Clearly, we were not designed to journey alone.  Without trusted friends, we wither and sometimes die.  God created us for community and interdependence – with him and with others.  We need others.  We need their wisdom in unmasking defense mechanisms that keep the truth at bay.  Many of us can not get through a day or a relationship without falling back on rationalization, denial and blame.  And our blind spots hinder us from recognizing  how manipulative and hurtful these defenses are.  However, what we can not see is often blatantly visible to others.  Without their help and love and truth, we will never know the taste of real freedom.

Taken from the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us
by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun.

1. Our nation will see the emergence of the largest generational mission field in more than a century. According to our current research, the Millennial generation, those born between 1980 and 2000, will have a very low Christian representation. Our estimates now are that only 15 percent are Christian. With a huge population of nearly 80 million, that means that nearly 70 million young people are not Christians.

2. The dominant attitude of this huge generation toward Christianity will be largely indifferent. Only 13 percent of the Millennials rank any type of spiritual matter as important to their lives. They are not angry at churches and Christians. They simply ignore us because they do not deem us as meaningful or relevant.

3. Family will be a key value for Millennials.  Nearly eight out of ten of the Millennials ranked family as the important issue in their lives. They told us that they had healthy relationships with their parents who, for the most part, are Baby Boomers. Some churches say they are family friendly, but few actually demonstrate that value. Churches that reach both of these generations will make significant changes to become the type of churches that foster healthy family relationships.

Those born between 1980 and 2000 are currently between the ages of 11 and 31.  If the numbers are anywhere near accurate, then there are a couple of things I see as being crucial if this generation is going to be reached for Christ.

Christian parenting.  If we want to reach this generation for Christ, then it may be wise for us to look to minister to the generation ahead of them.  A secular study done in the early 2000′s revealed that the number one determining factor of a child’s religious beliefs and practices once he or she reaches adulthood is the influence of one or both parents.  Parents are the key, so rather than first looking to reach this generation directly for Christ (at least the younger half – ages 11-19), maybe we ought to look at reaching their parents first.

Family Ministry. Churches need to have a strong focus on helping parents raise their children to follow the Lord.  This includes marriage ministry, parenting ministry, children’s ministry, and youth ministry.  All of these ministries must be relevant and must work together to assist parents in the training of their children to walk with the Lord as adults.  Of course, in the absence of godly parents, churches can assume the lead role in helping kids grow in the Lord, but even non-Christian parents must never be excluded from the ministry reach and help of the local church.

Church Integration.  The churches that see the most young adults (ages 18-30) stay connected (to the church and to their faith) are churches that don’t just offer age-specific ministries to young adults, but work diligently at helping them integrate into the life and body of the church as a whole.  Real life is integrated and multi-generational.  Churches that keep young adults separated from the rest of the body are not doing anyone any good. I’m not suggesting that churches do away with age-specific programs for young adults (college and career, etc), but I am suggesting that churches must work diligently to help young adults integrate relationally and in ministry with people from other generations.

These are just a few thoughts off the top of my head.  What are your thoughts as you process Rainer’s findings that I listed above?

Good Reasons for Moving On – The Four P’s
1. Providential moving (one town to another)
2. Planting another church (you’re part of the planting team)
3. Purity has been lost (the Word is no longer preached and taught)
4. Peace of the church is in jeopardy due to my presence (you’re a hindrance to the church)

Possible Reasons for Moving On – The Three S’s
1. Spouse (unbelieving spouse will attend another church with you)
2. Special Needs (you or your family has special needs that another church can better meet)
3. Special Gifts (you’ve been asked to use your gifts at another church and can’t at yours)

Reasons Often Used Which are Insufficient
1. Children’s Ministry
2. Buzz (leaving for the “hottest” church in town at the moment)
3. Youth Group
4. Church has changed
5. New Pastor
6. I’m Not Being Ministered to
7. Music
8. There are others…

Read the whole article here.

Michigan police say it all started when an officer pulled over a man in his late-twenties for loud music.  The officer suspected he had drugs, cuffed him, and frisked him.  The officer then found suspected marijuana, so the man took off running.  As he jumped over a nearby fence he lost his pants, underwear, and shoes.

In the buff below the belt, he then braved a barbed wired fence.  That’s where he lost his shirt.  Then, the completely naked man (except handcuffs) sprinted into the sanctuary of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church.

One parishioner said, “He asked for it wearing his pants below his knees. I know they wasn’t tight. I know they wasn’t secure.  So when he went over that fence he lost everything.”

My first though after reading this was: “Pants on the ground. Pants on the ground. Looking like a fool with your pants on the ground.”  My second thought was (as one born in Columbus and an avid Ohio State fan): ONLY IN MICHIGAN!

In the book of 1 Peter, the Apostle Peter encourages the early church to continue to live their lives for Christ, their King – in spite of the persecution and suffering they experienced for doing so at the hands of the Romans.  He reminds the persecuted Christians that living according to the code of Christ rather than the code of the Roman culture will result in the overwhelming blessings of the Lord – in this life and in the life to come.

In 1 Peter 5:1-7, Peter reminds the church what the code of Christ is pertaining to the way in which the community of faith (the church) operates.  By the time Peter penned these words, the church was already being led by proven, goldly men called “elders.”  As a matter of fact, he says that he is one himself.  So, he’s not instructing the early Christians to make sure their churches were being led by elders, but he is reminding them how this ought to look – both for the elders themselves and for everyone else under their leadership and care.

1 Peter 5:1-4
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

It’s clear that these words were written for elders specifically, but they are instructions that all Christians must hear because of what Peter says next.  Peter’s main instruction to the elders is to shepherd the flock of God that is among you. The imagery here is rich, but while the shepherding imagery would have been clear to his original audience, it’s somewhat unfamiliar to us.  A good shepherd showed great concern for his sheep.  He provided for them in terms of nourishment and rest.  He guided them, leading the way.  He was intimately involved with the flock and concerned for the safety of each animal.  And he was willing to sacrifice his own comfort, even his own life, for the sake of his sheep.  We know that in Psalm 23, the Lord is called “the Good Shepherd.”  Elders are to serve as His under-shepherds, caring for their flocks as He would.  Verse 4 says that the Chief Shepherd will one day come back and will reward those under-shepherds who served faithfully…but until then, elders are to shepherd their flocks in His stead.

Here is how elders are specifically instructed by Peter to lead their flocks…

1. Not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you.

It seems as though early church elders did not volunteer; they were appointed through prayer and fasting.  We see this in Acts 14:23 where it says, “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”  1 Timothy 3:1 says that men should aspire willingly to serve as elders; they are not to feel forced into it.  Christ (the head of the church) will reveal elder “candidates” to the elders through prayer and fasting, and then these men should be invited to willingly serve as elders.

2. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly.

Men are not to see being an elder as a business venture where one seeks power and wealth.  Power is a temptation for all men, and wealth can be a temptation for those who are paid (vocational elders).  The Scriptures are clear that some elders are to be paid, but they are NEVER to serve as elders for the money.  There is no place for power and money-seeking among elders.  This leads to disgrace and distortion of the gospel message that they are called to uphold and protect.  Instead, rather than being eager for money and power, elders must be eager to shepherd the flock.  Shepherding takes all the energy a man can muster.  His eagerness must not be divided.

3. Not domineering, but examples.

Elders must lead like shepherds lead their flocks: from the front; not behind the sheep.  Shepherds did not allow their sheep to lead the way.  They always positioned themselves in front of their flocks so that the sheep would see them and follow them.  Not dominating them, but firmly and definitively leading them.  In our culture, strong leadership is often mistaken for dominance. Elders should not be domineering, but they should be given the latitude and freedom from their flocks to strongly lead.  A shepherd that would beat his sheep with his rod would have a lock full of scared sheep, reluctant to follow him.  Elders that lead in dominating ways will have angry and hurt congregants – many of whom will leave the flock and either join another one, or worse: stay away from flocks all together.  There is a balance that elders must strike between domination and abdication.  Pray that your elders find this, and pray that they follow the example of Christ (the Chief Shepherd) who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Here is how the flock is instructed by Peter to respond to the leadership of their elders…

1 Peter 5:5-7
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Be subject to the elders.

First of all, most scholars agree that “you who are younger” refers to all who are not elders in the flock – whether young or old.  The phrase “be subject” is the same Greek word Paul uses in Eph. 5:21-22 where he says “submit one to another…wives to husbands.”  It literally means to willingly line-up under someone.  Christians, then, have a biblical mandate to line-up under / be subject to the leadership of their elders.  This doesn’t mean that questions aren’t asked of elders and discussions are not had with them, but in the end, all Christians must subject themselves to the leadership of their elders.  This is part of Christ’s code for His people.

Elders are to lead and serve the flock as Christ did (in all humility and with great sacrifice), and the flock is to respond in all humility by submitting themselves to their leadership.

I’ve been in the bowels of the Bible now for the past two days trying to figure out how in the world I’m going to preach 1 Peter 3:18-4:6 on Sunday (check it out and see how you’d do it!).  All the while asking myself, “Why in God’s good name did you choose to preach 1 Peter anyway?”

I’m tired and somewhat down.  It’s been a rough spell the past few months at my church, and I’m pooped – physically, mentally, emotionally, and dare I say spiritually.  Admitting this only makes me fear what some well-intentioned church member may think about me – which may lead to them doubting me – which may lead to them talking poorly to others about me – which may lead to an uprising – which may lead to more long meetings where I’m forced to explain myself – which may lead to me becoming even more down – which may lead to my head exploding.

Yes.  I’m pooped.  But I saw something today that excited me, and hopefully it will help me (and many other pastors) out of the occasional funk of pastordom.  I came across a new website for pastors called PoopedPastors.com – another resource from one of my favorite pastors, Steve Brown.  The site’s homepage contains these words from him…

I’m no longer a pastor but I haven’t been away from it for so long that I’ve forgotten…

The discouragement,
The battles that I sometimes won and sometimes lost,
The hypocrisy I often felt in thinking that my being a pastor was insane,
The times when I didn’t know what I was doing and pretended that I did,
The criticism that often came from those who I thought were friends,
The 24/7 schedule with work that was never done,
The people who left my church because they “weren’t being fed,”
The blank page late Saturday night and my reminding God about the sermon,
The incredible guilt over my family and my ministry,
The loneliness,
The fear of discovery,
The neurotics who hated me,
The congregational meetings when I was sure it was coming apart,
The hard road of authenticity when everything I did worked against it,
The efforts at humility when people thought more of me than was justified,
The questions about whether I and what I did even mattered…
Well, you know. It goes on and on.

Just reading this had me hooked.  Finally, someone willing to admit how hard it is to be a pastor, and finally someone willing to speak words of encouragement to us.  I know where I’ll be spending some of my time in the coming days – which will help answer my critics who ask, “What do you do all week, anyway?”

If you are a pastor, join me there.  If you know a pastor, send him there.  If you aren’t a pastor but go to a church where there is one, check it out to better understand him.  And if you don’t like your pastor, go fly a kite.

Cheryl reports that “things are all over the place” in their neighborhood, house and in the church too, but all of them are safe. She also reports that “We have some roof damage as do most in our neighborhood. Leon was about an hour away at a seminary graduation. He is home (now). Abi is ok. Jeffrey is ok. We have a mess in our house, and the aftershocks are numerous, but we sit safely in the Lord’s hand.” She later reported that “things are fine for us, but not so good for others. We are headed to bed. I guess God will just rock us to sleep tonight.”

Junko Ito, the church administrator at Midorino Chapel (the Hill’s church) writes, “Most of the rooms in Midorino chapel, especially the sanctuary are a mess. Nobody got injured.” I told her that we are praying for her and her church family, and she wrote me back saying, “Thanks Mike. Still have small shakings but no major stuff here. But ugh, in Tohoku…. Your prayers for Japan are really needed and appreciated!!! Thanks again!” Tohoku is the region north of Tokyo that sustained the most damage.

Deborah Trotter, a missionary that lives in the same region as the Hills said that she is “shaken, but not stirred. It’s amazing how God’s Spirit can keep a person calm and peaceful even through something as severe as a major earthquake.”  At 9:30AM (MST) this morning she said that the aftershocks are finally becoming less frequent.  Another friend, Joshua Hari, who is a pastor of one of the Hill’s sister churches in the town of Karuizawa (west of Tokyo) reports that all of his people are safe as well.

Would you please join me and my church family in praying for the Hills, the Midorino church family, and for all of Japan as they clean up from the devastation of the earthquake. Pray that God would use the Japanese Church – especially the churches in the Kaisen Church Network (of which the Hills are a part) – to be agents of God’s love and mercy during this time of crisis.

Tonight, my congregation will be reminded that the Lent season is all about preparing for Easter through repentance and renewal.  We will be reminded of our sin, and we will be called upon to repent.  In our service tonight, we will sing together, we will recite Scripture together, we will pray together, and we will receive a cross of ashes on our foreheads.  The ash will serve as a reminder of the biblical principle from Genesis 3:19 which says, “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  And because we are dust, and because to dust we shall return, repentance and renewal is essential. We will be reminded again tonight that  full and complete reliance upon our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is essential.

The  practice of placing ashes on the forehead has its roots in the Old Testament (book of Ezekiel) when an angel of the Lord was told to “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”  Tonight will be a night when we will be reminded of our sin (reminded to sigh and groan over it), and then encouraged to begin a time of remembrance and thanksgiving for the work of Christ on the cross when He – once and for all – forgave us of our sins and cleansed us from all of our unrighteousness.

Lent is to be marked by discipline and fasting with the goal of death to sin, but our eyes must not stay down.  They must look ahead to Easter, a day when the fasting comes to end…a day of unbridled laughter and celebration.  A day when all creation rejoices and marvels at the gift from God: our Savior, Lord, and King, Jesus Christ.

Churched kids and teens spend six of seven days each week hearing other people say how judgmental Christianity is, and that the Bible should be taboo.

Churches use outdated methods of Sunday School, rotating the same Bible stories year-in and year-out without relating the morals to daily living. When kids want to know why someone like Gabrielle Giffords was shot, they don’t need another lesson on Noah’s Ark.

Teens can only eat so much pizza at church social events before they see through this thinly veiled attempt at keeping them occupied and out of trouble.

Those surveyed say there aren’t enough good reasons given for holding Bible beliefs other than “the preacher says so…” or “your parents say so.”

Sometimes kids are routinely kept out of “grown-up church.” From infancy to four years old, they’re in nursery. Then they get “children’s church” with a short Bible lesson, crafts and refreshments. For teens, a separate youth service geared to “their” music. By eighteen, they’ve never been expected to sit through a whole Sunday service. It’s culture shock.

Young people can see that the Church in general hasn’t yet been able to conquer racial reconciliation, domestic abuse and the rampant church divorce rate…sometimes in their own families.

Older generations won’t blend a moderate amount of contemporary music with traditional hymns, to show young people that newer ideas are respected.

Or, the Church feels pressured to impress their younger members with new technological avenues. So they discard all the old hymns that were written out of peoples’ struggles with life, pride and suffering. Thus, the newer generations don’t hear about how God can help them through hard times.

Parents are expecting the church to teach what may fall within their own responsibility.

But then, young parents raised in the last twenty years have themselves grown up under the new pop psychology of never receiving or deserving any discipline or criticism. They’ve seen church become irrelevant. Now, as parents, they’re hesitant to make (or even ask) their kids to go to church or develop a backbone in faith.

Lastly, everyone’s too busy for church. There are too many other attractions in life.

Sheryl Young, a free-lance writer and a Yahoo! contributing writer of faith issues says that some churches are trying to address these problems with new programs and ministries. But, she says that some churches “will find it such a daunting task that they just throw up their hands, ” which she says is maybe the right thing to do in this situation.  “Maybe it’s time to do just that — throw hands up and pray, rather than create more programs — and leave the rest up to God.”

Sources: “Generation Ex-Christian: Why Young Adults Are Leaving the Faith …and How to Bring Them Back,” (Drew Dyck, Moody Publishing, Oct 2010), “Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it” (Ken Ham & Britt Beemer, Todd Hillard, New Leaf, Aug 2009); “The Last Christian Generation” (McDowell, Green Key, 2006); and Lifeway Christian Resource Surveys from 2007 and 2010.