Reading obituaries comes with the job of being a pastor. Even when I am not officiating the service, nearly always I will read the obituary of a recently departed parishioner.  Some folks, like Vivian Nelson– the Central saint who was recently promoted to glory, write their own obituary. Sometimes it seems like Joe Friday from the old Dragnet TV show wrote it: “Just the facts, Ma’am.” You’ve read them. You know. Obituaries give the important details of a person’s life: where they worked; what they liked; the family members remaining and those who have already died; and, of course, the dates of birth and death. If the deceased wasn’t necessarily a flower-type of person, the last line of the obituary will read something like: In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to “Central Church of the Nazarene.”

This week, I saw an obituary that said: “In lieu of flowers, please root for the Jets they need all the help they can get.”  It was funny. The poor New York Jets fan (at least they have one Super Bowl ring, unlike the woe-begotten Lions’ fans) didn’t need flowers, but even from the grave he was calling for his teams’ success.

Reading that obituary got me thinking, “in lieu of flowers” what would I want people to do following my funeral. Don’t cheer any more or less for the Detroit Lions, they are a lost cause. What action would I want people to take in light of my passing? I’ve got a few ideas for Karla (or whomever) is writing my obituary. Here you go:

In lieu of flowers…

• Give your heart, your whole heart, to Jesus.
• Serve your neighbor
• Determine to bring a smile to someone’s face today
• Buy lunch for a lonely widow.
• Tudor a struggling student
• Buy school items for a local elementary school and then volunteer to help.
• Ask where you could be used in your church’s children’s ministry.
• Hate Kids? Ask where you can serve in the youth ministry.
• Hate Teenagers too?  See Item #1. 

And if you are a rich friend reading my obituary, how about this one: In lieu of flowers please pay off the debt of Central church so we can fulfill the IMAGINE promise of ministering “in Flint as it is in heaven” a lot quicker, better and more generously. 

I hope you don’t consider this a morbid discussion. Like our milk jugs, we all have an expiration date. Still, I’m not planning on this list showing up in the Flint Journal anytime soon, but in lieu of my not passing, how about doing some of those items anyway.

For all the talk of people leaving (stats don’t lie), divisive social issues, and politics taking greater role than Jesus in some churches (ugh… c’mon man), I am hopeful for the future of the Church of the Nazarene. 

I am hopeful (although biased because of my current assignment) because…

1. Central Church’s recent ministerial students.
 One of Central’s recent ONU grads (class of 2021) is now married and solo pastoring on our district. A 2022 Nazarene Bible College graduate from Central, will be pursuing a master’s degree while assisting our age-level teams. A Central church ONU senior, is our summer intern and an ONU sophomore, is interning at a non-denominational church as a worship leader. Besides these, there is at least one middle school student and one high school student who currently are sensing a call to ministry. If these young people are an indicator, the future is bright, Church of the Nazarene, very bright.

2. The young pastors with whom I minister alongside.
Three of our current pastors are under 35 (an executive, middle school and high school pastor). All three are ordained. All three are very gifted. I am proud to serve with them. They are energetic, creative and committed to the message of holiness. Stop the millennial bashing, these ministers are a blessing.  

3. The older pastors with whom I minister alongside. 
Central Church’s older-than-me pastors are our Senior adult pastor, former District Superintendent, Dr. Steve Anthony and his assistant Rev. Don Philips. They have been my biggest supporters. They have been the best cheerleaders for our younger pastors (Dr. Anthony’s grandson is the solo pastor in #1). Don’t look for these men in rocking chairs, they work wherever is needed to the advance the Kingdom. 

4. The happy-in-middle pastors with whom I minister alongside are terrific too. 
These pastors are committed to proclaiming the truth of God’s love with fervor and compassion. Worship pastors who minister to all ages; Children’s pastors who love boys and girls– one of whom is modelling to the entire church by fostering two children in addition to her other three children (her oldest daughter is married to Dr. Anthony’s grandson and the “solo” pastor in point #1); and our other executive pastor oozes leadership and wisdom.* 

Pastors alone don’t make a great church—which is why I am even more hopeful. 

5.) We’ve had a BIG Combined Sunday School Class for July all the teachers are young adults. 
All our classes were suspended for the month of July with one teacher teaching everyone from ages 13 to 90. It’s a big, big class. The teacher each week has been a young adult. Our senior adults are the teachers’ biggest supporters. There are plenty of great young adults in the Church of the Nazarene ready and able to move with us old-timers into the future.

7. Committed lay leaders make or break a church, and like at Central Church in churches across the globe there are good people filling the seats.
Ministry could not happen without strong, loving, fruit-of-the-spirit-infused, generous laypeople. Our church board and pastors had their annual cookout at my house this week, it’s such a blessing when lay leaders and pastors enjoy each other and share a mutual goal of seeing God’s kingdom come “in Flint as it is in Heaven.” Our church is not alone. The Church of the Nazarene is blessed plenty of people that want to see Christ-like disciples made in the nations.

8. Central Church has tried her best to keep Jesus as our Central (no pun intended) focus.
Do we have differences of opinion about many of the divisive issues of the day? Yes. Has everyone agreed with every decision? No. But if we want to reach 100% of our city (not just 50% in our divided land) we must keep Jesus front and center. We truly believe that God will answer the prayer he taught us to pray (we’ve modified it for our setting, but it would be true throughout the earth): “May your Kingdom come and may your will be done in Flint as it is in heaven.”

9. The Church of the Nazarene will go as far as the local church takes it.
While every large organization has people in leadership roles that make you wonder about their abilities (and sometimes… yikes…their salvation), by far, the vast majority of our leaders truly love the Church of the Nazarene and message of the holiness. Our denominational leaders working at the Global Ministry Center and in regional offices across the world want to proclaim the Good News through evangelism and compassion. My current DS is working hard to keep our churches focused on Kingdom work. Other DSs are like him. I appreciate the genuine loving effort by our leaders. That being so, still the strength of the Church of the Nazarene is not in Lenexa, Kansas, regional or district offices. It’s the local church. We will move forward as local churches thrive.  

As I look around my church, I am hopeful for the Church of the Nazarene. Look around your church and I believe many of us will be hopeful too.

*Understandably, I am biased and blessed to minister alongside such a wonderful team. Don’t poll my church folks as to who is the weakest link, I might not like the answer. Maybe not every church has a pastoral staff lineup as we have a Central Church. Still, there are thousands of older, middle aged and younger pastors who are qualified and committed to building the Kingdom of God through the Church of the Nazarene. There are far, far, far more good hard-working women and men in ministry than the few stinkers that make the gossip lists (err… prayer requests).

We’ve been through and/or are still going through…

The pandemic. (We thought Covid was done. It’s back again. It never left. Ugh.)
Politically divided. Red v. Blue.
Congressional hearings.
War in Ukraine. 
Roe vs Wade.
Uvalde.
Gas is $5 a gallon.
Flight Cancellations.
401K? What 401K?
First no toilet paper. Then no building supplies. No semi-conductor chips. No baby formula. No peanut butter. 
The cherry on top: A recession. Excuse me, soon-to-be-declared, recession. 

What is the next shoe to drop?
When will it end?
Will the 2020’s be known as “the lost years”?

All of the above have made people different from just five years ago. They are…

• More nervous about the future (too many variables have made predictions less predictable)
• More numb to gun violence. (with each mass shooting comes an increased numbness).
• More aware of our friend’s lives, but less connected to them (thank you, social media).
• More likely to have moved to a fringe in ideology. (people live in a vacuum).
• More apt to have a short fuse. (Less face to face interaction has deteriorated our interpersonal skills).
• More aware of personal space (close talkers, coughers and sneezers, please, keep your distance).
• More excuses to miss church. (Coffee. PJs. Sofa. On-line church? Oh yeah, I’m staying in today).

• Less people in the pews (see above)
• Less answers from experts (they don’t know how to handle today’s issues either)
• Less resources. (Gas. Five. Bucks.)
• Less kindness. 
• Less Patience. Who am I kidding? 
• Less all the fruit of the spirit.

While todays issues are new to us, each age has faced its challenges. 

• The 60’s didn’t have phones or cameras in pockets, but there was societal unrest and the Vietnam War.
• The 40’s didn’t have TVs, but WWII still was raging
• The 30’s didn’t have indoor plumbing in many areas, and The Great Depression.
• The 1860’s didn’t have electricity or motorized vehicles, but had the Civil War.

All those times were divisive and difficult without the resources and conveniences of today, and the people survived. Some even thrived. The Church marched on. We will too. 

The One Constant throughout: Jesus is Lord. And because of that fact…

Be encouraged.

Be faithful.

Be strong.

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

Cancer: the word no one wants their doctor to utter. Ugh! Too many hear it. My friend, Dan Rexroth said, “40% of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime.” My dad heard it. Sister too. I heard it but the doctors got it wrong (Whew!).  SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: That’s just one reason I wrote, Got Cancer? There’s Help: Tools for Victory in Life’s Battle Royale.

Another reason for the book is the example that Lisa Marie (not Pressley) has set for us. Lisa moved in with Karla and I last November. She has taught us many things as we have travelled this unknown territory with her. Her example and life have value and meaning and she (along with Jesus, of course) is the inspiration behind much of the book.

Obviously, my M.Div degree does not give me a license to practice medicine. The book isn’t a medical journal. It offers no cures. Neither is the book a “God’s-gotta-heal-ya” book. It’s not even a “God’s-in-control-so-sit-back-and relax” book. I address the issues of theodicy (where’s God in my suffering?) in my last book. ANOTHER SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: Got Cancer? There’s Help give tools for a victorious fight even as the cancer rages on. It gives hope that God’s can still work in the midst of severe trials and continued bad reports. It offers steps to focus on what’s truly important in life. 

Unlike my last book (OLD SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT), Chronic Pain: Finding Hope in the Midst of Suffering, I don’t have any personal knowledge of cancer (other than the false news). One former parishioner sent me condolences for my diagnosis (I don’t have cancer). But my life experiences while pastoring so many with cancer, and what Lisa has taught us have enabled me to write on the ways to be victorious even when the news stinks. 

I don’t suspect I will get rich from this book (someone said 95% of books sell less than 200 copies). It offers no cures to cancer. Still, my hope and prayer is that there are some folks who can be helped by reading it. My light-hearted style of writing attempts to bring a smile at life’s joys and tough times too. A smile not based on no pain or a cancer-free report (that would bring more than a smile it would be a shout of Hallelujah) but based on a confidence that in our trials big and small, God still is with us. 

After preaching, I believe God has called me to write. So, you could say that’s the last reason for this latest book. I simply had to write it and to not write would be disobedient. 

A proof copy of the book is supposed to arrive today. I’ll be making final edits and then send it off to be published. The release date is August 21 and Lisa and I have scheduled a book signing following the service at Central Church that morning for anyone who would like to purchase the book at the discounted church rate ($12 instead of $15.99 on Amazon). You can pre-order the Kindle version now on Amazon.

I hope you and your loved ones never get cancer, but if they do (FINAL SHAMELESS PLUG) Got Cancer? There’s Help: Tools for Victory in Life’s Battle Royale will be a blessing.

Church leaders around the country are scratching their heads and asking themselves why are people leaving churches in droves (and why pastors are leaving too). There have been many reasons given:

• The pandemic got people used to watching a service at home.
• The pandemic pushed people to the fringes and caused them to act like idiots. 
• The music (pick your preference) is: too loud, too old, too new, too blah, blah, blah…
• The preacher stinks (ouch)
• The church has become too political
• The church isn’t political enough
• The term “evangelical” has become a political and not a religious term
• There are too many other things vying for people’s time and money
• The youth pastor (pick your preference) is: too liberal, too conservative, too blah, blah, blah..
• The church talks too much about social ills
• The church doesn’t talk enough about social ills.
• The church is not affirming to all people
• The church is too affirming of people’s lifestyle choices.
• The church folks aren’t loving, kind, caring and sometimes are downright mean
• Too many doubts, too few answers

and the timeless, age-old criticism…

• Too many hypocrites 

Some of these things are true. Some not so true. Here’s my take: People are mostly leaving because the church has been distracted by things other than the teachings of Jesus. People in 2022 don’t hate Jesus. They want Jesus. They love Jesus. They want more of Jesus and they feel (true or not true) that they aren’t getting Jesus in church. Instead they are getting– pick the churches’ preference: too liberal, too right wing political, too much social justice, not enough social justice, blah, blah, blah and they’ve headed for the exits.

Churches have gotten distracted by many things (and some are good things), but those distractions cause them to miss the main thing– which is Jesus. In many churches the fight has been over “what would Jesus do?” Maybe the focus should be on “How would Jesus respond to what others are doing?” There are plenty of people/churches who have thought right, but responded wrong and their members have headed for the exits.

We need to be like Paul in 1 Corinthians when he wrote: For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2). The Corinthian Church was divided too. Paul’s answer to the troubled church was a singular emphasis: Jesus.

The church must likewise resolve: To know and do nothing but proclaim Jesus Christ and him crucified!

Keep the focus on the main thing: Jesus.

If you don’t see the similarities between some of America’s church leaders and Caiaphas and the religious leaders in John 11 then you aren’t looking close enough. Here’s a quick recap if you are not up on your first century politics: In John 11, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and it throws the religious leaders into a frenzy. They call a secret meeting and say: If we let him (Jesus) go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation (John 11:48).

This is the only place in the New Testament where the term “the Romans” was used. Slow down, would-be scoffer—I know there is a book in the Bible called “Romans” and there are Roman centurions and Roman governors, etc., but this is the only place where the term “the Romans” is used to describe the Empire of Rome as a political and more important military entity. The religious leaders knew “the Romans” had the capabilities to destroy the temple and the nation. They were afraid that Jesus would so upset the apple cart (by doing such revolutionary things as preaching, healing, feeding people and raising the dead apparently), that the Romans would come in and destroy everything.

Here’s the rub: The Romans did destroy everything in the year 70AD and their aggression had nothing to do with Jesus. Here’s the other rub: John may have written this gospel AFTER the temple had been destroyed. In other words, the original readers of John would have been keenly aware that the Romans destroyed what the religious leaders were clinging to and it wasn’t because of Jesus or Lazarus. 

My point: The religious leaders in John 11 were plotting to kill people in an effort to save the “holy” religious institutions. Somehow in their twisted logic, they concluded that sinning would be OK if it meant saving the institutions. Make no mistake the Temple and the Nation of Israel were important and holy. But God Almighty did not need these bozos (no offense to Bozo) to “save” them by killing innocent people. If God Almighty wanted the temple saved from destruction, it would have been saved without Caiaphas and his henchmen.

Does any of this ring a bell? It should. We all know religious leaders who’ve attempted to do criminal things in an effort to “save” a church, publication, college or denomination. They have lied; coveted; cooked the books to make themselves or the institution look better; and probably somewhere, like those in John 11, have even plotted murder in an effort to “save” the church. 

God doesn’t need our sin-stained help to “save” the church. 

But the devil is sure using “insider” people to destroy it.

WARNING: IF THE CHURCH STOPS ACTING LIKE JESUS, THEN LIKE THE TEMPLE in AD70, GOD WILL LET THAT FORM OF THE CHURCH DIE. 

If leaders sin in an effort to “save” the church, we’ve already lost her. She will die. If we replace Jesus with anything (even good things), the church will die. Our focus must be on the main things (Loving God. Loving People. Making Christ-like disciples) or the church will die. Don’t be distressed over this news. God Almighty will raise up someone else to carry on His work. The Message of Jesus will continue until our King returns with or without us. The only question is: Will it be with us? I pray it will be.

Independence Day is just around the corner. Maybe you’ll be celebrating the day in the backyard with friends or in a cabin in the woods or on a golf course. You might even take time to be thankful for the freedom to do such things. I hope you do much more. 

Usually this time of the year, some preacher type will quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 (if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray…  you know the verse). The minister will then call on the people to pray. Recognizing the importance of prayer (or at least not wanting to appear to be a person contrary to prayer), the congregants will agree that prayer is an important faith practice for the betterment of our country. “Amen. Amen. Amen,” 100% of the group will chime. That’s the good news.

Here’s the bad news: Most people aren’t praying for our country. The Barna group in 2017 reported (see the stats here) that 79% of Americans prayed at least once in the last three months. I’m not sure if the pandemic would have increased or decreased those numbers, but in any event, that’s not a particularly high standard– one prayer every ninety days. Of those who were praying once in three months, only 26% with a high school or less education reported to have prayed for our nation (only 17% of the college graduates did). I wasn’t a math major, but I don’t think that is very good either. The only ones praying for our country are 22% (give or take) of the pray-ers, who might only be being praying very occasionally. No wonder we are a mess. 

Barna didn’t ask the other important question: Did you DO something other than pray? Did you participate with God in the answer to those prayers? I don’t think we’d like the answer to that question. James wrote a five-word indictment of too many pew sitters: faith without deeds is dead (James 2:26). In other words, “thought and prayers” alone doesn’t cut it. You gotta do something. Sadly, when people aren’t praying and they aren’t doing anything, this is the formula:

Little faith + Little action = a county in trouble.

Our country is divided. We need prayer (of course). We need action too. There is a long list of things you can do this Independence Day to make our country a better place: include a lonely neighbor in your cookout; clean up a vacant lot in the city; sign up to volunteer at a hospital, local school, soup kitchen or nursing home; write a letter to an incarcerated person; take a plate of cookies to the local fire or police station; have your kids color a picture and send it to a soldier overseas; volunteer to watch the kids of a single mom; take a roll of quarters to a laundromat and give strangers a free load of clean clothes; or surprise a teenager with an unexpected gift. 

After you do any of these things (or something completely different. Use your imagination there are hundreds of possibilities), then pray. Pray for the people who were touched by your actions. Pray that they would be blessed by the Lord. Pray that, in turn, our country would start being a better place.  

President John F. Kennedy in a famous speech said: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” The answer: It’s not sending “thoughts and prayers” (and then not even praying). It’s actions and prayer (real prayer) that our country needs. You want a better country? Stop complaining and partner with the Almighty to make our country a better place. Actions and faith (quoting the great theologian, Larry the Cable Guy) will “get ‘er done.” Maybe James could have written: 

Faith + Deeds = a Better Country.

Why did we only hear crickets coming from the GMC following last week’s Roe vs Wade controversial decision from the United States Supreme Court? Other leaders of denominations issued statements. World Leaders chimed in (most in outrage of the decision). So why was there nothing from our leaders? I shared on Facebook the statement from the Florida District Superintendent, Rev. Dale Shaeffer. It was very good. Why didn’t the Board of General Superintendents (BGS) issue something similar?

The standard line (or so I’ve been told) is that we are an international church and the General Superintendents do not speak into national matters. That’s why no statement was given condemning racism following George Floyd’s death or why there hasn’t been statements valuing life following any of the recent tragic school or church shootings. 

They have spoken up before. After the Orlando Pulse night club shooting in June of 2016, the BGS issued a statement. You can read it here . That was 6 years ago, there have been numerous incidents since then in USA/Canada that warranted a similar statement, but we haven’t heard from the BGS. One time is not enough.

The General Superintendents are good people. I trust them. They are our friends. I know they hate racism, love life and are want the best for our church. We need to hear from them.

I don’t know the ins and outs of running a denomination. They are busy and it’s a difficult task. I’m just a pastor in Flint, Michigan. I only know pastoring churches. So, I will approach these matters as if the United States were a member of my church.

Let’s say I have 160 members of my church (The Church of the Nazarene is in 160 countries give or take a few). Suppose one of those members contributed somewhere around 94-96% of the income to my church. I would hope that I would treat the fat cat (no offense USA/Canada) the same as those 159 other members who gave little or were unable to give. I would hope that I would overlook their monetary contributions and the church’s near total dependence upon them. But I know, in reality, I wouldn’t be able to do it.

If there was a tragedy to that member, I would be the first person there. If they were experiencing joy, I would be joyous with them. I would want to know their concerns and if they got off track, I would hope as their pastor, I would lovingly steer them back. I would be keenly aware of the health and well-being of that member. That one member’s health would be essential for the health and well-being of everyone in the church. If that member died, the whole church would be in trouble.

I wish the Board of General Superintendents took a similar approach to USA/Canada. The six members of the BGS are all elders in the Church of the Nazarene. Treat USA/Canada like you would a member of a local church who is in trouble. The USA/Canada church might not be dying, but it’s hurting. We need the good words from our General Superintendents. We need them speaking into our situations and national events. We need them to model leadership and wisdom for the rest of us. We need to be able quote them and their strong words in our churches when crucial events take place. Yes, we have the manual, but we need the voices of our General Superintendents to help us. 

Please no crickets. We need our Generals Superintendents to speak because we love and value their words. Like Paul in Acts 18, I pray our BGS has a vision from the Lord that says, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you.” (Acts 18:9-10)

Summers in Michigan are the best. It’s rarely super-hot for long stretches of time. Daylight is longer. We have lakes. Lots of lakes. A few are even Great Lakes. There are plenty of good ice cream joints. There’s golf courses galore. Summers in Michigan are great (did I already write that?). It’s true.

But (there’s always a big but)… Michigan summers do not bode well for church attendance. People are on a lake or in their campers or up north or a golf course or watching their future major leaguer play right field in a little league tournament in Battle Creek or out looking for a new ice cream joint. I’ve had people in June tell me, “See you in September, pastor.” They weren’t joking.

I’d like to point out that commandment #4 (Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy) does not offer a Michigan exception clause. But I won’t point that out because I will sound too much like an old curmudgeon who in the next breath would yell, “Get off my lawn you rotten kids.” I’d like to point out that God still intends for us to prioritize a time of worship—every single week even in the summer. I’d like to write, “Don’t forget the Sabbath, even if you live in the Great Lake State.” But…

Ok, you’ve talked me into it (or I’ve talked me into it or maybe, just maybe, the Lord has talked me into it). I will write it. Please note: I’m not the first to do so. Moses wrote on stone tablets. My tablet is an Apple. The fourth item on both lists is: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

Jesus “broke” this commandment a few times (usually to heal someone) and his actions sent the “best” Sabbath keepers of them all, the Pharisees, into a tizzy. (Quotation marks are around the word “broke” because when Jesus was “braking” the Law, in the Pharisees view, he was actually fulfilling the law by loving God and loving people. Quotation marks are around “best” in reference to the Pharisees because they forgot the reason for which the Sabbath was created thereby making them not the “best” at all). Still Jesus knew the importance of the Sabbath, but he also knew the importance of love and compassion. Jesus said, “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus was keeping the Sabbath’s priorities straight, even as the Pharisees viewed him as breaking it. 

Sabbath keeping is more than church attendance. I get it. Missing a church service isn’t sending anyone to the “Bad Place.” I get that too. One can be in church on a Sunday and still break the Sabbath. One can be in nature and have a wonderful time of worship. I get all of that. Still too many of us, in our “freedom,” we have become lackadaisical in our remembrance of a Sabbath day. Maybe in our Michigan summers, commandment #4 is the most broken commandment of them all. (Next might be “Do not covet” as your neighbor pulls in his new boat into the driveway). My point: Don’t break any of the commandments in a Michigan summer or anytime. All ten are important. Let’s just keep the Lord first in all we do! 

Now get off my lawn!

One year from now, the 2023 General Assembly (GA) of the Church of the Nazarene will be in the books and we will be in our churches discussing the events of the past week. Clearly writing from a North American perspective, the church I currently see is divided like never before. Will a GA expose these divides and bring healing or gloss over them as they continue to fester?

The Board of General Superintendents (BGS) had a difficult decision on even convening the 30th General Assembly. Covid is still a real thing (take it from me, I had Covid last week). Delegates from some world areas will have great difficulty in obtaining a visa. As such, in many world areas, districts will be voting not for the most qualified from their district to be a delegate but from those who are available (with visa in hand). The result will be less world representation, possibly a less qualified and a more-North American-centric assembly. 

In spite of these problems, the BGS made the right decision. In each of the last several assemblies, a resolution has been submitted to move GA from four years to five, and every time it’s been rejected.  GAs are expensive and a logistical monstrosity is the argument, but the delegates have repeatedly said that moving to every five years will lessen our relationships and widen any divides that might exist. Thanks to Covid, the validity of the anti-five-year-assembly argument will be shown as it will have been six years since the last GA. The BGS has seen that our church family (like all families in the pandemic) has been shaken. We need to gather.

The theme chosen, “Jesus is Lord,” seems to indicate that the BGS recognizes the divides and hope to bring unity by getting the church back to the basics. It’s like the old football story of how legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, after a loss held up a football and said “This, boys, is a football.” The General Superintendents appear to be doing the same for the church as they hold up a banner that says: Jesus is Lord. 

I hope it works. Our family is teetering. Factions are gathering. Newsletters are sent. Blogs (ahem) are written. Social media is not anyone’s friend. The pandemic and our six-year gap have hurt us. Unity is essential to our church. As we watch the United Methodist church implode, one needs no prophetic anointing to see the same thing happening in the Church of the Nazarene if we do not gather and come together in unity. Nothing is more uniting than “Jesus is Lord.” It is the most basic of the essentials. 

What will we be saying about the 30^th General Assembly in one year? That depends entirely on the amount of prayers lifted this year. Pray cursory prayers and we will further divide. Pray fervent and intentional prayers and the Holy Spirit just might bring revival to our old church and rekindle the flame of Christ. The world still needs a strong, biblical, holiness message and a united church delivering it. If we can’t do it, God will raise up someone who can. Pray that we might unite around the ancient truth that Jesus is Lord and set about making Christ-like disciples in the nations. 

With the end of the basketball season in sight (maybe next year Pistons), here are a few terms in basketball world and their usage in the church world too:

Alley-oop: Teens caught behind the church skipping the worship service. 

Center: Only allowable placement of the communion table in the front of the sanctuary. Don’t even think of moving those plastic flowers given in memory of Grandma Smith in 1994. They are Center too.

Dribble: Communion cup failure.

Double dribble: When a worshipper’s spouse likewise spills his/her communion juice.

Double Double: How many scoops of ice cream is permitted at the church social.

Dunk (Baptist version): The only baptism method allowed.

Dunk (Episcopal version): Communion by intinction, please.

Fast Break: Cheating during Lent.

Fouled Out: Potluck disaster when the chicken is gone. (Fowl? Foul? You know what I mean.)

Free Throw: A complimentary lap blanket made the by the senior ladies’ missionary society

Full court: A bride with six bridesmaids.

Half court: When three bridesmaids get sick from the shrimp cocktail at the Bachelorette Party.

Hoops: What the youth pastor has to jump though to get an increased ministry budget for “coffee with the kids.”

Lay Up: Clergy is down sick, who’s going to preach?

Opening tip: At the beginning of the sermon when the preacher indicates it’s going to be a long-winded affair.

Over and Back: The church hopper returns.

Pick and Roll: Grabbing a worship folder and promptly making a telescope out of it.

Point guard: The person who tallies the boys vs. girls’ competition in Vacation Bible School 

Power forward: The preacher is sick, but preaches a fiery message anyway

Rebound: After telling a groaner joke, the preacher tells a funny one.

Shirts vs. Skins: The potluck dilemma between eating more fried chicken skins or popping the buttons off your garments.

3 Pointer: The preacher’s sermon.

Travelling: What evangelists used to do.

(Rob’s Basketball Memory Lane: 14 years ago today, June 16, 2008, I was in the Boston Garden with my friends Dr. Larry and Lynn Bollinger and Rev. Rod Green watching the Boston Celtics defeat the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA championship. I have never had more drunk Bostonians—not the Bollingers—hugging me following that game on the way out of the arena). 

When a Christian succumbs to temptation, it’s not like stepping off a cliff. It’s more like what happens at the Cooper Hill’s Cheese Rolling Competition. It’s running down the slippery slope after a meaningless prize that doesn’t end well.

Last week thousands of spectators and daring competitors descended upon Gloucestershire, England’s Cooper’s Hill for the traditional Cheese Rolling event that has occurred since the 1800s. The slope of Cooper’s Hill is so steep that very few contestants manage to stay on their feet, instead tumbling head-over-heels down the 200-yard-slope in a desperate effort to catch the coveted dairy prize – a weighty 8lb Double Gloucester. While the cheese can never actually be caught – with a brief head start, it soon reaches breakneck speeds – the Cheese Rolling winner is the first person to roll, run, or fall across the line at the bottom of the hill. Most of the people don’t make it down Cooper’s Hill unscathed. One year 33 competitors were treated for everything from splinters to broken bones!

How is this craziness like a Christian’s fall into sin?

A Christian doesn’t sign-up for sinful behavior like a competitor registering in the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Roll. There may be some thought of the consequences, but often not a lot. But neither does one fall into sin with an unknown or unlucky leap off a cliff. More often, sin begins as a simple meander down a destructive trail that the Christian knows is not good (the Holy Spirit is CERTAIN to issue a warning). They wander off anyway. Like at Cooper’s Hill, those falling into the Enemy’s trap start down the hill picking up speed as they chase after the meaningless temptation (usually not much more valuable than an 8lb. chunk of cheese). Very quickly, the misdirected Christian’s pace turns into a tumbling, bumbling, breakneck-impossible dive. Like what is known by the waiting ambulances at the bottom of Cooper’s Hill, a crash is inevitable. 

When gazing onto temptation’s slippery slope and dreaming of obtaining some not-much-better-than-cheese prize, the Enemy fails to tell that the “prize” stinks and the dangers are certain. They Enemy doesn’t tell of the heartaches and pain. Even if never found out, even if the Christian’s secret foray down this slippery slope stays secret, is the “prize” worth it? Instead of pleasure, riches or fame only guilt and hidden shame are the result. Living a lie is no “prize.”

I was not injured at the Cheese Roll Competition on Cooper’s Hill. Of course not, I was thousands of miles and an ocean away, sitting in my living room. I cannot fall down Cooper’s Hill if I am nowhere near it. It’s the same with sin’s slippery slopes. If you never enter the temptation’s downward grade, you can never be its prey. Don’t even start down the trial. Don’t look at the slope. Don’t rationalize the thrills. Don’t scheme on how it might be done. Listen to the Spirit and stay away. Stay far way. Stay an ocean away if possible.

Of course, you know all of this. You already know about the “slippery slopes” of sin, don’t you? You’ve heard plenty of sermons on the topic. Me too. So why tell you again? Because a friend of mine found out the hard way this week. He knew all about temptations, slippery slopes and falling into sin. He knew it all and went down the trail anyway. Some people are forever wounded. His life is wrecked. His family destroyed. The Enemy left that part of the story out too.

Our garage sale last Thursday and Friday was a success. Not moneywise. We won’t be heading off to Tahiti from the proceeds. I did get rid of a few things that have been cluttering up our house. Two old couches? Gone (sold one and gave the other one away to a good home). Two sets of box springs and mattresses? Gone. (not sold, gobbled up by the sanitation workers’ truck). Bongos? Gone. A walker that my mother-in-law no longer needs (given away to a husband for his needy wife). A few other things. Gone. It makes me want to sing this little ditty to the tune by Helen Griggs:

Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone,
Yes, my junk is gone.
Now my clutter is set free
And in my heart’s a song
Buried in somebodies’ home,
Not in my basement all alone.
I shall live with less to own.
Hooray!
My junk is G-O-N-E gone!

My junk being gone, gone, gone is not the best news from the garage sale. I got to talk to my neighbors. A lot of them. I asked one lady if we planned a “cul-de-sac barbeque” this summer, would she and her husband come? She said, “Sure, we’d love it!” 

I got to talk to the guy at the end of the cul-de-sac. Our next-door neighbor’s daughter bought one of the couches. I learned that a lady from Central church has children and grandchildren on the next street over. 

“Do they go to church?”
 “No.”
“Have you invited them to Central church?”
 “Yes.”
“Well, tell them their pastor is on the next street over.”

Now, Karla and I have somebody else to pray for as we go on our nightly walks. I hope they are outside soon so I can say “Hi,” and invite them to a BBQ too. There are a few others in our neighborhood that attend Central church. Some regularly. Some not so much. But now I know folks a little bit better. I know how to pray a little bit more. Karla and I will need to plan a “Central Church in neighborhood cookout” too. A “cul-de-sac cook out” and a “Central-in-my-neighborhood” cookout?  Why not. I like Koegels’ hot dogs on the grill.

We don’t need to go to Africa, Panama or across the world. I’ve got a mission field across the street. You do too. What are you doing to reach your neighbors for Jesus?  Jesus said, “Love your neighbor.” What if we took those words literally and started to be pro-active in loving our neighbors?  Don’t talk religion if you plan a party. Don’t talk politics either. Just make it fun. Get to know your neighbors. As the Lord (not you) opens the doors, you might have a chance to talk about faith. It might not happen during the first or second event. But keep being kind. Keep loving. Keep showing the grace and truth of Jesus. It takes time. 

But It’s worth it!  Wouldn’t it be great if that once cranky neighbor, finds Jesus, does a 180 and becomes so loving and kind that you ask St. Peter (or whoever handles the housing accommodations in the sweet-by-and-by) if you could be neighbors in your heavenly mansions too?

“He must become greater, I must become less” (John 3:30). 

John the Baptist at the height of his popularity defers to Jesus and basically says, “It’s not about me, it’s about Jesus. I don’t need the spot light, Jesus does.” It’s a humility that, quite frankly, is missing too often in many of us who claim Christ.

We don’t have to be first. 
We don’t have to be best.
We don’t have to have our way.
We don’t have to have the last word.

We do have to be humbly faithful. (Key word: Humbly)

Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). That’s humility. Humility is thinking of yourself in the same manner that you would think of anyone else. No more. No less. Humility isn’t listed in the Fruit of the Spirit. A Christ-like humility is the cumulative expression of the Fruit of the Spirit. In other words, the result of our displaying love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23) is a holy humility. Jesus said, “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Mathew 11;29). It’s being like Jesus.

The Fruit of the Spirit = Holy Humility = Christ-likeness. They are all the same. 

Note: One can be humble without holiness, but one cannot be holy without humility. 
Humility without holiness is a welcomed surprise. 
Holiness without humility is impossible. 

We’ve lost humility in our culture. This lack of humility is pushing many to the edges. Those edges used to be called the “fanatical fringe.” No longer “fanatical,” this “I’m-right-you’re-wrong” arrogance and lack of humility is now mainstream and happening in all arenas of life (including the church). If the culmination of the Fruit of the Spirit is a holy humility; then the culmination of the acts of the flesh (also mentioned in Galatians 5—includes, but is not limited to, “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy”) is a fanatical, self-centered, anti-Christ-likeness and is all too common. 

One might expect those who have no allegiance to Jesus to think and behave in an arrogant manner, but not Christians, right? “Holiness” people invalidate their descriptor when they show the same lack of humility as those who make no claims about Christ. Peter wrote to first century church leaders: “Be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble” (1 Peter 3:8). Paul told the people in Ephesus, “Be completely humble” (Ephesians 4:2). He could have said, “Be completely holy.” The best leaders are humble leaders. The best Christians are humble, holy Christians. It’s anti-cultural. It’s not the norm anymore. Humility is missing in our society and too often it’s missing in our churches too. 

A holy humility is the way of Jesus. Walk in the Way!

Easter is a big deal. It should be. Jesus rose from the dead. Can’t get bigger than that. So we celebrate this universe-altering event by a bunny giving out colored eggs, baskets filled with goodies and eating Peeps. Of course, it all makes perfect sense to me.

Christmas is an even bigger deal (in many people’s minds). Think of it as the baby shower of the Christian faith, only everyone gets presents. Hooray. Christmas has even more traditions than Easter that have absolutely nothing to do with Jesus’ coming into the world. (Sorry Rudolph).

Pentecost seems like it is no deal at all. No baskets. No Presents. No special dinners. No parties. No time off from work. Nothing. For the average American church goer the following holidays are all bigger deals than Pentecost: 

• Thanksgiving (except for Detroit Lions’ fans); 
• Memorial Day, 4^th of July, and Labor Day (Yahoo! Three day weekends are great!); 
• Super Bowl Sunday (Gotta love football); 
• Any Sunday with an NFL game (Gotta love even more football); 
• Halloween (Forget tricks, gimme treats.), 
• New Year’s Eve (Whew, we made one more trip around the sun), 
• Mother’s Day (Don’t forget to call mama); 
• St. Patrick’s Day (Green is keen); 
• St. Valentine’s Day (Honey, will you marry me? Not original, but effective); 
• Arbor Day (Trees, tress and more trees); 
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day (We still love three day weekends!), 
• the birthday of your second cousin twice removed (What’s his name? Who cares? Pass the cake), 
• practically any of the other 365 days on your calendar.

Pentecost gets the short end of the calendar stick. But Pentecost is a really big deal. It’s the day the Holy Spirit came supernaturally upon the 120 believers and transformed the rag tag bunch (most of whom had failed Jesus miserably less than a couple of months earlier) into the turn-the-world-upside-down Jesus champions, more commonly known as “The Church.” What happened on the original Pentecost is a bigger deal than most everything on the list above. Of course, Christmas and Easter are big deals (don’t @ me), but so is Pentecost. It’s a much bigger deal than any “holiday” in the third paragraph list (sorry mom, it’s true). 

Why don’t we celebrate Pentecost more? We will have a red cloth draping the cross, candles reminding us of the tongues of fire, and the reading of scripture in different languages. That’s it. That’s what will happen in the church building on Sunday to recognize that it’s Pentecost Sunday. But maybe the true Pentecost celebration is when the Church starts behaving in a manner that would make the first Pentecost celebrators proud. It’s when we help a neighbor, feed the hungry, and care for the needy. Pentecost is best celebrated when, like in Peter’s bold sermon, we proclaim the Savior and see a life (or 3,000 lives as in ol’ Pete’s case) transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. The Bible says all of heaven rejoices at this good news (See Luke 15). Heavenly Parties > Earthly holiday parties. Much greater!

You can have your blowing out of birthday candles (and spitting all over the cake that I’m about to eat); your Christmas fruit cake and Easter’s deviled eggs—I hope to celebrate Pentecost by telling someone about Jesus—the one who died and rose again!

There are plenty of things a church leader could do on their summer vacation. Have someone lead a devotion while in the car. Listen to Christian music. Take a good Christian book to read on the beach or by the campfire. Watch a church service on-line. But the one thing all church leaders should do is find a church to attend on Sunday

You read that last point correctly. All the introverts reading this article just threw up. I’m not kidding, find a church. Go in. See what being a stranger is like. You’ll feel a little awkward. That’s OK. It might be a good service. But even if it’s not, you will definitely be a better follower of Jesus (and a better church leader) if you attend a church on vacation. Notice the signage and how easy it is to get around. Ask yourself, “Is the signage in my church helpful to a visitor?” You’ll see what to do (or not to do) when a visitor sits by you. Were the folks sitting by you friendly? Are you friendly to the visitors that happen to sit by you in church? Moreover, it’s worth taking the family to church on vacation because, in so doing, the message sent to your kiddos is that church, God and “remembering-the-Sabbath-and-keeping-it-holy” matters. 

One time on vacation, we attended a church in Ohio somewhere. It was pre-Google days and pre-GPS days. We had a catalog with all the Nazarene church locations in the entire country and a paper map. It was just before 11AM on a Sunday morning and we followed our map to a little church. Only the church building had been sold since the catalog was printed and it was now a Free Methodist Church (Free Methodists are good people, so we stayed). 

The church had maybe forty people. We were clearly visitors. During the passing of the peace time (pre-covid, of course), a lady in front of us turned around and asked if we were from the town. 

“No, we attend a Nazarene church in Michigan,” was our reply.

“Oh, the Free Methodists have much better preachers than the Nazarenes.”

I’m pretty sure, Karla was about to agree, but the lady quickly turned around and didn’t give any of us a chance for conversation. Maybe since we weren’t from there or weren’t Free Methodists, she didn’t want to waste her “pleasantries” on us. She began to greet others. No one else talked to us. Not. One. Person. Maybe that was one of the reasons that church only had 40 people in it.

Still I was reminded how important it is to notice visitors when they enter a strange building. I was taught that even if the visitor is a “one-timer,” they still might be exactly where God wants them. Maybe, just maybe, God has a divine appointment set up for that one-time only visitor. Maybe that divine appointment includes you. I didn’t get much out of the sermon, but I was taught a lot that Sunday. 

Church leaders need to know what it’s like to be a visitor. They need to constantly be asking, “What’s it like to be a newbie in our church? Are we friendly? Is it easy to find the restrooms, the worship area or the nurseries?” Good church leaders take an hour of their summer vacation to do a little reconnaissance to improve their home church.

The church has left the building. Literally. Last year Central Church had two outdoor services, on the 4^th of July and on Labor Day Sunday. Both were big days. Worship service led from a semi-truck bed and fellowship times following. July 4^th had free hot dogs. Labor Day we had food trucks. Pastor Joel and the band were like rock stars (in the best possible way) as they sang praises to Jesus. Prior to the Labor Day Sunday service, while the band was warming up, I went to our neighbors who were setting up a garage sale. I apologized for the noise and offered to buy their lunch from a food truck for the trouble. They gladly accepted the invitation for a free lunch and said music “noise” wasn’t a problem. They liked it.

During the service, Pastor Joel felt led to purchase their entire garage sale (It was mostly baby clothes) and donate everything to Little Lambs, the Nazarene compassionate ministry center that distributes baby clothing and other items. Pastor Joey approached our neighbor and asked how much money they would want for all of the stuff in the garage sale. $100 was the response. Joey offered them $200 and they were overwhelmed by the generosity. Of course, we bought their lunch as promised too. File that under: Be the Best Neighbors (That’s one of our Growing Together core commitments). But something even better began to happen at our 4^th of July Sunday Service.

A neighbor from downtown the street heard the music. She came for a better listen and liked it. She called her daughter and they started coming to church. The daughter, Christina, now helps lead a Bible study at the local rescue mission.

During that service, another neighbor named Howard heard the music and walked down the street with his grandson, Trevor. They liked the music too. They returned on Labor Day Sunday for the next outdoor service. After that, Howard and Trevor started attending occasionally and two weeks ago, Howard and Trevor were baptized. If you just heard a noise, it might have been from the angels still rejoicing in heaven shouting, “Praise the Lord!”

Did you ask if our outdoor services are worth it?  Yes. Yes. Yes, they are. Not only does it give us a chance to meet our neighbors, sometimes it gives a chance for our neighbors to meet Jesus. We need to get out of our church buildings and enjoy the Son (that’s not a typo).

This Sunday is the first of our Central outdoor services (all three summer holiday weekends we will be outdoors). The service begins at 11AM. Bring a lawn chair and your Gospel of John Journal as we begin our summer series in John. (Don’t have a journal? No worries. Get your free copy this Sunday). Following the service, we will have free hotdogs, chips and bottled water and the Roaring Twenties Ice Cream Truck will be here for tasty treats to purchase. My weather app says it is supposed to be perfect weather on Sunday morning (oh oh… I hope I didn’t just jinx us. I don’t believe in jinxes, so we should be fine). It’s going to be a great day.

Who knows, maybe next spring (or even later this summer when we have a lakeside baptism), we will see another neighbor getting baptized.

What happened to Hymenaeus and Alexander? Do you remember these guys? Paul mentions them in his letters to Timothy.
 
Hymenaeus apparently was teaching a heresy that the bodily resurrection of the dead had already taken place which made everyone in the church a little upset. (See 2 Timothy 2:16-18). Alexander was a coppersmith who did a great deal of harm to Paul (See 2 Timothy 4:14-15). Paul says both fellows were “shipwrecked.” That’s not good. They were so far gone Paul writes, “I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.” (I Timothy 1:18)
 
Would you ever say that about anyone? Seriously, would you ever hand someone “over to Satan”? I’ve just preached a whole series on helping those who feel like the “Odd Man Out” and said Jesus welcomes all. It’s “Odd Man (or Woman) In” with Jesus. Paul’s words don’t sound very “Odd-Man-In-ish.”
 
“Here, here, Mr. Satan, may I call you, Lucifer? Board member, Mr. Knows-It-All, has been giving me fits ever since I have arrived at this church. Since you are the expert, could you give them a lesson on the “why-nots” of blaspheme? I’m handing him over to you. He’s out.”
 
You would never ever say that. Me neither. So why did Paul?
 
Paul is speaking figuratively, not literally. No conversation between the Prince of Darkness and Paul took place. Instead, Paul, in effect, was saying, “These guys have decided to do life in their own strength, power and wisdom, so I guess they are gonna have to learn the hard way.” That’s how we’d put it: “They will learn the hard way.”
 
Learning the hard way is going at life alone; trying to push through tough times without seeking counsel from the Lord or anyone else; never picking up your Bible (or the danger for preachers: only picking up your Bible for sermon prep not for a “time with Jesus”). Learning things the hard way usually involves falling flat on your face. Learning the hard way is, well, hard.
 
Learning things the easy way is through listening to godly mentors, reading scripture, trusting the input of other believers, discerning the Holy Spirit’s voice. (Disclaimer: this doesn’t mean life is “easy.” We might learn the “easy way” that life is sometimes very hard. Disclaimer’s disclaimer: Learning the easy way during the hardships in life is a deep and blessed knowledge that Jesus is with us).
 
I don’t know if Hymenaeus and Alexander ever came around and saw their shipwrecked lives for what they were. I hope so. I also hope that none of us need to learn things the hard way. Instead be let’s open to God’s leading. Find a godly mentor and trust his/her wisdom. Read the Bible for your own nourishment, not to simply regurgitate scripture for someone else’s edification. Seek the Lord in all things.
 
The easy way to learn is the best way (duh!). I sure hope Hymenaeus and Alexander figured that out.
 

• Awake at 4:30AM. Up at 4:45AM.
• Coffee and a bagel thin (Toasted. Butter and jelly. Strawberry, of course).
• Devotions.
• Read the news.
• On Facebook long enough to wish friends “Happy Birthday,” but get off before seeing someone’s conspiracy theory or how a pastor in California is a dope.
• Do Wordle. “Scour.” Three tries. (FYI… today’s Wordle took me six tries. Ugh!)
• Work on sermon. Last “Odd Man In” sermon. (No spoiler alerts, just come on Sunday)
• Exercise.
• Pray while on elliptical and exercise bike.
• Shower. 
• Dress. 
• Help take down the beds—new carpet installed in the bedrooms today.
• Leave for the church.
• Listen to Louis Armstrong, “What a wonderful world.”
• Detour to Starbucks.
• Get to church.
• Talk with Deb, my super assistant, about events for the day and week.
• Spill my mocha drink all over the floor.
• Am I more upset that coffee spilled or that my $5.25 drink is now a big fat stain on the floor?
• Try to clean it up. Deb helps too.
• There’s still a stain. Ugh!
• Call in the “dream team of clean.” (Our facility crew)
• Apologize for being uncoordinated.
• Quickly answer a few emails. 
• Meet with Vi and Tim McIlvoy to discuss Del’s funeral. 
• 95 years of life. 55 years of marriage.
• Wore out four or five Bibles.
• A great man went to heaven.
• More emails and a few texts.
• Leave for Brighton to have lunch with a pastor.
• It’s pouring outside.
• Head pounding.
• Hope it doesn’t rain like this on Saturday for our IN FLINT work day. 
• Will Panera’s cream of broccoli soup help my head? Can’t hurt. 
• He shares.
• I share.
• Hope the conversation helped.
• Back home to put up the beds on newly installed carpet.
• Tigers on the TV while working.
• Tigers lose (Shocker).
• Find a house on Zillow that looks interesting. Hello Judy Cox.
• Going to move? Probably not. Maybe. 
• Supper: Soup and grilled cheese. (rainy days are soup-for-lunch-and-dinner days).
• Back to the church. 
• Try to figure out a closing song for the choir service with Nate.
• Love divine all love excelling.
• You can’t go wrong with a Charlie Wesley ditty.
• Lizzy Benjamin sticks her head in to say “Hi.” There’s great teenagers at Central.
• Go to the family center where people are eating Deb Pruitt’s tasty dinner (Italian and headaches isn’t a good combo. But it looks good).
• Go from table to table talking with those gathered for dinner.
• Dennis Johnson is doing great after so long in the hospital with Covid. A walking miracle.
• Quay brought a toy truck. He’s letting Dennis Freeman play with it.
• Jessica Roland, future missionary, did great the night before sharing with the church board her hopes and dreams.
• Boston and Pastor Amanda are eating with some of our great teenagers.
• Eat a piece of cake with Deb, Sam and Mary Ann.
• Shhhh… I’m on a diet.
• Meet with a young couple for pre-marriage counseling. Hope they have as happy a marriage as Vi and Del. I think they will.
• Listen to tail end of choir practice. 
• Did you hear that Dr. Joe Ewing died?  Funeral is Saturday. Joe was my dentist. I also used his Michigan Football tickets a time or two. He was a good man!
• Say my good byes and head home.
• Watch a little basketball then the Adam Project on Netflix with Karla. It’s so so. 
• Bedtime.

Why the daily run down? Pastoring is full of many activities. Old folks. Young folks. Death. Life. Marriage. Worship planning. It’s a smorgasbord of life. That’s why I love it. Today will be different than yesterday. Whatever happens I hope Psalm 118 rings out true for you and me: This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24).

Evangelism 50 years ago went like this: 

Step 1: See person (Personal knowledge of person’s life not required).
Step 2: Invite person to church.
Step 3: Person comes to church, hears a salvation message and accepts Jesus into his/her life.

That’s not how evangelism works these days. Evangelism in 2022 looks more like this:

Step 1: Listen to your friend speak on how all churches either: a) want your money; b) are anti-intellectuals; c) are political hacks; d) full of hypocrites; or e) all of the above.
Step 2: Listen to your friend tell you how they’ve been hurt in churches in the past. 
Step 3: Apologize for the church’s failure in your friend’s life.
Step 4: Serve in the community.
Step 5: Talk (don’t brag about serving in the community. Don’t even mention it, unless your friend says something like: “What did you do on Saturday?” And you say, “Oh, some folks from my church and me were sorting groceries at the food bank. Go back to talking about the weather or whatever small talk is the conversation of the hour).
Step 6: Listen to friend scoff, “Churches don’t serve in communities much.” 
Step 7: Listen some more without getting defensive. Just listen.
Step 8: Talk a little bit (mostly about regular life happenings. Occasionally mention how God helps you. Don’t worry as friend rolls eyes.)
Step 9: Serve in the community again (ask if the friend would like to serve too. Maybe the friend will. Maybe not.).
Step 10: Listen as the friend talks about how churches need to stay out of politics.
Step 11: Listen as friend talks about how bad things are in our world. 
Step 12: Talk a little bit about how Jesus really can help.
Step 13: Friend has personal troubles.
Step 14: Listen to your friend tell about a family crisis.
Step 15: Listen to friend’s worries.
Step 16: Listen about friend’s anxiety.
Step 17: Talk a little bit and offer to pray for your friend (Maybe they will let you. Maybe not).
Step 18: Invite the friend to watch last Sunday’s church service on-line. Tell them it helped you.
Step 19: Listen as friend says they don’t have time. 
Step 20: Listen as friend talks about more troubles.
Step 21: Listen as friend says they watched a little bit of the worship service.
Step 22: Smile. God is working– you know it. It’s a secret. Don’t tell your friend why you are smiling. 
Step 23: Get coffee together and invite friend to join you at church.
Step 24: Listen as friend comes up with an excuse about how busy he/she is.
Step 25: Listen as friend says “Christianity is good for you, but probably won’t work for me.”
Step 26: Talk a little bit and say, “I don’t know, Jesus might surprise you.”
Step 27: Invite friend to watch a church service on-line again and tell friend “If you have questions, I will be happy to talk about it.”
Step 28: Listen to friend say, “Hey, I watched a service.”
Step 29: Listen as friend says, “Thank you. I did feel a little something.”
Step 30: Talk a little bit about how Jesus is speaking and how Jesus loves your friend.
Step 31: Listen to friend’s doubts.
Step 32: Listen to friend’s fears.
Step 33: Tell friend what a change Jesus has made in your life.
Step 34: Listen to friend’s questions.
Step 35: Try to answer friend’s questions.
Step 36: Pray with friend as they invite Jesus to be Lord of their life.
Step 37: Invite friend, who is now a believer, to join you in church on Sunday.
Step 38: Friend comes to church.
Step 39: Begin to disciple your friend.

Evangelism takes longer these days. But it is still worth it!

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15

A DIVIDED world needs a UNITED Church! That’s not my quote, I read those words somewhere last week. It’s true.

What we are experiencing in America is not unprecedented. There have been other times in US history when our nation was divided (Hello? We had a Civil War).  I am not suggesting that opposing sides are ready to bear arms, I am suggesting that there are similarities. The healing remedy then and now is for the Church of Jesus Christ to come together in love and mission. 

Today… it’s not north and south.
It’s left and right. 

It’s not Yankees and Rebels.
It’s Conservatives and Liberals.

It’s not blue and grey.
It’s red and blue.

It’s not slavery v. freedom.
It’s Roe v. Wade II.

Read it again: What our divided world needs is a united church.

“Impossible,” you say. Churches are dividing more than ever (Exhibit A: The schism in the “United” Methodist Church). It’s not just our Methodist sisters and brothers driving in opposite directions on a divided highway. Churches, individual churches of all denominations, are divided more now than ever (Exhibit B: The Mask v. No Mask debates). Sadly, as we in the church debate such things, our world is going down the tubes. 

Under our watch, we are seeing the greatest decline in Christianity in America. Read that previous sentence again. Slowly. We are living in a post-Christian America. It’s an avalanche. It’s happening in our families. People are walking away from the divided church in unprecedented numbers. Now think about what you are actively doing about this reality? The church must be united in love and mission to face this daunting task. Here’s (a seemingly novel) idea: How about if we listened and strove to obey Jesus’ final prayer for us, when He prayed:

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. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  John 17:20-23

Could it be that those words of Jesus are the most unheeded and un-obeyed words by the church? According to Jesus prayer, when we are one the world will know and hear the message. If we aren’t one, how can they hear? If we aren’t one, how can they see Jesus?

What our divided world needs is a united church. 

The cultural wars in our country have been on full display this week with the leaked Supreme Court document regarding the upcoming Roe v. Wade ruling. There is anger and shouting on all sides. I am unapologetically pro-life. All life. Notice I did not write pro-unborn. That’s part of it. I am pro-unborn. I am also… 

Pro-baby. 
Pro-toddler.
Pro-kindergartener. 
Pro-elementary child. 
Pro-middle-schooler.
Pro-high-schooler. 
Pro-college student. 
Pro-everyone else.

I am pro-people. 

That’s what pro-life means to me: Pro-everyone living and breathing on planet earth. No exceptions. As such, I rejoice that the “least of these” might be protected, but I am also heartbroken that we do not have an adequate health and social service system to manage the turmoil, stress and health (mental, emotional and spiritual health) of the women seeking abortions. I am pro-life, but I am also pro-we-have-to-do-better-for-these-women. Is it ok to be pro both of these things? Can’t someone be pro-people? That’s what I am. 

Being pro-people means I am also…

Pro-adequate housing. 
Pro-better health care.
Pro-better mental health treatment.
Pro-better foster care.

Being pro-people also means…

Pro-ending genocide in Ukraine.
Pro-ending gun violence in America.
Pro-ending drug addiction.
Pro-ending the suicide epidemic.
Pro-ending racism.
Pro-ending the vitriol rhetoric.
Pro-ending the demonization of those who disagree with me.
Pro-ending all those things that divide us.

Being Pro-people also means…

Pro-pray harder.
Pro-hate less.
Pro-love more.
Pro-Hey-Christian-get-off-your-pew-and-do-something.

I pray that God’s Kingdom would come and His will done in Flint (on Earth) as it is in heaven. That means that I am fighting for the things Jesus would fight for—that is, people. That’s why he came to earth and went to the cross: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Jesus is pro-people. Me too.

John Maxwell once said, “If no one is following you. then you are not leading. You are taking a walk.” There is a little bit of pressure in saying: “Do what I do. Follow me” But that’s what great leaders say. Jesus repeatedly said it. Paul did too. Paul gave early church leaders plenty of challenging words in his writings, but his biggest challenge was the one he put on himself. He told the rag-tag group in Corinth: Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1). 

Dear church leader could you say what Paul said? Follow me, as I follow Christ.

Could you tell the people whom you influence: “Put me under a microscope. Examine my life. Look at my social media posts. Notice how I interact with those people who get under my skin. Checkout my time commitments. Look at my bank statements and how I spend my money. Hear my interactions with non-believers. Am I attempting to influence people toward Jesus? Watch me in a crowd or view me when I’m all alone. Look at my life, then do what I do.” Could you say that?

A defeatist would say, “Oh no, don’t look at me, I will mess up.” (Of course, you will mess up. You are a human, the last time I checked).  Visionary, godly leaders says, “I take on the challenge to live in a Christ-like manner in all of my relationships and in all areas of my life. Will I mess up? Hopefully not often. But when I do, I will get back up and move forward, because that’s what Christ-like leaders do. Follow me, as I follow Christ”

Dear church leaders, here’s an even bigger challenge: Could we say the same thing about your church to other churches? “Look at us. Not in an arrogant, ‘look-at-me-I’m better-than-you’ sort of way, but look at the way we operate. Audit our books. Notice where we spend our monies. How do we treat one another? Pay attention to how we care for the ‘the least of these.’ Are we investing in our community? What are our evangelism techniques? Look at what we are doing for Jesus and then do that. Follow us as we follow Jesus.”

Could we say those words? Could you offer that challenge to your surrounding churches or to other churches across the country? If not, why not?

“The times– they are a changin.” There are challenges from the left and right. Temptations are all around. People are walking out of churches and not looking back. Our society is becoming more and more post-Christian. Under our watch is the greatest decline in Christianity in America. Right now. It’s happening under our noses. The message of Jesus is being shut out. Can this post-Christian trend be turned around? What are we doing about it?

I believe the tide can turn. I believe God can work in America. I believe revival can come. How? Change occurs when Godly leaders personally and local churches collectively say, “Follow us as we follow Jesus.” Then actually living into those expectations. 

The six words our society needs church leaders to say: Follow me, as I follow Christ.  

Can you say it? 

Will you say it?

Don’t just say it, live it out. Follow me, as I follow Christ!

As of May 1, I will have officially been at Flint Central Church longer than any of my previous churches. I’ve been around these parts for 8 years and 6 months. My next longest tenure was Lenexa (Kansas) Central Church, 8 years and 5 months. Apparently, I like “Central” churches. I suspect I will retire here. Lord (and congregation) willing. The good people of Flint Central church have put up with my silly stories, my head slapping, my high-pitched exclamations, my stories of Karla, my love of Michigan sports and all the rest of my antics longer than any other church. 

Maybe we should give everyone who calls Central Church “home” a medal. The “I-Survived-Rob” medals should not be made out of gold, silver or bronze, but the jury is still out on which medal type is appropriate. Should it be platinum to reward those who have endured my goofiness or tin to reflect my goofiness? Hmmmm….

A few years ago, I was going through some deep soul searching. There was some trouble and drama. Aging and dealing with dementia In-laws. Personal health issues. Church messiness. Kids too far away. You know the deal. Blah. Blah. Blah. Ugh! During that time, I prayed, “God did you call me to the city of Flint or to the Flint Central Church of the Nazarene or to someplace else?” Should I “like a bread truck, move my buns” or like an oak tree plant my roots deep, deep, deep in the ground?

We decided to plant our roots deep. I’m glad we did.

Like all storms, the sun was always shinning. I just didn’t see it. The clouds moved, many of the troubles passed and God’s faithfulness was new every morning. Now, I’m amazed at the transformation taking place in our church.

• I love our pastoral staff.
• I love our church board.
• I love our office staff, facility crew, and tech people. They are the best!
• I love what God is doing here.
• I love the generosity displayed in our IMAGINE Initiative.
• I love that our nurseries are being refreshed. After 25 years, it’s time. The offices too.
• I love that there will be new signage around the building
• I love that our kiddos will have a place to play outside. Central Park is coming in 2023.
• I love that our debt will soon be gone and we will be able to better invest in Flint in 2024.
• I love how the Spirit of God is moving in our services.
• I love what Central church people are doing for Jesus outside of our church walls.
• I love that God is calling young people into ministry.
• I love that Jesus is not done with our older people. (Myself included. You don’t retire from the Lord’s Army. You re-enlist).
• I love that the Spirit is drawing new people; they are staying and getting involved. 
• I love our church. 

All this to say: thanks for putting up with me. I love you all and can’t wait to see what Jesus does next at Central Church.

Fine Print at the bottom of the page: Central Church is not a perfect church. There is no perfect church. I’m the pastor and I’m far from perfect (ask Karla). The Enemy is still at work. He’s no dummy. He can see the good things God is doing too. Don’t be surprised if that Old Snake ups the attack. He hates what’s happening. Drama and messiness could return. Personal health isn’t guaranteed. Family junk happens. That’s why it is vital for all of us to keep our eyes on Jesus. You can be sure that Jesus never disappoints. Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world!

Did you see the news that CNN+ (the streaming service established by CNN) stopped operations just weeks after it was launched? Hundreds will lose their jobs. CNN lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the ill-fated attempt to enter the streaming world. While spending all that money hyping the new venture, CNN+ was averaging just 10,000 viewers a day (not exactly a flood of viewers in our connected planet of 7 billion people). This may go down as a bigger blunder than the “new Coke” fiasco in the 1980’s. I was not one of the 150,000 CNN+ subscribers (they wanted 2 million in the first year). I had no skin in the game (in other words).  Whatever your opinion of CNN, there is value in looking at what went wrong. Clearly, I don’t know the inner workings of a media giant. From an outside observer who is interested in the long-term health of an organization (the church), here are a few of my takeaways:

1) Count the cost. 
I’ve written before if you are not failing sometimes you aren’t trying. Sometimes things don’t work out. You gotta try. But whew… you also have to count the cost. Unlike a media giant my church (and probably yours) can’t afford to lose thousands (let alone millions). It’s important to know the cost whatever the task. This is a good lesson for trustees or building and finance committees. 

2) Understand the need (and what is not needed). 
Was CNN+ trying to scratch and itch that no one had? Apparently. Most people thought they could find similar content for free elsewhere. The need for a news streaming service, simply wasn’t there. This point will come into play most with our mission endeavors. Churches need to assess the community needs and determine what can and cannot be done to make the biggest impact on their city for Jesus.

3). Unity is Essential
CNN’s former CEO resigned in a scandal; other scandals have rocked the network; and a merger happened where the new CEO viewed the CNN+ reality differently than the previous leadership. Instability and upheaval could best describe life at CNN. All this to say, it’s a mess. Jesus was so incredibly right (duh) when he said, “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25). The equation is simple: Division equals death. For any organization to be successful (churches included), it must be united. The old line is still true: In Essentials Unity; In non-essentials liberty; In all things Charity. 

4) Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
Clearly there was a failure to communicate in this process. Some people must have known this was coming; knew the trouble looming; knew the errors made and details but the message either wasn’t heard or wasn’t spoken. In any event, there was a failure to communicate. In new ventures, in any changes, in any mission type endeavors communicate the happenings to the church body to the point you are sick of it. Communicate and over-communicate. There must be buy in from the church to the mission at hand.

5. The Church isn’t a Media Corporation.
File this under: “It’s so Obvious, why are you pointing this out?” The Church isn’t a media corporation, but we have the BEST NEWS. As such, let’s keep proclaiming Jesus using whatever tools our modern world provides (read: print, social media, texting, anything, everything) to proclaim the good, good news! We don’t need CNN+. Let’s participate with God Almighty making the Church+. 

‘Twas the day after Easter, and this preacher is spent
my energy’s missing. It got up and went.

The lights are all off. The Sanctuary’s bare
The pews are all empty, not a person is there,

The nurseries are closed, the children are gone,
remaining are only cross pictures they’ve drawn.

The staff’s ready for jammies, and I in my cap,
Everyone’s dreaming of a long Nazarene nap.

When into the office there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.

Away from my chair I flew like a flash,
ran into the wall, what a terrible crash.

when, what to my wondering ears should I hear,
but Karla saying, you’re not done, my sweet dear.

My little old lady, will be mad as a whip,
The moment she reads this silly little quip.

The Attendance Queen listed all the people who came,
 she whistled and shouted and called them by name:

“There’s a Joe and Shirley, a Billy and a Bob!
All these visitors make my pretty head throb!
On, Johnson! On, Smith!
On, Jones and On Jack!
To the top of each page!
the folder is packed!
Now write away! Write away!
Write to them all!”

As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,
I have no time to question or wonder why?

Each guest needs a note or a visitor letter
From the pastor saying church would be better

If only you’d only come more than twice a year
My preaching has a story you simply must hear

The Savior loves you so very, very much
He’ll bless your days with His gentle touch. 

His eyes–how they love you! His hands, how strong!
His message is always, you truly belong!

So come every Sunday, unless you are sick
Then watch on-line and get better quick.

We want you here, as much as you’re able
Sharing bread and wine at the Lord’s table 

But If your next visit is for a candle to light
You’ll hear me exclaim,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

This Sunday is Easter, which is a great time to invite friends, neighbors and family to church services. People are inclined to attend on Easter if invited. The easy method is simply this: 

“Hey, this Sunday is Easter. I love Central Church and know we are going to have a great service. I’d love for you and your family to join me.” 

(Bonus stars given if you add: “And how about coming over for lunch following the service.” In a moment of full disclosure, “bonus stars” are referring to nothing in particular. Not jewels in your heavenly crown or anything at Starbucks, it’s just nonsensical fun.). 

 Here is what NOT to say when inviting friends to Easter Church:

1. Easter at Central Church is like eggs sunny side up with grits and gravy. (What does that even mean?)

2. If you come to Central Church on Easter Sunday you are entered in a contest to win a giant Easter basket. (Umm… no one will win an Easter basket—large or small–  for coming to Central Church).  

3. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir? The Beatles? Pavarotti? Adele? Tin-voiced, amateurs in comparison to our choir, band and singers!  We do have wonderful singers and musicians, but it’s not a competition. Those others can sing a little too.

4. Four out of five dentists recommend Central Church (that’s Dentine gum). 

5. Our pews are like lazy boys, only with no foot-rests; and they don’t recline or swivel; and there aren’t armrests unless you are on the end. OK… our pews are nothing like Lazy-boys, but come anyway.   

6. Get a picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Photo Booth? Yes. Easter Bunny present? No.

7. If you come to Central Church on Easter, Tax Day is delayed until Monday. (Tax Day is Monday whether your friend comes to Central or not).

8. If I fill a pew with friends on Easter, I get a giant Easter basket. (I thought we already established that no giant Easter Baskets will be given out for any reason).

9. Come to Central Church, our pastor is more hippity and hoppity than Peter Cottontail (I don’t believe that is true at all) 

10. Easter Sunday—if you ain’t at my church. You ain’t my friend. (Friends might respectfully decline your invitation. That’s OK. They are still your friend. Be kind, respectful and please don’t use the word “ain’t” in your invite.)

Ok… this is pure silliness. 

Inviting friends to Central Church for Easter Services is not silliness. Who knows? Your friends might join you, discover Jesus and be forever grateful that you cared enough to invite them to Easter Services.

The Church Growth Movement didn’t produce lasting growth (the Church is in massive decline in America). The Church Leadership Development Movement hasn’t produced effective leaders. (See the aforementioned parenthesis about church attendance tanking and think of the vast number of ineffective “leaders” that you know). We need a new, effective model, if we want to build back the body of Christ.

Maybe, I know this sounds wild and crazy, maybe we should be putting our emphasis on disciple making. Isn’t that what Jesus called us to do in the Great Commission?  “Go and make disciples”? I almost wish Jesus hadn’t said the second part of the Great Commission (please don’t throw rotten tomatoes at me for even suggesting such a thing). I wish Jesus hadn’t said the “teaching them to obey” part, because I think that’s where the disciple making hits a major snafu. 

Every believer knows we need to make disciples, the problem is how are we going to make them? Most Christian folks hear “discipleship,” and think “Teach them the Bible.” That’s what Jesus said, “Teach them to obey…” Fill their brains with Bible teachings, then they will be better disciples. That’s the thinking of most Christians, but is it correct? Is head knowledge, knowing the “dos and don’ts” of Christianity, the main thing? Is sitting in a class or memorizing mountains of scripture (as important as that can be), what “making disciples” is all about?

I suggest it is not (again please keep the rotten tomatoes to yourself). I am not opposed to learning the Bible. We need to read God’s word and get it deep in our bones. But I’m not sure head knowledge alone will make the kind of disciples we are after. Who were the most learned men of Jesus day?  Wasn’t it the teachers of the law, the high priest, the religious scholars?  They knew the Torah, like the back of their hand, but they missed Jesus. Could the same malfeasance befall us?

John in his first letter wrote this:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18

Putting John’s advice into practical disciple making terms, the discipleship method we should strive for is not with words or speech (read: head knowledge alone) but “actions and truth.”  

Actions = serving. 
Truth = personal experience with the Truth (Capital “C”). 

How do we make disciples?  We serve with people. Some Christians. Some not. The far-from-Jesus people see and hear through serving (read: love with actions). They see and hear the Truth lived out through the relationships built into serving alongside one another. Over time, prayer and the prevenient grace of God, these far-from-Jesus people will be drawn to and encounter the Truth.

This approach is not down playing the importance of the Bible. The Bible, following serving, reinforces the Truth that people have encountered. The Bible is the word that points us to the Word. The Bible strengthens our resolve to serve more and better. The Bible is essential. But let’s start with serving. It’s being a living example of the Word and Truth, before anyone reads the word.

Serving leads to making disciples. Continued serving makes better disciples. How are we going to bring God’s Kingdom on earth? It happens through serving, not teaching, not preaching. Serving. We don’t need “servant leaders.” We don’t need to use the word “servant” as an adjective. We need “servant” to be a noun again. The next big thing needs to be the old, old thing: Making Christ-like servants. 

Easter is less than two weeks away. Most generally, a pastor will tell you that Holy Week is one of the busiest weeks of the year. There are three extra services (Easter Jam, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) and of course, every preacher wants his/her Easter sermon to be a “home run.” We want everything to be perfect (as perfect as can be). The week is hectic, tiring, and demanding. But this week (the week before the week of Easter) is just as crucial. This is the week for prayer and invitation.

We need to pray. Pray for the services. Pray for the pastors, office staff, facilities crew, singers, musicians, tech people, ushers, greeters, (did I miss anyone? If I did, pray for them). Pray that everything we do is pointing people to Jesus. Pray that we are prepared to welcome and show our guests love. Pray that when people enter they will sense the Holy Spirit is at work and when they leave they will not be the same person that entered. That prayer, by the way, is not simply for the newbies walking through the door, that prayer is for all of us. Me included. Pray for a Jesus-led transformation! 

We need to invite. Lately, I’ve written a few blogs about the “rise of the nones” (those people that claim no religious affiliation); the increase in “de-constructionists” (folks walking away from the church or faith) and decline of the church in general. But here’s a secret: most people (even the aforementioned groups) are curious about Jesus. Most people like Jesus. (It’s hard not to like Jesus). What better day to invite them to hear about Jesus than Easter? It is the most Jesus-centric service of the year (every Sunday should be Jesus centered but Resurrection Sunday for sure must be).  

I’m convinced that God is not done in our world. I’m so ready to see some of our loved “none” friends flip into becoming “Jesus followers.” I’m dying for revival. TRUTH ALERT: God wants revival even more. As such, I’m convinced that God will give each of us opportunities to share and invite folks this week. So pray for God to open doors to invite people to church this and next week, then boldly walk through those doors with the love of Jesus. Make the most of the opportunities that God’s prevenient grace provides. 

Be a part of God’s redemption plan for our world. May his Kingdom come and His will be done in Flint (on earth) as it is in heaven. And may he use you and me to accomplish this goal!

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5

Last Sunday, I talked to a first-time visitor to our church. In the conversation, I said, “I am incredibly biased… so take what I am about to tell you with a grain of salt, but I love Central Church. Absolutely love it.” I wasn’t lying.

You’d want your pastor to love his/her church. Not all do. I know pastors who hate going on Sunday mornings. They look forward to Sunday morning about as much as getting a root canal. Maybe that’s why so many pastors are walking away from their calling (You can read a recent report about pastors exiting their churches here). This week I blogged about the exit of people leaving the church. (You can read that article here). Having written all of that, I love Central Church. Absolutely love it.

I hesitate to state all the reasons, because I don’t want to sound braggadocios. Central Church can be better. We have issues. We aren’t perfect. I tell folks, “I know Central Church isn’t perfect because y’all let me pastor here and (excuse my poor English) I ain’t perfect.” We aren’t the greatest gathering since Acts 2. There are other great churches too. I get all of that, still I love Central Church. Absolutely love it.

People are leaving churches (as I wrote in the blog), but our church has new folks showing up every week. I’m so glad they are coming. Some “newbies” first started watching on-line; a few church shoppers have finally found a home; others heard “Central Church’s “In Flint” mission emphasis and agreed churches should be concerned for what’s happening outside its walls; and a few folks just kind of wandered in, found Jesus and said, “Wow-what-a-church!” These new folks are quickly getting their own “Yippee-Yahoo,” biased opinion about Central Church too. I love it! Absolutely love it.

I am biased. Hear me. Super biased. 

Our music is great (I’d put our choir and our praise team up against any other church). Our pastors are great (while I was “sabaticalling,” Central Church never missed a beat. We have such a godly team of pastors). The facilities crew, office staff, you name it are all fun, faithful people. Our children, students, young adults, middle-agers, senior citizens are so engaged. Our Church Board is a blessing (Did I tell you our last board meeting was more “camp meeting” than board meeting?). I love it! Absolutely love it.

Central Church believes the Bible is true. We believe Jesus calls us to love God and love others. That love is then expressed in our neighborhood (hello Central Park); in our city (Thanks Mr. Mayor for giving Central Church the “Key to the City”); and to the entire world (We’re coming back Panama! See you soon!!). I love that Central church is fulfilling the Great Commission. I love it! Absolutely love it.

It’s all true. Some pastors and people are leaving their churches. Not me. I love Central Church; our old-timers love it too and the new folks are discovering why. Central church is a great (not perfect) church that loves God and loves people in Flint and around the world! That’s why I’m staying! I love it! Absolutely love it.

Church attendance among those who identified as evangelicals is plummeting in the United States.

In 2008, 29% of people who identified as evangelicals stated they attended church only yearly (or less). In 2021, that number was 42%. These aren’t the “nones.” These are not the people who say they are agnostic, atheist or have no affiliation (that number also went up from 22% in 2008 to 36% in 2021).  I’m talking about the people who say they believe in Jesus. They identify with tribes similar to mine but for the occasional Christmas or Easter have stopped going to church. Moreover, less than half (47%) of self-identified evangelicals are weekly attenders. It was 59% in 2008. (See graphs below)

What do these numbers tell me?  We are losing. We are losing those who have given up on faith and we are losing people who are still (currently) verbalizing faith– but will probably be stepping out soon with no faith community to surround and encourage them. We are witnessing a massive decline in Christianity in the United States. Unlike the Great Awakening, this period of United States history will be known as the Great Exiting. It’s happening under our watch. Right under our noses.

Here’s the deal: People still need Jesus. The Christ-shaped void in people’s lives is more evident than ever. People are lonely. Suicides are up. Violent crime is up (in most cities). Anger is up. Morality is sinking into new lows. Right seems wrong. Wrong seems right. Ministers are walking away at a greater number than ever, and fewer young people are sensing a call into ministry. People are in trouble while discouraged pastors are leaving their pulpits and empty churches are closing their doors. 

What are we going to do about it? 

Here are our options:

1). Throw stones at those who exit or are exiting. (Probably not a good strategy);

2). Keep our noses in the hymnbook (figuratively) and pretend that everything is OK (Also, not a good strategy);

3). Blame the media, politicians, the left, the right, hypocrites, megachurch failures, the pandemic, the Russians, the music, the boogeyman, bad pastors or youth pastors, this article (and ones like it) and/or everyone but ourselves for the decline. (Probably need a mirror not a slingshot). 

4). Become disgruntled and join the Great Exit (please don’t);

Or… 

5). Get out of our pews and into our neighborhoods. Pray. Make friends with non-believers. Try new things. Change methods, not the message. Keep trying. Preach Jesus. Pray some more. Focus on children and teenagers. Try harder. Pray harder. Stop judging. Start loving. Did I mention prayer? We need more prayer.

We are losing, but we can’t quit. We must keep trying. Jesus is still Lord. We are still His disciples. The world still needs Jesus and His Bride. The Great Exit is upon us, let history show that we did not take it twiddling our thumbs. Instead, let’s keep proclaiming Jesus in our actions and words.

We all know the “nones” are growing. This week I saw the latest statistics. Those people who say they are atheist, agnostic or have no religious affiliation went from 22% of the USA population in 2008 to 36% in 2021. We all know these numbers are true. You, no doubt, have family and friends who have walked away from faith. We are seeing the biggest decline in Christianity the United States has ever experienced. It’s happening under our watch. Under our noses. Forgive us Lord!

Yesterday, I read books to children at Dillon Elementary school. I read in three different classrooms and I took three different books: Where the Wild Things Are (the children informed me, they had read that one before); Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (a book I would read to my Alexander after a horrible, no good very bad day in his life); and Nicolas Cricket (a favorite of mine). I read all three in each class. The children settled on their spot on the carpet. The rest of the carpet must have been lava, because they didn’t move off “their” spot. They were very well behaved as I read. It didn’t take long. I was in and out in less than an hour. I wish I could have been there longer. 

What does reading children’s books (they weren’t even “Christian” books) and the rise of the “nones” have in common? We’ve got to love the generation growing up. I had a mentor who once told me, “You gotta play with them to pray with them.” He was right. To reverse the avalanche of “nones,” we’ve got to be involved in people’s lives. Not just hammering them over them over the head with a Bible or listing off the “Four Spiritual Laws.” People need to first know we care. It’s baby steps before leaps of faith. So I read at Dillon Elementary School, call it a baby step.

Getting involved in the community; showing people you care is the new evangelism. It’s takes more time and energy than handing out Bible tracts on the “Roman Road.” It’s a longer process. People need to see the love of Jesus in us, before they invite the love of Jesus into their lives.

Listen, the rapid rise of “Nones” is alarming. The pandemic pushed the accelerator on this trend. Look at Europe to see where this is heading. NEWS FLASH: It ain’t good (pardon my poor English). What am I saying? Get involved in your community. Volunteer at elementary school. Get to know the kids in your neighborhood. Be the nice neighbor. Let them roll all over your lawn. Hand out the best candy on Halloween. Follow Jesus’ example of the time when the disciples tried to shoo the children away and he said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”(Luke 18:16). 

We’re blowing it. We’ve got to own this bad news, confess our failure in the “Rise of the Nones” and be proactive in stopping the trend. It begins with loving our neighbors. Even (especially) our youngest neighbors.