Article on the church: $110 Billion - by Chris Lagerlof

I read this great article by Chris Lagerlof and I thought that it is extremely valuable to the local church in America. What is the basic function of the spreading of the good news of Jesus? Churches or Christians? Interesting read... enjoy. 

$110 Billion

By slingshot on May 16, 2013

12% isn’t actually a math test; instead it captures a startling statistic I heard. In the last 15 years the church in the west has spent $110 billion on land and facilities and in that same time church attendance has decreased 12%. If true, our strategy to strengthen and expand the Church is failing. Even if the numbers aren’t accurate empirical evidence tells us church attendance is in decline and the church has spent significant dollars on recourses to reach the lost and grow the congregation. I know of three churches personally that have spent over $75 million in capital improvements the last 12 years and 2 of the 3 have actually declined in attendance. I hate to break the bad news, something isn’t working. Sure we can blame it on the composition of our cities changing, the lack of margin people have, or the reality that we are living in a post-church/post-Christian world. There are many excuses…The reality is the current model and paradigm isn’t working. We are familiar with the cliché “if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it.” In the west it seems that we have embraced the model if it’s broke throw a lot of money into it and it will be fixed. How’s that working?

First, you must know, I’m a raving fan of the church and I love the church! Second, my thoughts are aimed at looking at the current state of the church through a different set of lenses…I will get to that shortly. I’ve been captivated by the book of Acts lately. As I’ve read Acts and focused on it, I’ve realized that Acts says nothing about planting and building churches, however Acts is the blueprint for church growth and church planting. What I’ve really focused on is a simple model for church growth that Acts presents. Ready? Here it is…Reach lost people, disciple them and new churches will start and churches will grow. Acts doesn’t present a church planting strategy…It only presents a transformation strategy. It’s that simple. It’s not linear, built on several purposes and it’s pretty cost effective. Acts presents more of a “hear and obey” model as opposed to a “learn, grow and go” model. Which brings me to my next point, have our western models, paradigms, processes emerged as the greatest barrier for expanding and strengthening the church? Maybe another way to ask it since the Holy Spirit is a common denominator in all church growth movements, especially in Acts. Have western models, paradigms, processes become a barrier for the Holy Spirit to do his greatest work?

Now to my point, It seems obvious the western model of start a church, service or campus, reach lost people and then “disciple” them isn’t effective and we’re losing obvious spiritual ground. Well, Acts presents a model that is working in many places globally. It’s simply; convert and disciple people and churches and faith communities will naturally get started. In fact, in places where the church is exploding and expanding there is no real church planting strategy, the strategy is to basically see people come to Jesus and disciple them. When this happens, churches just start and churches just grow, much like we see in the book of Acts. Here is another way to look at it; Kingdom, Disciple, Society, Church. Let me briefly capture what that looks like:

Kingdom: Having a better understanding of the difference between a “church framework” and a “Kingdom Framework”? How do you plant, start, lead a church based on Kingdom principals and not “church” principals?
Disciple: Disciple, not the preacher, is the lowest common denominator.  How do you make disciples who make disciples?
Society: Every society, no matter how tribal or advanced, is built with common domains. Every church mobilizes their members locally and globally into these domains to transform society. In doing this the church becomes the missionary.
Church: Producing disciples that engage in society leads to the church emerging. It is a natural result.  The models are multifaceted.

Interesting isn’t it? So, here are 5 simple things to ponder and questions to ask:
1. Change your focus from being the biggest or best church in the city/area to churching the city/area.
2. Learn from the global church. Unfortunately most books, conferences, etc. focus on western models of church growth. Put on a new set of lenses and your learning hat and discover how the church is expanding and growing globally.
3. Look at your current model of discipleship and ask tough questions about its ability to produce disciples who produce disciples.
4. Read the book of Acts and ask questions like how did the church multiply? What do I learn about church growth? What happened in Acts that’s not happening in my church?
5. Personally and corporately shift to a model of hear and obey. Observe how your existing model creates barriers from this happening in your life and the life of your church.

I hope this helps and my heart is to help you. Let me know how I can serve you as you digest this stuff!

Original Article by Chris Lagerlof

(My favorite quote of this article is: "Disciple, not the preacher, is the lowest common denominator. How do you make disciples who make disciples?" This needs to be engraved into the hearts of every Christian - it is not the churches job, it is your job to tell people how incredible Jesus is!)

Song Review: Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

The story of Peter walking on water toward Jesus has always been a favorite of mine. As a worship leader, I've been looking for a song that did this story justice for so long. I want to recap that a bit if you don't mind. Here is one account of the story from Matthew.

Matthew 14:22-33 (NLT)

Jesus Walks on Water

²² Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. ²³ After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

²⁴ Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. ²⁵ About three o’clock in the morning^[a] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
²⁷ But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!^[b]”
²⁸ Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
²⁹ “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strong^[c] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
³¹ Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
³² When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. ³³ Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

If we put ourselves in this story, and realize how doubtful we are in our everyday lives, it is no wonder that not many worship songs had been written about it.  In verse 28 we see that Peter's initial emotion was trust yet within minutes he gets reprimanded for having such little faith in verse 31. How and when did this change, or did it? 

I notice three things in this passage that happened. First, he sees the strong wind and the waves. I think this is where most people go wrong when they are stepping out in faith. It isn't often calm seas when Christians step out to follow God in big ways. Notice that Peter no longer was looking to Jesus but to the waves. I can't imagine what was going through his mind during those moments. He gets out of the boat and started walking on the water. That would trip me out, and on top of that there was plenty of distractions around! Wind and waves splashing in his face and he took his eyes off Jesus... wouldn't you?!?!

The next thing we see is that he was terrified! No kidding. Wouldn't you be scared? You just got out of a boat in a storm at three o'clock in the morning and notice that everything around is in utter tumult. You aren't on solid ground, let alone a boat, you are on water... everything you know about water as an experienced boatman comes to mind and you realize that you've never seen anything as heavy as you not sink!

The third thing we see is that he "began" to sink. I think the choice of words is interesting, it doesn't say he sank, it just says that he started. I don't know about you but if you have ever been in a pool you know that it takes longer to say a few words than it does to sink. So, we see him shout "Save me, Lord!" and Jesus grabs him. I wonder how long that took to happen?? Was it a split second or was it more like the torture of quick sand, where anticipation and anxiety can take over.  

Either way, it isn't from the comfortable church pew that he battles this out. Then Jesus' response is hilarious. "You have so little faith, why did you doubt me?" This got me thinking - what is it about our faith now. It seems that we need rationalization for everything, it seems faith is only a word and doubt is a constant reality.  Another thing I noticed is that Jesus recognized Peter's lack of faith and didn't reject him, but extended His hand and grabbed him. This leads me to one of the most simple and honest lines of the song "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by Hillsong United.  In a place of uncertainty and failing,  Jesus has not failed and He won't stop now (end of verse 2).

This song is challenging. It recognizes the drive that Peter had to trust Jesus, but it calls on the Holy Spirit to be our strength in our most certain doubt and failures. My favorite part is the bridge (like just about everyone else that hears it). Maybe I needed the repetition of these words in my heart to speak truth regarding me stepping out in faith, or maybe I'm just not as smart as most people, but it took almost all 6 times through the bridge before it hit me. My trust has pretty small borders if I am honest with myself. I need Him to help me, I can't do it on my own.

Enjoy this song and it's powerful lyrics. If you read it through quickly you won't be doing yourself any favors. Allow God to speak to you through these words and step out on to the water in trust and faith.

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United

Verse 1
You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep, my faith will stand

CHORUS
And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Verse 2
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

Bridge
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters, wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior

Here is the video... remember to let God be God in your heart and as you step out in faith. Put your trust in the most capable hands of Jesus and continually seek the Holy Spirit to bring us to a deeper faith in Him.


Original video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw 

This made my day - Easter Recap from the OC

I love to see Jesus glorified through art! It is great to see people who's lives are radically transformed by His love and experience true joy in the hope that He gives them. God has been working in Orange County and we see renewed passion for God.

This video really got me stoked once again on artistic expressions of our lives in Him. This is from Easter this year. It includes a bunch of local churches and is coordinated by Rockharbor. A church that I have come to love and respect.



To view this on the original site: http://costamesa.rockharbor.org/wp-content/themes/rockharbor/embed.php?post=2353&blog=9

What is your expression of Christ's change in your life? What ways do you allow yourself to show those around you? Through words, through relationships, through a smiling face, through art???

Remember where you came from and live like the changed person you are.

Spoken Word G.O.S.P.E.L

A friend of mine shared this video with me and I was reminded of the powerful message that we can communicate through creative spoken word.  I would love to see more of this form of worship in our churches and communities.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gb7n9B_8m8

It is a great reminder for worship leaders to see that worship is not music. It is the glorification of God. It is when we give Jesus glory and not only when we sing. I love that this video uses spoken word/video/music/storytelling and graphic designing all to communicate one truth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Lord, help us to use the creativity that You have given us to glorify You"
-Luke

Learning to Sing - Tim Hughes

How economics and justice turn noise into music
By Tim Hughes

It was the American author and humorist Mark Twain who wrote, "It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand."

When I read the Bible, one thing seems abundantly clear: God is passionate about the poor. Jesus made that pretty apparent when he said, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18). In Amos 5, God's heart burns with anger as He rebukes a people who offer up songs of worship and other sacrifices, but trample and deprive the poor for their own selfish gain.

However, the simple reality is that we have a tendency to become blind to the truth. We somehow miss the fact that issues of poverty, justice and money are all over the Bible. We forget that while idolatry is the most common theme in the Old Testament, poverty is the second. We look blankly at the fact that one out of every 16 verses in the New Testament tackles the subject. In the first three Gospels poverty crops up every 10 verses, while in the book of Luke it's there every seven. We read the Bible and somehow all this just passes us by. We're left singing our songs in state-of-the-art auditoriums, while the world outside aches.

And in the spirit of Mark Twain's little quip, it's little wonder we skip over these major themes. They scare us because they are all-too-easy to understand; they scare us because of what they might require of us. We can't escape the truth that God's heart breaks for the last, the least, and the lost, and if we want to glorify God in all that we do, issues of justice and the poor need to be at the core of who we are. This will transform our economics-how we work, what we do with our money and how we spend our time. And it will transform the way we understand worship.

If You Want to Kiss the Sky
Speaking at the US National Prayer Breakfast in 2006, Bono remarked on God's heart for the poor:
"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house . . . God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives . . . God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war . . . God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them [the poor]."

Part of what I do involves traveling to different parts of the world training other worship leaders and leading worship at different churches and conferences. I get to work with some amazing people, to hear inspiring speakers and to see God move in remarkable ways. Recently I went on a ministry trip to South Africa with some friends from Soul Survivor. Compared to most trips, this one was fairly low-key. We led at a couple of relatively small evening meetings, but for the rest of our trip we spent time visiting different townships and projects throughout Durban. We spent one afternoon playing football (soccer) with some children who had been orphaned through AIDS. We spent a morning serving breakfast to a group of men who were homeless. We spent time with some children we met begging on the street who were merely surviving the realities of life with no home or family. We visited people's homes, we chatted, and at times we laughed and cried together. During the week, my heart was so stirred. I felt devastated at the injustice, and (strangely) fell more in love with Jesus. In the lives of the people I met, I encountered Christ. I can honestly say it was one of the best trips I have ever made. There were no big meetings. We didn't see hundreds of lives changed. On the contrary-it was our lives that were radically changed.

Money, Justice, and Worship
I feel constantly challenged to consider my own personal response to the Bible's mandate to love the poor. Economics at a certain level is a system of choices. We live in a global village; our lives our interconnected. Our personal actions and choices have an impact on others. From the clothes we buy, to the coffee we drink, to our carbon footprint-all of this has an impact. So are we making choices to bless, honor, and serve those who need our help? All of this also affects our finances. In many ways our checkbooks are journals of our personal choices. So, how am I giving sacrificially to bless others? Am I a cheerful giver? Does money have a hold on me? But this is about more than money. We can give away huge sums of money but our hearts can still be far from God. I believe God is calling us in the Church today to give all that we are, to live generous lives, loving our neighbors as ourselves.

The prophet Micah implores us to "love mercy." I sometimes wish the call were to "do mercy." That would be much easier. "Loving mercy" involves so much more. It involves the giving of the heart. It involves relationship. It's the difference between charity and justice. Charity doesn't need to involve the heart; it doesn't need to be about love. It's far too easy for charity to be about how it makes me feel, how it makes me look. There's something much more selfless about justice. Justice is about the needs of other people. Justice comes from love and love comes from relationship. Loving mercy means friendship with the poor.

Loving Mercy
In his fantastic book, The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Clayborne writes, "Writing a check makes us feel good and can fool us into thinking that we have loved the poor. But seeing the squat houses and tent cities and hungry children will transform our lives. Then we will be stirred to imagine the economics of rebirth and to hunger for the end of poverty."

So how do we move from doing mercy to loving mercy? Well, it involves seeking God's heart, praying for mercy, praying that our hearts would be softened and changed. It is loving our neighbors as ourselves, looking in the face of someone who has nothing and realizing with disturbing clarity that that could be me-or my children, or in fact my friend. In order to love mercy we need love our neighbors; those we share our street, our city, our planet with. It involves opening our eyes, our diaries, and sometimes our checkbooks and getting out there.

As a worship leader and pastor, I've been challenged to get out of my comfort zone-to see, feel and experience the hard realities of life for many others. To put myself in places where my heart and my complacency can be broken. One place that I've found that I keep being drawn back to is prison. It's never been high up on my places-to-visit list, but last June I had the privilege of visiting a maximum-security prison in Texas with a team to lead worship for about 500 inmates.

As we walked into the prison I thought my heart would be hardened against the inmates, I thought I'd despise them. But on the contrary I found that my heart went out to them. They were warm, friendly, kind and encouraging. It blew our minds. In the midst of such evil we saw a light; we sensed something of God. The guy operating the sound desk was serving a 99-year sentence. (On this occasion we chose not to question any of the sound levels he'd set in our monitors!) Watching a number of these men passionately worship was one of the most incredible sights of my life. I will never forget one man weeping with his hands held high in worship as he sang, "Amazing Grace."

Deeper Worship
These encounters have changed me. They've challenged me to the core; they've unsettled and shocked me. They've highlighted my sin and selfishness and humbled me. More than anything they've led me into a deeper communion with God. It's in these places I've discovered Jesus. And it is in these places that I finally make sense of the God's words in Amos 5:

"I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religious projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I've had enough of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice-oceans of it. I want fairness-rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want" (Amos 5:21-24 The Message).

To God, our singing and our lives are seen as one. There is no separation, and if there is no justice in our lives-no ability to love mercy-then there is no music, only noise. This is a sobering truth, and something that worship leaders need to get their minds around if they hope to truly lead music in their churches. This expands our role in some profound ways.

Another Step
We are loved by God with a purpose to love others. Giving with our wallets and our hearts to the poor is one way to do this, but there are other options. The songs we sing, the songs we write can make an impact. Recently I've been involved in a project called CompassionArt, which brought together twelve songwriters from around the world. We met for a week in Scotland to worship together and to write songs to bless the Church and remind ourselves as God's people that we have a responsibility to love those on the margins of society. From the outset we decided that all royalties would go to help breathe life into the poorest communities, restoring hope and igniting justice. It was a significant and profound time for all of us. There was huge joy in seeing that our passion for songwriting could combine with our passion for the poor to make a difference.

Following Him
As followers of Jesus we are called to play our part in building God's kingdom; a kingdom that is ruled by justice, where people are loved and cared for. Part of our musical expression as worship leaders is to usher in God's kingdom, to declare His name and to set our hopes on all that is to come. We live in the now and not yet. Our musicality and artistry can all play a part in painting this glorious tapestry of God's extravagant love and promise of a better day, where every tear will be wiped away-there will be no more death or sorrow. But the truly wonderful songs and inspiration will only come out of a heart that is set on serving the poor around us 24-7. Worship is the total alignment of our heart, soul, mind and strength with the will of God. When we worship, we will find we are led to the poor, and if we love Jesus we will gladly follow.


Tim Hughes is the writer "Here I Am to Worship," "Beautiful One," "God of Justice (We Must Go)" among many other songs. Hughes is also the leader of the school of worship called Worship Central.

Worship Old and New

Here is a great book that I read on refurbishing the drive of worship through Biblical truths and examples. It is called 'Worship Old and New' and was written by Robert E. Webber. What I find most amazing about his writing is the logical and simple structure he puts it in. This book is meant for seminary level intro to worship classes and I think it is perfect for that role.

It talks about 4 main things:

1. Biblical Foundations of Worship (Very useful in establishing the 'why' of worship)

2. Biblical Theology of Worship (Looks at worship and the gospel message)

3. A Brief History of Worship (Chronologically follows the progression of worship - very interesting)

4. The Practice of Worship (Practical ideas/examples of symbolic & meaningful worship services)

He points out the Biblical foundations of worship, and examples of worship starting with Cain and Able in Gen 4 and continuing into Rev 4-5 with a truly amazing heavenly worship service. Webber says the essence of worship is two way both in God's initiation and the people's response, "What lies at the heart of worship is God's continual movement toward the peoples of the world and the continual response of the people of God in faith and obedience." It starts with God and ends in the glorification of God.

Webber depicts the most inspiring and natural connection of salvation between the Israelites and the Christian church as the "The Exodus Event and the Christ Event." He expounds on this connection and shows how the story of salvation and freedom from the slavery of Egypt are directly connected through various passages in scripture. We have all heard about this connection, because it is the most famous story of salvation, but the simplicity of Webber's telling is refreshing. He claims that this is the core foundation for our worship.

One of the most amazing aspects of this book for me was his study and historical basis for worship. He first tells of the foundations of worship, then the gives a strong theological argument for many aspects of our worship services. Next, he looks at the historical progression of worship through generations and movements and then lays out practical elements that should be seen in our worship services today.

Overall, I think this book is good for anyone who wants to understand worship in the bible. Although, I do not fully agree with every conclusion he makes, I would recommend this to most worship leaders and worshippers because of its holistic view of worship (not just music, but all aspects of the act of worship) and thought provoking ideas on renewing worship. He tends to focus on emphasizing the 'old' meaning the liturgies and rituals of the early/ancient/medieval eras... I take a slightly different approach when I read these truths. I think there is a way to hold the same, or similar, values yet do them in a new way. (I don't want to get into the details of an appropriate example here because I don't want to slide of topic. Webber alluded to a similar method, but in my understanding of his writings, fell back on implementation of traditions 'in a new way'. Meaning, do the exact same things and make them fresh.

Anyway, I really enjoyed reading 'Worship Old and New' and I'm bummed that I was borrowing it. Oneday soon I'll add it to my personal library. It is a great resource for worship leaders to have.

Songwriting Consultation by Simon Brading

Songwriters Consultation Day 1

I’m away for two days at an annual Songwriters Consultation that Graham Kendrick runs, there are about 60 of us here from the UK and further. Having a great time. Today we had Jim Wallis talk about remembering the poor, justice and compassion. It was hugely challenging to be honest… Followed by a Q&A session with Jim, Martin Smith and Tre Shepherd.

I guess it’s easy to think that caring for the poor is what the ’social justice’ people do, or just a few projects we do on the side. But the truth is, it’s at the heart of the gospel. The first words Jesus proclaimed in public are quoting Isaiah 61 – ’sent to the poor’ (see Luke 4:16-20). Also, remembering the poor is quite a clear theme through scripture – which obviously climaxes with Christ, the One who became poor to save the poor.

Anyways, heard a lot of stuff today but here’s some thoughts for songwriters… There are three types of compassion/justice songs:

1) Songs that inform us about the poor and injustice. Eg the verses to Delirious’ Our God Reigns

2) Songs that help us worship in the place of poverty, injustice. Eg It is well with my soul

3) Songs that commission us to go to the poor. Eg God of Justice

But all of these MUST be in the context of the gospel – The God of justice sent His son to the poor to bind up their brokenness and bring freedom to the captives, and by extension we carry on this Kingly work of Christ as His hands and feet, as His church. Our motivation for mission and source of compassion is the gospel, and the agent for God’s mission is not a charity but the Church. Yes!

I’m challenged as I haven’t written any songs in either of these 3 camps. Hmmm. Well there’s my thoughts for the day. Over and out

------

To check out his original post click here.

Book Review - Here I am to Worship

Aloha.

Tim Hughes wrote a book entitled 'here i am to worship' titled after his song. I had been neglecting it far too long and so i read it. It was a great book for worship leaders and musicians. I would highly recommend having your worship team read this because of the basic practical side of the book as well as the focus on our heart as worshippers.

Tim expands on and unpacks a quote by John Piper that I love, "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is." Tim goes on to point out that 'Worship is our Highest Calling' and that worship will last forever. But, what about our time here on this earth. According to Romans 12:1 we are to offer our lives as living sacrifices to Him as worship. That is a here and now statement. Tim wrote, "We first worship the Lord then from that place we look to love those around us. We cannot worship if we don't also serve."

I love that connection. We are going to be worshipping God forever but that starts today in our daily lives. No matter what it is, as we do it unto God we worship Him(1 Cor 10:31). So... building houses, waiting tables, selling cars, pouring coffee, eating, drinking and yes even playing music is all worship when done unto God. We also worship by loving and helping the widows, the fatherless, the broken, the discouraged, and the damaged.

Basically, great book.

Here is the top 5 reasons to read it:

5. Tim even writes with an awesome accent.

4. This book portrays the heart and humility needed by worship leaders

3. It tackles the stuff worship pastors have a hard time saying.

2. There are some great practical tips for leaders and team members.

and the # 1 reason: What would Jesus do? ... he would read it.

Surfing and God... What else is there...

Hi all,

Take a look at this new Christian surfing magazine. It is called Reversal.

Open publication - Free publishing - More surfing

The Book of John as a Surf Magazine. Check it out.

Open publication - Free publishing - More surfing

This is true Worship in action.  This mag was birthed out of a love for God and two guys who wanted to use their gifts for God. Awesome and challenging. 

What will you do? Where will you go?

If you feel God calling you to support this movement financially please visit their website and contact them directly. 

www.reversalmag.com