Love - Grow - Serve!

A new and exciting vision/discipleship process is emerging in our church. It's called,

Love - Grow - Serve

Over the past several months, our church leadership has been praying and wrestling about the vision that God has in mind for our congregation. We kept coming back to this simple phrase:

Love - Grow - Serve

Actually, this new vision was a no-brainer because we were already emphasizing "Love First" as our church focus. This is the logo that is on our church letterhead, website, church Facebook page, worship bulletin, and t-shirts.

As we thought about our church logo, "Love First," it became readily apparent that this is where any vision for our church needs to begin. We begin with love.

Here is a brief synopsis of our Love - Grow - Serve vision/discipleship process. It's brief because it's very simple and easy to understand. That's what I love about this! It's so easy that anyone can learn it rather quickly.

LOVE (Worship)

Like I said, our church's vision begins with love. As I John tells us, we love because God first loved us! When of the key ways that we receive and respond to God's love made known to us in Jesus Christ is through worship. We worship collectively when we gather to sing praises, hear the scriptures read and proclaimed, pray, and offer ourselves to God. We also worship through our personal daily time with God. Both are important! Love is associated with worship.

This brings us to the second word in the vision, GROW.

GROW (Classes)

Love leads to growth. Love prompts us to learn and discover who God and who God is calling us to be. This involves the exercise of our minds in learning and growing in the basics of the Christian faith.  

To help us grow, we offer Sunday School classes as well as bible studies. We also will begin offering six "Core Courses" designed for long-time church members as well as those who are new to our church. These will be offered on an annual basis on Sunday mornings at the church and on Wednesday evenings at our Crossroads facility as part of our Wednesday Fellowship Dinner program.

• Bible Basics
• Christianity 101
• United Methodism - History & Theology
• Means of Grace (Including the Sacraments)
• Spiritual Gifts
• Personal Finances & Stewardship

Our goal is to have a high % of our congregation complete all six of these "core courses" which will provide a strong foundation for our faith journey.

We love through worship. We grow through classes. And we..

SERVE (Small Groups)

Loving and growing naturally lead to serving. When we worship and receive God's love and then grow in our faith, all of this leads to a desire to serve and to live out who God has called us to be. 

In our emerging vision, we believe that God is calling us to form many small groups consisting of 3 to 12 people who will encourage each other to serve in ministry as a small group. For example, a small group may decide to help serve a meal at Foundations Dinners here in Lancaster. Another small group may decide to provide games for children at our annual Easter Eggstravaganza. Still, another small group may decide to serve at our Second Saturday outreach. The sky's the limit! There are many ways to serve and be a blessing in our church and community.

In addition to serving, we are encouraging our small groups to share their faith with each other. John Wesley, the 18th century founder of Methodism liked to ask the question, "How is it with your soul?" To help answer that question, we are inviting small groups to respond to these questions whenever they meet:

1. Share a recent "Closest to Christ" moment. (When did you sense God's presence in a very real way?)

2. Share when you denied Christ. It's good for the soul to confess when we fell short of being who God has called us to be.

3. Share when you were the "heartbeat" of Christ for someone. When were you a blessing to someone?

We will be hearing  a lot more about Love - Grow - Serve. In the meantime, pray for our church as we seek to live into this new and exciting vision/discipleship process.

Getting "Discipled"

During my run today, a coach was walking toward me on the bike path. As we were passing each other, he said in a very clear voice, "Good morning!"  It sounded very genuine and intentional as if he wanted to make sure I heard him.

About a hundred yards up the bike path, a group of what I suppose were his field hockey team were fast approaching me as I continued my run. Call it a sixth sense or chalk it up to past history playing sports, I thought to myself, "I bet when I run by these players they will do the same thing."  And sure enough, one by one, they said to me, "Good morning!" just like their coach had said to me.

It became very obvious at that point that this coach had intentionally taught his players a life skill. Greet people you see with a positive word.

I don't know if these players realized it or not, but they had been "discipled." They were doing what their leader had taught them to do.

On this St. James Feast Day, we remember this faithful disciple of Jesus. He, along with the other disciples followed Jesus' every move and in many ways they lived out his teachings. Jesus modeled what it meant to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. James had been "discipled" by Jesus.

How do we allow Jesus to disciple us today? By reading scripture, praying, worshipping, giving, and serving on a regular basis? May each day be a day that we allow Jesus to disciple us.

Too Many Swing Thoughts?

A friend of mine sent this picture of a golfer thinking about way too many swing thoughts prior to his swing.  Been there.  Done that!

This picture leads me to wonder if we have a similar problem in our faith sometimes.  Do we have too many "faith thoughts" that end up keeping us from doing anything at all with our faith?  Here are some examples of how too many "faith thoughts" can get in our way.

• I'd like to join in that ministry but what if I don't have what it takes?
• That bible study would be great to join but they probably know a lot more about the bible than I do and I'll look foolish.
• Maybe I'll work my faith story in this conversation, but wait, he might think I'm a religious fanatic.
• What if my financial gift won't make a difference in the church?  I'll hold back.
• It would be great to seek out reconciliation with her but what if she doesn't want to renew our friendship?
• I knew I should speak out on this issue facing our community but some people won't be happy with my stance.
• It's been a long time since my son and I have spent some quality time together but he won't want to talk.
• I want to start reading the bible more, but I just don't understand it and there are so many different kinds of Bibles.

What are some other "faith thoughts" that can get in the way of  us taking that next step in faith?  What "faith thought" does God want us to have in this moment so that we can be fully devoted to Christ?

And for all golfers out there, here's some advice a Jamaican golf caddy gave to a tourist who was thinking way too much during a round of golf.

He said, "Just hit it, mon!"
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A Model for Discipleship on the Back of Some Scrap Paper

When our church recently served a meal for those in need, I struck up a conversation with a man who has been homeless and is trying to get his feet on the ground.  It was fascinating to hear him share about a model of discipleship that he uses in his own faith journey.

He drew this discipleship model on the back of some scrap paper that he saw near us (see above.)  It's pretty simple but powerful!  At the top of this diagram is you.  This assumes that you are seeking to be in growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

The idea is that you find two other people (in this case, John and Bill) to share your faith with them, provide any resources they may need, and encourage them.  You then encourage John and Bill to do the same for another person (in this case, Jim.)  Jim then will do the same for another person or maybe two other people.

Over time, the number of people who are growing as disciples of Jesus Christ increases because the people you help want to do the same for others.  This model also assumes that you will encourage them to share what they have been given with others.

I thanked this man for sharing his thoughts on discipleship with me.  Too often, we keep our faith private, never sharing it with others.  Jesus implemented a similar model of faith sharing by first focusing on just a few people (the twelve disciples) and you can also make the case that it was even fewer (Peter, James, & John.)  But Jesus' purpose wasn't for the good news of God's in-breaking kingdom to stay within the twelve, but to eventually be shared to the ends of the earth.

The other thing that I liked about this man's model is that he used the word, "encourage" a lot.  His was a model of authenticity, compassion, and integrity.  He didn't just want to convert others.  He wanted to share with them and encourage them to do the same with others.

Thank God for this homeless man who taught me a thing or two about how to do discipleship.
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What Are Your Favorite Summer Shoes?

I'm facing a dilemma.  My velcro strap sandals which I have worn for the past 5 to 7 summers needed to be replaced.  I don't think I want to wear sneakers (or "tennis shoes" if you prefer) since I like my feet being able to breathe when it's 98 degrees.  But at least they're comfortable for walking.  Flip flops aren't really my style either since I don't like the flip flop sound they make.

What to do?

We often use the phrase, "our walk with Christ" to speak of our Christian faith.  As I contemplate what my next pair of summer shoes will be, it's also good for me to think about what kind of spiritual shoes/sandals will best help me in my "walk with Christ."

In other words, am I prepared for those times in my journey when it's a long walk with Christ and I need something a little more rugged?  And what about those times when Jesus wants me to get out of my comfort zone and walk on the water, like Peter?  Do I have a pair of beach shoes?  Sometimes, Jesus calls me to offer his good news at a funeral service.  Are my dress shoes available for the task?

A former District Superintendent who is a friend of mine once told me about a time that he met with a pastor who he was about to introduce to the congregation.  The two of them agreed to meet at the District Superintendent's office before going to the church so they could go over some information about this new church.

My friend was surprised when this pastor showed up in sneakers (tennis shoes.)  Thinking that he was going to change shoes before the meeting with the church, the pastor responded, "Nah.  This is what I like to wear.  A suit and tie with tennis shoes."

That didn't go over too well with the people of his new church.  If I remember correctly, this pastor lasted one or two years at his new appointment.  If only he would have thought about what shoes he needs for which part of his "walk with Christ."

Back to my summer sandal/shoe dilemma - Today, I bought a pair of sandal-like shoes with one velcro strap.  I can tell that my feet are going to really hurt if I try to wear them on long walks.

I miss my old sandals!
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Why "Commitment" is Important in the Christian Faith"

Being a Christian isn't easy. Being a faithful member of a church isn't easy. Being a preacher isn't easy. While there are many, many joys along our Christian walk and faith journey, there are also many setbacks, disappointments, and difficult decisions to make. Being a member of a church is a lot like marriage because any relationship will have its share of challenges along the way.

This is why every person who desires to become a member of a United Methodist Church makes a commitment in front of the new church family to participate by their "prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness." We make this pledge upon joining the church, because these are the areas that will most likely be tested at different points during our church membership.

During yesterday's fall new member class, we watched a video segment which included entries from John Wesley's journal. As you read these entries, it's no wonder why commitment is a key component for a Christian who desires to be a faithful member of a church. John Wesley shared his face of setbacks within the church he was seeking to reform.

John Wesley's Journal Entries

Sunday, May 7th: I preached at St. Lawrence’s in the morning, and afterward at St. Katherine Cree’s Church. I was enabled to speak strong words at both; and was therefore the less surprised at being informed that I was not to preach any more in either of those churches.

Sunday, May 14th: I preached in the morning at St. Ann’s, Aldersgate; and in the afternoon at the Savoy Chapel, free salvation by faith in the blood of Christ. I was quickly apprised that at St. Ann’s, likewise, I am to preach no more.

Friday, May 19th: I preached at St. John’s, Wapping at three and at St. Bennett’s, Paul’s Wharf, in the evening. At these churches, likewise, I am to preach no more.

Friday, November 3rd: I preached at St. Antholin’s; Sunday, 5, in the morning, at St. Botolph’s, Bishopsgate; in the afternoon, at Islington; and in the evening, to such a congregation as I never saw before, at St. Clement’s, in the Strand. As this was the first time of my preaching here, I suppose it is to be the last.
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Happy New Year!

With the new school season and football just around the corner, this is the time of year of new beginnings. My brother has always felt that this should be considered the beginning of the new year rather than January 1st since the transition between summer and the fall schedule is filled with so many changes and new possibilities.

Schools and football programs will focus on the fundamentals which will hopefully help the students and players to have a strong foundation throughout the year/season. All of this has led me to rethink what the fundamentals are for Christian discipleship during this "new year."
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Here are a few thoughts on what these fundamentals are:

• A return to a more consistent pattern of weekly worship attendance.
• A daily spiritual growth plan that includes reading of scripture/prayer. Many resources for this including "The Upper Room" devotional and "The Daily Office." Find something that works and use it each day.
• Regular participation in a class/small group that encourages Christian growth and accountability.
• Intentional hands on serving in a ministry area where we put our faith into practice.

Of course, there are more fundamentals, but if I had to focus on just a few, these would be at the top. As I get ready to reconvene my small group which includes study, prayer, sharing, and accountability, I think my brother had it right.

Happy New Year! May this be a new year of Christian growth and transformation.

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Christian Mentoring

Christian mentoring is pretty simple. It's when a follower of Jesus connects with another follower of Jesus who is farther along in the faith journey to receive encouragement, growth, and support. Of course, in some ways, this is a two way street since we can all learn and grow from each other. But in another way, being able to connect with someone who is a more mature and experienced Christian is invaluable.

A couple of nights ago, I called my Christian mentor of more than twenty years on the phone. A retired United Methodist pastor with over forty years of pastoral ministry, his great wealth of experiences and wisdom have helped me to stay grounded not only in my personal faith but also in my professional life.

In his usual way, he shared with me about other churches that have experienced similar situations and was able to offer some thoughts on how I/we might proceed. After our phone conversation, I felt different. I felt affirmed. I felt renewed confidence. I didn't feel alone. And I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in a new way.

I'm so glad that he's only a phone call away.

A Discipleship Making Machine

The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We say this, hear it, repeat it, and promote this as our primary mission, but are we really making it a priority in all that we do?

A couple of years ago, Willow Creek Community Church conducted a survey of the leading churches in America. One of the things the survey revealed is that one of the reasons people stop participating in the church is because they felt that the church failed in not helping them to continue to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Effective disciple making is a long and difficult process, and yet it is the church's primary mission. One of the key ingredients of the rise of Methodism was their intentionality in helping every Methodist become a more fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

Beginning in May, Lancaster First UMC is embarking on a more intentional approach in helping people in our congregation grow in deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Utilizing the discipleship making approach at Church of the Resurrection United Methodist Church in Kansas City, we will be offering three Learning Communities each year that explore the foundational components that every disciple of Jesus Christ (regardless of where we are in our faith journey) needs to implement in their daily living.

The three Learning Communities are "Loving God," "Knowing God," and "Serving God." In addition to these Learning Communities, we will be encouraging our existing long-term groups to include elements of these three Learning Communities in their discussions each year.

Our goal is for every member to participate in the three Learning Communities at some point. Think of the church as a disciple making machine that takes seriously our primary mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

To learn more about these Learning Communities, click on this link of our most recent church newsletter. The article can be found on page 5.

Is "Accountability" a Dirty Word?

The small group coordinator was in the middle of his small group leader training and everything was going really well. He had shared how small groups are at the heart of a healthy and growing congregation and how they, as new small group leaders, would be instrumental in helping the people under their care grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Everything was going so smoothly during the orientation until...until the mention of a single word, a word that took some of the potential small group leaders by surprise. The word?

Accountability.

When this word was mentioned in relation to small group ministry, there was a noticeable shift in what had been a positive spirit throughout the meeting. As the small group coordinator tried to continue to talk about specific ways to help small groups incorporate and encourage accountability as disciples of Jesus Christ, one of the participants vocalized her objection.

"Wait a minute. Is that what these groups are supposed to be about? Accountability? I'm not going to be telling people how they're supposed to live their lives. That's their business, not mine."

The small group orientation never recovered from that point on. Even after a longer discussion about what was meant by small group accountability, just that one word, somehow shut down the whole process.

Accountability. What this small group coordinator experienced as a result of using this word is not unique. When clergy in our conference were told that it would be mandatory for us to be involved in a covenant group of accountability with other clergy that met on a regular basis, based on the responses of clergy, you would have thought we were being asked to schedule a root canal.

At it's best, Christian accountability is that process whereby followers of Jesus Christ gather together to share how they are living out or not living out their discipleship so that they can help one another to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. This process happens best when a small group has developed a trust level that encourages people to share at a vulnerable level.

One of the reasons we might react negatively to any talk about accountability is because in many ways, this process goes against the grain of our society. We live in a highly individualistic society in which we rarely have opportunities to engage in any type of communal mutual support.

One of the core values of the church is "intentional faith development" which includes personal as well as communal faith formation. Jesus had his twelve disciples and he also had his inner circle of Peter, James, and John. The early church in the Book of Acts met in homes for worship, teaching, and accountability.

The United Methodist Church would not exist today without the Wesley brothers reforming the 18th century Anglican Church from within by starting hundreds of Methodist societies/classes/bands to serve as groups of Christian accountability. In Wesley's day, the only way you could be a "Methodist" was to be regularly involved in a small group that was led by one of Wesley's trained leaders. These small groups always included a time for each member of the group to share how they had been faithful or unfaithful to Christ over the past week since they had last met together.

Actually, the word, "Methodist," was used as a derogatory label by critics of Wesley to describe his methodical approach to Christian discipleship.

During this Season of Lent in which we give particular attention to having a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ, what group of trusted Christians is helping you to stay accountable in your faith? If you are part of such a group, you are very blessed. If you don't have such a group, I'm sure there is one that God is leading you to join.

When I next meet with my small group, I'm going to thank them for being that group for me.

Accountability is not a dirty word.

A Week of "Cross Training" - Additional Reflections on the Mind & Christian Discipleship

Yesterday, at both our morning worship services and the evening seminar, legendary basketball player, Jerry Lucas, reminded us that the key to learning is to simply use a gift that God has already given us, the gift of being able to use tangible mental images to help us remember things.

Using images as a tool for learning and remembering information is why I'm glad that most of the bible is in a narrative (story) form. Think of how many times Jesus used stories, parables, numerical associations, or simply pointed to everyday objects to convey spiritual truths.

A lost coin, a farmer sowing seeds, a loaf of bread, a wasteful son and a welcoming father, lilies of the field, a house built on sand, a garbage dump, a widow pleading with a judge, a father giving his son a snake, stars falling from the sky, a stone rolled from a tomb, a towel and basin, a banquet, twelve disciples/twelve tribes of Israel, keys, a camel fitting through the eye of a needle, etc.

In a visually oriented ancient world context, the bible uses the medium of pictures/stories to communicate the story of God's love for the world.

Periodically, I'll hear someone say that they wish the bible was more straightforward, meaning that instead of stories and word pictures, that it would read more like an encyclopedia. While encyclopedias are helpful resources for further research and study, the use of stories and words pictures are more reflective of our everyday world.

The church has continued the use of this biblical medium in helping Christians to grow in their faith through the use of symbols, stained glass windows (especially during eras of high illiteracy,) art, video, and drama.

As you read the scriptures this week, keep in mind the symbols, word pictures, and stories that can help you remember the spiritual truth God is conveying.

A Good Work Out at the Church

I was able to make my first trip to the "Y" for a work out last night. There were probably twenty or so people doing cardio and lifting weights while I was there.

Earlier in the day, I had a spiritual work out at the church as well. It began with a staff worship exercise in the chapel. Pastor Cheryl Foulk led an inspiring service which included holy communion. When you work out in church, it's always good to stay replenished!

From that work out, I went to another room to focus on another exercise...a program staff meeting to help strengthen the ministries of the church. We talked a lot about our fall programing, new member classes, and ministry initiatives which will be coming our way in 2010.
From there, I worked out with a worship planning team and together, we planned future Sunday worship services. Another exercise group called Staff/Parish Relations gathered to see how we can best support our staff leadership to continue to lead us in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Before I left the church work-out, I came across one more group of folks breaking a sweat and that was our global missions team. They wanted to show me what their new Lithuania/Latvia workout machine looks like which will be coming to our church this April.

It was great to see so many people getting a work out in church. These folks motivate me to stay in shape in my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Gotta go...I have another church work out this morning.
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Basic, No Frills, Foundational, Christianity

Yesterday after church services, our family was in a restaurant and we noticed a teenage girl and a middle age woman eating lunch together. That wasn't such a big deal. After all, they looked like they might be a mother and daughter, and both were dressed as if they had probably been to church.

What took us by surprise was when they moved aside their lunch plates and each took out their personal bibles and started discussing a passage of scripture together. My daughter said, "She's probably a confirmand and that's probably her adult mentor and their studying scripture together." This confirmand/adult mentor approach is what our church is using to help our seventh grade youth prepare for church membership. I nodded in agreement that this was probably as good a guess as any.

Isn't it cool to see things like this, especially out in public? What can be more basic to our faith than having two people team up together to help one another become more fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ?

Discipleship is as basic as this scene we witnessed in the restaurant. In addition to communal worship, a few people coming together on a regular basis to discuss the scriptures and help each other grow in what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ is a beautiful sight.

It doesn't get any more basic than this.