Breaking Ground

Just a few days ago, nearly 1,000 people gathered on the east lawn at Granger for a ground-breaking and dedication of our new Commons space. It was a special moment, as people who have been praying for and giving to the project for years stood next to those who have been worshiping with us for just a few weeks. In just a matter of weeks, the construction equipment will begin rolling in for this new facility that will provide an additional 12,000 s.f. of life-changing connection space for our community.

Don’t Give People the Finger

There is a new book on the scene that is insanely practical for church leaders. It’s written by Mark Waltz with the title How to Wow Your Church Guests. It’s written in a simply strategic and brilliant format–with each of the 101 chapters only taking a couple minutes to read.

Some of my favorites…

• #77 Bust Up Your Party. Don’t do the usher huddle where you all talk to each other and forget why you are there.
• #89 Shut Up Already. You guessed it, this chapter is all about listening.
• #12 Names = Value. Now that is just downright convicting. I’m terrible with names. (Numbers come easy for me, so if your name is 92436 then I will remember you forever.)
• #54 Talk Normal. Don’t have a bunch of cutesy names for your ministries or activities.
• #30 Don’t Give People the Finger. When asked for directions, don’t just point the way. Take a minute, walk them to their desired location, have a conversation along the way.
• #19 Remember the Introverts. Not everyone wants their hand grabbed 13 times on their way to church. Give people some space.

Why Baptism?

Have you ever wondered things like, “Why should I get baptized” or, “What does baptism mean?” Jason Miller and team put this video together to help explain the origin and reasons for following this commandment from Christ to His followers. In Granger, more than 300 followers of Jesus will enter the water this weekend to take this public step. If you haven’t taken this step yet–it’s not too late.

Features music from Blood Bank by Bon Iver and The Wider Sun by Jon Hopkins.

The Funk of Ministry

Have you ever been in a funk? Where it feels like you are walking through mud with every footstep just to get to the next place? Sometimes a personal funk is attributed to recovery from a traumatic incident, the loss of friends, a chemical imbalance, or a lack of purpose. Sometimes you can’t even figure out the reason: You just know that every step is hard, every conversation is laced with multiple agendas, and when you try to get even the simplest thing accomplished, there are roadblocks at every turn.

This type of funk can also happen in an organization. Or even at a church.

We didn’t know it at the time, but I believe we entered a funk in 2005 that lasted until the end of 2009. Looking back, I would describe those years as a season of malaise. About 6 years prior, we had set out with an ambitious vision that made everyone suck air. It provided wind in our sails. But by 2006, we had seen most of it accomplished and we began wondering, “What is next?” People were taking steps to follow Jesus and get baptized by the hundreds–and we celebrated that. But it didn’t have the sense of “movement” and “revolution” as in the early days. The response was more often thought (if not said), “Of course. That’s what happens here. Been there, done that. I don’t even think I’ll go watch 400 people get baptized–I’ll just wait for the recap video next weekend…”

Even thought it was a season of funk, good things continued to happen. We launched an additional multi-site location, we continued to train pastors and start churches in southern India , we made tremendous strides in our community center in downtown South Bend, and we saw marriages healed and hundreds give their lives to Jesus. But we just weren’t hitting on all cylinders. We had a growing sense that something wasn’t right.

Of course, we could never admit out loud that we had lost our passion or energy. I’m not even sure we knew it at the time. We kept trying stuff that would have some degree of success, but things were so unclear. It was like running toward a finish line through a dense fog and trying to course-correct without being able to see past your nose. We’d launch an initiative that we were sure would get us back on track–and it would start with a bang but then fizzle out after awhile. So we’d try something else. And then something else. We weren’t being driven toward a new vision. We were being driven away from failure.

During the season of funk, some of our relationships got sideways. We spent more and more time in our senior team meetings arguing over what was broke and how to fix it, and we let it damage some of our friendships. When things are great, you don’t have to spend much time evaluating (“it must be working, right?”). But when you are in the season of funk and the numbers are decreasing and you can’t figure out how to get out of it–you tend to blame people and cancel programs. And sometimes we blamed the wrong people and canceled the wrong programs.

In a season of funk, you can lose good people. Sometimes they will physically leave–taking their bat and ball and going to play on someone else’s team…a team that is winning more games and looks like they have some momentum. Others will check-out mentally. They are wired by God with a purpose and for a purpose–so they will find their fulfillment doing something else., outside the organization, until your passion returns and your vision grows big enough to be worthy of their focus.

Sometimes, in a season of funk, you will think about leaving. I know I did. In February 2009, I was experiencing the most difficult days of my professional life–having just laid off 8 of my friends who we could no longer pay. Additionally, I was struggling to work through daily tension with one of my closest friends and ministry partners. And neither one of us could fix it. I wasn’t sure he wanted to work with me any more. On top of all that, it was ten degrees below zero with more than two feet of snow on the ground. And the call I received was from a church I love in Phoenix, Arizona. I’ll be honest–I thought about leaving.

I will be including more of this story in my next book, but for now let me just tell you some of the things that got us out of the funk. These are in no particular order, and I’m not sure they are universal, but I know they contributed to our journey out of the valley:

• We were too stubborn to give up.
• We kept getting out of bed, every day, and showing up to work on the problem.
• We kept our focus on having the right people on the team and developing them into leaders.
• We brought some professionals in to help us with our relational junk.
• We purposed not to do anything to hurt the Church or cause of Christ even though sometimes we felt like it.
• We began talking less about methods and fixes, and more about our underlying vision.
• We became open to rethinking the very essence of what we had done for 20 years.
• We brought new “blood” onto our senior team to give us a broader diversity of thought.
• We prayed and begged God to show us the way out.
• We argued tenaciously in private, but regardless how much we disagreed or how hurt we were, we supported each other publicly.

I’m guessing there are a few people reading my words who are currently in a ministry funk. Anyone want to admit it? Others have been through it and could add more insight as to how you emerged on the other side. I’d love your comments.

Letter to Justin Bieber

This letter to Justin Bieber wasn’t written by me, but by Megan Stevens, my #2 daughter (celebrating her 17th birthday today!) on her blog. I love Megan’s heart, her sensitivity, and her constant desire to help others. See if you agree…

Justin,

I decided recently that I’m going to stop reading celebrity gossip, not that I read a lot of it, but it’s disappointing more often than not. I’d rather like who I like because I like them and not be swayed by their private lives. Although I guess they’re not all that private. I think that would be the worst part about fame, not having any privacy. Anyway, I think to be where you are it would be really easy to feel entitled. You worked hard to get where you are today, no one can deny that. But if we’re honest, no one deserves to be put in a position of fame, leadership, good fortune. Why do you get that huge platform while there are so many hurting and hopeless? You have God-given talent and it’s on you to decide what you do with it.

There are kids all over the world who love you and look up to you. That’s a heck of a lot of responsibility. It’s not rare for me to have days when I look at the expectations people have of me and want nothing more than to quit, to give up and run the other way. It’s so tempting; particularly on the days I don’t want to do all the work involved in fulfilling those expectations. And how do I know that who I am is who I want to be and not just who others want me to be? I have lots of inner-arguments about what I should and shouldn’t do and why. What stops me is this: I have the potential to change the world. I can change lives. I can help people through my gifting and my abilities. And every second I waste walking in a different direction I lose time I could be making a difference.

You are in a position to affect thousands of lives with every tweet, every word, every song. That’s huge! The responsibility can be, and probably should be a little overwhelming. No one can handle that weight on their own. But with the right support system, you could be one of the few young stars that survives their teenage years with your credibility intact. And yeah, you’ll make mistakes, say/do stupid things, everyone does. The character lies in how you respond. They say you can change the world. I plan on being one of them. And you are in the prime position to blow everyone away and change lives. So many would give anything to be in your position, but they’re not. And you are. You’ve been given a gift, and there’s a large amount of responsibility that comes with it. Don’t squander it on petty, shallow things. Leave a legacy. Change the world!

Megan Stevens

Man Looks at the Outward Appearance

Yesterday in a post written to worship leaders, I said…

Your appearance matters. The appearance of the other singers and band members matters.Sometimes I’m distracted by tight clothes, nipples or excessive weight. Clothes that would be 100% appropriate to wear if you were in the audience–can become a distraction on stage because of spotlights, the height of the platform, or close-ups with HD cameras.

There was a lot of conversation on this topic in the comments. It obviously hit a nerve, as I was called elitist, self-absorbed, self-serving, slanderous, entitled and immature. I was told “you dealt a low-blow,” “you can do better,” “your post was not above reproach,” and “you should be re-considered as a leader.” Several felt I was provoking on purpose, but I honestly had no idea this topic would generate such energy.

Several people (the ones who weren’t calling me names) asked if I would write another post to expand my thoughts on this topic. Let me start with a verse…

People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (I Samuel 16:7, NIV)

I hear a lot of preachers talk about the last part of that verse: “…but the Lord looks at the heart.”  And those are great messages. They remind us He doesn’t judge us for what we look like, or what color our skin is, or whether we have a great voice or big ears or a crooked smile (like mine). He just accepts us. I love that about our God!

But I can’t recall hearing a message about the first part of the verse: “People look at the outward appearance.” We may not like it. We may wish it were not so. We may say it is because people are superficial. But we can’t get around it. People look at your body, face, fashion, jewelry, curves, rolls, height, weight, color–the whole package–because that is all they can see. It takes time and proximity to see someone’s heart. Initially, all we have is what we see.

There is a view that says “worship is between you and God.” I agree and disagree. Yes, when we are talking about a life of worship–and your private worship time. But when it comes to corporate worship–it isn’t just between you and God. What you do matters. And you must be conscious of whether you are distracting others from their ability to worship. If your worship is causing others the inability to worship, that isn’t their problem. It is up to you to change what you are doing. I find this from I Corinthians 14:23-26…

If you come together as a congregation and some unbelieving outsiders walk in on you as you’re all praying in tongues, unintelligible to each other and to them, won’t they assume you’ve taken leave of your senses and get out of there as fast as they can? But if some unbelieving outsiders walk in on a service where people are speaking out God’s truth, the plain words will bring them up against the truth and probe their hearts. Before you know it, they’re going to be on their faces before God, recognizing that God is among you. So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight.

This illustration from Paul is obviously specific to tongues. But I believe it illustrates that we have to be aware of what can be distracting in a corporate worship environment. Paul is clear–worship is for the benefit of everyone gathered.

In the same way, I believe appearance matters also. And, I believe everyone reading my words (even those of you who were upset at my suggestion that excessive weight should be a concern) agrees that the appearance of the worship leader matters. For example, would you let someone at your church lead worship in a swimsuit? Probably not. And it’s likely not because you think swimsuits are evil. Or that you think there isn’t a place where a swimsuit can be worn. You just believe that a worship leader in a swimsuit would distract people (even mature followers of Jesus) from their worship experience. I could say all day, “Those people shouldn’t be so superficial” or “Worship isn’t about the leader, it’s between you and God” or “Worship is private, it has nothing to do with the people around them” — but you would still tell me that the worship leader needs to put on more than just her bikini or his speedo.

So we all have a line that we draw based on appearance of those who lead us into worship. Some churches ban people with body art, others say “no jeans allowed” while still others are concerned with low neck-lines or skirt length. Those lines are drawn, not because those things are wrong, but because they can be a distraction to the worship experience.

In the same way, I believe excessive weight can be distracting. I’m not talking about an overweight person who looks like half your crowd  (i.e. average American). I’m talking about excessive obesity–the person that in our consumer-oriented, superficial culture would cause people, in any setting, to turn their head and whisper to others. Yes, it’s wrong that people respond that way, but it is the world we live in. There is nothing wrong with excessively overweight people…they matter to God…they are precious and should be welcomed in the church. We just shouldn’t put them on the stage, in the spotlight, leading worship, and expect that there aren’t a number of people who might have a difficult time focusing on God.

Dear Worship Leader

Dear Worship Leader,

If you were to time travel back to when I was 17 years old in Des Moines, Iowa, you would have observed a boy who was very musical. I played the piano and French Horn, sang in several different choral groups, listened to music all the time on my “boom box,” and was in a band (think symphony, not rock band).

That being said…I’m not a musician. It’s been 25 years since I’ve played any musical instruments for performance, and I don’t have a good singing voice.

That means, I’m pretty normal. And you’re not. You are a singer, you hang with singers, you study other singers, you continue to sharpen your skill as a musician and worship leader. And I’m glad you do. But there are some things I want you to know as a “normal” non-singer guy in your crowd…

1. When you don’t sing melody, I have to stop singing. Any chance of me finding the note is out the window when you aren’t singing it.
2. Even when you are singing melody, it’s difficult for me to find and stay on the note. It takes energy to try, which pulls me away from the experience. So sometimes, I just stand and listen.When I don’t sing, it doesn’t mean I’m not worshiping.
3. Sometimes the words get in the way for me. When your team of musicians jam for an extended time, without singing, that is when I enter into worship more than any other time. Do this more!
4. I know you have to stand on your feet the whole time–but that doesn’t mean I want to. I think three songs is the limit. If you are making me stand much beyond three songs, then I may be standing on the outside, but I’m sitting on the inside.
5. I know you can’t do much about this–but it’s so annoying when you have asked us to stay seated (or haven’t asked us to stand yet)–and someone in front of me decides to stand up and throw their arms in the air toward God. Suddenly, I can’t see anything. Then, of course, three more people stand, then ten, then 100. Then I’m left with the dilemma: Do I follow the direction of the worship leader and stay seated and thus look like a spiritually-cold-rebellious-dude? Or do I follow the crowd just so I can see the words? Or do I shoot a rubber band at the back of the head of the guy who put me in this position? Don’t worry, I promise not to make a scene.
6. When you tell the whole crowd to do something (i.e. “everyone raise your hands” or “everyone clap” or “everyone turn to the person next to you and say…”), it shuts me down. As a worship leader, it makes you feel good to see the whole crowd engaged in the activity of worship. But for me, it pulls me away from worship and feels rehearsed and inauthentic to respond as a puppet rather than to be who I am before God.
7. Seeing your eyes helps me worship. In a big venue, that means the cameras are getting tight shots. I know that some worship leaders believe that is man-focused and takes the attention away from our worship of God. I disagree. God resides in every follower of Jesus–I see God best when I see Him through and in another follower. If I know you, like I do the singers and band members at my church, then I am reflecting on the work of God in each of those individuals. And it helps me worship! Even if we’ve never met, I can read the authenticity and humility of your life through your eyes…and it helps me worship!
8. I know it’s a ton of work, but when you don’t know the words, it pulls me out of the experience. If I see you trying to look worshipful, but constantly relying on a screen or cheat sheet to find the next phrase–then it makes me think these words are not in your heart.
9. Your appearance matters. The appearance of the other singers and band members matters. Sometimes I’m distracted by tight clothes, nipples or excessive weight. Clothes that would be 100% appropriate to wear if you were in the audience–can become a distraction on stage because of spotlights, the height of the platform, or close-ups with HD cameras.

In closing, I am so grateful to you. Week-after-week you put it all out there. You know you will be criticized and looked down on, and yet you continue to come back to lead us to God. Worship is such an intimate and personal act. Every time you get up there, you dance the line between entering into personal worship and delicately leading a crowd of hundreds of different people to do the same. Every time you pick a song, you know a bunch of people will love it and a bunch of people won’t. Every time you pick an outfit to wear or decide how to comb your hair, you know a few people in the audience will be critical of your choice.

Thank you for pushing through all of the noise and making an effort to lead us to God. It is worth it.

Tim Stevens

P.S. This comes from reflections of my worship experiences in hundreds of different settings and churches. I love the way the men and women at Granger, some of them among my closest friends, lead us into worship–and these rambling thoughts are in no way directed at them.

Let Hollywood Help With Your Next Message

Instead of trying to categorize art as to whether it is sacred or secular, good or evil, positive or negative–let’s engage the culture in a conversation. Let’s celebrate the truth wherever we encounter it. Let’s applaud people when we see they are on a journey toward God, even if somewhat misguided. Let’s leverage popular art to connect to our communities in ways they can understand. Let’s work hard to uncover the positive and not so hard on exposing the negative.

– Pop Goes the Church (pg 93)

I know I risk looking silly by quoting myself from Pop Goes the Church–but I do so to elevate and celebrate a new product that has just been released.

A friend recently sent me a link to a new app that runs on your iPhone or iPad called Clips. I checked it out, and I am convinced this app has huge potential. A youth pastor from the Detroit area has developed this app out of his own frustration of trying to find movie clips to use as teaching illustrations. Clips allows you to search by movie to find topics that are present in that film. Or, probably more helpful to many pastors and teachers, you can look for clips by topic. For example, looking for a clip on the topic of “failure” takes you to the movie “Elizabethtown.” You are given the exact start and stop points for a 3-minute clip.

Clips includes some expected titles, such as Secretariat, UP and The Blind Side. But there other titles represented which many pastors might not think of, such as Easy A, Juno, Mean Girls and The Social Network. I appreciate the variety.

Understandably, you can’t actually view the clip through the app. That would cause all kinds of liability and copyright headaches for the writer. But it gives a great place to start. There are probably only 50 movies included right now–but it’s built in such a way that it can be quickly expanded. And if, as the author plans, it is opened up to suggestions from users, this tool will quickly grow to become an invaluable tool for every pastor.

At $2.99, it’s a good buy. A bonus that many users will appreciate is a “Discussion Guide” attached to each movie. There are helpful questions which could be used in small groups–or even for a family to use after watching the movie. If anyone is wondering the writer’s experience in designing iOS apps, he wrote the popular “Whoopee Cushion” app awhile back. (Did I mention he is a youth pastor?).

You should know I don’t make any money by writing this blog post. I just think Clips is a cool app that might be of benefit to many of my readers, especially those who are interested in leveraging pop culture to connect people to truth.

Does the Word “Saved” Bother Anyone Else?

I’ve recently noticed that I’m becoming more annoyed by the word “saved” than ever before. Not in the “I saved money” use of the word, but in the Christian-ese context: “Is Johnny saved?” or “It’s only a matter of time until Martha gets saved.”

It’s not that I don’t understand the context: Yes, I realize we sometimes need words to describe life after meeting Jesus. And of course, I agree with its’ premise that there is something that is different about a person after they cross the line of the faith. It’s just the actual word that annoys me.

I’m trying to figure out what bothers me. I think it’s a combination of the following…

• It seems like a term that makes sense to insiders, but to the person who is educated and didn’t grow up in church, it sounds like incorrect grammar. “Bob got saved.” You wouldn’t say of someone who was just rescued from drowning, “They got saved.”
• It seems like a once-and-for-all, passive event that happens to someone. Like they did nothing at all. And once they get it, they are good forever. I realize both of those things are true at their core. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. But it requires me to accept the gift and give my life to Him. It’s not something you do once (like becoming a citizen of a country)–it is the beginning of a journey where you are giving your life to Him again every day.
• I realize it is a foundational word in the Christian faith, taken largely from Romans 10:13: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But that verse seems to focus on how Jesus responds when we ask–not on our state of being after He responds. Don’t we change the meaning of the word by saying, “I got saved last week at church”?
• It seems like it focuses only on the rescue from Hell. Maybe I’m filtering this a bit through my own baggage and training on salvation (being primarily an escape plan from the pit of Hell), but giving your life to Jesus is so much more than that. A life with Jesus is about changing the here and now. It’s about working every day to see the Kingdom of God established here on earth…today. It’s not about biding my time until I get to be with Jesus after I die.

I’m probably opening a can of worms, but am I the only one who wishes this word was removed from our church vocabulary?

A Ho-Hum Debate

I haven’t been excited about a Republican presidential candidate since 1984, and this campaign is shaping up to be no exception. However, I enjoy politics and watched the debate among the seven contenders on Friday night. My quick views…

• Ron Paul – I like some of his libertarian views, but am afraid they are too extreme considering today’s realities. Additionally, he would be 77 when becoming president. His running mate would be incredibly important since I’m not sure he’d live to the end of his term(s).
• Mitt Romney – He definitely comes off as the most presidential. I believe he is one of the few in the running who likely has the experience to get us out of our economic crisis. I really don’t know his positions on defense or social issues.
• Rick Santorum – I really like his energy and youth. He’s very clear on his beliefs and communicates them with passion–even those beliefs that are considered “right-wing.”
• Herman Cain – a smart guy, a successful businessman. But I’m not sure running one company that has 600 stores will translate to running a $3.6 trillion economy. Plus, he seems to know very little about anything besides economics.
• Michele Bachmann — I like her passion and clarity. I don’t like her seeming inability to compromise. We have three branches of government in a divided country…compromise is part of the game.
• Newt Gingrich — he was an angry man at this debate. That being said, he may be the smartest man who is running. I believe he could run the country–I just don’t think he can win an election.
• Tim Pawlenty – came off very sniveling. He made several accusations about others, but didn’t adequately answer the ones against him. I had never seen him prior to this debate–but he gave me nothing to like.
• Jon Huntsman – is he really Republican? Couldn’t tell.

After watching the two-hour debate, I’m not excited about any of them or their chances of winning. Rick Perry jumped in the race today–I look forward to hearing more about his views. I wish Mitch Daniels were running–he’d have my vote. I’m curious about Chris Christie, but it doesn’t look like he’ll run. If Sarah Palin jumps in the race…well, let’s just hope she doesn’t.

It’s likely a mistake to write this blog post, but it’s midnight on a Sunday and I don’t care