One of the most promising yet dangerous things about new churches is that they are often formed by people who are dissatisfied with the churches they see around them.  I remember watching one of Rob Bell’s Nooma videos called “Sunday” in which he said that at times he would look around the church and say, “Is this really what God had in mind?”  Church planters are often people of extraordinary vision who see the great potential in a church that would commit itself to the purposes of God, and are discontented with how they see existing churches falling short of that ideal and settling into safe and predictable routines.  There are few things more exciting in the kingdom of God than a new church that is really stepping out in faith in the pursuit of God.

But there is a definite danger to this mindset as well.  Read more »

This Sunday at NewLife, we’re going to be celebrating what God has done in the life of our church over the past sixteen years as we dedicate the new building to which he has led us and cast vision for the future into which He is leading us.  In preparation for this Sunday, I wanted to share briefly some of the story behind why NewLife even exists, as well as what was the original God-given purpose and vision as laid out by the founders of our church.  Over the next few weeks, I hope to continue to share some of the history of our church, so that we might celebrate what God has done as well as learn from some of the hard lessons He has taught us.
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I’m not sure when it was that an adult first gave me that all-important “responsibility” – maybe it was in kindergarten when I had to pass out the chocolate milk cartons to the other kids, or in first grade when I got to be line leader and lead the class down to gym.  And I’m not sure when it was in my Christian walk that I first had to exercise a similar responsibility – maybe when I was first asked to teach a workshop at Musicon, or do the announcements at our college InterVarsity meetings.  But I know that part of the reason I am where I am today as a pastor is because of leaders who understood the importance of delegation, and knew how to give meaningful but doable responsibilities away and help others be successful with those responsibilities.

The Old and the New Testament both have great stories that illustrate the importance of delegation.  Read more »

 This past Sunday, I preached from Revelation 22:1-5 about the new heavens and the new earth and all that we have in store for us once we die.  One of the promises in that passage is that there will be a tree of life, and that the leaves on the tree will be for the healing of the nations.  To any casual observer of world politics, you can appreciate the beauty behind this statement.  In that new world, when the curse is broken and the dwelling of God is with man, the nations will no longer be at war, but will at last experience healing from the divisions that have destroyed this world so many times over.

 Keeping that promise in mind, as well as this month’s focus on the persecuted church, and with Thanksgiving coming up this week, let me share another story of what is going on in this mad, mad world (courtesy WorldNet Daily): Read more »

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. (Revelation 6:9-11)

 This past Sunday was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.  As we sit in church each Sunday in our comfortable chairs and hang out afterwards drinking coffee with other believers, it can be hard to comprehend what it is like to live in a land where going to church means risking your life.  We Americans often get squeamish when speaking of the judgment, the justice, and the wrath of God, but in places like China, India, and Iraq, where Christians are routinely persecuted and killed, there are few things more important than knowing that God is a God who will judge those who commit such atrocities. 

Consider this story from the Voice of the Martyrs website, one of numerous examples of persecution (in some cases state-sponsored) of Christians around the world: Read more »

Last week, I raised the question of whether or not the seeker-sensitive methods of advertising and preaching to felt needs, with the goal of bringing people into the church so that they might eventually hear the gospel, was somehow less Biblical or Christlike than an approach that just preaches the gospel of sin, repentance, and salvation in all its offense and trusts that that approach will be enough.  I gave the example of Granger Community Church in Indiana, advertising their series regarding what the Bible has to say about sex on billboards in their community in order to entice people into their church and create conversation in their region, and asked whether that was a supremely creative expression of evangelism or a shameful display of man-centered methods towards church growth. 

I have heard some critics of the Granger approach to ministry and evangelism point out the dangers of selfish ambition and the (to them) obvious desire of these pastors to have a big church, to be successful in the eyes of the world.  Read more »

In the spring of 2006, a church in Indiana named Granger Community Church, in an effort to reach out to their community and promote a sermon series they were calling “PureSex,” had four billboards put up around its community with the image of entwined male and female feet dangling off of a bed with the words mylamesexlife.com below it.  Upon visiting the website, one would watch a brief flash video asking questions surrounding the topic of sex (e.g. “You know that ‘seemed like a good idea at the time’ thing?  Well, was it?”).  At the end of the video, visitors were re-directed to the church website, where they learned more about the upcoming 5-week series, with sermons entitled: “The Greatest Sex You’ll Ever Have” , “The Language of Lust” , “Straight Talk for Men and Women” , “What Happens in Vegas WON’T Stay in Vegas” and “Porn: What’s the Big Deal?”  Along with the billboards, postcards were mailed out to the community and people in the church were encouraged to invite people as well.

The results were stunning:  Read more »

Would it shock you to hear that this June, beginning this Sunday, there will be 1,263 churches, with a combined total attendance of roughly 750,000 people, who will be joining together to do the same preaching series?  One Prayer, the brainchild of LifeChurch of Oklahoma’s pastor Craig Groeschel, is an attempt to unite the worldwide church for one month in prayer, fasting, mission, and vision for what God could do if we would all seek Him together.  I remember when I first heard him pitch the vision – it couldn’t have been more than three or so months ago – and it has been staggering to see the number of churches who have signed up to be a part of this experience (six Connecticut churches, including East Hampton Bible Church, Fellowship Church of Middletown, and St. Paul’s Collegiate Church of Storrs, are among those taking part). 
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As I was finishing up the recent Why Believe? sermon series and the Why Go to Church? series on the blog, someone encouraged me to follow them up with a Why NewLife? post, in order to highlight some of the reasons why I feel NewLife is a church worth being a part of.  As I mentioned in an earlier Pulse, I am not fond of religious consumerism, where “church shopping” becomes like looking for a good mechanic (“I like the music, and the seats were comfortable, but the sermon was too long”).  However, I do think it’s worth testifying to what God is doing in our church, in the hopes that more might become a part of what He is doing in and through our community.  So let me offer five reasons (among many others) why I love our church:
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Over the past three Sundays, I have been preaching on some of the major objections people have to faith in the God of the Bible – issues like Hell, the exclusivity of Christ, and the resurrection – in a series I’ve called Why Believe?.  One of the most meaningful aspects of these Sunday worship gatherings, however, has been giving individuals in our church the opportunity to share some of their story of why they believe.  Sharman Anderson, Danny Cordero, and Maggie Proulx have all shared about how they came to faith in Jesus and the difference He has made in their lives, and in the process have helped me (and hopefully others) to see God in new ways.  I have found that there is something about hearing a testimony of how God has worked in someone else’s life that can be incredibly strengthening for our own faith. 

I think that this is church at its best Read more »

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