Francis Chan: “Luke warm and lovin’ it”

Where is the church?

Preparing for this Sunday’s message, Getting Church Right: Part 3, I ran across a quote from George Barna’s The Second Coming of the Church that rocked me! (I first read this on January 23, 2005!)

Americans today are more devoted to seeking spiritual enlightenment than at any previous time during the twentieth century. Yet, at this moment of optimum opportunity, Christianity is having less impact on people’s perspectives and behaviors than ever. Why is that? Because a growing majority of people have dismissed the Christian faith as weak, outdated, and irrelevant.

Interestingly, the stumbling block for the Church is not its theology but its failure to apply what it believes in compelling ways. The downfall of the Church has not been the content of its message but its failure to practice those truths. Christians have been their own worst enemies when it comes to showing the world what authentic, biblical Christianity looks like–and why it represents a viable alternative to materialism, existentialism, mysticism, and the other doctrines of the popular culture. Those who have left empty-handed, confused by the apparent inability of Christians themselves to implement the principles they profess. Churches, for the most part, have failed to address the nagging anxieties and deep-seated fears of the people, focusing instead upon outdated or secondary issues and proposing tired or trite solutions. (p 5)

You may not agree with everything Barna writes…but it’s enough of a wake up call to encourage us to get church right!

God chose what is weak…

“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

In our weakness, foolishness, and lowest points in life God amazingly chooses us.

great church story

Here’s a story about a church in Charlotte that gave $250,000 to local charities in their community…AND PLANS TO GIVE EVEN MORE!

Click here to read the story!

lessons from Catalyst Conference 2009

Lessons I learned from the 2009 Catalyst Conference.

1. Pastors should not worry about who is on whose side. Instead, we should make every effort to get everyone on God’s side!
   
2. When a church grows to a certain point it has to change to a more collective leadership model.
   
3. Humility is a prerequisite for great leaders.
   
4. Joshua obeyed God fearlessly and so should we! (Joshua 1)
   
5. Focus, intensity and time are three keys to momentum in ministry! (Thanks Dave Ramsey!)
   
6. “Integrity eclipses image.” (Chuck Swindoll!)
   
7. “Trust is a decision you make.” (Andy Stanley)

marriage still declining…church still silent

The Institute for American Values recently released a report on the health of marriage in America. The bottom line is that marriage is still declining in America…and it’s not looking like there will be any change soon.

The study combines five leading marriage indicators to calculate a total score for the state and health of marriage. These indicators include:

• Percentage of Married Adults
• Percentage of Persons “Very Happy” with Their Marriage
• Percentage of First Marriages Intact
• Percentage of Births to Married Parents
• Percentage of Children Living with Their Own Married Parents

The results of this study are discouraging. You can view the quick graph version of the report here.

My question is how much longer will pastors and churches in America continue to remain silent and do nothing about this?