“Don’t brag about yourself before the king, and don’t stand in the place of the great; for it is better for him to say to you, ‘Come up here!’ than to demote you in plain view of a noble.” Proverbs 25:6-7 (HCSB).

Humility—it’s a popular word in leadership training, along with the ever-preached “servant leadership,” but in practice, I’ve seldom seen it put into practice. Many leaders I have known were constantly trying to push themselves forward and sometimes willing to step over others to do it. Ego seemed more important to satisfy than self-development. Here’s an amusing anecdote: When I was an F4 Phantom back-seater in the Air Force (the actual term was Electronic Warfare Officer or EWO), I was flying one day with a self-proclaimed “red hot fighter pilot.” Things didn’t go so well for him that day; the Flight Lead was on his case. As we were de-armed, he gave me his opinion of the flight lead in no uncertain terms and very colorful language. The control tower then broadcasted over the radio, “Eagle 2, you’re hot mic.” That meant everything he had just said was transmitted over the radio for everyone on ground control frequency to hear and that included the squadron’s front desk. That Captain definitely got a lesson in humility that day from the Flight Lead and the squadron’s senior officers! The problem was, he wasn’t that great of a pilot, and everybody knew it except him—he definitely could have used Solomon’s wisdom!

Serving Somebody Other Than Yourself

In his Customer Obsession newsletter post: Big Idea 2021: , Fred Reichheld observed that “Humility, to my mind, is the foundation of a customer-centered world.” A fine observation—to be humble, think about serving somebody other than yourself. I’ve been a leader, usually in the service of higher leaders, for 44 years. Here is what I have observed. All my bosses saw themselves as humble (well, maybe not all the fighter pilots), but humility went out the door when you had an opposing opinion, and their idea was the only one that mattered. They differed in how they communicated that—some authoritatively, some condescendingly, and some through using the art of persuasion. Still, in the end, they made sure that their opinion was the one that prevailed. Can there be another reason other than ego for that to happen? I once opposed my leader in a board meeting (where he had made a point of wanting open discussion of issues), and when the board voted for my proposal over his, he shamed the board and me. Believe me—that never happened again!

5 Heads are better than 2

In the movie “What Women Want,” Helen Hunt’s character, the new boss, says, “two heads are better than one, five heads are better than two.” She, of course, is promoting teamwork over individual recognition in the creation of ad campaigns. Unfortunately, everyone else in the room is thinking of personal advancement in creating ad campaigns.

So, what’s More Important—Innovation or Recognition?

During my time as a mid-level officer in the Air Force trying to convince senior officers who had a high level of authority that they needed to take a certain action to accomplish a shared goal, I learned the art of persuasion—convince them it was their idea and you got it done. Often you didn’t get the recognition, but the goal was accomplished—what was more important? President Harry Truman said this:

“Do the Organization’s Objectives Trump your Own?”

In the best-selling book , William Ouchi talks about the suppression of individualism in Japanese and corporate life. He tells of the evolution of the rice-growing villages and how the cultivation of rice required everyone’s cooperation, sometimes working in teams of 20 or more. No individual was more important than the other; the survival of the village was what was important. That cultural philosophy carries over into their corporate world. In fact, Ouchi compared ‘A’ organizations, bureaucratic and hierarchical, so common in the western world to the ‘Z’ organizations that he saw in Japan. In the ‘A’ organization, individual recognition was what mattered and was brought to the team. When visiting ‘A’ corporations and being introduced to people, he would hear things like: “This is John, recognized as the best marketing manager in the business.” When meeting people in ‘Z’ corporations, he would always hear about the team’s accomplishments, not the individuals. All the individuals got their self-actualization from the team’s achievements, not their individual contributions to it. Big difference, isn’t it? Examine your heart; do you feel self-actualized if your team succeeds, or only if you get individually recognized? The humble leader always allows the organization’s objectives to trump his or her own.

Humility Requires Ownership

“The most humbling thing a leader can do is accept ownership for the organization’s mistakes or failures.”

In their book Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin point out that leaders need to give credit for success to their team and take ownership of all mistakes and failures. One rarely sees that in practice, but this humble posture provides the leader with the chance to see and fix leadership and communication problems that create failure they might otherwise miss.

Humble Leaders Accept Every Failure as Their Own

In their book, Willink and Babin tell of the death of one of their team in a firefight in Iraq. The soldier stepped outside of standard operating procedure to accomplish the objective, and he paid the ultimate price for his actions. Not Leadership’s fault, right? They trained him the right way, but he chose his path. Wrong. The humble leader takes ownership even when a subordinate takes the wrong action. These leaders faulted their training and communication with this soldier and fixed those problems to stop future deaths.

What Will You Choose?

Tough choice. It’s far too easy in Leadership to point fingers when you should be looking in the mirror. Solomon’s wisdom: “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18, HCSB) should convince leaders to walk in humility, but far too often, it does not. Humility must be consciously practiced; it doesn’t come to us naturally. It’s a fruit of the Spirit, and I challenge you to practice it.

Question Two: Is this a safe place?

“As people today become less trustworthy, insecurities are heightened and hinder people’s ability to engage God’s purposes for their lives. Sadly, they simply don’t trust like they once did.”

Of course, such uncertainty is understandable. Enough scandals have populated the air waves–even some involving spiritual leaders–that people don’t assume any place is safe. So people are entering our churches today with a different level of caution than they did just a decade or two ago.

Here’s a few things to be mindful of:

1. Trust is not a given.

It hasn’t been that long ago that church was a place one could go to feel safe. People had a certain expectation of ministers and church people, and they were seldom disappointed. But while only a few have had their trust personally violated, those occasions have drawn enough attention that nearly everyone entering your church is a bit skittish as they “check you out.”

2. People want to know you first.

The days of people casually dropping their babies off in the nursery are behind us. Now, the thought of leaving their child in the custody of someone they’ve never met just isn’t as automatic as before. Yes, she looks like a nice lady, and yes, this is a church, but many will choose to keep their baby with them in the church service and be highly offended if it’s assumed that they won’t. Since trust is no longer automatic, it must be earned–and that can take a little time.

3. People fear being exposed.

Safety doesn’t just speak of physical cautions. Feeling safe includes not making a fool of myself or having someone else do that for me. The greatest fear many guests have when they enter your church is standing out or embarrassing themselves in some way. Churches that make a public display of their guests cross a line for many. Their efforts to be welcoming actually have the opposite effect. Remember this principle–the larger your church, the more likely people expected to be anonymous, at least until THEY decide not to be. Demanding personal information isn’t a good first step either. Get to know people and let them warm to you at their own pace.

4. What people don’t understand makes them uncomfortable.

Another component of safety includes what they experience. When people are asked to engage activity that’s unfamiliar, most feel awkward–and that seldom leads to a good experience. If your church has some worship practices that seem beyond what the guest expects, you need to explain what’s happening and why or that discomfort escalates. If people pray out loud, raise their hands, speak in tongues, or display any other behavior beyond quiet listening, somebody better explain the what and the why. It only takes a few minutes, and it can be the difference between a “safe” experience and one that sends people away with no desire to return.

5. Quality children’s ministries matter.

Now, fun activities and great lessons are great, but in the area of safety, “quality” means that we look like we know what we’re doing. The safety of classrooms, the caliber of our workers, and the organization of our processes send a message about quality. If things look chaotic in a children’s classroom, parents won’t feel safe leaving their children in there. If things really are chaotic, children won’t feel safe either–and if they don’t want to come back, mom and dad will probably vote with them.

So, Look around your church and ask, “Does this place convey a safe feeling?” It’s a high priority question when people visit you today. Consider the steps you can take to demonstrate a hearty “YES” when people are wondering if your church is safe.

So, what steps can you take to see a good idea come to fruition? In this article, Dr. Tony Garza explains the importance of evaluation to ensure it’s actually a “good idea.” From there, he explains why it’s crucial to question the idea’s purpose, relevance to your organization, and timing throughout the process of its execution.

It is no secret that it takes a process to see an idea through to completion. There are countless resources on this topic, and they all have some type of process that includes certain steps for this. Most of these include the idea or concept, planning, strategy, and execution. The specific word and arrangement may be different, but most include a version of these steps. You may have your own way of doing this and it may be formal or informal, but it is a process that you follow whether on purpose or by default.

Here’s a question for you:

“What is more difficult – coming up with ideas or executing them?”

At a recent leadership talk I attended; the speaker asked this question. And the response? Far more attendees believed that execution is more difficult. This is why having a process in place is important. In this article, I want to focus on the importance of evaluation as part of the process. I have seen ideas not work, not because they were bad ideas, but because there was no room for evaluation throughout the process.

Evaluation asks critical questions at each part of the process. Questions such as:

1. Is this a good (idea, plan, strategy), and why?

2. Is this the best (idea, plan, strategy) for what we are trying to accomplish?

3. Is this the right time for this (idea, plan, strategy)?

I can’t stress this enough:

“A good idea executed at the wrong time is a bad idea.”

Once an idea is presented and evaluated, it seems that often the next logical step is to begin planning. Planning gives you the road map for how the idea will be executed.

But, here is where it gets tricky.

Many jump from planning to execution, but I would like to propose that you need a process of evaluation in between. Why? Because whereas planning gives you the road map, evaluation tells you where you’re at.

You should be evaluating your idea throughout each step of the process. As a result, your process should actually look more like this:

Idea – Evaluation – Planning – Evaluation – Strategy – Evaluation – Execution – Evaluation

Pastor Andy Stanley said it this way:

“A map is useless if you don’t know where you’re at.”

I had never really thought about it that way, but I think he’s right. How will you know which way to go or where you should start?

I came across this thought when reading the story of Nehemiah in the bible. Nehemiah hears that the city of Jerusalem is in ruins and God puts it in his heart to rebuild the wall. However, he doesn’t go straight to the planning stage. In chapter 2 verse 13 we find Nehemiah out at night “examining” the walls. He already knows that he wants to rebuild the walls (idea), but first, he evaluates the damage so that he can make an accurate and effective plan. Even within the rebuilding (execution) stage, we find Nehemiah evaluating again and making adjustments in chapter 4 verse 14. Many times, you will find yourself adjusting the strategy after evaluating it.

You can read the rest of the story for yourself and find that he comes up with a great plan and strategy that results in great execution and results. It is important to note that no matter how great the idea or the process, prayer, like evaluation, should be present at every stage.

Do you have a project or idea that God has put on your heart? I recommend you add “evaluation” as part of the process.

I was seated on a 2,000-pound rodeo bull seconds away from the chute opening. The teenage cowboy asked me if I was ready. I couldn’t think of anything else but holding on for dear life, but I slowly nodded my head, questioning how a rational man of my age could find himself in this position. The chute opened and this wild rodeo behemoth took off, bucking wildly. Six-seconds later, I lay on the ground, covered in sawdust, and hurting like I’d been thrown from a moving car. Why? Because I want to live the kind of life that when someone says, “I’d never!” I can reply, “I did!” No one can take that equally frightening and exhilarating experience away from me. I own it forever how long my memory persists. I did not just pay $10 to ride a bull at a Cowboy Church. I paid $10 for an experience…and the worst bruise of my life.

The Experience Economy traffics in memories and bragging rights. There are three basic components in the Experience Economy: the memory or experience is the product, the transformation becomes the product, and it is what comes above and beyond the product.

Perhaps you have heard someone describe themselves as an “experience junkie.” That person lives for life experiences. Younger generations are reporting that they value experiences more than material possessions. There is something for the church to learn from Gen-Z’s desire to participate in the Experience Economy. Allow me to advocate for a biblical Experience Economy that does not promote a shallow entertainment experience or mere bragging rights, but rather offers the hope of transformation and fulfillment through an encounter with the biblical Christ. Kerry Taylor, EVP of MTV International and chief marketing officer of Viacom UK, stated that Gen-Z desires family, friends, traveling, having fun, and creating deep connections. She said, “As a brand, it’s our responsibility to find ways to deliver on that happiness.”[1] Is there anything on that list that the church cannot offer? You may point out traveling but a couple a mission trip with friends with whom you have deep connections because of small groups, and you have something a Gen-Z will find fulfilling.

3 Components of the Experience Economy

1. The memory or experience is the product.

People pay thousands of dollars for front row seats at a concert by their favorite artist or spend extravagantly to see their team play in the Super Bowl. It is the memory and the experience which they are purchasing. You may be thinking, “I wish people fought over front row seats for my sermons,” and I wouldn’t blame you for that way of thinking.

In the biblical Experience Economy, we advocate for a product that is intangible and yet firmly biblically-based. As Jesus said, God is spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. We offer a restored relationship with our Creator. We offer the forgiveness of sins. We offer hope. We offer the opportunity to experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control among other believers. We offer deep, authentic, relationships in the body of Christ. We offer transcendent experiences through prayer, worship, or a Spirit-empowered conversation.

“When people walk into our churches, are we offering an experience by which they create lasting memories?”

Are we being used by the Holy Spirit to deepen relationships and build community? Is the Holy Spirit moving freely in our worship experiences? If the space for experience isn’t made, you will find younger generations exiting the church for other fulfilling experiences.

Mike Yaconelli, the founder of Youth Specialties, wrote, “Why do so many youth ministries spend all their time talking about God instead of helping young people experience God?” Getting Fired for the Glory of God. Again, we want to have an experience at church, but we do not want one absent of the Scripture or its principles.

2. The transformation becomes the product.

I was able to travel to Israel for a tour of the Holy Land. Before I went, the tour leader told me that the experience would change the way I read the Bible. I listened but thought perhaps he was overhyping the value of the experience. After the trip, I knew he was right. In the context of the Experience Economy, the trip offered not just the opportunity to travel, but it offered the hope of personal transformation.

Many people make resolutions to lose weight. They are unhappy with their current weight and desire to lose the extra pounds. Look and listen to the advertisements for weight loss. The testimonials focus on the past condition and the physical, and sometimes emotional, transformation. Everyone wants the experience of transformation. We long to be changed. We pursue transformation. We flock to movies about transformation, whether they be superheroes or historical figures. Humanity is drawn to the hope of transformation.

Jesus did not sell a product when He recruited the disciples. He sold a transformation. “I will make you fishers of men.” The promise of transformation was enough to make them drop their nets and leave their families. Biblical Experiences will lead to transformation. Steve Taylor writes, “
experiences must lead to transformation and honoring Jesus as the master of human transformation.” When the Holy Spirit provides us with a supernatural experience, we must reflect on how that experience is leading us to transformation and honoring Jesus.

In one of our SAGU chapels, a student came to me during the altar time and said that he had been praying and felt two hands pressing hard on his back. He reported that when he looked up, there was no one there. He said he believed that Jesus or an angel had been pressing on him. I responded, “That’s great. Why would God do that?” He stammered, “I don’t know.” I challenged him that if God gave him a supernatural experience, it was not just for the purpose of having an experience-God wanted to teach or tell him something. After a few minutes of talking and reflecting, he said, “I think God wanted me to know that He is here, and He is with me.” I responded, “Great! The Word of God says that He IS HERE, and He IS WITH YOU!”

Spiritual transformation, life transformation, is the product in the biblical Experience Economy.

3. Experience is what comes above and beyond the product.

When I receive my tax document indicating how much my wife and I have given to the church, there is always a statement that says, “No goods or services were received in exchange for your contribution.” It not only is a legal statement; it is literally true. I may leave the church service with a big, warm, sweet interior glowing, but it didn’t come in a package. It is intangible. It is spiritual. The very meaning of spirit, the Greek word pneuma, is breath or air.

The parking lot, the foyer, the welcome center, the sanctuary. All are locations that can create an atmosphere by which visitors and church members are more inclined to an experience with God. How can the flow of traffic or the parking lot attendants can create a positive first impression? What is the foyer communicating? Is it a place conducive to relationships? Is the location of the welcome station easily identifiable and are the greeters welcoming? Does the sanctuary create a space where people can have a sacred experience?

In Conclusion

As you seek to create an atmosphere in which people can experience the Holy Spirit, remember that we cannot and should not manipulate that experience. We are space-makers. We are intentional in allowing the biblical Holy Spirit to be the source of the experience rather than our slick production values or our dynamic personalities. Joel Lusz wrote, “An experience without God’s truth is entertainment. God’s truth with no experience is boring.” And there is the essence of a biblical Experience Economy. The experience comes from God as the biblical Gospel is proclaimed.

P.S. Let me know the scariest, craziest, or most unique experience you’ve ever done.

P.S.S. If you ever want to ride a bull, let’s go together. I know a bull and I wouldn’t steer you wrong.

References

, Accessed on February 9, 2020.

Jay Delp and Joel Lusz,,Just Shoot Me! (Grand Rapids, MI: Youth Specialties/Zondervan, 2002)

Steve Taylor, The Out of Bounds Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Emergent YS/Zondervan. 2005), p 88

Honestly, the plan may not be working.

Truth is, in a setting where the focus lies on key elements like worship and hearing God’s Word, people often need to take a mental break–and guess when they do that? It’s in those few minutes where you read to them from a bulletin in their hands.

As a pastor, I was stunned at how frequently people didn’t know about the events we’d just spent worship time promoting. Pastors often like to think that saying it once gets it done (an idea that isn’t true in our sermons either), but the facts tell us otherwise.

So, here are 3 tips to help you make effective announcements!

Tip #1: If you’re going to make announcements during your service, make them stand out.

Try changing up the routines. Many churches have good success by using a vibrant person on a video to change the look of announcement time. While PowerPoint slides get the message out, if people aren’t listening they’re probably not reading closely either. If you have limited resources, you can make an announcement video with your camera phone and it will be unique enough to get people’s attention. I’ve seen other churches have someone make announcements from another part of the platform. Just moving people’s eyes from the pulpit they’ll watch all morning can help people pay better attention. Whether live or on camera, just be sure the person making announcements acts like they want to attend the events they’re promoting. Make it fun!

Tip #2: Limit how many announcements you try to make.

Three announcements is probably a maximum. Keep in mind that there’s a point when another announcement means I will forget the previous ones. Also, don’t put a really critical announcement in between others. Just like in preaching, make your first and last points the most critical.

Keep in mind that a pulpit announcement isn’t always the best strategy for communication or use of worship time. If the announcement is really just for a Sunday school class or a boys group, have leaders use the phone or email to get the word out. Only use worship time to announce things that large groups of people are invited to attend–like everybody, all the men, or all the parents and children. If you make an announcement that doesn’t apply to me, you’ve given me another reason to tune out this part of the service.

Tip #3: Be intentional with what you announce.

Only use worship time to announce those things that are a true reflection of your church’s vision and values. Choose announcements that show people who you really are as a church and what you believe really matters. If you’re passionate about relationships and community, then help people connect the dots during your small group’s announcement. If you’re announcing an outreach event, tell me why this is important to the church and why I should make this priority in my own schedule. “Why we’re doing this” is a better reason for an announcement than “what and when we’re doing it.” Announcements are a great time to let people see what truly matters our church, so every announcement should reveal the most important priorities of the church. A camping trip for the boys’ group sounds fun, but


Bottom-line: trim the number, make them fun, and use your announcements to reveal your church’s greatest priorities. That’s what it means to be intentional during announcement time.

Animal Sacrifice

In Leviticus, God commanded his people to begin offering animal sacrifices as part of their highly organized corporate worship. Over time, this complex sacrificial system required under the Old Covenant became closely identified with ‘the Law.’ The writer of Hebrews referenced this system when arguing that, “without the shedding of blood,” forgiveness of sins is impossible (9:22). Animals had to be sacrificed (see Lev 16); God’s atonement of sin depended on it.

Animal sacrifice was always more about the owner’s heart than the flavor of the meat roasting over the fire. God never accepted second-best: sick, lame, inferior animals were totally repugnant to him (see Mal. 1:8). Only strong, healthy animals “without blemish” (Lev. 1:3) could be offered; only they represented a true sacrifice (pain and loss) to their owners. God essentially challenged the Israelites to bring their blue-ribbon winners, their most expensive animals (and offer them in the right way), or they would die in their sins.

Sacrifice under the New Covenant

Worshippers slaughtered animals in staggering numbers under the Old Covenant. Fortunately, God no longer demands animal sacrifices. Now, worship that pleases his heart requires human sacrifice: the sacrifice of all of his people! New Covenant human sacrifices are, however, radically distinct from the animal sacrificial system. Under the Old Covenant, the sacrificed animals died. Now, by the tender “mercies of God,” believers are called to joyously sacrifice themselves and live! Paul phrased this new standard of worship, the one specifying human sacrifice, in these terms: “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Rom. 12:1).

Human sacrifice offered to God with gratitude: this defines the acceptable standard of worship under the New Covenant.

“We offer ‘spiritual worship’ as we joyfully sacrifice our lives to him. Daily, our wills, pride, arrogance, self-serving motives must be ‘slaughtered’ in sacrifice to the One who promised we can ‘have life and have it abundantly.'” (John 10:10)

Paul’s “spiritual worship” is not restricted to Dove-award-winning music, nor is it confined to cathedrals, centuries-old liturgies, or 75-minute mega-church worship services. Rather, spiritual worship most clearly occurs in those places requiring spiritual decisions about Christ’s Lordship: the TV lounge, the kitchen, the gym, the office, even the supermarket. How many Christians would alter (rather, altar!) their shopping lists if Jesus accompanied them down the grocery aisles? True “spiritual worship” can occur at both the grocery store and the house of worship!

Human Sacrifice and the Christian Lifestyle

Paul certainly had a way with words! He may have honed this skill during all those hours studying while smelling Gamaliel’s feet (Acts 22:3), or in response to the life-transforming anointing of the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:9–12). In any case, Philippians 3:18–19 illustrates brilliantly Paul’s use of powerful word images: “For many . . . walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” Whoever these “enemies” were, they broke Paul’s heart! Note that he did not describe them as “enemies of Christ”—rather, “enemies of the cross.” The cross, for Paul, demanded total surrender to Christ’s Lordship—in every arena of life, including food! With perfect comfort-crushing clarity, the cross speaks of death: to ungodly physical desires, to selfish ambition, to undisciplined appetites, and (in the context of Phil 3) to worship the “god” of the gut!

Our lifestyles can easily become dominated by our appetites, “rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” (Rom 1:25). I am growing increasingly concerned about friends in the faith who would rather talk about their favorite restaurant than their Lord. How easily we can embrace—even defend—a soft-and-comfortable, pain-free version of the gospel. A “gospel” of excess and indulgence opposes the central message of the cross of Christ Jesus!

The advertisement and entertainment industries relentlessly tempt us to set our minds (and appetites) “on earthly things” (Phil. 3:19). When Christians tolerate gluttony in any form, they invariably distort the essence of Christ’s Lordship. Our appetites, waistlines, and passions must all confess that Christ is Lord of all, even in a culture characterized by undisciplined consumption.

TV’s food and shopping channels cater endlessly to those whose minds (and appetites) are “set on earthly things” (Phil. 3:19). When Christians allow any physical appetite to dominate their lives, they invariably oppose the offensive message of the cross! Such believers creatively justify their wanton sensuality—especially so when their spiritual shepherds, often guilty themselves, never even mention such sins!

Conclusion

The word sacrifice means sacrifice—something costly and precious, gone; something painful, embraced. We dare not negate the impact of Romans chapter 12 by euphemistic gymnastics. Christian human sacrifice is costly and painful. Yet from the pain of that sacrifice arises the fragrant spiritual aroma that pleases the Father and permits a depth of fellowship with the Son we can never experience otherwise.

In the final installment of this series, we will discuss the two steps that the pastor and people must take together.

The first of these is to “discover the engine.”

Okay, that seems a bit unclear at first blush, but every church has an “engine” that can generate momentum and drive it forward. There is something that your church was made to do. Baseball players speak of a “wheelhouse,” a place where the hitter’s strength meets the pitch and maximizes his capacity. A pitcher wants to avoid a hitter’s “wheelhouse” because that’s where the hitter is at his best. For golfers, the idea is the “sweet spot”–that place on the golf club that makes a perfect connection, allowing the golfer to hit the ball where he intended, making his best possible shot.

Okay, maybe the sports analogies don’t clear this up for you, but there is something that fits. There is a focus, an effort, a ministry priority that every pastor is made for. Likewise, there are certain things a church can do very well. When you find these, you find the church at its most effective best.

The “engine” is a merger of three key components:

1. Leader’s passion

Not long ago, I visited with a pastor of a small struggling congregation. He was frustrated to say the least, so I asked him what he was truly passionate about. I figured talking about that passion might lift his spirit a bit. He begin telling me how badly he wanted to bring hope to broken people. His own story of brokenness and the love a church family had brought helped me see how this passion had developed. To see that same thing happen for others was the very reason he felt called to ministry. “I want to see broken people healed,” he tearfully exclaimed.

I instantly concluded that this was an “engine” he could drive forward. So I asked him, “Do you think your congregation could help you do this?” This leads us to the second component.

2. People’s abilities

What can we be good at? In most struggling churches, there’s a long list of things we’re not very good at, and when we spend a lot of time doing what we’re not good at, well, frustration is guaranteed (so is lack of growth). No one enjoys watching us try to maneuver our weaknesses.

He said, “Yes!” He knew that his people cared deeply for broken people and he’d seen them respond in love again and again.

3. Community need

I guessed that such an engine could connect powerfully with many people in his community. So we begin talking about how to shape the ministry of his church around this vision–healing broken people. It seemed to be the perfect merger of leader passion, congregation ability, and community need.

That’s where you find your engine. I attend a church where that engine is “life-change.” Everything is driven by this single priority. I pastored a church where “belonging” was the driving force. I’ve seen others where “investing in the next generation” or “passionately teaching truth” fire them up. Every church needs to find its wheelhouse or sweet spot–the central focus that can become their very best effort of ministry.

So together–pastor and congregation–the search for its “engine” becomes paramount. In church life, many books or assessment surveys try to tell you that addressing your weaknesses will get you where you want to go. But remember this:

Momentum and growth flow from maximizing your strengths. Endurance is achieved by addressing your weaknesses.

Find the engine, but do it together. Both pastor and people have to bring their contributions to the same table. When you find the spot where the leader’s passion, congregation’s abilities, and community’s needs merge, you will find the path that can bring the momentum you crave.

Aim outward.

Inward focus is the bane of the declining church. Like the natural pull of gravity, inward focus is where congregations drift unless they are intentional otherwise. We get focused on ourselves, what ministers to us, what we enjoy, how we get help for our problems
the list goes on and on. Little wonder that after walking a mile or two down this path, we get self-focused.

Congregations that lose their sense of mission have little left to do but look at each other. And after a while, it’s not hard to start picking at each other and finding flaws in one another. Conflict, broken relationships, and general weariness of each other is quite common in the latter stages of the church’s life cycle. The more inward focused we become, the less healthy the church will be.

Aim outward. The best way to do this is to take the engine (what we developed in the previous step) and aim that engine into the community. If the church’s engine is loving people, then find ways to show love to them out there. If the church has excellent teaching gifts, start aiming those gifts into the needs of the community. If musical talent fills the church, take it to the city park–stop limiting that ability to Sunday mornings inside your walls.

The best things happen when a church is aimed outward. Such moments give the people purpose, create potential for growth, and get us as close as we’ll ever be to living God’s intent for us. Remember, CHURCH ISN’T ABOUT US! It’s about HIM and THEM! When we get that focus, good things can happen.

Of course, God cares for our needs and wants to use His Church to minister to us. But He does that best when we focus on HIM and THEM. “Seek first the kingdom
” Remember?

I’ve yet to be in a growing church that wasn’t focused on those outside their church. Through friendship, ministry effort, and clear passion those churches see a harvest field and often abandon their own comfort to get out there.

At the same time, I rarely see such a church not growing. But it’s a partnership. I’ve met pastors who were driven to reach the lost, but their people weren’t on board. I’ve even encountered one or two scenarios where the passion was limited to the people, and the pastor was blocking the path. The point is that this must be done together.

Take your best efforts outward. Do the things you can do well in ways that your community can benefit. Figure out the engines of your church and drive yourselves beyond your church walls.

An outward focused church is the only church that fulfills Christ’s passion.

This article suggests ways to embrace fasting as a valued part of the normal Christian life. So, fill a large glass of water, put the soda and sandwich back in the fridge, and enjoy some calorie-free “food” for thought!

What is Fasting?

Fasting is deliberately abstaining from something important—typically food, in one form or another—for a given period of time. A true fast is always a self-denying choice, with food purposefully left in the fridge, in sharp contrast to running out of food and having nothing to eat.

Fasting almost always pursues some spiritual or physical benefit (perhaps both).

Fasts range from abstaining from selected food items during liturgical fasting periods (especially the Lenten fast before Easter) to water-only fasts. The “Daniel fast” (see Dan 1:12), consisting of veggies and water, is highly valued by many Christians, especially those not eager to attempt the water-only “Jesus fast” (see Matt 4:1–2). Daniel’s fast, in fact, closely resembles the liturgical fasts still faithfully embraced by a billion Christians worldwide.

During the forty days of Lent (“Great Lent”), millions of the faithful also “give up” targeted sources of pleasure or entertainment:

• movies
• social media
• time-consuming hobbies.

Such religiously inspired acts clearly express a beneficial form of self-denial. Still, they do not constitute fasting as used in this article.

Why Do People Fast?

Non-Christian motives for fasting vary widely, from eastern-religion asceticism to humanistic, self-centered fasts for various physical, mental, and “spiritual” benefits. Secular fasting gurus abound, promoting their latest bestselling books on National Public Radio—books that cost much more than a combo meal at your favorite fast-food restaurant. Running contrary to our society’s incessant addiction to more , a growing number of non-religious people are now embracing less !

As defined in this article, all fasters abstain from some or all food for a greater good.

For Christians, that greater good centers on four things:

1. Answered prayers
2. Becoming more like Christ
3. More sensitive to God at work in their lives
4. More victorious in their daily living.

Many Christians also pursue the secondary motive of becoming healthier people.

Physical health and spiritual vitality are never two mutually exclusive options on some lifestyle multiple choice question. Both improve as Christians fast; they are inherently complimentary in a life fully devoted to Christ’s lordship.

For those who actually believe that Jesus meant what he said, fasting is not an option. He gave specific instructions about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount: note that Matthew 6:16 states “and when you fast” (not if you fast) .

Jesus also foretold that, after his ascension, his disciples would fast! Three of the four Gospels record this comfort-challenging prophecy and implied command: Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:20, and Luke 5:35. Those texts contain no hint of an opt-out clause because of sugar-withdrawal headaches or caffeine-withdrawal shakes.

Christ’s disciples are characterized by fasting, especially when major decisions must be made (see Acts 13:2–3 and 14:23).

When I first began to fast monthly, I did not do so to devote myself to prayer. Rather, to my great surprise, prayer flowed almost effortlessly from my soul—as naturally as embarrassing odors flowed from my mouth and other parts of my body. As noted above, I fast primarily because Jesus said his disciples—the real ones, all of them—would do this!

He was, in effect, commanding me (and you) to engage regularly in some form of food abstinence. And I fast because it is profoundly, holistically good for me. Most of all, I fast to hear his voice, to know his heart, and to be surprised by both—again!

How Long Should We Fast?

Even if we accept fasting as part of the normal Christian life, key questions immediately surface.

• How much is enough?
• Does one meal count?
• What about two meals?
• Do we all need to fast for forty days to be like Jesus?
• Is fasting physically dangerous (especially if diabetic, etc.)?

So many questions arise about a spiritual discipline Christians in the West know so little about.

Varied answers abound for the how-long question.

As noted above, liturgical churches usually fast forty days during the pre-Easter Lenten season. Those who advocate the “Daniel fast” often set a ten-day to twenty-one-day fasting period.

Others promote no-food diets for a limited number of meals. Few, if any, recommend the no-nothing diet modelled by Saul of Tarsus (the apostle Paul) when “blinded by the Light” and totally dumbfounded in Damascus (Acts 9:9). Bible-based models are obviously quite diverse, as are medical-based models.

Prior to my 2011–to–2013 weight loss, the longest I ever fasted was one painfully abandoned meal. Early in 2012, however, I became consumed by a novel goal: “I will tithe my days through fasting three days this month . . . every month!”

These were—and remain for me—no-food days of exploring God and my own body, of confronting my cravings and food-focused destructive habits, of marveling at the fact that I rarely feel hungry, especially on day three.

I always break my fasts loving Jesus more, feeling food’s power over me shattered, and my prayers, thoughts, and goals dominated by God’s presence.

I began embracing (in ignorance) an approach to fasting with some scientific support in both the popular and scientific literature. Apparently three-day fasts with zero or near-zero caloric intake are really good for us!

What immediately amazed (and still amazes) me was the clear, centered, and cravings-free peace of day three. To date, I have not gone beyond a three-day fast. My spiritual, mental, and physical goals are satisfied, month by month, within those 72-hours.

Can We Truly Master Hunger and Cravings?

People who know my fasting lifestyle have asked how hungry I feel during those three days each month. My honest answer remains, “I’m almost never hungry!” Since I normally eat only two meals a day, I am already “fasting” part of every day.

The transition from my normal 16-hour “intermittent” fast to a 72-hour (three-day) fast is largely a hunger-free experience. Honestly, I wrestle more with hunger during non-fasting days than during those special hours of purposeful restraint. Even so, I am very grateful for that breaking-my-fast meal at the end of the three days.

Cravings are not hunger! True hunger is physiological; cravings are usually psychological.

God designed food to satisfy our bodies, not our minds! Far too many Christians bypass the Great Physician, preferring to self-medicate their inner wounds with food.

We must understand the purpose of food, for that understanding will empower us to value fasting as God’s way to bring holistic healing and comprehensive lifestyle change. In other words:

The purpose of food is
to push back true hunger,
so I can live and love,
and work and serve,
without weakness or distraction.

The purpose of fasting is
to embrace true hunger,
so I can cleanse body and soul,
and fellowship with Him who said,
“Man shall not live by bread alone.”

Until early 2012, I had little experience with true hunger. Even now, I struggle to distinguish hunger from the powerful pull of habits and the seductive sensation of cravings. I need three full days of fasting to relearn the difference.

Those three-day fasts crush my cravings and break my food-focused destructive habits —at least for another month! Giving thanks to God for his provision at the end of Day Three is an incredible joy.

A Final Appeal

Those who earnestly seek to follow Jesus must incorporate some form of food-focused fasting into their lives: view it as part of an authentic Christian life. From a biblical perspective, refusing to follow Christ into the emptiness of fasting is as unthinkable as refusing to follow him into the death-waters of baptism. Today, “when the bridegroom” is gone (Luke 5:35), our Lord is calling his follower to live out a fasting lifestyle.

¹ Adapted from chapter 10 in my book, Sweaty, Sore, Sometimes Hungry: The Painful Joys of a Living Sacrifice : © 2019, Resource Publications. 

This article is republished from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

These strategies are derived from the success of the popular TED Talks organization and other well known sources of homiletical wisdom referenced below. They are intended to help preachers think of the attention of their audience when writing and delivering their sermons. Let’s begin!

Strategy #1: Start Strong.

In Preaching That Connects , Mark Galli and Craig Brian Larson offer this advice regarding the opening sentences of a sermon:

“The opening sentence of a sermon is an opportunity. It’s not crucial that we craft it
perfectly — even the most apathetic will bear with us at least two or three sentences
before turning us off. Still, it’s a shame if we waste the moment when listeners are giving
us their highest attention. If we do this sentence well, we won’t still be working for
people’s attention when we are well into the sermon.” ¹

Preachers must capitalize on their opening sentences, and use them well.

The opening statements set the tone for the rest of the sermon and it is at this time that most of your listeners will determine whether they are in with you for the long haul or not.

Remember, if listeners are not engaged from the very beginning, they have a device in their pockets or their purses that can give them access to literally anything else that could entertain them for the next 30 minutes. Sermon introductions set the tone for the rest of the message. They must raise curiosity, demand complete attention and provide a hook that will lure listeners in for more.

Strategy #2: Use Visuals.

The use of visual aids can give preachers a powerful tool to transform their sermons into three-dimensional messages for their listeners. When preachers introduce some sort of visual aid in the form of a prop, a photograph or a short video clip, they are actively drawing the attention of their listeners away from other distractions.

Implement visuals to reel in the members of your audience who learn better visually.

In his book, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church , Gregg Allison correctly noted that preaching has become problematic due the rising reliance of visual communication as opposed to the auditory learning style promoted by preaching. ²

Of course, visual aids should be used sparingly and for maximum effectiveness. These tools have the potential to stick in the memories of your audience’s visual learners.

Strategy #3: Repetition, Repetition, Repetition.

Another powerful weapon in the armory of a skilled homilitician is the use of repetition during a sermon. Even distracted listeners can pick up on a sermon’s main points if the key words, phrases and ideas are repeated often by the preacher during the delivery.

Repetition provides the mental reinforcements that the brain needs to piece together the information being presented during a sermon.

In How Effective Sermons Advance , Ben Awbrey writes that through the use of repetition, sermons gain greater unity, which enhances the cognitive understanding of the sermon and text in the minds of the hearers. ³

Strategy #4: Make a Note to NOT Use Notes.

TED encourages its speakers to give their presentations without notes so that they can better engage their listeners. ⁴ This allows speakers to have proper eye contact with their listeners and better use non-verbal gestures to retain attention.

If preachers desire for their listeners to not be glued to their smartphones during a message, they must not be glued to the notes in their pulpits.

Preachers must not lose their audiences’ attention by referring back to their notes multiple times throughout a sermon.

Strategy #5: Strong Sermon Structuring.

Effective sermons that engage and command the attention of listeners are structured well. Whether your sermon is arranged deductively or inductively, it is important that listeners can follow the trajectory that you are walking them through.

Arrange your sermon in an organized manner that clearly outlines various points that are memorable and easy to understand.

Doing this will allow you to keep their attention throughout the message and make them want to hear more. Transitions also play a large role in this strategy. In Biblical Preaching , Haddon Robinson wrote that transitions serve as road signs to point out where the sermon has been and where it is going,next. ⁵

Skilled preachers can provide carefully crafted verbal transitions to guide the audience through the various points of your message. By doing this, you can help your listeners follow along with you well so that they are not tempted to pull their attention away from the sermon.

Strategy #6: Timing is Everything.

As a child, one of the table topics of Sunday lunches after church was our pastor’s sermon length in minutes. My father consistently checked his watch when our pastor would begin his sermons, announce his conclusions and when he actually concluded his message. To this day, my mind thinks about those who might be in my audience doing the same thing.

There is no set standard for a sermon’s length, but it should be closely considered in the age of smartphones.

TED mandates that their speakers have an allowed time limit of 18 minutes for their talks. Here is how Chris Anderson, TED’s curator explained his organization’s thinking on the issue in terms of public speaking and timing:

“It [18 minutes] is long enough to be serious and short enough to hold people’s attention..
By forcing speakers who are used to going on for 45 minutes to bring it down to 18,
you get them to really think about what they want to say. What is the key point they want to
communicate? It has a clarifying effect. It brings discipline.” ⁶

Preachers should consider this logic when writing their sermons. I’m not suggesting that all sermons should be contained to an 18-minute timeframe, but that they should consider being more concise when preaching.

What elements are the most important in the sermon? This question can be helpful to ask when considering the limited attention spans of your listeners.

The more “fluff” your sermon has, the more prone your listeners will be to turn their attention to their smartphones.

Strategy #7: End Strong.

The final strategy fittingly focuses on the conclusion of a sermon. As a preaching student in seminary, I remember being shocked by my professor’s instruction to always begin writing sermons with the conclusion.

Effective communicators must begin their sermon writing process with the conclusion in mind.

This will allow the structure of the sermon to point towards a climatic ending that could stick in the minds of even the most distracted listeners. If you have been successful in keeping the attention of your audience away from their smartphones for the duration of the sermon, you don’t want to lose them by failing to end without a strong pay off.

Haddon Robinson famously asked his preaching students, “What can your people do to carry out the truth of Sunday morning’s sermon in Monday morning’s world?” ⁷

A strong conclusion will answer that question for your listeners by summarizing the message and doing it in such a way that it remains in their minds.

Conclusion

Research will continue to trace the mental effects of smartphone use as time progresses and preachers should remain aware of this. Smartphones will keep getting smarter and so homileticians must adapt to meet the needs of a constantly changing reality.

By utilizing strategies such as those listed above, preachers can actively engage their audiences well before they engage their devices and gain the upper hand in the “attention war.”

References:

¹ Mark Galli and Craig Brian Larson, Preaching That Connects (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 37.

² Gregg R. Allison. Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 436.

³ Ben Awbrey, How Effective Sermons Advance (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2011), 186.

⁴ Anderson, TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, 143.

⁵ Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014), 138.

⁶ Carmine Gallo, The Science Behind TED’s 18-Minute Rule. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140313205730-5711504-the-science-behind-ted-s-18-minute-rule/ (accessed on Aug. 14, 2018).

⁷ Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 130.

Frankly, it’s easier to sit back and wait for the new pastor to prove themselves or to come up with the right plan that can lead us forward. But churches that move toward health have discovered that the people must get involved and contribute to the new day, often just as much as the pastor. There are at two things that only the people can bring to this equation.

Let’s look at the people’s two things..

1. The readiness to face reality.

Well over half of America’s churches have plateaued or are in decline and the moral drift of our culture is away from the influence of the church more and more each year. Things simply aren’t going to get better at our church unless some intentional steps are taken.

Leadership gurus call it urgency–the “what” that motivates us to see the need for change in our church if we are going to succeed in ways we aren’t succeeding now. Most have heard insanity’s definition–doing what you’ve always done and expecting different results. But, sadly, many congregations seem content to maintain failing ministries and practices that no longer connect with their community. Perhaps like nowhere else in our culture, failure is acceptable at church as long as the remaining members are happy.

I often speak of four questions a church must say “yes” to before a new day of health can emerge –

1. Do we know we need to change?
2. Are we willing to change?
3. Do we know how to change?
4. Are we willing to do that?

I am always amazed at how unwilling a declining church can be to say “ yes ” to those first two.. Honestly, having the right answer to question three doesn’t matter if you can’t get a “ yes ” to the first two.

Yes, we like our church and we like the way things are done at our church. That’s a big part of why we find ourselves attending our church. But if the way we do things isn’t helping us fulfill our mission of reaching people for Christ, are we willing to face that reality? Many aren’t.

Even the most amazing pastors can’t help a church get healthy if the people won’t look clearly at the need.

Now, facing reality doesn’t have to mean we take on a “doom and gloom” spirit. Instead, ours should be a determination to fulfill our mission, one that is willing to shift gears if necessary, to get back up that hill. Jesus established His Church not to simply be about us, but to be a vehicle through which we can be about the “them” currently outside our walls. This brings us to our next step..

2. Create an embracing environment.

Now, I’m a church kid. I have so much experience walking into churches that I seldom feel confused or uncertain as to what to do. But I’m the exception. The extremely rare exception. In fact, I’m the dinosaur of church life. People like me just don’t exist anymore. Instead, an entire culture drifts into a worship service with absolutely no knowledge of what to do or what will happen. And if we treat them the way many churches have treated me, well


As a guest, I can tell whether or not the people of the church want me there, have any interest in knowing me, or could ever care about my life. I can make that judgment in minutes. Now that may not seem fair, but that’s what your guests do every week.

Where are the people who love people? Where are friendly folks who have a hope that their church might grow? Is the pastor the only guy hoping for that?

Each week, the people of the church create an atmosphere for the guest experience.

I’m not talking about making sure the greeters all showed up or have their cues down pat. If welcoming new people is someone else’s job, then my church is failing at it. Now I’m all for trained greeters and the systems we put in place to extend a good first impression, but friendly people–genuinely friendly people–create the best environment.

Sadly, in many struggling churches, the members come in each week more concerned about themselves than their church. They wonder if they’ll see their friend or if someone will notice their new outfit, or if the pastor’s sermon will be what they need. And they wonder why the pastor isn’t growing their church. Maybe he’s just not doing a good job..

In the church I pastored, we did a little experiment. I asked 40 people to commit to a six-month challenge. Each week, when they attended the weekend service of their choice, I asked them to do three things:

• MEET someone they had never met
• PRAY for someone or promise to pray for them when they heard or saw a need
• HELP someone in even the simplest way (carry a diaper bag, point out restrooms, etc)

We called it MPH and thought such an effort would help us “pick up speed” in becoming the church we wanted to be. We even filled out cards each week, listing the names of those we met, prayed for, and helped.

The impact was unbelievable!

During those six months, the church became one of the friendliest places I’ve ever been. I never saw a guest by themselves. New people were making friends faster than they could have hoped.

In fact, a year later (we tracked it) our visitor retention rate more than doubled. 48% of those who visited are church in that 6-month period were actively attending and involved in the life of the church one year later.

When we are intentionally friendly, good things happen. People want to be in those places where they feel cared about and see the potential for friendships.

If there was a guest at your church last week, and you didn’t meet them
you dropped the ball! Does that seem harsh? I’m not trying to offend you, but if a family came to your house for dinner and you didn’t speak to them, you’re wife would be furious at you! Why is that someone else’s job when that same family comes to your church?

Creating an embracing environment is one step that the people of the congregation can take to demonstrate their desire to see their church grow. It’s their most powerful step. So get some people together and start figuring out how to do it.

After we face the reality of our declining church, most of us immediately want to know what to do. Well, here it is
create an embracing environment in your church. The two churches I pastored experienced remarkable turnarounds and growth. I’m convinced this was a direct result of the people taking their two steps.