June 11th, 2009
Authority of Jesus: Tom
Faggart
This text is the corner stone for the crucifixion of
Jesus Christ. He comes with a new core for religious
teachings. He does not document what he
teaches with the authorities of his day, nor do they measure up to the law of
Moses. They are radically different from
anything in the Jewish History.
The law of Moses was based on accomplished human
acts. Jesus was interested in the inward
intention of the person who committed the act.
Sin for Jesus could be committed by word, thought, and deed. If I understand the Jewish teaching … sin came
in the committing of the act.
Jesus’ authority rested on insights given him by the Holy
Spirit. Therein was the core of his
authority. Paul Tillich taught that the
difference in Jesus and other human beings was his openness to the Holy
Spirit. Acting through Jesus the Holy Spirit provided healings, teachings unique to Jesus. In those acts and teachings was the
Grace of God bringing life and salvation to humanity. The
proof of the reality of Jesus’ teachings were the results they produced. Jesus himself said that those who heard and
did his teachings would be like a house built upon a rock that could withstand
storms and stress. Strangely enough not following the teachings of
Christ and giving respect and reliance upon the Holy Spirit maybe the reason for the
downfall of the modern church.
The church has preferred to argue over whether Jesus was
God. We are totally immersed in an old
pagan need for a sacrifice to appease God.
Even the prophets in the old testament declared God did not want
sacrifices. He wanted his followers to
love kindness and mercy and to walk humbly with him. God in fact despised our offerings.
An unloving human being can not even imagine a God of
Love, and understand the power of Love.
Jesus did! Consequently, His
commandments reflected that understanding.
Human beings, (preachers) who act
out of love will soon understand humanities distrust for love. “No one gives something for nothing”, is an old
saying. What are you going to get out of
it?
Jesus’ payment was in seeing a human destroyed by life become free to live.
“You shall know the truth and the truth will set you
free” John 8:32
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June 11th, 2009
- Love their particularly community. Their pastors have found a way not only to love their congregations but also their neighborhood. Effective pastors help their congregations move beyond love of themselves, turning their congregations outward.
- Rise above mere contentment with things as they are and do what is necessary to expect and welcome change, disruption, and movement, similar to that of the Risen Christ.
- Find a way to welcome the stranger and to practice radical hospitality in the name of Jesus Christ. They find a way to be as interested in those who have yet to join the church as those already in the church.
- Have a clear sense of their primary purpose and keep focused on their primary God-given missions.
- Enable lay leaders to lead, not just manage. Lay leadership that feels a strong sense of responsibility for the future of their congregation.
- All have a strong, change oriented, gifted pastor.
- Make growth a priority and figure out how to grow.
- Keep focused upon Jesus Christ as the originator of, and the purpose for the church (rather than church as just another human oriented institution).
How does your church answer to these qualities of effective churches? What specific steps would your congregation need to take to live into the future in a different way?
William H. Willimon …Bishop UMC North Alabama Annual Conference
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June 11th, 2009
Intelligence and Christianity need not be in conflict! Educated people are taught to think!
“Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” I John 8:31
John in his gospel declared that Jesus was truth.
When distorted ideas are paraded as truth, eventually the distortion will lead to the down fall of the idea … Only truth will not pass away.
An example: During a musical program recently the Christmas Story was read, and a multimedia program with pictures on a large screen helped tell the story. About half way through the lesson I developed a head ache, and my mind started to question. What’s going on, I thought?
The angels bothered me. Never before had this happened. As I thought through why this was happening I discovered the feathered covered wings on the back of a beautiful lady was distorting the story.
There is no Biblical record of those who approached Mary as having wings.
The only place I could remember the cherubim having wings was in Isaiah 6. Angels in Genesis appeared as men like the natives. The only difference seemed to be they had unusual powers.
In the modern world people just don’t see angels with wings on their back. So any presentation of such pushes the story to the realm of fantasy. I am convinced that on the subconscious level it becomes an unrealized reason for doubt and disbelief. The Christian Faith is not fantasy.
A member of the board of ordained ministry asked a young clergy where he got his idea that Jesus must have been a woman? His response was: “I am a trained biologist.” My specialty is genetics. If you make an offspring from a single cell the sex will be determined by the sex of the individual from whom the cell came.
Mary was a woman. Since there was no male interaction. Jesus had to be a woman. Members of the board were livid! They kept him on probation another year to get his theology right. I thought it quite funny.
I told the board after he left … the man was right. It’s just another reason why so many people believe Jesus really did become the Christ at his Baptism when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. The next year he was passed!
In order for the church to survive in a more and more intellectual world we need to tout the truth of the gospel, and not the fantasy of the gospel. We can do so by sharing the truth and letting the fantasy slip by the way side.
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June 11th, 2009
Why deny the power of an abstract ?
by Tom Faggart
Words like “Love”, “Grace”, “Comfort”, “caring”, and “believe” are all abstracts. They are not items that one can touch. They are feelings that touch us, enfold and caress us. They fill us with energy, and hope …which are two more abstract concepts. Why spend 30 minutes of a sermon trying to give a philosophical interpretation of what they mean. When you get through no one is going to understand what you are trying to say, and will probably be bored nigh unto death in your attempt.
Such concepts are conveyed with stories that embody examples of the concept. It is mind boggling what a story illustrating these words do to the hearer. People actually experience the concept right within the sound of your voice and right before your eyes. Jesus’ teaching and preaching embodied all of these concepts. He never gave a theological speech on them. He just told a story.
Three year old Susie was helping her mother wrap Christmas Gifts. She was enthralled as her mother told her giving a gift was a way of showing love. Her mother took a small necklace out of a box and placed it on a new sweater for her sister and wrapped the gift. Susie took the box and a piece of paper and made her way behind the tree and wrapped the box, placed it under the tree. On Christmas morning gifts were given out. One gift remained. Susie took her gift and gave it to her daddy. He opened the gift and saw the box seemed empty. There’s nothing in this box said her father. Susie, you don’t give empty boxes. Oh Daddy, she said, the box is not empty. Before I wrapped it I filled it up with all my love. Her father reached down, pulled her close to him and hugged her. Tears flowed from his eyes. There is not a person here today who would not prefer Susie’s gift over all others. There is not a person here who did not feel the meaning of love.
I told this story many times over the years. Later I noticed many, beautifully wrapped small boxes on pillows of people in the hospital. Even though I knew I always asked: “What is in that small box?” Answer … it is from ______, it contains his/her love.
I was listening to NPR radio the other morning. The host was interviewing an author of a new book just released. She said, there’s a little story in this book that caught my mind and won’t let it go. It is just a few lines long. It deals with people helping people. You said you went to the grocery one morning terribly upset. When the check out boy checked your groceries, and bagged them for you he looked you square in the eyes and said: “I hope the rest of your day is a blessed one!” You said it hit you like a ton bricks. You believed he meant it. A calmness came over you. It changed your day, and the way you understood communications. He brought comfort to you.
If you have similar stories … Why not share them in comments?
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June 11th, 2009
Do not miss this wedding Two weeks ago a young friend of ours was getting married in a distant city. We planned to make the trip and had to make arrangements for a place to stay, send in our intentions to attend the rehearsal, and after rehearsal dinner. We were invited to the reception after the wedding. We were really excited as we travelled several hours to get there. At arrival we were greeted by a host of old friends. Excitement abounded! We would not have missed this experience for anything. It is not strange that Jesus would use a marriage feast as a tool to snag the minds of his hearers and show them the excitement in anticipated the coming kingdom of God. In his parable there were two groups of people planning to enjoy the fullness of this experience. One group were people who made plans and preparations for their lives. Another group were parasites who came along for the fun, and depended upon others to cover for their laziness. Sometimes this inept group are sorely surprised when the prepared refuse to be taken advantage of. To which group do you belong.
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June 11th, 2009
Planning Worship
The most successful planning I’ve experienced occurred in a retreat setting. It is essential to get away to a place where one can concentrate, and not be interrupted. A time of devotion will tune the mind and the spirit to the task that lies ahead.
The tools essential to good planning are: Bible, copy of the liturgical calendar, hymn book, and a regular calendar. The best planning is effected when the principle leaders of the worship are involved in the planning; ie. choir director, organist, associates and pastor.
The best planning my staffs did was a season at a time. We read all the scripture lessons together, and decide upon a “theme” for each Sunday in the season plus the text. Good worship follows a predetermined theme. Hymns were chosen to compliment the theme. The Psalter lesson was chosen at this meeting. When the group finished all the essentials for worship for the whole season were in place. Everyone involved received a copy of: Theme, text, hymns, and Psalter for each Sunday in the season. Each person took this information and planned their individual parts to coincide with the general plan. It worked! Attendance usually set a new level for the church.
Musicians are always delighted with this process. They are able to plan well in advance. Instead of just filling up a Sunday they are able to do creative thinking, test different ideas, purchase new music, and really get excited about their contribution.
Knowing what I was going to be preaching on in advance enabled me to be storing away stories, articles, poems, and ideas I happened across during the season. When you know what you are looking for you will usually find it. By the same token when one is not under pressure one’s mind is usually more creative. Your people appreciate the anount of importance you give to your responsibility as their preacher, pastor, and priest.
Be sure to present a copy of the worship plans to the secretary for the newsletter and bulletin. Now the bulleton can be put together without rushing it.
Sunday Morning will carry with it an air of excitement. Every one will be prepared and relaxed. The congregation will be blessed.
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June 11th, 2009
How street smart are you?
Too many clergy shoot themselves in the foot before they get on board with their people due to a lack of understanding of their congregation. Before you make leadership moves … know your congregation.
How do you do it?
Access Church records and study them. What names do you see on several committees? What persons seem to succeed themselves over and over again? Who are the people on the power committees: Finance, Staff, and Property committees? These persons are usually the power people in your church. Get to know who they are and the level of their spiritual commitment. How do they perceive the church? Can they handle the stress of change? Your first round of dealing with these people will be information gathering both on factual and feeling level. When you visit understand that they will be doing the same thing with you that you are doing with them. Only a foolish beginner will put forth plans for growth at this time. That will come later. Just get to know who they are and try to assess how much stress they can handle. If a church decides to grow it will cause stress.
Meet with each one of your committee chairpersons: One on one evaluate how well they are prepared to do their job, and where they feel the church is and where it ought to be. Again be aware of objective evidence and subjective feelings. Can they handle stress of change?
Finally, Who is the real leader of this congregation? One way to find out is to change something small in nature. Remember who comes and talks with you about what you have done. This will probably be one of the weaker of your power people. The real power will not appear until later. Remember names this person shares, especially if someone sent the individual, or so and so does not approve. You are going to want to deal with the real power in your church from the very beginning. Why waste time with the underlings? Bet your bottom dollar there is a power structure (pecking order) in every group of people. By the virtue of your office you need to deal with the top of the order. Sometimes you will be shocked by who the real decision maker in your church really is. Only when you identify and can deal with this person and/or persons will you be able to lead this congregation to growth.
Most attempts of growth are killed before they begin because little or no ground work has been done with the right people. Trying to make new leaders who will support you will only insure that those who try to assume leadership will be frozen out of the church family. Trying to lead a congregation without support from real leadership will lead to failure and/or war in the church. A real Christian pastor will not want to be responsible for either.
Most real leaders are not difficult to deal with if you are up front with them. When they are your team you will be amazed at what the church can do. Early in my ministry I was serving a 600 member church. I thought a gentleman who was chairperson of the County Commissioners was the power in the church. He was the one everyone seemed to look up to. When I had an issue I needed to air I would usually approach him. He seemed to always want to think about it and then give me an answer. After several years when he knew I was in a tight spot he would usually approach me with sound advice on how I could extricate myself. In five years this church doubled it membership.
Five years into my ministry there I wanted $1,000 to help a military teenager get into a UMC college. I was convinced he was headed for the ministry. I got only negative feedback. The commissioner said, “You need to go see my wife”. I did! She was very quiet and did not serve on a committee in the church. I met with her and after some polite but very frank discussion she agreed to go along. The next day I got word to proceed with my project. She was the real power in the church. Today the young man is the president of one of our church colleges. At that time she thought he would squander the money.
I felt like an idiot when I discovered I had been there 5 years before I discovered who the real power in the church was. Fortunately, she was a Christian. After that experience we faced some unbelievable issues centered around high school students in our church together. She was the school counselor.
When you know who really runs the church and build relationships with these people you can began your ministry and they will help make changes that will allow growth to begin. When they are with you success is almost guaranteed. It will only happen when the real leadership of the church trusts you. It really will happen when you can get them to do it. If they will not agree you will have to decide whether your goal is to stay as long as possible treading water, or to move. I would move before risking a split in the church. I asked to move several times in my ministry.
By now you have gathered that leading real growth in a church is not easy. How much of yourself are you willing to invest? How much stress can you handle?
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June 11th, 2009
In forty years I never served a church that wanted to grow. In forty years I never served a congregation that did not grow during my ministry. Most UMC churches do not want new members. Neither, do they want to die. A smart clergy can find enough room in the crack of this problem to help the church grow.
Most old guard leaders are interested in protecting their own positions in the church. They will find ways to keep new members out of the leadership to protect their own positions. If, new people would just attend and pay they would love new members. If, they get involved in leadership they will probably be “trouble makers”.
A “trouble maker” is anyone with a new idea that is not part of the established history of the church.
One of the major roles of the clergy is to receive members into the church. If, you can get the congregation to help … much the better. Each congregation seems to have a magic number of new members they can absorb. Go over that number and tension will be felt.
You will have to become an expert in conflict management to lead a church through a cycle of growth. Growth can only happen when clergy know who they are, whose they are, and are willing to take grief with their mouths shut. You will have to be strong enough to stand alone with the Holy Spirit as your guide.
The conference will not support you in a showdown. They will just move you. When you are unable to raise the franchise fund one year … you will have to go … even if you have funds on hands to pay and the treasure will not send the funds to the conference treasurer.
I did serve several churches where the members brought new members. Strangely enough it was new members who brought new members. I was able to build the church by assimilating the new members into groups composed mainly of new members. I started new Sunday School Classes, had groups of four families eating out together once a month, and organized interest groups. New comers were interested because they had moved to a new place and were trying to settle in. The results were increases in every area of the church life. During this time I trained the new members of the church in group dynamics and taught them how to survive in a semi-acceptance environment.
Of course the old timers fought it. In the largest church I served the official board had a motion on the floor to close membership of the church. The motion came from the Chairperson Evangelism Committee.
I talked them into starting a fund to begin a new church, take some of the new prospects and organize them into a new church. They agreed to this. At Annual Conference the bishop appointed us an associate to start a new church. Six months later St. Francis was born. Today it is one of the larger churches in the conference. Two other churches were started by this church and it is still the largest church in the conference. Strangely enough the good works did not come from a caring heart, but an escape from having a larger church. Today this church is the largest UMC in North Carolina.
It is no wonder clergy get gun shy when it comes to church growth. What do you think?
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June 11th, 2009
“By precept and example” was a very descriptive phrase in many of the liturgies of the church is times gone by. It describes how we really lead a congregation. The way clergy greet guests will be reflected by the congregation. If the clergy is suspicious of new comers … so will be the congregation. If clergy is open and accepting … the congregation will follow suit, or get rid of the clergy.
Too many clergy are afraid to be in healthy tension with the congregation. They know the people who carry the weight and do their best to please them. They protect their positions so they can stay. In fact, in most churches staying seems to be the main concern for the clergy. There are no challenging sermons. A little hell fire for those sinners out there; but no real challenge for the church membership. No examples of spiritual growth is evident in the clergy or congregation. Just don’t rock the boat.
We forget that if we follow the example of Jesus Christ we are going to make some ripples …even now and then, a wave. A challenging ministry will cause some tension. All growth causes some tension.
Can you paint a new picture of what your church could be … if? Is it clear! Do you have hundreds of new homes being built in your area; and yet your church is not growing. Has your church set a membership size in their mind and just want to maintain. The conference In which I now live is in the fastest growing area of our state, and the USA. The conference lost nearly 700 members last year. What is wrong?
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June 11th, 2009
Years ago I participated in a group which studied and shared ideas on scripture for the purpose of sermon building. It was one of the most fruitful times of my ministry. Would you be interested in participating in such an experience via the blog.
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