Your Journey Blog

Take a look at the Expansion of Christianity

I found this and thought it was interesting even though it doesn't show the expansion of Christianity in China and India. Here is the source: Maps of Wars

Learnings From the Pew Forum Research

George Bullard is offering weekly leadership insights from the new research on U.S. Religious Landscape Survey 2008 from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life at www.pewforum.org

Each learning is coupled with specific implications for leaders of churches and leaders of denominations.

Learning # 1 - "Despite predictions the United States would follow Europe's path towards widespread secularization, the U.S. population remains highly religious in its beliefs and practices, and religion continues to play a prominent role in American public life." HT:Bullard

Learning # 2 - "More that one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion--or no religion at all. If change in affiliation from one type of Protestantism to another is included, roughly 44% of adults have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether."  HT: Bullard

Learning # 3 - "The survey finds that the number of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith today (16.1%) is more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with any particular religion as children. Among Americans ages 18-29, one-in-four say they are not currently affiliated with any particular religion." HT: Bullard

Learning # 4 - "The United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country; the number of Americans who report that they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%. Moreover, the Protestant population is characterized by significant internal diversity and fragmentation, encompassing hundreds of different denominations loosely groups around three fairly distinct religious traditions--evangelical Protestant churches (26.3% of the overall adult population), mainline Protestant churches (18.1%) and historically black Protestant churches (6.9%)."  HT: Bullard

Storyline Church Nashville

Jer Dunlap has a cool video idea for this Easter as he builds his launch team in Nashville.

The Principle of Sowing and Reaping

When we started this evangelistic journey back in May we took a close look at the Three Spheres of Outreach which included: 1) The leader and the people they connect with during the week, 2) The church and those within their sphere of influence, 3) The unconnected, those who know nothing about the church and are disconnected with your people.

In each of these spheres we developed Three Strategies of Outreach, 1) The leader sets the standard through modeling, 2) The leader equips the church to reach into their relational spheres, 3) The church learns how to sow evangelistic seeds into the masses of unconnected people in their community.

One of the foundational principles of scripture is the principle of sowing and reaping.  We see this first in the life of Isaac (Genesis 26:12). He sowed, planted and reaped a hundredfold of crop because of God's blessing.  Farmers understand this principle in a very practical way, the more seed you plant, the more you will reap at harvest time.  The Apostle Paul in addressing the need for generosity in the life of the Corinthian church wrote, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." (II Corinthians 9:6) So my question to you, as it pertains to evangelism, is: How many evangelistic touches are you sowing into the masses of people who are unconnected with your church? The evangelistic fruitfulness of your church is directly related to the amount of evangelistic seeds you are sowing into your community.

Here are four ways to evangelisticly touch the unconnected in your community:

1. Community Service: Simply serving your community and displaying the love of Christ without overtly making an invitation to attend your church.
2. Servant Evangelism: Earning the right to make an invitation to your church through random acts of kindness.
3. Sharing Your Facilities With Your Community: How many people go in and out of your facility in a given week?  Treating your facility like a community center is one way to sow evangelistic seeds to the unconnected in your community.
4. Marketing Your Church's Message Through the Various Media Opportunities in Your Community: Every church has a marketing strategy, the only difference is that some are better than others.

Yet, the quantity of seed is only part of the equation, there also needs to be a concern about the quality of the seed. Read Hosea 10:12-13. If you sow righteousness you will reap love, if you sow wickedness you will reap evil.  With very stern words the Apostle Paul writes, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from the nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7)  In relation to evangelism, here is the question to be answered: How would you rate the quality of the evangelistic seeds you are casting in your community? 

1. Community Service: Is the quality and consistency of your community service something that reflects the beauty of Christ?
2. Servant Evangelism: Is the quality of your random acts of kindness received as a nuisance or a pleasant surprise?
3. Sharing Your Facilities: Do your facilities reflect a sense of care or are they run down?
4. Marketing: What type of first impression does your signage, website and promotional materials evoke?

Over the next few months we will take a close at how to increase the quantity and quality of the evangelistic seeds you are sowing into your community.

Solomon wrote these words, "Sow your seed in the morning and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." (Ecclesiastes 11:6)

Lessons From An Old Quarterback

My son Dan and I are still dealing with the reality the Old # 4 won't be dressing up in the Green and Gold next year.  Many a blogger has been posting all sorts of responses to the announcement of Favre's retirement.  Mark Wilson's post caught my eye.  Mark is a pastor in the northwoods of Wisconsin... where everyone wears the the Green and Gold and has a Packer Room in their basement.  He does an excellent job bringing into prespective some of the great leadership qualities Brett Favre displayed when he took the field.

Here are his sentimental observations:

1) He Showed up to Play Every Sunday. Regardless of what was happening in his life (i.e. his father's death and his wife's cancer), he still found a way to get to the game on time.

2) He Played Through the Hurts.  I've watched just about every Packer game since Favre's debut. I've seen him clobbered, hammered, hamstrung, smashed, and boggled. Yet, Brett kept getting back on his feet again. Remember the year when he played half a season with a broken thumb? Somehow, the desire for victory was far greater than the physical pain.

3) He Took Risks and Made Plenty of Mistakes.  Not only does he hold the career touchdown record, he holds the interception record as well. You can't win big by playing it safe. Consider the turtle, who makes no progress until he sticks his neck out. Brett stuck his neck out all the time. On countless occasions, I've seen him do something crazy, and yelled, "NO!! NO!! DON'T DO THAT!!" But then, it's the crazy passes, completed as touchdowns which will go down in history as the greatest and most memorable.

4) After He Blew It, He Shook it Off. Nothing could rattle his confidence. On the next set of downs after an interception, he'd throw deep (and crazy) again. Favre didn't allow failure to be final and always believed that setbacks are supposed to be followed by come-backs. He never blamed others for his mistakes, and always took responsibility for losses on the field.

5) He Inspired the Team.  Brett always had a good word of encouragement for the younger guys around him. I remember when Ryan Longwell, as a rookie kicker, muffed an easy field goal against the Eagles, and lost the game. The crowd booed. Favre went over to his dejected teammate and said, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. We lost this thing together."

6) He Kept Smiling. The thing I appreciated most about Brett Favre was his enthusiasm and love for football. Most of the time, he really enjoyed himself and was glad to be there (There were a few exceptions, such as the ice bowl in Chicago, but normally, he'd grin for at least three quarters, anyhow!) Brett's lighthearted spirit was contagious. Win or lose, it was still a good game.

7) He Didn't Quit Until the Clock Ran Out.  Many players give up when the tide turns against them, but not Brett Favre! He played his heart out every second of every down in the game. Perhaps that's why he led his team to so many last second comeback victories.

These are great principles for every spiritual leader to embody as we enter into our field of play...God's harvest field.  Thanks Mark!  Your post made my day.

Brett Favre Retires!

It is a dark day at our household ... The only quarterback of the Green Bay Packers that my children have ever known ... retired yesterday!  It is the end of a great era. I still remember watching the last game the Bart Starr played as a kid.  I hope I don't have to wait 20 years to see the next great quarterback in Green Bay.

I found this tribute to Brett ... and thought I would share it with all you Packer fans out there!

The American Church in Crisis

My friend, Dave Olson, just released a groundbreaking book entitled: The American Church in Crisis. Order Here

There are many that believe that the American church has been lulled asleep by its own press and endless activities to build itself up.  Dave Olson, with his relentless pursuit of truth, offers a wake-up call to a church that has fallen asleep.  The American Church in Crisis offers a clarion call to all followers of Jesus to reexamine our motives, methods and mission.  In my humble opinion, this will be the most quoted book in the next 5 years.

Here is a brief summary:

Attendance at American churches is less than half of what the polls report, according to David Olson, director of the American Church Research Project. The American Church in Crisis presents groundbreaking research that offers a more accurate picture of the actual state of the American church at both the national and local levels. The American Church in Crisis delivers unexpected and original insights into both the challenges the church faces and the solutions that will enable the American church to thrive again. Based on the largest-ever research study of American church attendance, yearly data from more than 200,000 individual Christian churches was collected from 1990 - 2006. This unique research base led the author to discover trends and patterns in the American church that were previously unknown.

The American Church in Crisis answers the questions church leaders are asking: Why are these trends occurring? What can our church do to reverse its pattern of decline and decay? How can we make the gospel story come alive again to new generations? How must Christian leaders change their values, habits, and priorities for the American church to grow in health and influence? By following a four-step process of observation, evaluation, introspection and action, readers will find hope in the possibility of God rebuilding and restoring his church.

The American Church in Crisis offers sidebars, charts, maps, and graphs to give a visual overview of key information. Questions for reflection and discussion help congregations and church leaders take these valuable insights and information, and apply them to their unique situations. Readers will find a richly textured mosaic, with stories of both optimism and challenge. The American Church in Crisis confirms hunches, explodes myths, and offers a clear path toward a brighter future.