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Church consultant Chuck Gaines recently posted an article in which he shares 10 observations on growing churches.
Characteristics of growing churches include:
1. Positive spirit of excitement.
2. Spirit of expectation.
3. Celebrative worship service.
4. Opportunities to build meaningful relationships through small groups
5. Focus on giving away the faith through lifestyle evangelism
6. No sentence ever begins with “I”
7. “What can I do?” and “What can I give?” are expressed not only with meaning but with action.
8. Missions involvement
9. Pastor/staff who lead and congregations who follow
10. Church is a safe place to come to God – Grace rules!
The full article on the Lifeway website includes a brief explanation of each point which may help to clarify what he means by a couple of these. To read it click here.
I’m currently reading The Church History by Eusebius of Caesarea who lived apprximately 260-339 A.D. He records some pretty horrific persecution of Christians during his day. For example he writes,
“…why need I give example after example of the godly martyrs’ contests throughout the world, especially those who were no longer attacked under common law but as enemies in war? A little town in Phrygia, for instance, all of whose inhabitants were Christian, was surrounded by armed infantrymen who set it on fire and burned to death men, women, and young children as they were calling on almighty God. The reason? All the townspeople, from the mayor himself and the magistrates to the entire populace, confessed their Christianity and refused to commit idolatry.” (Book 8.11)
He continues in Book 8.12 (For some reason they called each chapter a book back then.),
“Sometimes they were killed with an axe, as was the case in Arabia, or had their legs broken, as those in Cappadocia. At other times they were hung upside down over a slow fire, so that smoke rising from the burning wood suffocated the, as in Mesopotamia. Sometimes noses, ears, and hands were mutilated and the other parts of the body butchered, as was the case in Alexandria.
At Antioch they were roasted on hot gridirons for prolonged torture, not seared to death.”
Sadly, such grotesque atrocities against followers of Jesus are not merely historical. Brutal persecution of Christians still takes place in many parts of the world today.
Those of us who live in relative comfort must be careful not forget our Christian heritage, and still more we must remember to pray for our brothers and sisters who are facing severe persecution in our time.
As our nation is fighting through a recession, many people are struggling more than ever before to make ends meet. Such pressure is causing many to seriously re-evaluate their spending habits and seek wisdom on how to attain financial peace in the midst of national distress.
Dave Ramsey’s 13 week program “Financial Peace University” (FPU) offers such practical wisdom in an engaging and life-changing way. The topics covered in the program amount to a a crash-course in personal finance and help participants to establish systems for success in their personal lives and attain financial peace.
I went through the class 2 years ago, and by applying some of the principles taught was able to pay off a student loan early and became debt free. It also gave me a much better understanding of insurance and investments that will aid my financial decision making for years to come.
Whether you are a college student wondering how to pay your utility bill or a multi-millionaire who wants to be a better steward of the resources God has entrusted to you, FPU is worth doing.
To find out more about FPU and to find a class being offered near you visit the FPU Website.
If you live in or near Tallahassee, a new class will be starting on Wednesday nights in the end of January hosted at Every Nation, Tallahassee (church). To find out more about how to join the class and more information locally visit one of the two preview meetings, Wednesday, January 7th or 14th from 7PM-8PM at Every Nation, Tallahassee.
Pastor John Piper, Pastor of Preaching and Vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church and Desiring God Ministries recently re-released his book of poetry inspired by Job in an illustrated version.
This promo video for the book was very moving for me. With epic poetry and powerful imagery, it really brings the suffering and pain of Job to life.
Take a moment to watch, listen, reflect and thank God for His great kindness…
As an added bonus Desiring God has free downloads available of Pastor John Piper reading the whole book!
I love and admire Pastor John Piper. I have learned much through his teaching, example and ministry. Thanks, Pastor John, for another helpful, God-centered resource.
Called to Greatness
January 21, 2009 in Cultural Commentary | Leave a comment
I think many people today dream big and have high hopes for what they will do in life. This is especially true of those students I connect with through my role in college campus ministry. To dream big is great, because God hasn’t called us to mediocrity, he has called us to pursue greatness! He has a purpose for our lives that is good, just as He our loving father is altogether good.
Yet, in that we must always remember, that God’s version of “greatness” for our lives is frequently very different from the world’s version of “greatness”.
“Greatness” in the world, is glamorous, famous and most certainly rich. Yet some of those who are truly greatest when assessed by the values of God’s kingdom are none of the above. They are unknown, unfashionable and materially poor.
Some followers of Christ do end up in the limelight and are materially rich, but their possessions and fame are merely part of their stewardship as for servants of God with a particular assignment. They are not the ultimate measure of true greatness.
Be careful lest the values of the world infuse themselves into your Christian concept of “Greatness”. As you dream big may God’s word and timeless truths inspire and direct your dreams.