Not Getting the Picture: 3 Ways Churches Confuse

By Franklin Dumond

William was confused by a new experienceAt 18 months old our grandson William recently spent one of his afternoons with us. We did all the usual stuff: playing outside chasing birds, playing inside with toys, and reading books. Then while I was preparing a healthy supper (Grandma had already baked cookies for him) William chose to color.

Grandma strapped him into his chair, pulled him up next to the kitchen table, and with crayons and markers in hand he began the creative process of coloring.

The vegetables were on and the meal was sizzling so I decided to listen to Garrison Keeler’s Prairie Home Companion. Often on Saturday evenings I listen to parts of this classic radio entertainment.

In our kitchen we have a replica radio that mimics those classic styles of cabinetry from the radio heyday of the 1930s and 40s. I switched it on just as a song concluded and one of the comedy routines began. William looked up from his coloring. He turned in the direction of the sound. He looked puzzled but turned back to his crayons. The sound changed again when the comedy routine concluded.William was confused by the radio He turned again toward the sound. He looked puzzled. Then Grandma figured it out. “There’s no picture!” she announced, “No wonder he is confused.” In our house, sound from a box had always been accompanied by a picture.

Because I spend a great deal of my time working with churches, William’s concern over a missing video component to the sound he was hearing causes me to wonder if a church ever puzzles first-time guests by what happens before, during or after worship services.

Here are three things I think become confusing:

1. While casual is the new norm for worship it is possible to become careless and even haphazard to the point of distraction. If casual becomes careless and haphazard it is likely that the newcomers and the old timers may conclude that the content is about as important as the level of attention it seems to be getting.

2. When technology is underused or misused it becomes confusing and puzzling to participants. I get especially concerned when spelling errors show up in song lyrics displayed on screen and when the technician uses a mirror image rather than a presenter’s view with the result that the audience sees every move of the mouse and every set up feature that is clicked.

3. Language that is dominated by code words or a religious vocabulary that goes unexplained is puzzling. E.S.A.T (enough said about that).

What do you think confuses newcomers and old timers in our worship?

How would you go about correcting these puzzles?  Click ‘Leave A Comment’ at the top of this article to join the conversation.

Be That Man

By Jeff Roth

I had the skills to pay the bills.  I was playing college baseball.  I was on my way to the big leagues.  That was my plan-but my coach had a different one.  I thought I should be starting at shortstop and batting clean up.  He thought I should be warming up our left fielder between innings.  We agreed to disagree, and I tried to become the best warmer-upper of a left fielder that they had ever seen.

Whenever you join a team you agree to come under the leadership of that team.  When I joined the baseball team, I understood that I was going to do whatever the coach thought would be best for the team.  It wasn’t always what I wanted.  Let’s be honest, it was hardly ever what I wanted, but I was following the leader.

In Mark chapter 8, Jesus calls not only His disciples, but also the crowd to Him.  He tells them all exactly what they must do if they want to be part of His team.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34 ESV)

That’s what Jesus says.  When it comes to being a follower of Jesus it starts with a straight up denial of self.  Being a follower of Jesus I deny myself by saying that my life is no longer about me.  It’s surrendering everything to Jesus.  It’s surrendering my dreams to Jesus.  It’s surrendering my bank account to Jesus.  It’s surrendering my desire for applause, my talents, my time, my family, my heart.  It’s all surrendered to Jesus Christ to be used how He thinks will best help His cause.  It’s not always what I want, but it is what’s best.  That surrender and self denial is a daily battle for me.  It’s a daily battle for most of us, but it’s a battle we must fight.

Henry Varley once said to D.L. Moody, “It remains to be seen what God will do with a man who gives himself up wholly to Him.”  Moody became determined to be that man, and by God’s grace millions of lives were changed through his ministry.  I need to be determined to be that man.  You should be determined to be that person.  We should raise up our children and students to be determined to be that person.

NYC 2014 is all about surrenderingAt National Youth Conference this year we are going to war against this false truth that life is “all about me.”  We are going to raise up students who are willing to look to Jesus and raise their white flag of selfishness.  We are going to teach these students that when it comes to Christ, the best thing we can do is tap out and turn our life fully and wholly over to Him.  We are going to encourage these students to shake this earth at it’s core by giving themselves fully and wholly to the cause of Christ.

What would happen if 900 students totally surrendered their lives to Christ?  Please join me in praying that we find out this summer at NYC.

If you would like to bring a group of students to experience National Youth Conference 2014, visit www.generalbaptist.com for more information or to register.

266,781 Miles…and Going Strong

By Dr. Franklin Dumond

My 2005 Chevy Silverado now has 266,781 miles logged in its lifetime of service to me.  It primarily lives in my driveway now and serves as reliable transportation inside town limits.  For several years it frequently hauled large boxes of training materials when I traveled around doing 2-3 day workshops.  Trailers loaded with supplies for the annual Mission & Ministry Summit were pulled with ease.

Even with almost 300,000 miles logged, this truck is still going strong.

Even with almost 300,000 miles logged, this truck is still going strong.

All in all my tan truck has held up well to the rigors of life on the open road.  It boasts a dented rear fender where a branch blown from a maple tree in the front yard was tossed down the driveway.  A couple of winters ago my wife accidentally struck Rudolph as she was driving one December evening.  He limped off in the darkness so Christmas was not cancelled, but the truck was left with a front bumper that is sort of twisted on the driver’s side.  Because of the low retail value of the vehicle I have determined not to spend a great deal on cosmetic repairs.

One snowy afternoon I thought the windshield wipers sounded funny as they slapped against the snow.  I assumed the frozen accumulations were temporarily impairing normal operations.  From the corner of my eye it also appeared that the passenger side wiper was out of time with the driver side.

As I parked in my driveway I decided to work smarter rather than harder to clear the ice and slush from my wipers.  I pushed the switch to spray fluid on the windshield and turned my wipers on high speed.  I thought by melting the slush and ice I could then use my rapidly waving wipers to toss it aside.

My passenger side wiper made one slow, feeble pass and then simply fell asleep at the base of my windshield.  Remembering my vow to not spend money on my truck unnecessarily, I wondered if it would be practical, or even legal, to operate with only one wiper.

A quick Google search and a couple of e-how articles later I discovered that a flat screwdriver to remove the cover of the mounting bolt and a 13 mm wrench quickly solved my problem.  With the mounting nut securely tightened I now had the luxury of two functional windshield wipers.  This worked so well that a few days later I even pre-emptively tightened the mounting bolt on my driver’s side wiper.

It really is amazing what a little corrective maintenance can do to restore a 266,781-mile truck into working order.  Churches can be that way.  Life cycles can be reversed and new life discovered.  Here’s a short list of those corrective maintenance issues that probably need attention in every church whether that church is new or well-established.

1. Dust and clutter will show up again and again unless some attention is given.

2. Signage, both indoor and outdoors, needs to be obvious if we expect new folks to find their way around.

3. Code language that uses specialized terms or abbreviations must be avoided if we expect new folks to understand what we are doing.

4. Contact information on the church sign, the weekly bulletin and the church web site must be current.

What do you think?  What routine corrective maintenance would you suggest for new or established churches?
Click the ‘Leave a Comment’ button at the top of this article and share your experiences.