Churches and Change: "Feel It: The Pilgrimage of Change for Your Church" --From The Church Doctor Report
The Church Doctor(r) Report www.churchdoctor.orgFeel It: The Pilgrimage of Change for Your Church
VOL. 6 NO. 4 July/August 2010
Forward this issue to a Friend Help us help other Christians thrive! Forward this today!
Join Our
Mailing List Get free resources, special offers, and valuable tools by joining our
community.
Kent Hunter
leads a
team at Church Doctor Ministries that has developed a spiritual pilgrimage
for churches to prepare for the coming revival. Church Doctor Ministries is
dedicated to the transformational change of Christians and churches for the
cause of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
Featured Service Healthy
Churches Thrive!:
A Spiritual Pilgrimage for Your Church This 18-month pilgrimage is a specific-church focused effort to prepare your
congregation for the coming revival. In includes a thorough analysis of
your church. A Vision Council of 40-52 chosen, positive, enthusiastic
members serve as a guide for the pilgrimage. Each pays $25 per month. No
money is required from the church budget. They join a learning community
and receive 10 DVD teaching/discussion resources. The membership participates in a biblical worldview campaign and a workshop
"boot camp" to equip everyone in the church to become missionaries to their
own social networks. The senior leader is coached by phone, monthly. A
prayer team is developed and phone-coached by an intercessor.
_____ On the web: Visit our site!
Make a Donation Find us on Facebook View our
profile on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter
RESOURCES Blanchard, Ken. Who Killed Change?: Solving the Mystery of Leading People
Through Change. New York, NY: William Morrow, 2009.
Fullan, Michael. The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help
Their Organizations Survive and Thrive. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, 2008.
Fullan, Michael. Leading in a Culture of Change. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass,
2008.
Heath, Chip and Dan Heath. Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard. New
York, NY: Broadway Books, 2010.
Hunter, Kent R. Changing the Church Without Blowing it Up: Motivation,
Process, Purpose, Vision. Corunna, IN: Church Doctor Ministries, 2008.
Hunter, Kent R. Leading Your Church Through Change (audio resource). Hunter, Kent R. Reengineering the Church: Seizing Opportunities to Reach
Postmoderns Among the Challenges of Globalization. Corunna, IN: Church
Doctor Ministries, 2008.
Hunter, Kent R. Reinventing the Church: Uncluttered Structures for
Unparalleled Challenges (audio resource).
Kotter, John. The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change
Their Organizations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press, 2002.
Kotter, John and Holger Rathgeber. Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and
Succeeding Under Any Conditions. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press., 2006.
Kent Hunter on Change... As we enter the 21st Century, those churches that will be effective will be
more biblical than traditional, more mission than maintenance, more outward
than inward, and more spiritual than political. They will multiply, not
add; they will empower, not control. God will use them, not to embellish an
institution, but to change the world. They will have a passion: not to
perpetuate the past, but to seek and save the lost. ~ Confessions of a Church Growth Enthusiast June 2011 Pilgrimage Emersion Experience
"You'll be wrecked forever." Experience first-hand, the revival movement
beginning to sweep the world.
June 2011 Team Limit: 20
This trip to Sheffield, England, is like a 21st Century version of visiting
the New Testament Church.
Watch the CDM Youtube clip!
This trip may be eligible for advance credit through some seminaries, Bible
colleges, and Christian universities.
For an application e-mail: jasonatkinson@churchdoctor.org
Join Us in Helping Churches Thrive Church Doctor Ministries has been helping churches, pastors, and ministry
leaders become more effective for the Great Commission for over 30 years. We
have helped literally thousands of Christians and churches with free and
discounted resources. We are committed to continuing to underwrite our ministry services and offer
grants to churches that need a little extra help to reach the place in
ministry that God is calling them to. We are asking for your help in helping more churches thrive. In 2010 CDM has
set in motion plans to help 40 churches and 10,000 ministry leaders
experience spiritual transformation with two new ministry services that
combine the best tools and resources we have developed in over 30 years of
non-profit ministry work. We are also seeking the Lord's guidance in other areas of ministry expansion
for CDM. Specifically, in the area of post modern young adult leadership
development and ministry network development. We ask that you prayerfully consider joining us in prayer support and
financial support as we continue to help churches thrive. Healthy Churches Thrive Support Partners will receive updates on these new
ministry initiatives along with access to all of the new tools and resources
being developed for these initiatives. If you are willing to become a Healthy Churches Thrive prayer partner please
email Tracee. If you are interested in supporting these new initiatives financially,
please make an online donation by clicking the "Make a Donation" button
below or by contacting Jason for
other giving options. Make a Donation Your gift is tax deductible and you will be receipted by letter. CDM is an affiliate member of the Evangelical Council of Financial
Accountability. ECFA logo Greetings in Christ! The Church Doctor(r) Report provides a quick read of strategic and
influential information. This information is free to share as long as the
source is respected.
Forward The Church Doctor(r) Report to those in your network of influence
and add value to their lives! Forward it to staff and leaders in your
church, denomination, network, or fellowship. John Bartlett was being interviewed by the local newspaper on his 100th
birthday. The reporter said, "John, in your lifetime, you must have seen a
lot of changes." John replied, "Yeah, and I've been against every one of
them!"
"John" may attend your church! He could be on your Board. And, he might
only be 40 years old, not 100. It's not about age. It's about attitude,
worldview, approach to life.
I was recently interviewed for an article in ChurchExecutive Magazine (April
2010 www.churchexecutive.com
). The editor, Ron Keener, is a longtime
friend. He asked if there was hope for the church in our increasingly
secular society. I shared that, based on my observations, every active
Christian will know there is a major move of God taking place by 2019. Call
it renewal, revival, expansion of Christianity, or whatever you like-it's
coming. It's coming out of England, has spread to many countries in Europe
and is beginning to show up elsewhere. It is not on most radar screens yet
in North America, but it is here already.
During the past thirty years I have prayed for revival. I have investigated
every move of God on six continents. This is the first movement I have seen
with world-wide potential. Do you want to be a part of what God is going to
do?
Theologians and Christian historians differentiate between an "awakening"
and a "revival." A "revival" takes place in the world-in the community. An
awakening occurs in the church. An "awakening" precedes a "revival." In
historical perspective, many churches around the world-especially in North
America, right now-are at this kairos (a God time) moment of opportunity.
This is true, whether they have a clue-or not. For the article in ChurchExecutive, Ron asked me, "What is the greatest
threat to this coming revival?" I replied, "The greatest roadblock to the
coming revival is the local church that ignores the realities of our
post-modern world." John Maxwell, in his Maximum Impact CD, teaches:
Breakthrough happens when these issues connect:
1. When you hurt enough that you have to.
2. When you learn enough that you want to.
3. When you receive enough that you are able to.
(Maximum Impact Vol. 2. No. 9)
This issue of the Church Doctor Report begins to approach John's point #3:
"when you receive enough that you are able to." The focus is on a better
understanding of change.
When Change Fails There are hundreds of jokes about change and Christians. We laugh, but it's
not funny. The essence of Christianity is described in Scripture in the
most radical terms of change. To become a Christian is to become "born
again," "put to death the old Adam," "move from darkness to the light."
Christians ought to be experts in change! Christians ought to be the ideal
models of change for everyone else. It is embarrassing,
pathetic-tragic-that most of the culture considers the church irrelevant.
As God's people, we represent God. To communicate that God is irrelevant
either implicitly or explicitly is a gross sin. We need to repent: which,
of course, means to change our minds in order to change our actions. It is
all about change!
One of my favorite mentors, Lyle Schaller, once said, "There are two
constants in this world: Christ and change." This is the tricky part:
Christ doesn't change. Truth of Scripture doesn't change. Everything else
does. Everything else must! Mark Twain said, "The only person who really
likes change is a baby with a wet diaper." There is more to that comment
than you think. The baby likes change-why? It is because it feels better. This "feeling" issue is a key element to successful change. If you don't
get this, you will not see transformational change in your church. And,
transformational change is a desperate need in your church-or the coming
revival will just pass you by. I promise you, if-as the leader of your
church-you don't get this, don't do something about it, you could be a
remorseful, miserable Christian in the next few years. Why? You
will-everyone in your church will-realize you have missed the opportunity to
be in the middle of a major move of God. If that were to happen, you would
feel awful. Ken Blanchard, in his book Who Killed Change?, notes that, every day,
organizations around the world launch change initiatives. In a previous
Church Doctor Report (May/June 2010 Vol. 6 No. 3), I reported that many
churches are engaged in change efforts that leave the church worse off, or
at best, unchanged. This is because these efforts fail to deal with
cultural issues in the church: attitudes, values, beliefs, worldviews, and
priorities. They are quick-fix efforts that are a waste of time and energy.
Ken Blanchard reports that in organizations that try to improve the status
quo (change), 50%-70% of these efforts fail. In many efforts to bring about change in churches, the end result is
cosmetic. Some believe that because you start a new program, build onto the
facility, or start a ministry at an off campus site, your church experiences
the necessary transformational change, and that you are now postured to be
in the middle of a coming great move of God. Some churches go through a
"transition" effort or hire a consultant who makes recommendations-and
wonder why, a year later, there is no evidence that the church has really
changed. John Kotter, in his book The Heart of Change, gets to the feeling level. He
explains that many change initiatives fail because they rely too much on
"data gathering, analysis, report writing, and presentations." In other
words, most efforts are: (1) programmatic, not process; (2) deal with
"things," not "values"; and (3) focus on information-right thinking, not
feeling. Kotter calls for a creative approach that aims at grabbing the
"feelings that motivate useful action." Apply this to the church and you
begin to see that preparing your church for revival is not a quick-fix event
or teaching people to be missional. It's a spiritual pilgrimage. Spiritual Pilgrimage Revival is something God does. You can't initiate it. However, you can
prepare for it, and you can prepare your church for it. The change element
preparation is a reposturing of the culture in your church. It works best
in a process-a spiritual pilgrimage. It is an awakening.
In the mid-1500s, Copernicus theorized that the sun, rather than the Earth,
was the center of the solar system. What was the church's reaction? The
church leaders revolted. In their minds, this change in perspective was a
major assault on the thinking of the church. People felt that Copernicus
had not just introduced a new insight on nature. They felt he threatened
the idea that humanity, the main occupant of the planet, was the center of
God's concern. People were put to death for adopting Copernicus' view. Here's my point (and you may have to reread the previous paragraph a second
time): did you get this? "People felt"-mentioned twice. The "feeling"
issue motivated the church leaders towards serious judgments-and had major
repercussions-for those who adopted Copernicus' understanding. We need to change our concept of church (speaking of change!). Too often,
we think of the church as an organization. Think, instead, of your church
as an organism. We think of the church as an institution. Think of your
church as a community of relationships. We think of the church as a place.
Think of your church as a complex of interactive systems. We think of the
church as programs and activities. Think of your church as a movement.
Organization --> Organism
Institution --> Community of Relationships
Place --> Complex of Interactive Systems
Programs/Activities --> Movement
According to a university sociology text book, People, Power, and Change:
Movements of Social Transformation, a movement is "a group of people who are
organized for, ideologically motivated by, and committed to a purpose which
implements some form of personal or social change; who are actively engaged
in the recruitment of others; and whose influence is spreading in opposition
to the established order within which it originated." Sound like Jesus?
John the Baptist? The early church? A revival? Your church?
Notice in the above definition, the feeling-related words:
* Ideologically motivated
* Committed
* Actively Engaged
* Influence
Dan and Chip Heath, in their excellent book Switch, have captured the
difference between change that doesn't work and change that does. Many
believe that change takes place in this way: Analyze --> Think --> Change
This is the assumption behind most training at Bible colleges, seminaries,
and Christian universities. It is the methodology surrounding most
consultation and so-called revitalization efforts and activities to
transition a church from maintenance to mission. It is what characterizes
these efforts. It is why they fail. The limited focus is on:
* Knowledge
* Programs
* Right information-truth
* Strategies
They fail to emphasize the development of:
* Attitudes
* Beliefs
* Values
* Priorities
* Worldviews
In short, they fail at the key level of spiritual formation. To the
dimensions of teaching, preaching, and programming, add the elements of
discipling (where values are not just taught, but caught), experiential
learning (on-the-job training), equipping (mentoring), and interactive value
clarification (discussion, processing). This is not an event or quick fix.
It is a spiritual pilgrimage. The way change happens:
It is not:Analyze --> Think --> Change
It is: See --> Feel --> Change
This is how God changes churches, preparing them to experience an awakening.
Then they can be part of a coming revival. God uses leaders who "get this"
to be change agents for transformational change. If you want to be ready
for what's coming, think in terms of real change through a spiritual
pilgrimage for your church. My Favorite Thoughts About Change
(For Your Preaching, Teaching, Web Site, Bulletin, Newsletter, and Personal
Application in the Pilgrimage of Change) 1. It is God's Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at
things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible.
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
2. There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less
than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.
John F. Kennedy
3. People in church ossify very quickly. Keep the church moving all the
time, or, before you know it, people will have a fit if you move a chair.
Paul Maconochie, Philadelphia St. Thomas Church, Sheffield, England
4. The church builds on tradition; it doesn't live on tradition. Churches
that live on tradition die on tradition. Transition leaders need to be
"turnaround" (that is, metanoia) artists. But it is God who effects the
turnarounds. Religious leadership is less about turning around or turning
ahead and more about turning toward God. Leonard Sweet, Soul Tsunami
5. Change is hardest on those caught by surprise. Change is hardest on
those who have difficulty changing too. But change is natural; change is
important.
Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat
6. We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
Gandhi
7. Reasonable people see the world and adapt to it. Unreasonable people see
the world and expect it to adapt to them. Change is brought about by
unreasonable people. Paul Cole, National Religious Broadcaster's Convention, 1997
8. To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
Winston Churchill
9. Perhaps the most relentless enemy of achievement, personal growth, and
success is inflexibility. Some people seem to be so in love with the past
that they can't deal with the present.
John C. Maxwell, Failing Forward
10. Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original
dimensions.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
11. Change comes more from managing the journey than announcing the
destination.
Ken Blanchard, Leadership Network Conference, 1994
12. Change is inevitable. If we ignore it, we're lost. If we go along with
it, we fall behind. If we initiate it, we lead.
Robert Yawberg
13. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change
the world - indeed it's the only thing that ever has!
Margaret Meade
14. Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing
himself.
Leo Tolstoy
15. Christians are supposed to not merely endure change, nor even profit by
it, but to cause it.
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The Church Doctor(r) Report www.churchdoctor.org
Feel It: The Pilgrimage of Change for Your Church
VOL. 6 NO. 4 July/August 2010
Forward this issue to a Friend Help us help other Christians thrive! Forward this today!
Join Our
Mailing List Get free resources, special offers, and valuable tools by joining our
community.
Kent Hunter
leads a
team at Church Doctor Ministries that has developed a spiritual pilgrimage
for churches to prepare for the coming revival. Church Doctor Ministries is
dedicated to the transformational change of Christians and churches for the
cause of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
Featured Service Healthy
Churches Thrive!:
A Spiritual Pilgrimage for Your Church This 18-month pilgrimage is a specific-church focused effort to prepare your
congregation for the coming revival. In includes a thorough analysis of
your church. A Vision Council of 40-52 chosen, positive, enthusiastic
members serve as a guide for the pilgrimage. Each pays $25 per month. No
money is required from the church budget. They join a learning community
and receive 10 DVD teaching/discussion resources. The membership participates in a biblical worldview campaign and a workshop
"boot camp" to equip everyone in the church to become missionaries to their
own social networks. The senior leader is coached by phone, monthly. A
prayer team is developed and phone-coached by an intercessor.
_____ On the web: Visit our site!
Make a Donation Find us on Facebook View our
profile on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter
RESOURCES Blanchard, Ken. Who Killed Change?: Solving the Mystery of Leading People
Through Change. New York, NY: William Morrow, 2009.
Fullan, Michael. The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help
Their Organizations Survive and Thrive. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, 2008.
Fullan, Michael. Leading in a Culture of Change. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass,
2008.
Heath, Chip and Dan Heath. Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard. New
York, NY: Broadway Books, 2010.
Hunter, Kent R. Changing the Church Without Blowing it Up: Motivation,
Process, Purpose, Vision. Corunna, IN: Church Doctor Ministries, 2008.
Hunter, Kent R. Leading Your Church Through Change (audio resource). Hunter, Kent R. Reengineering the Church: Seizing Opportunities to Reach
Postmoderns Among the Challenges of Globalization. Corunna, IN: Church
Doctor Ministries, 2008.
Hunter, Kent R. Reinventing the Church: Uncluttered Structures for
Unparalleled Challenges (audio resource).
Kotter, John. The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change
Their Organizations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press, 2002.
Kotter, John and Holger Rathgeber. Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and
Succeeding Under Any Conditions. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press., 2006.
Kent Hunter on Change... As we enter the 21st Century, those churches that will be effective will be
more biblical than traditional, more mission than maintenance, more outward
than inward, and more spiritual than political. They will multiply, not
add; they will empower, not control. God will use them, not to embellish an
institution, but to change the world. They will have a passion: not to
perpetuate the past, but to seek and save the lost. ~ Confessions of a Church Growth Enthusiast June 2011 Pilgrimage Emersion Experience
"You'll be wrecked forever." Experience first-hand, the revival movement
beginning to sweep the world.
June 2011 Team Limit: 20
This trip to Sheffield, England, is like a 21st Century version of visiting
the New Testament Church.
Watch the CDM Youtube clip!
This trip may be eligible for advance credit through some seminaries, Bible
colleges, and Christian universities.
For an application e-mail: jasonatkinson@churchdoctor.org
Join Us in Helping Churches Thrive Church Doctor Ministries has been helping churches, pastors, and ministry
leaders become more effective for the Great Commission for over 30 years. We
have helped literally thousands of Christians and churches with free and
discounted resources. We are committed to continuing to underwrite our ministry services and offer
grants to churches that need a little extra help to reach the place in
ministry that God is calling them to. We are asking for your help in helping more churches thrive. In 2010 CDM has
set in motion plans to help 40 churches and 10,000 ministry leaders
experience spiritual transformation with two new ministry services that
combine the best tools and resources we have developed in over 30 years of
non-profit ministry work. We are also seeking the Lord's guidance in other areas of ministry expansion
for CDM. Specifically, in the area of post modern young adult leadership
development and ministry network development. We ask that you prayerfully consider joining us in prayer support and
financial support as we continue to help churches thrive. Healthy Churches Thrive Support Partners will receive updates on these new
ministry initiatives along with access to all of the new tools and resources
being developed for these initiatives. If you are willing to become a Healthy Churches Thrive prayer partner please
email Tracee. If you are interested in supporting these new initiatives financially,
please make an online donation by clicking the "Make a Donation" button
below or by contacting Jason for
other giving options. Make a Donation Your gift is tax deductible and you will be receipted by letter. CDM is an affiliate member of the Evangelical Council of Financial
Accountability. ECFA logo Greetings in Christ! The Church Doctor(r) Report provides a quick read of strategic and
influential information. This information is free to share as long as the
source is respected.
Forward The Church Doctor(r) Report to those in your network of influence
and add value to their lives! Forward it to staff and leaders in your
church, denomination, network, or fellowship. John Bartlett was being interviewed by the local newspaper on his 100th
birthday. The reporter said, "John, in your lifetime, you must have seen a
lot of changes." John replied, "Yeah, and I've been against every one of
them!"
"John" may attend your church! He could be on your Board. And, he might
only be 40 years old, not 100. It's not about age. It's about attitude,
worldview, approach to life.
I was recently interviewed for an article in ChurchExecutive Magazine (April
2010 www.churchexecutive.com
). The editor, Ron Keener, is a longtime
friend. He asked if there was hope for the church in our increasingly
secular society. I shared that, based on my observations, every active
Christian will know there is a major move of God taking place by 2019. Call
it renewal, revival, expansion of Christianity, or whatever you like-it's
coming. It's coming out of England, has spread to many countries in Europe
and is beginning to show up elsewhere. It is not on most radar screens yet
in North America, but it is here already.
During the past thirty years I have prayed for revival. I have investigated
every move of God on six continents. This is the first movement I have seen
with world-wide potential. Do you want to be a part of what God is going to
do?
Theologians and Christian historians differentiate between an "awakening"
and a "revival." A "revival" takes place in the world-in the community. An
awakening occurs in the church. An "awakening" precedes a "revival." In
historical perspective, many churches around the world-especially in North
America, right now-are at this kairos (a God time) moment of opportunity.
This is true, whether they have a clue-or not. For the article in ChurchExecutive, Ron asked me, "What is the greatest
threat to this coming revival?" I replied, "The greatest roadblock to the
coming revival is the local church that ignores the realities of our
post-modern world." John Maxwell, in his Maximum Impact CD, teaches:
Breakthrough happens when these issues connect:
1. When you hurt enough that you have to.
2. When you learn enough that you want to.
3. When you receive enough that you are able to.
(Maximum Impact Vol. 2. No. 9)
This issue of the Church Doctor Report begins to approach John's point #3:
"when you receive enough that you are able to." The focus is on a better
understanding of change.
When Change Fails There are hundreds of jokes about change and Christians. We laugh, but it's
not funny. The essence of Christianity is described in Scripture in the
most radical terms of change. To become a Christian is to become "born
again," "put to death the old Adam," "move from darkness to the light."
Christians ought to be experts in change! Christians ought to be the ideal
models of change for everyone else. It is embarrassing,
pathetic-tragic-that most of the culture considers the church irrelevant.
As God's people, we represent God. To communicate that God is irrelevant
either implicitly or explicitly is a gross sin. We need to repent: which,
of course, means to change our minds in order to change our actions. It is
all about change!
One of my favorite mentors, Lyle Schaller, once said, "There are two
constants in this world: Christ and change." This is the tricky part:
Christ doesn't change. Truth of Scripture doesn't change. Everything else
does. Everything else must! Mark Twain said, "The only person who really
likes change is a baby with a wet diaper." There is more to that comment
than you think. The baby likes change-why? It is because it feels better. This "feeling" issue is a key element to successful change. If you don't
get this, you will not see transformational change in your church. And,
transformational change is a desperate need in your church-or the coming
revival will just pass you by. I promise you, if-as the leader of your
church-you don't get this, don't do something about it, you could be a
remorseful, miserable Christian in the next few years. Why? You
will-everyone in your church will-realize you have missed the opportunity to
be in the middle of a major move of God. If that were to happen, you would
feel awful. Ken Blanchard, in his book Who Killed Change?, notes that, every day,
organizations around the world launch change initiatives. In a previous
Church Doctor Report (May/June 2010 Vol. 6 No. 3), I reported that many
churches are engaged in change efforts that leave the church worse off, or
at best, unchanged. This is because these efforts fail to deal with
cultural issues in the church: attitudes, values, beliefs, worldviews, and
priorities. They are quick-fix efforts that are a waste of time and energy.
Ken Blanchard reports that in organizations that try to improve the status
quo (change), 50%-70% of these efforts fail. In many efforts to bring about change in churches, the end result is
cosmetic. Some believe that because you start a new program, build onto the
facility, or start a ministry at an off campus site, your church experiences
the necessary transformational change, and that you are now postured to be
in the middle of a coming great move of God. Some churches go through a
"transition" effort or hire a consultant who makes recommendations-and
wonder why, a year later, there is no evidence that the church has really
changed. John Kotter, in his book The Heart of Change, gets to the feeling level. He
explains that many change initiatives fail because they rely too much on
"data gathering, analysis, report writing, and presentations." In other
words, most efforts are: (1) programmatic, not process; (2) deal with
"things," not "values"; and (3) focus on information-right thinking, not
feeling. Kotter calls for a creative approach that aims at grabbing the
"feelings that motivate useful action." Apply this to the church and you
begin to see that preparing your church for revival is not a quick-fix event
or teaching people to be missional. It's a spiritual pilgrimage. Spiritual Pilgrimage Revival is something God does. You can't initiate it. However, you can
prepare for it, and you can prepare your church for it. The change element
preparation is a reposturing of the culture in your church. It works best
in a process-a spiritual pilgrimage. It is an awakening.
In the mid-1500s, Copernicus theorized that the sun, rather than the Earth,
was the center of the solar system. What was the church's reaction? The
church leaders revolted. In their minds, this change in perspective was a
major assault on the thinking of the church. People felt that Copernicus
had not just introduced a new insight on nature. They felt he threatened
the idea that humanity, the main occupant of the planet, was the center of
God's concern. People were put to death for adopting Copernicus' view. Here's my point (and you may have to reread the previous paragraph a second
time): did you get this? "People felt"-mentioned twice. The "feeling"
issue motivated the church leaders towards serious judgments-and had major
repercussions-for those who adopted Copernicus' understanding. We need to change our concept of church (speaking of change!). Too often,
we think of the church as an organization. Think, instead, of your church
as an organism. We think of the church as an institution. Think of your
church as a community of relationships. We think of the church as a place.
Think of your church as a complex of interactive systems. We think of the
church as programs and activities. Think of your church as a movement.
Organization --> Organism
Institution --> Community of Relationships
Place --> Complex of Interactive Systems
Programs/Activities --> Movement
According to a university sociology text book, People, Power, and Change:
Movements of Social Transformation, a movement is "a group of people who are
organized for, ideologically motivated by, and committed to a purpose which
implements some form of personal or social change; who are actively engaged
in the recruitment of others; and whose influence is spreading in opposition
to the established order within which it originated." Sound like Jesus?
John the Baptist? The early church? A revival? Your church?
Notice in the above definition, the feeling-related words:
* Ideologically motivated
* Committed
* Actively Engaged
* Influence
Dan and Chip Heath, in their excellent book Switch, have captured the
difference between change that doesn't work and change that does. Many
believe that change takes place in this way: Analyze --> Think --> Change
This is the assumption behind most training at Bible colleges, seminaries,
and Christian universities. It is the methodology surrounding most
consultation and so-called revitalization efforts and activities to
transition a church from maintenance to mission. It is what characterizes
these efforts. It is why they fail. The limited focus is on:
* Knowledge
* Programs
* Right information-truth
* Strategies
They fail to emphasize the development of:
* Attitudes
* Beliefs
* Values
* Priorities
* Worldviews
In short, they fail at the key level of spiritual formation. To the
dimensions of teaching, preaching, and programming, add the elements of
discipling (where values are not just taught, but caught), experiential
learning (on-the-job training), equipping (mentoring), and interactive value
clarification (discussion, processing). This is not an event or quick fix.
It is a spiritual pilgrimage. The way change happens:
It is not:Analyze --> Think --> Change
It is: See --> Feel --> Change
This is how God changes churches, preparing them to experience an awakening.
Then they can be part of a coming revival. God uses leaders who "get this"
to be change agents for transformational change. If you want to be ready
for what's coming, think in terms of real change through a spiritual
pilgrimage for your church. My Favorite Thoughts About Change
(For Your Preaching, Teaching, Web Site, Bulletin, Newsletter, and Personal
Application in the Pilgrimage of Change) 1. It is God's Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at
things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible.
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
2. There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less
than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.
John F. Kennedy
3. People in church ossify very quickly. Keep the church moving all the
time, or, before you know it, people will have a fit if you move a chair.
Paul Maconochie, Philadelphia St. Thomas Church, Sheffield, England
4. The church builds on tradition; it doesn't live on tradition. Churches
that live on tradition die on tradition. Transition leaders need to be
"turnaround" (that is, metanoia) artists. But it is God who effects the
turnarounds. Religious leadership is less about turning around or turning
ahead and more about turning toward God. Leonard Sweet, Soul Tsunami
5. Change is hardest on those caught by surprise. Change is hardest on
those who have difficulty changing too. But change is natural; change is
important.
Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat
6. We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
Gandhi
7. Reasonable people see the world and adapt to it. Unreasonable people see
the world and expect it to adapt to them. Change is brought about by
unreasonable people. Paul Cole, National Religious Broadcaster's Convention, 1997
8. To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
Winston Churchill
9. Perhaps the most relentless enemy of achievement, personal growth, and
success is inflexibility. Some people seem to be so in love with the past
that they can't deal with the present.
John C. Maxwell, Failing Forward
10. Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original
dimensions.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
11. Change comes more from managing the journey than announcing the
destination.
Ken Blanchard, Leadership Network Conference, 1994
12. Change is inevitable. If we ignore it, we're lost. If we go along with
it, we fall behind. If we initiate it, we lead.
Robert Yawberg
13. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change
the world - indeed it's the only thing that ever has!
Margaret Meade
14. Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing
himself.
Leo Tolstoy
15. Christians are supposed to not merely endure change, nor even profit by
it, but to cause it.
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How To Treat Your Kids After Camp
From Pastor Mark Beeson We're praying we can implement these suggestions with People's Church kidsafter this weekend. At an altar of prayer campers knelt and made commitments - some to follow
Christ, some to accept forgiveness, some to enter full-time vocational
ministry and some to turn from sin. Some simply said, "Yes. God, I'll do
what you want, go where you want, say what you want and live as you want." When your camper gets home, I suggest you do three things: 1. Let them sleep. Let them sleep a lot. Fatigue is an enemy and they'll be at their best when they have had some
rest. 2. Don't tap the brake. Fight any temptation you may have to "temper" their enthusiasm for Christ.
Even if they make bold and unusual statements like, "I'm going to win all my
friends to Christ," or "I'm going to start carrying my Bible to school with
me." Even then, don't yield to your temptation to suggest they calm down,
slow down or lower their expectations. Let them dream. Let them step-up to
a new level of devotion and commitment. Let them feel your support - even
when they're attempting something that can only happen if Almighty God steps
in and makes it so. (Because Almighty God just might!) 3. Say, "That's great," or "That's awesome," a lot. When they tell you a story about camp, say, "Tell me more about that." When
they talk about the steps they took toward Christ, say, "That's wonderful.
I'm proud of you." Your encouragement means more to them than mine. Your
encouragement means more to them than the encouragement of their camp
counselors. Encourage them - and watch them grow! 1 Thessalonians 5:11 - Encourage each other and build each other up, just
as you are already doing.
From Pastor Mark Beeson
We're praying we can implement these suggestions with People's Church kidsafter this weekend. At an altar of prayer campers knelt and made commitments - some to follow
Christ, some to accept forgiveness, some to enter full-time vocational
ministry and some to turn from sin. Some simply said, "Yes. God, I'll do
what you want, go where you want, say what you want and live as you want." When your camper gets home, I suggest you do three things: 1. Let them sleep. Let them sleep a lot. Fatigue is an enemy and they'll be at their best when they have had some
rest. 2. Don't tap the brake. Fight any temptation you may have to "temper" their enthusiasm for Christ.
Even if they make bold and unusual statements like, "I'm going to win all my
friends to Christ," or "I'm going to start carrying my Bible to school with
me." Even then, don't yield to your temptation to suggest they calm down,
slow down or lower their expectations. Let them dream. Let them step-up to
a new level of devotion and commitment. Let them feel your support - even
when they're attempting something that can only happen if Almighty God steps
in and makes it so. (Because Almighty God just might!) 3. Say, "That's great," or "That's awesome," a lot. When they tell you a story about camp, say, "Tell me more about that." When
they talk about the steps they took toward Christ, say, "That's wonderful.
I'm proud of you." Your encouragement means more to them than mine. Your
encouragement means more to them than the encouragement of their camp
counselors. Encourage them - and watch them grow! 1 Thessalonians 5:11 - Encourage each other and build each other up, just
as you are already doing.
Who else will God call to go to Nepal?FW: Pray for Rhonda
From Bryan Nerren: Please pray for my wife Rhonda, during the Saturday night service the Lordspoke to her in a wonderfully powerful way to go to Nepal this year. This is
very hard for her to leave Laura with someone else for two weeks. Your
prayers will bring her the strength she needs. The other members of the
travel team need your prayers also. We have two week to go for additional
team members to be added. Inculding Rhonda we have two new members added
this week. The Nepal team this year is Rhonda and Bryan, Dr.Amy and Matt
Hardison, Sheila Reed, Judy Bowles, Ken Lund, Glenn Sheppard, Jeremy Hall,
Katrina Leverette, Dr. Beth Meerdink, Ema Hixes, Drew Hayes, Kevin Peavy.
Please pray for us all everyday.
From Bryan Nerren:
Please pray for my wife Rhonda, during the Saturday night service the Lordspoke to her in a wonderfully powerful way to go to Nepal this year. This is
very hard for her to leave Laura with someone else for two weeks. Your
prayers will bring her the strength she needs. The other members of the
travel team need your prayers also. We have two week to go for additional
team members to be added. Inculding Rhonda we have two new members added
this week. The Nepal team this year is Rhonda and Bryan, Dr.Amy and Matt
Hardison, Sheila Reed, Judy Bowles, Ken Lund, Glenn Sheppard, Jeremy Hall,
Katrina Leverette, Dr. Beth Meerdink, Ema Hixes, Drew Hayes, Kevin Peavy.
Please pray for us all everyday.
Drew Hayes has sent you an E-Card
 |
Posterous, Check out NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES the debut U.S. release from the British band ALM:uk. This new album features relevant, energetic modern worship songs born out of Abundant Life Ministries in Bradford, England, a thriving, multi-cultural church whose mission is to reach the UK for Christ by being God-centered, purpose-driven, and people-empowering. Watch videos, listen to music, view pictures and read all about this new album. When you're finished, be sure to post the widget on your Facebook, MySpace, or Twiiter and send it to all your friends. www.integritymusic.com/ecard/alm/ Sincerely, |
Coffee and Nepal Missions
From Pastor Bryan Nerren: Over the past few months I have been working with green coffee beans thatthe boys shipped me from Nepal. There is an emerging Coffee World growing in
Nepal. The foothills of Nepal what we would call mountains is ideal for
growing tea and coffee. Nepal has long been the top producer of Tea to the
world and now the Coffee market will soon be joining it. We are trying to
market coffee here in the USA from Nepal. There is only one source of coffee
from Nepal to the US and it is very small. At the risk of being kicked out
of Rhonda's house I have mastered coffee roasting and grinding producing the
best cup of coffee you will ever taste. There is no better coffee on earth
that I know of and it is 100% organic. Please pray for work with this
project as we develop a Christian Coffee Growers Association in Nepal. We
want to help them establish solid businesses that will never cause them to
become dependant on Mission Money for a life time as has happened to most of
South and Central America along with Africa. Nepal is our burden that we
have prayed for for years and now the freedom of this nation needs resources
for living. It you have a contact in the coffee world that is interested in
importing Himalayan Coffee please help me help them.
From Pastor Bryan Nerren:
Over the past few months I have been working with green coffee beans thatthe boys shipped me from Nepal. There is an emerging Coffee World growing in
Nepal. The foothills of Nepal what we would call mountains is ideal for
growing tea and coffee. Nepal has long been the top producer of Tea to the
world and now the Coffee market will soon be joining it. We are trying to
market coffee here in the USA from Nepal. There is only one source of coffee
from Nepal to the US and it is very small. At the risk of being kicked out
of Rhonda's house I have mastered coffee roasting and grinding producing the
best cup of coffee you will ever taste. There is no better coffee on earth
that I know of and it is 100% organic. Please pray for work with this
project as we develop a Christian Coffee Growers Association in Nepal. We
want to help them establish solid businesses that will never cause them to
become dependant on Mission Money for a life time as has happened to most of
South and Central America along with Africa. Nepal is our burden that we
have prayed for for years and now the freedom of this nation needs resources
for living. It you have a contact in the coffee world that is interested in
importing Himalayan Coffee please help me help them.
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Revival Hits East TennesseeFW: Jim Gore sent you a message on Facebook...
From Jim Gore, with a link to more details on the pastor's blog:"Drew, you would not believe what God has done in the last week over here in Sevier County. Something highly unusual has broken out here, spontaneously and intensely. YOU NEED TO COME SEE THIS FOR YOURSELF! I'm telling you. Three-hour prayer services with hundreds of saints weeping in brokenness, crying out to God. I've never seen or experienced anything like it. I am completely transformed by it. I am not the same believer I was a week ago, and I never will be again. The Holy Spirit has shown up in Sevierville, TN, and it's not an exaggeration to say that it's in a genuine Upper Room fashion. We are LIVING OUT 2 Chronicles 7:14. GOD is being glorified. We are losing US and finding HIM and HIS HEART. I've been working at the church, helping the maintenance crew for several months. You know what became a topic of conversation this week? Keeping the carpet at the altar clean of snot, slobber, & tears. When's the last time you heard of a church needing carpet cleaning for the mess made by the tears of the saints? Please come. If you can get here THIS Wednesday, June 2nd, it'll be the last true "PRAYER" service before our Summer Series of special guests begins the following week with Gold City. Dr. Tim Lee will be preaching. We'll be praying. The Holy Spirit will be moving. Lives will be changed. I sound like a broken record, but you have to see this for yourself. It is absolutely supernatural in character and content. Man did not plan this or do this. GOD is up to something...BIG...BIG...TIME!! Love ya!"
Why should I (you) go to Nepal? Have you prayed about it?
From Bryan Nerren: Nepal Journal Advance: Why should I risk anything that is mine? If only the Lord wouldbless me then I would go and do something like Nepal. Are you here of your own strength and will or did someone sacrifice
something to reach you for the Kingdom of God? Why me Lord? I seem to have more bills and struggles to live than almost
anyone I know. You decided twenty years ago to let our daughter Laura be a
special needs child. I remember us saying I wish she could stay a sweet baby
forever, but surely you did not answer that prayer. For twenty years now she
has not spoken a word, she has never walked or eaten a bite without help.
She is a healthy lady now and hardly ever is sick. Every day of her life we
feed and change her clothes, and move her from place to place at 90 pounds.
This is the will of God for our lives and we gladly except that and love
Laura with all our hearts. As she turns 20 in a month from now we will
celebrate the blessing she has brought into our lives, as we silently ask
the questions, "Lord who will do this in 10 years when we are not strong
enough to do it anymore". You see I don't understand the reason why you
picked some to sacrifice so much while others prosper with so little effort.
Why would you call someone with my skills and lives disadvantages to be a
missionary to Nepal? Each year you bless and send us for close to a month to
work in a place that no other American Christians goes. Did you just call us
the Nepal Travel Team or are there hundreds more that just say no. Each year
that I go I lose a month's income from my second job that most of my friends
do not have to do. I leave my wife behind to suffer and worry about my
safety and how she will make it without steady income for her and Laura. You see I have all the same question that everyone else has yet I know of
only a few people that pay the price that we do to work for God and try to
be what God has ask us to do. And just in case you think I am complaining
don't. I have questions just like the rest of you that know deep in your
soul that you should sacrifice more for Nepal through going and giving.
However, the difference is I cannot stop until God screams stop. I will
know the joy that I have given the best I can even if it means leaving this
life with nothing to show for it but a big smile on the face of God. I don't
know how many souls of Nepal will spend eternity in Hell or Heaven, but God
being our help the balance will be shifted toward Heaven this year again
because we ADVANCED until the Lord screams stop. If you know you could go or give so much more yet you question if you
should. I want to hear the answer that you receive after praying. Surely if
God wants to use and is willing to use me he has something for you to do in
Nepal.
From Bryan Nerren:
Nepal Journal Advance: Why should I risk anything that is mine? If only the Lord wouldbless me then I would go and do something like Nepal. Are you here of your own strength and will or did someone sacrifice
something to reach you for the Kingdom of God? Why me Lord? I seem to have more bills and struggles to live than almost
anyone I know. You decided twenty years ago to let our daughter Laura be a
special needs child. I remember us saying I wish she could stay a sweet baby
forever, but surely you did not answer that prayer. For twenty years now she
has not spoken a word, she has never walked or eaten a bite without help.
She is a healthy lady now and hardly ever is sick. Every day of her life we
feed and change her clothes, and move her from place to place at 90 pounds.
This is the will of God for our lives and we gladly except that and love
Laura with all our hearts. As she turns 20 in a month from now we will
celebrate the blessing she has brought into our lives, as we silently ask
the questions, "Lord who will do this in 10 years when we are not strong
enough to do it anymore". You see I don't understand the reason why you
picked some to sacrifice so much while others prosper with so little effort.
Why would you call someone with my skills and lives disadvantages to be a
missionary to Nepal? Each year you bless and send us for close to a month to
work in a place that no other American Christians goes. Did you just call us
the Nepal Travel Team or are there hundreds more that just say no. Each year
that I go I lose a month's income from my second job that most of my friends
do not have to do. I leave my wife behind to suffer and worry about my
safety and how she will make it without steady income for her and Laura. You see I have all the same question that everyone else has yet I know of
only a few people that pay the price that we do to work for God and try to
be what God has ask us to do. And just in case you think I am complaining
don't. I have questions just like the rest of you that know deep in your
soul that you should sacrifice more for Nepal through going and giving.
However, the difference is I cannot stop until God screams stop. I will
know the joy that I have given the best I can even if it means leaving this
life with nothing to show for it but a big smile on the face of God. I don't
know how many souls of Nepal will spend eternity in Hell or Heaven, but God
being our help the balance will be shifted toward Heaven this year again
because we ADVANCED until the Lord screams stop. If you know you could go or give so much more yet you question if you
should. I want to hear the answer that you receive after praying. Surely if
God wants to use and is willing to use me he has something for you to do in
Nepal.
About Me
Drew HayesI'm a pastor -- but not your typical pastor, I hope.
In fact, if you meet me and don't know me, I hope you can't figure out I'm a pastor before we've had a chance to talk a while.
Too often, people too often run from pastors. I'm just a regular guy who has decided to bank my eternity on Jesus Christ. Everyone is banking on something or someone -- I'm banking that Jesus is who He said He is.
And I believe God's purpose for my life is to help people find God and become increasingly devoted followers of Jesus Christ. I believe the local church -- despite its many flaws -- is the hope of the world. Jesus banked His whole reputation and future on the church.
I help lead a church that is trying to be different than the ordinary church -- and is trying to help ordinary people become more than ordinary, not through religion but through a relationship with God.
We're a church for people who don't like church!
The People's Church is now 5 years old -- one church in two locations (Tullahoma and Shelbyville) with more locations to come. More info @ www.PeoplesChurchShelbyville.org or www.PeoplesChurchTullahoma.org.
I want to help people find God who are outside the traditional church through contemporary music, relevant messages, authentic service, casual dress and atmosphere, and a positive and inspirational mindset.
I have five children -- 23, 21, 18, and twins, 12. I have been married to a fabulous woman for 28 years.
