Catch the Vision: 2010

"Maximum effectiveness with minimal change" is an oxymoron and a goal usually unattainable, but we believe that God has shown us a way to reach both of these objectives at the same time.

For the past two years our church has been completely full in most of our Sunday morning Bible study classes and our second morning worship service has consistently been over 80% full. Whenever a church's facilities reach this percentage of saturation, it is inevitable that attendance will soon become stagnant or even begin to decline. In an effort to avoid this outcome, our leadership team and I have been on a mission the last few months to find the best way to create additional space in our facilities without "upsetting the apple cart."

One piece of the puzzle necessary for us to reach our goals has already been implemented and your response to it has been phenomenal. On Wednesday nights we now have Bible studies going on all across our campus and on other days of the week, as well. When we began decentralizing the Wednesday night service a little over a year ago, we were overwhelmed with the receptivity of our people to the idea. Our goal now is to continue multiplying these studies on Wednesday evenings and on other nights of the week. We'd even like to eventually offer a few studies in local neighborhood homes. This is something revolutionary for an independent Baptist church to try, but it is something that God is using in our fellowship in spectacular ways. It is also something I firmly believe we must do if we are going to reach our community with the Gospel of Christ.

Now comes the implementation of the second part of the plan involving Sunday morning Bible studies and our Sunday worship services. Let me first alleviate any fears that we are canceling Sunday morning Sunday school classes. This is not part of the plan and there are several reasons we cannot do this:

1. There are senior adults who cannot attend on Wednesday nights because it is difficult for them to see after dark to drive to church.
   
2. Some of our people who are involved in other ministries on Wednesday nights cannot attend one of these Bible studies and need to attend a Sunday morning Bible study.
3. Many church guests will not know our Wednesday night Bible study schedule and will need a class for their children and themselves to attend on Sunday morning.
4. This has been the traditional time for Sunday school classes and some people just need to maintain this tradition.
   

The only real changes to these Sunday morning Bible studies will concern the times they meet and potentially their room assignments. Beyond that, if you want to attend a Sunday morning study it is still available for you.

To accomplish the overall changes to Sunday school classes, we need to alter the times of our services on Sunday morning to 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. We believe that this slightly later service of 9 a.m. will result in some people attending the early service who had normally been attending the later service. It is also possible that some guests will opt for the early service simply because it is slightly later. In addition, the second service congregation will also benefit because they will be out earlier than in previous years.

While each of these services are going on in the Worship Center, there will be Sunday morning Bible study classes happening downstairs at the same time. What are the benefits of this adjustment? Well consider these:

1. It opens up seats in Sunday school classes and worship services for guests to attend.
   
2. It gives us the potential of using our classroom space twice allowing new classes to be added.
3. It gives our Sunday morning Bible study teachers a greater amount of time to teach his/her lesson.
4. It gives each teacher and class participant time for discussion and interaction.
   
5. It provides opportunities for fellowship in each class, something that is virtually non-existent because of the limited class time.
6. It provides more than one time slot for people to get involved in small group Bible studies making it easier for more/new people to participate.
   
7. It opens up parking spaces for guests when those attending Wednesday Bible studies (instead of Sunday morning studies) leave the campus after a worship service.
8. It facilitates a more equal division between the two morning worship services opening seats for new attenders.
9. It potentially allows the choir to sing in both of our morning worship services.
   
10. It eliminates one full nursery block that has to be staffed each Sunday, thus easing the burden on these wonderful servants of God who care for the littlest among us.

Here are the most important things to ask ourselves. Did God leave us here to reach people? Do we stop reaching people simply because we have run out of room? Does this mean we must be willing to make adjustments to continue our mission? You know the answers to these questions!

If our mission is to make our church members comfortable and provide for their convenience, then we don't need to change anything. But, if our mission is to reach new people with Christ's love, then we have to be willing to do what is necessary to make that happen. None of these changes will come until early next year (2010), but I'm asking you to begin praying that God will give us clarity of explanation and unity of hearts as we prepare for the future God wants to give our church.

Pop at Hilton Head

Pop at Hilton Head
Originally uploaded by jdlemming

This is a picture of my dad that my son made while we were at Hilton Head Island this year (2009). He is 87 years old and still uses his computer, but hasn't been feeling too well this fall. Please keep him in your prayers as he recovers and returns to himself. He and my mother are the two finest Christians I know. Not everyone was blessed to have Christian parents, but my two sisters and I were taught God's ways from our birth. Thanks for your prayers.

The Intolerance of Tolerance

Please take a few moments to listen to what Dr. Carson has to say. It's interesting to me that many people demand tolerance from Christians, but fail to be tolerant of them. The very definition of tolerance has been so skewed that it no longer means what it's always meant. Actually, the only ones toward whom many people are intolerant are Christians. It's a strange world we live in and it really shouldn't surprise us that the level of persecution is growing towards Christ-followers. The kind of tolerance our world commonly espouses is actually totalitarianism. Dr. Carson says it well...

Follow the text of what he is saying while you listen:

The intolerance of tolerance… And it’s important to understand that the notion of tolerance within this framework has a certain intellectual heritage that has been transmuted by postmodernism.

Under the modernist paradigm, tolerance looked something like this: I may disagree with you, but I insist on your right to articulate your opinion, however stupid and ignorant I think it is.

That’s tolerance.

In other words, this means there is tolerance for the individual to say things with which I disagree. The tolerance is directed toward individuals. But, there is robust debate at the level of content and substance.

So, I may disagree profoundly with Marxist historiography; but, if I’m a tolerant person under a modernist regime, I insist on the right of the Marxist historiographer to articulate their views. But, likewise, under the Western vision of tolerance and under a modernist camp, I insist on the right of Capitalists to articulate their views, or Theists to articulate their views, or whatever—however right or wrong I think they are. So that unless there is something deeply, deeply damaging to public well-being, as for someone coming along and vociferously advocating pedophilia… then the notion of tolerance allows you to defend almost anybody teaching almost anything.

Because you see, under the modernist paradigm, the assumption is that in the marketplace of disputed ideas, the truth will come out.

There is a truth to be searched out. There is a truth to be pursued.

Truth, ultimately, is desirable and attainable.

So in other words, this view of tolerance is itself tied to a certain kind of vision of truth. A certain kind of epistemology.

But once you change that epistemology, and lose that vision of truth—tolerance itself is redefined.

Now, tolerance means that you must not say anybody is wrong. That’s the one wrong thing to say. But, now notice, under this view of tolerance, you are tolerant, not of individuals, you are tolerant of all positions. The tolerance is now directed toward all views that are articulated because you are not in a position to say that any view is wrong.

The one thing that is not tolerated is the view that this view of tolerance is wrong.

And thus you have the intolerance of tolerance.

Worse, if somebody comes along and says this view of tolerance is wrong, under this view of tolerance that person is not tolerant and therefore should not be tolerated.

That person is a bigot.

And because there is no understanding of tolerance directed toward the individual, but only toward all views—except that view that says this view of tolerance is wrong—the university campus can become a very scary place toward anybody who says that there may be an absolute right and wrong after all. Or there may be an absolute truth.

I would argue that this new view of tolerance is in fact, logically incoherent. I don’t simply mean that it is inconsistent; that is, it proves intolerant. I don’t mean that. It is inconsistent, but I mean something worse than that. I think that it is incoherent. Because the very notion of tolerance, under whatever regime, presupposes that you have to disagree with someone or something before you tolerate it. You see, if I say, “On my university campus I will tolerate those who propagate Islam, or Marxism, or whatever… ” It doesn’t matter. I have to disagree with them before I can use the word tolerate.

But if I say, “Well, y’know, you’re no more right or wrong than I am. I may agree with you. I tolerate you…”

It’s incoherent. That doesn’t even make sense. To be able to tolerate something, you’ve got to disagree with it in the first place. But if, in fact, you’re not in a position to say that any position is wrong, how can you speak of tolerating it?

Thus, I would argue that the new definition of tolerance is not only inconsistent, but incoherent. And it proves, in fact, to be less tolerant than the brand of tolerance that was around under modernism. Because at the very point where it comes up with that which disagrees with it most, it has to dismiss all opponents as intolerant and bigoted, and therefore becomes, in fact, totalitarian.

A Dying Church

Thomas Rainer has identified five warning signs that a church is unhealthy and in trouble. Just as we have to monitor our physical health we must also constantly monitor the health of our own church. Inevitably, there are signs that point to trouble ahead, if we aren't too preoccupied to notice them.

Listen to Dr. Rainer's conclusions from his research and thank God our church is not exhibiting these trends. Then, let's ask God to do His work in us so that we NEVER become a congregation that is inward focused rather than outward focused.

The leading indicators of a church that is dying are...

1. The church has few outwardly focused ministries. Most of the budget dollars in the church are spent on the desires and comforts of church members. The ministry staff spends most of its time taking care of members, with little time to reach out and minister to the community the church is supposed to serve.
2. The dropout rate is increasing. Members are leaving for other churches in the community, or they are leaving the local church completely. A common exit interview theme we heard was a lack of deep biblical teaching and preaching in the church.
3. The church is experiencing conflict over issues of budgets and buildings. When the focus of church members becomes how the facilities and money can meet their preferences, church health is clearly on the wane.
4. Corporate prayer is minimized. If the church makes prayer a low priority, it makes God a low priority.
5. The pastor has become a chaplain. The church members view the pastor as their personal chaplain, expecting him to be on call for their needs and preferences. When he doesn't make a visit at the expected time, or when he doesn't show up for the Bible class fellowship, he receives criticism. In not a few cases, the pastor has lost his job at that church because he was not omnipresent for the church members.

May God keep us focused on His purposes and His priorities!!

This is Luke, his daddy, and little sister having some fun!!!

Thought I'd post a video or two about our grandson having fun and walking. They grow up so fast.

LMBC Missions Celebration 2009 Videos - part #3: The Rescue

This is the third video in the series of three. These were done for our "Great Adventure" missions celebration before introducing our missionary guests each evening. After each video we "deputized" our missionary guests. They were a GREAT success.

LMBC Missions Celebration 2009 Videos - part #2: The Search

This is the second video in the series of three. These were done for our "Great Adventure" missions celebration before introducing our missionary guests each evening. After each video we "deputized" our missionary guests. Part three will come on Saturday. Stay tuned for the conclusion.

LMBC Missions Celebration 2009 Videos - part #1: The Kidnapping

This is the first video in the series of three. These were done for our "Great Adventure" missions celebration before introducing our missionary guests each evening. After each video we "deputized" our missionary guests. Parts one and two are on here now and part three will come on Saturday. Stay tuned for the conclusion.

Closing thoughts about Sunday (October 4, 2009)

1. Today's message was so important and central to what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Too many Christians are casually following Jesus when He calls us to be devoted followers.
2. Being a disciple requires that we count the cost and acknowledge that we cannot succeed in following Him without His divine enablement.
3. We began preparing our hearts for this year's Missions celebration, which begins this Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. It ought to be a "Great Adventure" as we consider what God is doing around the world.
   
4. Nothing is closer to the heart of God than reaching people with the Gospel (locally and internationally), which is a truth we are trying to instill in the lives of all God's people.
5. We have a large number of our people that are fighting illness and our prayers are with them for a quick recovery.
6. We missed from services today 30 of our senior adults who were traveling home from a New England trip, but I know their hearts were with us. You were missed.
   
7. Our local outreach to the Pumpkin Festival was a huge success with more than 4000 bottles of water given away, along with 2000 balloons and Gospel literature. Thank you to all that worked the booth for three hour segments over the four day event. One couple came to church this morning because of the outreach effort. Maybe only Heaven will reveal the positive impact we made this weekend for eternity.
   
8. We need to continue praying for those who were affected by the natural disasters in Indonesia, Samoa, and American Samoa. What we started in the services this morning should go on privately in our homes.
9. Our deepest sympathies are extended to the family of the 14 year old that died from swine flu. Such a tragic outcome and one that should make us all more cautions about this dangerous illness.
10. Now to begin the final preparations for our Missions Celebration. This week should be one that we will long remember. See you there Wednesday through Friday at 6:30 p.m. each evening and on Sunday for our three worship services.
    

Chick-fil-A

This might not be so funny if it weren't so true. My family loves Chick-fil-a and eat there often. Thought I'd share it on my blog so all of you could see this creative rendition. Hope it makes you laugh a little. Just tell them "the cows" recommended you watch it.

Self Control in a Wired World

This video is so important for all of us who utilize the internet to better our lives. It is convicting, but I felt we could all benefit from hearing this as we don't want to miss hearing from the Lord. I am asking God to show me where I have wasted too much time. Maybe you will want to do the same.