As most of you now know, one of our two elders, Dave Nordhielm has been transferred by CAT back to Peoria, Illinois. He will be moving there in short order. We will miss Dave, Patty, and their children. We have been greatly blessed by them being a part of our congregation. I recall vividly when they came forward on the second Sunday that they worshiped with us. They hit the ground running and have been faithful servants of God.
Dave’s departure presents our congregation with either a challenge or an opportunity depending on how you look at it. I prefer to look at it as an opportunity.
As a New Testament church, we are required to have a plurality (more than one) of elders. This means that we must either add another elder to serve with Scott Thatcher, or put into place an interim leadership structure until enough elders can serve. My preference would be to have more men step up to serving as elders.
This coming Sunday, during our Sunday school hour, all of the men that are members of Crossroads will gathering to discuss this opportunity. I see it as an opportunity because it will give qualified men a chance to serve as an elder for six (6) months before making a commitment to a three (3) year term. Those who desire it would be nominated and voted upon at the annual meeting in August.
Please make this meeting a matter of serious prayer. Great leadership is a key to the future success of our church. Ask God to speak to the hearts of those men HE wants to raise up to serve as elders. If anyone has any questions or concerns, you are welcome to contact me or one of the other members of the leadership team.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Renewed Direction
In the last two weeks, I have preached on the mission and vision of Crossroads Christian Church. I will be combining these two messages into one CD to be used in our outreach to guests, as well as making them available on the website.
Recently, we began a five (5) week campaign called “OUTFLOW.” This study is about learning to let God’s love and power flow out of you and our church, into the lives and the community around us. We will be having a special small group study time on Sunday mornings from 9am – 10am. Everyone will gather in the auditorium for the video portion of the lesson. We will then split up into small discussion groups. This will be followed by worship and a message, all coordinated with the subject of the day. Each person is asked to reinforce the concepts with daily readings from the book “Outflow”.
In the sermon on the Church’s vision, I mentioned that we would be launching a new discipleship strategy in 2010. We are excited about the possibilities this new strategy has for really integrating new believers into both the church and their faith in Jesus Christ. It is, however, a major shift in our thinking about discipleship.
Those of you who have been disciples for awhile have probably witnessed the following scenario a few hundred times. An individual enthusiastically accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. You see them in church and occasionally in a Sunday school class or Bible study or even a small group. Then suddenly their attendance begins to fall off or stops suddenly. You wonder what happened to them. Once it is discovered they have encountered a problem, it is too late to do anything. Another brother or sister is lost back to their previous life without Christ or involvement in His Church.
Now there are lots of reasons for this. Sometimes it is a failure to properly shepherd the individual. Other times, it is simply the difficulty one has in making a lasting change in their life. It is a problem, though, that must be addressed by our strategy on discipleship.
Up to now our strategy has been to encourage individuals to get involved in either Sunday school or small groups in order to disciple them. However, since both of these programs are also trying to disciple those who have been believers for some years, the strategy falls short in meeting the needs of new Christians.
This is why we are adding another component to our discipleship strategy. It is called “Life on Life Discipleship.” To put it simply, every new believer is partnered up with a mature believer to walk with them through the first twelve (12) months of their spiritual life. Statistically speaking, if a new convert stays faithful through the first year, they will probably stay faithful for a lifetime.
In order for this strategy to be successful, we will need mature believers who are willing to commit 1% of their time to discipling another. You see we all have 168 hours in a week. One percent of that would be a little less than two (2) hours a week. By investing that time with a new believer for one year, you would be having an unparalleled impact for the Kingdom of Christ.
Now you might be thinking, “I don’t know what I would even teach or talk about with a new believer.” That is no problem because we would provide support training and a curriculum for you to follow. The key is that you would meet and mentor them on a weekly basis, at a time convenient for both of you, for one year. The objective is two-fold. Not only do you ground them in the fundamentals of the faith, but you groom them so that they can become a mentor for someone else.
Please prayerfully consider if God is calling you to this vital discipleship ministry. We will be having a meeting to showcase the whole strategy and I hope you will attend. God bless!
Recently, we began a five (5) week campaign called “OUTFLOW.” This study is about learning to let God’s love and power flow out of you and our church, into the lives and the community around us. We will be having a special small group study time on Sunday mornings from 9am – 10am. Everyone will gather in the auditorium for the video portion of the lesson. We will then split up into small discussion groups. This will be followed by worship and a message, all coordinated with the subject of the day. Each person is asked to reinforce the concepts with daily readings from the book “Outflow”.
In the sermon on the Church’s vision, I mentioned that we would be launching a new discipleship strategy in 2010. We are excited about the possibilities this new strategy has for really integrating new believers into both the church and their faith in Jesus Christ. It is, however, a major shift in our thinking about discipleship.
Those of you who have been disciples for awhile have probably witnessed the following scenario a few hundred times. An individual enthusiastically accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. You see them in church and occasionally in a Sunday school class or Bible study or even a small group. Then suddenly their attendance begins to fall off or stops suddenly. You wonder what happened to them. Once it is discovered they have encountered a problem, it is too late to do anything. Another brother or sister is lost back to their previous life without Christ or involvement in His Church.
Now there are lots of reasons for this. Sometimes it is a failure to properly shepherd the individual. Other times, it is simply the difficulty one has in making a lasting change in their life. It is a problem, though, that must be addressed by our strategy on discipleship.
Up to now our strategy has been to encourage individuals to get involved in either Sunday school or small groups in order to disciple them. However, since both of these programs are also trying to disciple those who have been believers for some years, the strategy falls short in meeting the needs of new Christians.
This is why we are adding another component to our discipleship strategy. It is called “Life on Life Discipleship.” To put it simply, every new believer is partnered up with a mature believer to walk with them through the first twelve (12) months of their spiritual life. Statistically speaking, if a new convert stays faithful through the first year, they will probably stay faithful for a lifetime.
In order for this strategy to be successful, we will need mature believers who are willing to commit 1% of their time to discipling another. You see we all have 168 hours in a week. One percent of that would be a little less than two (2) hours a week. By investing that time with a new believer for one year, you would be having an unparalleled impact for the Kingdom of Christ.
Now you might be thinking, “I don’t know what I would even teach or talk about with a new believer.” That is no problem because we would provide support training and a curriculum for you to follow. The key is that you would meet and mentor them on a weekly basis, at a time convenient for both of you, for one year. The objective is two-fold. Not only do you ground them in the fundamentals of the faith, but you groom them so that they can become a mentor for someone else.
Please prayerfully consider if God is calling you to this vital discipleship ministry. We will be having a meeting to showcase the whole strategy and I hope you will attend. God bless!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas
We are only a few days from Christmas, and you can already tell this year it is going be different. So much has transpired in the last twelve months, and a lot has changed for Crossroads. While it has not all been good, most of it has been a blessing to see happening. In the wake of last year, there is no doubt that we, as a congregation, are growing again.
If you were in church Sunday, you witnessed this firsthand. If you missed Sunday, you lost an opportunity to see God at work. It is not that anything “miraculous” happened, but that one could feel the presence of God and of pure joy. Of course, not everyone felt it, but most did. Everything blended together, the music, the preaching, and the attitudes. There was an alignment of purpose that made the whole service special.
As I said in my message, this past year has been challenging for me as a preacher and church as a whole. However I believe we have come through the difficulties as more focused and dedicated congregation. We have made needed changes and remained committed to seeing them through to completion. Our direction is set and we are seeing the results each and every week.
This is not to say that everything is great and that no more work needs to be done. Our community is still dealing with unemployment, financial struggles, and with the effects these have on individuals and families. Our congregation has been touched by these as well. As never before, we need to be faithful stewards of all the resources God provides us as individuals and as a congregation. As leaders and ministry coordinators, we will need to spend every dime for maximum impact in fulfilling our mission.
We must not forget that even in the midst of difficult, GOD IS WITH US! He did not bring us this far to abandon us. He has positioned, prepared, and provided for us to reach the lost in this community. This Christmas should mark more than another year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It also marks the beginning of a new season of growth for our church.
My wife and I are proud and humble to serve this congregation at this time. We are eager to see what God has in store for His Church in the coming year. We wish you and your family a merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
If you were in church Sunday, you witnessed this firsthand. If you missed Sunday, you lost an opportunity to see God at work. It is not that anything “miraculous” happened, but that one could feel the presence of God and of pure joy. Of course, not everyone felt it, but most did. Everything blended together, the music, the preaching, and the attitudes. There was an alignment of purpose that made the whole service special.
As I said in my message, this past year has been challenging for me as a preacher and church as a whole. However I believe we have come through the difficulties as more focused and dedicated congregation. We have made needed changes and remained committed to seeing them through to completion. Our direction is set and we are seeing the results each and every week.
This is not to say that everything is great and that no more work needs to be done. Our community is still dealing with unemployment, financial struggles, and with the effects these have on individuals and families. Our congregation has been touched by these as well. As never before, we need to be faithful stewards of all the resources God provides us as individuals and as a congregation. As leaders and ministry coordinators, we will need to spend every dime for maximum impact in fulfilling our mission.
We must not forget that even in the midst of difficult, GOD IS WITH US! He did not bring us this far to abandon us. He has positioned, prepared, and provided for us to reach the lost in this community. This Christmas should mark more than another year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It also marks the beginning of a new season of growth for our church.
My wife and I are proud and humble to serve this congregation at this time. We are eager to see what God has in store for His Church in the coming year. We wish you and your family a merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
I must begin by apologizing for my lack of posting. I have been so busy preparing for the holidays. I love this time of year but it does challenge one's schedule. It does not help that I am wearing far too many hats. Gladly, this is changing.
Beginning in December, Brad Fassnacht will be taking over as facilities coordinator. He has been a tremendous help these last few months. In fact, the whole facilities team has been great. My thanks to Jim Coffin, Mark Gosney, Jim Woodruff, Dave McCabe, Jeff Parks, and Brad Fassnacht. I also want to express my appreciation to everyone else who has pitched in to help clean, organize, and keep the church in good repair.
Several big projects have been completed in the last month. We had to replace the roof on the oldest section of our building. It was damage at sometime by a hail storm. We were able to get the job done at no cost to the church at all, thanks to Mike Tharp for his generosity. An interesting sidebar, the old steeple was removed. While it was down, I got a call from another congregation who was in need of one. They wanted to buy it from us, but I was glad to get rid of it.
It was also necessary for us to replace the pump and pressure system on our well. With the expansion of the building and the age of the pump, it had to done. I saw the old pump, and it was packed with iron deposits. It is a wonder that we got any water or pressure. The cost of the new system will be paid for out of the emergency fund. You should see significant improvement in the water pressure.
Another project has been to switch the church phone system to Comcast and provide internet service here at the church. Soon, you will be able to use your wireless devices in the foyer. However, I want to warn you that using them during a service in the auditorium could result in a virus that transfers all your funds into the offering! (Joking)
We truly have a lot to be thankful for, as a church. Our greatest blessing is not our facilities, but our people. Their willingness to serve and give continues to permit us to fulfill our mission and vision. Thank you God for the people of Crossroads!
Beginning in December, Brad Fassnacht will be taking over as facilities coordinator. He has been a tremendous help these last few months. In fact, the whole facilities team has been great. My thanks to Jim Coffin, Mark Gosney, Jim Woodruff, Dave McCabe, Jeff Parks, and Brad Fassnacht. I also want to express my appreciation to everyone else who has pitched in to help clean, organize, and keep the church in good repair.
Several big projects have been completed in the last month. We had to replace the roof on the oldest section of our building. It was damage at sometime by a hail storm. We were able to get the job done at no cost to the church at all, thanks to Mike Tharp for his generosity. An interesting sidebar, the old steeple was removed. While it was down, I got a call from another congregation who was in need of one. They wanted to buy it from us, but I was glad to get rid of it.
It was also necessary for us to replace the pump and pressure system on our well. With the expansion of the building and the age of the pump, it had to done. I saw the old pump, and it was packed with iron deposits. It is a wonder that we got any water or pressure. The cost of the new system will be paid for out of the emergency fund. You should see significant improvement in the water pressure.
Another project has been to switch the church phone system to Comcast and provide internet service here at the church. Soon, you will be able to use your wireless devices in the foyer. However, I want to warn you that using them during a service in the auditorium could result in a virus that transfers all your funds into the offering! (Joking)
We truly have a lot to be thankful for, as a church. Our greatest blessing is not our facilities, but our people. Their willingness to serve and give continues to permit us to fulfill our mission and vision. Thank you God for the people of Crossroads!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Summer Mission Trip
At last count, we are going to be sending fourteen (14) of our members to Show Low, Arizona this summer for our annual mission trip. We will again be partnering with the Francesville church to provide vacation Bible for the Native American children in the community. The group is a combination of adults and students. Some of them are alumni from last year's trip, as well as several new folks making the commitment.
One might ask the question, "Why do a short-term mission trip?" That is a reasonable question, given the great number of local service opportunities and the cost of traveling. The answer is that a short-term mission trip is more than just serving others. It is about getting a taste of both what it means to be a missionary and to minister in a different culture than your own. While the trip is a huge blessing to those you serve, it blesses you as well because it changes how you see the world.
Having been on two mission trips, one to Haiti and one to China, I can testify to this from first-hand experience. When I was in Haiti, I learned what real poverty is. When you work with the poor in America, you are one of many different institutions. In addition to the church, you have other charitable organizations like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. You also have many government agencies helping out as well. In Haiti, all you really have is the church working with outside organizations like CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere).
If you want to lose weight, try eating your dinner with two hundred (200) starving people staring at you through a barbed wire fence. In your heart, you want to feed them, especially the children. In your head, you know you do not have enough food to even make a dent in their poverty. Feed this group today, and you will have a thousand here tomorrow. Then twice as many the next day, and the next day! When you have experienced that reality, you become a changed person.
If you were in the worship service when the group from last summer's trip shared their testimonies, you would understand what I am saying. They spoke of how the children and their living situations touched their hearts.
This is why we believe in short-term mission trips. It results in changed hearts and more dedicated lives to the mission of reaching others for Christ.
One might ask the question, "Why do a short-term mission trip?" That is a reasonable question, given the great number of local service opportunities and the cost of traveling. The answer is that a short-term mission trip is more than just serving others. It is about getting a taste of both what it means to be a missionary and to minister in a different culture than your own. While the trip is a huge blessing to those you serve, it blesses you as well because it changes how you see the world.
Having been on two mission trips, one to Haiti and one to China, I can testify to this from first-hand experience. When I was in Haiti, I learned what real poverty is. When you work with the poor in America, you are one of many different institutions. In addition to the church, you have other charitable organizations like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. You also have many government agencies helping out as well. In Haiti, all you really have is the church working with outside organizations like CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere).
If you want to lose weight, try eating your dinner with two hundred (200) starving people staring at you through a barbed wire fence. In your heart, you want to feed them, especially the children. In your head, you know you do not have enough food to even make a dent in their poverty. Feed this group today, and you will have a thousand here tomorrow. Then twice as many the next day, and the next day! When you have experienced that reality, you become a changed person.
If you were in the worship service when the group from last summer's trip shared their testimonies, you would understand what I am saying. They spoke of how the children and their living situations touched their hearts.
This is why we believe in short-term mission trips. It results in changed hearts and more dedicated lives to the mission of reaching others for Christ.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
My Sincerest Apologizes
If you have been following this blog, you know how the number of comments has exploded in recent days. This fury of discussion caught me off guard. I was beginning to wonder if anyone ever read my posts, and then all at once I have total strangers posting their opinions. This has caused me to accelerate my learning curve on responsible blogging.
First, I want to sincerely apologize to the leaders and members of Crossroads for not being more knowledgeable on this subject. I should have set up this blog to be fully moderated by me. By failing to do so, I allowed others to post comments that were disrespectful and misleading about our church and our leadership. While I did delete those comments, I should never have allowed them to be posted before I had a chance to screen them.
In all honesty, I did not want this blog to be simply my thoughts alone but also to provide a forum for dialogue about some of the principles and issues that we are facing as a congregation. However, I failed to take into account that some people do not understand how to have a respectfully discussion without engaging in personal attacks or causing dissension. I am not saying that everyone who posted a comment did that, only that some did. This reflected poorly on the church to anyone who might be considering visiting our congregation and reading my blog.
Dave Nance and I had an opportunity this past week to attend a two-day conference. It was excellent and applied to many of the challenges our congregation now faces. However, one of the speakers said something that hit home with me in reference to this blog. He said, "The internet is the social lubricant of our time". He said that for decades alcohol had been the social lubricant that caused people to lose their judgment and say things that they would not normally say to someone. Today, he said, social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, have given people opportunity to say things that they later regret.
While I am still committed to this blog being a conversation, it will now be a moderated dialogue. Comments will seen by me personally first before they are allowed to be posted. You are free to disagree, question, and offer other points of view. You must do it, however, in a respectful manner. Personal attacks will not be tolerated in any form. If you don't like the rules, then don't waste your time and my time commenting. In the interests of fairness, I have deleted all comments, including my own, so that we can start fresh.
First, I want to sincerely apologize to the leaders and members of Crossroads for not being more knowledgeable on this subject. I should have set up this blog to be fully moderated by me. By failing to do so, I allowed others to post comments that were disrespectful and misleading about our church and our leadership. While I did delete those comments, I should never have allowed them to be posted before I had a chance to screen them.
In all honesty, I did not want this blog to be simply my thoughts alone but also to provide a forum for dialogue about some of the principles and issues that we are facing as a congregation. However, I failed to take into account that some people do not understand how to have a respectfully discussion without engaging in personal attacks or causing dissension. I am not saying that everyone who posted a comment did that, only that some did. This reflected poorly on the church to anyone who might be considering visiting our congregation and reading my blog.
Dave Nance and I had an opportunity this past week to attend a two-day conference. It was excellent and applied to many of the challenges our congregation now faces. However, one of the speakers said something that hit home with me in reference to this blog. He said, "The internet is the social lubricant of our time". He said that for decades alcohol had been the social lubricant that caused people to lose their judgment and say things that they would not normally say to someone. Today, he said, social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, have given people opportunity to say things that they later regret.
While I am still committed to this blog being a conversation, it will now be a moderated dialogue. Comments will seen by me personally first before they are allowed to be posted. You are free to disagree, question, and offer other points of view. You must do it, however, in a respectful manner. Personal attacks will not be tolerated in any form. If you don't like the rules, then don't waste your time and my time commenting. In the interests of fairness, I have deleted all comments, including my own, so that we can start fresh.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A Wrestling Show in a Church?
Since it was announced that we would be hosting a fundraising wrestling show for the summer mission trip, there have been a lot of questions raised about it. In order to save time answering questions over and over, I want to address some of the concerns that have been raised.
Why a "wrestling show"?
Most of you know who Guy Louks is. He shared a testimony during our reunited service. What you might not know is that he has been involved in professional wrestling for many years both as a wrestler and as a promoter. He approached me with the idea of doing a show as a fundraising event for the church. Since we do not fundraising for the church, I suggested doing the event to support those going on the summer mission trip.
Is this appropriate?
While I grant you, it is out of the ordinary, there is nothing inappropriate about the event. Guy Louks and his guys have done events like this for other churches and for charities in our community. He has assured me that the show will be very family-friendly and will not cause the church any embarrassment. A wrestling show may not be your favorite form of entertainment. However, many in our community enjoy it and some of our members are involved in it.
This would not be the first time we have used our facilities for programs or events other than worship services. We have had garage sales, movie nights, and New Years Eve parties that have utilized our buildings. Some might have consider those "outside the box", but we have done them successfully and with great results.
What are the financial arrangements?
First, let me say that there is absolutely no cost for this event to the church itself other than providing the location. The proceeds of the ticket sales are to be evenly split between the wrestling company and the summer mission trip. Those who are committed to going on the trip will provide a concession with hotdogs and such. All proceeds from the concession go for the trip as well.
What risks or liability does the church have?
None at all! Guy has done these shows for years in all types of venues. He carries all the appropriate insurances on his wrestlers and his events. The ring he uses is designed with pads that lift it off the floor to prevent any possibility damage.
What are the benefits?
There are several benefits to hosting the event at Crossroads.
1) It provides an outreach to a part of our community that might never even know that our church exists.
2) It provides free advertising for our church in the community even to those who do not attend the event.
3) It provides a means of raising support for our mission trip without asking for funds from the congregation.
4) It allows members of our congregation to use their talents and abilities to help support the mission trip.
5) It gives those going on the mission trip an opportunity to work for the support they receive for the trip.
What's the downside?
The only potential downside is that some might not like the idea of having such an event in the building and in the auditorium. I understand their concerns, and do consider them as having some validity. The question from my prospective is simply this. With all positive benefits of hosting the event, is anyone really harmed if we do it? On the other hand, if we don't take advantage of the opportunity, there may very well be people who might not ever come to Jesus Christ otherwise. Of course, no one knows for sure, but I think the possibility exists.
While you might not attend the event, should not the possibility of reaching just one lost person through it make as least worth attempting?
Why a "wrestling show"?
Most of you know who Guy Louks is. He shared a testimony during our reunited service. What you might not know is that he has been involved in professional wrestling for many years both as a wrestler and as a promoter. He approached me with the idea of doing a show as a fundraising event for the church. Since we do not fundraising for the church, I suggested doing the event to support those going on the summer mission trip.
Is this appropriate?
While I grant you, it is out of the ordinary, there is nothing inappropriate about the event. Guy Louks and his guys have done events like this for other churches and for charities in our community. He has assured me that the show will be very family-friendly and will not cause the church any embarrassment. A wrestling show may not be your favorite form of entertainment. However, many in our community enjoy it and some of our members are involved in it.
This would not be the first time we have used our facilities for programs or events other than worship services. We have had garage sales, movie nights, and New Years Eve parties that have utilized our buildings. Some might have consider those "outside the box", but we have done them successfully and with great results.
What are the financial arrangements?
First, let me say that there is absolutely no cost for this event to the church itself other than providing the location. The proceeds of the ticket sales are to be evenly split between the wrestling company and the summer mission trip. Those who are committed to going on the trip will provide a concession with hotdogs and such. All proceeds from the concession go for the trip as well.
What risks or liability does the church have?
None at all! Guy has done these shows for years in all types of venues. He carries all the appropriate insurances on his wrestlers and his events. The ring he uses is designed with pads that lift it off the floor to prevent any possibility damage.
What are the benefits?
There are several benefits to hosting the event at Crossroads.
1) It provides an outreach to a part of our community that might never even know that our church exists.
2) It provides free advertising for our church in the community even to those who do not attend the event.
3) It provides a means of raising support for our mission trip without asking for funds from the congregation.
4) It allows members of our congregation to use their talents and abilities to help support the mission trip.
5) It gives those going on the mission trip an opportunity to work for the support they receive for the trip.
What's the downside?
The only potential downside is that some might not like the idea of having such an event in the building and in the auditorium. I understand their concerns, and do consider them as having some validity. The question from my prospective is simply this. With all positive benefits of hosting the event, is anyone really harmed if we do it? On the other hand, if we don't take advantage of the opportunity, there may very well be people who might not ever come to Jesus Christ otherwise. Of course, no one knows for sure, but I think the possibility exists.
While you might not attend the event, should not the possibility of reaching just one lost person through it make as least worth attempting?
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