With apologies to Robert Frost...
About a mile from my house there is a United Methodist Church. I do not attend this church, but I know it is a UMC as it says so everywhere you look. The church has been there for 20 years or so now, in a small but very nice worship center nestled in a beautiful tree-covered lot. It is located on a major road, near restaurants and office complexes. The entrance to one of the largest and most affluent neighborhoods in all of northwest Hillsborough County lies just across the street. There are several signs indicating the things that go on there, including an electronic sign that was added just a few years ago. I am sure that when this church was "planted" there were high hopes for great growth and major impact. But that simply has not happened. It remains a small congregation seeking an identity. They continue to try all sorts of programs and gimmicks to increase attendance and draw attention to their ministry, but nothing seems to work. In the past 20 years they have had more pastors than I could count, with the UMC itinerant system moving them in and out on a regular basis. They have tried many styles of worship to attract new members with limited results. Even with their wonderful location and attractive property, they have not grown. And it is wearing them down. In the summer of 2012 their electronic sign began advertising a new traditional worship service that would begin at 8 AM on September 9. Just a few weeks ago that same sign was still carrying the same message. September 9, 2013 had passed and no one seemed to notice. The sign might have well have been flashing, "We're Irrelevant!" to those driving by on that very busy road. Out of curiosity I checked their website for service times and discovered that 8 AM traditional service has been discontinued. Thankfully, the electronic sign has been turned of- or simply quit working.
About 10 miles away from that church, in a remote corner of Hillsborough County, is the church I do attend. It is located in a spot that you must be looking for to find, hidden away on a short country road. Despite its large congregation and significance in the community, there are no billboards, blimps or TV commercials to direct you there- just word of mouth. It too is a UMC church, although I feel certain there are many who attend regularly without ever knowing that fact. The denominational affiliation is simply not mentioned very often, whether on signs, bulletins (back when there was a bulletin; now there is simply an announcement sheet), the website or from the pulpit. Well, actually, there is no pulpit. The worship room is lacking in most of the elements found in a traditional UMC church. The church is 28 years old, and has had the same pastor for the last 20 of those years. They offer one style of worship in 3 services, a more contemporary focus with a praise band and great use of video and drama. There is tremendous focus on prayer. I have been attending 7 years now, and I don't know that I have ever heard mention of upcoming committee meetings or other church business during worship. I assume they have a yearly Charge Conference like every UMC. but I have never heard it mentioned. There is no yearly budget push, just a regular encouragement to give and opportunities to go above and beyond with special giving. The congregation actually APPLAUDS when it's time to receive tithes and offerings! I have no idea about the political leanings of the pastor, because he preaches Jesus, not politics. I have witnessed sermons preached in Spanish and translated into Swahili; adult baptisms in a pool brought in for just such occasions; dancing rappers and regular "altar calls" following the very biblical sermons. There is much focus on missions, from Tampa to Tanzania. Just this week the church family has given 5 tons of food to Metropolitan Ministries to help families with Thanksgiving celebrations and will be collecting thousands of Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. They also partnered with the United Methodist Committee on Relief to send aid the Philippines. There is a ministry to kids who have lost parents or siblings; a ministry to special needs kids; high impact student and children's ministries; outreach to the least, the lost and the homeless; and a continuing effort to give those of us who participate the tools we need to help others connect with Jesus. Grace is both preached and practiced, and we are always aware that the church is not about us- it is all about Jesus. The church is far from perfect, and is filled with imperfect people. It has become a very large church, yet there is no amusement park for the kids and no Starbucks for the adults. There is only Jesus, crucified and resurrected. I am blessed and honored to be a part of such a congregation.
This past Sunday, as the electronic sign at church #1 stood dormant and the small crowd trickled in, church #2 welcomed in 151 new adult members (and 60+ of their children!) - most by profession of faith! For those of you who don't speak church language, that means these folks were not coming from other churches. There was no "sheep stealing" going on here. These were people who had come to know Christ through the ministries of this church. I thought to myself as I watched the multitudes (from my perch running camera number 4) fill the platform that this new member class was larger than at least 70% of the UMC churches in the US. In this day of declining membership and attendance in so many mainstream churches, church #2 is thriving. And the big question is...WHY?
If I knew the answers, I would be at home by the fireplace sitting in front of my stack of best-selling books. It is a temptation to say that of course a church with a large budget, such a big staff and great facilities is growing, when in fact it was prayer, vision and stepping out in faith that precipitated all of those wonderful resources. And now that they are available, the fact that they are used for God's glory is the key. In truth, I know very little about church #1. I have no idea why it struggles so mightily despite its advantageous location and beautiful property. I just know it does. But I do have some understanding of why church #2 has grown and thrived. There has been long-term and consistent pastoral leadership that has cultivated vision and passion in the congregation. Having worked with 2 senior pastors who were at their respective churches for over 35 years, you will never convince me that randomly changing leadership every few years is a good idea. There has been a willingness to step out of the comfort zone of the traditional boundaries of the UMC to risk creativity and push the limits of what is "allowed" by stepping out in faith - even when it seems completely crazy. And most importantly, church #2 has been laser-focused on believing that the Church does not belong to any one denomination, age group or theological leaning. The Church belongs to God. Our mission is to connect people to Jesus and to each other, to preach and live grace, to heal the hurting and to take the gospel into the world. It is a church where all are welcome and all are loved- I know, because they accepted me. I am afraid in today's society those things often take a backseat to style, politics. personal issues or tradition. Church #2 is taking the road less traveled and showing the wild, ridiculous and overwhelming love of God whose name is Jesus to a lost and hurting world. And that has made all the difference...
Because of Jesus,
Ephesians 3:20- God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (The Message)
A report was released a while back with information from a religious census that was very interesting. Among the other items in the report was a study of the 51 metropolitan areas in the United States with more than 1 million residents and their church attendance habits. The city with the largest percentage of worship attenders was Salt Lake City, Utah. Number 51 on the list was Portland, Oregon. Then sliding in at number 50 was my home base of Tampa Bay. We ranked behind Las Vegas. More people go to church in "Sin City" than in Tampa Bay. That is not good news. In a separate study, Tampa was ranked as the most stressful place to live in the United States. As I heard one lady say in response to those two facts, "maybe they're stressed because they don't go to church!" Hmmm...
This past weekend at Van Dyke Church (it's a large United Methodist church, although "Methodist" is seldom used to describe it!) Pastor Matthew Hartsfield unveiled a new initiative called The 320 Project. Having worked in churches for nearly 30 years, I am always a bit skeptical of big new "programs" or promotional events. But this one, based on the scripture from Ephesians 3:20 found at the top, blew me away. It is a vision and means for taking Jesus to Tampa Bay in a bold new way- by doing everything possible as a worshiping body and then trusting the impossible to God. And I for one could not be more excited!
The stated mission of Van Dyke Church is that "we connect people to a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ." Van Dyke has always been about loving people in the name of Jesus and connecting members to each other. That's why the church has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, with over 3000 in worship on many weekends. As Matthew introduced The 320 Project on Sunday, he gave us 5 core values that will take the church into the future seeking to be bold for God. As he said,"If you cut us, we bleed this stuff. And we are willing to give our time, talent and treasure to display these values to a broken and hurting world in need of Jesus." Here are those core values:
- Daring Faith- We are innovative risk-takers, praying and acting boldly, expecting God to create supernatural breakthroughs.
- Fearless Service- We are action-oriented servants, pushing through all obstacles to astonish people with the love of Jesus. (AMEN!)
- Passionate Excellence- We relentlessly give our best to honor God and inspire people.
- Extravagant Generosity- We are adventurous givers, bravely sharing our resources to punch holes in the darkness with the light of Jesus.
- Unshakeable Focus on the Future- We make outrageous investments in the next generation, raising spiritually heroic children and youth.
From there Matthew highlighted 7 points of the vision that is springing from the process that is The 320 Project. Among them were an outpouring of prayer, every member in ministry and mission, programming for at risk kids and the special needs community, a Leadership Center, irresistible facilities for children and youth and a wave a new worshipers coming to Jesus. I am not part of the staff at Van Dyke (they are paid to be good, while I am good for nothing!) nor am I part of the lay leadership. I am just a praying peon in pew. But this project moves me. It speaks to what the local church ought to be. It is a big vision, a big dream- and only possible with God. Which is the way it ought to be...
Most of my readers do not attend Van Dyke or even live in Tampa Bay. So why am I telling you all of this? First of all because I know that so many of you are pray-ers, and I am asking you to pray for Van Dyke and for Tampa Bay, that God will use this effort to cause a great move of the Holy Spirit in this area. And secondly, to challenge you to pass it on. What is it that Ephesians 3:20 can mean to your church? What are the big dreams you need to dream and big prayers you need to pray so that God can do things work through you to do what seems impossible? I think it's time for churches everywhere to do something unexpected and amazing and "astonish people with the love of Jesus." Bring on the Jesus Revolution!!!
Because of Jesus,
Yesterday at Van Dyke Church the message was brought by the Director of High School Ministries, Corey Wolloff. He used the John 6 scripture about the feeding of the 5000 to talk to us about joining with God to do things that would be impossible on our own. It was a wonderful lesson about how when faced with a seemingly impossible task, we have two choices. We can take a step away from the challenge and just honestly say that we don't believe it can be done. Or we can look at the gifts and blessings God has placed in our lives and take a step towards working with God to accomplish great things. In the scripture, Philip chooses the first option, pointing out they have no food and no money with which to feel the gathered crowd. Andrew, while not claiming to have the answer, does find 5 loaves of bread and a couple of fish. He doesn't really see how this can help, but he does know what to do with them. He hands them to Jesus. And you know the rest. It was a wonderful teaching point.
Corey then went on to use this illustration, which really hit home to me. He talked about buffaloes and cows. He said that when cows are in the pasture and a storm approaches, they are very aware of the oncoming turbulence. They know the rain will be uncomfortable. And so they run AWAY from the oncoming storm. I have seen cows run, and while they do the best they can, they are NOT going to outrun any storms. The end result is that they get caught by the cloud, and the reward for their efforts is that they actually spend MORE time in the rain than if they had simply stood still. Trying to avoid the trials and the pain simply does not work. Buffaloes, on the other hand, respond in the exact opposite manner. When they sense the storm brewing, they charge full speed INTO the path of the cloud! They know that on the other side of the storm they will find fresh water and fresh grass. On the other side of the storm they will find the blessings they seek. And they will spend LESS time in the rain by meeting the storm head on.
So what does all of this mean to my life? It means that if God is calling me to something that feels impossible to me, that is a good thing. I simply need to take a step forward (into the storm!) and offer what I have. God is not asking me to do it alone- it is about WE. Too many times we pray for God to bless what we want to do instead of finding the work that God is already blessing and joining in. Think of what the church could do if we all took that step forward...together! That was Corey's message to us yesterday, and mine to you today.
What impossible task does God have in mind for me? I am still praying about that. But whatever it is this, I know this much- I will not be a cow. I wanna' be a buffalo!!!
Because of Jesus,
After a Saturday that I spent following the merry misadventures of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church (currently in session here in Tampa) on Twitter, my family and I headed out to Van Dyke Church for worship yesterday morning. I confess that I went with a somewhat cynical heart after all of the politics of the previous few days. But God had whipped up just the remedy for my attitude. It was one of those days. You see, I went for church. What I got instead was a huge helping of Jesus! The Holy Spirit was moving, and I came out refreshed and full of hope. What happened, you say? Let me tell you...
* We arrived to find that over 175 African delegates to the General Conference were joining us in worship. It was amazing to see and hear them as we arrived, mingling and speaking in their own native tongues. The sanctuary, which holds over 1000, was packed to overflowing. I sat across the isle from the the seats reserved for our guests, and was absolutely amazed at the spirit they brought to worship. The music was uplifting (including a saxophone; is it just me or is all music better with a sax?) and set a great tone for what was to come. After some preliminaries, Pastor Matthew Hartsfield introduced our visitors. We received a welcome reminding us that in order to complete the Great Commission it will require all of us to work together. And then the French speaking portion of the delegates stood and sang to us- in French! I recorded a portion and you can see and hear it below.
* Matthew's message for the day was the third in his series called I Am. This one was called "I Am Powerful," and it spoke to how we can do all things through Christ Jesus. Matthew is a wonderful preacher on any day, but yesterday he just KILLED it! He talked about how we in the church seem to shy away from our power, saying that "The church too often resembles actors in a poorly cast zombie movie. We look like the living dead!" He called upon us all to claim the power that comes from following Jesus. He called us to "turn our tests into testimonies and our messes into messages." And then he invited those who had never done so to commit to surrendering to the Savior. Some 16 people raised their hands, and you could feel the overwhelming presence of God in the room. And that presence was about to get HUGE!
* It was already 12:10 PM or so when Matthew started the baptisms. He warned us not to look at our watches. He also broke the news that the folks from Idlewild Baptist were going to be beat us to the Picadilly Cafeteria (we always go to Moe's, so that had no impact on us)! Baptism Sunday at Van Dyke is always a great day, as they rent a big tank and do full immersions of adults and youth who have taken a class and are ready to take the next step with Jesus. It is always very powerful. But on this day, Matthew decided that was not enough. As those who had prepared came forward, he invited anyone else who had never been baptized and felt led to join them. And a dozen or so did just that! If you are a United Methodist, then you know how radical this was. The Pharisees in attendance were no doubt stunned. If you are not part of the UMC, then I suspect you cannot imagine how out-of-the-box this was. It was wonderful, and each new baptism was greeted with a roar from the congregation. The African delegates were taking pictures and praising God for the outpouring of the Spirit. You could not help but be moved when the final person- a young African-American man from the special needs ministry of the church who often sits near us during worship- was led into the pool. He was hesitant to enter the water, but once he did he gave a holler and went with gusto. When he came back up- resurrected into new life, as Matthew pointed out- the entire crowed was on its feet, applauding and giving praise to Jesus. As I told my friend and Van Dyke staff member Rob Rose on the the way out, "That was unbelievable!" The entire service was most definitely a God Thing.
So what should church be like? Just like that. People may come for church. But we need to give them Jesus. Amen & Amen!
Because of Jesus,
