tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89910139190235200252024-03-06T15:01:02.970-05:00Practical Worshipsimple
encouraging
practicalCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.comBlogger407125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-23768343038916832852011-12-09T13:45:00.003-05:002011-12-09T14:38:43.295-05:00Ministry and The Hundred Acre WoodWith a three year old daughter at home, I have suddenly become very familiar with Winnie the Pooh and friends. Apparently, Pooh wasn't as popular back in the 80's when I was growing up, because I really don't remember much about him or Piglet or Tigger.<br /><br />What I love about Winnie the Pooh and friends is that each character is so different...each possesses their own unique personality, mannerisms, etc. Lots of people relate so well to Winnie the Pooh and friends because they see themselves in one of the characters...or better yet, they see the characters in the people around them.<br /><br />One of the keys of leading people in church ministry is being able to identify the strengths and weaknesses in those you lead so that you can create opportunities to serve that both allow people to thrive and challenge them to grow. And, I've discovered that the characters of The Hundred Acre Wood help me figure out how certain people operate, are motivated, etc.<br /><br />Winnie the Pooh<br />Strengths - Pooh always has something kind to say, always is willing to help out a friend in need, and is always ready to cheer somebody up.<br />Weaknesses - Pooh is very forgetful, has a habit of getting caught up in the moment and ignoring what is happening around him, allows his tummy to control his thoughts and actions, and tends to be very messy (think honey).<br /><br />Piglet<br />Strengths - Piglet is very humble, willing to work behind the scenes without patting himself on the back, and is always willing to do his part, even when his part is very small.<br />Weaknesses - Piglet is very fearful of trying new things, second guesses and doubts himself constantly, and tends to rely on others for motivation.<br /><br />Tigger<br />Strengths - Tigger is extremely energetic, is always the first to try anything new, and is an incredible encourager.<br />Weaknesses - Tigger can be energetic to the point of destruction (think Rabbit's garden), can get so far ahead of people that he finds himself all alone, and often acts without really thinking things through.<br /><br />Rabbit<br />Strengths - Rabbit is very intelligent, is very thorough and prefers to do things with excellence, and likes to organize the group when they are planning projects and adventures.<br />Weaknesses - Rabbit likes to over analyze things to the point of frustrating everyone else, can be very, very stubborn, and tends to become very upset with others when they mess things up.<br /><br />Eeyore<br />Strengths - Eeyore is very dependable, very diligent about completing a task, and tends to be the wisest of all of the characters (even though nobody seems to notice).<br />Weaknesses - Eeyore is very slow and tends to hold others back, is always depressed, and the first thing out of his mouth is almost always negative or critical.<br /><br />Owl<br />Strengths - Owl is something of a father figure to the other characters, tends to show up at just the right time, and is always available with a bit of advice.<br />Weaknesses - Owl really doesn't do a whole lot other than sit in his tree and give advice (often very bad advice), considers himself to be way more intelligent than he actually is, and tends to make a big deal out of nothing.<br /><br />Gopher<br />Strengths - Gopher is a very hard worker, always has a positive attitude, and tends to always have the resources needed for the task at hand.<br />Weaknesses - Gopher comes and goes as he pleases and is not always around when he is needed, and although he means well, his solutions to problems are often problems in and of themselves.<br /><br />The great thing about this group of friends (I know I didn't name them all) is that, despite their collective shortcomings, they always seem to get the job done and have fun doing it. They work together as a team, often though not always led by Christopher Robbins, and at the end of the day, they are always ready for the next adventure.<br /><br />The unfortunate thing about this group of friends is that, despite their many mistakes, they never seem to learn from them.<br /><br />So, which character are you? Which characters make up the team of people you lead or serve with? Which character(s) are you missing from your team? How do you encourage these people to grow in their strengths and overcome their weaknesses?<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-18097158465074739542011-06-30T10:12:00.001-04:002011-06-30T10:13:53.403-04:00Secular in the ChurchIf, as many argue, the church can only use music that was written by those devoted to God, does that mean we can only hire Christian architects to design our church buildings, Christian bakers to prepare our communion bread, Christian seamstresses to sew our choir robes?<br /><br />What say you?<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-81287998281105422612011-05-02T09:06:00.007-04:002011-05-05T20:31:46.416-04:00Enemies (Considering the death of Osama Bin Laden)<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >The death of Osama Bin Laden, and vast spectrum of reaction has me thinking about how followers of Christ are commanded to relate to our "enemies". Understand that I'm approaching this from a Biblical perspective, not from an "American" perspective. Neither does the following cover every aspect of this topic. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"> Should we hate our enemies?</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Should we celebrate the death of an enemy?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after: avoid;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> - Matthew 5:44-46</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after: avoid; font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Who is responsible for justice?</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Should we celebrate God’s justice?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after: avoid;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Never pay back evil for evil to anyone Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you,</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><sup style="font-style: italic;"> </sup></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."</span> - Romans 12:17-20</p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I will sing of lovingkindness and justice, To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.</span> - Psalm 101:1</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> - Deuteronomy 32:35</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who does God consider to be "evil/wicked"?</span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><span style="font-style: italic;">THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE</span>. - Romans 3:10-12</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><span style="font-style: italic;">For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.</span> - Romans 3:23<br /></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">What is God’s desire for the wicked?</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Should we celebrate the death of somebody who will spend eternity without Him?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >But a wicked person who turns his back on that life of sin and keeps all my statutes, living a just and righteous life, he'll live, really live. He won't die. I won't keep a list of all the things he did wrong. He will live. Do you think I take any pleasure in the death of wicked men and women? Isn't it my pleasure that they turn around, no longer living wrong but living right—really living?</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> - Ezekiel 18:23</span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Who are “God’s children”?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> - John 1:12-13</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">From what I understand from God's Word and character, here are a few thoughts:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- Any believer who celebrates the death of an enemy and that enemy's eternity in hell does not truly understand the heart of God or the reality of hell (and, truthfully, nobody completely understands God or hell).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- Any believer who doesn't praise God for His justice doesn't truly understand God's justice (again, nobody completely understands this).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- In the eyes of God, everyone of us is "wicked" and on our way to eternity without God...the murderers, the liars, the nice people.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- God offers eternity with Him to anyone who believes in Jesus. The good, the bad, the most evil. The fruit of Bin Laden's life speaks very evidently that he never held that belief. BUT, if he did, he will spend eternity in Heaven.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- The "children of God" are those who have believed in Jesus. Again, if Bin Laden never believed, he is not "God's child".</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Nate<br /></span></p>CFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-84350050284691896522011-04-04T14:07:00.002-04:002011-04-04T15:00:21.067-04:00Facebook as a Ministry Tool - Facebook Events<span style="font-style: italic;">We've discovered at Nags Head Church that Facebook is an incredible tool to help accomplish this. Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting some of the best ways we've discovered to use Facebook for ministry and mission.</span><br /><br />One of the great things about Facebook is that it can be relatively easy for something to go "viral", locally. Because the OBX is not a huge community, and just about everyone is connected to everyone else within one or two people (think Kevin Bacon), we've discovered:<br /><br />1) News can travel fast on Facebook. For example, on the OBX, photos of a beached whale from the morning start popping up all over the place on the profile pages of OBX locals within just a few hours and are everywhere by early afternoon, rumors of Chick-Fil-A opening locally circulate within hours on profile updates, etc.<br /><br />2) Often, any news is big news. As evidenced above, it doesn't take much to get people's attention around here.<br /><br />3) Because of 1 & 2, lots of local folks use Facebook as a local news/information source.<br /><br />Based on our observations, we've discovered that creating a Facebook Event can be a great way to get the word out about an upcoming outreach event. Consider these guesstimations/statistics:<br /><br />1) About 90% of our NHC partners and regular attenders are on Facebook, and most of those people are connected with several other partners/attenders. That's around 350 people. <br />2) Let's say, conservatively, that 50% of those people check their facebook about once a day and would be up for "attending" a church related Facebook Event and inviting their local friends to that event. That's 175 people.<br />3) Let's say that the average NHC partner/attender has 400 Facebook friends, and about 200 of those friends are local.<br />4) Again, let's say that 50% of those local friends check their Facebook at least once a day. That's 100 people.<br />5) Because, most likely, many of our NHC partners and attenders share many of the same local Facebook friends, let's say that each of those 175 partners/attenders who are regular Facebook users has 50 unique local Facebook friends who are outside of our church.<br />6) We know for a fact that only 7% of adults in our area attend church regularly. So, we'll subtract 7% from 50 unique locals outside of our church, and we end up with 47 (rounding up).<br /><br />So, take all of those numbers, and let's guesstimate that we could possibly market to over 8000 people (175 x 47). Of course, 8000 people aren't going to show up to every event, but the potential is there for 8000 people to be exposed to a Facebook invitation to an event. Maybe that number is way high, or maybe it's way low...in either case, that's still a lot of people. And, we've discovered that, if we can get our own people excited about an upcoming event and committed to inviting other Facebook friends to an event, that number is certainly not unreasonable. And, that's just via Facebook, not considering that we understand that personal, face to face invitations are still the most effective.<br /><br />So, we do our best to set up a Facebook Event for just about every outreach event at our church. Not every event gets good results because of Facebook Events, but it's kind of stupid to ignore this free and effective marketing tool.<br /><br />A couple of tips from experience:<br />1) Keep the information as simple, accurate and clear as possible.<br />2) Develop your own graphics/artwork that are culturally relevant and hopefully attention grabbing.<br />3) Focus on a target group.<br />4) Talk about Facebook on Sunday mornings.<br />5) When setting up the Facebook Event, uncheck the "show the guest list on the event page" box. We've discovered, especially with youth events, that people will often check the guest list and make their decision about attending an event based on who they can see are "attending" and "not attending".<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-76482611796236352722011-03-28T10:42:00.003-04:002011-03-28T11:00:40.630-04:00God Makes No MistakesYesterday at <a href="http://www.nagsheadchurch.com/">Nags Head Church</a>, we talked about humanity as God's creation. In doing so, we decided to contrast <a href="http://www.ladygaga.com/bornthisway/index.htm">Lady Gaga</a>'s "Born This Way" with <a href="http://www.gungormusic.com/">Gungor</a>'s "Beautiful Things" to illustrate the huge (yet deceptive) difference between how God's Word and the beliefs of society. We sang an acoustic version of "Born This Way" (similar to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL2IxuUKZ-c">This Video</a>), and then invited our church to pay close attention to the difference as we sang "Beautiful Things".<br /><br />Based on the feedback, I would say it was incredibly effective, and certainly surprising to the parents and grandparents who had no idea their kids had already been introduced to "Born This Way".<br /><br />Below are the two songs mentioned above. I have to warn you that "Born This Way" is a little disturbing to watch (close your eyes and listen if nothing else), but I believe it is something that we need to see and hear to understand how desperately our world needs the Truth of Jesus. Pay close attention to the way Lady Gaga mixes Biblical Truth ("God makes no mistakes") with untruth ("There ain't no other way").<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wV1FrqwZyKw" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oyPBtExE4W0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-31911436632673582032011-03-17T11:08:00.005-04:002011-04-04T14:09:47.346-04:00Facebook as a Ministry Tool - Profile Banners (Update)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEhv-sh6rrQxXO3LSG_lEBLlaXzEZMrI0W2ARU9YeoMuGQgTd6lYHxqp8CjWSffafgxUqdLT4OH-1OlJoBcXf60AYS6EHH7phd8kde1pP_vNt-qU-ydkzlrDloE902JDzgG3tEsHHTXY/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-17+at+11.14.26+AM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEhv-sh6rrQxXO3LSG_lEBLlaXzEZMrI0W2ARU9YeoMuGQgTd6lYHxqp8CjWSffafgxUqdLT4OH-1OlJoBcXf60AYS6EHH7phd8kde1pP_vNt-qU-ydkzlrDloE902JDzgG3tEsHHTXY/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-17+at+11.14.26+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585067152688506482" border="0" /></a><br />This is an update from <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://practicalworship.blogspot.com/2011/03/facebook-as-ministry-tool-01.html">the post below</a>.<br /><br />After talking with a few people and trying a few different methods, the easiest way of allowing others in my church to use the banner is to upload it as outlined below and then invite others to simply tag themselves...the trick is, to tag in reverse order, starting with the 5th photo/graphic (on the far right) and ending with the 1st (on the far left).<br /><br />And, I have found at least two other churches who are using profile banners to market for upcoming events.<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-64562606914256052152011-03-15T21:31:00.011-04:002011-04-04T14:09:25.372-04:00Facebook as a Ministry Tool - Profile Banners<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">One of the things I love about my job is that I get to spend time building relationships, both with our church partners and with people in our community, both face to face and online. We've discovered that Facebook is an incredible tool to help accomplish this. Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting some of the best ways we've discovered to use Facebook for ministry and mission.</span><br /></div><br />I'll start first with something that I'm still working on. One of the changes that came about with the latest Facebook upgrade was the collage of five photos that now spread across the top of profiles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMewLU0DZWe_UQYsrnjviC_JYbRDwKV0LjTkMZ4Y_tUd-6dVW_pUjoWtXNfJXB-4Iuv33Xmz-QAxFYRS0-YkZzhuK7lZHaW1uKJD1Wy_sjDN7QMV24-SaH__60Pmpr8-C5qygNYyjzRjo/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-15+at+12.38.09+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 82px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMewLU0DZWe_UQYsrnjviC_JYbRDwKV0LjTkMZ4Y_tUd-6dVW_pUjoWtXNfJXB-4Iuv33Xmz-QAxFYRS0-YkZzhuK7lZHaW1uKJD1Wy_sjDN7QMV24-SaH__60Pmpr8-C5qygNYyjzRjo/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-15+at+12.38.09+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584484917415015762" border="0" /></a>It literally only took a few days for somebody more creative than me to figure out how to build "profile banners", a series of five photos that make up one single graphic that people can upload and use for advertising, marketing, or just to share more of their personality.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa_0BDfWu6Ei-Dy7yWtpHBQ3JwQz4aM0mNvQIutlyXpZbcAixQA6APYHeOke8qk_LR3Q6k1h8472K90dj_Y-bxdRA3bjbwp34RzkJjJQ-njKW0oiFq6Hh50jueO7Xn8Nut3p5Q7H2j_8/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-15+at+9.46.29+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 406px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa_0BDfWu6Ei-Dy7yWtpHBQ3JwQz4aM0mNvQIutlyXpZbcAixQA6APYHeOke8qk_LR3Q6k1h8472K90dj_Y-bxdRA3bjbwp34RzkJjJQ-njKW0oiFq6Hh50jueO7Xn8Nut3p5Q7H2j_8/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-15+at+9.46.29+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584487917299565474" border="0" /></a>I began seeing more and more of these banners pop up, people advertising their personal business, telling the world of their love for Justin Bieber, asking people to think and pray for Japan...and, I began wondering, is this something that people in our church could use to let their friends know about upcoming events, like a small group party, a surf camp, or Easter Sunday? So, I started searching online, and I found this video...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UPYuaJuynpc" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" width="600"></iframe><br /></div><br />So, I followed the instructions, and within about 20 minutes had created the banner below.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRshS0YSIbnDMrq2KBrxbt7EIxA869MG9M65z-iEDoGOI3EgPZnrqVKZUnLQtodY5IBDOaDCluM67MYy2u9X0E4YyjTGxkpuwNcv-Tx-bW5Q7XbMLxE75D12L63Y2h6GpUj0rJT151Q7M/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-15+at+9.34.29+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 369px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRshS0YSIbnDMrq2KBrxbt7EIxA869MG9M65z-iEDoGOI3EgPZnrqVKZUnLQtodY5IBDOaDCluM67MYy2u9X0E4YyjTGxkpuwNcv-Tx-bW5Q7XbMLxE75D12L63Y2h6GpUj0rJT151Q7M/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-15+at+9.34.29+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584484832952671074" border="0" /></a>The tricky part now is trying to figure out how to pass these five graphics onto others in our church to do the same...<br /><br />I'd love to find out if any other churches have taken advantage of this same idea, and if they have been able to easily pass this onto members in their church. Is this something you'd consider using as a tool for communication in your church?<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-83915694545314558922011-03-08T12:54:00.004-05:002011-03-08T13:10:11.433-05:00Confusing Conviction and PressureSpiritually speaking, Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit moving within you to change your life from the inside out. Pressure comes from people, circumstance, etc. trying to persuade or force you to change from the outside in.<br /><br />It's easy to get the two confused when you're opposed to both. God will use both to move us to becoming more like Him, but He never uses pressure without conviction.<br /><br />Do you agree?<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-38413399002237425862011-03-03T10:00:00.001-05:002011-03-02T23:45:31.035-05:00Don't Be a Schizophrenic Church!One of the biggest topics of discussion over the past several years among worship leaders has been about churches that offer multiple worship gatherings with different styles of musical worship. For example, a church will offer a 9am "traditional" gathering and an 11am "contemporary" gathering. Is this a good idea, is it the best strategy, is it a really stupid thing to do?<br /><br />From my experience, a church that offers multiple styles of musical worship is, practically, functioning as multiple churches. Just because two groups of people meet in the same building, share the same pastor, give to and spend from the same budget doesn't make them one church. And, if these kids of churches do attempt to function as a single church, they tend to suffer from something that resembles schizophrenia...they are constantly dealing with internal conflict, they fail to think logically, and they may experience delusions and hallucinations.<br /><br />As described several times in the New Testament, a local church is at it's best best when it is functioning as one "body"...when the hands, legs, eyes, neck, etc. are all serving their unique roles to serve each other and and fulfill the purpose of the church.<br /><br />In comparison, a church with two or more groups of people who do not worship and serve together cannot function as one body. It's certainly not impossible for two groups to coincide together and partner with each other to serve God and others...I've heard of a few churches that offer multiple worship styles and function well as two separate churches, but only because they've recognized their situation for what it really is and have made the decision to do so.<br /><br />But, for one church to be unified, to be one body, it's individual members must share goals, purpose, vision, strategy. It is difficult for a single church with multiple worship styles to be one unified body because each worship style identifies who the "target" audience is going to be (whether purposefully or not). Although people will tell you they love a church for many reasons, few people will attend a church service that uses a musical style that doesn't fit their personal preferences. Especially when the pastor is preaching the same sermon twice with two different accompanying musical styles, people are naturally going to migrate to the service with the style they prefer, and stay there.<br /><br />And, I'm not so sure that's a bad thing. People naturally thrive in an environment that is comfortable and with a mission that is challenging. We all have personal preferences, and that's a good thing. And, naturally, people with similar preferences will group themselves together. And, if so, why are so many churches trying to force their square people through a round hole?<br /><br />Interestingly enough, Jesus didn't spend much time instructing his disciples (the very first New Testament church planters) what music style to use, what color to paint their church walls, how to most effectively divide the time of an average a church service between music and sermon. My guess is, because He <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> God, Jesus knew that all of those things are really up to each individual church to figure out for themselves (hopefully, in a peaceable way)...instead, He focused on teaching those twelve guys about the things that are not up for debate (if you're not sure what those things are, read the words of Jesus in the Gospels).<br /><br />Seriously, how many churches would be in a much better place if they would simply recognize the truth of our human tendencies and choose function as two separate, Bible believing/teaching churches?<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-38991409591209179452011-02-26T23:17:00.004-05:002011-02-27T21:29:07.225-05:00Expect the Best (of People)<span style="font-style: italic;">Before reading below, please understand that, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">although we do deal with these issues from time to time, </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> this post does not stem from anything that is currently taking place in my own church. </span><br /><br />Maybe it's just because I am and for nearly all my life have been a pastor's kid (PK). Maybe it's simply because my parents taught me, through word and example, to defend the unity of the church at all costs. Maybe it's just because I'm just a trusting guy...<br /><br />There are very few things I despise more than the idea that somebody is even suspicious that I've lied to them when I haven't. Partly because of that, I do my best to trust others, unless I have proof otherwise. People who are not trustworthy tend to be the first to be distrusting. I deeply desire others to have the confidence in me to trust me.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. </span>(Proverbs 11:13)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.</span> (I Timothy 1:12)<br /><br />Maybe, it's because my parents taught me what a New Testament church was really meant to be. A NT church is the bride of Christ, the body of Christ. God says he'll protect His church, and He commands us to do the same.<br /><br /><span class="woj" style="font-style: italic;">I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.</span><span class="woj" style="font-style: italic;">“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span class="woj" style="font-style: italic;">I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. </span><span class="woj">(</span><strong style="font-weight: normal;">John 17:21-23)</strong><br /><br />It's not a coincidence that I have continued to love the church since I was a teenager. My parents not only taught me to love the church, but they raise me in a church that I could love among people who loved me. The same church I grew up in is the church I now serve full-time. The same pastors who led me as a child now lead me as a 29 year old man, and I consider each of them a close friend. My pastors have taught me and the rest of my church by example what it means to protect the unity of our church. Nothing cripples the church more or more quickly than false or unproven accusations.<br /><br />And, maybe it's because I grew up in a pastor's house. Many pastors have lost all credibility and reputation because of false accusations. To be a leader, especially a leader who is willing to speak the truth and ignore "political correctness", is to set oneself in the crosshairs of all sorts of accusations. My father has never shied away from the truth, and it's only by God's grace that he has weathered the storms brought about by those who hate the truth and hate him for it.<br /><br />To accuse another believer of heresy or sin is a very, very serious thing. To accuse a pastor of heresy or sin is even more serious. The Bible is extremely clear about this...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent. </span>(Exodus 23:7)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. </span>(I Timothy 5:19)<br /><br />My parents did what they could to protect me and my sisters from the ugly side of full-time ministry, but I was still aware at a young age of how hard the life of a pastor can be. I've heard horror stories from other PKs about things their fathers went through, and although I am certain I don't know the half of it, I'm thankful my dad and our family was protected from much of what could have been. When I see other pastors (those I know, and those I might not know) being accused without proof, it hurts my heart because I know experientially the damage a false accusation of a pastor threaten to do.<br /><br />Here's the bottom line. Expect the best of people, especially those who have proven to be of godly character. Whether it's your best friend, an "enemy" or the hottest televangelist. Even those who have suspicion clouding around them should be given the grace that God has extended to us.<br /><br />Nate<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As a footnote, if somebody has been proven to be a heretic, to be living in sin, etc., then yes, the Bible also speaks clearly about how to address those situations.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">I'd suggest reading Matthew 18 and Titus 3:10,11.</span>CFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-55268049505670261092011-02-16T22:19:00.007-05:002011-02-17T22:07:44.105-05:00Auditions Are Not Just For The BandThey might not call them "auditions", but every ministry team in our church has a process/system in place to literally give people an audition for ministry. Our Kids Church Team, our First Impressions Team, our Hospitality Team, our Youth Team...every single team has an audition of some kind to allow people to determine if their ministry is a good fit.<br /><br />There are a few great reasons why your church should also have an audition process/system for everyone who wants to get involved in serving, but it all boils down to one thing...people.<br /><br />People should be our priority. Beyond bringing glory to God (worshiping Him in everything we do) our number one priority should be people. The church isn't a building...it's people. Our mission isn't to do good things...it's to invest spiritually in people (what the Bible calls "making disciples"). We serve in ministry because of people, we reach out in missions because of people, we learn to love like Jesus loved because of people. If you can't agree with this point, don't bother reading further.<br /><br />So, if our priority is people (or perhaps more defined, helping people grow as followers of Christ), then our priority in ministry must be to help people find the specific ministry(s) that God has uniquely gifted them for. At Nags Head Church, we believe that God has given each of our partners a unique SHAPE to serve the church as well as or better than anyone else in the church.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">S - Spiritual Gifts.</span> God has supernaturally given every believer at least one (often more) spiritual gift to use in serving the body of Christ. Read 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12 and Ephesians 4.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">H - Heart.</span> God has given every believer a heart (or passion) for specific things. Music, children, food, cleanliness, education, art, etc. He wants us to use our passions to serve Him because He knows ministry is fun when we're doing something we love.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A - Abilities.</span> God has created each of us with natural abilities, whether we're good with our hands, good with our heads, or a jack of all trades. He wants us to use those natural abilities to serve others.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">P - Personality.</span> God has given each person a unique personality. He wants us to find ways to use our personalities, whether outgoing or quiet, to make a difference in the lives of others.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">E - Experience. </span> Every believer's life is full of unique experiences, both good and bad, all orchestrated by God. He wants us to serve in areas of ministry that will allow us to use those experiences to relate to and help others better understand Who He is.<br /><br />Once people understand how God has SHAPEd them, they can then begin to explore which ministries in the church might be a great fit for their unique gifts. Unfortunately, too many churches simply check for a pulse before plugging the latest ministry hole with the next available warm body. As a result, too many people walk away from serving altogether because they got "stuck" doing something they either didn't enjoy or were told they were not doing well, simply because those of us in charge don't use just a little bit of wisdom to create a process/system for bringing them slowly into a ministry position.<br /><br />You can't run before you walk, and you can't walk before you crawl. Just step outside the walls of your church building and look around...every successful restaurant, every successful gas station, every successful business of any kind in your town is almost certain to understand this principle and to have a system in place for bringing on new team members (employees). I'm not saying operate your church exactly like the night club down the street, but there are some organizational truths that are universal and can easily be adapted by the church. Yet, again, too many churches believe that auditions of any kind for any ministry don't have any place in their church.<br /><br />But, by giving people a process for joining a team, you communicate a few important things to the people you lead:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1)</span> "We care more about you than we do about filling a hole in ministry."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2)</span> "We do care about excellence in ministry."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3)</span> "We are OK with the fact that this might not be the right ministry for you, and we're willing to let you audition with other ministries to help you find the right fit."<br /><br />By taking the time to properly explain what the ministry is all about, give people a chance to observe the ministry behind the scenes, and train people how to do the ministry correctly, you're putting people first, raising the bar of excellence, and giving people an easy out should the ministry not be a good fit.<br /><br />Bottom line...God has called us to be good stewards of ever resource He has given to us, starting with the people we are leading. Give God your best by desiring the best for those you lead.<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-24447662912647355072011-02-07T09:59:00.007-05:002011-02-07T10:42:13.600-05:00Review - Worship Leader Boot Camp, Southern Baptist Convention of North Carolina<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpGeZJVErFaq9bWCGX5__0gOBXrxku463Fxy14oG8qL4-bd8BKxhF78JONvW6Uc87C-0XIkQywxh9tyNFAt6FdDWmQenDjKe-o84mFdpT5VMjvMYOpfaE5Zek9VyP7bDzkJ4oav2E83E/s1600/Worship_Leader_Bootcamp.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 339px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpGeZJVErFaq9bWCGX5__0gOBXrxku463Fxy14oG8qL4-bd8BKxhF78JONvW6Uc87C-0XIkQywxh9tyNFAt6FdDWmQenDjKe-o84mFdpT5VMjvMYOpfaE5Zek9VyP7bDzkJ4oav2E83E/s400/Worship_Leader_Bootcamp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570973342290758770" border="0" /></a><br />Many people don't realize it, but <a href="http://www.nagsheadchurch.com/">Nags Head Church</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> a Southern Baptist Church. In fact, most of our first time guests think we're non-denominational based on how we do things. But, while we might appear very non-traditional in our methodology, we are very traditionally baptist in our beliefs. Having said all of that, it's always a bit of a risk for us when we attend events put on by our regional and state conventions. We always seem to be the odd man out.<br /><br />This past Saturday, I traveled with four of my band mates from NHC to the <a href="http://blog.ncbaptist.org/renewingworship/wl-boot-camp-registration/">Worship Leader Boot Camp</a>, a training event for worship leaders put on by our Southern Baptist Convention of North Carolina. I try to take advantage of any event like this...if nothing else, it's great to get away from our normal routine and spend some time together learning.<br /><br />The kind of teaching and training that is being offered with these boot camps is something that is greatly needed. Far too many worship leaders do not have a solid Biblical foundation of worship, nor do they have the tools to be able to lead with vision and growth. Just in our area in rural Northeastern NC, it's evident through my interaction with other worship leaders that very few churches recognize the importance of equipping their leaders (who are mostly unpaid/volunteers) to lead well.<br /><br />We really appreciated the tools that were given to help with organization. The examples of how to create and organize song lists and set lists, and how to create flow in worship were a great reminder that God has called us to our best. The theology that was taught toward the beginning was dead on, and literally identical to part of what I teach in a similar worship class I created for NHC.<br /><br />I am certain that most of the churches represented were given a great picture of what could be. We sat with a group of 4 from another church at lunch, and it was obvious that they were very hungry for what was being taught, and that many of the concepts being presented were new territory for them. Having said that, the boot camp, for the four of us, while a great reminder of things, did not offer many new ideas or tools. Again, I think it was a great event for the target group, but my feeling is our church wasn't in that target group. My hope is that one day we'll be able to attend an SBC event like this that can challenge our church in the same way it will challenge many other SBC churches.<br /><br />I would highly recommend this event for any church that is...<br />1) Wanting to transition from from traditional to blended in their worship style.<br />and/or<br />2) Wanting to provide a solid foundation of Biblical worship for their worship leaders.<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-60065309000359712122011-01-01T14:18:00.002-05:002011-01-01T14:24:59.589-05:00ResolutionsIf you're a church leader, struggling in a not-so-good situation, here are a few suggestions for new years resolutions...<br /><br />1) take the power away from your deacons...yes, it is Biblical.<br /><br />2) stop looking at your pastors and staff as primarily "employees". stop looking at everyone else in your church as your "employers".<br /><br />3) tell the rich family in the church who thinks they decide everything that God doesn't want their money, and neither do you.<br /><br /><div class="tweet-row"> <div class="tweet-text">4) stop viewing the church down the street as your competition.<br /><br />5) stop investing 95% of your work week into what happens during one hour on Sunday morning.<br /></div> </div><br /><div class="tweet-row"> <div class="tweet-text"><div class="tweet-row"> <div class="tweet-text">6) change your bylaws so that you no longer have business meetings...also Biblical.<br /><br /></div></div></div></div><div media="true" class="stream-item" id="21281896092663808" type="tweet"><div class="stream-item-content tweet stream-tweet " id="21281896092663808" id="21281896092663808" name="NathanLawrenson" id="16032985"><div class="tweet-content"><div class="tweet-row"><span class="tweet-user-name"><span class="tweet-full-name"></span> </span> <div class="tweet-corner"> <div class="tweet-meta"> <span class="icons"> <div class="extra-icons"> <span class="inlinemedia-icons"></span> </div> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="tweet-row"> <div class="tweet-text">7) stop being scared of what people think...fear the Lord.<br /><br /><div class="tweet-row"> <div class="tweet-text">8) stop saying "ever member is a minister"...start saying "every member is a missionary".</div> </div></div> </div><br /><div class="tweet-row"> <div class="tweet-text">9) give responsibility to the people to do the ministry...stop micromanaging.</div> </div><br /></div></div></div><div media="true" class="stream-item" id="21280596399497216" type="tweet"><div class="stream-item-content tweet stream-tweet " id="21280596399497216" id="21280596399497216" name="NathanLawrenson" id="16032985"><div class="tweet-text">10) refuse to "work" overtime when you should be spending that time with your family...as a PK, I can't tell you how important this is.<br /></div></div></div><div class="tweet-row"> </div>CFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-11314191480612095172010-11-19T10:26:00.004-05:002010-11-19T10:53:31.063-05:00Christmas as a Season of WorshipAt Nags Head Church, our goal every Christmas is to challenge people to not fall into the trap of nostalgia. Too often, when it comes to Christmas music, we tend to sing more because of those warm fuzzy feelings than to actually worship God (for more on this topic, read my post about <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://practicalworship.blogspot.com/2007/11/problem-with-christmas-music-and-church.html">"The Problem with Christmas Music and the Church"</a>).<br /><br />So, instead of just playing the same old Christmas classics every year, we attempt to put together a setlist that includes songs from all three of the following:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) </span>Old songs with a new arrangement or a few new lyrics. <br />These songs can challenge people to not just go through the motions of singing a familiar song without thinking about what they're singing. It makes the worn and old seem fresh and new.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2)</span> New Christmas songs. <br />Too many worship leaders see the Christmas season as a time to mentally check out and give their bands a break from learning new music...a shame since there are so many great new Christmas songs being written by people like MercyMe, Chris Tomlin and others. New Christmas songs can help your church create new traditions.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3)</span> Worship songs that may not have been specifically written as Christmas songs. <br />Too many Christmas carols are seen by many people as tradition and not worship. Challenge your people to think about Christmas as an incredible time to worship by painting a picture of the Christmas story with "worship" songs that you might also be singing at other times of the year.<br /><br />With those things in mind, here are some of the songs that we're using this Christmas season (along with the authors, in case you want to give them a listen).<br /><br />Angels From The Realms of Glory - Downhere<br />How Many Kings - Downhere<br />Gloria - MercyMe<br />Glory in the Highest - Chris Tomlin (We actually have been using this song as a Christmas song for several years before Chris wrote the third Christmas verse a year ago)<br />Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy) - Chris Tomlin<br />My Soul Magnifies the Lord - Chris Tomlin<br />Rejoice - Chris Tomlin (we also add the chorus from "O Come, O Come Emmanuel")<br />O Praise Him - David Crowder<br />Shout for Joy - Lincoln Brewster<br />O Come Let Us Adore Him - Matt Redman/Passion<br /><br />What are some songs that you're using this Christmas to point your people toward worship?<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-1396217239773565052010-11-19T10:00:00.001-05:002010-11-19T11:00:07.393-05:00(Bump) The Problem with Christmas Music and The Church<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">This is a post I wrote in November of '07...I thought I'd bump it in case anyone missed it.</span><br /><a href="http://www.clown-ministry.com/images/white-christmas-danny-kaye-bing-crosby.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.clown-ministry.com/images/white-christmas-danny-kaye-bing-crosby.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I love Christmas music. I began listening to "Jingle Bells" and "O Holy Night" several weeks ago. The way I see it, the department stores (and their incredibly early commercialism) are finally catching up to my family and our traditions. My mother would pull out the Christmas music well before Thanksgiving, and we had a very nice collection. Old records of Bing and Nat, updated classics with Steven Curtis Chapman and Amy Grant, and even a little bit of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra filled our house and car with the sounds of the season.<br /><br />Anytime I hear any of those recordings, or even any recording of some of those songs, a warm and welcome sense of nostalgia causes a flood of memories to flash through my mind. Christmas music is such a beautiful and fun part of Americana...no doubt everyone has distinct memories of Christmases past (whether good or bad), and, my guess is that most of us relate many of our Christmas memories with the music of the season.<br /><br />And, therein lies the problem with Christmas music and the Church. I've discovered over the years that, it's very easy for us to sing our favorite Christmas carols at church in December and never allow for anything more than that warm nostalgic feeling. We can get so caught up in the warm feelings that worship never really takes place...worship is our primary purpose when we gather together on Sunday mornings, not singing Christmas songs.<br /><br />And, I think this problem goes way beyond Sunday mornings. Christmas (or any holiday season for that matter) can, as a whole, seem more like a nostalgic and whimsical dream than a reality. The commercials, the movies, the shopping, the parties, the food and drinks...it's a huge thing that can seem to pull us out of our everyday lives, including our everyday worship. Singing songs, hanging out with friends, giving gifts, and even reading the Christmas story (Jesus) can become the ultimate goal instead of means to a greater end. (that's partly why January can feel like such a depressing month).<br /><br />I've discovered some ways to help our people (including myself) understand how to worship during the Christmas season. But, first, have you ever thought about this or recognized this in your church before? What are some ways that you use the nostalgia and joy of the season to point people back to worship?<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-14175453771448928702010-06-30T10:47:00.002-04:002010-06-30T11:42:11.558-04:00More on Distractions in Church<span style="font-style: italic;">I certainly don't expect every church to function the way that our church functions. Every culture, every community, every target group is different, and therefore, every church should decide for for herself the best way to "do church". My thoughts and opinions come out of my own experiences, come from the purpose, vision and strategy of my own church.</span><br /><br />"You're welcome at our church."<br /><br />"You're not welcome to cause a distraction to others when you have the ability and maturity to control said distraction."<br /><br />At NHC, these are two things that we communicate to people, both in word and action. We believe that these two statements are not contradictory. We believe that these two statements better allow us to fulfill our purpose as a church, to reach people to discover life in Christ.<br /><br />We also believe that there is a HUGE difference between parents who don't care about the distraction they are allowing and those people who come to church because they want to know God but may cause a distraction to others because of their natural tendencies. There will always be something that could be a distraction to me during a church worship service. The lady behind me sings off-pitch, the guys beside me smells funny, the couple in front of me plays footsies. But, it's my responsibility to not allow the natural distractions around me to keep me from worshipping God.<br /><br />But, it is also my responsibility to be aware of my own naturally distracting habits. I like to bounce my legs when I sit, I like to fiddle with things in my hands when I'm listening, I like to move when I sing. However, corporate worship is not about me...corporate worship is about US giving worship to GOD, and I realize that simply doing what I want to do (bouncing my legs, etc.) can be a hindrance to the worship of those around me. <br /><br />On Sunday mornings, I want my worship to be pleasing to God AND unifying to those around me. This means that I've got to be willing to lay aside my personal preferences and attempt to subdue my naturally annoying habits so that I don't distract others in worship. I certainly hope that those around me do the same, but I also realize that the people around me represent the spectrum of the spiritual journey...those who are maybe in church and hearing about God for the first time, and those who have known God intimately for many years...other people may not always smell, or look or act in a way that I find pleasing, but again, I can't allow that to distract me from worship.<br /><br />But, as a church leader, it is also my responsibility to address those who choose to be or allow a distraction that prohibits others from worshipping. Whether we want to admit it or not, there are distractions in church that are impossible to ignore. Children, to continue to use the example I wrote about before, are not a distraction. Noisy, energetic, unattended, ill-mannered children CAN be an unignorable distraction. <br /><br />We seek to be proactive in avoiding any possible distractions in worship. We make our nursery and kids church highly visible to everyone who enters our building. We have greeters who target young families and inform them of the options for their children. We invite young families to sit near the back of our auditorium so that they can limit any distractions their children might cause, and so that they can exit easily if necessary. We inform families with young children early in the service that many of the topics we discuss on Sunday morning are sensitive issues (sex, addiction, etc.) and give them one last shot to make use of our Kids Zone.<br /><br />Nobody looks down on any family who chooses to bring their children into the auditorium. Nobody gives them a guilt trip. We have never had a family communicate anything but appreciation for our commitment to helping their entire family worship God.<br /><br />And, when a child (or anything for that matter) becomes an ignorable distraction during a service, our ushers quietly invite their parents to follow them to the lobby where the parents can allow their kids to vent some energy AND still listen to the service. We have never once had a family refuse to exit the auditorium OR become upset with us that we asked them to exit.<br /><br />In fact, just this past Sunday, one of our ushers did just that, and ended up having a long conversation with the family. They are new to our area and were checking out our church for the first time. He gave them a tour of our building and our Kids Zone and explained to them why family is so important to NHC.<br /><br />Bottom line...they felt welcomed and valued. Those still in the auditorium also felt welcomed and valued (as did our preacher). Our usher made a much deeper connection with this family than he ever would have if he had not invited them into the lobby. And, their kids were able to see what they were missing in our Kids Zone.<br /><br />Again, there are many different ways that we can worship God in a corporate setting. And, at NHC, there are many opportunities for parents and children to worship God together, far beyond Sunday morning. But, for our church, Sunday morning worship in our auditorium is targeted at adults who are seeking to learn more about God and grow in Him. Any kind of ignorable distraction simply prohibits that from taking place.<br /><br />You might think that we're unwelcoming and unfriendly to families, but until you understand our strategy from an experiential point of view, it's hard to make that call. I'd love to discuss this further with anyone, which is why I wrote this second post.<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-11405417100662527352010-06-30T10:30:00.000-04:002010-06-30T10:32:14.941-04:00CommitmentWorking with students is incredibly fun, and incredibly challenging. Not that us adults are perfect, but one of the biggest frustrations I've dealt with in working with students in the lack of commitment. Although they might be passionate about the ministry, the lack of experience and maturity can cause some issues when it comes to making a commitment. Here are some things that I've been trying to teach our students to help them mature in their ability to commit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Consider carefully before making a commitment. </span><br /><br />Even if it seems like a simple, menial task, if you've committed to doing it, somebody (more than likely, somebodies) is going to depend on you to get it done, so don't commit to something unless you know for certain (short of a real emergency) that you'll be able to do it.<br /><br />Before you make a commitment, here are three key factors you should consider:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">a)</span> Check your calendar and check your spouse's/parents' calendar. If you don't keep a calendar, you shouldn't be committing to anything.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">b)</span> Ask questions and get all of the facts before you commit. Do I know all of the info? What time, energy, preparation will this require of me? <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">c)</span> Is this something I really want to do? There are times when we SHOULD do things that we don't exactly want to do...BUT, people tend to be much more committed to the things that they sincerely are excited about participating in.<br /><br />It's OK to say "no" sometimes. It's not OK to stretch yourself thin because you say "yes" to everything...which leads us to our second point.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) Remember your priorities. </span><br /><br />Do you have a list of the priorities in your life? My priority list, starting with the most important, looks something like: God, Family, Friends, Church, etc. If I'm asked to do something that doesn't match up with my priorities, I probably don't need to make that commitment. For example, if I'm asked to do something related to church that forces me to miss out on the quality time I need with my family, I'll want to consider that commitment carefully. If I'm invited to participate in something with my friends that will cause my relationship with God to suffer, that's a commitment I probably shouldn't make.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Stick to it. </span><br /><br />The definition of "commitment" is: <span style="font-style: italic;">a pledge or promise; and obligation. </span><br /><br />I'm not crazy about committing to things that I know I won't enjoy, but sometimes, you've got to do what you've got to do. Even when a commitment becomes an obligation, it's still honoring of God to follow through, with a good attitude. Any commitment you make to another person is a commitment you're making to God.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">...you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, "Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord." Simply let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No" be "No"; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.</span><br />Matthew 5:37<br /><br />There are very few things that will either build up or tear down your reputation and witness than your level of commitment. What you commit to says a whole lot about your priorities, about your character, about your faith. As do the commitments you break. <br /><br />My favorite people to serve alongside in ministry are not always the people with the prettiest face or the most talent...my favorite people are those who I can count on, those people who are dependable.<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-31105070214180222722010-06-27T13:23:00.003-04:002010-06-27T14:04:42.371-04:00A Question for the ParentsTo all parents of young children, I ask you this question:<br /><br />What is of greater importance to you? That you teach your children to be in church every Sunday, or that you teach your children to love God?<br /><br />I'm not saying that those two priorities can't coexist. Certainly both are important. But, it is very easy to give church attendance the greater priority and end up with a grown child who neither attends church nor loves God.<br /><br />Too often at Nags Head Church, I observe parents who refuse to allow their young children to either be cared for by our brilliant nursery staff or be taught by our awesome Kids Zone staff...instead, these parents bring their kids into the worship center with the adults, and, nine times out of ten, neither the children nor the parents (nor any of the others around them) get much of anything out of the worship gathering.<br /><br />Let's be real...how many kids under the age of 12 do you know who are engaged by 30+ minutes of adult teaching on a Sunday morning? How many parents of those same kids do you know who can sit with their kids in an adult worship setting and stay focused on the message? How many people do you know who enjoy sitting in a worship gathering with a crying child nearby?<br /><br />I don't know about you, but when I was ten, I couldn't behave myself in an adult worship gathering for more than about fifteen minutes. As a parent of a highly energetic 2.5 year old, there's no way I'd be focused on anything but keeping her entertained and quiet. As an adult, I simply cannot focus on worship when another person's child is unable to contain his/her energy.<br /><br />Please, understand that I'm not bashing on kids...kids are kids, and even the most well behaved, well trained children simply cannot engage in a meaningful way with much of what takes place in a Sunday morning, adult worship gathering. And, that's OK. What's not OK is parents who don't seem to understand how selfish it is to force their children into that situation.<br /><br />From what I've observed, the vast majority of parents would do better for themselves and their kids (and the others attending church) if they would just stay at home and lead their family in their own little worship time than to bring their kids to church and not take advantage of the nursery and kids church that has been provided to them. Seriously...it just doesn't make any sense to me.<br /><br />My point is this...if your going to take the time to get up on a Sunday morning, get everyone fed and dressed and into the car and onto church, why not actually make it mean something more than a religious ritual? If you're going to make it a priority to teach your children the importance of attending church, why not allow them to attend a worship gathering that is geared for their age group? <br /><br />If you can't trust other adults to care for and teach your kids for a short period of time, please, stay home this Sunday.<br />If you can't bear the thought of leaving your child in a nursery or class room for an hour on Sunday morning, please, stay at home this Sunday.<br />If you think that your young kids are better behaved than that and won't cause a distraction, please, stay at home this Sunday.<br />If you've convinced yourself that others in church really won't mind if your kids run around the back of the worship center during the sermon, please, stay at home this Sunday.<br /><br />I love attending my church, and I want my child to love attending my church with me...even more, I want her participation in my church to be something that motivates her to love God. That isn't going to happen if I try and force her to "sit still and be quiet" in "big church" with me. <br /><br />I want my daughter to be cared for and have fun in the nursery, learning to play with other kids her age. When she's a few years older, I want her to be engaged in authentic worship and taught by adults who have been given the tools and training to help her understand and love God more. And, when she's ready, I want her to join me in an adult setting so that we can worship God together on Sunday morning.<br /><br />Because, if, at the end of Sunday morning all you can say is, "We attended church", you've truly accomplished nothing more than that.CFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-81355035052657782132010-03-23T00:01:00.003-04:002010-03-23T00:05:22.129-04:00StorytellersHere's the graphic for our new sermon series. I'm really stoked about this series! I'll admit that I stole the idea from <b><a href="http://www.elevationchurch.org/">Elevation</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, although the direction of our series is totally different than Elevation's series</span></b>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHJOaHhHN_gF2_EhMxYN6KaSodmgRALt7KtfO9kTv03ivxu1Y44be7bTOd98_titdd7IoKFloXyf-kUMPmVHFApC6r1CNzxKiuymwb5fQlRShFWJ075mnI3PomIp7jVQzZmWn1ZVX1tg/s1600-h/StoryTellers-Poster-Small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHJOaHhHN_gF2_EhMxYN6KaSodmgRALt7KtfO9kTv03ivxu1Y44be7bTOd98_titdd7IoKFloXyf-kUMPmVHFApC6r1CNzxKiuymwb5fQlRShFWJ075mnI3PomIp7jVQzZmWn1ZVX1tg/s400/StoryTellers-Poster-Small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451674912964567874" /></a>NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-18099290993660790782010-03-22T21:01:00.004-04:002010-03-22T23:06:49.797-04:00The Problem with "The Invitation"Our youth band was asked to play a few songs at another local church last night. This other church is having their annual "revival" this week, and Sunday night was their youth night. They brought in a well-known "evangelist" (a bit of a local celebrity) to preach for this revival.<div><br /></div><div>I'll not share the name of this church or the name of this evangelist, because the purpose of this post is not to criticize this church or this man. I simply want to critically examine some of his methods.</div><div><br /></div><div>After speaking for nearly an hour for a room full of students and adults, the evangelist invited everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes. After talking about salvation for a few more minutes, he invited folks to repeat a prayer and receive Christ. All good so far, but what took place over the next 15 minutes or so is where I really became uncomfortable.</div><div><br /></div><div>The evangelist then asked everyone to stand. He spent the next 2-3 minutes talking about "really meaning it"...he really hammered home the idea that, unless the people asking Jesus to "come into their hearts" really meant it, nothing would "change" for them. After telling everyone else to keep their eyes closed several times, he then asked for all those who had said the prayer and "really meant it" to come forward.</div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't dare look up at this point, even though I was sitting on the back row, so I can only assume that there were several youth who came forward, and maybe a few adults. Once these people were up front, he told them to all hold hands in a circle. Apparently there were a few students who weren't to keen on this idea (I'm assuming they were boys), because he said, more than once, "I know you don't want to, but you have to hold hands".</div><div><br /></div><div>Once he was satisfied that they were all touching each others hands, he said, "God's telling me that there are some adults in this room who have said this prayer but haven't come forward, so we're going to all pray that they will come forward." He asked us all to pray with him (I didn't, sorry), while he said something to the effect of, "God, take away the spirit of fear that is keeping these adults from coming forward". I think maybe one or two more adults came forward at this point, but I'm not sure, because I still wasn't willing to look up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Somewhere in the middle of all of this, the evangelist paused and addressed at least two of the boys who had come forward..."I'm sorry, but I can't handle the laughing...you boys have been laughing since you came up here, which tells me that you really don't mean this...if that's true, you should go sit back down."</div><div><br /></div><div>Once he had everyone up who was going to come up (at this point, we'd had our eyes closed for about 10 minutes), he went on to explain how he sould never forget the night he accepted Jesus, and how he wanted these people to not ever forget this night either. He then spent about 5 minutes talking to these people about how, now that they had made the decision to follow Jesus, they had to give him their "whole heart". He also talked about how they had to read their Bible everyday. He made each one of them promise to read their Bible everyday.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everyone else may have been looking up to the front of the sanctuary at this point...my head was still bowed...I tend to look at the ground when I'm feeling uncomfortable or angry...</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, after the evangelist had apparently said all he wanted to say and had gotten all of the verbal commitments he could out of these people, he ended in prayer. At the end of his prayer, I finally looked up to see that there were probably close to 20 students and at least a few adults returning to their seats. In a room of maybe 100 people, that's a pretty big number.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, there is the story. Here are my thoughts:</div><div><br /></div><div>First of all, let me just say, if you're going to spend more than 20 minutes to share the Gospel with a room full of teens (on a school night), you'd better be incredibly dynamic. Unfortunately, and I can say this because I've heard this particular evangelist speak more than once, he's not dynamic enough to pull that off. IMHO, people who get up in church to preach should spend more time checking out the words (and length) of Jesus' "sermons" in the NT. Jesus usually kept it short and on point, and he had miracles to fall back on if his topic was a bit boring. But, onto more serious thoughts.</div><div><br /></div><div>The idea that a come-forward invitation does anything for anyone's salvation is beyond me. I've heard many stories of people who have gone forward in a church because the preacher told them to but didn't actually come to Jesus until a later time, but never once have I heard of anyone who, after saying a prayer, only came to Jesus because they walked forward in a church service.</div><div><br /></div><div>What I do know is, asking people to come forward in a church service makes most people very, very uncomfortable. Making people feel incredibly (and unnecessarily) uncomfortable at the exact moment they could be speaking with God for the very first time is probably something that makes Satan very, very happy. That's not right.</div><div><br /></div><div>My guess is, those boys who were laughing were probably laughing because they were either incredibly nervous about being in front of everyone, because they were nervous about having this evangelist guilt them into doing and saying things they weren't comfortable doing and saying, or because they were being forced to hold hands with each other (and maybe even with a girl). And, calling a few 11 year old boys out in front of everyone is certainly not going to makethem respect an evangelist or God.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also know, from experience, that asking a student to come forward is a great way to get a very unclear idea of who is actually making a decision and who is just bowing to peer pressure. I can't tell you how many times I've been to a student conference or church service with an invitation and have seen who knows how many students walk forward just because they got caught up in the emotion of the moment and wanted to stick with their best friend who was also walking forward.</div><div><br /></div><div>Requiring (and again, this evangelist spent at least 5 minutes guilting people into coming forward) people to do anything other than call out to God for salvation in order to "be saved" really, really messes with people's heads. It is faith alone that saves...forcing people to not only come forward, but to also hold hands with each other, to promise to give their "whole hearts" to God and to look the evangelist in the eye and promise to read their Bible everyday is really muddying the water. All of those things might be good and well at certain times and in certain steps, but people must understand from what you tell them and from what you ask of them that salvation begins and ends with faith.</div><div><br /></div><div>Certainly there's a better way of doing things? Certainly there's a way to share the Gospel, lead people to the point of accepting Christ, and be able to speak with them individually and connect them with that local church without creating an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere?</div><div><br /></div><div>BTW, just so you know I'm not anonymously attacking this evangelist personally, I am sending him an email with some of my thoughts here (although, I'll word it more sensitively) and an invitation to contact me, and I will continue to pray for his ministry. From what I know of him, he's pretty set in his ways, but I'll give it a go anyway.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nate</div>CFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-79338926949014333132010-03-16T13:31:00.003-04:002010-03-16T13:31:54.880-04:00Beth Moore CommercialNHC is hosting the upcoming Beth Moore simulcast. Here's our in-house commercial.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iucNMpwifm4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iucNMpwifm4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="320"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://nagsheadchurch.com/">Register Today!</a>CFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-51155969448234231192010-03-15T09:09:00.002-04:002010-03-15T09:24:21.142-04:00Sunday Blitz<b>></b> It was very evident that the time change snuck up on people this Sunday. The 11am gathering was probably twice as busy as 9am. I'm guessing that people either forgot until after the woke up, or they just decided to catch up on the lost hour of sleep and come at 11. Not that it really had any impact on 9am...the people who were there came ready to worship!<div><br /></div><div><b>></b> After Andy and Steve did a great job tag-teaming last Sunday, Tom spoke with us this week about "serving" God and others in ministry. Ministry is worship. Ministry should be fun and bring us success and satisfaction. Every believer has a place in serving the church.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>></b> the MP13 Band has been learning a bunch of new songs lately. We introduced "Send Me Out" by Fee last Sunday, and "With Everything" by Hillsong this week. Look for both songs this coming Sunday to help us worship during our annual missions fair.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>></b> I've been busy the past few weeks. I led our teaching time at F1RST Wednesday two weeks ago, and <a href="http://www.theaddyouthpastor.blogspot.com/"><b>Andy</b></a> and I taught our Discovering Nags Head Church CLASS this past Saturday. Both went very well!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>> </b>Congrats to Mike (our First Impressions team leader) and Tina (our Kids Zone team leader) on the birth of their second child and first boy. They'll both be taking some time off from ministry, but I'm guessing with the great job they do coaching their teams, ministry will cary on as with excellence.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>></b> Good Friday and Easter are quickly approaching. It's a busy time for NHC...along with F1RST Wednesday we'll be offering 5 worship gatherings in the span of 5 days during that first week of April. Lots of opportunities to reach people to discover life in Christ!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>> </b>Go DUKE!</div><div><br /></div><div>Nate</div>CFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-78813717914690661122010-03-04T10:28:00.003-05:002010-03-04T10:37:22.869-05:00Sunday Blitz<span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> Our pastors are continuing to do a great job teaching! Burnie did an amazing job of sharing the purpose of our connection groups this Sunday. I hear that several people talked with him and used communication cards to show their first-time interest in joining a group. That's awesome!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> Our Kids Zone teams are also doing an amazing job transitioning to their new space. Especially considering that their team leader is out for a while on maternity leave. She's done such a great job with her team, you wouldn't even realize she's gone (that's a huge compliment)!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> Our time of musical/singing worship continues to be fresh and new over the past several weeks. We've tweaked a few things in our worship gatherings, which is giving us more freedom and more time to sing our praises to God, and people are responding!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> I had a great Discovering Worship class this past Saturday! Lot's of great discussion and lots of good feedback. Excited to see people hungry to learn more about God and worship!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> F1RST Wednesday last night was amazing. I'll be posting more about that ASAP!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> Looking forward to hearing Andy and Steve tag-team the message this Sunday. I've got a video to edit for them, so I'm saying "adios!"<br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-5976350972830601712010-02-22T12:24:00.003-05:002010-02-22T12:40:46.681-05:00Sunday Blitz<span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> Yesterday was definitely one of the most charged worship gatherings in my 3+ years at Nags Head Church. People came worshipping to church, which is always the best way to come! With seven songs, offering, prayer, and a great message, we gave them plenty of opportunity to worship in freedom.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">> </span>Pastor Steve was filling in with the message this Sunday, continuing our series on the church, talking about tapping into the power of God by making worship personal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> Our kids and adult leaders are getting settled into their new Kids Zone. After working out a few kinks from last Sunday, I was told things were running smoothly this week. Nothing but great reports on their new space from the kids and adults!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">> </span>Great to see some of our former church partners (members) who have moved away walk in unexpectedly at the beginning of our first gathering! I miss their presence in worship every week!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> The band nearly missed our cue to come back on stage during the second gathering...we were too busy having fun in the green room...this week, I install a new speaker so that we can listen in and not be late.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> Speaking of...NHC hosted <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.towardwonder.com/events_greenroom.asp">The Green Room</a> this past Friday. About 8 churches represented by nearly 50 people. If you missed it, you really did!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> We also hosted <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.thecallobx.com/">The Call</a>, a student leadership conference in it's 8th year. Our youth band, Contagious, led worship while <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.theaddyouthpastor.blogspot.com/">Andy</a> taught.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> After our second gathering, I led a meeting of our Ministry Team Leaders. Lots of laughs and excitement as we discussed the Kidz Zone and other exciting things coming down the pike. <br /><br />NateCFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991013919023520025.post-25343315915233451972010-02-16T22:57:00.002-05:002010-02-16T23:10:29.425-05:00Sunday Blitz<span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> We officially moved into our new Kids Zone this past week! Two huge rooms for our elementary and preschool age kids. The adults cheered them on as they walked from their old rooms to their new rooms...awesome!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> Andy followed Tom with another great message, filling in for our lead pastor who is on a 3 month sabbatical. The teaching has not been lacking the past few weeks, for sure!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> With our other pastors filling in, we have a big more time during our gatherings for some other elements, including more singing/music. The band is not complaining.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">></span> The new Kids Zone affects many of our other ministry teams, but everyone seemed to make the transition this Sunday without a hitch. Well done!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Nate<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>CFHusbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15834715315798433983noreply@blogger.com1