Home TEAMs

About a year ago, I started working with the small group ministry at our church. We call them Home TEAMs, you may call them small groups, cell groups, Sunday school... As it continues to grow, I am amazed at how each group has its own dynamic. While all are accomplishing the two primary goals of Home TEAMs which are to help people build relationships with God and with each other, I find that each group interacts in different ways. It is, on a microcosm level, a great example of how churches are all different, but should be all working together toward the same goal of reaching people for Jesus Christ and then discipling them to help them grow in their walk with the Lord. Some of our Home TEAMs seem to grow by leaps and bounds, so I am constantly working to find new leaders and hosts so that we can divide the group up into smaller Home TEAMs. Other groups seem to go for months and months without gaining or losing members. That second group isn't a failure! Those people are growing in the Lord, they are serving God in many ways both inside and outside the church! Just the Home TEAM itself doesn't see its primary mission as evangelistic. The people in the group are, but they invite new believers or non believers to our church, not to their Home TEAM. Other Home TEAMs invite people off the street who aren't a part of our church at all. Each is serving as a different part of the body of Christ, just as each church and each member is serving doing their part of the work of the Body. Keep doing what God has called YOU to do!

Rethinking Church...

Before I write anything on this topic, I must first confess that I am church cultured all the way through. I have been in church since the first Sunday after my mother and father created me. Nine months or so later, I became a regular in the church nursery. You get the picture. In the world of business, a lot is changing, old business models aren't necessarily working as well as they once did. Technology and the internet have made it possible for people to make business connections that were nearly impossible 5o years ago. So, my question is, how is that affecting the church? Should it? While the message we have to give away must remain constant through time, the way in which that message is given must be ever evolving and changing if we are to reach this generation for Christ! Pastors, we are awful about finding something that works and sticking with it long after it has ceased to work. Flannel board was all the rage and the newest and coolest way to reach people with the love of Jesus about 40 years ago. Fanny Crosby wrote incredible hymns that were put to the popular music of her day in the later half of the 1800's. Overhead projectors shining the lyrics to "Majesty" up on the front wall of the church were great in the 1980's! None of those things are bad. None of them will send anyone to hell. So why wouldn't we keep using them in church? (Some churches still do.)The sinner on the street wouldn't connect with the method in which the message was portrayed. Fanny Crosby herself said that her songs were written to speak to the man on the street, not to the highbrow church person. I am not just writing about music. Fellowship is meant to be relational. We can worship together in a large church, but fellowship only happens in small groups. How do we as a church, unless your church is only 10-15 people, continue to reach out to people while also creating environments in which small groups can assemble and spend time getting to know each other in very real relationships? At our church, we use a small group model that we call "Home TEAMs". They are great! The problem is that less than 25% of our congregation are actively involved in one. That means that 75% basically show up on Sunday for a worship service and never experience the meaningful relationships that Christ meant for His Body - The church, to share.
Going back to the idea of rethinking business. Often 80% of your customers only account for 20% of your profit/income. In the church, we often say that 20% of the people do 80% of the work. Nice to see that isn't only a church problem, but is it possible to get the other 80% actively involved in the work of the Lord? Yes it is! Here is my "Rethinking church" idea. We often refer to certain organizations as "para-church organizations" or "faith based organizations" I would propose that maybe some of these are really undercover churches. An example: I used to work as a volunteer with a group of theaters in the Midwest called Stained Glass Theatre. They put on plays using volunteer actors. All the shows contained a strong salvation message, but were not "Bible stories". (Except for very few.) This group of stage hands/script writers/actors/editors/...were a fellowship of people who loved the Lord and loved theatre. Through that ministry and its offshoots, thousands of people have come to know Jesus as their Savior. Thousands more have had their walk with the Lord strengthened, and I am only referring to the spectators! The people who were in the theatre, were all working toward a common goal. Some had big jobs, others little ones, but all were involved with a purpose. When one is sick or hurting all are their to comfort and help. When one rejoices, all rejoice. Is SGT perfect? No! But were real meaningful relationships build every day? Yes! People found fellowship with other Christians and with God there. So is it a church? You can decide that one...maybe we should look at that model though, and see how it can affect our church. Having a common goal and purpose, and each person having his or her role in carrying out that goal can cause a revolution in Christendom. Sorry this one is so long. Have an awesome day! Hopefully you are thinking a bit.

Individualism vs Collaboration

Nate Larkin, founder of The Samson Society said, " Almost everything changes when Christian faith escapes the prison of individualism and becomes truly collaborative." Nate and I have a similar history in many ways, so I really appreciate his ministry! This quote of his really spoke to something more than just pastors who were/are porn addicts or struggling with sexual addictions. We as an American society tend to fight for our individual rights. We find in life that we can do so much more when we work with others in a collaborative way. We have a tendency to see our faith as personal, I challenge each of us to see our faith in a more community oriented way. We challenge each other as we grow in the Lord when we are open and transparent with our brother's and sisters in Christ. Ultimately, our strength comes from the Lord, however, I have found that when I am weak spiritually, having a Jesus with skin on is a great help. Having a brother in Christ who can hold me accountable, encourage me, etc. is a great thing. I pray that I can be that same brother in Christ in return when others are weak and I am more spiritually/emotionally strong. As we share with each other in a safe environment, we can say exactly what is going on in our lives without fear of being ridiculed for our weaknesses. That is what the church should be. All of us who are Christians are redeemed sinners striving toward holiness. Let us strive together in that journey!

Updating on Year Goals...

For those of you who have followed my blog...Hi Mom. Just wanted to update you on the progress of my goals I set back on my birthday in November. On the goal of reading through the Bible twice, I just finished the first read through this morning. On the professional goal of presenting at at least one conference; last month, I presented a workshop at the SCFLTA (South Carolina Foreign Language Teacher's Association)Conference. The third goal was to have the Home TEAM ministry representing 50% of the church or more. We have three new Home TEAMs, but our church is growing faster than the Home TEAM ministry, so I need to do more on that goal! Please keep me in your prayers on that one!

Incredible Week

Ok, some would say my brain doesn't work, but, here is a glimpse as to how it functions....

This last week has been an incredible week of positives and negatives. One friend got saved! Three young men at a camp I worked last week got saved! Six were baptized! One friend from church died. One student died in a car wreck. Girl Scout cookies came in, so I and my work study have enjoyed those! A friend lost his job. I picked up some more work for this summer. My wife and I paid off one debt! The April 4th egg drop is really coming together! The city is changing their mind on some of the things we had agreed on. My church office was repainted while I was gone, and it looks great! Home TEAM ministry is growing like crazy! Need some new leaders and hosts! Sunday was incredible! 8 people accepted Jesus into their hearts! Started New Believers class Sunday night!

Stepping out of the box

If you keep up with my blog, you know that I work with small group ministries at my church. Recently, in recruiting new leaders, I talked with a couple who I thought would make a great pair to host a new Home TEAM(our name for small groups). They were interested, and then pitched an idea to me. "What about a group for blended families?" I was pleased with their initiative and so we began working out the details. During those weeks, I did some checking because honestly, I know nothing about blended families beyond watching the Brady Bunch when I was a kid. There are no step or half anybodies in my family. I came across some interesting statistics. 30% of marriages in the United States create a blended family situation. As we know, the divorce rate in the church sadly is no different than outside the church, so chances are that there are blended families in any congregation. As I began reading about some of the issues they face, I realized that what started out as an idea from one couple who want to be Home TEAM leaders could end up being an incredible ministry! As I look around my own church, I don't think it would be a stretch to say that at least 20% of our congregation are in some kind of blended family situation, and the reality is that I am probably very low on that statistic. I am writing as someone who knows nothing of the struggles these families face except from what I have read. Many pastors and church leaders are like me in this respect, so maybe this blog entry will trigger a new idea for your congregation. Have a great day!

Small Group/Home Group Ideas...

How many of you have started some sort of small group ministry, but then wonder how to get people involved. Invitations and group Link type meeting aren't working, so now what? Here is a simple idea that we have used that seems to work very well. Even a personal invitation to a home group can sometimes be threatening to a new person. The idea is to invite them out for lunch. Maybe even invite another person or couple from your group as well. They get to know you and someone else from the group prior to coming to the Home Group. That way, they aren't stepping into a new house not knowing anyone in the group. You are probably saying "That's it?". Sorry, no great program or DVD series, just making connections with people live and in person. Have an awesome day!

Why use small groups?

For those who follow my blog, you know that I work with the small group ministry at my church. We call them Home TEAMs, but the name doesn't matter much. What is important is that people's lives are being changed. People are getting involved with other people in meaningful relationships and growing in their relationships with God as they work together. If your church is growing beyond the 60-100 size, you are probably starting to see that you no longer know everyone. There are two solutions. One is to not invite any more people to your church and thus keep it small so that you can continue to have great relationships with all the members. The other option is to be excited about the growth of the church and all the people's lives that are being changed by the Lord and at the same time create environments in which people can connect on a more personal level. There isn't one perfect model. In my own church, we have multiple types of small groups. Some are ladies only, some are men only, some are couples, some meet every week, some twice a month, some once a quarter, some are related to a theme like "the band" which plays music every Sunday for our worship service, some are classes like the one we currently have going which is a Marriage Enrichment class based on the movie and curriculum from Fireproof. All of these groups have different purposes, but all meet the need of helping people connect in a smaller group setting where they can build friendships and relationships with others. There are many other options, in a traditional church, there are Sunday school classes, or the choir. These can be excellent if opportunity is given for those relationships to be built. There is no need to suddenly stop what you are doing now, but you might look and see if there are opportunities to help people build meaningful relationships in your church to help combat the busy American lifestyle that doesn't lend itself well to having close friends.

Connections!

We all know by now that people come to church not just because the preacher does an incredible job of applying God's word to our lives or because the choir sings so well the angels are jealous or because the sanctuary is wonderful and pristine in its decorations or that it is a perfect doctrinal match for them. People come join with a church often because of the connections they make there. One of the reasons the landscape is dotted with small churches is because half the people in the church are related and the other half are their friends. The connections are there! In a church that is growing, you soon run into the obstacle of people coming in, loving the service yet still not coming back after a few weeks. They didn't get connected to those around them. So what is the quick fix? Get friendlier greeters and ushers? No, your greeters and ushers are most likely friendly enough. (If they aren't then you have other issues to deal with.) There isn't a quick fix. The long hard fix is to find ways to connect people with new believers who come into your church. There isn't one perfect way to do that. Some churches have great Sunday School programs! My church doesn't even have Sunday School, but our Home TEAM's are exploding! Please don't take that to mean that we have it all figured out...we still have a long way to go! I have a friend whose wife absolutely despises small groups/home groups...but they love singing in the choir at their church and have established life long friendships with those in the choir. We as humans have to fight against our habit forming nature to reach out to the new people who come through the doors of our churches to help them connect to others. If you are a pastor, mentor your church leaders to reach out rather than standing in a circle talking to each other on Sunday Mornings. Invite people over to your house for lunch or to go out to eat with you after church. Only by getting involved in people's lives outside of Sunday mornings will we be able to effectively reach them with the gospel and then keep them in a relationship that will help them connect to God and to each other. Have an awesome day!

Connections!

This is an incredibly busy week! And that is AWESOME! The part of my job that I absolutely love is helping people connect to God and to each other. The busy part of this week is that tonight, the men of the church are getting together to meet with a missionary and investigate helping out with his mission next summer. So Connection will happen there! Then tomorrow night is a Home TEAM meeting which is temporarily at my house. Connections again! Thursday night is nothing, and my wife works, so the dog and I can just veg out! Friday night is the start of a brand new Home TEAM for young couples! Connections will be started there! Saturday night is date night with my wife! Definite connection possibility there! Sunday night, I am teaching the New Believer's class. Connections again! Monday night, we are having a leadership/vision casting meeting with the church staff and some of the lay leaders in the church. Connections will be made there! As you can see, it is a busy week, but I am jacked up! People will be connecting with God and with each other at each of these events! God is awesome! When we seek Him, He gives us the desires of our hearts! As I see people draw closer to God and grow in their relationship with Him, the desire of my heart is fulfilled! When I see people loving each other in community and not just "doing church", it thrills me! In your church, are you helping people to connect to God and to each other?

Happy Birthday!

This morning came, and I turned 36. It is looking to be the best year of my life! God is doing amazing things here in Pickens County, SC! The church I attend is having wonderful growing pains! The college where I teach is still growing amidst the national trend of downsizing. Life is good!
I come to goals each year at my birthday. Last year, one of my goals was to read through the Bible once, and the New Testament twice. It was the first year for that goal, and God used it to teach me many things! This blog has been something new from this last year. The surprising thing to me still is that some people actually read it! I have really enjoyed the feedback from y'all, and enjoyed that it isn't just people from my own church! Another goal, which those of you trying to lose weight will want to kill me for,was to get back up to 180Lbs. About three weeks ago, I got there! It is the first time since my sophomore year of college that I have weighed this much. (It is a good thing, If you don't know me, I am a tall skinny guy who could use a few more pounds.) This year, God allowed me to pray with someone to lead them to Him! That was an incredible experience!
My goals for next year are to read through the Bible twice and pray that God will let me lead someone to the Lord. My work goals are to present at at least one conference - University job. And at the church, I want to help take the Home TEAM ministry of 5 Point Fellowship to the point where at least 50% of the church are actively involved! Have an awesome day, and thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday by reading my blog...and maybe leaving a comment!

Great Days!

We had our baptism service for this month yesterday! There were six people baptized, but that isn't the point of this blog. Yesterday, there was a lady named Jenny who got baptized, while I had nothing to do with bringing her to church or even leading her to the Lord, she and her mother have been attending a new believer's class that I teach. Jenny is a grandmother herself, and has been an inspiration to me as I have gotten to know her over the last 4 weeks. One week after giving her heart to the Lord, she was out helping during the "Family Fun Fall Festival" that our church puts on for the community. When we went over what having a quiet time is in the New Believers class, she has begun reading her Bible in earnest and coming in with questions each week! Being around new believers is the best part of my job! Church people can at times, though I am sure not at your church, be a little tough to get along with. New believers remind us of the incredible change that God works in a person's life when they give themselves wholly and completely to Him! I am also thrilled that Jenny's daughter will be in the next New Believers class! Praise the Lord!!

Intentional Relationships

Note: I cannot take credit for coming up with all of this on my own. Much of it comes from Catalyst 2008 notes and from reading what others have already written. It is a lesson I put together for the Home Group leaders at my church, but thought those who read this blog might also be interested in the material.

George Gallup said: “Americans are among the loneliest people in the world.”
We have busy, overcommitted lives and schedules. We live and work around lots of people, but somehow most Americans miss out on MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS.

God didn’t intend for us to be alone. In the Garden of Eden, God made Eve for Adam because he was lonely. Each of us is wired differently as to our need to be around other people, but all of us as humans need some form of meaningful connection with others.


John 17:11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.

Jesus is praying here his last prayer before being arrested. He has come to the end of His ministry as a human here on earth and like many he is focused in on what is most important as he faces the end of His human life. Note that he prays, “So that they may be one as we are one.” He is talking about his disciples! The guys he has been hanging out with for the previous three years. He is talking about the guys who couldn’t stay up praying with him. He is talking about the guys who never seemed to get it. Yet his prayer for them is that they will be one. He wants our relationship with each other to be close like the relationship Jesus shares with God and the Holy Spirit! That is pretty close!

John Ortberg said: “In community – the divine community especially—a heart comes alive.” Jesus was praying that his disciples would experience this kind of life giving divine community that makes our hearts come alive. This kind of community can only come from God himself!

You might be thinking, ((Yeah, of course Jesus prayed for his disciples. They lived with him for three years.)) But notice that he wasn’t just praying for them. Look down to verses 20-21 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father just as you are in me and I am in you.”

We are those people he was praying for! We are believing in Jesus because one of the disciples told someone about Him, and then that person told someone else….
I want to share a bit of questionable history, but it makes a point. How many of you have heard of Edward Kimball? What about Billy Graham?
• Sunday School teacher Edward Kimball helped lead Dwight L. Moody to Christ;
• J. Wilbur Chapman was converted at a Dwight L. Moody evangelistic meeting;
• Billy Sunday was converted at a Chapman meeting;
• Mordecai Ham was converted at Billy Sunday meeting;
• and Billy Graham was converted at a Ham meeting.

Why in a lesson on Intentional Relationships am I talking about the history of people who got saved? Each of these people was a link in a chain in the world of ministry. Each of us, through our Home TEAMs and other relationships has a chance to affect people’s lives. We may or may not see the end results of the affect our relationships have on those people. Edward Kimball was long dead before the first Billy Graham crusade was held.
When Jesus continues in verse 21 “May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Our relationships with God and with each other show a watching world about Jesus’ ministry. “He is saying that the credibility of His life and message in the eyes of unbelievers is dependent on the way we as His followers relate to one another.” (Andy Stanley) Loving one another is Jesus’ command to us. He also says in John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
We have an awesome opportunity through our Home TEAMs to share that love and relationship with the people in our groups. We also as a group of leaders have the opportunity to share meaningful relationships with each other. However, it is a weighty issue! Do you see how high the stakes are? Do you see why we can not settle for anything less than Jesus’ dream for community? The integrity and credibility of His Gospel is at stake!
Our job as Home TEAM leaders is to create communities that are “so satisfying, so unique, and so compelling that they create a thirst in a watching world!”(Andy Stanley)
Get into groups of 4-6 people.
Questions for small groups:
1. What roles have meaningful relationships played in your faith journey?
2. Identify a time when you felt isolated from others. What kept you in isolation?
3. What distracts you from connecting well now?
4. How can you begin to create opportunities in your current context for people to connect meaningfully?

A Day in Spanish Class

If you have followed my blog, you know that I teach Spanish at North Greenville University. Today, as I took attendance, my question of the day, translated back into English for the reading audience,was "What has God been doing in your church?" I was amazed to hear all the testimonies from the students! God has been busy, and so have God's people! Sometimes it is easy to get focused on our own ministry, our own church, our own community. It was refreshing to hear what God was doing in all sizes of churches and communities represented by the 100+ students that answered the question. HE is helping poor hispanics, people hit by hurricanes, planting new churches, growing youth groups, growing college groups, healing hurts, helping the homeless, starting house churches, adding home groups,sending out mission teams, adding prayer teams, bringing in new pastors, reaching out to communities and much much more! I must say that today's question of the day was quite a blessing to me, and I think to the other students in the classes as well! It was a great reminder that we serve an AWESOME GOD!!!

Big Church/Small Church

If your church has less than thirty people, you can skip this blog and come back later. Many people like a “small church” because they feel like they get to know people better. One of the complaints about mid-size and large churches is that people feel they get lost in the numbers and don’t really create relationships. So, the challenge is to create the “small church” inside the “large church”. That is where all the small groups come in. Churches who get people plugged in to what they are doing find that those people don’t leave. It is a way of closing that back door. Small groups can be many things though, not just Bible study groups. Again, I will give a few suggestions, but then let your brain spin a little and see if you can add some.
1. Traditional Small Groups/Home Groups/Cell Groups/Sunday School
2. Accountability Groups
3. Worship team or Choir
4. Drama Group
5. Motorcycle Club
6. Prayer team
7. Church Decorating team
8. Ministry teams – puppet, music, street evangelism…
9. Creativity team – Art, Setting up the Pulpit area for each series the pastor is doing.
10. Event Coordination team – Sets up 4th of July, Septemberfest, Christmas activities etc.
Hopefully this scratched the surface for you and got you thinking about ways to plug people into small groups in your church so that they can build the relationships that smaller churches take for granted.