Dave Bowman

Why Do We Think The Worst?

When I got up this morning I checked email to find a newsletter I subscribe to called Monday Morning Insight. It's a great blog for pastors that kicks out the latest ministry news. Today the headline blog post is about Willow Creek Community Church. Evidently they've had 2 major staff members, Lead Pastor Gene Appel and Small Groups Pastor Randy Frazee, resign this past week. Both were decisions that were in the making for several months. According to the story, Senior Pastor Bill Hybels will take the lead again at the main Willow campus.

What's interesting to me is the blogosphere has erupted about this. Way too many blog posts saying, "There must be something wrong...they're not telling us the whole story...etc., etc. I certainly don't have an inside track to the goings on at Willow Creek, but I do have some experience with changing staff members and the scuttlebutt it creates. Time after time, as we have weathered staff changes here at NHC, I've heard those same comments through the grapevine. Why is it we always think the worst?

Could it be possible that...

...this was a change initiated by God. Maybe these two staff members really are just following God's leading. What a novel concept, huh?

...it's just time for a change. That's not always a bad thing.

...they have re-evaluated their priorities. One of the departing staff members said he just wanted to be closer to his family in another state. I'd say that's a good motivating factor.

And no matter what the reason is, the change seems to have been handled with tons of integrity and was affirmed by the elders of Willow. 

So the next time you hear about a staff change at NHC or at any church, for that matter, DON'T START OFF THINKING THE WORST!

P.S. If you want to read the official statement you can read it here.

MIA Pt. 3

I love talking about vision. Most leaders do. It's something in our blood I guess. I love dreaming about the future and thinking about what God might do. I love talking about what God has called NHC to be and do and how that all came about over 21 years ago.

But there's a funny thing that happens almost every time I talk about vision at NHC. Somebody either leaves or begins the process of leaving. I end the day feeling fired up about what God is doing but they walk away thinking, "I thought this church (fill in the blank)." Basically it comes down to being on a different page than the leadership of the church...having a different vision.

I remember a few years ago there was a short-lived movement of churches that tried to become the church for everyone. They actually would start up in a city and call themselves "The Church Of (fill in the name of the town)." That didn't last long.

And there's a good reason why. I'm firmly convinced that God knows no church can be THE church for everyone. I believe it's even part of his plan to use different churches to reach different people. We're all part of the big "C" Church - the Body of Christ - but God obviously gives varying visions to different leaders so they can reach a segment of the lost.

So as long as a leader's vision is God-honoring and Biblical, and it's not unethical or illegal a church attender has basically two options: 1) get on board, sell out to the vision and work along side the God-ordained leadership of that church, or 2) find another church that has a vision you can follow.

Unfortunately, too many church attenders try to play out a third option - force the leader to change the vision.  They complain, gossip, stop giving, stop serving, attempt to gather support from others - all in an attempt to get the leader to change the vision and do church the way they want it done.

Bottom line - none of that activity is Biblical or God-honoring. Once again, the best thing for them and for the church is to find another church. That WOULD be Biblical, God-honoring and the healthiest thing for the Body of Christ.

MIA Pt. 2

Yesterday I posted [here] about how sometimes people go MIA. We'd all like to think that when someone finds a church home they'll just hang with that church for the rest of their lives. But the reality in the American church today is that the average American evangelical stays in a church for 4.9 years. This leads to a lot of church hopping and shopping (which is another post altogether).

The question we're trying to deal with is why do people leave churches? The second most common reason is, "The church just isn't meeting my needs."

This can be a very valid reason to leave a church. Sometimes churches settle into patterns and ways of doing things that are no longer effective, but no one is willing to change to something better. Sometimes the church may not have quality programs that are needed, i.e. children's ministry, student ministry, etc. Sometimes a church just loses it's evangelistic "edge" and there's nothing happening. Those can all be valid reasons to move on.

But sometimes the meaning of, "The church isn't meeting my needs," is based more on an American consumer mentality than anything. Some will identify with a church because they think it will meet all their expectations, but when it doesn't they take their "business" elsewhere. And just like they would walk away from a restaurant and never say a word to the manager, they will walk out of a church and never say a word to the leaders. It's our consumer culture, but it isn't biblical!

More tomorrow...

P.S. My wife and Arianna left for Minnesota today. Pray for me and Lexi!

MIA

I had a conversation recently with a young brother who is trying to decide whether or not to leave his current church. We talked about when it's right to leave...when you should stay and be submitted to the leadership...how God sometimes moves people and even sometimes removes people from churches...and what it means to leave well. It's a tough subject, but one I think we need to address.

Usually the first thing that happens is someone just turns up MIA...missing in action. Then the question that usually gets asked is, "Why did so & so leave?" There are as many answers to that question as there are people who leave, but over the next few posts I'm going to try to give you a few answers to that question, and here's the first one...

• Ch-ch-change!

This is probably the #1 reason why people leave a church, especially a growing church. As any organization grows it changes. Leadership structures change...policies change...systems change...relationships change...and sometimes it's just too much for some to handle. Sometimes it's a staff change. A respected staff member leaves for another job in another church. Even positive changes like moving into a new facility can create so much change that some just can't handle it.

Psychologists tell us that the reality is that most people don't handle change well. I know, you're different! But here's what I've noticed - even people who say they like change, sometimes struggle with change. It's just part of human nature I guess. So as a church grows and changes there inevitably will be a number of folks who struggle with that.

When that happens we need to do all we can to help them adapt to the changes and even embrace the change (if that's possible). But if they just can't adapt and accept the change the best thing for them and for the church is to find another church home. Otherwise they're going to be miserable and they'll make everyone else around them miserable too!

More on this tomorrow...

P.S. For a pastor's angle on this check out my friend Scott Hodge's posts [here], [here] and [here].

Baptism Pt. 2

Continuing my thoughts from this post...

When should someone be baptized?

This is another thing that churches have fought about, but again, the Bible is very clear on. Every time someone is baptized in the NT church it is almost immediately after making a decision to become a Christ follower.

I listed 3 scriptural examples in the first Baptism post from the Book of Acts. Take a quick look at them again:

• Acts 2:41

Those who believed were baptized THAT DAY...

• Acts 8:36

The dude was baptized immediately after he believed...

• Acts 16:31-33

The jailer and his family were baptized immediately...

It's pretty clear - when you place your trust in Jesus Christ you're ready to be baptized. You don't have to pray about it...prepare for it...take a class on  it...just do it!

Of course this usually brings up the question of infant baptism or baptism of confirmation. Again, if we look to the scriptures we don't find those practices anywhere. Baptism is exclusively for someone who has made a personal decision to follow Jesus Christ.

So what do I do about being baptized as a child? Nothing. There was nothing wrong or evil about it. You just need to accept the fact that Biblical baptism happens after you decide to follow Christ - and then be baptized!

Baptism Pt. 1

We're coming up on one of the coolest things we get to do as a church - baptism. So for the next few days I'd like to just take a little blog space to emphasize the importance of this event.

Baptism is one of the most controversial issues the church has faced. It has caused churches to split, people to leave denominations and even some people to just give up totally and leave the church all together. Usually the fights revolve around 3 simple things that I think are very clear in the Bible: 1) who should be baptized 2) when should they be baptized 3) how should they be baptized?

So today let's tackle the who part of the equation. This is where the debate usually begins but the fact is it's very simple in the Bible. Who should be baptized? Those who have committed their lives to being followers of Jesus Christ. It's the Bible way for letting a watching world know that we are putting our trust in Christ. It literally says, "I am identifying with Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. I am a Christian and I want the world to know about it."

Just in the book of Acts alone there are 27 instances of baptism. Every one was a person or persons who had committed themselves to being Christ followers. Here's a few examples:

• Acts 2:41

• Acts 8:36

• Acts 16:31-33

So what does this mean practically to you? It means if you've made a decision to follow Jesus Christ you should be baptized! Jesus said to do it. It is a command for Christ followers. This is not something you need to think about...pray about...completely understand before you do it. It's very simple - if you have put your trust in Jesus Christ for salvation and the forgiveness of your sins, BE BAPTIZED!

Some of you who read my blog have just recently put your trust in Jesus. I want to personally challenge you and encourage you to go public on July 1st. You don't have to wait! (More on that tomorrow.) Pick up a baptism info pack Sunday at Guest Central, or call Jamie at 471-6443, or email him at: jamie@encounternhc.com and let's take that first critical step in your journey with Jesus.   

Simple Church

It happened again last Sunday. I didn't pay much attention to it on Sunday, but today in the office I heard that it happened to several people and not just me. Sunday between services I talked to a guest who was visiting NHC for the first time. They told me how they had come from another church and what they had done and all the things they had participated in at that church.

Then it began: Why don't we do this...why don't we do that...why don't we sing hymns...I didn't like this...I didn't like that...at my last church they did a living Christmas tree and I got to sing in it...etc., etc. I did my best to answer but something has been running through my mind today - if you came to my house for dinner would you immediately begin to tell me you didn't like the food I served you...would you tell me you don't like my sofa in the living room...would you tell me how much better it was when you went to another friend's house for dinner?  I don't  think so. So why do church people feel they have the right to walk through our doors on their first visit and criticize everything in sight?

About two years ago we made a very crucial decision about the future of NHC. We decided that we were going to stay focused on the simple vision God had given to us over 20 years ago...the vision of helping people encounter God and engage in community. Honestly, we fight for that simplicity all the time.

There's always a tug in the direction of complexity as a church gets larger. There are always voices saying, "We need to do this...we need to add that...we need a ministry for left-handed blonds born in France who speak Portuguese as a second language..."

Here's the bottom line - we will stay focused like a laser beam on two things - encounter God...engage in community. That means we will continue to focus on creating environments on Sundays where our friends and loved ones can meet Jesus and then we're going to work hard to get as many of them as possible into a Community Group and Serving Team. And we do that across the board - adults, teens and children.

That's it. No more...no less. Simple church.

At the risk of sounding harsh, we don't care what you did at your old church. We're not your old church. If you liked your old church maybe you should go back there or find a church that is just like your old church. We're not your father's Oldsmobile and we're not your old church.

I say it in Starting Point all the time: we're not the church for everyone. If you're looking for a church where you'll get your Christian itch scratched, this isn't the place. But if you want to be part of a church where lives are being changed...where families are being put back together...where marriages are being rescued...where hearts are being healed...where the lost are being saved...where kids are being taught about the love of Jesus...if that's what you're looking for then NHC is the place!

Insider Information

OK, blog readers, I'm going to give you the first scoop on a new development. Isn't it cool to be "in the know" before anyone else?

We have a new staff member joining us in a few weeks! Adam Cook will be joining our team the week after Easter as our new Student Ministry Pastor. Adam has been a Student Pastor in Danville, VA for the last several years and has done some great work with Jr. Highers and High Schoolers there. Adam and his wife Valerie are expecting their first child in June. Adam is a great young man with a heart for reaching teenagers and a vision to be a part of the great things God is doing here at NHC. Welcome aboard dude!

I'm really pumped about this weekend. Can't wait to preach!! I'm getting emails and phone calls left and right about how God is at work and I just have this sense that this weekend is really going to be off the charts awesome. So whatever you do get here Sunday and bring the names of your friends and family who aren't here and need to be here. We're going to do something with those names that we've never done before and I believe God is going to rock our world! See ya' Sunday!!

Rocked My World

Just got back into the office today after attending the Unleash conference at Newspring Church in Anderson, SC. Newspring is a church we have been watching for a couple of years now and they have just gone through a growth period that can only be described as a God-thing. They doubled in size in 1 year! (Sound like a familiar idea?)

Here are some highlights of what they said:

• Church is an incredibly confusing place if you don't know the rules and quite often the church says, "If you don't know the rules, to hell with you!"

• We need to be as creative as we can possibly be in communicating who Jesus is

• The sermon begins in the parking lot because people decide whether or not to come back to a church before the preacher ever says a word

• If God is the God we say he is, we need to give him our best - everywhere!

• We need to look beyond ourselves...it's not about us having a safe, warm and fuzzy church where nobody messes things up.

• Church can't get too big!!

• Don't compromise the vision. We have to make a decision about who we are going to offend - people who don't like our vision, or God who has given us the vision. My choice? I'm not willing to offend God!

• Even Jesus lost people. When Jesus taught hard stuff and said the tough things that needed to be said people left. John 6:60-66 People will leave. It's OK.

• Attempt the impossible. God has never called us to be safe and secure. He calls us to do BIG things!

Baptism & Road Trip

                 

Baptism Rectrospective

Some of you missed last Sunday and this Baptism Video was so good I wanted you to see it. Check it out!

Meanwhile, the staff (Me, Mark, Greg, Leah & Jamie) are headed out of town Wednesday and Thursday for a road trip to Anderson, SC. We'll be attending a one day conference at a church that has done what we want to do - they have doubled in size in the last year. In light of our Big Hairy Audacious Goal of doubling the size of our church, we thought it would be good to see what they're doing. Pray for us!!