"Lent" Gets Politically Correct?

I grew up in the Catholic church. As a little girl, I was taught about the liturgical practice of "Lent".

From Wiki:

Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, he endured temptation by Satan. Different churches will calculate the forty days differently.

The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial—for the annual commemoration of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, as celebrated during Holy Week, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Lent was to help remind us of the great sacrifice the Lord Jesus paid for our sins, and helped prepare our hearts to truly celebrate His resurrection. I am no longer in the Catholic faith, and I don't practice Lent, per se, but I do respect this practice.

Just today I was reading in our little local newspaper that many Evangelical Lutheran (ELCA) churches will be turning Lent from the focus on Christ to the focus on the created... planet earth.

"The ash of Ash Wednesday is to remind us that we are from the earth and that in some way return, not in a woe-is-me way but in a cyclical way," said Andrew Genszler, director of advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "We're part of a greater cycle."

Genszler, based in Washington, D.C., is helping put out "Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on Our Relationship with God's Creation." The e-mail series, which you can sign up for at http://elca.org/advocacy, will span the 40 days of Lent, beginning Wednesday.

It looks at environmental issues like urban sprawl, buying local and disappearing fish, and offers questions and thoughts for reflection and resources to learn more.

Genszler hopes the series brings more reflection to the public discussion of global warming and other environmental issues.

Humans "essentially have added to what is a broken ecosystem," he said. "What Lent affords us the opportunity to do is reflect on our position in that to the extent that we're responsible for it, and not to wallow in that but to see ourselves as agents of change for the good."

The e-mail series blends the ancient ritual of Lent, a preparation for Easter, with a modern mode of communication.

I read a while back that some people feel that many aspects of the ecological movement have almost religious undertones and adherents. I just find it a shame that Lent has been replaced, at least in this particular denomination, with such a global focus that Christ seems to be relegated to an afterthought, and protection and nurturing of the planet is now in the forefront. I know these things aren't mutually exclusive, however, shouldn't Lent be about Lent?

Pardon my vent.

Willow Creek Releases Multiple Year Study of its Ministry

What happens when the model that so many of our churches followed for many years questions what it has done?

Christianity Today's blog has an article entitled, "Willow Creek Repents".

What happened? Willow conducted a multi-year study, trying to determine what programs and activities were actually helping people mature spiritually, and what were not. The results were published in a book, Reveal: Where Are You?, co-authored by Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek. The study found that being program driven didn't equate into spiritual growth for their people. It shocked Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.

Mr. Hybels, speaking at last summer's Leadership Summit, summarized the findings by saying, "Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for." Hybels calls this "the wake up call of my adult life".

So, what causes spiritual growth? The good old basics of prayer, bible study, and relationships.

Who knew? Well, a lot of people knew that, but I think in this case it was something that had to have enough time to gain measurable data before the "old ways" could be seen again as the only ways to grow closer to God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. It seems too simple, doesn't it?

Now let's see if those who had issues with the Willow model over the years will have grace and tact during this time, not resorting to "I told you so!".

October is Pastor Appreciation Month

Yeah, I know. I'm a pastor's wife and it's probably bad form to be talking about Pastor / Clergy Appreciation Month (which is right now, by the way).

I'm going to blog about it anyway.

My dear hubby has been in full time ministry since 1983. Of the past 24 years of ministry, only the past three years have been spent as a solo pastor of a small but growing church. The rest of the time was spent as a youth pastor. None of it has been what I'd call easy, but it is really fun for us now as some of our old youth group kids are coming to visit us at our church, bringing along their kids. Yeah, I'm feeling a little OLD.

Over the years people have asked me how they might show appreciation for their pastors. From my perspective, the best way to show appreciation is to verbalize it in some way, and then act with integrity and grace consistently, even when your pastor messes up (which he will!)

Here's an excerpt from a great article with very practical ways in which you can show your pastor appreciation.

So, how should we honor our Pastors during Pastor Appreciation Month? Well, to start with, honor them during the other 11 months of the year, as well. That’s the whole premise of my original column on the subject. Your Pastor has unique needs, so pray over it, get creative, and let the Lord lead you. Here are twenty specific ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

1. Ask him if you can go along on those Hospital and Shut-in visits.

2. Discover your Spiritual Gifts, and actually DO something with them in your church.

3. When you see him on Wednesday, tell him about the new insights you have as a result of meditating on last Sunday’s sermon.

4. Meditate on last Sunday’s sermon.

5. Grow up.

6. Anonymously (if possible) leave his favorite candy bar on his desk or in his mail slot.

7. Invite him to go fishing, golfing, or some other shared interest -- without an agenda.

8. Call him on the phone and ask what his prayer needs are.

9. Actually pray for his needs after he tells you what they are.

10. If he’s married, call his wife and do #8 and #9

11. If he’s not married, quit trying to "fix him up" with someone.

12. Mow his lawn -- anonymously -- while he’s away from home.

13. Ask him how you can help him.

14. Actually help him after he answers #13.

15. Quit complaining.

16. Compliment him when he does things right.

17. Say "Amen!" (at the appropriate times) while he’s preaching. Saying "Amen" to a preacher is like saying "sic ‘em" to a dog.

18. Hug him and tell him you love him.

19. If he’s married, send his wife flowers and a thank you note -- she plays an important support role. Also see #11

20. Now that you’ve read this list, actually do some of it -- now.

(article by Dan Case)

How to be Heard by Your Pastor (or Your Spouse, or Boss, or Parents, or...) the Other 11 Months of the Year
For some reason, people seem to think they know what their pastor does on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, and better ways in which he can do it. I don't know of any other profession, except perhaps sports coaches or the presidency, where we think we really know better than they do how they need to do their jobs. If I might gently toss in my two cents' worth, I'd like to ask those of you who do have better ways for your pastors to do things to bring your recommendations to them in the following ways:

• TIMING - When you are bringing your ideas to the pastor, is he in the middle of something else? Is he trying to counsel someone, or in the middle of doing some sort of task or responsibility? Most people want to talk to my hubby right after church, which is fine. He loves people. But he can't possibly get to everyone who wants to talk to him on Sundays. Your pastor is undoubtedly in the same situation. Watch your timing. If he's surrounded by people wanting to talk to him after service, then send him an email or voice mail requesting a time to meet. Don't butt-in; don't be rude. I guarantee that if you think about your timing, you may very well end up with a favorable meeting with your pastor where he will be more relaxed and receptive to your comments than if you try to grab him before or after church.
  

  
  

• NO BACK-DOORING What in the world does that mean? It means if you have something to say to the pastor, then say it to the pastor, not to his wife, his friends, your church friends. Be brave and honest. Pray and ask the Lord to help you have the courage to talk face-to-face rather than behind his back. It will go much better for you if you are up-front and honest. Going to others first will be perceived as gossiping, and your cause, even if it is noble, will most likely be disregarded.

  
  

• TONE - My mom's wisdom is best described in two words: "Be nice." When you go to talk to your pastor about some issue, whether it's positive or negative, how's your tone of voice? How about your facial expression? Do you look like you've been baptized in vinegar? Is your voice on edge? Every pastor is a human, and no human enjoys getting "talked at" by anyone, even if their idea is fantastic or their concerns are legitimate. Speak to your pastor in the way in which you want others to speak to you. Think about how you would feel if your pastor showed up at your workplace and started telling you better ways to do your job... yeah. I'm not saying you shouldn't talk to your pastor - I'm just saying that if you want to be heard, pray much about what you want to say, then say it with grace, gentleness, and self-control. It is much easier to be heard when the one to whom you're speaking isn't on the defensive.

Those are just my little tips which are effective in many situations, not just in dealing with pastors. Try them when you speak to your husband or wife, or your children, or the cashier at the grocery store. You will be amazed at how much a little diplomacy can do to help you be heard.

Happy Clergy Appreciation Month!

Got Church Politics?

Pastor Mark Lauterbach (Sovereign Grace in San Diego) has an excellent little series called "Killing Church Politics" over on his Gospel Driven Life blog. One clearly senses that this man has walked the path of pastoring for many years.

If you want to encourage your pastor and elders, send them a link over to these blog entries. Read them before you send them.

Be blessed, and be blessings!

iMonk on The Ordinary Pastor

Every now and then I actually agree with iMonk Michael Spencer. Today he put an excellent post on his blog entitled, A Second Look at the Ordinary Pastor in which he has responded to a letter a woman wrote to him with complaints about her pastor. The woman had recently moved and naturally was attending a new church. Her complaints? 1)The pastor's sermons were longer than her old pastor's sermons, making it difficult for her kids to pay attention. 2) He stands behind a pulpit and she would prefer he move around in order to hold her children’s attention. 3) He preaches too often from Paul's Epistles. 4) Her old pastor is almost 30 years younger than her new one, and who is less concerned with the opinions of the younger families than he is the health of the whole church.

iMonk then goes on to explain why he feels the woman needs to cut her new pastor a break.

As someone whose husband was in youth ministry for-evah, I can really appreciate what iMonk has to say about many churches' tendencies to want hip, cool pastors. But the best part of iMonk's admonition is quoted below. He makes some pretty painful observations about what we want in our pastors:

I believe the “ordinary,” traditional pastor is an undervalued man these days. We’ve come to a time when we need to honestly admit some things. Buckle up:

1) We like our pastors young. There’s a lot of age prejudice in the pews right now.

2) We’re very influenced by the entertainment culture in which we live. Our favorite pastors are media savvy, work the stage like comedians, and know all the current pop culture buzzwords.

3) What our children like has become the ultimate measurement of most things in church. As important as children are, I can’t help but be afraid that this isn’t a good measurement of most things. Children shouldn’t be our instructors and judges.

4) The skills of a man like your pastor aren’t particularly “sexy.” He won’t draw attention to himself. He will go to the hospitals, visit the elderly, be there in emergencies and trouble. This is what he was taught matters in pastoral ministry. Is he wrong? I know this kind of life won’t be as noticeable or make as good a story as riding a motorcycle or rock climbing, but he is a pastor and knows it.

5) Your pastor preaches in a way that draws attention to the word of God, not to his own personality. Would it be wrong of me to say that Alan often drew much attention to his “points” and “principles,” but not as much to the Bible. Your man wants you to have a Bible open in front of you rather than looking to a screen to “feed” you the verses. This will be more demanding, yes. But what is best for you and yours?

I can see how, over the years, the Lord has changed my crazy youth guy into a solid pastorly pastor. This is a good thing! I do understand what it's like to be frustrated with one's pastor but what I really like about iMonk's post is his admonition to the woman to be less critical, because I think we all need to be this way not only toward our pastors but toward our spouses, kids, co-workers, neighbors.

So, while I may not always agree with my brother iMonk, I think he really really hit a home-run on this post. Go check it out!

Burnout Blessing and Blasting

Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, has been very transparent. He’s burned out. He’s been going at full-throttle for ten years. You can read his own words about what’s going on here.

There have been interesting responses to Mark’s frankness. Some, like Adrian Warnock (preacher at Jubilee Church in London, UK) have called for us to pray for Mark. Kevin D. Johnson over at reformedcatholicism.com has a discussion going on in his blog in the comment section about the virtues of liturgical based churches as opposed to the, in the words of many, inevitable burnout of mega-church pastors. Kevin wrote, "...is it possible Driscoll’s personal and professional life is a mess like what he describes above simply because his model and practice of the local church and pastorate isn’t what it should be?" Some seem to think that by having a liturgy, their leaders won’t burn out. Others think that the leadership/elder boards in mega-churches don’t care about what happens to their preaching pastors, or haven’t joined them in ministering to their people. It’s amazing how much we tend to think we know about things relating to churches and ministry, whether or own church or other churches.

From my limited experience as a pastor’s wife, burnout isn’t directly correlated to the size or style of church. People are people, and working with people is exhilarating at times, and also exhausting.

People will say of their pastors, “Well, if only he made better use of his time, he wouldn’t be so tired.” Time management can be perfect, but who can control when a crisis occurs? For example, my husband’s one and only day off is Monday of each week. One recent Sunday, a beloved couple pulled my hubby aside and let him know that the wife was going to have surgery the following morning – at 6:00AM. They didn’t want to tell the whole church about this personal matter, and they asked my husband to be there with them. What was he going to say, “No, tomorrow is my only day off.”? No way. He was there, and he was glad to be there. That same day also happened to be the one year anniversary of the death of one of our people. The widower husband and his son wanted to spend some time with my hubby talking about their beloved wife and mother. Since my hubby was there at the hospital for many treatments and even at the end, what was he going to say? That it was his only day off? No. He met the men, and they had a nice breakfast together as they talked of their dear one. Then the church pictorial directory people needed someone to open up the church and help them set up that same day. You guessed it.

Well, some say, just take a different day off, then. That could work, if other important things weren’t already planned (time management…) for those days. Ministry is so much more than just sermon preparation. But when one is the pastor of a small growing church, and the only full time staff person, he will inevitably be doing things he never dreamed he’d be doing.

Pastors of liturgical churches end up doing things they never thought they’d do. Same with mega-church pastors. Come to think of it, pretty much every person I have ever known has ended up doing things they never thought they would have to, or need to do. I think that’s just life.

Many of us have issues with saying no to things. Maybe this is an issue for Mark Driscoll, and maybe it isn't. The main reason I’m even posting today is to express my amazement at how little grace has been extended to a guy who was comfortable with being very upfront about his current level of exhaustion. It’s almost as if some people are implying, “Aha! I KNEW there was something wrong with the mega-church model!” Of course they will deny saying it, but the message is there.

C.J. Mahaney took the right approach. He went to Mark and counseled him and prayed for him. That’s a great model to follow regardless of one’s church size or ecclesiology.

Your pastor is tired even if he doesn’t look like it… whether your church has 30 people or 3000. What can you do to help?

- Think before you talk. Don’t assume you know what his life is like. You don’t, even if you have been in full or part-time ministry, or have been an elder (or elder's wife) or have a brother who is a pastor or...or...or...

- Pray rather than criticize. Just as it would be foolish for me to show up at your job or home and tell you how to work more efficiently, it is not wise or edifying for you to make sweeping statements to your pastor (or in a gossip situation, to others) about what he should be doing, and how.

- Watch your timing and tone. Many people have the habit of giving their pastor advice right after the Sunday sermon. Bad timing! Think! Take the time to really pray, and if the Holy Spirit is prompting you to talk to your pastor, then set up a time to talk to him later in the week. Do the Esther thing - be aware of your timing and tone, understanding that you don't have personal insight on all your pastor does and must do. Ask yourself what is prompting you to feel you need to give your pastor advice... your flesh or the Holy Spirit.

- Think before you call his home. Ask yourself if it can wait until it’s not his day off. If it’s not a crisis, have self control and call the office and leave a message.

- Be careful about what you assume. Not to be cryptic, but you aren’t aware of things you don’t know. Walk in gentleness toward your pastor and elders.

Church Growth - Spurgeon Style

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today, Pyromaniacs. When I read today's entry, I wanted to stand up and shout "Amen!" right here in my computer room.

Take a look at Pyromaniacs: A Recipe For Church Growth

Here's one of my favorite sections:
How shall souls be caught? They shall be caught by preaching Christ. Just preach a sermon that is full of Christ, and throw it unto your congregation, as you throw a net into the sea—you need not look where they are, nor try to fit your sermon to different cases; but, throw it in, and as sure as God’s Word is what it is, it shall not return to him void; it shall accomplish that which he pleases, and prosper in the thing whereto he hath sent it.

The gospel never was unsuccessful yet, when it was preached with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. It is not fine orations upon the death of princes, or the movements of politics which will save souls. If we wish to have sinners saved and to have our churches increased; if we desire the spread of God’s kingdom, the only thing whereby we can hope to accomplish the end, is the lifting up of Christ; for, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me."

Charles Spurgeon


What's your church growth strategy?

Way to Go, Guys!

I did my weekly grocery shopping today. It happens to be the day before Valentine's Day, and I saw a LOT of moms in Walmart grabbing flowers, cards, and stuffed animals. Then I hopped over to our little Aldi store, and there was a ratio of probably 5:1 of men:women. The guys hovered around the bargain flowers, then stared glassy-eyed at the various kinds of chocolates. It was so cute to see men of all ages thinking ahead a bit, and getting some flowers and treats for their lady loves.

The day after this chocolate-heavy holiday is my favorite day to get half-price treats.

It's good to have a happy holiday in the middle of February, isn't it?

October is Pastor Appreciation Month - Here Are Some Things Your Pastor's Wife Wishes She Could Tell You

I know many of you have issues with your pastor. Many more have probably been blessed by him or his family in some way over the past year. I think Focus on the Family got the whole "Pastor Appreciation Month" thing going a few years ago. For my part, I thought I'd share with you what your pastor's wife wishes she could tell you, but is afraid to do so for fear of repurcussions against her husband.

#1 If you have a problem with the pastor, go to him directly. Don't call your friends and get their opinions. That is gossip. Go directly to him, but FIRST pray and ask God to give you the words and timing, AFTER you've searched your own heart for any possible issues relating to whatever it is that is bothering you. Remember, you don't know what you don't know, and assumptions are not always based on truth. You won't know until you go to him directly, and in the meantime the enemy can have a field day in your mind, building a root of bitterness.

#2 Don't bring the problems you have with your pastor to his wife. Sometimes people do this so they don't have to approach him directly. His wife has enough pressure - be strong, pray yourself up, and don't chicken out by complaining to his wife. (Sorry to be so blunt!)

#3 Let your pastor know when he can help you. For instance, if you or a loved on is in the hospital, let him know. He cannot know these things unless you tell him.

#4 Make sure he has at least one full day off a week... then don't call him on that day unless it is a life-and-death critical emergency. If you don't know if your pastor has a day off a week, ask him. If he doesn't, then go to the elders or governing board and find out why. (The average pastor puts in over 70hrs. / week, and nearly 1500 leave the ministry each month in the U.S.)

#5 Don't pick on his wife. Let go of any critical comments you may have regarding her appearance, her housekeeping skills, her whatever, and never voice those things to her husband, ever. She may be the only close friend he has. You wouldn't want to be critiqued weekly, so don't do that to a sister in Christ.

#6 Pray for him regularly, that he would have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him. Pray that his heart would stay pure, and that his service to God would be a joy, not a burden.

#7 Keep your conversations brief after church. Your pastor may look just fine, but he's probably very tired and he's too polite to let you know. He needs to be able to go home, rest a bit, and do all the things you have to do on weekends. His family needs time with him, so if you must have an extended conversation, set something up for the following week in his office.


These are a few things that I think your pastor's wife would tell you, if she could. Being in the ministry is really neat, but there are some things that are inherently stressful.

Link: Jesus Cafe Article I wrote a few years ago.

Happy Clergy Appreciation Month!

Is Your Church Spirit-Led or Curriculum-Led?

Lots of us in the evangelical world pride ourselves on not being "bound by traditions of men". No siree. We don't have those legalistic trappings associated with mere tradition, or do we?

I think the biggest surprise for my husband and me over our years of ministry is that many people in our local churches don't have a sense of community amongst themselves. We assume that in small churches everyone knows each other well, and get along well. Larger churches usually have small groups, and we assume most people know each other well and make connections outside of church. What we've discovered is often times folks tend to know each other on an acquaintance level, but they don't necessarily have contact with each other outside of Sunday worship or an evening Bible study. If a meeting starts at 7:00PM, people tend to show up at 6:55PM and hit the door about 5 minutes after the end of the meeting.

Someone once said to us that you can tell how healthy a church is by how quickly people leave after the service.

We've found that our people really want to go deeper with God - they want to grow and learn. How many pastors ever hear that from their congregation? For that we are very thankful! However, what we're finding over our 20+ years in ministry is that many people are so accustomed to living parallel lives without intertwining, that our greatest weakness (as Christians) is not in knowledge of the Bible, but in application of its principles within the church body.

For example, a few years back at a Bible study one week, a woman shared something about her life which resulted in her having an emotional breakdown right in front of everyone. The others in the group acted like they didn't know how to respond, and the group's facilitator seemed a bit agitated that my husband and another older lady stopped to lay hands on the woman and prayed for her. What about keeping on schedule? What about the list of things we must do during the Bible study time? What if we don't get through all the questions in the lesson for the night?

What indeed?

Are we not called as the Body of Christ to minister life to each other? How can we bear one another's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) if we never take the time to actually find out what burdens a person might be bearing? When did we go from being Spirit led to being curriculum-led?

Why is the average church so preoccupied with church growth, programs, schedules, strategies while her members struggle to keep the faith in their individual lives? How can iron sharpen iron if we don't know each other well enough to hold each other accountable to live godly in this present age? How can we put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if we are too busy trying to stick to the assigned times and assigned lessons?

What I've found is that we evangelicals do, in fact, have many traditions of men. That's not to say they are bad, but we have elevated them almost to the authority level of Scripture itself in our churches. What do I mean? How about the tradition of having a Sunday morning service, a Sunday evening service, and a mid-week Bible study? You say, "What on earth is wrong with that?" Nothing. But if that's all we're doing, and not being sensitive to the Holy Spirit when He prompts us to minister to a brother or sister in the Lord, then something is missing in our lives... and in our churches.

We need each other. We need to love on each other, serve each other. Sometimes this will mean disregarding the time and helping someone when it's inconvenient. Sometimes it will mean doubling a meal, and sending half of it to a family whose momma is sick. Sometimes it will mean staying late after church to try to meet that person who sat all alone during service. Why is this important? Jesus Himself said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34,35)

My heart's cry for the Body of Christ around the state, nation, and globe is that all of us will learn to relax a bit and be more like Mary than Martha (see Luke 10:38-42). We're really good at forming committees and scheduling meetings. We're good at creating new ministries, drafting mission statements, and formulating church growth strategies. Now it's time for us to get on to the messy part of Christianity - really getting to know and love each other. When that happens, watch out!

Go ahead, ask the Holy Spirit to prompt you when He needs you to reach out to a brother or sister in Christ. Your mind will fight against it - "He'll think I'm crazy!" or "I don't have time for this!" Don't be fooled - when you reach out and try to love on another person, God is using you to plant seeds of hope in their heart. What a wonderful way to spend your time.

Oh, and don't forget your Pastor. He needs those seeds, too!