Five Evaluation Questions for Your Church Plant (or soul)

by Marty Schoenleber Jr
17Jul, 2012

Five Evaluation Questions for Your Church and You

1. Does your church (and you) love pagans?
2. Does your church know any pagans?
3. Do the people in your church know how to meet pagans?
4. Do the people of your church know how to talk to pagans?
5. Do the people of your church know how to care for pagan?

Some will object to my use of the word “pagan” as a synonym for unbeliever in Christ, but why? It is a word that communicates more than any other that there is a kingdom of darkness and a kingdom of light. All those who are not a part of the kingdom of light are citizens of the kingdom of darkness. They may not know it, they may not look it, they may wear nice clothes and live in fine houses but they are just as far (and as close) to Christ as South Pacific Islander with a boar’s tusk through his nose.
Allow yourself to be impressed with this fact and impress this fact upon your core group for your church plant or your church. People all around us need the gospel. And they need us to love them enough to tell them about Jesus. Let this fact bend your knee to God for the boldness to proclaim the gospel unashamedly.
“The United States is now the third largest mission field in the world. Only India and China have more non-believers.” —Mission America Monthly

Learning to Care for Pagans

15Jul

Monday Discussion

Five foundational principles to transform your relationships with non-Christians.

1. Cultivate the value of caring. Luke 10:25-37 —Many of us think that we care for others because we have no animosity toward others. But Jesus knows better. He knows that caring is only proved in the willingness to sacrifice for others. We are all familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan but the pivotal interpretive clue for why Jesus told the parable is in verses 25-29, especially verse 29. Take a look. Real care is sacrificial and costly.
2. Emphasize Obedience. Emphasize obedience in your own life and in the lives of those you equip. Basic, generous hospitality is not an issue of giftedness or talent, it is an issue of obedience. We are to consider others as more important than ourselves. Period. (Cf. Phil. 2:3)
3. Be Real. Authenticity is a rare quality these days. Just be yourself. There is no need to be mushy or maudlin but there is a need to be genuinely concerned and caring. Neighbors respond with good favor when they are shown basic kindness. Retrieving a wind-tossed recycle bin, tomatoes from a garden, prayer offered for comfort when a loved one has died, shoveling a sidewalk or driveway, are all simple gestures but they open doors to greater things.
4. Be Boldly and Humbly Confident. The two qualities are not mutually exclusive. We should be bold (and praying for boldness) all the time on the basis of the truth of the gospel. But we also should be saturated with humility. God saved us; we didn’t save ourselves. We have no claim to greatness. Humility is disarming. Care is disarming. Unashamed boldness coupled with humility is attractive.
5. Know that You Will be Ripped Off. After having numerous homeless men stay in our home I can tell you that not every situation has a happy ending. Getting ripped off or taken advantage of will happen. It’s part of the price of living for Jesus. But you will be surprised too by the generosity and thankfulness of some of those you seek to care for and reach for the sake of Christ.

People need, your neighbors need the gospel. They need you to love them enough to risk their rejection. They need you to love them enough to discomfort yourself so that they might have the comfort of Christ forever.
Companion Post: How to Fall in Love with Pagans

The Value of a Sabbatical

by Shawn Lovejoy

Many of you know that my family and I were away on a Ministry Sabbatical. Why did we need a Sabbatical? The word Sabbath, of course, means rest. That's what we needed this month. I actually do believe that Senior Pastors need MORE of it, because of the tireless schedules and demands on us. Every year, as soon as school is out, my entire family pulls back a good bit for a few weeks. We use this time to rest, replenish, and re-energize for the Fall!

What did I do on Sabbatical?

• I rested. Truly rested.
• I played with my kids.
• I hung out with my wife.
• I read. A lot. I read three books while I was away and started two more.
• I still did some work. It was just more of the Strategic and futuristic stuff. I worked ON IT, not IN IT. This kind of work inspires me, not drains me!
• I actually exercised some!

What made it replenishing?

• I didn't teach for three weeks in a row. I finally miss it!
• I got away from home. When I'm at home, I can't relax like I want.
• I went to places where I wouldn't feel like we needed to "run" all the time (aka Disney World is not a great Sabbatical destination).
• I spent extended time with God each day. God and I had some great, unhurried, heart to heart'

What did I learn while on my Sabbatical?

• Jesus can run His church without me. HE is bigger than ME!
• We have a dream team of leaders on our Staff these days who can lead well in my stead!
• God is louder in my life when I am away from the daily grind!

Anyone around me will tell you that I work hard and move fast. One of the keys to sustaining my pace the last twelve years has also been learning to rest hard now and again. How do you rest, replenish and re-energize for the next phase of the harvest God wants to bring into your life?

Shawn Lovejoy

Shawn Lovejoy is Lead Pastor of Mountain Lake Church; Directional Leader of churchplanters.com; and
author of The Measure of Our Success: An Impassioned Plea To Pastors.