Football Practice<\/b><\/p>\n
I have often wondered what would happen if football coaches approached their work like most youth ministers are expected to. For example, I wonder what would happen if when a player was too busy to show up for practice, the understanding coach simply said, \u201cWe\u2019ll miss you. I hope you\u2019ll be able to make it next week sometime.\u201d Imagine the players leaving practice and hearing the smiling coach say, \u201cThanks for coming. I hope you\u2019ll come back tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
If a football team operated like a typical youth ministry, we might expect concerned parents to call the coach, saying, \u201cCan you tell me what\u2019s been going on in practice? My son says it\u2019s boring, and he doesn\u2019t want to come anymore. I was wondering, could you make it a little more fun for them? And by the way, you might want to talk to the coach at the school across town. He seems to have the right idea.\u201d The coach might send out quarterly questionnaires about what the players would like to change about the team (I can just imagine the answers: \u201cshorter practices,\u201d \u201cmore winning\u201d).<\/p>\n
A coach, responding like a typical youth minister, might first feel guilty that the practices were not meeting the boy\u2019s needs, and he would try to adjust his program to suit this boy (and every other boy who complained). Between trying to keep everybody happy and giving every student a good experience, the coach would squeeze in a little football practice. And what kind of season would this coach have? It\u2019s a safe bet that the coach wouldn\u2019t be the only one who felt like a loser.<\/p>\n
But this is the very way that most churches expect to run their youth ministries. To expect that youth be committed to the church at the same level of commitment that would be expected on an athletic team would draw the charge of legalism and of religious individualism that the expectation of commitment to the church has become implausible to most Christian parents. Because the god of individualism pressures us to program to the lowest common denominator, we seldom raise the expectations high enough for teenagers to experience real community.<\/p>\n
Real community means real responsibility for each other. It means a commitment to be there for each other even when the schedule is tight and when motivation is low. But the typical Christian adult in our culture knows little about commitment to community.<\/p>\n
Mark DeVries, Family-Based Youth Ministry, (Downers Grove, IL, InterVarsity Press, 1994, pp. 150-151<\/p>\n
Are You a Potential Church Dropout?<\/b><\/p>\n
Watch out for these six factors that could put you at risk for taking a leave of absence from church.<\/p>\n
1. A major life event. Graduation, marriage, divorce, a death in the family, a sudden change in your finances. Experiences like these cause one to re-evaluate his life\u2014and sometimes explore alternatives.<\/p>\n
2. Change in the church. A new pastor, a new location, the loss of your best friends\u2014when your notion of \u201cchurch\u201d is forced to change, it can be hard to stick around.<\/p>\n
3. Prolonged stress. Have you been battling career or financial uncertainty? Long-term illness in the family? Trying to start a new business? Faced with prolonged stress, there\u2019s a tendency to put church on the back burner\u2014or turn it off altogether.<\/p>\n
4. A chronic, unresolved problem. Festering conflicts and needs left unattended are like acid on a man\u2019s spirit. Unless he finds resolution, he will eventually become disillusioned.<\/p>\n
5. Not using your spiritual gift. If you don\u2019t know what your gift is, and if you are not using it to serve the body of Christ, you are crippling your spiritual life. Few things place you more at risk than this one.<\/p>\n
6. Burnout in a leadership position. If your energy and enthusiasm have been sapped through prolonged overwork in church ministry, you are at risk. You need a break\u2014before you break!<\/p>\n
William Hendricks, adapted from Exit Interviews: Revealing Stories of Why People are Leaving the Church (Moody), quoted in New Man, November\/December, 1996, p. 60<\/p>\n
Religion: A Good Thing<\/b><\/p>\n
The good news is that science now agrees: Religion really is a good thing. Consider the following, reported in Time magazine\u2019s cover story for June 24:<\/p>\n
1. Heart-surgery patients who draw comfort from their religious faith have a significantly higher survival rate than those who do not.<\/p>\n
2. The blood pressure of people who attend church is 5 mm lower than that of those who do not.<\/p>\n
3. People with religious faith who attend church regularly experience less depression than nonreligious people, while suicide is four times higher among nonchurchgoers.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerspectives on the News,\u201d Signs of the Times, September 1996, p. 4.<\/p>\n
New in Town<\/b><\/p>\n
The first time I worshipped at their church About two months ago I signed the registration card So all of them would know<\/p>\n
That I had just moved into town And needed a little part Of the loving concern for each other That a Christian has in his heart.<\/p>\n
I checked the proper boxes To indicate my age My marital condition My sex, my spiritual stage.<\/p>\n
No one smiled or shook my hand When the services were through And Satan whispered in my ear \u201cSee, no one noticed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
But I stayed home each night that week In hopes someone would call It didn\u2019t have to be the Preacher Just any one at all<\/p>\n
Who cared enough to take the time In our dear Saviour\u2019s Name To bid a stranger welcome… But no one ever came.<\/p>\n
And then a thought came to my mind That I\u2019d like to share with you Why should I sit and wait for others To do what I could do?<\/p>\n
So, I joined that church And here I am… Tonight is \u201cvisitation.\u201d We\u2019re glad you came, <\/p>\n
We hope you\u2019ll stay And join our congregation.<\/p>\n
Ruth Gruennert<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Average Attendance<\/b><\/p>\n
48% of church-goers attend an average of once a month. <\/p>\n
U.S.A. Today, 5\u201325-94<\/p>\n
The Ultimate House Church<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cIf there are any \u2018churches\u2019 which are scriptural in their membership, in their maintenance of discipline, in their preaching, and in all that concerns their public services, we do not know where to find them. We have traveled completely around the world, but there is no church known to us where we could hold membership.\u201d So he and his wife remained at home on Sundays for the last three decades of his life.\u201d<\/p>\n
A.W. Pink, in The Open Church, J.H. Rutz, p. 105<\/p>\n
If You Want to Kill the Church<\/b><\/p>\n
Never go to your church or meetings held there, If you do go, be late, it\u2019s no one\u2019s affair. If the weather is bad, either too hot or snowing, Just stay home and rest, for there\u2019ll be others going.<\/p>\n
But should you attend, be sure and remember To find fault with the work, each official and member. Be sure to hold back on your offerings and tithes, The bills will be paid by the rest of the guys.<\/p>\n
And never take office if offered the post, But eagerly criticize work of the host. If not on a committee you\u2019re placed, be sore! If you find that you are, don\u2019t attend any more.<\/p>\n
When asked your opinion on this thing or that, Have nothing to say, just turn \u2018em down flat. Then after the meeting, shine out like the sun By telling the folks how it should have been done.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t do any more than you possibly can, Leave the work for some other woman or man. And when you see faithful ones work themselves sick, Then stand up and holler, \u201cIt\u2019s run by a clique!\u201d<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Church is Like Sports<\/b><\/p>\n
Football in the fall. Basketball in the winter. Baseball in the spring and summer. This pastor has been an avid sports fan all his life.<\/p>\n
But I\u2019ve had it! I quit this sports business once and for all. You can\u2019t get me near one of those places again. Want to know why… Every time I went, they asked me for money.<\/p>\n
The people with whom I had to sit didn\u2019t seem very friendly. The seats were too hard and not at all comfortable. I went to many games, but the coach never came to call on me. The referee made a decision with which I could not agree.<\/p>\n
I suspected that I was sitting with some hypocrites – they came to see their friends and what others were wearing rather than to see the game. Some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home. The band played some numbers that I had never heard before.<\/p>\n
It seems that the games are scheduled when I want to do other things. I was taken to too many games by my parents when I was growing up. I don\u2019t want to take my children to any games, because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.<\/p>\n
Author Unknown, At Calvary, Covington, KY<\/p>\n
The B.C.<\/b><\/p>\n
This story deals with a rather old fashioned lady, who was planning a couple of weeks vacation in Florida. She also was quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to a particular campground and asked for reservations. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn\u2019t know quite how to ask about the \u201ctoilet\u201d facilities. She just couldn\u2019t bring herself to write the word \u201ctoilet\u201d in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old fashioned term \u201cBathroom Commode,\u201d but when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward. So she started all over again; rewrote the entire letter and referred to the \u201cBathroom Commode\u201d simply as the \u201cB.C.\u201d. Does the campground have its own \u201cB.C.?\u201d is what she actually wrote. <\/p>\n
Well, the campground owner wasn\u2019t old fashioned at all, and when he got the letter, he couldn\u2019t figure out what the lady was talking about. That \u201cB.C.\u201d really stumped him. After worrying about it for several days, he showed the letter to other campers, but they couldn\u2019t figure out what the lady meant either. The campground owner finally came to the conclusion that the lady was and must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church. So he sat down and wrote the following reply: \u201cDear Madam: I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take pleasure of informing in that the \u201cB.C.\u201d is located nine miles north of the camp site and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along, and make a day of it….. They usually arrive early and stay late. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats…..They plan to hold the supper in the middle of the B.C., so everyone can watch and talk about this great event…..I would like to say it pains me very much, not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not for lack of desire on my part….As we grow older, it seems to be more and more of an effort, particularly in cold weather….. If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go … sit with you … and introduce you to all the other folks. … This is really a very friendly community.<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Psalm of Summer<\/b><\/p>\n
Now it came to pass that spring turned to summer again. God\u2019s people raised their voices and said:<\/p>\n
\u201cRecreation is my shepherd, I shall not stay at home; He maketh me to lie down in a sleeping bag; He leadeth me down the Interstate each weekend. He restoreth my suntan; He leadeth me to State Parks for comfort\u2019s sake. <\/p>\n
Even though I stray on the Lord\u2019s Day, I will fear no reprimand, for Thou art with me; my rod and reel they comfort me. I anointest my skin with oil, my gas tank runneth dry; Surely my trailer shall follow me all the weekends this summer, and I shall return to the House of the Lord this fall.\u201d<\/p>\n
But then it is hunting season and that\u2019s another psalm. <\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Some people don\u2019t need much of an excuse to stay home from church. If it even looks like it might rain, they don\u2019t want to risk getting a little wet. The hymn writer Frances Havergal gave several reasons for attending church\u2014especially on rainy days.<\/p>\n
1. God has blessed the Lord\u2019s Day, making no exceptions for stormy days.<\/p>\n
2. I expect my minister to be there. I would be surprised if he stayed at home because of the weather.<\/p>\n
3. I might lose out on the prayers and the sermon that would have done me great good.<\/p>\n
4. For important business, rain doesn\u2019t keep me home; and church is, in God\u2019s sight, very important.<\/p>\n
5. Bad weather…will prove how much I love Christ. True love rarely fails to keep an appointment.<\/p>\n
6. Those who stay home from church because it\u2019s rainy frequently miss on fair Sundays too. I must not take one step in that direction.<\/p>\n
7. Christ said that \u201cwhere two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them\u201d (Matthew 18:20).<\/p>\n
8. I don\u2019t know how many more Sundays God may give me. It would be poor preparation for my first Sunday in heaven to have slighted my last one on earth. <\/p>\n
Enough said! <\/p>\n
P.R.., Our Daily Bread<\/p>\n
Willow Creek Survey<\/b><\/p>\n
In a door-to-door survey conducted by Willow Creek Community Church the question was asked: if you don\u2019t go to church, why? The five biggest reasons: (1) Boring, (2) Irrelevant, (3) Asking for money all the time, (4) I\u2019m too busy already, (5) I feel awkward at church.<\/p>\n
Willow Creek Community Church<\/p>\n
Drop Outs<\/b><\/p>\n
For every person raised without religion who adopts a church, three persons forsake the churches for no institutional affiliation.<\/p>\n
Wade Clark Roof and William McKinney in American Mainline Religion, quoted in Signs of the Times, Jan, 1992<\/p>\n
Loyalty or Flattery<\/b><\/p>\n
Francois Fenelon was the court preacher for King Louis XIV of France in the 17th century. One Sunday when the king and his attendants arrived at the chapel for the regular service, no one else was there but the preacher. <\/p>\n
King Louis demanded, \u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d <\/p>\n
Fenelon replied, \u201cI had published that you would not come to church today, in order that your Majesty might see who serves God in truth and who flatters the king.\u201d<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Consumerism<\/b><\/p>\n
I often visit newcomers in town and find them to be church shopping. They want to know what they can get out of church. Churches are one more consumer commodity. Worship services are not a place for us to serve God and neighbor but a place where people expect to purchase the best: inspiring worship, good music, moving sermons, quality child care. As if we buy God and not vice versa. <\/p>\n
Arthur Boers in The Other Side, May\/June, 1989<\/p>\n
Baby Boomer Expectations<\/b><\/p>\n
What do baby boomers expect to see in a church? Answer: high-quality preaching, good music and social groups, says Lyle E. Schaller, an Illinois religious consultant. Baby boomers also expect big meeting rooms, a quality kitchen, child care, ample parking and clean rest rooms. <\/p>\n
Focus on the Family, July, 1989, p. 11<\/p>\n
Loyalty<\/b><\/p>\n
Percentage of mothers who said they wanted their children to develop a loyalty to church in 1924: 50. In 1978: 22. <\/p>\n
Psychology Today, 10\/88.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Football Practice I have often wondered what would happen if football coaches approached their work like most youth ministers are expected to. For example, I wonder what would happen if when a player was too busy to show up for practice, the understanding coach simply said, \u201cWe\u2019ll miss you. I hope you\u2019ll be able to … Continue reading “Church Attendance”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}