Have you ever walked into the aisle of a small hardware store and noticed everything covered in dust? I am talking about dust on dust on top of dust. I’ve seen dust so thick that you could not read the writing on the package. My first thought is, “How do they expect to sell anything in this condition?”
Have you ever been in a bowling alley or other independently owned business and noticed cracks in the floor, broken floor tiles, or torn places in carpet, and perhaps even broken window panes. Other businesses are so cluttered and disorganized that it is difficult to shop. Perhaps like me and many others you wonder how these places can stay in business.
If we were to look at our churches and our class rooms with the same eyes, we might see many similar situations. I know you do not want to believe that about your class room, but it is true of many of our churches.
We tend to overlook what we get use to seeing. What may start out as a small stack of left over quarterlies turns into a stockpile of previous years lessons. And the posters –if we take them off the walls– start another pile in another corner of the room. And that small stand at the front of the room was placed there for the teacher to place her two markers and eraser. Now on it lies three different Bibles left behind, several magazines, greeting cards, and a stack of unused napkins. And what about the carpet ravels, the scuffed up floors, and walls? “Oh, that light? That one hasn’t worked for three years!”
I have been in many of our churches and seen these and other circumstances including broken windows covered with cardboard and plastic, yet the church members could not remember how long the window had been in this state of disrepair.
If your church has a light fixture that isn’t working, instead of calendaring how long it has not worked, why not ask, “What can we do to get this light operating again?” You and your fellow members may be used to the unlit area. But to a guest it is an area of darkness. Darkness represents the unknown and most people do not wish to venture into the unknown.
You see, it is easy to overlook these things because we are use to seeing them this way. We may see the disrepair at first, but after walking past it for a time it becomes the natural to us and we tend to overlook the obvious need to repair. However, to a guest this is like walking into a hardware store with dust so thick they want to ask, “How can you as a church stay in business?” What message are we sending to our guests and new members?
Broken floor tiles and window panes, torn carpet, piles of clutter, broken light fixtures, dust and cob webs speak loudly to others about your church. And the voice heard is this, “We (the church) do not care about our facility.” The human mind hears this as we do not care. In other words by leaving things in disrepair we are telling guests and visitors, “We do not care about you.”
It is time to take a walk-thru (with the eyes of a guest) and see what can be discarded and what can be cleaned up, painted, or repaired to make each area of your church more appropriate for a welcoming, teaching/learning environment.

Yes, it sounds like a song title from the 70’s. It fact it is a song title from the 70’s. As Christian educators and church leaders I believe it is also part of our purpose. Actually it could be considered our mandate as believers and followers of Christ. After all this is exactly what Jesus did, is it not?

Jesus never had a particular classroom or pulpit. His classroom was the streets, the marketplace, hillsides, and around the dinner table. Jesus’ classroom was wherever people were gathered. Wherever Jesus found Himself, if He was around people, He recognized the opportunity for a learning experience. I call it a learning experience because Jesus was never focused on teaching or the teacher. Every instance we read about Jesus and teaching, learning is taking place. Jesus was always focused on “What are you going to see and hear while in my presence that will make a difference in your life when you walk away? With Jesus it was never about teaching, but always about learning.

As Christian educators we are to assist our listeners in becoming not only learners, but life changing learners. When people sit under our teaching what is the learning experience taking place? Is it facts and knowledge? Is it good biblical history? Or is it something with substance that our listeners will be able to put into practice to draw him/her closer to God and fulfilling God’s purpose for his/her life?

Jesus took twelve men – make that eleven, spent three years with them and then appeared to one other (Paul), and turned the world upside-down. Not only the world in their day, but for the last 440 generations, more than 2000 years.

How are you helping your listeners in “Taking it to the Streets”? Let’s get a glimpse of what Jesus did:
1. Jesus often used illustrations. Parables, stories, and illustrations paint a mental picture in the mind and this mental picture helps solidify a learning experience for your listeners. Using proper illustrations will efficiently convey the truth and encourage the needed motivation for putting into applying the practices of Jesus.
2. Jesus demonstrated for His listeners. We are not told that Jesus ever said, “Now watch Guys, this is how you do it. Watch my hand movement and say exactly what I say.” Jesus simply lived a Godly life in front of everyone who came around Him. What do your listeners see you demonstrate that would entice them to become more like Christ and live out this lifestyle?
3. Jesus gave His Disciples opportunities to practice. He sent them out two by two to practice what they had been taught and witnessed while being with Jesus. He also gave them opportunities to practice as they walked with Him. Remember the questions asked of Jesus, and the questions He asked His disciples before feeding the 5,000? (John 6:1-9) Scripture gives us several instances of Peter’s practice experiences while walking with Jesus such as; walking on the water and the night of Jesus’ arrest. These are all examples of opportunities to practice what the disciples had experienced in the presence of Jesus.

There is no better approach to teaching than to follow the example of the Master Teacher Himself. Jesus’ life and ministry was “Taking it to the Streets” and His approach to teaching was to equip his followers to do the same. Now it is your turn and it is mine. This is Teaching That Bears Fruit. 

The following first appeared in an earlier blog post on June 20, 2009.

Seven years ago I was asked to go on a mission trip to California. David Suddath, Jeff McGukin and I spent six days speaking and consulting with 14 churches in the central coast region of CA. God burdened my heart for the churches of that region and ten months later my wife, Pam, and I moved to CA and served on staff with Central Coast Baptist Association for six plus years.

While on that mission trip two of the churches I spoke with told us, “We wish we knew what you are telling us 30 years ago.” Both of these churches had less than 15 people attending. The youngest person in one of these churches was 58. Everyone else was above 72 years of age. Once vibrant churches running as many as 300, they still had the desire to see their churches grow for God, but they no longer had the strength or manpower. One of these two churches has since closed and the other one runs about 11 people on Sunday morning.

Unfortunately, this scenario plays out over and over again throughout central and northern CA. Especially in the “Anglo” (English speaking, mainly Caucasian) congregations. More than 60% of all Anglo congregations in the San Francisco bay area and the Silicon Valley have less than 45 in worship attendance on Sunday mornings. Most of these are running less than 30 and shrinking annually.

Churches can make the turn-around and some of these in CA are doing just that. They have made the turn and are growing. For most it is a long and painstaking effort. But, if you’re in it for the right reasons, it is well worth the effort. I know of a couple of those churches now running more than 100 on Sunday mornings and one that has grown from 3 to sixty plus in attendance in less than 3 years. Others have worked through a strategy planning phase and now entering the implementation phase, beginning to see results.

I write and speak about this because I have served in and consulted with churches in the south and midwest most of my life. After moving to CA, I realized what I saw in churches there was on its way to the South and midwest, churches all across the nation. Churches across the U.S. sitting comfortably with 125-250 members today, will be those churches that we spoke to on the mission trip and those that I worked with in central CA.

I have commented to several church and denominational leaders over the past four years stating, those churches of 125-250 today will be the churches of 15-25 in ten to fifteen years. If an awareness of urgency is not prompted today, those will be the churches closing their doors and dissolving in 2020. They will be the churches saying, “If we had only known in 2010 what you are telling us today…”

It did not surprise me when outgoing president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Frank Page, in May of 2008 stated, “Unless something is done to reverse the downward trend, Southern Baptist churches could number only 20,000 — down from the current total of more than 44,000 — in fewer than 22 years.” Published May 6, 2008 ABP. Page made a statement that many pastors, church and denomination leaders are afraid to make. Yet, statistics and factual information continue to reveal this is truth. Recent reports and research is showing similar trends in nearly all evangelical church denominational lines.

As church leaders we must take heed of the warnings and the signs of the times surrounding us. Not only take heed, we must sound the trumpet and become intentional about reversing the trend in our churches. We have been told for several years that 80% or more of our churches are plateaued or declining. My friends, a plateaued church is a dying church, just as is a declining one.

I am thankful for God’s servants such as Frank Page, Ed Stetzer, George Bullard, Bob Logan, Josh Hunt, Beth Moore and many others who are working to give us needed information and tools to assist in turning around the church of God’s kingdom and reversing the trends we have allowed in our churches today. I am equally grateful for the practitioners leading the way in needed change in our churches.

Along life’s journey I have made my mistakes, and I will make more. But, when I stand before the Lord, I want to hear the words, “Well done fruitful and faithful servant.” I desire to be a fruitful and faithful servant for my Lord. If I can do this by helping you and your church, then I am one step closer to fulfilling my Calling.

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