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#oc13

Andy Stanley: 7 Guidelines for Communicating the Bible

June 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

andy-stanleyWe live in a world that doesn’t view the Bible the way we do. And we have students and children who come to our churches that did not grow up with the same assumptions that we have about the Bible. We must do what the 1st Century Christians did for those first generations of Jesus-Followers and give them an understanding of why we believe what we believe.

Andy Stanley–Orange Conference, Main Session 2013

7 Guidelines for Communicating the Bible in a Biblically Illiterate and Skeptical World from the 2013 Orange Conference. #OC13

1. Choose a passage of scripture and stay there.

      I know that there is major debate about whether we should teach/preach verse-by-verse or verse-with-verse, but really–nothing is more confusing to a person who doesn’t know the Bible or the Bible narrative than hopping all over the Bible and using a whole bunch of passages of scripture like a proof text for a college paper. People coming into our churches don’t know the difference between Saul the King, and Saul the persecutor, Joseph the father of Jesus and Joseph and the technicolor dream coat. When we hop around the Bible we imply the Bible is complicated and confusing. By the way–this isn’t new: Henrietta Mears called this the Hop-Skip Method and believed it was the primary reason for the “boredom and disgust” of children in the Sunday School of her day

2. Give people permission not to believe or obey the scriptures. (I Corinthians 5:12)

“When you have a crowd of people who you suspect are non-Jesus followers, marginal, or not-sure-I-believe people, you have to give them permission not to believe or obey, because this isn’t even for them. . . . When you give non-Christians an out, they respond by leaning in.”

3. Teach in a manner that emphasizes the identity of Jesus over the authority of scripture.

Even though the Bible is the infallible, inspired Word of God our faith is not based upon “believing” in the infallibility and inspiration of the Bible. The foundation of our faith is based upon believing in an event in history: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

People must come to grips with the identity of Jesus before they can come to grips with the authority of the Bible. . . . the issue is always, “Who is Jesus?”

We shouldn’t expect rational people to believe that Jesus rose from the dead [simply] because “the Bible says so.”

“Do you know why we believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Not because “the Bible says so.” It’s because Matthew says so, Mark says so, Luke says so, John says so, James says so and Peter says so and they were all willing to die for what they said they believed.”

“Because the Bible says so” only works when the people you are talking to already believe what the Bible says. For those who don’t, “Because the Bible says so” makes us look foolish. And it doesn’t help our kids who will go into a hostile world where they will have to defend their faith.

4. Don’t refer to the Bible as a book.

It’s not a book. It’s way better than a book. A book implies that it is fiction. The problem is that most adults think the Bible is full of stories not history. Each week we share parts of history. Our kids need to know it is history not fiction.

“The Bible was written by over 40 different people over a several hundred year period and it tells one unique story about how sin came into the world and God fixed it. Isn’t that great? Now today we are going to look at this little piece of it.”

5. Cite authors not the Bible.

Every time you say something about an author you tie what you are saying to history, not stories.

“Today we are going to look at a letter written by James. James was the brother of Jesus. What would your brother have to do to convince you he was the Son of God?”

6. Acknowledge the odd as odd.

There are some odd things in the Bible. Most of what’s in the Bible is odd. We don’t need to be afraid of it, that’s just the way it is. It’s old.

We don’t have to worry about the odd things in the Bible because “the Bible says so” is not the reason we believe this but because Jesus believed this. I take the old testament seriously because Jesus took it seriously.

7. Don’t create the impression that one must choose between faith and science.

Science is the study of natural things. It attempts to find natural explanations for the world around us. Every time sciences discovers how something works we should be able to respond, “So that’s how God did it.”

How do you communicate the Bible to support lasting faith?

 

 

In Children's Ministry, Church, Evangelism, Jesus, Kidmin, North Point Ministries, Orange, Sunday School , , , ,
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taking the gloves off

Taking the Gloves Off

June 14, 2013 — Leave a comment

BoxingWhat if we could connect every person in our church with someone who would invest in them relationally? Someone who would meet with them regularly to help them process their faith journey and help them take their next spiritual step.  A person who would coach them in how to have God conversations with others and articulate their faith?  What if we could provide them with a weekly experience where they could practice sharing their faith with others, experience real time feedback and coaching? Where they could experience praying with someone for the first time? A weekly experience where they can see the impact sharing their faith has on the lives of others. A place they could experience the joy of leading people to Jesus and see God transform the lives of others through their investment of time, talent and resources. A place where they were provided all of the tools to not only communicate what God is doing in their life, but discover how God has moved throughout time and share it with others.

There is a ministry in our churches that already does this. This ministry is called Children’s Ministry–it may be one of the most untapped forms of adult discipleship on the planet. Adult discipleship through Children’s Ministry.

Think about it–

  1. Children’s Ministry connects people with leaders called Children’s Pastors, Sunday School Directors, Coaches or what ever you call them who invest relationally in them on a weekly basis and coach them as they learn to evangelize and disciple others.
  2. Children’s ministry provides virtually every tool imaginable for creatively sharing faith. Bet you didn’t know you could lead a person to Jesus with a popsicle stick? If you are at a loss for words we will even give you a script of what to say.  But sometimes just sharing what God’s doing in your life is better.
  3. Children’s ministry provides a weekly environment to practice and hone skills in sharing faith. Full of energy, and generally pretty forgiving, children are eager to give you lots of feedback–sometimes instant feedback. You will improve from week to week or you may be eaten alive.  :)
  4. Children’s ministry consistently tells the story of God through history–from Genesis to Revelation, often highlighting the biggest parts of the story several times.
  5. Children’s ministry effectively connects Christians with non-Christians. Last time I checked every one of the babies in our nursery was a non-believer.
  6. Children’s ministry provides a front row seat to how God transforms lives. If you ever wondered if God actually transforms lives, spend some time on a regular basis with the same kids every week and watch how God can change a child’s life. The key to seeing life-change is spending time with the same kids every week.

And you thought Children’s Ministry was just for kids. I challenge you to show me a ministry that is more intentional about training adults to share their faith with others.

In Discipleship, Evangelism, Kidmin, Spiritual Development, Uncategorized, Volunteers , , ,
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Children’s Pastors’ Conference 2013–Orlando

January 18, 2013

I’m attending the Children’s Pastors’ Conference in Orlando and promised people attending my breakouts that I would put some resources online. So here you go.

 

Breakout: Why Children are the Most Important People in Your Church

Why Children are the Most Important People in the Church Presentation Slides

Seasons of the Soul Handout

Breakout Audio (MP3–This is audio of the same breakout from a different conference.)

If you are looking for more information about the breakouts email me. Or come to the Children’s Pastors’ Conference in San Diego.

In Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus, Kidmin, Leadership, Values, Vision ,
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not-a-fan copy

Not a Fan of Church

October 27, 2012

In the last Pew Research survey nearly 34% of 20somethings raised their hands and said, “I am not a fan” of church. Basically when asked if they affiliated with a church, they checked the box marked “none.”

A few days ago, Ed Stetzer entered the fray and wrote an article entitled: Christianity Isn’t Dying, Cultural Christianity Is

I’d summarize his main point as: We are not seeing a real decline in actual believers, just nominal or cultural Christians who are no longer claiming an affiliation with church.

I’m just really glad that Ed Stetzer has clarified that the church isn’t really losing true believers, just its influence with nominal Christians who weren’t going to heaven anyway. So we should all breathe a sigh of relief—it’s not as bad as we might have thought.

All snarkiness aside, I agree with Ed Stetzer’s explanation.  The primary issue however, is not whether the “nones” are the “nominal” Christians of a previous generation.  The primary issue is about influence. “None” while more honest, seems to be a step in the wrong direction. It means that the church is losing influence with people in the community and it is losing influence at a greater rate and in a more pronounced way with 20-somethings.  That’s a big deal.   

Henrietta Mears was fond of saying, “The church is one generation away from extinction.”  It isn’t alarmest; it is true.  The situation is no less true because it is urgent.

The braver question is not “who?” but “why?”  Why this group now? And what role did the church play in creating this? What responsibility should we take and what changes do we need to make as a church to reach the next generation?

“The church leaders who are seemingly most concerned about the dropout rate of that demographic [18-25 year olds] are the very ones who create the weekend experiences that this demographic finds entirely uncompelling.  To say it another way, the group responsible for connecting eighteen- to twenty-five-year-olds to local congregations are the catalysts for driving them away.”

from Deep & Wide by Andy Stanley

I happen to believe that Christianity may be becoming less a part of our culture because many churches have fallen in love with a mid-century, cultural church model rather than falling in love with the mission of the church.  I’m speculating here, but my guess is, it is those churches that will be most interested in this explanation that seems to try and reduce the urgency of our mission.

In Church, Evangelism, Values, Vision , , ,
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Children’s Pastors’ Conference-San Diego 2012

March 9, 2012

I’ve had several people ask about getting information on the breakout I did at San Diego called Why Children Are the Most Important People in the Church–Everything you wish your senior pastor knew about Children’s Ministry.

So here is the information you are looking for.

Why Children are the Most Important People in the Children

Breakout Audio (MP3–I fixed the audio so that it is a littler clearer than what you may have bought at CPC)

Seasons of the Soul

Thanks for coming to my breakout.

In Children's Ministry, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Fammin, Kidmin, Leadership, Vision , , , , , ,
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The 14-24 Window: The other most important spiritual window in the life of a person.

December 20, 2011

Most people decide to follow Jesus between the ages of 4-14.  This has been called the 4-14 Window.  And if you are in church ministry being mindful of this window could be the most important thing you do.  It is certainly why I believe that kidmin is the most important ministry of the church.

Kidmin is the most important ministry of the church.

I think that the 14-24 Window may be the next most important.   While many decide to follow Jesus between 4-14, what their lives will look like, whether they will be fully devoted followers of Christ or just church attenders, whether they will be spiritual champions or spiritual second-handers is largely shaped by the decisions they make between ages 14-24.   This is a monumental time in a person’s life that we cannot afford to neglect.

The evidence seems to bear out—that the church at large is not doing a very good job at this. In fact it was suggested in a recent article that we shouldn’t really be concerned with this age group at all.  Instead, we should just chalk it up to stage of life and wait until they come back to the church in their mid-thirties.  The short sightedness of this article made my toes curl.  Most of the people I know who are in ministry today made decisions to commit their lives to service between 14-24. We are seriously impacting the future leaders of the Kingdom of God by neglecting this age group.

The most important aim we can have for 14-24 year olds is helping them find their place in God’s Story—helping them commit their lives to meaningful service in the Kingdom of God.

Here are just a few foundational things churches can do to leverage this spiritual window.

1. Connect youth with mature Christian adults.  The more the better.  Check out Family Based Youth Ministry by Mark Devries.

2. Get 14-24 year olds in circles.  Real small groups where a mature Christian adult is investing in a small group of students every week.  Better yet, have this person travel with them through high school and college.  Yes, even through college.

3. Don’t let ministry end at graduation. The average 18 year old will be making most of their most life altering decisions in the first few years of college.  Most youth are virtually abandoned on graduation day.

4. Incorporate 20somethings into a total ministry strategy from birth through 25.  So much is wasted because Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry and College Ministry leaders don’t play well together.  The bodies left in the gaps between these silos is staggering.  We must come together and develop a unified strategy.

5. Think beyond your curriculum.   The destination of a series of classes or a curriculum is more knowledge.  More knowledge and more classes cannot be a substitute for people doing life together.

6. Youth and 20somethings must have a sense of belonging in the church not just the youth ministry.  Check out this interview with Chuck Bomar.

7. Help youth find their place in God’s Story.

8. Connect the Church and home.  What happens at home always trumps what happens at church.

In Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Famin, Jesus, Kidmin, Spiritual Development, Stumin, Sunday School, Youth , , , , , ,
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Why Youth Leave the Church: An Interview with Chuck Bomar

December 19, 2011

Just in the last year there have been several books written on the topic of youth leaving the church.  Among them You Lost Me by David Kinnamen at the Barna Group; Slow Fade by Reggie Joiner, Chuck Bomar and Abbie Smith; Sticky Faith by Kara Powell.  The topic of youth leaving the church is perennial—that is it seems to be a topic that pops up in cycles.  (Check out my post on an article called Why Do Teenagers Drop Out? From Teach Magazine Summer of 1963.)  While it draws a lot of statistical studies the truth is, for those of us in youth ministry it’s personal.  We know the kids who walked away from church and faith.  They are more than numbers they are faces.

This last week I had the opportunity to corner Chuck Bomar and ask him some questions about why youth drop out and what the church can do about it.

How do you create belonging in your church?

In Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Orange, Spiritual Development, Stumin, Sunday School, Values, Vision, Youth , , , , , ,
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Why Do Teenagers Drop Out? Teach Magazine Summer 1963

December 17, 2011

I ran across this article a few months ago while looking through some old Teach Magazines.  You can download it here Why Do Teens Drop Out? Teach Magazine Summer 1963

The article cites three reasons for teens dropping out of church:

1. Not enough activity  I.e. most environments were sit and soak environments—youth wanted to be involved, they wanted relational environments.  They wanted to connect with their peers in meaningful ways.

2. Adult hypocrisy—leaders/teachers were not prepared, not invested, or more invested in transferring information than transforming a life.

3. Boredom and lack of challenge—youth were looking for real life connections between their life and the Bible

Do any of these things resonate with you?

Check out the final summary:

Two overall impressions gained from tabulating survey results were that dropouts were saying in effect:  1) “I’m here, but unused.  Give me something to do;” 2) “I’m here, but you aren’t hitting me with God’s Word.  Your shots are off target.”  Churches today need dedicated spiritually strong leaders who know how to reach young people with God’s Word and use them to His glory (and their satisfaction).  It is one of the greatest needs of the hour.

It was true back then and it still is today.

In Discipleship, Evangelism, Famin, Stumin, Sunday School, Values, Youth , , , , , , ,
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Here’s the church, here’s the steeple . . . see all the people!

October 26, 2011

It is natural to describe the local church in terms of its activities, its work, as an institution; but everything the church does is for the sake of people.  All programming and organization are means to the end of effecting changes in people.  The focus must always be on people.  From Focus on the People in Church Education by Lois LeBar (p.11)

It was true when Lois LeBar wrote it 60 years ago.  And it’s still true today.  I think that this is one of the primary questions we must ask of everything we do.  What really is happening to people?

It’s easy to get caught up in how our programming glorifies God, whether it is doctrinally correct, whether it fits into the church budget or church program, whether it is outreach or discipleship, purpose-driven or whatever, but the truth of the matter is we are leading people not programs, we are teaching people not curriculum and what is truly glorifying to God is a person fully devoted to Him, not a program, a budget, a curriculum or a class.

So what really is happening to people in our ministries?  What do we want them to become and is everything we are doing moving them closer to that?

The most important thing in life is personal relations: being rightly related to God, to oneself, to others.  At the heart of the universe is a Person, not natural forces, a Creator who reveals Himself to persons, who became a human Person in Christ, who seeks to redeem estranged, sinful persons back to Himself.  This sovereign Ruler condescends to use persons in communicating His love and making men like Himself.  Therefore, Christian ministry ought not to grow so complicated that it loses sight of the individual person.  The key question must always be: What is happing to people?  From Focus on the People in Church Education, Lois LeBar p. 11-12

In Children's Ministry, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Spiritual Development, Sunday School , , , , ,
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Children’s Ministry Manifesto Pt. 3

October 2, 2011

When I’m fighting for more money for the Children’s Ministry budget, more space in the building, more volunteers, and more time for announcements during the service it really is because I believe that the child is the most important person in the church.   

How many adult problems would be solved if every preschooler who entered our churches left knowing they have a Heavenly Father who loves them?  Or what if every elementary child left knowing they can place their trust in Jesus for every area of their lives?  Or what if every High School student left knowing their place in God’s story and having made a lifetime commitment to serving Christ.  What if every college ministry developed that calling to life service?  What if everything we did for children focused on winning them to Christ . . .

The child is the most important person in the church because when you save a child you save a life.

In Children's Ministry, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus, Kidmin, Mission, Values, Vision , , , ,
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