Advise for Removing Stumps

When I was a little kid my parents bought a couple acres of land in Twin Rocks, Oregon, just a block off Highway 101 on the Oregon Coast.  The year was 1946, the war was over and dad could once again buy gas and tires for his 1930 Buick Master.  Often on Friday nights after he got off work at the paper mill, we would pile into the old Buick and head for the coast.  Mom would make a bed for me in the back seat. I still have memories of the dusty smell of the mohair upholstery as I would fall asleep to the rhythm of the tires bumping over the Wilson River highway through the Coast Range Mountains.

The highway passed through the Tillamook Burn, the forest that had been decimated by a massive forest fire over a decade earlier.  All these years later, much of the forest was still black skeletons of trees.  Salvage logging was still taking place, although most of the wood was now too old and rotten to be of any commercial value.

The forest fire had burned hundreds of thousands of acres and in some places extended all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  The property my parents purchased has escaped the fire, but had recently been relieved of its crop of old-growth timber, leaving huge stumps covering most of the area.  In order for the land to be useful for building my dad had to remove many massive stumps.  The first year or so of their ownership, they had a two-room cabin moved onto the property from another site.  We called this cabin "Number One" since my dad had plans to build two more cabins on the property that they could rent to the stream of tourists now frequenting the beaches of Oregon.

The stumps covering the property were all about the size of the one pictured above.  The situation was different, however, because my dad did not have a giant excavator standing by to dig around the stumps and rip out the numerous roots that anchored the tree to the earth.  He had a pick, shovel and a hand saw to accomplish the task.  Many times it would take a week or more, exposing each root with pick and shovel,  then cutting it off with the hand saw.   After completely freeing the stump from the ground he would throw a couple old tires into the hole and light them on fire.  Such activity was not against the law in those days and in fact old tires were dubbed "stump burners".  In the aftermath of the War were millions of thread-bare tires, providing an ample supply of stump-burners.  All of this was back-breaking, tedious and smoky work.  A stump could burn for a week or more before it was consumed.

A couple hundred yards away was a neighbor who was clearing about 20 acres.  He had a different method for removing his stumps.  He would drill a hole about two-inches in diameter in the dirt under the stump.  When the hole was deep enough below the stump he would put a couple sticks of dynamite down the hole and pack the lose dirt back into the hole.  When he touched off the dynamite the stump would be instantly removed!  In fact, frequently pieces of the stump would fly all over the property.  He apparently thought that if a little dynamite would work, then a lot of dynamite would work better.  One day while he was blasting stumps, a large root fell out of the sky through the roof of our car port!  To have traveled as far as it did meant that it went several hundred feet into the air!  But needless to say, our neighbor's method for removing stumps was much easier than my dad's method.

A lot of issues and problems in our life can be like stumps.  The tap roots can go deep into our hearts and minds.  We all have various and different methods to deal with these embedded deep-rooted problems.  Sometimes we attempt to ignore them. But we keep stumbling over them and falling on our faces.  We might get out the shovel and dig, but soon get exhausted from the effort.  At times it can seem like we are digging with a teaspoon!  We are on our hands and knees with fingers bleeding as we scratch at the rocky ground.  Finally we usually say something like this: "I give up! I guess all I can do is pray!" Translation:  "I have tried everything I can think of including this teaspoon! I guess I am just going to have to use some dynamite!"

Why is it that we only resort to the "dynamite" after we have tried everything in our own power and failed?
Prayer is the the Christian's "dynamite".  It provides access to power way beyond our own capabilities. Yet, we often think of it only as a last resort when we have exhausted every other possibility.  

Our Lord has provided every tool we need to live a victorious and powerful life.  In fact, he have given us the same things that He used to remain sinless in His life on Earth.  First, He used prayer.  In the Gospels we see Jesus continually taking time to pray for strength and to seek His father's will.  Second, He had the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in His life, as witnessed at His baptism when God's Spirit descended upon him.  Third, He gave us the the written Word, the Scriptures.  When Jesus was tempted by Satan He used the Scriptures to resist the attacks.  One thing that is significant about Jesus' temptation in the wilderness was that He had the Scriptures committed to memory. He was able to give Satan an instant rebuke from the Word.

Scripture memorization has fallen out of favor with many Christians. I believe much of this is due to the many different translations we use.  While the various translations can help us to obtain a better understanding of the scriptures,  they discourage memorization.  But the importance of having a working knowledge of the Word cannot be overstated. This does not mean that the whole Bible needs to be memorized.  But key verses can and should be locked into the mind where they can be recalled at times of need.  It should be automatic that when confronted by a particular situation an applicable scripture verse comes to mind. "Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee."  This is more than just good advise. It is the key to spiritual survival.

Our Changing Population

All too often, we think in terms of the present culture when considering history or the future.  We see evidence of this phenomenon when viewing how  history is currently being taught in our schools.  Text books have been written relevant to today's culture and "political correctness".  I could argue that it is not fair nor reasonable to judge our forefathers in light of the current accepted morality.  But that is not the issue of this blog.

In a few paragraphs I want to consider the future and how our current culture may be imprinting the demography of 2050.  Our society has changed drastically in the past 20 years.  I am not making a moral or practical judgement on these changes, but only want to consider a possibility of how the future may be impacted

Today America has two very strong and prevailing political and cultural viewpoints.  Of course, there are various shades of difference among each group.  But generally, we have Progressive Liberals and old-school Conservatives.  By their very nature, Conservatives are not having a great impact on changing the present, but rather desire to hold to past values and standards.  They resist change for the sake of maintaining culture as they have known it in the past.  

The Progressive Liberal, on the other hand, entertains new, often controversial concepts.  As these ideas become  practiced by more and more people, they eventually become integrated into the culture.  We see evidence of this in fashion.  The way we dress has changed, the concepts of modesty have changed.  Plunging necklines in women's clothing, along with skin-tight jeans would have shocked people 30 years ago.  But now, even among Conservatives, little thought is given to revealing garments.

Openness regarding sexual practices seems to be part of our daily dialogue.  Current common television programming would have been relegated to the R-rated movie only a few years ago.  Even our pastors are finding a need to address these issues from the pulpit in a much more frank manner than anytime in the past.

Developing with the openness in dialogue and fashion has been a cavalier attitude toward sex and human reproduction.  With the introduction of birth-control medications and  legalization of elective abortion, sex has become more of a social activity, practiced by a large portion of the population with no intent of developing lasting relationships or producing offspring.  The average age of marriage has gone up, many people not looking to settle down with one person until well into their thirties. Even then, children are not always in the plans for married couples, which in many cases are both career-oriented individuals, unwilling to make concessions to accommodate the interruption of career and lifestyle for the sake of a baby.

As a result in the change of attitude regarding procreation, America's birthrate is down. In fact, most of the industrialized world is experiencing declining birth rates.  In China, where a one-child policy has been in effect for a number of years, government leaders are beginning to see the tip of a looming iceberg on the horizon. In the next 15 to 20 years there will not be enough workers entering the work force to fill vacated jobs.  Although China has recently had the fastest-growing economy in the world, as their workforce declines so will their gross national product.  Instead of having expanding dynamic growth they will go into decline.  This is not a forecast based on some economic-speak or political maneuvering. It is just the facts as represented by the Chinese Population Demographic.  Even if they reversed their one-child policy today, they could not avoid falling off of the growth-pedestal.

Another problem China is facing is declining tax revenue due to the retiring workers.  Because of the one-child policy, the population has become top-heavy with older workers.  Since China's Socialistic system  provides for its population from cradle to grave, it must have continually increasing revenues.  But at current birth rates the number of taxpayer is decreasing. Their system is rapidly becoming non-sustainable.

America's situation is similar to China, except that we have not had a one-child policy. But our birth rates are down because of the choices of women to postpone, or eliminate entirely, child-bearing.  Our current culture has, in effect, imposed a limited birth policy.  One result of our sexual "liberation" is the change in attitude of gays and lesbians.  A few years ago, many of them would attempt to remain in the "closet", while appearing to lead heterosexual lives, often marrying and having children.   But with societies' acceptance of the gay lifestyle, many homosexuals are announcing their sexual preference while still in high school. As a result, they are seeking same-sex relationships from the beginning of their adolescence.  With many states recognizing same-sex marriages or civil unions, the stigma associated with the gay lifestyle is rapidly diminishing. Of course, these relationships do not produce children, except on occasions where a woman will decide to bear a child through artificial insemination.

It is estimated that about 9% of the population is gay.  Combine this statistic with that of heterosexual women choosing to have one child, no children or seek abortions, the result is that a significant percentage of the population remains childless.

So, what effect does this have on our population demographics and how will the future be impacted?  Consider that the largest growing population group in the United States is Hispanic.  I am not talking about illegals, but resident American Hispanics.  Primarily, they have larger families than their neighbors.  Many of them come from a Catholic background, or are practicing Catholics.  Since their faith prohibits the use of birth control and abortion, it is natural to expect larger families.  While Democrat candidates seek and often receive the Hispanic vote,  no political group can say they have the Spanish-speaking population "sewed up".  The same issues that are important to Catholics are generally important to Hispanics.

Then consider the political persuasion of many career women, or the "liberated woman", and we find that a substantial percentage are Progressive Liberals.  The number of children coming from the urban professional woman is much lower than her rural sisters.  Farmers traditionally have had larger families and tend to be of a similar mindset to small businesspeople, since farming is indeed a business.  Business owners are frequently more conservative than the rest of the population.  In larger companies, often the company culture dictates that its executives be family people with children.  They believe that the executive with family responsibilities tends to be more stable and have roots in the community.

The population growth in the United States, averaged across all groups, is 2.7 children per woman of reproductive age.  It stands to reason that although 2.7 children barely produces a sustainable population, the reproductive results from Progressive Liberals could be much smaller.  While not always the case, children tend to adopt the religious faith and political persuasions of their parents.

One or two things will have to happen if the Democrats want to retain their influence over our culture in the future.  They are going to have to find a way to appeal to a wider demographic of the population as the numbers of Progressives diminish. Or the future could belong to the Conservatives, (provided they do not turn into Progressive Liberals!)

I am interested in your feedback.  What I have written is an opinion of what I believe could be a dynamic in our society.  I have attempted not to spin it in any political direction.  So set aside your talking points and keep an open mind.  Give me your impressions and thoughts.
Thanks!

What is Knowledge, or Dumbing-Down Society

     It has been a while since I posted to my blog.  My last posting was made during the winter from Hawaii, and now I am in Washington State.  I just completed a trip to Asia, followed by a cruise aboard the Diamond Princess across the Pacific Ocean to Alaska.  It was my third Trans-Pacific cruise, each cruise taking place on Princess ships.  While Princess has a lot of activities to fill the long days at sea,  I like to spend much of the time with a good book and I was able to read several on my Kindle.  Thanks to modern electronics, a person can now travel with a complete library!  But by the time I completed the cruise, I had read all the content of my Kindle and purchased three paperbacks from the gift shop.

     I love reading because there are always new and exciting things to learn.  My favorite reading is usually non-fiction history, historic novels and murder-mysteries.  The reason I enjoy reading is that I can get completely absorbed in the story-line and, in a sense, live with the characters in the book.  Recently, I read the historical account of Custer's Last Stand.  Having visited the battle-site in Montana, as well as spending quite a bit of time on horseback, I could imagine what the lives of the cavalry soldiers were like as they rode over the grassy knolls and ridges along the Yellowstone River heading toward their appointment with history.

     But in addition to being immersed in good books, the days at sea allowed me to spend a lot of time with my thoughts.   For whatever reason, I was thinking about the nature of knowledge.  This was somewhat deep thinking for a person like myself.  I suppose one of the reasons my mind was running in this direction was that I was thinking about the difference between the fiction and non-fiction stories I had been reading.

     To me, in order for a novel to be good, it has to be believable. The story as presented on the pages should be something that could actually have happened.  Accomplished fiction writers spend a lot of time doing research, and often list several pages of credits to people who advised them in the writing of their story.  This is really not much different from the historical non-fiction, in that a ton of research is required to produce a publishable work.

     But just because a book is believable does not mean that it is true.  By their very nature, novels are not true, although frequently they may be based on some real-life experience or a historical event.  In both fiction and non-fiction, the reader will acquire knowledge.  However, in the novel, much of that knowledge will be not be based in reality.  This is not a problem for most people.  In fact, having a lively and active imagination can be good for the mind and offers a way of temporary escape from otherwise impossible situations.  But regardless of how redemptive the fantasy might be, the individual eventually has to come back to the real world and face his demons.

     From time to time, novels can be almost prophetic when placed in some future context.  Books like "Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and characters like space-man "Buck Rogers" are examples of authors who had uncanny insights into future events and reality. 

     This brings me to the point I really want to discuss; What is knowledge?  I would like to offer the following definition:  Knowledge is mankind's discovery of Truth.  This definition may challenge what you believe. But listen to what I say with an open mind. I base my thoughts on some concepts which I believe are reasonable:

1.  All truth has always existed.   Man does not create truth.  This is not to say that man can not be truthful.  Consider any aspect of science; did man invent chemistry, or did he discover it?  Was physics something that was developed by science, or did scientists uncover its truths through experiments, trial and error, success and failure?  I would have to say that humans uncovered the truths of science.  Many times, the discovery of one truth opened the door to many other truths.  Gravity, as an example, was discovered by the simple falling of an apple from a tree.  This event challenged Galileo to further experiments, such as dropping balls of different weights from the Tower of Pisa.  By understanding the function of gravity, man would later learn methods to defeat its forces and fly thought the air

      Mathematics is something further to consider.  Do you suppose man invented math, or was it there all the time just waiting for discovery so that teachers could drive millions of students crazy? (Math was not my best subject.)

     Medicine is another area that fits my scenario.  Medical science has discovered ways to deal with sickness and disease.  There are still many ailments for which there is no known cure.  This does not mean that a cure does not exist, just that medical researchers have not yet found it.

2. Truth does not change.   Mankind's opinion of truth might change.  But the underlying truth remains the same, regardless of what man thinks about it.  At one time, science believed the sun rotated around the earth. But the universe did not change to suit man's theories.  The earth continued to rotate around the sun until man discovered the truth and aligned his beliefs with the facts of the relationship between the planets and the sun.

     Medical science used to believe that many sicknesses could be cured by draining blood from the patient. This practice was still in vogue just a hundred years ago.  Many patients died because of being bled by their doctors, even possibly including the first American president, George Washington.

3.  Sincerely believing an untruth does not cause it to become true.  Sometime, it seems that if enough people believe something, if it is taught long enough in schools, that it is indeed a fact.  Charles Darwin gave much thought and study to the origins of life and put forth what we know as "The Theory of Evolution". In his book, "The Origin of the Species" he spelled out what he felt was a reasonable explanation for how life originated and developed.   Darwin felt pretty sure of his suppositions.  But he said that it would be up to subsequent generations of scientists to provide the evidence and proof to support his theory.

     But rather than developing  a body of discovery and knowledge to substantiate Darwin's theory, the academic world started teaching from "The Origin of the Species" as if it was not a "theory" but proven fact.  They failed to provide evidence to substantiate the concepts proposed by Darwin.  In fact, they were unable to follow through as Darwin had hoped they would and flesh out the skeleton of his Theory.
   
     The Theory of Evolution, while still called "a theory" (because it has never been proven)  continues to be presented as fact in our schools and culture.  It has been presented as truth for most of the past century but has never been proven to be factual.  I am not saying this because I am a creationist, which I am.  But because science has never been able to provide the evidence to support the theory their practice goes against all of the Best Practices of science. It is somewhat akin to insisting on bleeding a patient to cure a disease.


4.  Believing untruth inhibits the development of knowledge and the advancement of the human condition. Consider the old belief that the world was flat.  For centuries, mariners were afraid to venture too far out into the ocean for fear they would fall off the edge of the earth.  Until Vikings dared to probe the limits of the earth did they discover another continent.  Columbus followed later, believing what was not a popular or accepted concept; that he could sail around the world to India.

     When  people believe a falsehood about any subject, they stop searching for the truth.  Knowledge ceases to develop when man refuses to pursue truth.

5. Because an idea or concept may seem "logical" does not make it true.   The human mind seems to function very well in doing "deductive reasoning".  In criminal law, this concept is know as "circumstantial evidence".  If an employee is heard to say that he hates his boss, and subsequently the boss is found murdered, it is logical to assume the employee killed his boss.  But that fact alone, while seeming "incriminating" will not result in a conviction of the unhappy worker unless there is supporting evidence to collaborate the accusation. Were his fingerprints on the gun?  Was the boss's blood found on the employee's jacket?  Was he seen at the scene of the crime?

     People often arrive at life-affecting decisions and conclusions based on little more than "circumstantial evidence".  But as has been proven over and over, logic is not an accurate indication of truth.  If fact, more often than not, what seems right to a person turns out to be totally wrong when all the facts are exposed to the light of day.  In fact, our example of the sun rotating around the earth is logical from all appearances. We like to go the the beach in the early evening to watch the "sunset".  But in relation to the earth the sun does not move. Rather the earth rotates until the sun is no longer in our view.  It is not difficult to understand how our ancestors drew the conclusion that the sun was rotating around the earth because their logic was skewed by their perspective. They were earth-bound, unable to see into space and understand the design of the solar system.
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     It seems that in many aspects our current society is content to accept untruth rather than seek knowledge through the truth.   In fact, there is a popular belief that truth is relative and is based on the viewpoint of the individual.  No pun is intended when I say this, but nothing could be further from the truth!  The concept of "relative" truth freezes and petrifies the development of knowledge.  No amount of belief can turn a lie into truth.  Without truth, there can be no real knowledge, no frontiers or new discovery, no advancing.

     In fact, the opposite is true.  The more that people believe they can create truth by the power of their wills or the more they choose to believe what is convenient or expedient,  the more our county and society slips into obscurity and oblivion.  There is a popular belief in many parts of world today that through applying certain political and spiritual practices the world will become better and better until Utopia is attained on Earth.  If this were true, the world would already be a much kinder and gentler place.  But there is little or no evidence to support this concept.

     Believing and accepting an untruth or lie not only stymies human progress, but can be damaging to the person and society in the same way that believing and practicing truth can produce positive results.  Not too many years ago, it was thought to be healthy to spend hours lying in the sun. It was believed that a nice tan was a thing to be sought after and desired.  But as we now know, that was not the truth.  In fact, just the opposite was true.  Spending hours in the sun caused skin damage and could lead to melanoma cancer.  Rather than producing a more healthy life, it produced death!

  
     True "Utopia" and happiness can only be achieved  as man honestly and earnestly seeks truth and the resulting knowledge that opening the door to truth produces.   "The TRUTH will set you free!"

Secrets of Church Growth-Keeping the "Magic"!

I suppose "Magic" is not a good word to use when considering the Church and worship.  But I mean it in a different way than it is normally used in connection with entertainment or the occult.  It is like a winning basketball team that has that "Something" that just lets them do great things as a team.  We sometimes refer to that phenomenon as "Magic".  All winning teams seem to have it. It is more than skill, although they must have skill to make it work for them.

In the same way a local church can hit a winning stride, having all the right players, having the right plays and the best equipment, being the place where 'It" is happening.

Occasionally an athletic team can slip into a slump. Often, the sportscasters will only say that the team has lost its "chemistry" or its "Magic".  The team will fire coaches, trade players, hire sports psychologists and have seminars; all in an effort to regain the "feeling".  Sometimes it works, sometimes not.  And usually the team owner is never quite sure why or how it happened.

Just as a sports team can go into a slump, so can a church.  They can have the best facility, be presenting the right message, seeing converts on a regular basis. But the church is not growing. It seems to be marking time or stuck in one spot like a swimmer pushing against the tide.  We can make the excuses: "If only we had a larger building". "If we were in a different part of town." "If we had something for the children or teens", then it would all come together.

On a sports team, quite often success does not always breed contentment. Some players are getting more time in the game, others may feel they are under-paid, still others have a problem with the coach.  In a nutshell, what begins to happen is dis-harmony or a lack of unity among the players.  They cease being a team and start playing as individuals.

Meanwhile, back at the local church, while we still have the same group of staff people, things may be starting to slip. There can be several causes or a combination or reasons.  I will list some that come to mind:

1.  Unrest among the staff people.  As with any group of management workers, church staff can have relational issues where the unity and common goal of the church is strained. Although Christians are supposed to have "Sanctified Egos", if you feel that you are  better preacher or better singer or worship leader, or maybe you can play an instrument better than those on the stage, you are going to have a struggle remaining content. While we want the very best people running the church, they are human as well.  If a person is especially talented or trained in an area, and he is not given opportunity to express those abilities he may feel cheated or deprived.  Or if you feel you are being "micromanaged" by the pastor or department head, you may think they do not trust you.

I will say at this point that our enemy Satan loves to take jabs at these areas of potential unrest. His whole purpose is to cause disunity.  It takes a lot of prayer and humbleness for a talented preacher, administrator or musician to resist the temptation to exert self-interest over that of the church.

2.  Lack of followup with visitors and especially new converts.  A new person comes to the church, receives a bulletin and welcome from the greeter, enjoys the worship-music, and responds to the Message of Salvation by praying the sinner's prayer, possibly followed by baptism.

What happens next??  In many Seeker-Friendly churches, NOTHING.  There is no followup, no call from the church, no personal invitation to attend a small group, no inclusion in social activities, no mentoring.  If they have filled out a card, they may be included on the church's mailing list. But beyond the newsletter, the new Christian is often left to fend for themselves without any support from the church.  They may continue to attend for a while, especially if the worship and preaching appeals to them.  But unless they are befriended by the church and befriended by the more mature, individual Christians in the church, they will most likely return to the last place they experienced friendship and caring.  That place may be the neighborhood bar "where everybody knows their name", or worse, a destructive relationship.

Suppose a church has fifty new converts in a year's time.  That same church should be experiencing a growth in attendance by at least the same number of people.  If they are not retaining their converts SOMETHING IS WRONG.  One of the most important rules of salesmanship is retaining customers.  A good salesman will spend a significant amount of time contacting former customers because he knows they are the most likely to buy. What is true in the business world is also true in the church.

Retaining converts and mentoring them to become soul-winners must be the second goal of the Church of Jesus Christ, following right on the heels of the individual's personal salvation.   This is not exclusively the pastor's responsibility.  However, he should see that volunteer groups with follow-up responsibility are organized and active to take up the task of involving new converts in the church's mentoring program

What? The church does not have a mentoring program?  Well, then organize one!  Jesus Christ was very explicit when he laid down the rules by which the Church is supposed to engage the world.

Matthew 28:19-20 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Church Growth Secrets, part 4.

We have seen from the Scripture that the early Christian Church was seeker friendly, they geared their services to the non-believer. As a result, the Church experienced amazing growth.   But how is it possible to be receiving converts while at the same time feeding the flock?

The worship of the church can be a real time of blessing and refreshing to believers, while being exciting and entertaining to non-believers.  While I love the old hymns, they are nothing more that the contemporary Christian music of an earlier era.  At the time they were written many Gospel hymns were considered "over-the-top" by the traditional church.

The original music or worship of the Church was from the Jewish roots of the founding leaders, songs and psalms taken from the scripture. One can still hear this style of music in synagogues.  Later in the middle ages the chant had taken the place of the original Jewish-style songs. 

But as musical instruments became more common and available, the style of music changed again.  The pipe organ began to be a common fixture in larger churches.  Guitars and lutes were used in smaller services.  One of the first Christian songs specifically written to be played on guitar was Silent Night.  The church organ and broken down, and a simple song was needed that could be accompanied by guitar.

In the second half of the 19th century, both the portable pump organ and the piano began to appear in worship services.  The piano was a popular instrument in the theater and bar room, and was well-entrenched in the culture of that time. In fact quite a few Christian songs were sung to the melodies of familiar bar songs. Each time a new form of music entered the church there were those that resisted it.  But the non-believers loved it because it was like the popular music they enjoyed.  Songs like those of Stephen Foster spanned the gap from popular music to church music.

Today is no different.  The pop and rock music of our era has made the transition to the Church.  But while the instrumental music might sound like something from the Top-Forty, the lyrics of this music touch the heart and provide a wonderful expression of praise and worship for believers, while the visiting non-believer also enjoys the worship because the rhythm and beat of the music is like what he listens to on his iPod or car radio.

If you have ever been to a rock concert you have seen people listening to the music on their feet, arms upraised, often waving small flashlights, singing along with the performers and dancing in the aisles.  This is not too different from a congregation of Christian believers worshiping and praising God.  To be fully absorbed in worship can be a wonderful thing for those who are able to lose themselves in the spirit of the words and music of praise! 

So to conclude this session I will propose that for a church to be growing and dynamic it must have two things: First, a consistent message of Salvation presented by the pastor and second, a time of worship that is both uplifting and entertaining.  If you feel resistance to the word "entertaining" look it up in the dictionary and you will find one of the definitions is "To capture and hold the attention in a pleasing manner".  Certainly, we do not want our services to be "unpleasing", although I can tell you that I have been in a few congregations where the message and music were anything but pleasing.

So far we have spoken only of the main Sunday service of the Church. Next time we will get into aspects of "The Rest of the Story"

Chruch Growth "Secrets" part 3

In our previous blog, we looked at the Early Church and saw that it grew because of its Message of Salvation.  It was the formula designed by God himself and the purpose for which The Church was created.  In modern terms, the Early Church was 'Seeker Friendly" or "Seeker Sensitive".  It's whole message, its meetings and functions were all designed to address the greatest need of the human soul; to be reconciled with God.  At the same time, they were maintaining an atmosphere in the church services where the non-believer could feel comfortable with the believers; and the messages were in understandable language where a non-believer did not need a degree in divinity to gain understanding.

In the Modern Church, the pastor often feels he has to make a choice; whether to build the church or build the believers.  It does not take a new pastor very long to figure out where his congregation is in regards to their spiritual experience. If his church is comprised mainly of established believers the congregation may desire biblical teaching concerning life issues, finances, child rearing, spiritual gifts, or any number of topics designed to build the Christian's faith and experience.

All of this is good, and it is the church's responsibility to provide guidance in these areas.  But, if the Sunday morning service is geared toward believers, visiting non-believers are not going to feel included, or the subject matter will have no application in their lives. The fact of the matter is that most visitors will attend Sunday morning services, and they will be there because someone invited them.  Or if they just happen to wander in off the street, or perhaps have decided that they need to attend church for their family's sake, they are not likely to return if the sermon content does not seem relevant to them.

On the other hand, regular attenders and members are not likely to invite non-Christian friends if they think their friend is going to be uncomfortable or "out of place" in their congregation. But the reluctance to invite friends can go even deeper than that. Often the regular attender or member is embarrassed to invite friends. In fact, several years ago a survey was conducted by a national Christian magazine, arriving at the ten top reasons churches did not grow. The number-one reason, as determined by their survey, was that members were embarrassed to invite visitors to their church.

How can this be true if the member is an earnest Christian? Several things can contribute to these feelings.  Maybe the church has a tendency to do things that would seem "strange" to outsiders. An extreme example would be the "snake-handling" practice of a small denomination in the South.  The story is told about the traveling Gospel quartet that was singing at one of these churches for the fist time.  (Not the same quartet that I was with!)  They sang their first set of numbers and sat down on the chairs provided on the platform, when the elders brought out a basket full of rattlesnakes!  The bass singer, who was sitting next to the pastor leaned over and asked him, "Do you have a door going outside from the platform?"  The pastor relied, "Why, no we don't have a door up here".  To which the bass singer asked "WHERE DO YOU WANT ONE?"

Many times visitors who find themselves in unusual worship situations can feel almost like the bass singer; "How do I get out of here?"  Of course, this is not the feeling we want to create in visitors.  We may not be snake handlers.  But some church practices and traditions can seem just as strange to the non-church going person.

Regardless of church doctrine, all evangelical churches have one common doctrine and goal: "You must be born-again", or saved, or repent of sins.  We say it in different ways sometimes.  But the gateway to becoming a Christian and a part of the Church of Jesus Christ is salvation by believing in, and  accepting Christ's gift of salvation. And the primary method given to accomplish the task of bringing people to a place of repentance is preaching.

Romans 10:9-16 (New International Version, ©2010)

⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^{[a] 12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”^[b]

 ¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”^[c]

So the key to growing a church is to have our main weekly service geared toward the non-believer by having the message of salvation presented regularly and consistently.  This does not mean repetitious messages presented over and over and over.  The Bible is packed from cover to cover with the Story of Salvation.


Of course the church meeting is comprised of more than preaching.  Along with offering, announcements, and scripture reading is Worship, or congregational singing.  Just as preaching can lead people to Christ, so can Worship.  We will talk about this aspect of the Sunday Service in our next blog.

Also, lets take a look at how to keep the Saints (established believers) connected and productive, while at the same time using every opportunity to grow the church through winning converts to the Christian Faith.

The "Secrets" of Church Growth, part 2

It the previous blog post we laid some groundwork for what is to follow: First, that Jesus Christ established the Church, and secondly, the Church is victorious over the powers and person of Satan.  Notice that I make this statement in the present tense because Satan was defeated with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The Church became officially established fifty-days later when The Holy Spirit descended on the disciples who were assembled in the upper room.  At that time the believers became equipped to fulfill the purpose of the Church.

Attracted by the commotion raised by the newly spirit-filled believers, a large crowd gathered to see what was happening.  Peter took the opportunity to exercise his recently acquired boldness to stand up and preach to those assembled.  After his sermon and in response to their questions, Peter gave an "alter call":

Acts 2:37-40 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
 ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
 ⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 

This is the first sermon delivered in the Church, and also the first invitation given to accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah and to repent of their sins in order to be saved from the world, here defined as the "corrupt generation".

With this example a pattern was initiated which gives us a striking example on how the Church grows:

Acts 2:41 (New International Version, ©2010)

⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

We see that during the first day of the existence of the Church that a salvation message was preached, as well as an invitation to repent and be baptized.  The response was remarkable.  We do not know how many people were present to hear Peter's sermon.  But knowing the limitations of the non-amplified human voice it is possible that anywhere from 3000 to about 10000 persons were within range of Peter's voice.  The scripture seems to indicate that there were also those present who did not accept Peter's message.

But most pastors would be extremely happy to have 3000 converts in one day! The early church began to snowball with incredible grow, starting with this first day.  And the Early Church leaders did not alter their message or their methods. They had been given their marching orders by Jesus just before he ascended into Heaven:

Luke 24:45-49 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

In recent years, it seems that many of the churches are preaching a different message. Yet, we see the example of the Church in the book of Acts and the message "Repent and be Baptized", following the directions from the Lord " and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations.. "

So why is it that so many churches have placed their defining commission on the back burner, in favor of other  messages?


I will address this question and others in my next blog-post.  Keep checking in!