Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

Last month, I challenged all of you to intentionally seek out those in your life who are not connected with a church. I’ve seen some of that happen already, which I find encouraging, and I look forward to meeting more of your friends and neighbors.

But a life of discipleship goes beyond Sunday morning (or Wednesday evening). Remembering the Sabbath means remembering Christ, our Sabbath rest, Who brings our worries and cares to an end and gives comfort and peace every day.

What does that look like? In many ways, it’s a matter of living out your vocations: doing your job to the best of your ability with the knowledge that you do that job to glorify God, loving your spouse with the same love Christ and His church share, loving and teaching your children (no matter how old) about our loving Savior by telling them about and showing forgiveness to them.

It also means being in the Word and prayer every day. Set aside time each day for prayer. For different people, that can mean different things. Maybe for you, the best time is right before bedtime or when you get up in the morning. Maybe it would work best for you to pray before supper, but instead of “Come, Lord Jesus,” take a couple minutes to give each person in the family to pray together about whatever is on the mind and end with a prayer thanking God for providing food. (Parents, this will also help you know what’s on your kids’ minds.)

I’d also like to see everyone involved in at least one group Bible study each week. If none of the studies we offer on Sunday morning or evening work for you, talk to some friends, whether from Shepherd of the Ridge or other Christians, and find a time you can get together with them each week for a round table-style Bible study, where each person reads a verse or paragraph and offers a thought about how that passage applies to your life. Another impromptu method of study is to work through a book of the Bible, asking how each passage relates to God’s plan of salvation. Think of it as a group getting together each week to solve a mystery, and work together to unlock that from the passage.

If you’ve gotten this far and said, “None of that will work for me,” then this is your chance to get creative. Don’t give up! Maybe you have coworkers who’d like to share a devotion during your lunch break. Maybe you have Facebook friends who’d like to discuss a passage on your “wall” each day. If you have friends or relatives you call regularly on the phone, suggest doing a phone study with them!

What other suggestions do you have? Leave a comment below!

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

First off, let me throw some statistics at you. According to a recent survey, as many as 96% of “unchurched” people are at least somewhat likely to attend a church service if invited by someone with whom they have an established relationship, a friend, coworker, etc. At the same time, only 21% of active church-goers invite anyone to church over the course of a year. In addition, 70% of the unchurched say nobody has ever invited them! And one more statistic from that study: “For the vast majority of the unchurched, the church is still relevant today. Indeed many of them perceive the church to be the most relevant institution in society today.”

Now, let’s do a little math. Our average Sunday attendance is right around 90 and has been for at least the past 10 years. I bet all of you, if you think about it, could think of at least three friends or coworkers, probably more, who don’t attend a Christian church on a regular basis. Some of those, should they accept your invitation, will bring spouses or families. So if we shoot low and assume at least 2/3 will accept the invitation and, on average, bring one additional family member (some are single, but some have kids, so it averages out), that’s 90 x 2/3 x 2 = 120 visitors per year in addition to those who find the church through other means. If half of those friends are willing to come more than once (Don’t stop with the once!), that’s 160 per year. In short, that means we should see, at the very least, an average attendance spike of 3+ visitors per week. Even at that bare minimum rate, we’ll be up to an average attendance of 130 in just 10 years, and that’s not counting any other evangelism programs we implement during that time.

All that said, I firmly believe that many of you have more than 3 unchurched friends. On any given week, about 10% of the town attends a service somewhere. That means that, of your 10 closest friends, 9 are home on Sunday morning, waiting for you to invite them.

So here’s what I’d like everyone, young and old, adult or child, to do:

• Make a list of all your friends and coworkers with whom you have a personal relationship.
• Cross off anyone that you know attends a Christian church regularly.
• Who’s left? See if you can come up with twelve separate households.
• Write their names on a calendar, one per month. If you have less than 12, just fill in the first part of the year until you run out. Maybe God will provide someone else to be added to the end of the year.
• Each month, make a point of inviting that person. Offer to drive. Kids, ask your parents about having a Saturday night sleepover, then bring your friend to church and Sunday School the next day.

The Fine Print

• Following this will not make you a better Christian. It will not make God love you more. (He couldn’t possibly love you more than He already does.)
• This is not about numbers. In fact, if your friend is a member of a Christian church but just doesn’t attend, if you think they’d be more willing, offer to go to their church with them! This is about bringing people to hear the Gospel so the Holy Spirit can give faith and eternal life to your friend.
• You cannot do anything to create faith in your friend. Only the Holy Spirit does that, but He works through the Gospel, so your job is simply to bring the soil to the seed and watch God make it grow.
• Make sure to answer any questions about what to wear or anything else. Let them know you’ll sit with them and answer any questions they have. Many people don’t come simply because they’re intimidated and worry that they won’t know what to do, so let them know that we put step-by-step directions in everyone’s hands.
• If your friend isn’t comfortable with a service, keep an eye on the church calendar for picnics, movie nights, Bible studies, or other activities to help them connect with a church community and help them see that these are friendly, fun-loving, non-judgmental people.

God has put us here in the middle of a hurting world, and He has given us the Cure. The more we share it, the more our joy increases. May your year be filled with the joy of a life lived as a forgiven and eternal child of God.

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

Christmas is almost upon us, but too often, we celebrate God becoming flesh by leaving the malls’ and radios’ music to tell people about Jesus. Yet just today, I heard about a child who doesn’t even know that Christmas has something to do with a baby in a manger. Consider these suggestions to help your friends and family members know why Jesus is the reason for the season.

• Invite them to a Christmas service, and offer to drive.
• Take them to a living nativity. Offer to drive.
• Find other church-sponsored Christmas events: concerts, etc. Offer to drive. (Yes, I’m making a point here.)
• Talk about your favorite Christmas song and why its lyrics speak to you.

What suggestions do you have? Leave a suggestion below.

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

It’s no secret that we live in a world of pain and suffering. And when we’re suffering the most and really need someone to talk to, it seems we find ourselves alone. When friends go through major crises like divorce or the death of a child, we tend to avoid them. If we see them at the grocery store, we tend to slip down a different aisle to avoid that suffering person.

Why do we avoid them? Chances are, we just don’t know what to say. But then again, neither do they. When I do hospital visits, I can go visit someone who’s in all kinds of pain, and when I ask, “How are you doing?” because I want to know the person’s condition, I often hear, “I’m good. How are you?” Really? You’re good? Then why am I visiting you in the hospital? But that answer comes, because we don’t know what to say.

First, know that your presence there is more important than anything you could say. In fact, saying, “I don’t know what to say, but I want you to know I’m here for you,” is probably better than any words of wisdom you could think up. When people are lying in a hospital bed, they’re not usually looking for advice. If they are, they’ll ask. What they really want is comfort, and unless you’re an attending doctor or nurse, chances are, your body in the vicinity brings the most comfort.

But when the phone call comes, and that friend or family member is facing a crisis, and you really want to provide a little more comfort, here’s a few suggestions:

• Romans 8:18-39 has one great word of comfort after another. Pick a paragraph or whatever seems appropriate. Bookmark the page in your Bible for easy reference.
• Sometimes, sending them to more words of comfort, like the sermons posted on our website, may be helpful. You may remember one or two that impacted you. “Where was God when…?” specifically addresses this kind of situation.
• One word: Resurrection. No matter what your problem, Jesus has the solution in the empty tomb. On the Last Day, all of our problems will be solved. Meanwhile, He is with us and will help us through whatever problems face us. Since most people in the United States believe in some kind of heaven, don’t worry that you’ll be offending them by saying this.

Jesus came to bind up the broken-hearted, and He has made us His hands and mouth to continue that ministry. May God give you the courage and love to do so.

We have two forbidden topics in our culture: religion and politics. But somewhere along the line, people started talking about politics. Maybe somewhere along the line, we figured out how to discuss our views like reasonable adults without attacking each other to improve understanding of each other and relate better to one another–that, or we just don’t keep our opinions and beliefs to ourselves very well.

That being the case, since our entire worldview revolves around our understanding of Who God is and how He relates to us, it makes sense that we should be able to discuss our understanding of our place in the universe with each other, but we can’t expect to just walk up to a random person on the street or in the office and have that deep of a conversation. So here are some tips to that end:

• Don’t treat people like merit badges. You don’t earn points with God for sharing the Gospel (you don’t need to–Jesus already earned everything for you), so don’t accumulate “targets” the way businesses try to accumulate customers.
• Love people, and don’t just love them so you can share the Gospel with them. Love them as Christ loved them by being a good friend.
• Instead of going out and looking for “targets,” look at the friends you have now. How can you be a better friend, and how can you develop deeper relationships with those friends? (Hint: Think about the people everyone likes because of their generosity, the “would give you the shirt off his back” kinds of people) Follow that example with your friends.
• Be real with people. Listen to them, and when you can offer comfort in bad times, remember that there’s no better comfort than the promise of the resurrection and eternal life. Let your friends know that it really is going to be OK.

But what if that opportunity doesn’t come? You don’t want to wish for something bad to happen to someone so you can provide comfort in the Gospel! Here are some hot current topics, though, that have a spiritual element, and if one fo these topics surface, don’t be afraid to offer some Godly wisdom into the conversation:

• Gay marriage: it’s not what God wants, because He wants so much more for us, to know the love He’s shown us in Christ.
• Health Care: the Bible doesn’t give direction as to how the government should proceed, but since God loves us, how can we help people on a local level while we wait for the government to figure out which direction it’ll go?
• War in the Middle East: discuss the importance of praying for both our troops and our enemies, that God would thwart evil plans and bring peace and healing
• The economy: share your assurance that, even without employment, God will take care of you, and that our problems are nothing compared to His problems

If you’re interested, let me suggest an activity for your family: as you watch the news together, discuss each story with each other and how we as Christians can respond. How does our assurance of God’s love and the promise of the resurrection affect the way we understand that story. A DVR (like a TiVo or similar devices) comes in handy for this, but otherwise, use mute buttons during the commercial breaks for these conversation opportunities. Parents, this is a great and simple way for you to pass on your values in a very practical way to your children.

What other topics or tips do you have? I welcome your comments.

Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, and the more I think about it, as despicable as most pirates may be, perhaps we can learn something from them.

All too often, the church (and when I say “the church,” I mean, “Christians as a whole,” not a building) acts like the pirate’s mortal enemy, the ninja. We operate under stealth, meeting in secret (or might as well be in secret, as most people just don’t get up early on Sundays), and few people know our secret, since at best, we might wear a cross necklace, or we think that being nice to people will convey the Gospel inherently without actually mentioning Jesus as the motivation behind our actions. We certainly don’t announce our intentions, but insist on sneaking around, blending into society.

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

Since I’ve been here, I’ve heard a lot of comments that people hope my presence here will somehow bring people back who’ve somehow slipped through the cracks, especially the younger (under 40) generations whom statistically we see less of at any given service.

What won’t work

Having a younger pastor will not suddenly encourage most absent members to suddenly be present. Most of them don’t even know how old I am, and my generation, in many ways, is the “What’s your point?” generation. Why should they care whether I’m young? Is 37 even all that young? What does that mean to them?

Contemporary services are seen by many churches as a panacea for waning attendance and the need for evangelism, but very few people choose to attend or join a church based on its service style. Both traditional and contemporary styles have pros and cons, and usually, people care more about the people in a church than the service. Yes, I plan to experiment with our service format a bit, starting September 9 & 13, but this is more for the benefit of those already here than those outside. Making the service visitor-friendly is mostly about the format of our worship folder, which we’re busy tweaking each week, and we value your input.

What will help

In a town our size, we need to be friendly without smothering. When you see someone you don’t know, go talk to them. Introduce yourself. Ask about their families, especially kids and grandkids. And really listen. Let them know you care without being nosy. If they’re single, ask what they like to do for fun or where they’re from. If they look slightly familiar or you’re not sure whether they’re members or visitors, say, “Hi, I’m ___. I’m drawing a blank on your name–should I know it?”

This is such common sense, but think about how often you’ve invited a friend to church. Offer to take them out for brunch afterward (which will give you a chance to see whether they have questions or comments about the service), and offer to drive if possible.

Leave a review! Our church is listed at the Google Local directory. Go there, and leave a review. Mention how long you’ve been a member and why you attend here or what you like about our congregation. If your kids are in our preschool, leave a review of the preschool at the same place. As that entry gets more reviews, and as we build our website, we will show up higher in searches and be easier to find when people look for a church in the area.

What will work

Remember that our goal is not to increase our service attendance. Yes, that’s a great way to share God’s love and engage souls with God’s Word, but it’s a strategy, not our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is more souls saved from hell, and the way that happens is by loving each other, loving those outside the church, and especially loving those we have the most difficulty loving, as they tend to need it the most.

So the key to accomplishing that mission is loving people. But remember that love is more than just a warm feeling. It means doing what you can to help others: body, mind, and soul. It means making personal sacrifices for the well-being of others. It means stepping outside your comfort zone, changing plans, and making the cross and empty tomb the center of everything you do.

Because that’s what Jesus did for us.