http://careynieuwhof.com/2015/01/9-sure-fire-ways-make-church-completely-ineffective/

Great article about stuff the church is doing and shouldn’t be. . .

Original Source: http://pastors.com/4-reasons-people-reluctant-visit-church/

4 Reasons People Are Reluctant to Visit Your Church and What to Do About It

By Rick Warren

Before I started Saddleback church 34 years ago, I spent 12 weeks going door-to-door in our area trying to discover the answers to that important question. The answers I got were not at all what I expected or what I wanted to hear! But over the years, I found these same 4 complaints and excuses still being used by folks who don’t attend any church.

“Church services are boring, especially the sermons. The messages don’t relate to my life. Why should I go? I don’t understand it and it doesn’t really help me.”

In our area, this has been the number one excuse for not attending church. It’s amazing how some pastors are able to take the most exciting book in the world and bore people to tears with it! Miraculously, they’re able to turn bread into stones!

The tragedy of being a boring speaker is that it causes people to think God is boring! So when I heard this first complaint over and over, I determined to somehow learn to communicate God’s Word in a practical, interesting way. I hope I’m getting better at it, because I do everything I can to be interesting. A sermon does not have to be boring to be biblical and it doesn’t have to be dry to be doctrinal. This is an extremely important distinction: The unchurched aren’t asking for watered-down messages … just practical ones! They want to hear something on Sunday that they can apply to their lives on Monday.

“Church members are unfriendly to visitors. It feels like a ‘clique.’ If I ever went to church, I’d want to feel welcomed without being watched or embarrassed.”

Many unchurched people told me that they felt like the church was a “members only” organization. Because they didn’t know the “inside” terminology, songs, or rituals, they felt foolish and felt the members were watching them in judgment. The #1 emotion unbelievers feel when they visit a worship service is fear! They are honestly scared to death of what might happen. And that means they raise their defenses, so communicating with them becomes very difficult. When I heard this second excuse from unbelievers, we determined to do whatever it takes to make visitors feel welcomed and wanted without feeling watched. There’s a simple word for this: Politeness! It’s thinking more of others than we do of ourselves. Being seeker sensitive is NOT compromising what you believe. It is just treating non-believers the way Jesus would!

“The church is more interested in my money than in me. All they care about is getting my money–and who knows how they spend it!”

Due to the highly visible (and often highly questionable) fundraising tactics of televangelists and many Christian organizations, the unchurched are incredibly sensitive to appeals for money. Unfortunately, many lost people believe that pastors are “in it just for the money.” Opulent church buildings have only added fuel to the fire. We decided to counteract this complaint by giving a disclaimer when we take an offering. We explain that the offering is only for those who are a part of our church family. We simply announce, “If you are visitor at Saddleback, you are not expected to give an offering. We want you to get something today!” Besides, asking unbelievers to contribute before they have given their lives to Christ is getting the cart before the horse.

“We worry about the quality of the church’s childcare at church. What will be done with our baby and our children? We’re not sure we can trust strangers with the care of our kids.”

Our area is filled with young couples, so it was not surprising when I discovered this fear. Every church must earn the trust of parents. At Saddleback, we have adopted a set of very stringent guidelines for our children’s ministry, including FBI checks, fingerprinting, and personal interviews of all children’s workers to insure safety and quality. We have a very secure check-in and check-out system. We’d rather go overboard on safety than be thrown overboard with a lawsuit. If you want to reach young couples, you must spend the effort to create a safe and attractive children’s program.

Jesus told the disciples to be strategic in their evangelism. “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” – Matthew 10:16. When it comes to reaching unbelievers, I think this means identifying and understanding their perceived hang-ups and real problems that they have with the church–and then doing whatever it takes to defuse those issues so the message of Christ can be heard.

In football, successful teams know how to “read the defense.” That means when the offensive team lines up for each play, the quarterback looks out at the opposing team to see how they are lined up. He tries to figure out in advance how the defense will respond and what barriers might prevent the execution of the play. Sometimes that means calling an “audible”–announcing a change in plans. If the quarterback doesn’t do this, he usually gets creamed!

In evangelism “reading the defense” means understanding and anticipating the objections unbelievers will have before they voice them. It’s learning to think like an unbeliever. That, by the way, becomes increasingly more difficult the longer you are a Christian.

What is most interesting to me about these 4 common complaints is that none of them are theological issues. I rarely meet people who say, “I don’t go to church because I don’t believe in God.” The truth is many people are very open to learning about God and spiritual issues, they just don’t feel welcome at church or feel that it has anything to offer them. That is OUR problem. We must take the initiative, like Jesus did, to meet people where they are and then move them to where they need to be.

Great read– original posting from: http://pastors.com/11-practices-churches-excited-take-unchurched-friends/

11 Practices Of Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To

By Brian K. Dodd

A dark reality exists for many Christians that deep down they don’t talk about at parties. Many Christians, if they would be totally transparent, are extremely nervous to bring their unchurched friends to their weekend services. This concern comes from a variety of things. Lack of excellence, outdated music, rude members and boring sermons are just a few of many hurdles Christians must overcome before inviting their friends who are unchurched.

This past Sunday my wife received a phone call from a friend who joyfully said, “The young couple we just met came to church today. They had a great time. I am so proud of our church.” I immediately followed up to find out what were the key factors in this young couple, who also had a newborn baby, having such a great experience.

The following are 11 Practices Of Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To:

1. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Act Like They Are Expecting Unchurched People To Show Up – This church had clear signage upon entering the property which directed them directly to easy-access Visitor Parking.

2. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Are Genuinely Glad Unchurched People Showed Up – Upon entering their parking space, an attendant opened the door of the wife and helped them get their newborn baby out of the vehicle. As they walked toward the building, the attendant said, “We’re glad you’re visiting with us today.”
3. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Have People Designated To Serve Them – Upon entering the church building, the attendant handed the family over to a nice female greeter. This was the second point of contact in just a few moments.
4. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Give Unchurched People Multiple Options – The greeter then provided the family multiple options on what to do with their baby – nursing room, nursery or the best places to sit in the sanctuary.

5. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Are Proactive And Well-Informed – After presenting the mother with the three options, she then gave her a tour of each area. The greeter was well-informed on both the church as well as the needs of this young family.

6. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Are Concerned With Their Children’s Safety – Security and the safety of children are big deals to both church and unchurched people. The greeter went over how the entire security process worked if they chose to leave their baby in the nursery. This included a numbering system which would be shown on an overhead screen. The visiting mother was also introduced to another lady stationed just outside the sanctuary doors who would escort her back to the nursery if she needed to leave the service and see her baby.

7. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Are Generous To Unchurched People – After taking her on a tour and making sure their baby was adequately cared for, they were given a gift which included a wrapped mug with a Starbuck’s gift card.

8. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Meet The Needs Of Unchurched People – After receiving their gift, the couple was taken to the church cafe where they were served quality (not cheap) complimentary coffee and muffins. At this point they are ready to attend the morning worship service.

9. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Create Services Unchurched People Love To Attend – The young husband was ambushed by a worship service unlike anything he attended as a boy. What a pleasant surprise.
10. Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Create Memorable Events For Unchurched People – The church happened to be taking family photos this past Sunday. With their baby just being a couple of months old, the family received a tangible memory for their first outing together.

11.  Churches You Are Excited To Take Your Unchurched Friends To Are Churches Unchurched People Come Back To – The couple told my wife’s friend, “This was great. We’ll be back next week.”

Pope Francis caused some controversy among theological conservative Roman Catholics when he counseled a young person who had recently lost their dog to death. Pope Francis reassured them that their dog was in heaven.

One of my favorite stories about Pr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is eerily similar to what Pope Francis encountered last week. (Pr. Bonhoeffer is the great German Lutheran pastor who resisted Hitler and the Nazi party during WWII. He was eventually killed for his active resistance.)

The story:

A tearful boy whose dog had just died asked Pr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer if he would see his dog again in heaven. Bonhoeffer responds, “Look, God created human beings and also animals, and I’m sure he also loves animals. And I believe that with God it is such that all who loved each other on earth — genuinely loved each other — will remain together with God, for to love is part of God. Just how that happens, though, we admittedly don’t know.”

Something to think about. Click to enlarge.

Someone posted this online. It was too good not to share. Those who are called (or sense God’s calling) push on and do not quit.

Here is a great article about the Bible. . .

http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/10/06/10-things-i-wish-everyone-knew-about-the-bible/34414

Although not from the Lutheran tradition, I found this to be a good reminder to us all. . .

4 Overlooked Ways the Holy Spirit Is Active

Experiencing God’s work in my life began very early, as I was saved at the age of 10. Now, more than five decades later, every day, through praying in the Spirit, I enter dimensions beyond my cognitive being to praise and intercede before the throne of God.

As wonderful as the Pentecostal experience is, we must still be vigilant in our spirituality and guard what God has entrusted to us. We must keep our relationship with the Holy Spirit fresh and our dependence on Him constant.

For my devotions one year, I journaled through the Gospel of Mark. I found this daily immersion in the Scripture to be really invigorating, and it eventually led to my book Living in the Spirit: Drawing Us to God, Sending Us to the World. In it, I describe four activities of the Spirit we would do well to revisit and consider.

First, He is involved in creation. Genesis 1:2 says, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (KJV). The New International Version says, “The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

That is such an eloquent introduction in Scripture to the divine personality of the Spirit, who brings creation out of chaos. I would suggest to you that this also describes the work of the Spirit in your life and mine. Our life without God is chaos. The Spirit of God wants to create in us the personality of Jesus and to breathe into the formlessness and void of our life the life of Jesus. The Spirit is at work in that creation process. It is part of His divine nature.

Second, He is involved in regeneration. “When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground” (Ps. 104:30). As the Spirit brooded over the material creation of the earth and brought everything into being through His creative act, He is also at work in the spiritual re-creation of our inner lives.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezek. 36:26-27). John 3:5-6 re-emphasizes a new heart made by the Spirit when Jesus says, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” The Spirit is always seeking to birth us into the kingdom of God.

Jesus does a beautiful thing in putting together the Spirit’s work in creation with the Spirit’s work in the human personality. After Christ’s resurrection, He appears to His disciples and speaks peace to them. Then the Scripture says, “With that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit'” (John 20:22). Even as God breathed life into the lifeless form of man at creation, so Jesus spoke to His disciples and breathed into them life which is eternal.