John & Dave

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Today, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to John Raizor for the outstanding job he did as our part-time Minister of Recreation.  John built our program from scratch and worked well with the Recreation Committee.  John went about his work with great integrity and did things in a way that honored the Lord.  John did not cut corners and did not compromise when it came to his work.  The three things I respect most about John is that he knows what he believes, he knows why he believes what he believes, and he stands up for what he believes.  We need more Christians who display those traits in our churches today.  If you know John, be sure to express your personal thanks to him and to the Recreation Committee for the great work they did to get us to this point!

In addition, I want to welcome Pastor Dave Menser as our full-time Pastor of Children & Family Life.  Dave was unanimously approved at our August Business Meeting.  Dave is uniquely gifted and equipped to excel in both areas of children’s ministry and recreation ministry. 

Dave began his work today, August 23, with big shoes to fill, but he will do an awesome job.  John and Dave have met to discuss the FBC recreation ministry—this, along with the work that John has been doing over the last few months, will help Pastor Dave to get off to a fast start in the area of recreation.  In addition to expressing your personal thanks to John, be sure to give Pastor Dave a BIG First Baptist welcome when you see him!

The Glue of the Church

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The importance of helping members develop friendships within our church cannot be overemphasized. Relationships are the glue that holds a church together.

Friendships are the key to retaining members. One pastor took a survey in his church. When he asked, “Why did you join this church?” – 93% of the members said, “I joined because of the pastor.” He then asked, “What if the pastor leaves? Will you leave?” – 93% said “No.” When he asked why they wouldn’t leave, the response was “Because I have friends here!”

Do you notice the shift in allegiance? This is normal and healthy. Lyle Schaller has done extensive research that shows the more friendships a person has in a congregation, the less likely they are to become inactive or leave. In contrast, one survey asked four hundred church drop-outs why they left their churches. Over 75% of the respondents said, “I didn’t feel anyone cared whether I was there or not.”

It is a myth that you must know everyone in the church in order to feel like a part of a church. The average church member knows 67 people in the congregation, whether the church has 200 or 2,000 attending. A member does not have to know everyone in the church in order to feel like its “my church” but he does have to know some people!

 Every member should join a small group.

Small groups are crucial to the retention of members and newcomers. Not only do they help people connect with one another, they also allow our church to maintain a “small church” feeling of fellowship as it grows. There’s no possible way one pastor can provide complete care to a church of 200 or more. Small groups can provide the personal care and attention every member deserves no matter how big the church becomes.

Our church must always be growing larger and smaller at the same time. By that I mean there must be a balance between the large group worship services and the small group meetings. Both are important to the health of a church.

The large group celebrations give people the feeling that they’re a part of something significant. Large group meetings are impressive to unbelievers and are encouraging to our members. But you can’t share personal prayer requests in the Crowd.

Small affinity groups, on the other hand, are perfect for creating a sense of intimacy and close fellowship. It’s there that everybody knows your name. When you’re absent people notice. You’re missed if you don’t show up.

If you are not already involved in a small group then join one soon. You can join a small group that meets at church like a Bible Fellowship class or a ministry team. You may feel led to start a small group on your own. Contact me at srice@fbcshelbyville.com and I will be glad to help you get started! Always remember that people are not simply looking for a friendly church; they’re looking to make friends at church!

An Old Passion Returns

Posted in Church Chat, Life Happens4 Comments

I began to run regularly in my mid 20s.  I was very passionate about the sport and thought about it throughout the day.  As soon as I completed a run I was thinking about my next run.  As a result of running, I reached a fairly high level of fitness and enjoyed running in several races over the years. 

After becoming a pastor, I got sidetracked from running for a few years.  A couple of my friends from Belfry, Roger Varney and Harold Osborne, inspired me to get started again and I rediscovered my passion for running very quickly.  I think I became fairly fit again and I set several personal records (PRs) in local races.

Then “it” happened.  I had my first injury.  I tore a menicus in my knee and had to have surgery.  Although the injury was not all that serious, I never resumed running with the same intensity.  Through the years I became less active and put on some weight.  This past January I decided that I had to do something about my weight and my level of fitness.  Since January 18, I have lost 39 pounds and have rediscovered my passion for running.  One tool that has been very beneficial to me is a website call MyPlate.  This website helps you set weight goals and monitor calorie intake.

I said all this to say that I plan to blog occasionally about my running ventures.  I apologize in advance because I realize that not everyone is passionate about running.  I hope to connect my writing about running to our daily race for Christ.  Just as I long to be faithful throughout my life in my race for Christ, I long to remain faithful in my personal fitness and running.  Writing about it here will give me an outlet and a level of accountability.  Thank you in advance for your patience.

Thess passages come to mind this morning….

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”  1 Corinthians 9:24

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  2 Timothy 4:7

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”  Hebrews 12:1

 

Fights and Quarrels in the Church

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship, Funny, Life Happens2 Comments

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.This week I’ve been reading from the New Testament written by James, the brother of Jesus.  In the passage above, James asks the question, “What causes fights and quarrels among you?”  Then he answers his own question by saying, “Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”  James 4:1-3, NIV

This week I have been reading the New Testament book written by James, the brother of Jesus.  I love his letter written “To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (James 1:1) because it is very practical and very direct.  We need more preaching and teaching like that today.

In the above passage (4:1-3), James identifies the source of most “fights and quarrels” in the church–they derive from our selfish, personal desires.  The greek word for the term “desires” is the source of the word “hedonism.”  Dictionary.com defines “hedonism” as “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.”

We live in a day when many believe that the church exists to serve them, to entertain them, and to make them happy, but actually the opposite is true.  The Church does not exist to serve us; as Christians, we exist to serve the Church. 

May the Lord help every believer in every Christ-honoring church to set aside his or her personal desires for the church to pursue the desires that the Lord has for His church!  May it begin in me.

The “Skinny” on Spiritual Growth

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship, Life Happens, Ministry1 Comment

The last few weeks at Shelbyville First Baptist Church, Pastor Andy McDonald and I have been teaching our second-level foundational class called Maturity 201.  The class includes some of the material written by Dr. Rick Warren as well as material I personally wrote for the class.

In Maturity 201 we discuss the important subject of spiritual maturity.  Here is a brief excerpt from the class:

FACTS ABOUT SPIRITUAL MATURITY

  • Spiritual maturity IS NOT automatic.  A Christian believer must be disciplined and work at achieving spiritual maturity.  We can’t just sit back and “hope” it happens.  We have to develop and practice the spiritual habits that lead us to spiritual maturity.  For more information on this topic, read my other entries under the “discipleship” category. 

“You have been Christians for a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others, but instead … you need someone to teach you … When a person is still living on milk, it shows he isn’t very far along in the Christian life … He’s still a baby Christian!”  Hebrews 5:12-13 (LB)

  • Spiritual maturity is a journey.  Ultimately, spiritual maturity will take a lifetime.  It is a process–a lifelong journey of becoming more and more like Christ.

“Learn to be mature.”  Proverbs 8:5 (GN)

“Continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our savior Jesus Christ.”  2 Peter 3:18 (GN)

  • Spiritual maturity takes discipline.  Spiritual maturity is not complicated, but it is not easy.  It takes discipline to be spiritually fit just like it takes discipline to be physically fit.

“Take the time and the trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit.”  1 Timothy 4:7b (Ph)

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”  1 Timothy 4:7b (NASB)