe to say that trust is the foundation of all leadership. While there has been much written about leadership styles, the obvious conclusion is that there is not one single universally superior leadership style. However, there are some universal qualities that successful leaders share, and trust is at the top of the list. Every pastor must have a leadership team. This team may be your staff, your elders, your church council, or your key volunteer ministry leaders. The idea of a single pastor ministering as a solo leader of a church is foreign to the New Testament model of leadership. The Apostles were a leadership team who authorized the formation of another team of leaders in Acts 6. Paul consistently traveled with a ministry team, and he instructed that a plurality of elders be appointed to assist with the spiritual leadership of the churches he planted (Acts 14:23; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 1:5). A team-approach to church leadership is not the debate. The question is “What are the dynamics of a healthy, functioning team?” At the center of a healthy team is trust. Patrick Lencioni, in his best-selling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, wrote that the first dysfunction of a team is the lack of trust. Mike Armour wrote this about the “trust factor” in leadership teams:

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“We have a problem with communication” they say. Or morale. Or dedication. Or customer service. But as I peel back these problems, layer by layer, I discover a common culprit lurking beneath. It’s best described as a network of debilitating trust issues that have gone unrecognized, unaddressed, or unresolved. . . . This kind of “silent distrust” invariably takes its toll on speed and momentum . . . . By its very nature, distrust gums up the works. Thwarts change. Bogs things down. Protects turf, and chokes off open communication. (From Leadership and the Power of Trust: Creating a High-Trust, Peak-Performance Organization)

What is meant by trust? The challenge of defining trust is that we use the word inconsistently. Lencioni states that trust is not simply team members being able to predict one another’s behavior because they have known each other a long time. Even dysfunctional teams can predict a person’s words or actions based on long-term observation. We can predict with certainty who is going to walk out, sulk, yell, or acquiesce. This is familiarity, not trust. Trust is something deep. It is something earned over time. No quality or characteristic is more important than trust for healthy relationships and effective teamwork. Trust is all about vulnerability. Team members who trust one another have learned to be comfortable with openness. They have abandoned hidden agendas and “doublespeak.” They communicate with each other clearly and honestly and

are open to feedback and challenge. Self-protection and turfguarding are the exact opposite. Trusting vulnerability versus self-protection is one of the key values of discipleship. All four Gospels record Jesus saying, “If you seek to save your life you will lose it, but if you are willing to lose your life for me, you will find it” (Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; John 12:25). The Great Team-Builder also said that leadership in His kingdom was radically different from the “domination-style” leadership of the world. He said his leaders lead by serving and by laying down their lives (Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:35-45; Luke 22:24-27). It is a servant leader who earns the trust of his/her team and develops trust within that team. The following acrostic, adapted from the book The Secret by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller, has been helpful to me in understanding what servant leadership looks like: A servant leader… Sees the future: Casts a clear vision and helps his/her team create the future. Empowers and develops others: Invests in the development of the people on the team. Reinvents continuously: Never stops growing or settling for the status quo. Values results and relationships: Sees the people, the process, and the product as equally important. Embodies the values: Lives what he/she preaches and models the values in his/her life. When servant leadership is the ethos of a team, trust can thrive. Trust-centered leadership counters fear and anxiety by creating a culture where the team feels safe, hopeful, and energized. In this type of atmosphere, everyone is free to contribute fully, offering innovative solutions, acting and initiating, taking appropriate risks, and voicing personal viewpoints. Everyone feels motivated. When trust is lacking, things begin to bog down. Morale

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES ■ Armour, Mike. Leadership and the Power of Trust: Creating a High-Trust, Peak-Performance Organization (Dallas: LifeThemes Press, 2007). ■ Blackaby, Henry and Richard Blackaby. Spiritual Leadership (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2011). ■ Blanchard, Ken, Bill Hybels, Phil Hodges. Leadership by the Book (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1999). ■ Blanchard, Ken and Mark Miller. The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do (San Francisco: BerrettKoehler Publishers, Inc., 2009). ■ Lencioni, Patrick. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002).

sags as suspicion and insecurity take root and grow. Turfguarding and self-protection take over. People begin to dig in their heels. They resist change, even when it is essential to survival. Communication becomes closed and even secretive. Productivity plummets. The military uses the term “force multiplier” to describe technologies and techniques that bring strength, power, and ability far beyond what seems feasible for a military unit of such a size. That is precisely what trust does to a team. Speed, agility, and innovation beyond what was thought possible emerge. Your team and your church can reach their full potential only in the climate of high trust. The higher the trust, the more readily a team can learn, reevaluate, and change—all of which are important to missional effectiveness. ■ Mike Chapman, B.A., Th.M., D.Min., is lead pastor of City Church, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Website: www.thecitychurch.cc; Email: [email protected].

Maintaining Trust in the

PASTOR’S HOME ■ by BILL LEONARD

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OW DO I PASTOR people who trusted me without losing the trust of my own family? Why do I feel so distant from my spouse and children? When I’m preaching, I feel I’m in control, yet I’m losing control in my own home. Why? Is this you? Have you ever had these thoughts or ones similar? Being a pastor today is a challenge of end-time proportions! The godly men of old experienced trials, hardship, persecution, and even death. Yet, their trust in God was sure. Listen to the words of Christ: “And He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed” (Matthew 26:37 NKJV). Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (v. 38).

Wow! Sound familiar? You see, we are not angelic, celestial, or “Omni-” anything. As pastors and ministers, we need to know how to maintain trust in our homes and to stand against Satan and his influence in this wicked world of sin.

STEP ONE What is trust? According to Patrick Springle, “Trust is the foundation of all positive, healthy relationships. Trust is the glue that holds people together through life’s most difficult circumstances. With this foundation, we can endure almost anything: without it, every interaction and every decision is a threat.” When we trust someone or something, in a sense, we believe or have confidence in them or it. For example, in

John 14, Jesus was preparing His disciples for the challenge of their spiritual lives. He was going away. He would die. One of the disciples would betray Him, and all seemed hopeless. Look how He instilled trust. “Let not your heart be troubled” (v. 27). In other words, trouble is coming. It is inevitable! It is a fact! Satan will make sure of that. Satan might say, “You trust in God! You rely on Him! Well, you can trust me too!” “When your heart is full of trouble and despair and you feel all alone, I (Jesus) will be there. When you are hurting, feeling abandoned, and all seems hopeless; you can trust in My words because the great I Am has spoken” (paraphrase). Jesus was saying this trouble that is coming to you will be short-lived. Then I will come back and take you to heaven for a forever life of joy! According to H. B. London, the number one reason that ministers fall is they lose their intimacy with Christ. Then, they lose their intimacy with their spouse and children. Yes, they stop trusting in Christ only to fall helplessly in despair. Pastors, our personal lives must be built on nothing less than Jesus Christ. Our marriages must be built on nothing less than Jesus Christ. Our parenting must be built on nothing less than Jesus Christ. One of the greatest moments in your life is when your wife (husband) and children come to you for love because they trust you! They come to you for comfort, care, and advice because they trust you. Why? They do it, because you have placed your trust in Christ and live that commitment before them. My wife, Luann, and I used Proverbs 3:5, 6 as our courtship scriptures before marriage, and it remains our marriage commitment to this day. Let me pass those words to you as an inspiration of His trust in Him and Him in us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6 NKJV). It is one thing to trust God for your eternal destiny; and quite another to trust God to handle the challenges and difficulties of daily family life. If we will trust Him, He promises to direct our paths. It is all about trusting Him.

STEP TWO As a professional counselor, I have had the privilege to counsel with hundreds of ministers and wives. The breakdown of the home comes when trust is violated; like a porcelain vase being dropped and broken. A relationship of trust can be shattered by physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. When trust has been shattered, if true healing is not restored, and broken relationships put back together in a healthy process, then people become desperate to find stability, so they try to control their lives in any way they can. This

situation can influence a person to indulge in the following: UÊBlind Trust—some try to control others by attempting to please them, doing whatever it takes to make others happy. UÊAggressive distrust—some try to control by dominating. They cover their insecurity by yelling, cursing, and blaming, but they also use charm to get what they want. UÊPassive distrust—some try to avoid being hurt anymore by keeping their distance from people (Patrick Springle).

STEP THREE Ministers sit in my office on a regular basis who either have broken their trust or have trusted individuals who violated their trust. Let me encourage every pastor to build a life of trust by the following: UÊPerceive God biblically. As life and people disappoint you, let the true character of God’s love shine through. UÊTrusting perceptively. Blind-trust people need to be more cautious in relationship building. UÊ Find understanding people. Every pastor needs understanding people speaking truth with care and love. UÊLet God’s truth absorb you. Have a daily diet of reading God’s Word and concluding with heartfelt prayer. Maintaining trust in the pastor’s home is crucial, because it is the home everyone looks to for inspiration, modeling, stability and security in Christ Jesus. I would like to end with this inspirational story by Albert Mygatt. A Canadian pastor friend, in a period of great despondency, received the help he needed from reading the following delightful true incident. “The local parks commission had been ordered to remove the trees from a certain street which was to be widened. As they were about to begin, the firemen and his men noticed a robin’s nest in one of the trees and the mother robin sitting on the nest. The foreman ordered the men to leave the tree until later. Returning, they found the nest occupied by little widemouthed robins. Again they left the tree. When they returned at a later date they found the nest empty. The family had grown and flown away. But something at the bottom of the nest caught the eye of one of the workman—a soiled little white card. When he had separated it from the mud and sticks, he found that it was a small Sunday school card and on it the words, “We trust in the Lord our God.” The Church of God needs you and your ministry in these last days. If you will maintain a home of trust, God will give you a complete and joyful ministry. ■ Bill Leonard, PhD, BCCC, BCCTR, is a Certified Family and Crisis Mediator; director of Ministerial Care; and recently received the “Servant Leadership Award,” the highest honor in Christian counseling.

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PASTOR’S WIFE and Trust Relationships ■ by LORNA GOSNELL

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S A PASTOR’S WIFE, should we develop trust relationships with the women of our church? If so, what’s acceptable? I have served in various ministry areas over the years: evangelist’s wife, pastor’s wife, state Youth and Christian Education director’s wife (Girls Ministries coordinator), regional administrative bishop’s wife (regional Women’s Ministries president), and currently as international coordinator of Women’s Discipleship. When I first began my ministry, I was advised that friendships within the local church were not possible. However, my perception of this has changed somewhat over the years. I believe you can have friendship within the church, but with boundaries. We must remember that there will be times that some people

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will disappoint you, but then there are those who make the experience of cultivating a relationship worthwhile. Why should we develop relationships? Because relationships make our life’s journey fun and worthwhile, allowing us to include others on the journey. Through relationships, we can challenge and inspire others, as well as be challenged and inspired by others. In the end, relationships can help to lighten your ministry load. All of us crave relationships—relationships with our spouse, family members, friends, and people within the church. There are women we are naturally drawn to because of our common interests. You can use those common interests to build relationships. As you build relationships, keep in mind that they want you to be real.

But how do we use relationships for “good” and not “bad”? How do we know where to draw boundary lines? Your relationship with Christ will guide you in your relationship with others. It will give you perspective and focus when personal relationships bring disappointment into your life. Christ will help you to have realistic expectations of people and enable you to set good boundaries. As you begin your relational journey, take great care not to allow your relationships to become unhealthy, because unhealthy relationships can lead to ministry death. How do we keep our relationships from becoming unhealthy? The following are some areas that cause unhealthy relationships. Don’t be pulled into discussing church-related issues with church members. Leave church issues out of the equation. Be confidential. Confidentiality is a must as a pastor’s wife. Not one of us is exempt from wanting to share something confidential at one time or another. But that one person you share with will want to share it with one person and . . . on and on it goes! Don’t be taken advantage of. You will find that some people thrive on being in the “inner circle” with the pastor and his wife. Maybe it is innocent, but use caution with an individual who wants to be more “in the know” than other members of the congregation. Ask God to guide you and give you wisdom where friendships are concerned. Think of it this way, if you haven’t shared anything confidential, then you will never have to worry about things you’ve said being repeated. Pray over your life, family, husband, children, grandchildren, using scriptures: UÊÕ>À`ʜÕÀʏˆ«ÃÊÜÊ̅>ÌʜÕÀʏˆÛiÃÊ>ÀiÊ«ÀiÃiÀÛi`°Êii«ÊÕÃÊ from speaking harshly out of pain and anger (Proverbs 13:3, paraphrased). UÊœÀ`]ÊÜiʎ˜œÜÊÜiÊV>˜Êëi>ŽÊLiÃȘ}ÃʜÀÊVÕÀÃiÃʜÛiÀÊ our lives. Help us to choose our words wisely. Help us to be honest and hard-working people so that we see the fruit of our labor (Proverbs 12:14, paraphrased). UÊ Õ>À`Ê œÕÀÊ “œÕ̅ÃÊ vÀœ“Ê ëi>Žˆ˜}Ê Õ˜ÌÀÕÌ…Ã°Ê i«Ê ÕÃÊ to pursue peace in our homes and families. Let us know that you see us where we are and that you are attentive to our prayers when we seek your righteousness. Remind us that you are against evil, but that you delight in us and protect us when we are eager to do good (1 Peter 3:10-12, paraphrased).

What are some healthy relationships? I believe it is using those relationships to be an influencer for good and by mentoring others. One of the greatest blessings you can

experience as a woman is mentoring and influencing others. Remember the godly women who have poured into your life? It is fulfilling to repay that influence by pouring into the lives of others. Throughout my life I have been blessed, influenced, and enriched by godly women. How do we mentor another woman? Mentoring involves mirroring God to others and by sharing out of your giftedness. By being you! Mentoring includes both the older teaching the younger, which in turn opens the door for the old to learn from the young. By virtue of your role as pastor’s wife, you are an influencer. Whether you are in a church of 25 or a church of 5,000, the women you come in contact with will be influenced by your life. In your ministry, you will encounter relationships that leave you “spent.” They drag you down, robbing you of valuable time and energy. Sometimes, we find ourselves putting these relationships before our families and even before our time alone with God. Ask God to help you set boundaries in these types of relationships. You are not being selfish when you limit your involvement with those who drain you. You are making yourself available for God to use you in a more powerful way. Remember, Jesus took time away from the crowds in order to refresh Himself. As you begin your journey of cultivating trust relationships within your church, stop and reflect on these areas: 1. Be open to relationships, but proceed slowly and cautiously asking God to help you with setting healthy boundaries. 2. Remain loyal and confidential to your husband and the church. 3. Relationships add joy and comfort and are heartwarming. We need others in our lives. We gain from others as we give to others. 4. Keep it real! People don’t want you to be a mirror image of someone else. They want you to be you. 5. Ask God to help you learn and discern which relationships are good and which ones pull you down. 6. The greatest temptation is to let your relationships shift from a healthy relationship to an unhealthy one. Knowing boundaries is the key to having healthy relationships. Boundaries diminish the risk of those relationships being other than what God intended for them to be. Enjoy your ministry journey as you develop meaningful relationships built on trust! ■ Lorna V. Gosnell, coordinator, International Women’s Discipleship, Website: www.womensministries.cc; Email: lgosnell@churchof god.org or [email protected]

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#TRUST ISSUES

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Leading Teens From Revoked to Renewed Trust ■ by JARED WALDROP

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S A STUDENT PASTOR, I see the teens I work with on their highest highs and lowest lows. Lately, I have noticed the low-point conversations centering on a particular issue: trust. Part of the definition of the word trust is reliance on and confidence in the truth, worth, and reliability of a person or thing. I have found myself sitting with students time after time in my office, in living rooms, and in coffee shops discussing an array of issues stemming from broken trust. The issues they express usually have something to do with people in their lives becoming unreliable, causing them to lose confidence in friends and leaders. I’ve listened to teens recount what people have said to them . . . deeply wounding them and causing them to question their own worth. I hear teens and young adults question what and who are really “true.” They have experienced broken trust with parents, adults in their lives, friends, and dating relationships . . . and I am seeing a picture of a generation that is having a difficult time trusting.

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I am on Twitter. As a student pastor, a large number of my students are on Twitter as well. It has been a great way for me to keep up with our students and what is going on in

their lives, and it is quickly becoming a major vocal platform for a generation of teens and young adults. Twitter started as a 140 character “micro-blogging” avenue based on the question, “What are you doing right now?” Teens, I have noticed, have taken it a step further—not just answering the question of what they are doing, but what they are thinking and feeling as well. Part of Twitter is the “hashtag.” The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet—it is a way Twitter users group and categorize messages. Recently, I noticed some of our teens using the hashtag #trustissues following some rather heavy tweets about family, relationships, and life in general. When you follow the #trustissues hashtag, you find an endless scroll of 140 character blurbs laden with the broken trust of a generation. Full of colorful language, you see the issues of a generation rising to the surface… and it is not pretty. Actually, it is heartbreaking. One tweet that I noticed summed it up for me as it said, “I have to consider everybody as being fake until proven real.” This young generation is shaping culture—and it is a culture of revoked trust. What has led to all of the trust issues that teens and young adults have today? Could it be the staggering divorce rate in the United States? Could it be the continual news of the shortcomings of coaches, teachers,

politicians, and pastors? Maybe it’s the barrage of entertainment and media, laced with the social issues of the day that are constantly in their face, or maybe it’s the new connectivity that social media has provided to a generation to air out their trust issues. Maybe it is all of the above and then some. Whatever the cause, we must seek to rebuild that trust.

A CULTURE OF RENEWED TRUST As ministers and community leaders, we must make a commitment to rebuild and reinstill trust in a generation of teens and young adults. The tough thing is that trust is something that is earned, not just freely granted or picked up in a teaching session. It is hard to gain and easily lost. Trust is something that a young generation will need to have reinstilled in them through experience. Teens and young adults will need to have trustworthy people in place in their lives—they will need to experience something different that will offset the trust issues they have been bombarded with, and in turn, choose to walk in it, and begin to model it for others around them. We need to create a culture of renewed trust. As we seek to take culture from revoked to renewed trust, here are a few points for pastors and youth leaders to consider: 1. Be a listening ear. The saying, “no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care” is true. You let a teen know they matter when you are attentive and listening to their story. Build trust by hearing them out, understanding where they are coming from and what they are going through. 2. Be encouraging. Young people encounter many discouraging things throughout the day. As adults, we may hear about some of their issues and consider them to be petty, but what we may see as “petty” is earth-shattering to them, and it is shaping who they are. Discouragement has a snowball effect; for example, take the petty issues and roll them up with the deeper issues day after day, and we have problems. Build trust by being a fresh voice of encouragement in their lives. Position yourself in a place of direct contrast to the discouragement they may be experiencing in other areas of their lives. Become the most encouraging person they know. 3. Be transparent. Open up and speak to them out of your own life experience. Build trust by teaching them out of your own triumph and tragedy. When a generation considers “everyone is being fake until proven real,” your transparency will help you earn credibility as you share the stories behind your scars. 4. Be present. One of the greatest things you can share with a teen is time spent with them. In an over-digitized world ruled by texts and Facebook, a true face-to-face relationship has a huge impact. Build trust by capitalizing on the time you

spend with them. Leverage the time you have as a student pastor or mentor to literally be there, interacting with them. 5. Be a person of godly character and integrity. Teens can spot a fake a mile away. Build trust by being the real deal. Let them see you living out your faith, continually pursuing God, striving to be more like Jesus. Go beyond just being good, and strive to be godly in front of a generation. Let them see and hear you pray. Let them see you live a lifestyle of worship. Let them hear you speak the Word of God. Let them see you trust in the Lord with all your heart, and not lean on your own understanding. Let them see you acknowledge Him in everything you do . . . and let it build an ultimate trust in the God who will lead them in an everlasting way. Today’s teens and young adults live in a culture of revoked trust. Let’s turn the tide and create a culture of renewed trust. Listen to them. Be open. Be there for them, encourage them, and be someone truly living out your faith in front of them. One of the greatest things you can do is earn a spot on the radar screen in the life of a young person, becoming someone he/she can look to, talk to, share life with . . . and trust. ■ Jared Waldrop, B.S., is pastor of student ministries at Westmore Church of God, Cleveland, Tenn.; Website: www.westmorecog. com; Email: go to website, click on “staff,” and use the online form to contact staff members.

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Helping Children Develop

TRUST IN GOD ■ by LANCE COLKMIRE

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T IS EASY TO overlook a group of churchgoers who are short and whose attention span is even shorter. However, it is a critical mistake for you, as a pastor, to ignore children.

REASONS CHILDREN ARE OVERLOOKED

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1. Not recognizing their spiritual needs. Because children have growing bodies, it is easy to wrongly think their souls are not fully grown. Wes Stafford, president of Compassion International, said, “An invisible battle, a spiritual war, rages over each and every child. It is above us and beyond us and engages the full fury of the hosts of both heaven and hell. Children may be ignored by the government, church, and mission—but not by Satan or God Almighty” (Too Small to Ignore). 2. Putting all the responsibility on parents. Yes, moms and dads are the primary spiritual caretakers of their children, but the church and pastor must intentionally minister to children and equip parents to carry out their role. 3. Seeing children as noncontributors. Kids cannot serve as deacons, elders, or teachers; nor can they donate large sums of money or vote on important church matters. Yet they have much to offer—faith to take God at His word, a tender spirit ready to be molded, an eagerness to be involved, and a heart ready to love. 4. Seeing yourself as inadequate. Since a pastor can become an ordained bishop or earn a seminary degree without ever studying ministry to children, the temptation is to assign that responsibility to a children’s pastor and children’s teachers. Yet, as lead pastor, you have a unique role to play. 5. Fearing suspicion. With clergy and coaches making headlines in child-abuse cases, you might be wary of getting involved with children. Do not let such a fear deter you from wise pastoral ministry to your youngest parishioners.

HOW CHILDREN VIEW THE PASTOR As their pastor, you represent God to the children in your church. Andrew Lester wrote: One of the exciting opportunities with children is that, because their perception of what you symbolize is not yet poured in concrete (as it is with many adults), your pastoral care of them can correct perceptions of pastors and all that pastors represent. How you relate to children may well affect how they view the church and God throughout the rest of their lives (Pastoral Care With Children in Crisis).

Besides reflecting God to children, you are an image through whom children believe God sees them. When I was a boy at the Tampa Church of God, our pastor, Philemon Roberts, was a powerful Pentecostal preacher whose voice boomed from the pulpit. However, when he stood at the church doors to shake hands—including my chubby little hand—it helped me perceive God as not just an authoritarian, but as a personal God who knew and loved me. SEVEN SIMPLE WAYS TO SHOW PASTORAL LOVE 1. Know children’s names. Calling a child by name conveys his or her worth to you (and to God). 2. Get on their level. Bending down to look at a child eye-to-eye speaks of Christ humbling Himself to save us. 3. Hug them. Safe “side hugs” are always appropriate when children are willing to receive them. 4. Ask children questions and then listen to their answers. Your conversations with children will help them realize God wants to dialogue with them. 5. Do not forget the children during a family crisis. Children grieve too, though sometimes in different ways. Your loving touch or kind word can make a lasting impression. 6. Pray with children. I remember when my tall former pastor, Gerald Johnson, got on his knees to pray faceto-face with children during a children’s anointing service. You should sometimes call children forward for prayer in worship services, and then pray with them. 7. Follow Jesus’ example. “Then Jesus had a child stand near him. He put his arm around the child and said, ‘When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me’” (Mark 9:36-37 CEV). ■ Lance Colkmire, M.A., is managing editor of Church of God Publications Ministries and a long-time children’s ministry leader; Website: www.pathwaypress.org; Email: [email protected].

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Fostering Trust by Ministering to the

NEEDY ■ by RONALD K. MARTIN

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HILE I WAS SERVING as pastor of a small church in the metropolis (very small town) of Philadelphia, Tennessee, I was standing in the little post office looking at my mail. As I pulled the mail from the cluttered post office box, I could hear the conversation of four elderly ladies just around the corner by the front counter. One of the ladies was sharing which medication she would do without that month in order to pay her rent and utilities, while another was sharing what grocery store specials were allowing her to have enough food to eat until her check would come in a few weeks. A third lady shared that she was totally out of everything. She had no food left in her house. Immediately, my mind went back to the time when I was a police officer in Cleveland, Tennessee, during my Lee College days. One evening I was dispatched to investigate an apartment where the elderly tenant had not been heard from in over a week. When I responded and gained entry, I found an elderly lady lying on the floor. She had passed away several days earlier. As I looked in the kitchen cabinets, I noticed all the food was gone, and all she had was a little box of cat food on the counter. Being the last week of the month, it appeared that she was out of food, waiting for her check to come at the first of the month. Remembering the pain from that experience, I walked around the corner to the ladies at the post office and introduced myself. I took the name and address of each of the ladies and told them that I would be back in touch with them by nightfall with enough food for them to make it through the last few days of the month until their Social Security checks came. When I left the post office, I thought to myself: What did you just do? You see, we had just made some much-needed renovations to the sanctuary of our little church, and the hosiery mill where two of my 40 attendees worked, was laying off. We didn’t have enough money for my full salary, and

my wife was working to help us to barely make it. In addition to all of that, the church had some much needed repairs. It would be accurate to say that we didn’t have the money or resources to take care of our own church and family much less to help the widows and elderly ladies in our little community. I went home, went through our own closets, and then went to the store and spent what little money I could find to get enough food for the last few days of the month for these precious ladies. To make things worse, or better, depending on how you look at it, I told these ladies that on the third Monday of the next month, I would be back to give them enough food to help them through the rest of that month. I told them to use any extra food money for their other needs. I remember thinking, You have really done it now, everyone is going to think you have lost your mind. The economy in our area was going through a rough time with people having their working hours cut, and some were totally losing their jobs. At this point, the church had not seen the growth we had hoped for, and the renovations on the church needed to be paid. My wife and I had left good paying positions two years earlier, and we were trying to catch up after having our salary cut in half. And now I was taking on the responsibility of helping these little ladies. That weekend I shared with our small congregation what had transpired that week. We looked together at Isaiah 58 and its call to reach out to the needy. Every situation is different and God will dispatch each of us with the task, timing, and circumstances He has in mind. I felt an absolute direction to establish three specific guidelines for our ministry going forward. First, we were not to wait on or depend on donations from any person or agency to start or continue what the Lord was directing us to do. Further, we were to begin with what we could collect from within our local church body, and God would send the rest of what we needed. Second, we were not to communicate through newspapers or media. We were to notify the sheriff’s office and

school principals in the area of our mission and let them know that we were available to partner with them and provide food for children and families in times of crisis. Third, we would discover that the needs in our community would be more than we could ever dream. We had to be careful not to try to do too much too quickly. Finally, we were to guard ourselves from accolades, recognition, and awards that might cause the motives for our mission and ministry to be called into question. Needless to say, word traveled quickly to the many people in need. We watched as God worked miracles confirming that it was His heart to help those in need. We eventually went from providing food to a few elderly ladies, to feeding numerous elderly people in the community, as well as being open to helping others with emergency needs. We did this every month on designated days, and the results were very rewarding. UÊ/…iÊvˆÀÃÌʓœ˜Ì…ÊÜiÊLi}>˜Ê̅ˆÃÊ ministry there were three different testimonies about how the food had multiplied in the pantry after the distribution had ended. UÊ 7iÊ }>ˆ˜i`Ê ˜iÜÊ «iœ«iÊ Ü…œÊ shared a vision for touching the lives of those in need. As the months passed and testimonies circulated throughout the area, the Ministerial Association and several civic organizations came to us, and we began to experience the power of networking. UÊ "˜iÊ Àˆ`>Þ]Ê ÜiÊ ÀiViˆÛi`Ê >˜Ê ՘iÝ«iVÌi`Ê V>Ê vÀœ“Ê ̅iÊ Army Reserves saying they would be by with a truckload of canned food the next day as part of a food drive they were participating in with the Boy Scouts. UÊ7iʵՈVŽÞÊÀ>˜ÊœÕÌʜvÊë>ViÊvœÀÊvœœ`ÊÃ̜À>}i°Ê"˜iÊ`>ÞÊ I received a call from the “Men of Action” located in Lenoir City. They had heard that we needed more space. They showed up a few weeks later and built on a large addition to the church, specifically for the food pantry and its ministry. UÊÃÊ̅iʘii`Ãʈ˜VÀi>Ãi`]ÊÜÊ`ˆ`ʘiÌܜÀŽˆ˜}Ê>˜`Ê«>À̘iÀing. This significantly increased our ability to reach more people as God directed us. The list goes on and on, but the fruit of working within the guidelines which we believe God gave us became very evident. Here are some legitimate points to consider: UÊ /…iÀiÊ >ÀiÊ “>˜ÞÊ i}ˆÌˆ“>ÌiÞÊ ˜ii`ÞÊ «iœ«iÊ ˆ˜Ê iÛiÀÞÊ church and community who need help.

UÊ/…iÃiÊ>ÀiÊœ`½ÃÊV…ˆ`Ài˜°ÊiʏœÛiÃÊ̅i“Ê>˜`ʈÃʏœœŽˆ˜}Ê for someone He can trust them with. UÊœ`ʈÃʜÕÀÊÜÕÀVi° UÊ7iÊ>ÀiʘœÌʈ˜Ê̅ˆÃÊ>œ˜i°Ê iÌܜÀŽˆ˜}Ê܈̅ʜ̅iÀÊ>}i˜cies will keep our strength from becoming our weakness and will allow us to do so much more. UÊ/…iÀiÊ>ÀiÊ̈“iÃÊ>˜`ÊÃi>ܘÃÊ̜ÊLiÊÃ̈Ê>˜`ÊÜ>ˆÌ° UÊvÊ>ÌÊ>˜ÞÊ̈“iÊ̅iʓˆ˜ˆÃÌÀÞÊ̜Ê̅iʘii`ÞÊLiVœ“iÃʓœÀiÊ about you than about God’s love, God’s care, and God’s provisions, get ready for God’s rebuke. It is hard to believe, but what I have described here took place about 22 years ago. While my heart for the hurting and the needy has not changed, the locations and opportunities for ministry have. With each new opportunity comes new challenges, but there are several things that have not changed: UÊʓÕÃÌÊ>Ü>ÞÃÊ}Õ>À`ʓÞÊÀi>tionship with God and stay sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. UÊ iÌܜÀŽÊ ÜˆÌ…Ê «iœ«iÊ ÜˆÌ…Ê the same heart for the needy and achieve more than you can alone. UÊ iÜ>Ài]Ê iÃÌÊ Ì…iÊ ˜i“ÞÊ ÕÃiÊ your compassion and call to the needy to take on too much too quickly, thus leading to burnout. UÊ -Ì>ÞÊ vœVÕÃi`Ê œ˜Ê “ˆ˜ˆÃÌiÀˆ˜}Ê to the needs of the people and not the preservation of your ministry. UÊi̅œ`ÃÊ>˜`ʓˆ˜ˆÃÌÀˆiÃʅ>ÛiÊÃi>Ü˜Ã°Ê UʏÜ>ÞÃÊ}Õ>À`Ê̅iʈ˜Ìi}ÀˆÌÞʜvÊ̅iÊV>ˆ˜}Ê܅ˆV…Êœ`ʅ>ÃÊ placed upon your life. Human needs come in all sizes and shapes and have no boundaries. It is not limited to any culture, race, economic class, or religion. The greatest need is Jesus Christ! Getting outside the four walls of the church and genuinely caring for people is what fosters trust for your church in the community. While the opportunity for us to minister to those in need is increasing, the time left to do so is rapidly passing as we approach the coming of the Lord. Now is the time to be about the Father’s business! ■ Ron Martin, B.S., is pastor of Central Parkway Church of God, Cincinnati, Ohio; Website: www.centralparkwaycog.org; Email: go to website and click on “Resources,” click on “Contact Us,” and beside the word To is a drop-down list of staff member names, choose the one you wish to contact, and type your message.

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Trust and Participation at the International

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ■ by DANIEL L. BLACK

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HEN ONE SERIOUSLY considers what the Church of God International General Assembly is, it is inevitable that issues of trust will come into focus for the relatively few who participate in it, and, also, for the millions whose lives are affected by decisions of the Assembly. The Church of God International General Assembly is, by definition, “that organized body with full power and authority to designate the teaching, government, principles, and practices of all the local churches composing said Assembly”

(Minutes 2010, p. 65). All local churches “officially registered with the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, U.S.A., are . . . part of the International General Assembly.”And, “the International General Assembly is composed of all members and ministers of the Church of God 16 years of age and above. Members and ministers of the Church of God present and registered at the International General Assembly shall comprise its voting constituency” (Minutes 2010, p. 58). Those of us who are privileged to attend the International General Assembly, and register and vote in the General Council, and in the General Assembly, need to keep in mind

that we are not there to represent only our personal interests, or those of our local church, but to make decisions in the best interest of the approximately 7 million members, 36,000 churches, and 36,000 ministers who are said to compose the International General Assembly of the Church of God. Can we be trusted to do this? Only we can answer that question, and only time will tell.

LET US EARN THE TRUST OF OTHERS Trust, by its very nature, is not something that is simply given to us, but something we earn. We learn by experience those whom we can trust, just as others learn whether or not they can trust us. We earn the trust of others by being seriously committed to following Jesus Christ, living by the Bible, being honest with others, and being consistent in the life we live and the positions we take on issues crucial to the well-being of the whole church. We earn trust by the way we treat others. Do we show respect for, and are we willing to listen to, those who may not see eye-to-eye with us on some issue? We earn trust by assuming the best about our brothers and sisters in Christ— that they, like I am, are sincerely endeavoring to arrive at the best decision for the benefit of the whole church.

PRAYING FOR OTHERS BUILDS TRUST Prayer is crucial to the resolution of all trust issues. I have found by experience, as you may have, that I have a much better attitude toward those for whom I pray consistently. I have found that when I pray for my pastor and other leaders in my local church, and when I pray for church leaders at the general and state levels, and various ministry leaders, my trust in them increases. Why? Because I am confident that God hears my prayers and will work in and through them to accomplish His good purposes. If we sincerely pray for one another, for those who are over us in the Lord, for our fellow ministers, and for our brothers and sisters in Christ, God will give us a love for those for whom we pray that will translate into a wholesome trust, based on our confidence in God. This we need to do in preparation for our participation in the International General Assembly.

HAVE A MIND-SET TO TRUST OTHERS As outlined in the Minutes of the International General Assembly, the decisions of the Assembly that become the teachings, discipline, order, and government of all the local churches are supposed to be based on the whole Bible, and especially on the New Testament.

We all know what the Bible says. We know what it says in Hebrew and Greek, in countless English versions, and in all the languages of the world. For most of us, the trust issue is not about what the Bible says, or whether or not the Bible is the Word of God, but about the different ways in which we interpret and apply what it says. Let us not assume that, because someone interprets the Bible differently from the way we interpret it, he or she does not believe the Bible. The judicial function of the International General Assembly is to study the Holy Scriptures with the goal of coming to the right decision about how the Scriptures are to be interpreted and applied to our lives today. As we work through this process, have a mind-set to trust others, so they desire and seek, as much as we do, to arrive at a decision consistent with God’s Word.

TRUST GOD FOR THE OUTCOME We confess our belief in the sovereignty of God over all things everywhere, and we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of the Church. If these things be so, let us trust that God, in spite of our human inadequacies, will guide the International General Assembly to make decisions in agreement with His will. At the conclusion of every International General Assembly, it would be good if we could look back and say about our decisions, as did those who convened the Jerusalem Council, “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us” (Acts 15:28 NKJV). We must trust God to guide the International General Council and the International General Assembly in electing leaders to serve Christ and the church. We all know that quite a lot of unofficial “politicking” goes on, especially among those of us who are ordained to the ministry, regarding who should fill the top leadership positions in the denomination. It is inevitable that ministers will not all agree on who should fill various positions of leadership, but we should all pray, regardless of our preferences, that God’s will may be done. We will have our preferences regarding leaders, but God is the only one who knows with certainty who should lead the church in this or that capacity. As we participate in the International General Assembly, making decisions that affect the whole church, and electing denominational leaders, let us trust God for the outcome that will be His will. ■ Daniel L. Black, Th.D., is editor of adult curriculum, Pathway Press, Cleveland, Tenn.; Website: www.pathwaypress.org; Email: [email protected]

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Building a Positive

CHURCH IMAGE ■ by RONALD LEE SCHUBERT

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DON’T TRUST YOU! According to a recent Gallup Poll, that’s the message that 52 percent of the American population would like to communicate to the church. More than half of the people with whom we interact in our communities doubt our legitimacy. Confidence in the church is low. Very low! In fact, there are few signs of a forthcoming recovery. According to ABC News and the Washington Post, research shows “unfavorable views of the church have risen by 25 points since February 2010.” The following statistics provide a diagnosis that to our own peril, we have chosen to ignore. The church has contracted a near-fatal illness that has left her wounded, sick, and vulnerable. The results are catastrophic: UÊ >V…Ê“œ˜Ì…Ê£]ÓääÊ«>Ã̜ÀÃʏi>ÛiÊ̅iʓˆ˜ˆÃÌÀÞÊLiV>ÕÃiʜvÊ stress, burnout, or other church-related issues. UʘÊ̅iʏ>ÃÌÊ£äÊÞi>ÀÃ]ʘœÌʜ˜iÊVœÕ˜ÌÞʈ˜Ê̅iÊ1˜ˆÌi`Ê-Ì>ÌiÃÊ can show an increase in the number of people regularly attending church. UÊ ÛiÀÞÊÃiÛi˜Ê`>ÞÃ]ÊÇÓÊ“iÀˆV>˜ÊV…ÕÀV…iÃÊ>ÀiÊVœÃi`° UÊ "vÊ Ì…iÊ Îxä]äääÊ V…ÕÀV…iÃÊ ˆ˜Ê “iÀˆV>]Ê Èä]äääÊ ÜˆÊ ˜œÌÊ have a single convert this year! The diagnosis worsens with every new generation and, according to Craig T. Olsen, in American Church in Crisis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), if something does not change, by 2050, only 10 percent of the people living in the United States will be regularly attending a house of worship. There is, however, an antidote for our kind of disease— an antidote that can counteract the outcome of this deadly infection, effectually turning things around. Trust can be restored and the skeptics can have a spiritual awakening! But it will not be easy. Once the tide of popular opinion starts to move in a particular direction, it’s difficult to turn the bus around, but not impossible! According to Robert Houston (The Antidote for Ichabod, roberthouston.org), “The antidote for down is up. For dark it’s light. For bad it’s good. For fear it’s courage. For weakness

it’s strength. For sin it’s salvation.” The antidote for distrust is authenticity. For the church that seeks to build a positive church image, the required antidote is to cultivate an environment that is unquestionably authentic. Authenticity is a spiritual word. It means to be “real, actual, and true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.” It means that one will avoid being artificial, synthetic, or downright phony. The term Jesus used to describe the counterfeits He encountered was hypocrite (Matthew 23:25)! “People look at you and think you’re saints”; however, Jesus would say, “but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.” Authentic people are the real deal. Their lives line up with their testimonies, and they steer clear of duplicity. “The first key to greatness,” Socrates reminds us, “is to be in reality what we appear to be.” To earn trust as an individual, a leader, a company, or a church, authenticity must be part of the package. If you are ready to build a healthy church image, the following guidelines will get you started.

DON’T BE A KNOCKOFF If we are His handiwork, created in the image of Christ, and if He has set His church upon a rock which is so perfectly situated that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it, then why do we struggle so much to know who we are, to know our real worth, to know our unique purpose—both corporately and individually? Much of our confusion is the result of spiritual “identity theft!” When we are content to copy the model of the successful church down the street, we lose sight of our own true identity. We forget that God made each of us “on purpose” and “for a purpose.” Our challenge is to take our eyes off others and focus on our God! Our individual, personal identity is proof of God’s creative genius! His ultimate gift given to every person on the planet is that of unique relevance. Like the small piece of a puzzle cut out of the larger stock, each of us is unique in

shape, size, and image. The puzzle can never be completed unless every piece is put into place. If all we do is try to copy the church down the street, we cease to be relevant to God’s bigger plan. Don’t be a knockoff! The duplication process will destroy your original shape, which means you are no longer “cutout” for God’s plan. Stop the identity theft! You and I only fit when we live according to our own personal design. We are relevant to the completion of God’s larger plan only when we strive to fulfill His purpose for our individual church and ministry!

SCRAP THE LEFTOVERS Everything has a shelf life. In the food industry, the word stale is assigned to the consumables that have been left on the rack too long. In retail, the word clearance is used to sell off the old stock at a ridiculously low price. Retailers understand that the stale has to be cleared to make room for the fresh product. The church, on the other hand, is all too often fixated with a “revival of the Titanic.” We know the old tub is ancient, corroded, untreatable, obsolete, and buried in the depths of the sea; but if it floated once, then surely it can float again! Take advice from the retailers and scrap the leftovers. We serve a God of creativity and unique design. A program that worked well 50 years ago may have been perfect for then, but it may have lost its “shelf life,” and may no longer be workable today. Don’t try to raise the Titanic. Clear the shelf and stock some fresh products. In 1 Chronicles 12:32, the men of Issachar are described as “Men who understood the times.” That is what we need today—churches that “understand the times.” We need churches that understand the people they are trying to reach and that have a willingness to scrap the irrelevant methodologies that long ago lost their impact! We need churches that, while maintaining their commitment to the unchanging Christ, are willing to use creative methods that will effectively communicate to people who live in an everchanging culture. As pastors, we would do ourselves a great favor to seek out a group of creative people in our congregation who understand the times, put them all in a room together with legal pads and snacks and let them be creative! Upon completion of just one brainstorming session, we will likely have an impressive list of inspired ideas.

HAVE A CHAT WITH THE NEIGHBORS One survey says: Ninety percent of Americans are interested in spiritual things, although that number does not nec-

essarily mean they are interested in the Christian Bible or the American church. The facts reveal, however, that nine out of every 10 people we meet are curious about the supernatural. We are daily surrounded by folks who have a desire to connect spiritually, but do not know how. The primary purpose of the church is to show seekers how to make the right connection. The church has hibernated in the “safety zone” of the sanctuary far too long! We need to open the church doors, shake off our slumber, wipe the sleep out of our eyes, get out into the community, and have a chat with our neighbors! The central message of the gospel is based on personal relationships—first with God and then with others! How can we effectively impact the lives of people we do not know? The simple answer is, we CAN’T! It is impossible to minister to the people in our communities in authentic ways if we have not yet engaged those same people with sincere interest. We must connect then listen to their fears and questions, showing concern for the things that concern them. The key is finding some common ground and showing compassion. In doing so, we qualify ourselves to be able to respond in a thoughtful manner and speak the truth in love.

DO THE RIGHT THING The way to eat an elephant is “one bite at a time.” Then, the way to regain trust is to do the right thing, with every person, in every situation, all of the time! Trust and confidence are the natural byproducts of a church that decides to do what is right in the sight of the Lord and live according to its stated beliefs and convictions—regardless! Doing the right thing includes making good on our promises, practicing what we preach, and apologizing when we make a mistake. We must never promise more than we can deliver, and we have to be able to deliver on everything we promise—even if it requires some personal sacrifice! Be honest and upfront. It is counterproductive for me to pad my resume in an attempt to impress, or to overpromote myself or my ministry, just so another family may consider joining my church. Telling people what they want to hear is not an effective way to display authenticity. A strong, healthy church and a positive church image are the end results of a commitment to authenticity, relevancy, relationships . . . and a willingness to always do the right thing. ■ Ron Schubert is a level five, licensed, church consultant through Church Central, is pastor of Harvest Ministries Church, Farmington Hills, MI; president, SOAR Ministries; Website: www.soarministries .com; Email: [email protected].

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Ways to Build a Healthy

CHURCH IMAGE in Your Community ■ by SAMUEL SANTANA

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WILL GO OUT ON A LIMB to say that most pastors desire to have their church be a blessing in their community. In fact, a recent study by Barna, “Do Churches Contribute to Their Communities?” shows that over 75 percent of those polled believe that churches do have a positive effect on their communities. I believe this is a clear indication that the people within our church communities are looking for a positive, practical, and relevant church to call home. The question is: Why are many of them not attending our churches? I believe it’s because of a lack of trust. Trust is the foundational element in our efforts to see people come to Christ. Here are a few points that I believe are necessary in every congregation to establish TRUST within our communities.

TRAIN

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“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). One of the greatest things a pastor will do within his leadership role is to perfect, or train, the believers for the work of ministry. As we strive to cultivate trust in our communities, the first question a pastor must ask regarding the training of the people is the following: Is my focus inward or outward? Will you train your people to meet only the needs of those who are IN your church, or, are you going to train them to love and reach those OUTSIDE your church? This is the pivotal question to answer before training (discipleship) begins. Ideally, the church should train people to meet the needs of both those in the church family and those outside the church family. Reaching those outside the church

requires an intentional focus. It won’t just happen organically. The people in your congregation must sense the urgency that reaching out to those in the community is a priority. You must become contagious with your desire to see the lost won, the outcast accepted and the neglected loved. Once you are “contagious,” your people will “catch” that same spirit, and your church will become a light in your community.

REAL A few years ago, Coca Cola® had an ad that included the phrase, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.” I believe what people are looking for is authenticity and transparency in everything we do. People are tired of fake smiles, fake phrases, and phoniness, especially in church. What they are, whether they realize it or not, is desperate for a genuine, real relationship, not only with Jesus Christ, but with other people as well. We were created to fellowship and be linked one with another. In fact, Christ stated in John 13:35: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” The implication that we love one another requires us to have genuine trust and fellowship with one another. Receiving that genuine fellowship and love within the church body is, however, just the first step. Our challenge is that in some churches, the love of the believers is invisible outside the walls of the church. Is the love in your church visible or invisible to the community that surrounds you? Is your love being seen and experienced by those who need it most? Our love should be seen by the drug addict, the homeless, the prostitute, our neighbors, the couple on the verge of divorce, and the young adolescent boy about to join the gang. “Ain’t nothing like the real thing,” so let’s go out and genuinely love people in a real and practical way.

UNDERSTAND Wherever your church is physically located, you must make an effort to understand the people in your community if you wish to build trust. The needs of the soul are the same, regardless of the language spoken or the color of the skin. I have had the privilege of pastoring three congregations, and every one of them was located in neighborhoods surrounded by a predominant ethnic group. One of my priorities has always been to be empathetic of others. A question we might ask regarding our understanding is: Are we apathetic or empathetic? Webster defines the two words as follows: UÊ Apathetic: “Having or showing little or no feeling or emotion: SPIRITLESS and having little or no interest or concern, INDIFFERENT.” UÊEmpathetic: “Action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.” Which of these two adverbs most accurately describes the manner in which your church attempts to understand your community?

SERVE In Spanish, there is a term I would use for our church leadership that implies the “servant-leader” role that I prefer. The word is servidor and it translates “server.” I like this word, because I feel it best relays the heart condition Christ prefers in leadership. Yes, we are leaders, but we are first and foremost servants to those we lead. In equipping my servant leaders for the work of ministry, I purposefully emphasized this idea of servant leadership by stating how careful we must be to have the right motivation and heart intention when we serve. I also believe everyone should be busy doing something within the church body. When I pastored, it was not a question of whether or not people would serve, rather it was the question: “In what area do you prefer to serve?” The goal was to have people serving in their realm of talent, gifting, and calling. The idea of serving should be focused on both the church family and on those who surround us outside the church walls. Implementing this principle of service and correct motivation into the hearts and minds of church leaders will take purposeful intention and time. This may require that all the leaders of the church, including the lead pastor, model the behavior which will produce results. I believe this intentional forward focus comes when we are truly possessed with the spirit of the Samaritan that moves us to do what others are unwilling to do.

TOUCH After you Train, are Real, Understand, and Serve, what are some practical ways your church can touch the com-

munity to establish trust? I stand by the message, Let your love be seen and not just heard. It is one thing to tell hungry people you will pray for them, but it’s another to give them something to eat. The people that surround you need to be touched by your hands, which become the hands of God extended. What can your church do to touch the people in your community? This will certainly depend on what your community looks like, but here are some basic ideas. 1. Partner with a community food bank. Perhaps your church can be an extension and offer services from right where you are. 2. Partner with local agencies, such as Crisis Pregnancy Centers and other agencies that offer specialized services for women and young children. If you can’t help by offering space for their services, perhaps you can send women to be trained to volunteer. 3. If you have public schools near you, go meet the principals. Ask what the people in your church can do to help the school. I know of many great relationships built with the community from making these relationships with school principals. 4. Offer free community resources from your church such as workshops on Parenting, Cultivating Healthy Marriages, and Healthy Family Relationships. People in our communities are struggling with dysfunction in their families and the church can help. 5. Partner with agencies that offer job employment services. Perhaps your church can send volunteers to help or become a branch for people in your community to come to your church to receive this service. 6. Contact seniors in your neighborhood and ask if volunteers from your church can come on a Saturday to weed, paint, or do any other beautification to their home. 7. Find a way to hold an annual Family Festival at your church and open it up to the community. Bring carnival games, jumping castles, and other things to attract children. Have plenty of food and make it a free event and advertise it as a THANK YOU to the community. 8. Offer your church to be a voting location on election days. Make every effort to ensure that you are not only saying you love people, but also as a church, act upon that love and touch your community with the love of Christ. Having a healthy church image within your community is not only desirable, it is possible! As pastor, you hold the key to motivating your congregation to build TRUST within your community. You can begin today! ■ 635,1*"

Samuel Santana, B.A., serves as administrative bishop of Southwest Hispanic Region. Email: [email protected]

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Building a

POSITIVE Pastoral Image ■ by HAROLD L. BARE SR.

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HIRTY YEARS. Thirty fulfilled years. How do you pastor a congregation for 30 years and maintain a high level of excitement? How is it possible to be with a congregation so long and yet believe in a dynamic future? Is there not a rub? Where is the friction? What chaffs? Where is the raw? Where is the ugly? Are there dreadful stories not told? Is smiling a cover-up on the way to retirement when an exposé can tell all? Will retirement allow telling stories of pain and misery only covered up temporarily by duty and a paycheck? Or, is it possible that after 30 years, a pastor can be positive, have a healthy attitude, and be respected in a congregation and community? Is it possible that time and circumstances build bonds of trust and intimacy? Can a tenured pastor hope for a congenial relationship that will be enduring? Can bonds be formed that last beyond the title of “pastor”? My journey as a pastor was unintentional. Son of a pastor and married to the daughter of a pastor, I told the Lord of my willingness to serve as a lay minister. Oh, I was called. But I defined the calling. I told Laila if she would marry me, I would not be a pastor. Seven years into marriage and having moved about 12 times, Laila asked me to consider being a pastor. A restless husband had driven her to desperation. She was tired of moving our growing family. Our first experience as a pastor’s family was in a small town with a beginning congregation of 17 precious people in an ugly and awful building located on the worst side of a southwestern Virginia town. Our novice pastoral journey of five years brought me to an encounter with God. The message was clear: I needed more training. Laila and I went back to school. We left our first assignment with good memories and strong bonds that remain to this day. The clerk of the con-

gregation yet serves in an honorary capacity. He and his family are precious to our hearts. Returning to the town 33 years later is with honor among parishioners, merchants, and citizens who remember our time of service. What I lacked in my first pastorate was a realization of how much people like to be involved in ministry. My burden was to keep the burden off the people. Thus, many of the tasks I did would have blessed others to serve. But it seemed to me that if folks worked, tithed, and came to church faithfully, the least I could and should do would be to keep tasks off their “plate.” I also lacked an appreciation for scheduling and planning, not realizing that good plans fail for lack of planning. Laila and I both enrolled in a graduate program and came under the tutelage of a pastor of a growing transcultural church in a university city. Worship experiences taught us our first experiences in blending cultures into one congregational voice. Laila specialized in adult education and human resources, with her dissertation being a study of pastors’ wives. In time, my studies in organizational structure opened my eyes and heart to appreciate that the Holy Spirit divides gifts among the Body. The pastor is one person. The pastor is given gifts by the Holy Spirit, but the pastor is not the “mule” or “ox” of the congregation. The pastor is not supercharged by the Holy Spirit. The pastor does not have MORE Holy Spirit than parishioners. The pastor does not have a higher caliber or quality of Holy Spirit. With a three-year hiatus from pastoral duties, my intentions were to serve immigrants and refugees coming to America. My course was set. I was part of the group writing the proposal for cross-cultural ministry for the Church of God. I was integrally involved with the famous Siberian

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Seven Pentecostals who took refuge for a year in an American embassy. I was working as a consultant with an immigration firm and also served as a registered lobbyist in government. Doors of opportunity seemed open globally. As I approached my time to leave academic studies, every door of opportunity closed. Every door except one—the door I did not want opened. God opened it. While preparing to move (even to other countries), God was preparing us to move about four miles across the city of Charlottesville. A friend was retiring. He wanted me to assume the pastorate. Exactly three years to the day after leaving our first pastorate, we moved our family of five into a two-bedroom church apartment. If you had asked me that day about my expectations, the answer would have been a maximum of three years serving the new congregation. Other dreams rested in my mind and heart. While I was committed to the present, there was no intention that the present would be permanent. The second journey of developing a relationship with a congregation was much different. I had learned valuable lessons: 1. Others love Jesus as much as I love Jesus. 2. Others have been martyred—I have not. 3. I am gifted in a few areas. 4. Others are gifted as needed for a congregation to be in spiritual health (The Holy Spirit divides the gifts among the Body). 5. There are people smarter than I am. 6. There are skilled people in fields where I would not be advanced to first grade. 7. There are wise people who have had little academic preparation, but life experience and walking with God has made them to be prophets and teachers more apt than I am. Long ago, I came to understand and confess that Laila is a better teacher than I am. 8. My time on the stage is limited. 9. My best efforts are to prepare for those who follow me 10. The value of my work will only be revealed after I am no longer on the stage. Certain precedents were established: 1.We would move in unison on nontheological matters, e.g., vehicles, administration, construction. 2. We would not be a divisive body—not gossipy, not quarrelsome. These were overt decisions that have prevailed for 30 years. 3. We would not quarrel with other churches, regardless of denominational affiliation. 4. We would have an open-door policy, regardless of color, country, creed, or culture.

5. We would not change internal structure or worship to please or pacify an individual or group. 6. We would be mission-minded, beginning in our community. 7. We would be open to reasonable change—no “sacred cows” that would prevent maximum efforts for Kingdom work. 8. We would have a practice of not canceling services (which has held for 30 years). 9. We would not practice showmanship or follow fads and fashions. All of these precedents encouraged the community—no rich or poor distinctions; no nobility or commoners; no have’s or have not’s; no cliques or “power” people who control “politics” of the congregation. I was on the cusp of the wave moving from being titled “Reverend” to “Pastor”—a much less ostentatious title implying servanthood, instead of lordship. My modus operandi is to never become the focal point of the attention of the congregation. Honor is appreciated. Kindnesses offered are encouraging. However, a pastor must never initiate, develop, or encourage flattering remarks, gifts, or other actions that celebrate the pastor. One of the best decisions of my second pastorate was to seek a mentor to train me in administration. Many hours were spent in quiet corners listening and learning improved ways of administration. I do not boast of myself as a model of administration—but I do teach others the importance of having an administrative mentor. My hunch is that in every church there are people (plural) more gifted in administration than the pastor. A long-term pastor easily develops a routine which may become unproductive. What is comfortable may not be the most practical. The longer a pastor stays with a congregation the more the pastor (and wife) will be challenged to stay in a learning and listening mode. When folks feel they are not being heard, the image of the pastor suffers negatively. In my thirty-first year of a second pastorate, we are working hard to develop a team-based approach. Sermons are my task. Working with elders and pastoral staff is primary for me. However, the culture we cultivate is one of openness, respect, inviting ideas, probing, not being threatened, and implementing with careful administration the changes that have promise. A positive pastoral image is about serving, not being served. ■ Harold Bare, Ph.D., lead pastor Covenant Church, Charlottesville, VA; Website: www.covenantchurch.net; Email: info@covenant church.net.

PASTORAL

TRUST PLEDGE In honor of my heavenly calling to be a messenger of the transforming grace of Jesus Christ, and to lead church members in the quest for trust . . . I PLEDGE to . . . Model the qualities of scriptural trust in all facets of fulfilling my pastoral duties. Demonstrate the characteristics of trust in my personal and family life, and in my ministerial relationships. Advance a spirit of trust between church leaders and laity by uniting in prayer and by fostering Kingdom teamwork. Proclaim the rewards of trusting God for wholeness and empowerment in achieving missional mandates. Cultivate a partnership trust with community/city leaders in supporting measures to enhance the well-being of citizens of all ages. I will fulfill this pastoral pledge by “trusting in the Lord with all my heart, by not depending on my own understanding, and by acknowledging Him in all my ways” (Proverbs 3:5, paraphrase). 635,1*"

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FACEBOOK FOR CHURCHES Key Strategies and Tips Every Church Should Know

■ by BRIAN GRAY

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CCORDING TO RESEARCH by the Nielsen Company, the average user spends seven hours a month on Facebook. That is 96 minutes a week. If you knew your staff would increase their effectiveness in communicating and shepherding through Facebook, wouldn’t 95 minutes per work week be worth it?

WHAT FACEBOOK BRINGS TO MINISTRY

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Congregational Communications. Facebook will give your people more regular exposures to your church. But if someone wants information from the church website, they have to go looking for it. With Facebook, the same information comes to them on their newsfeed. Facebook may become a more powerful church promotion tool than your website. Facebook allows you to extend your church mission more widely. Event Communications. You have many communication lines in place for a church event—verbal announcements, printed bulletins, email, your church website, leader-

ship word-of-mouth. Facebook is the only form of church communication that people might interact with multiple times a week. That’s powerful! Viral Marketing. Facebook information can come from your church page to all your followers—20, 50, 100, 500 plus people. You can encourage them to repost information about your larger events and campaigns to their friendship network—often 200 or more people. The math is staggering, and the impact is critical. Virtual Shepherding. You can use Facebook to shepherd your people by quick devotional thoughts in your status update, reminding people of the church vision, sharing lifechanging stories, and sending links of good articles you’ve read.

HOW TO USE FACEBOOK EFFECTIVELY Create a Facebook Team and Guidelines. Media hub mashable.com gives fantastic advice on how to create social media teams in an organization. In your church, you can start by finding a couple of people who use Facebook

regularly and who embody the vision and culture of your church. They can easily point to several of their Facebook friends who fit that same profile. That group plus key staff members should be your Facebook team. Meet with them and come up with a few church Facebook guidelines: UÊœÜÊŜՏ`ÊޜÕÀÊV…ÕÀV…ÊÕÃiÊ>ViLœœŽ¶ UÊ 7…œÊ ˆÃÊ ˆÌÊ «Àˆ“>ÀˆÞÊ vœÀpV…ÕÀV…Ê “i“LiÀÃ]Ê ˆÀÀi}Տ>ÀÊ attendees, outsiders, or all of the above? UÊ œÜÊ œvÌi˜Ê `œÊ ޜÕÊ Ü>˜ÌÊ Vœ““Õ˜ˆV>̈œ˜ÃÊ vÀœ“Ê ޜÕÀÊ church page going out? UÊ7…œÊ܈Ê«œÃÌÊޜÕÀÊ«>}i¶ UÊ7…œÊ`iVˆ`iÃÊ܅ˆV…ÊVœ““Õ˜ˆV>̈œ˜ÃÊ>ÀiÊ«œÃÌi`¶ UÊ7ˆÊ̅iÊ>`“ˆ˜ˆÃÌÀ>̜ÀÃÊiÛiÀÊÕÃiÊ«iÀܘ>ÉÅi«…iÀ`ˆ˜}Ê communications, or just corporate ones? UÊ iÌiÀ“ˆ˜iÊ >Ê }i˜iÀ>Ê «œˆVÞÊ vœÀÊ ÞœÕÀÊ ÃÌ>vvÊ œ˜Ê ÕȘ}Ê Facebook in ministry. Ministry Communications. There are myriad ways pastors use Facebook for effective interaction. Here is a list of options you might consider: UÊ ÃŽÊ >Ê µÕiÃ̈œ˜Ê vœÀÊ ÞœÕÀÊ Õ«Vœ“ˆ˜}Ê ÃiÀ“œ˜Ê >˜`Ê Ã…>ÀiÊ the responses.

UÊ*œÊVœ˜}Ài}>˜ÌÃʜ˜ÊvÕÌÕÀiÊÃiÀ“œ˜Ê̜«ˆVÃÊ̅iÞ½`ʏˆŽiÊÌœÊ hear. UÊ*œÃÌÊ`iۜ̈œ˜>Ê̅œÕ}…ÌÃÊvÀœ“Ê̅iÊÌiÝÌÊޜÕÊ>ÀiÊ«Ài>V…ing to create interest in Sunday worship. UÊ7…i˜ÊޜÕÊÀi>`Ê>Ê}Ài>Ìʵ՜Ìi]ÊÅ>ÀiʈÌÊ܈̅ʫiœ«iÊ>˜`Ê interact with their comments. UÊ œ““Õ˜ˆV>ÌiÊۈȜ˜ÊLÞÊÅ>Àˆ˜}ÊÃ̜ÀˆiÃÊvÀœ“Ê̅iÊVœ“munity. UÊ iiLÀ>ÌiÊ«ÕLˆV>Þpº7iʓ>`iÊLÕ`}iÌtÊ/…>˜ŽÊޜÕÊvœÀÊ being generously obedient!” UÊ-…>ÀiÊV…ÕÀV…܈`iÊ«À>ÞiÀÊÀiµÕiÃÌð UÊ -…>ÀiÊ ˜iÜÃÊ œvÊ Ãˆ}˜ˆvˆV>˜ÌÊ “i“LiÀÊ ˆviÊ iÛi˜ÌÃpLˆÀ̅Ã]Ê deaths, and marriages. How creative can you be and what do you want your church family to hear? Facebook is waiting to put your message onto people’s newsfeeds. ■

This Resource Report contains excerpts from Facebook for Churches, Communication Resources, Inc., © 2011. The complete report can be ordered from Community Resources, Inc., P.O. Box 6270, Beauford, SC 29903, 1-800-992-2144.

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CHURCH OF GOD

YWEA

Celebrating 50 Years of Global Influence ■ by B. RANDALL PARRIS WORTH CELEBRATING YWEA—Youth World Evangelism Action is the youth missions program of the Church of God, sponsored by International Youth and Discipleship. The year 2011 marks 50 years that youth, adults, and children have generously participated in the ministry of YWEA. So far, over $31 million has been invested in mission fields around the world! YWEA has been the seed money that has brought about a great harvest of souls. Thousands of pastors and church leaders have attended YWEA Bible schools and ministry training centers where they have learned to reach their culture for Christ. As a result of this training and preparation, thousands have been saved, discipled, received the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and been deployed as pastors, teachers, and church leaders.

A BACKWARD GLANCE The germination of this ministry concept began in 1957 with O.W. Polen and Cecil B. Knight. At that time, most of the focus was on Sunday school. Polen and Knight believed that Church of God youth should be more engaged with global ministry opportunities. As the initial concept developed, the

first national YWEA project in 1961was to build a large church building in Brasilia, Brazil, and $21,109.19 was raised! Cecil Knight once said, “The projects then got bigger every year. YWEA created a climate for youth to really get involved!” Each general director of Youth and Discipleship (Christian Education) in partnership with Church of God World Missions, embraced a new YWEA challenge each year. Eventually, the Youth and Discipleship ministries assigned youth missions coordinators to help promote the annual effort. These leaders included Marcus Hand, Gary Sears, Bob McCall, David Ray, and the current International YWEA coordinator, Randall Parris. An amazing eight times, the annual offering raised for YWEA was over $1 million!

IS 100 PERCENT ENOUGH? Ministry costs money. It is impossible to do significant, lasting, life-changing ministry without it costing something. In 2008, international director, Tom Madden, and assistant director, Gary Lewis, made a notable commitment to YWEA and the world harvest. The decision was made that every dollar, every quarter, every dime, and every penny given to the ministry of YWEA would go directly to that year’s project . . . period. This means more than 100 percent is given, because all expenses for promotional materials, videos, websites, travel, and administration are covered elsewhere. Church of God Youth and Discipleship is giving 100 percent . . . PLUS!

THE MISSION OF YWEA

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YWEA is an opportunity to step beyond ministry “within your church walls” and minister to people thousands of miles away. What is more important, YWEA is about raising up a generation of children and teenagers who live a Great Commission lifestyle. If a child today who is 6 years old raises $10 for YWEA by collecting quarters in a coin folder, he or she may develop

a heart for the world harvest. That child may grow up to be a successful business person, doctor, or educator and be in a position to write a check for $10,000 for World Missions when they are older. YWEA is about teaching and caring for the lost, loving the harvest, and reaching the world.

“TOUCH” OUTREACH ACTIVITIES DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS

YWEA DESERVES YOUR ENERGY AND ATTENTION Why? UÊ97 ʅ>ÃÊ>ÊVœ˜ÃˆÃÌi˜ÌÊÀiVœÀ`ʜvÊÃÕVViÃð UÊ Ê œvviÀˆ˜}ÃÊ ­£ääÊ «iÀVi˜Ì®Ê ÀiViˆÛi`Ê LÞÊ 9œÕÌ…Ê >˜`Ê Discipleship ministries go to that project. UÊ 7…iÀiÛiÀÊ 97 Ê }œiÃ]Ê “ˆ˜ˆÃÌÀÞ]Ê œÕÌÀi>V…]Ê vÀՈÌ]Ê >˜`Ê growth can be documented. UÊ7…iÀiÊLiÌÌiÀÊ>˜`ʅœÜÊLiÌÌiÀÊV>˜ÊޜÕÊ}iÌÊV…ˆ`Ài˜Ê>˜`Ê youth involved in missions? UÊ 97 Ê >˜`Ê -/ *Ê …>ÛiÊ «Àœ`ÕVi`Ê “>˜ÞÊ “ˆÃȜ˜>ÀˆiÃÊ throughout the years, like Marc Morris in the Philippines.

HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN SUCCEED FOR YWEA THIS YEAR As YWEA celebrates 50 years of ministry effectiveness and launches the fifty-first ministry focus, what is the Holy Spirit calling your church to do? This year our attention turns to Lusaka, Zambia: “Taking the Gospel to the Heart of Africa.” Here are some simple, practical, steps you and your church can take to make a significant difference: UÊ*À>ÞÊvœÀÊ̅iʏi>`iÀň«]ʓˆ˜ˆÃÌÀÞ]Ê>˜`ʘii`Ãʈ˜ÊvÀˆV>° UÊ œ˜Ì>VÌÊޜÕÀÊÃÌ>ÌiÊ`ˆÀiV̜ÀʜvÊ9œÕ̅Ê>˜`Ê ˆÃVˆ«iň«Ê for partnership and support. UÊ 6ˆÃˆÌÊ www.cogyouth.org and www.myywea.com for great resources and information. UÊ/>ŽiÊ>`Û>˜Ì>}iʜvÊ̅iʓ>˜ÞÊvÀiiÊ«Àœ“œÌˆœ˜>Ê“>ÌiÀˆ>Ã]Ê videos, fund-raising ideas, and more that will help you cast the vision and motivation to thrive and succeed. UÊ />ŽÊ ÜˆÌ…Ê ÞœÕÀÊ œV>Ê V…ÕÀV…Ê “ˆÃȜ˜ÃÊ Ài«ÀiÃi˜Ì>̈ÛiÊ about making YWEA a priority. UÊ ««œˆ˜ÌÊ >Ê 97 Ê *>˜˜ˆ˜}Ê œ““ˆÌÌiiÊ ÌœÊ `iÛiœ«Ê >Ê churchwide strategy. UÊ 1˜`iÀÃÌ>˜`Ê Ü…>ÌÊ ÞœÕÊ ºvii`»Ê ܈Ê º}ÀœÜ°»Ê 1ÃiÊ ÞœÕÀÊ influence to spur action. To learn how you and your church can get involved, visit our website at www.youthanddiscipleship.org or contact Randall Parris by phone, 423-478-7883, or email, rparris@ churchofgod.org. ■ B. Randall Parris, D.Min., serves as the Youth Missions (YWEA) /Leadership Development coordinator of the International Youth and Discipleship and is committed to developing this emerging generation of leaders for ministry and reaching the world harvest.

The summer months offer a time to focus on outreach activities designed to touch individuals and groups in specific areas. The following 20 concepts will serve as a springboard to develop TOUCH initiatives. —Floyd D. Carey ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀

฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ TOUCH children of the community. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH families in the neighborhood. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH other churches in the area. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH unchurched men. ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ TOUCH seniors. ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ TOUCH the down-and-out. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH unchurched young people. ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ TOUCH the community. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH the sick and distressed. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH elected officials/leaders. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH others in worship. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH other believers in the neighborhood. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH other cultures with the good news. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH men and women of the church. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH the hungry, needy, and homeless. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH children and their families. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH special needs of the church. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH shut-ins and missionaries. ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ TOUCH families in the community. ฀฀฀ ฀ TOUCH unchurched neighbors.

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FLOYD D. CAREY

resource review RADICAL TRUST: HOW TODAY’S GREAT LEADERS CONVERT PEOPLE TO PARTNERS Joe Healey 2007, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. RUST IS THE foundation for effectiveness and success in the business world and in the church world— “Trust accelerates everything.” This book captures and describes the role that trust plays as an intrinsic value which people of all ages, genders, and cultures must have with their leaders. Even though this is a business book, the author shows how an organization, or a local church, can set itself apart with service excellence, financial success, and employee and membership loyalty. The focus of the material takes the alignment of what we do, what we say, and who we are to build trust with others. The goal of the author is to guide leaders in building a foundation of trust capable of unleashing the full capacity and talent of the diverse members of their team; to generate a radical trust that fuels passion and creates an energizing focus; and to highlight the truth that people simply work harder and follow closer to people they trust and admire. Your goal as a pastor is to create a high-trust culture that generates warmth, increases loyalty, fosters partnership, improves ministry performance, and builds a bridge to all generations. The author sets forth four competencies to achieve these goals and to build radical trust. These competencies are set forth in a trust model: 1. Character Trust—Emotional Quotient. 2. Execution Trust—You Do. 3. Communication Trust—You Say. 4. Loyalty Trust—They feel. The trust model depicts the competencies that are needed to be successful as a leader in today’s world and how to exercise influence in your pastoral ministry and personal life. CHARACTER TRUST refers to the way we, as leaders, consistently enable our values to drive our execution and

T

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communication so others trust us enough to give loyalty. The leadership traits required for this includes transparency, directness, decisiveness, energy, and perceptiveness. It is through the ongoing development of character that radical trust leaders are able to win people’s respect and cooperation. EXECUTION TRUST relates to what you do and are able to get others to do. It relates to people trusting leaders to do what they outline, stand for, and promise. Many leaders fail in this competency because they know what the priorities are but fail to effectively engage people to execute. COMMUNICATION TRUST enables people to trust what we say and what they learn from us. People respond to leaders who communicate in an authentic fashion. Poor communication creates 90 percent of the problems in a business and in a church. Effective leaders permit their character to steer their message. LOYALTY TRUST means that people believe that you will look out for them and their interests. This encourages people to work hard and to share goals because they believe you are behind them, will back them up, and will stand by them. Loyalty trust creates the type of bond or partnership that brings out the best in people and causes them to be compelled to perform at their best. A trusted leader does not isolate people, deflate initiative, or agitate by unethical pressure. A trusted leader radiates care and compassion, elevates the gifts of followers, and motivates high performance service. Trust . . . ÊUÊʘVÀi>ÃiÃÊœVÕà ÊUÊÊ}˜ˆÌiÃÊ*>ÃȜ˜ ÊUÊʘVˆÌiÃÊ Ài>̈ۈÌÞ ÊUÊʘvÕi˜ViÃÊ,i>̈œ˜Ã…ˆ«Ã ÊUÊÊ“«>VÌÃÊ*œÌi˜Ìˆ> ÊUÊÊʘۈÌiÃÊ*>À̘iÀň« ÊUÊʘÃ̈ÃÊ-Ì>LˆˆÌÞ Yes, trust converts people into partners. “Trust accelerates everything.” ■

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Creating an Influential

CHURCH IMAGE INFLUENCE THE COMMUNITY THROUGH SERVICE By O. Wayne Brewer

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AKE NO MISTAKE; if we desire our congregations to have an influential church image in their communities, then it is our responsibility to deliberately create that image. Fading are the days when the lion’s share of people in our towns or cities freely gave their respect and confidence to a congregation simply because it was a church. In this postmodern generation, if we desire to have an influential church image, then we must intentionally seek to foster a trustworthy image that is both genuine and relevant to the people and institutions who are our community neighbors. How do we accomplish this task? As a legitimate member of our community, the church should be present at places of influence, be influential as people of caring, and be passionate proclaimers. Be Present at Places of Influence If our goal is to create an influential church image, then it follows that the church (pastor, elders, members, teens) should seek to be present at local “places of influence” such as high school football games (running the concession stand, praying the opening prayer, sitting close to the bench with players), at the town Christmas parade (with a beautifully crafted float with waving, smiling church members, and the name and logo of the church), and at special city courthouse gatherings and proclamations which exude a community, civic-minded kind of feeling. Jesus said in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth” (NKJV). Let’s get out of the saltshaker and join the Optimist Club, the Rotary Club or M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), and while we’re at it, let people know about the “civic-minded church” to which we belong! 635,1*"

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Be Influential as People of Caring We’ve all heard it and said it . . . “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

The single best way to influence someone is to care about them. Churches which truly serve and care for their community will find that the people of their community will be predisposed toward having a positive image toward them in return. Invite the neighborhood homeowners association to meet at your church. Allow your church to be a hospitable, attractive, and friendly facility for Election Day for your voting district. Sponsor a “Zumba” exercise class, a “Lifeline Health Screening” for the community, or allow the Lion’s Club to have their pancake breakfast in your fellowship hall. Telephone, or better yet, personally visit civic organizations and let them know that the church welcome mat is out, because “we love our town!” (Definitely purchase Steve and Janie Sjogren’s excellent book, 101 Ways to Help People in Need!) Jesus said in Matthew 5:14 and 16, “You are the light of the world . . . let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works” (NKJV). Be Passionate Proclaimers Like the apostle Paul, we should be able to passionately say that as a church we are who we are and do what we do because “the love of Christ constrains us.” Whether your church vision is “bringing hope, bringing love, loving God, or helping people,” the focus must be: “You Always Have a Friend at Anywhere Church of God.” It must be lived out, presented to the church members, and carried to the unchurched community—passionately! When the pastor exhibits an authentic missional excitement, the contagion of passion propels through church members and spills over into the unchurched community. What does your church stand for? How will you communicate it? Three “proclaimers of church passion” are word of mouth, community servant evangelism, and the Internet (www.constantcontact.com for mass email marketing; www.wix.com for a free Website builder for your church Website that people will visit to learn about your church; and www.broadtexter.com for free mass text messaging that allows one-text message to be sent to an unlimited number of cell phones). Teenagers in your church are excellent candidates for easily learning this technology and cheerfully serving as your Internet technology coordinator.

Yes, our congregations can create a positive church image in our communities when we answer this question: “Is our desire to influence our community equal to our willingness to serve our community?” True compassion gives birth to servanthood, and servanthood gives birth to influence. Let’s create an influential church image in our communities. The Great Commission depends upon it. ■

she really is—broken, wounded, and desperate—but desperately beloved. ■ Jonathan Martin, Th.M., M.A., lead pastor of Renovatus: A Church for People Under Renovation; Website: www.renovatus. com; Email: [email protected]

O. Wayne Brewer, D.Min., is the administrative bishop of the Heartland Region; Website: www.heartlandchurchofgod.com; Email: [email protected].

THE IMPORTANCE OF AN AUTHENTIC IMAGE By Jonathan Martin

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HE DOMINANT MESSAGE most churches have heard in the last 20 years is that we need to create an excellent image—and of course, there is something to that. At Renovatus, we strive to do things well, from graphic design to Web presence. But what is often missed in our efforts to reach people who are overmarketed is their increased suspicion that we are trying to sell them a used car. In such an environment where people are becoming increasingly suspect of slick methodologies and want to see all the way underneath the hood, there is a need for an authentic image, not just an excellent image, At Renovatus, our goal is that there be no discrepancy between the people we really are and the people we proclaim ourselves to be. Since the church is both beautiful and broken, we do not pretend to be less broken than we actually are (or less beautiful, for that matter). The tagline for our church from the beginning is that we are for “liars, dreamers, and misfits,” an apt description of the odd assortment of characters caught up in the story of redemption from Genesis to now. We do not oversell ourselves. We promise only what we know we can deliver—an authentic Christian community of people deeply devoted to following Jesus in our day-to-day lives, fully aware of our deep brokenness. We are desperately dependent on God and on each other. As a church established on the baseline that we are all in deep need of God’s renovating grace, we feel that we can, in fact, promise to provide a safe place for people to confess their sins, praying for one another that we may be healed (James 5:16). The church of the present is attempting to catch up with the culture in terms of presenting herself attractively to the world. The church of the future is one that presents herself as

WHAT’S IN A NAME? By Gerald E. McGinnis

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HURCH GROWTH EXPERTS tell us we must be focused on “branding”—getting our name out there and building our image in the community. But the problem is, how do we create a positive image in a negative environment such as the church is faced with today? Building our image at Park West has been more a process than an event. During the past 32 years, I have encouraged my congregation to step outside the four walls of the church and reach our community. Throughout that time, our church has both networked with existing ministries and launched new ministries. A few examples of these are: UÊœÃÌÊ-…ii«Êˆ˜ˆÃÌÀˆiÃÊ­http://lostsheepministry.org/) UÊ "Ê­http://kicko.org/) UʏœL>Ê˜vÕȜ˜Ê­http://www.globalinfusion.org/). It is very likely that there are strong ministries and service groups already doing a great work in your area. Partnering with these groups will not only expand their capabilities, but also inspire your congregation to do something for the kingdom of God. In turn, and over time, this will energize your church. As lead pastor, I have attempted to set the example. I have served my community in a variety of capacities, including: UÊ …>«>ˆ˜Ê œœÀ`ˆ˜>̜ÀʜvÊ̅iʘœÝÊ œÕ˜ÌÞÊ-…iÀˆvv½ÃÊ"À}°Ê UÊ …>«>ˆ˜ÊvœÀÊ̅iÊ Ê>˜`Ê/°Ê The bottom line is this: The image of a church in the community is impacted by the character of the person in the pulpit. How we conduct ourselves as ministers has everything to do with how we are viewed in the community. Strengthening your image and building your name in the community will not happen overnight. It is a process. You can launch ministries of your own and/or partner with existing ones. However you choose to move forward, one thing is sure—you must take the first step and then methodically and consistently build on that. ■ 635,1*"

Gerald E. McGinnis, M.A., is pastor of the Park West Church, Knoxville, Tenn; Website: www.parkwest.org; Email: [email protected].

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18 RULES for Creative Meetings ■ by BRAD LOMENICK

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HERE IS A REASON that certain groups and organizations are ultimately more creative than others—it is because they have a different purpose when it comes to creating the right kind of environment for creativity. They are intentional with creating the creative environment. Here at Catalyst, we are very intentional about our creative process. It’s part of our DNA. When it comes to creating the right kind of environment, we’ve established some “rules” (suggested behavior) for our “creative” meetings: 1. Set the expectations for the meeting up front. Be very clear, even if there are no rules. 2. All ideas are welcome and needed. There is no bad answer—ever. 3. Many times the great ideas end up being an average idea that was built on and built on and built on. Give the average ideas a chance. 4. The answer is always “yes, and”; it is never “no, but” in a brainstorming meeting. Debbie Downer and Mr. No aren’t invited. NO has no place at the table—ever. 5. No one person can dominate the conversation/meeting. Respect everyone’s participation and his/her thoughts. 6. Allow for movement—standing up, walking, sitting down, whatever works for people—especially those with shorter attention spans! 7. Provide creative “extras,” such as toys, sports items, collectives, visual effects, and other “enhancers.” 8. Take mental breaks every 30-40 minutes, and physical breaks every 90 minutes at minimum. 9. Take VERY detailed notes. Capture everything that is said and created. You have to have a dedicated note taker. Record every idea that’s thrown out. Capturing ideas and then being able to find them later and put them into action is crucial. Everyone thinks they can remember the best ideas, but literally within a couple of hours you will have forgotten.

10. Always allow for rabbit trails, but have a facilitator who keeps things moving in a certain direction. 11. Keep the fun factor high. Keep the fun meter above 50 percent. If it drops below that, stop and reestablish the fun factor. 12. If you have anyone leaning toward operations or finance or asking the question “How much will that cost?” then they are banned and can’t ever come to a brainstorming meeting again. Unless they can think outside the box, keep the bean counters out. 13. Think/dream way bigger and with no limitations whatsoever. Try to develop ideas outside the norm and outside your industry or niche. 14. Make sure you do your homework. Research ideas, get on YouTube for a couple of hours, see what others are doing, and intentionally find ideas and insight that will fuel conversations and idea development. 15. Music, vibe, and atmosphere are crucial. Set a tone with the appropriate music, appropriate and energetic lighting, lots of snacks, and plenty of coffee and caffeine. A high-energy environment makes being creative way easier. 16. Invite friends from outside your team. Most creative people love being invited to creative meetings with other teams, because they know it will be invigorating and fun. 17. If possible, make sure your facilitator is NOT a participant. It keeps them neutral and away from “liking” certain ideas and thus influencing the nature of what ideas seem to be the most popular. 18. The meeting is only the beginning. The best ideas typically are created, gathered, and decided on outside of creative meetings. Make sure your creative meeting is a catalyst for ongoing conversations and creative ideas. Hopefully these are helpful as you create, brainstorm, and ideate in your own environments. ■ 635,1*"

Brad Lomenick is executive director of Catalyst. Website: www. catalystspace.com; Twitter: @bradlomenick; Used with permission.

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SIX REASONS Young Christians Leave Church ■ by฀

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ANY PARENTS and church leaders wonder how to most effectively cultivate durable faith in the lives of young people. A five-year project headed by Barna Group president David Kinnaman explores the opportunities and challenges of faith development among teens and young adults within a rapidly shifting culture. The findings of the research are included in a new book by Kinnaman titled, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church and Rethinking Church. The research project was comprised of eight national studies, including interviews with teenagers, young adults, parents, youth pastors, and senior pastors. The study of young adults focused on those who were regular churchgoers during their teen years and explored their reasons for disconnection from church life after age 15. No single reason dominated the break-up between church and young adults. Instead, a variety of reasons emerged. Overall, the research uncovered six significant themes why nearly three out of every five young Christians (59 percent) disconnect either permanently or for an extended period of time from church life after age 15. REASON #1—Churches seem overprotective. A few of the defining characteristics of today’s teens and young adults are their unprecedented access to ideas and worldviews, as well as their prodigious consumption of popular culture. As Christians, they express the desire for their faith in Christ to connect to the world in which they live. However, much of their experience of Christianity feels stifling, fear-based and risk-averse. One-quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds said “Christians demonize everything outside of the church” (23 percent indicated this “completely” or “mostly” describes their experience). Other perceptions in this category include “church ignoring the problems of the real world” (22 percent) and “my church is too concerned that movies, music, and video games are harmful” (18 percent).

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REASON #2—Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow. A second reason that young people depart church as young adults is that something is lacking in their experience

฀ of church. One-third said “church is boring” (31 percent). One-quarter of these young adults said that “faith is not relevant to my career or interests” (24 percent) or that “the Bible is not taught clearly or often enough” (23 percent). Sadly, one-fifth of these young adults who attended a church as a teenager said that “God seems missing from my experience of church” (20 percent). REASON #3—Churches come across as antagonistic to science. One of the reasons young adults feel disconnected from church or from faith is the tension they feel between Christianity and science. The most common of the perceptions in this arena is, “Christians are too confident they know all the answers” (35 percent). Three out of 10 young adults with a Christian background feel that “churches are out of step with the scientific world in which we live” (29 percent). Another one-quarter of young adults embrace the perception that “Christianity is anti-science” (25 percent). And nearly the same proportion (23 percent) said they have “been turned off by the creation-versus-evolution debate.” Furthermore, the research shows that many science-minded young Christians are struggling to find ways of staying faithful to their beliefs and to their professional calling in sciencerelated industries. REASON #4—Young Christians’ church experiences related to sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental. With unfettered access to digital pornography and immersed in a culture that values hyper-sexuality over wholeness, teen and twentysomething Christians are struggling with how to live meaningful lives in terms of sex and sexuality. One of the significant tensions for many young believers is how to live up to the church’s expectations of chastity and sexual purity in this culture, especially as the age of first marriage is now commonly delayed to the late twenties. Research indicates that most young Christians are as sexually active as their non-Christian peers, even though they are more conservative in their attitudes about sexuality. One-sixth of young Christians (17 percent) said they “have made mistakes and feel judged in church because of them.” The issue of sexuality is particularly salient among 18- to 29-year-old Catholics,

among whom two out of five (40 percent) said the church’s “teachings on sexuality and birth control are out of date.” REASON #5—They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity. Younger Americans have been shaped by a culture that esteems open-mindedness, tolerance, and acceptance. Today’s youth and young adults also are the most eclectic generation in American history in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, technological tools, and sources of authority. Most young adults want to find areas of common ground with each other, sometimes even if that means glossing over real differences. Three out of ten young Christians (29 percent) said “churches are afraid of the beliefs of other faiths,” and an identical proportion felt they are “forced to choose between my faith and my friends.” One-fifth of young adults with a Christian background said “church is like a country club, only for insiders” (22 percent). REASON #6—The church feels unfriendly to those who doubt. Young adults with Christian experience say the church is not a place that allows them to express doubts. They do not feel safe admitting that sometimes Christianity does not make sense. In addition, many feel that the church’s response to doubt is trivial. Some of the perceptions in this regard include not being able “to ask my most pressing life questions in church” (36 percent) and having “significant intellectual doubts about my faith” (23 percent). In a related theme of how churches struggle to help young adults who feel marginalized, about one out of every six young adults with a Christian background said their faith “does not help with depression or other emotional problems” they experience (18 percent). Turning Toward Connection David Kinnaman, who is the coauthor of the book unChristian, explained that . . . The problem of young adults dropping out of church life is particularly urgent because most churches work best for ‘traditional’ young adults—those whose life journeys and life questions are normal and conventional. But most young adults no longer follow the typical path of leaving home, getting an education, finding a job, getting married and having kids—all before the age of 30. These life events are being delayed, reordered, and sometimes pushed completely off the radar among today’s young adults. Consequently, churches are not prepared to handle the ‘new normal.’ Instead, church leaders are most

comfortable working with young, married adults, especially those with children. However, the world for young adults is changing in significant ways, such as their remarkable access to the world and worldviews via technology, their alienation from various institutions, and their skepticism toward external sources of authority, including Christianity and the Bible.

The research points to two opposite, but equally dangerous responses by faith leaders and parents—either catering to or minimizing the concerns of the next generation. The study suggests some leaders ignore the concerns and issues of teens and twentysomethings because they feel that the disconnection will end when young adults are older and have their own children. Yet, this response misses the dramatic technological, social, and spiritual changes that have occurred over the last 25 years and ignores the significant present-day challenges these young adults are facing. Other churches seem to be taking the opposite corrective action by using all means possible to make their congregation appeal to teens and young adults. However, putting the focus squarely on youth and young adults causes the church to exclude older believers and “builds the church on the preferences of young people and not on the pursuit of God,” Kinnaman said. Between these extremes, the just-released book You Lost Me points to ways in which the various concerns being raised by young Christians (including church dropouts) could lead to revitalized ministry and deeper connections in families. Kinnaman observed that many churches approach generations in a hierarchical, top-down manner, rather than deploying a true team of believers of all ages. “Cultivating intergenerational relationships is one of the most important ways in which effective faith communities are developing flourishing faith in both young and old. In many churches, this means changing the metaphor from simply passing the baton to the next generation to a more functional, biblical picture of a body—that is, the entire community of faith, across the entire lifespan, working together to fulfill God’s purposes.” ■ David Kinnaman is president of Barna Group located in Ventura, California. Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each update on the latest research findings from Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org).You can also download free excerpts from Kinnaman’s book on the Barna website. Additional research-based resources are also available through this website. Used with permission.

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THE EARTH IS FLAT . . . ■ by JOE CASH AND PATRICK BALLINGTON ONSIDERING THE NEW “currency” of online information and the explosion of virtual communities (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), we are faced with a fascinating, but fertile paradigm in which Christ’s call to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19 NKJV) is conceptually possible on a level never before considered. According to Lifeway Research (2011), 78 percent of churches have already established their presence on the World Wide Web by creating a website as a means of introducing their church to their community. Nearly half (47 percent) of those with websites also use the Internet to stream their services, live and/or archive sermons, allowing outsiders a peek into their worship services. In addition, a rapidly growing number of churches and pastors are discovering ways to use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms to help connect their members and attenders, and to promote events and ministries to members of their online community. However, The Bridge Church in Cleveland, Georgia, is among a few churches that are exploring ways of using all these mediums, along with live chat and video conferencing, to reach beyond the walls of a church—even beyond a church’s own community—to form a completely online congregation. Once we accept the meaning of “church” as a Christcentered community in relationship with each other and the Holy Spirit, conventional expressions of Sunday morning

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services and geographic attachment to buildings and locations should no longer constrain the bride of Christ. With the Christian community as the catalyst, “online church” is becoming not only a twenty-first century phenomenon, but also a genuine expression and sharing of faith in a context that connects with a digitally connected world. The people of the online church are able to form a digital—yet still authentic and effective—ecclesiastical community. In his statistically veracious book, You Lost Me (2011), David Kinnaman attempts to reframe how the church makes disciples and how a new generation of spiritual nomads, exiles, and prodigals seeks to know God; Kinnaman refers to “the changing means and methods of communicating and finding information . . . that has “deeply affected the cognitive and emotional process of encoding faith” in the next generation. As a response to these shifts in how people of modern culture connect with others, express themselves, and explore new ideas, The Bridge has created an iCampus that integrates discussion, inquiry, worship, confession, discipleship, and study within an organic online community. This community has the potential to elevate the conversation past our own struggles, cultural reservations, societal challenges, and generational nuances. By utilizing this nontraditional venue, iCampus has become a sanctuary where the individual can

. . . and the Great Commission is Doable!

receive biblical teaching, observe or engage in worship, participate in Christian community, explore spiritual disciplines, make public professions of faith, and benefit from a personal (and private, when appropriate) ministry of prayer and guidance. With a live chat room and a live introduction and closing to the weekly lesson/sermon, the viewer is able to engage and interact throughout the experience. We are also able to immediately direct participants to supplemental reading, set up follow-up conversations, link participants to other podcasts or resources, and connect them with fellow participants and ministry leaders in ongoing relationships based upon a congenial, spiritual journey, stage of life, and personal experience. Hosted from a central hub in rural Cleveland, Georgia, our iCampus transcends the traditional one-hour worship experience confined within the walls of our building. The Bridge Church staff and attenders use Facebook and Twitter, along with personal invitations and texts, to invite friends, family members, and acquaintances from down the street or around the world to join them online on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. (Eastern) for our online “service.” Our “service” is scheduled to last for an hour but often starts early and goes for two hours or more as the mosaic of live conversations, from California to New York, from Missouri to Thailand, continues. The participatory dynamic of iCampus allows

individuals to gain from the sharing of others and to also positively influence the faith experience of others as they discuss scriptural truths, share personal testimonies, and encourage one another toward a life change that conforms to the teachings and example of Christ. Certainly, an “iCongregant” could sit passively, listen to a sermon, and log off; just as a Sunday morning Christian can merely fill a spot on a pew. However, by drawing the participant into the chat and online experience, iCampus has created a modern confessional booth and effectively entered a modern mission field. The online mission field is not only an incredible opportunity; but, I suggest that it is also our obligation. In Acts, we receive a direct commandment from our Savior to “be a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth” (13:47). How invigorating and encouraging it is to consider fulfilling the Great Commission on such a “flat earth” created by the Internet. Online churches are not the silver bullet for the widening chasm between digital natives and those more accustomed to experiencing worship or discipleship via physical presence in a particular place. Online churches are, however, meeting both believers and seekers where they are—logged on. ■ Patrick Ballington, B.S., is lead pastor of The Bridge Church of God, Cleveland, Ga.; Joe Cash, Ph.D., serves as deacon and the iCampus pastor for The Bridge Church. Website: thebridgeonline. cc; Email: Go to the website and click on “Contact Us.”

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Establishing a Local Church

HISTORICAL COMMISSION ■ by JERRY J. JETER *Warning* Reading this article may incite a passion to discover the history of your local congregation.

WHY HISTORY?

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Is a local church historical commission really all that necessary? Its very suggestion drives us to an even deeper question: “Is a local church’s history really all that important?” I suspect that many pastors and congregants know little to nothing about the people, passions, and pains that comprise the story of how their congregation was established. After all, we are consistently pressed to look forward and not backward. Even the Bible says, “Do not remember the former things . . . Behold, I will do a new thing”(Isaiah 43:18-19). But for all the scriptural calls to look ahead, the Bible also emphasizes the significance of knowing our history and heritage. Judges 2 tells of the death of Joshua and his generation. In a word of warning about the loss of history, Judges 2:10-11 says, “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.

Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord” (NKJV). A generation which did not know the stories of what God had done for their forefathers failed to follow the God of their forefathers. History is important. I would dare say that it is a dangerous thing for a pastor to attempt to lead his congregation toward its destiny without first discovering something of its past—where it came from and how it came to be where it is. The uncovering of a local church history can provide the pastor and congregation with three important things: 1. Identity—Just as you are the sum of your life experiences, so your church’s identity is defined by its history. Even if you want to change the identity of your church, it is still important to know and understand its history. 2. Information—The old saying is that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Our church’s history can become vital information while navigating the course to our destiny. 3. Inspiration—The Bible calls us to remember the works God has done in order to inspire faith and hope. The stories

of perseverance and commitment that led to the establishment of a local church can inspire current church members to deeper levels of service.

HOW TO ESTABLISH A LOCAL CHURCH HISTORICAL COMMISSION In the quest to uncover your church’s history (the good, the bad, and the ugly!), the establishment of a local historical commission is the key to success. Just as your church’s history was not made by one person, neither is it best discovered, interpreted, or communicated by one person. To begin the process, the pastor should appoint a team of at least three people, with one being designated as the chairperson. The requirements for service on the commission may vary based on availability, but two common threads should run throughout—a love for their church and an interest in history. Combining these factors will bring the initiative needed to begin the process of uncovering and revealing a congregational story. Several other qualifications should also be considered when choosing team members. Some background with research, writing skills, objectivity, and training in social sciences would all be helpful. Once the team has been appointed, their purpose and responsibilities should be clearly stated. The purpose of the historical commission is to research, record, and recognize the history of the local congregation. The responsibility of the commission is to, (1) maintain historical records and documents, (2) assist the pastor in developing and implementing plans to celebrate local church history, and (3) to communicate and serve as a contact for their state historical board. After the commission is established, the joy (and sometimes pain) of discovering the story of your congregation’s past can begin. The daunting task of “where to start” is often a challenge for many researchers who are new to the process. A church’s story can be found through many sources. Here are several resources with which to begin: the minutes from church or council meetings, interviews with members or former members, material produced by the church (bulletins, newsletters, etc.), photos, state papers, denominational histories, local newspapers and county records. The role of the commission is to process and assimilate these sources into an account which can be utilized by the congregation in celebrating their heritage and pressing toward their future. Though the goal of the commission is to be objective, they should also understand the importance of proper discretion. If the commission turns up information of a sensitive nature, the pastor should always be consulted in how to deal with it. After all, the objective of the commission is to provide a solid foundation for the church to move forward, not controversies that will hinder the church’s progress.

CELEBRATING YOUR LOCAL CHURCH HISTORY Once the history of the church is discovered, the commission should assist the pastor in celebrating the church’s story in a way which encourages the congregation to move forward. Here is a list of ways to celebrate church history: ÊUÊ iÀˆÌ>}iÊ >Þ—An annual Heritage Day provides a great opportunity for celebrating congregational history and relating the stories of past successes. A heritage display with photos and memorabilia from the church’s past makes a nice addition to the day. ÊUÊ 7ÀˆÌÌi˜Ê ˆÃ̜ÀÞ—The apex of celebrating your local church history is to put it in writing. Whether recording a brief history or a more thorough investigation, producing an account in writing will leave a lasting waypoint in your church’s journey. ÊUÊ 6ˆ`iœÊ ˆÃ̜ÀÞ—Technology advances have made video production much more accessible to the local church. A brief documentary style video is the best method for communicating the story to a multigenerational audience. ÊUÊiÀˆÌ>}iÊ"vviÀˆ˜}—Each year on the anniversary of the church, receive a special heritage and harvest offering, asking each family to bring an offering (possibly equivalent to the church’s age) for outreach. This is a great way to connect the church’s history to its future. ÊUÊiÀˆÌ>}iÊ,œœ“—Designate a classroom in the church as the Heritage Room. This room can be used to display memorabilia related to the church’s history such as photos, old pulpits, plaques, and church records. The room should be maintained as a functional classroom so that the church’s story is integrated into its present. This is also a great place to display items that may not fit into modern décor but are still treasured by church members. With the assistance of the local historical commission, an examination and presentation of the church’s story can encourage people to move forward on the foundation which has been laid. A study of history will help people focus on the vision of the church as you reexamine the passion and mission with which the church was started. It prevents institutionalization as members gain perspective on the church’s missional origins. As the church gets a panoramic view of its history, people are less likely to get hung up on one era as continuity is built by the theme of transition. A thorough study of history lends to the conclusion that change is the only constant. ■ Jerry J. Jeter, M.Div., is a member of the Church of God Historical Commission, and pastor of Riverlife Church, Bradenton Fla.; Website: www.riverlifechurch.tv; Email: [email protected].

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HOW TO ENSURE A PORN-FREE STAFF A proactive approach can help minimize the X-rated threat to your ministry. ■ by DOUGLAS WEISS

P

ORN IS PROBABLY the fastest-growing problem in the church. When speaking at my Sex, Men, and God conferences, I have found that more than 50 percent of the men attending will admit to being addicted—not struggling with—to pornography. What about your church staff? Many of your staff members were also raised sexually by Playboy, the Internet, and our sex-saturated culture. We have to accept the reality that being in ministry doesn’t make anyone immune to the porn problem. This problem is largely a male issue, but there is more research supporting the fact that there is a rising number of Christian women who are also dabbling in pornography and social networks for inappropriate relationships. I know from personal experience what it’s like to be trapped by porn and sex addiction. I have been free for over 24 years, and being free is much better. There are several proactive things that you can do to minimize the threat of porn or other sexual issues, which will damage your ministry. Rarely does a month go by when a pastor or Christian leader is not sitting in my office with a porn or moral failure that could have possibly been prevented by having some of these strategies in place. Porn blockers on all church computers are a good first step. You can have accountability software, which allows a designated person to receive a report on websites attempted or viewed by each staff person. You can also offer to pay for porn blockers on home computers to even further safeguard your staff. Computers are not the only things that need a porn blocker anymore. Cell phones that have Internet access are virtual porn stores in your staff members’ pockets. You can have the browsers disabled or have porn-blocker and accountability software installed for cell phones, too. My phone doesn’t have Internet access, because I just don’t need or want the thought of having access to a porn store in my pocket 24/7.

We hear so much in the media about the military’s “Don’t ask; don’t tell” policy. The military has nothing on the church. We don’t ask our singles, men, or women in our congregation—and especially our staff—questions about their porn issues. I would say “man up and woman up.” Ask regularly if they are viewing porn. When you ask, you are giving them the opportunity for honesty. When you don’t ask, this secret can grow into an affair or lawsuit for the church. So ask, and have women ask women as well, so that this porn issue isn’t growing hooks into anyone on your staff. Lastly, I have a radical idea. My clinical team and I voluntarily offer a guarantee that there is no secret sexual sin in our house, so that we can help any ministry. We agree to voluntarily take a polygraph to verify no porn or sex outside of marriage. So when you send a client to our office for a sex addiction problem, intimacy, anorexia issues, or marriage intensive counseling, you can be sure that the counselor is sexually clean. As a leader, you can volunteer to do this, and you can ask others to do likewise. You can also tell future staff members whom you want to hire that you want to verify their sexual purity. This will persuade those who want to continue in their sin to suddenly not feel “called” or “led” to be a part of your team. This practice has actually stopped several Christian male counselors from wanting to be on my staff. Ultimately, your proactive approach can help those on your staff feel safe. This also helps your flock know that their leaders are taking a strategic stance against the devil’s plan to destroy the ministry that they receive from your team. ■ Doug Weiss, Ph.D., is the executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the author of Sex, Men, and God (Charisma House). Dr. Weiss offers free telephone assessments available for anyone who needs it. You may contact Dr. Weiss via his website, www.drdougweiss.com, by phone at 719-278-3708 or through email at [email protected]. Used with permission.

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