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Today’s guest post is from Robert Shaw, Pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Winfield Indiana. I’ve met Robert at the Evangelism Conference for the PCUSA last year, and ran into him again at the transformation pastors conference that just ended in St. Pete’s Beach in FL.
He shares with us some of the things that he does as pastor in a local church to help folks with evangelism.
Sharing the gospel is as easy as breathing. But then I also find swimming just as easy.
For many mainline Christians being asked to share the good news of Jesus Christ is as scary as being thrown off the end of a pier without the benefit of swimming lessons. But like swimming, once one knows when and how to breath sharing the gospel is easy and the end of the pier becomes an a place to enjoy and dive into the water.
Blowing bubbles
I remember the lifeguard teaching my classmates and I to blow bubbles at my first swimming lesson. “Take a breath of air, put your face into the water, blow bubbles, turn your head to the side, take another breath, and repeat.” This is a lesson I mastered as a six year-old.
Similarly the first lesson when sharing the gospel is learning to blow bubbles. Take a deep breath of the Holy Spirit, then while out in the world slowly exhale. Return to the community of faith and take another deep breath of the Holy Spirit.
This lesson applies not only to sharing the gospel, but to life itself. During the week we face numerous challenges and make our share of mistakes. Some of these feel like getting punched and having your breath knocked out. Knowing where to get a refreshing and life restoring breath of the Holy Spirit helps Christians flourish from one Sunday to the next.
Practice Blowing Bubbles
To help Presbyterian congregations “provide opportunities for evangelism2,” I have, as part of morning worship, encouraged those present to talk about why they come to church in small groups. During the passing of the peace, which in my order for worship comes before the Scripture readings and the sermon, I ask those present to re-seat themselves into groups of three. I encourage people from the same household, or usual circle of friends, to sit in different groups.
After a brief introduction, as illustrated in above paragraphs, the sermon is presented as three segments. Each segment is comprised of a Scripture reading, a minute or two of exposition, then three minutes for participants to answer the related question within their triad. I have found using a verse of a hymn an effective and necessary transition between segments. Typically I have had the three questions (the section headings below) printed in the bulletin.
Time with Young Disciples
Before the introduction to the sermon, I invite all of the children to come forward for an object lesson. I hand each child a paper cup saying pretend this is your heart. Then I place a chocolate Kiss® in each cup saying that love is like having a kiss in your heart. Then while pouring more candies from an opaque pitcher into their hands, I say, “But God’s love is heaped up, tamped down, and over flowing.” After the children finish scrambling for the chocolates that have spilled onto the floor, I tell them that with so much love they can could give one to everyone in the congregation and still have more than enough. If pressed for time, the sermon introduction could begin while the children distribute the candy.
The psalmist was excited about what God had done in creation. He wanted everyone to sing God’s praises with him. Consider the glorious creation that God has placed us in; the majestic beauty of the Grand Canyon, the scent of spring flowers, the song of a wren. Breath deeply to shout about what God is doing now!
What brings you spiritual calm when things are chaotic?
The disciples had retreated to the upper room following the Crucifixion. Stain glass windows help separate a congregation from the noise of life, creating a place for quiet reflection. Even the white spaces between the words of Scripture is sacred, for they help us to see the words more clearly. Teach others where to find rest from the storm, to breathe in the Spirit, and receive grace.
How do you contribute to building the Kingdom of Heaven?
The Apostle Paul recorded several ways that people contribute to being church together. In addition to teaching, preaching, and healing, we contribute to bringing God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and loose the bonds of injustice. Invite people outside the church to work alongside us so we might see God’s future together.
Concluding Remarks
While gathering joys and concerns in preparation for the Pastoral Prayer, following the Sermon, I ask people to name one thing heard in their triad, that someone outside the church should know.
Before the charge and benediction I ask if participants had enough time to discuss each question. I have always received a resounding “NO!” Then I charge everyone to continue the conversation during the coffee hour with people from other groups, over lunch with family, and during the week with co-workers and neighbors.
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1 Robert Shaw received a Masters in Divinity from the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, is an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has served as the chair of church development committees for the Synod of Trinity and for the Synod of Lincoln Trails.
Currently he is the Designated Pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church, Winfield, Indiana, which is in the midst of a Transformation project. This article is refined by experiences with six congregations including rural, suburban, and urban settings.
2The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): Part II, The Book of Order, G-10.0102a.
I’ve had the joy of being with about 65 pastors these last few days, conducting Evangelism Training for the Presbyterian Church (USA).
As promised, here is part I of the slide shows.
If you choose to link to the slides for your church website or newsletter, please use this link: http://www.evangelismcoach.org/2008/09/church_transformation_part_1.
Some of the images in the presentation are licensed.
I’ve spent the last month talking with pastors around the US about church transformation. A few are in really difficult situations (Leaving Egypt and Not Liking it).
From those discussions, it seems that a common idea is to help move a church that is stuck or in serious decline, and lead them into a new vision of what God has for them, thus launching a new life cycle of growth.
Stetzer calls them Comeback Churches. I’ve seen other various titles, like Boomerang church, Redevelopment, Revitalization. Seems the common word now is Transformational.
Moving from Attractional to Missional
Simply based on my conversations and reading, a common thread these pastors were sharing was working with congregations to shift from exclusive focus on attractional tweaks to becoming more missional and engaging their community.
Attractional ministry focused on quality programs, excellent hospitality, and marketing to get people in the door. This was sometimes called a “magnetic” church.
As I’ve looked at Evangelism Committee reports, church information forms, and mission studies, a lot of churches still think that making small process adjustments to their parking lot, greeting process, or welcoming will help them reach out to the neighborhood.
Attractional ministry is based on the idea that visitors are coming to your church already, and that if you do enough marketing, you can get more foot traffic in your door. Your hospitality will help the newcomers “stick” (see www.stickychurch.com), and your church will grow. It’s a variant of “if you build it they will come.”
Missional however moves to help the church re-engage its neighborhood.
Some pastors are in island churches, meaning their church is mostly commuters who used to live in that neighborhood. The culture around the church has changed (demographically, socio-economically), but the church has not adjusted accordingly, thus being a cultural island.
Missional helps the church get out of hoping people will visit them to actively engaging the needs and people of the community, and in the process both demonstrating and sharing the faith in Jesus as Lord.
Many of the pastors I spoke with this past month are trying to move congregations in this direction. They still seek to improve their attractional ministries, but now realize that churches have to be connected to the neighhborhood.
It’s a journey process, and some have moved further along than others.
Block Party to Pre-School
Ten years ago, an island church invited me to do some Evangelism Consulting with them about launching a new worship service. The average age was 60, and no young families in the neighborhood. They were in survival mode and needed something to get new people.
The pastor wanted a new worship service, but the congregational elders didn’t.
Instead, I lead them into a brainstorming process, and out of that process they decided to do a block party.
The congregation organized the block party. Food, games, inflatables, and so on. Members hung door hangers around the neighborhood and invited the local community to come.
As a result of that block party 10 years ago (and its continued annual repeats) this church has discerned the neighborhood needs and launched several new ministries to reconnect with the neighbors:
Preschool (now with an annual budget larger than the churches).
Meals on Wheels.
Neighborhood Watch
And other ministries.
This church has become much more missional in it’s mindset and has lots of new vitality and energy to serve.
Now they are being more intentional about actively sharing their faith along with serving the area and that is where more intentional evangelism training will come into play.
This coming week, I’ll have the opportunity and privilege to work with pastors on the subject of church transformation (see Transformation Pastor’s Conference).
Listening to other pastors
During this past month, I’ve talked with several pastors who are in such contexts.
Dying churches in survival mode.
Churches on life support that don’t want to revitalize.
Churches that put all their faith and burden in the pastor to save the day and make it grow, as if the pastor is a savior in the flesh.
I’ve listened to stories of burned out pastors, conflicted congregations, and even potential lawsuits among the leadership.
50% of pastors are so discouraged they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
85% of pastors said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people.
90% of pastors said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people
Moses was the target of complaint.
This week, I’ve been meditating on the people of Israel leaving Egypt.
After leading the people into change that they desperately wanted (getting out of Egypt), now Moses and Aaron are the target of the grumbling and complaint:
“All the people grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” Number 14.1.
I think many pastors, hired (or called) as change agents, have stepped into this kind of circumstance. They feel the pain of Moses and Aaron.
The group of people who once looked to you to get them out of their survival and into a new land, have now turned against them.
To have what feels like the entire group of people that invited you to come, to serve, and enjoy, turn on you. At first, you were their hero, and now the source of their grumbling. Rumor, gossip, slander, and perhaps even false teachers undercut the leader.
I don’t remember conflict training as part of Moses’s training. In my own seminary experience, that wasn’t part of the deal either. Perhaps seminaries should offer more in this area, and likewise, perhaps church governing bodies should intentionally help pastors get this kind of training.
I can’t tell how many stories I’ve listened to in the last 30 days that seem to paralel this context. Perhaps that speaks to you. Perhaps that
“We want the old ways” or “We don’t want this change”
“Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt” (Numbers 14.3)
And they said to each other “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt” (Numbers 14.4)
Oh my.
How many pastors have observed that the congregation doesn’t really want to change? After all the study, the praying, and the innovation. After all the money spent to send teams to leadership conferences. After all the effort to survey the congregation, cast the vision, and then lead the people out.
The grumbling kicks in — “we didn’t want this change.” “We never did it this way.” “This is too much, too fast.” “I don’t like this, I like it as it was.”
One pastor I spoke with has a church that said we need to transform or die. He spent a few years casting vision, helping the congregation see what changes were coming. He followed the playbook, so to speak.
But when push came to shove, the people rebelled. They complained. They griped, and they began to whisper among themselves that they needed a new pastor. . . just like the Israelites wanting a new leader.
Moses led the people into huge change.
They wanted to make it.
Imagine all their effort into organizing their departure, all the effort to obey the instructions to participate in the Passover. All the work to make sure that fled with only what was necessary.
Now that they have gotten out of one situation, and stepped into change, they long for the “good old days. . . . . ”
What about you?
Where do you see yourself in this story?
A little interpretation
Check out this old video of the late Keith Green singing about the group leaving Egypt. Song starts about 3:15 into the video if you don’t want to hear the opening commentary. As I listened to it again, I found so many parallels to the church transformation process. . . .
What is the key, the Holy Grail, in transforming a church?
Is there one?
In the work of evangelism training, I’ve been asked on many occasions about the role of evangelism in helping a church get out of the rut, get unstuck, or get excited about inviting others to following Jesus.
Note: I’ll be in Tampa at the end of September for the Presbyterian Church USA’s Transformational Pastor’s Conference where we will be discussing this Evangelism in Transformational Churches. That event is open to the public and registration can be found at the link: Transformational Pastor’s Conference.
From pastors, this question is likely to be worded as:
How do you lead a church from
being apathetic to excited
being concerned about survival to concerned about souls
being inward focused to outward focused?
Today we have a guest article by George Bullard of The Columbia Partnership that ponders this question.
He and I spoke last week about the Spiritual Strategic Journey and the 100 days of discernment portion that can help congregations transform.
See Dr. Bullard’s bio at the end of this article for contact information. It is reprinted here with his gracious permission.
The part that speaks to me the most is this line:
It is difficult to underestimate the value of evangelism actions that exhort preChristians to consider a life-changing spiritual encounter with the Triune God. A theology of evangelism, acceptable methods of evangelism, and the ability to execute actions of evangelism divide congregations who transform from those who do not.
Enjoy this article. It has made me think a lot over the last few days.
Chris.
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Searching for the Holy Grail of Church Transformation
Dr. George Bullard
The Columbia Partnership
Since the mid-1950s, when demographic shifts in North America caused by the population boom that followed World War II began to wane or change direction, congregations and denominations have been looking for the Holy Grail of congregational transformation.
What is the key to congregational transformation? What empowers some congregations to transform in the midst transitions and changes, and others to age and perhaps die? Should there not be one right answer? Should we not have found the best answer during the past 50 years?
Perhaps we have and have not recognized it.
In any case, the search for the best solution to the challenge of congregational transformation is an illusive search similar to the search for the Holy Grail—the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. There is mythology even about the search; much less never-ending debate over whether or not the solution has been found.
A List of Approaches Attempted
As I began to think about the various approaches attempted over the past six decades, I began to make a list. At first I tried to list them by the decade of their apparent greatest popularity. That did not work. Then I tried to list them by the type of approach or intervention they represented. The categories were way too blurry and open to much interpretation.
Finally I just decided to list them as they came to me, and then to pick out the ones I find most promising. Are you ready? Here is the list.
Standards of achievement organized around the various program emphases of congregations.
Rallying the congregation by raising money and constructing a new building.
Developing a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and/or multi-cultural ministry.
Adopting an assertive church growth strategy.
Engaging in church growth or strategic planning consultation processes.
Changing pastors to get the right pastor who brings visionary leadership to the congregation.
Engaging in social action and economic development that results in community transformation that leads to new openings for congregational transformation.
Focusing on church health, fueled by the use of a church health survey or diagnostic.
Escape the current context by relocating, merging with another congregation, or ignoring the context by primarily reaching people who live somewhere else.
Or, more deeply invest in ministry with families/households in your current transitional setting.
Use of process of spiritual discernment to determine God’s leading for the transformation of your congregation.
Address conflict issues through mediation or management to free the congregation to move forward after dealing with the bad parts or people from the congregation.
Address the family emotional systems in the congregation to develop non-anxious people in a healthy congregational system.
Vision casting processes that involve the pastor, staff, and people of passion and position in the congregation forming an enduring visionary leadership community.
For the congregation to engage in a process that modifies their behaviors through making them accountable to an outside third-party.
To engage continually in evangelism activities intended to draw preChristians into the congregation.
Intentionally move from a traditional mindset, methods, and manner of governance to one of innovation.
Making the move from traditional worship to innovative or contemporary worship.
Involvement of senior pastor, and perhaps other staff and key lay leaders, in peer learning communities that search and share for solutions to congregational transformation challenges.
Use of personal ministry coaches for the senior pastor, staff, and key lay leadership teams with the congregation focusing on the strategic framework of moving the congregation forward.
Planting one or more new congregations of a different people group, and perhaps nesting them in the church facilities. Ultimately these new congregations could own the facilities.
Planting new congregations within the context of the church community, or in other locations or among different people groups so that the congregation lives through other congregations.
Engage in church and/or lay renewal processes.
Utilize small groups as a means to revitalize the programs, ministries, and activities of the congregation.
To use action/reflection among congregational participants following engaging them in missions trips to a radically different culture somewhere in the world. Such action/reflection could long-term result in a whole new mobilization and motivation for mission within the congregation.
Where is the Holy Grail?
Twenty-five approaches are probably enough to list. It is certainly not all that have been attempted in the past six decades.
Which one is the Holy Grail of congregational transformation? Are any of them the Holy Grail? Is there actually a Holy Grail of congregational transformation?
Which of these approaches has your congregation attempted? Which of these approaches have you attempted during your ministry? Have any of them worked? If it worked in one place, would it work in another? Or, are congregational transformation solutions congregationally specific? What works in one place and time may not necessarily work in another.
Which Approaches are Most Promising?
From my perspective the most promising are the cluster of seven approaches represented by ideas 14-20 on this list.
Review these for a minute.
Here are some of my understandings of these principles.
Vision is the fuel that drives the transformation of a congregation. Such vision must be owned by at least 20 percent of active participants in a congregation. This ad hoc group of people is known as the Enduring Visionary Leadership Community. The initiating leader and key voice of vision is the senior pastor.
For a congregation to remain focused on the necessary transitions and changes, they must voluntarily make themselves accountable to an outside authority knowledgeable about their opportunities and challenges. Few congregations will continue to make less than the most popular choices and actions without a third-party holding them accountable.
It is difficult to underestimate the value of evangelism actions that exhort preChristians to consider a life-changing spiritual encounter with the Triune God. A theology of evangelism, acceptable methods of evangelism, and the ability to execute actions of evangelism divide congregations who transform from those who do not.
Congregations who transform are able to innovate on their historically traditional mindset, methods, and their manner of governance without losing their core values as a congregation. They never allow their long-term traditions to keep them from doing new things that both honor their base and empower their future.
Further, they are willing and able to move from their longstanding traditional worship in the direction of innovative or contemporary worship. Often they stop at blended or convergent worship, and that typically is enough.
The pastors, staff members, and key lay leaders of these congregations are continual learners. They gladly participate in peer learning communities that are discovering and implementing various strategies and tactics of congregational transformation. Further, they use personal ministry coaches to help them individually stay focused on effective actions.
So, are these seven the Holy Grail? I would not lay claim to such. Based on thirty years of working in the area of congregational transformation, they are the ones the make the most sense to me at the current time.
What works best for you?
Copyright 2007, Rev. George Bullard, D. Min. Reprinted with author’s Permission.
George Bullard is a Ministry Partner with The Columbia Partnership
George’s vision is to use his spiritual and strategic giftedness to empower congregations and congregational champions to fulfill their vision for Kingdom growth.
George is Senior Editor for The Columbia Partnership Leadership Series, a book series with Chalice Press. [George’s first book in this imprint is Pursuing the Full Kingdom Potential of Your Congregation]
George is widely recognized as an advisor to denominational leaders, a futurist, a strategic planning expert, a group process facilitator, a church growth strategist, an authority in conflict management, and a writer. He has extensively developed a life cycle model for congregations, which helps congregational leaders know what types of assistance they may need to best facilitate growth.
Adrian Warnock asks: Should You be a Church Plant Leader? In it he gives video and a list of 20 questions that every church planter should ask. I was a church planter one, and I work with church planters now. This is a great inventory to add to the list.
Joshua Cody at Church Marketing Sucks has two great articles that speak to marketing and church.
Mark Driscoll has been writing about Charles Spurgeon:
Evangelism
The hyper-Calvinists in his day disdained Spurgeon for his passion for lost people to meet Jesus and his continual offering of the gospel of grace to the masses, which led to the baptism of 14,692 converts during his ministry. Despite much mean-spirited opposition, Spurgeon never shied away from calling all people to repentance and used unconventional means, such as meeting in a public theater (not a church) and preaching from a stage (not a raised pulpit), in an effort to be more culturally relevant with his ministry style. Curiously, however, he forbade the use of choirs, organs, and other musical instruments in his church services.
Spurgeon has deeply impressed upon me the importance of always inviting people to repent of sin and trust in Jesus. He rightly shared God’s heart for lost people and his example reveals that one can believe in both election and evangelism, as the Apostle Paul did also. Too often those of us who are theologically reformed spend more time criticizing evangelistic methods than doing evangelism ourselves. I too consider myself something of a reformed evangelist and appreciate that Spurgeon shared a deep love for lost people that God used to save many lives.
David Fitch writes 10 Ways to Engage the Poor in the Suburbs. He took the time to prayer-walk his neighborhood and it didn’t take him long to find ideas. The poor are not just in the inner city slums, or the rural outskirts of the countryside. They are indeed right around you. . . .
As we have been looking at houses, praying over the neighborhoods, seeking where we might buy a house, I have walked the neighborhoods trying to open my eyes to where mission could be engaged. I find the suburbs difficult for mission. The poor are so hard to find. Yet as I walked and prayed, I found my imagination stoked by the Spirit. Mission was all around the rhythms of this place. The poor could be found. Here are ten missional places I noticed . .. . . .
The increase in churches is only ¼ of what’s needed to keep up with population growth.
3,000 churches close every year
3,800 new church starts survived
Net annual gain: 800 new churches
Net annual gain needed to keep up with population growth:10,000 new churches
California church reached out via Garbage:
First Christian Reformed Church in Bellflower CA reached out to its community in an unusual way in July (2007), arranging for six huge dumpsters along the road beside its building. Church members manned the dumpsters to help community members dispose of unwanted items. They also handed out information about the church. This marked the third time the church has partnered with the city to help clean up the community Source: The Banner Magazine (www.thebanner.org), October 2007
On Friday’s, I usually share some of what I’ve been reading on other blogs that is of interest to me. Some of the material is integrated into our workshops, or into my mind, as this collection is like a journal for Evangelismcoach.org
There is no real theme other than evangelism, church growth, and things related to them. You’ll not find links to Obama and McCain insights, or gossip about Paris Hilton, or even a summary of Twitter and Facebook and their value of wasting time or connecting.
Doesn’t happen every Friday, but as there is enough to share.
I will be presenting at the PC USA Transformation Pastor Training event in St. Pete’s Beach Florida at the end of September. The conference is open to pastors from other Christian denominations, you don’t have to be PC USA to participate.
If you are in the Tampa area, I’d love to meet you and say hello. Feel free to use the form on the Contact Us page to set up a visit.
Considering accepting a call to a church in Transformation?
Discerning whether Transformation is your calling?
Discerning whether or not your church needs to go through the Transformation process?
…then make plans to attend the Transformation Pastors Training Event Sept. 29- Oct. 2, 2008. You can expect to attend seminars, participate in small group sessions, engage in periods of prayer and discernment, as well as connect with other pastors and leaders in Church Transformation.
See PresbyGrow’s website for more information on registration and conference fees.
You can register a couple of different ways:
By downloading the registration form and faxing/ e-mailing the form to the office of Evangelism and Church Growth. Download Registration Form
1 Robert Shaw received a Masters in Divinity from the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, is an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has served as the chair of church development committees for the Synod of Trinity and for the Synod of Lincoln Trails.
I write this sitting at the airport (Thanks for free wireless!), way too early in the morning. 
Today we have a guest article by George Bullard of 
Perhaps we have and have not recognized it.
