Church

This is America so bigger must be better. We build bigger homes with bigger yards that require bigger lawn mowers. But, as we all know, bigger isn't necessarily better. A bigger waistline A bigger debt Though I currently pastor a church that many would consider large (that's called perspective!), I was born and raised in a small church. I've been the "senior" pastor on a staff of one. Since I was the only paid person, I was the senior pastor by default. Because of my background, I have always had a soft spot for small churches. In an article for Leadership Journal, Karl Vaters writes about the need to change our attitude about small churches. Here are seven ways he says we can begin to acknowledge the role of small churches within the kingdom. I'm leaving a brief summary beneath each point and would encourage you to read the entire…

Have you ever experienced emotional bipolarity? You probably have and didn't know what it was called. You might have told someone you had "mixed feelings" or felt "bittersweet" about what happened. A son or daughter gets a promotion which requires moving out of state. At the same time, you feel both happy and sad. You are happy for their success and sad about the decreased amount of face time you'll have with them. You are experiencing emotional bipolarity. On the surface, the feelings appear to be contradictory but we know they're not. We can be genuinely happy for someone and still feel a deep sadness over the changing circumstances. Fortunately, we don't live every minute of every waking hour in emotional bipolarity. That would be exhausting. In Acts 2, the crowd that has gathered to hear the apostles speak experiences a moment of emotional bipolarity. The apostles have received the Holy…

Over the last 46 years, I’ve been in a number of different churches. I was born, raised, and baptized in a wonderful church in East Peoria, Illinois. I led my first worship song at a one-room church in Caulfield, Missouri. As a teenager, I volunteered at a tent revival in Springfield, Illinois -- and had a blast watching the preacher sweat through a three-piece silk suit. As an adult, I have worshiped at Saddleback Church with Rick Warren (not right next to him, but he did preach). Three years ago I had the privilege of worshiping with fellow believers in Nepal. During my last year of college, I preached for a church of 18 people. I’ve been in large churches and small churches. I’ve seen the church fight the good fight and I’ve seen the church … just fight. What has been your experience with the church? Perhaps your experiences…

Rather than describe the birth of an institution, Acts 2 is about the birth of a movement. The four characteristics we'll explore over the next four weeks are vital to any church becoming a healthy, thriving church. Each of these characteristics also have an individual growth component, as the church is comprised of individuals. What we find in Acts 2 is that the church begins not with a strategy session but with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had promised them they would not be left as orphans (John 14:18) and that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). For many Christians, the Holy Spirit is the anonymous third wheel of the Trinity. For the early church, it was the Holy Spirit that powered their movement and expansion. While multiple apostles spoke in tongues on Pentecost, it is Peter’s sermon that gets recorded.…