New Series Begins Sunday

A few weeks back a message series idea began to stir in me surrounding racism and the church.  As I studied, I found that throughout the church’s Biblical history the issue is larger than just race…the church is divided over culture, social status, economics, and much more.  In other words, the prejudice of church people goes beyond racism.

Why is the Kingdom so divided when God placed the members in His Church just the way he wanted?  Why do church people elevate themselves and put others down?

A new series begins Sunday by asking “What do you bring to the table?”  Some things you bring to the table–or the Kingdom of God–is awesome and showcases the grand variety God enjoys.  But with great diversity, there is a great temptation for favoritism and partiality.  Those dangerous attitudes have no place at the table.

 

The Cross

We have a large cross in our church.  It gets moved around a lot because we are a set-up/tear-down church.  The shape of our staging area expands and shifts to accomodate band members.  So the cross gets placed in different spots.  Sometimes, if we are not careful, the cross gets placed as an afterthought.

As I have been studying and meditating on John 19, the image of the cross that Jesus was crucified on stands out.  The cross ought to stand out because John intended for his hearers and readers to consider the cruel death of Jesus, and believe that He is the Son of God.

As for Team Church, the cross must dominate the scene. I’m not talking about where we put the wooden symbol that stands upright in a gym.  I’m talking about the message of Jesus crucified and risen which must lie at the center of all we do.

Expectant Easter Sunday

Last Easter Sunday, we were ready for the doors to bust open at the Rec Center!  The Easter egg hunt the day before was awesome, and the number of people we saw reached mythical proportions.  This year we are getting ready again for an important Easter Sunday, our first anniversary!

It is sweet to think of how the year has gone by, but the anniversary is not what is on my mind.  My thoughts are on who God will bring through the doors this year, and how what I do can either help or hinder their experience with God.

I hope everyone who attends Team Church is expectant that God will bring new people in to hear from God and meet  people who will walk with them.  BUT, if we are expectant, then we need to question, “Is there something I need to do to help others hear from God and meet people who will walk with them?” And the answer is “YES.”

1. Rise early…we don’t want families fighting before they get to church!  Time your morning well.  Just think…there will be many having service on Easter Sunday starting at 7am.
2. Prepare for church…if prepping your heart doesn’t come early, it may not come at all.  The preacher can’t do this for you.
3. Help setup…We start setting up at 8am, and “many hands make light work.”  Your help makes a HUGE difference.
4. Meet someone new…you probably haven’t met everyone at church yet…get beyond superficial conversations and get to know each other.
5. Worship…this is a priority.  Get in place before the service begins, clap, sing, let God touch you!  That’s why God shows up in the first place.

See you Easter Sunday!!!!!!!!!

Black & White: Down to Basics

Sunday’s “Black & White” Service was a welcomed kind of Sunday for me and my family.  We were just getting back after taking a road trip to Colonial Williamsburg last week.  The trip was nice, but it was a lot of driving…fourteen hours in a minivan over two days.  It probably would take others less time, but with little kids and motion sickness we required some extra stops if you catch my drift.

After this trip you could say that we were glad to get “down to basics.”  And that is exactly what Sunday’s message was all about…getting down to the basics of what Christ demands from Christians. No flair, just a raw and penetrating call to follow Christ’s example to serve people.  First Scott said it, and then he modeled it by taking a group to serve a friend in need.

Let us never forget the mission that Team Church is here to do in the Kershaw Area…it’s simple really… to reach out to people where they are and lead them to full devotion in Jesus Christ.  How do we do that?  We reach them, first, by serving them.

Next week, expect our setup and service to be the “not so basic” norm, but don’t see it as overly complicated either.  The things we provide with children ministries, connection cafe, and fun and awesome worship is merely serving those who need a place to walk straight into from life and meet Jesus without feeling like they’re intruding on a family meeting. I hope that communicates.  I know from my personal experience that walking into a church for the first time in a long time is a lot of pressure.  Some things we do on Sunday is for our own comfort and preference, but a majority of what we do is to serve those whose names we don’t even know yet!

I’ve made up my mind to serve the Kershaw community through Team Church…for Jesus Christ.  And that’s pretty black & white to me.

Fun and Humor at Church

Church…Fun???  Our humor is one of the things that I love about my church.  For many who had lots of fun in their youth groups of the past, I wonder why do we have to give up having so much fun just because we moved up to “big church?”  My plan for Team Church is to keep having fun.  But, that doesn’t mean that we’re not serious about our mission “to reach out to people where they are, and lead them to full devotion in Jesus Christ.”

Reaching out to those around us means that we need to be approachable. These people that we’re reaching out to need to be inclined to us before we can connect.  That’s where a fun atmosphere can help bring people to a point where they can be lead to Jesus.

Mark Driscoll wrote in Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions, “Humor is incredibly helpful to the gospel.” And for the culture he is reaching in one of the least churched cities in America, he believes, “humor is a missiological tool that is necessary for successful evangelism in our culture.”

If you find that hard to swallow that humor is necessary, just give some thought to how you might measure up to the common Seattle resident described by Driscoll.

The average person listens to talk radio comedic banter on the way to work, downloads funny YouTube videos during break, listens to more drive-time radio banter on the commute home, watches a sitcom after dinner, possibly tunes in to a stand-up comic on Comedy Central, and watches someone like Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, or David Letterman before dozing off. To reach people, we need to speak their language, and their language obviously includes comedy.

I remember visiting a few churches when Alison and I got married.  A couple times a “visitation group” of men dressed in suits came calling at our apartment after we had visited their church.  Awkward!  They were nice enough, but they weren’t a lot like us.  I wasn’t inclined to go back to that church because we didn’t share much in common with them.

However, we did end up going to a church where the Sunday School was filled with young married couples that enjoyed going out to eat after church, playing ball, and video games.  In other words, we enjoyed doing some of the same fun things together.

I’m not going to say that lost people are sitting around thinking, “If only church were more fun, then I’d get saved.” They’re not. But those of us who are going are enjoying church more than ever. It’s not the only reason, but it’s one more reason to share my faith experience with others.

Valentines for Team Church

“i Heart my Church” began Sunday.  Over the past year, i keep hearing people say great things about Team Church.  There have been times in the past when I would have thought repeating that was selfish, boastful, and prideful.  But now I see it very differently.  The only way it can be prideful is if I am trying to take the credit for the good that’s been done.  I’m not interested in taking the credit, so then, I asked myself,

“Why not share that sentiment with others?”

“Why not celebrate that God is doing something awesome in us and through us?”

“Let’s celebrate God and how He is inspiring others around us.”

So this series of messags is all about promoting the message that others are saying about God and their experience with the family of God.  To give everyone a chance to put it in their own words, we asked people in the service Sunday to make Team Church a valentine.  Each person made a homemade valentine and completed the phrase “i Heart My Church because…” Here is what they said: (and I ever so humbly left in the personal compliments about me…and no I didn’t write them myself!!)

I love my church …

• because I go through a lot and it helps me
• because it is awesome!  I always enjoy the music and the fellowship with other awesome people.  And the messages always speak to my heart & soul
• because of the love of God, the people, & the feeling I walk out of church with
• because the idea I feel behind the church is outreach and adding to the family, not keeping the family the same
• because my church taught me to drink coffee
• because the mission for people is real
• because this church is so funny and great.  The pastor is super funny
• because they make us feel very welcome
• because God lives here!!!
• because Jesus loves me!
• because it’s real like me
• because its the one place I can truly be myself.  I’ve never been to a church where I feel so comfortable
• because the pastors are cool.  And I met my true valentine and future wife
• because it’s fun and everybody always helps out
• because they brought me closer to God.  the family and love is all here
• because I can be real
• because it cares about the lost, the worship services are GREAT, & God moved us here!
• because they love me no matter what!
• because they keep it real.  These people are a team, a family.  They are here for the wins & the losses
• because they have shown me the true meaning of good people
• because I love God, & they love God, and the diversity is great
• because it is the coolest
• because it is very compassionate
• because Steve is awesome.  The people are awesome.  The music is awesome.  god is always felt here, and we have FUN!

The 24 valentines above express a pretty common theme.  I take this as some confirmation that we’re on the right track of our ONE PURPOSE:  to reach out to others where they are, and lead them to full devotion in Jesus Christ.

Closed Doors Opens Opportunities at Team Church

Just like every other church, I was concerned about how the weather would impact Sunday.  Strangely enough, the weather that kept many church doors closed opened up several opportunities for Team Church.

First of all, we took the chance to do an early setup.  On Saturday, many of our regular setup crew showed up and really showed out!  They even came up with a new way to arrange the worship area.  I doubt that we would have considered making such a drastic change on a Sunday morning.  But on Saturday, we felt more at ease to try something new, and it turned out great.  Nothing slows these guys down…you’re beasts!

Secondly, we still showed up at 8am on Sunday, and had lots more time to fellowship, and enjoy a little Bojangles together.  We can always use more time to hang out like that!  I also personally enjoyed getting chauffeured by the awesome Doug in his all-wheel drive.  You are the man even when you don’t have to be.

Finally, worship was incredible.  At first, you may think that only a handful of people would turn out…but we ended up with 66.  Also, several were visiting from other churches that had canceled services.  Man, that’s what it is all about!  What a reminder about the kingdom. We not only got the privilege of serving the folks who call Team Church home, but we got to give a little to the folks who are always busy serving others.  I’m glad to see that it wasn’t just about a day-off for them, but about getting themselves spiritually re-charged.

If you missed out on the service, trust me, it’s okay.  At Team Church, we simply leave it up to you about whether it’s safe for you to make the service or not.  That answer is different for everyone depending on their where they live, roads, kids, and other important factors.  So, even if you couldn’t be there, I hope that you’re proud to be a part of the special things that can happen when we team up.

If you would like to hear the second message in the InterFEARence series from Sunday morning, it’s available online at our website’s message archive section.  Click here to see the available messages.

Ways to connect with others at Church

We can take a lesson from how Jim is willing to reach out! Way to speak that love language, Jim.

What do people look for when they visit our church?  As I discussed earlier, different people are looking for different things.  Just as people have different love languages (the way they express and receive emotional love), each attender will feel loved and welcomed only if they receive it in a way they understand and expect it.

Here is the first half of my top ten list to connect with newcomers at church (and hopefully communicate love, warmth, and acceptance) so that we can reach people where they are and lead them to full devotion to Jesus.  And by the way, this list is especially for the leaders at Team Church, but can include anyone who wants to connect with others.  More to come on this…

1.  Smile and Say, “Hi”
Do this to everyone!  Make it a sort of game to not miss anyone. If anyone thinks you’re weird…tell them it’s your job, and you’re learning to say “Hello.”  …and see number two!

2. Be honest about what you’re doing.
Does it seem like you’re a salesperson going around speaking to everyone??  Let’s be honest…you’re a church member, and they are a visitor.  It’s your responsibility to let them know they are welcomed.  If you don’t , they will not go away thinking, “This is the coolest laid-back church because no one even noticed us.”  So, walk up, say “Hi,” and try not to get so self-conscious… Be honest, you are approaching them to get their name, tell them you’re happy they are here, and you would love to see them again.

3. Listen and ask questions
You’ve got two ears and one mouth, so listen above all else.  People feel loved when they are listened to, and it is a rare thing.  But sometimes you need to probe a little, so engage with some questions.  If questions don’t come easily, then think through the acronym FIRE…ask questions about…

• F–family (Are you here with your family?  What are your kids’ names?)
• I–interests (What do you do for fun?  Did you know there is a Christmas parade?)
• R-religion (What brought you to church today? Don’t you think that message was AWESOME?! 😉
• E–employment.  (Where do you work?)

4. Give Compliments
Everyone loves an ego boost.  Noticing something you like about them is a great way to start a connection.  For instance, if you genuinely notice something, say something like, “Nice shoes.”

5. Repeat their names
This makes it personal and also is a memory aid.  Make it a sort of game to call their name three times when you learn it.  for example, “I’m Steve, and you are?”  “Henry, it’s nice to meet you.”  …”So what brought you here today, Henry?” …”Jim, let me introduce you to Henry, he’s new in town…”

Five Love Languages for Church

We spent Sunday talking about how to communicate love to those you love.  Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages is always an interesting topic whether it’s a refresher course for you or you’re hearing about it for the first time.  I’d love to hear back from you how it has changed the way you communicate love to your spouse!

As the pastor of a brand new ministry it’s important to me to communicate not only love, but also warmth, and acceptance to those I see on Sundays, especially to those who are first time guests.  It’s most likely true what people say about “first impressions,” and the question is, “What are you communicating to others?”

Just as spouses often miscommunicate their true feelings to one another, I believe those already “in” the church can miscommunicate to those “outside” the church.  If you think about the love language solution for spouses, you may see that there is some similarity when it comes to church.

In a marriage the Five Love Languages would tell you to express love in the way that your spouse understands…even when it’s not your preferred way to express and receive love.  The same could be said for churchgoers…the key to communicating love the best is to view it from their perspective more than our own.

So think about it…if you were brand new to the Team Church ministry, what would communicate love, warmth, and acceptance above all else?

Would it be that someone affirmed you with thanks, and encouraged you to return?  For some, that is everything, and for others, those are just words.
Would it be that someone spent some engaging quality time with you over a donut hole?  For some it’s too close, too soon, but for others, you’ve become the friendliest church in town.
Perhaps you’re looking for the personal touch, and handshakes or hugs may communicate it best.  Or perhaps what would make you feel most invited is noticing the sacrifices made so that church can happen.  If you’re a newcomer, maybe the biggest thing that communicated was that someone offered you a cup of coffee.

Boy, it’s tough to communicate to everyone when everyone receives love so differently!  Yep, it is. But communicating love is the greatest thing you can do.  Just remember to consider expressing your love, warmth, and acceptance with their perspective in mind. I’ll share with you my list of ways to communicate with others on Sunday morning tomorrow.

Wrapping up Once

This Sunday I’m wrapping up the Once Series.  Over the last weeks, I’ve learned about what happened that caused people to experience God as…

• Jehovah Shammah…God who is there for me
  
• Jehovah Shalom… God who is my peace
• Jehovah Nissi…God who is my banner, or my encouragement

and now this Sunday ends with…

• Jehovah Jireh…God who is my provider
  (by the way you can hear Sunday’s message below)

The cool thing about it all is that we’re all experiencing the same God, and yet he can respond to us in many ways.  Of course it’s not that God has a multi-personality disorder or anything like that.  Rather God is everything we need at the exact time we need Him!

I’ve personally experienced God as my discipliner, my comforter, my teacher, my encourager and so on.  He’s made me laugh and cry, He’s mended my brokeness, and broken me too.

I’m looking forward to this Sunday because I want to tell you how God is our provider.  The only time in the Bible that God is called Jehovah Jireh, which means God, our Provider, is when Abraham took his special son up a mountain to sacrifice the young man.

God had promised Abraham that the world would be blessed through this special son.  But then God tested Abraham by telling him that he needed to kill his child.  I know that sounds really rough, but remember that God knew what He was going to do in the end.

Still Abraham had a hard choice to make…trust God to provide even though it didn’t make complete sense to him, or defy God and make it on his own.

Each of us have choices to make in life.  Some even come down to life and death for us.  If we trust and obey God we will experience Him as Jehovah Jireh.

See you Sunday!

Need a Pep Rally this Sunday?

I got some great encouragement through an email this week.  A friend at church wrote that he got in line behind someone in the grocery store Sunday, and heard this person talking about Team Church.  The gentleman was saying to the cashier how he had just been to Team Church, and how it encouraged him.  My friend was not having such a great day, but hearing that changed his whole attitude.  He went back home with a new pep in his step.

Hearing that someone is interested in church is really nice…but do you know why it affected my friend so much?  It’s because he’s involved…he’s invested, and he feels a healthy sense of pride that God is blessing what he’s doing.  Hearing that does the same thing to me.  Isn’t it wonderful to see God at work where we get the priveledge to be involved?

Isn’t that cool that Team Church encouraged a newcomer, and he encouraged my friend, and then my friend encouraged me with the whole story!

This week I will be talking about “Jehovah Nissi” which means “God is my banner.”  A banner is like a flag that rallies the troops. This story from my friend is kind of like God rallying us with some Good News.  It’s easy to discouraged, but I want you to sense the encouragement that Jehovah Nissi wants to give you.

Can you imagine with me that God is getting excited about what he wants to do this Sunday in churches all over our area?  Can you see Him wanting to encourage the speakers, leaders, the people who set-up, and the greeters and so on?  He wants these people who are responsible to get pumped because God has someone coming that needs encouragement too!

If you’re part of the Team, I hope you get that encouragement that you need, when you need it, because it helps us to keep going.  God wants to fill you up so you can fill others!  I hope you’re as excited as God…Jehovah Nissi.

See you this Sunday for some strong encouragement!

Where all the lonely people belong

The Beatles song, Eleanor Rigby, Scott sang this past Sunday asks the question, “All the lonely people. Where do they all come from? All the lonely people.  Where do they all belong?“

Great question.  And there are answers.  I say “answers” because I’m sure there is more than one answer to this dilemma.  In fact, during this month, the sermon series called “The Balcony” explains that there are at least two ways to answer most of our problems…Our Way and God’s Way.  It’s really all about perspective.

Check out Isaiah 55:9

As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s perspective is far above ours.  He’s not caught up in the emotional states we often get trapped in like loneliness–He cares, He understands, He’s here to help, but He’s not overwhelmed and paralyzed by our troubles.  His answer to our loneliness  is objectively based on His wisdom and love for us, whereas our answer is usually plagued by self doubt, anxiety, and deep emotional wounds.

So how does God answer the question, “All the lonely people, where do they all belong”?

They belong in relationship with Himself and His people.

The worst thing lonely people do to cope is detach, strangely enough.  We do it out of shame probably.  But, God designed us for relationship with Himself and others.  If you’re having problems with loneliness God is reaching out for you, and so is Team Church.  Pray, and tell God your feelings, and ask Him for His answer.  And tell a friend or one of the pastors.  We’re here to reach out to you right where you are.

Baptism and Swim Sunday

This weekend is going to be fantastic! I call it “Swim Sunday” for lack of a better name, but it’s a lot more than just meeting at a swimming pool. First of all we’re going to be baptizing. Secondly, since we’re not going to be meeting at the gym, we won’t be setting up all the normal gear. I hope our volunteers will enjoy the break. And last, but not least, this is another chance to eat together! Remember, last Sunday, I asked everyone to make dinner or lunch plans with another family…This is at least one way you can get a chance to sit and talk over a meal with someone new.

As for the baptism, let me explain a little about that. In the last section of the New Testament book of Matthew, Jesus told exactly what believers ought to be doing. I call this “Jesus’ Great Purpose:”

Jesus came to them[the disciples] and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Baptism seems to be something that Jesus desires for everyone who comes to put their trust in Him as Savior, and makes Him Lord of their life. That’s when you become a disciple, and you see that He also intends for every disciple to be taught to obey and experience the everlasting presence of Jesus.

The baptism itself looks like the disciple going under the water for just a moment and coming up.  That symbolizes that the disciple has died to him or herself by being buried in a watery grave, and then, just like the resurrection, the disciple is brought up again out of the water to symbolize the new life Jesus gives us.

To be honest, it’s not the easiest thing to explain, but it’s one of those things that you get it when you see it.  I hope you’ll come ready to experience a really unique Sunday morning. You can find more info on our style of baptism at www.teamchurch.com/baptism.

See you then!  Bring your sunscreen, a folding chair, and lots of friends!

A Fun Visit to Team Church

Most people didn’t realize this weekend that Kenny Hibbard, the senior lead pastor of Team Church was at our Lancaster County campus in Kershaw.  And that’s the way he liked it!  He was slipping-in to observe just like any visitor might do at this brand new campus.  His feedback from the visit was wonderful and very encouraging!  I count it as just another confirmation that God placed an awesome team together.

My reaction to finding out that Kenny was with us Sunday was pretty funny though.  I was in the production meeting a few minutes before the start of the service.  I was just settling down from band practice, and we were huddled up to pray, when I asked Olivia if she was nervous.  Olivia, said “I wasn’t nervous until Kenny showed up.”  I said, “Naw!, he’s on vacation. He wouldn’t be here.”  She insisted that he was, and I finally got it:  “What?  You’re serious?” All of a sudden I was tugging on my shirt collar and fanning myself with a handout.

I may have been just a tad nervous Sunday, but now that I think about it, I don’t shy away from inviting everyone to take a good assessment of what they find at Team Church because we’re reaching people where they are and leading them to full devotion in Jesus Christ.  That’s the Great Purpose of Jesus and the One Purpose of Team Church.  At any rate, the visit gave Kenny the opportunity to get an up-to-date and personal feel for what God is doing at our campus.  And God is really doing something great.

A great time for you to come and refresh your view of Team Church is to come AND INVITE OTHERS to our Swim Sunday July 19.  On that Sunday, we will not have our regular Sunday Service at the Rec Center. Instead, we will have a SWIM DAY at the Kershaw Pool & Pavilion at Stevens Park. Join us for a morning of fun and fellowship. You will have the chance to get to know others at Team Church better in a casual setting, we’ll cook out (lunch is free!), and we will hold our first campus baptism celebration – Team Church style! Bring your own chairs and swim gear; lifeguards will be on duty. Find out more about baptism at www.teamchurch.com/baptism.

First Serve

Sunday’s service is about just that…service. One of the four shared responsibilities of Team Church is to serve, and this weekend is a great time to find a place to serve in the church. “First Serve” Sunday is a special event sort of like a job fair for volunteers. Near the conclusion of the morning service, everyone will get up from their seats and mill around the ministry display tables.  Ministry leaders will be at each table to help each one figure out how he or she can get plugged in.

But what if…

• I don’t know what I want to do?
• I don’t know what I’ll be good at?
• I’m not sure I want to make a long-term commitment?

No problem. Don’t worry that you have to know for sure where you want to serve now…that’s why we call it “First Serve.” Just sign up for one or more ministry areas, and give it a try. There is no “long-term obligations” as the commercials say. We just want you to first serve in a few areas, and then you can commit to an area later to which you feel most called.

An overview of the ministry areas are available online anytime.  Browse the listing of volunteer opportunities at www.teamchurch.com/volunteer, and be sure to select “Lancaster Co.” from the “change campus” drop down menu.

Rain or "Shine"

As I left the house about 7am yesterday to pick up Dunkin Donut holes for church, it was pouring down rain.  I wondered if the rain was going to keep people indoors, and away from church.  I’ve heard somewhere that there are church-goers that melt in the rain!  My grandmother used to say that I wouldn’t melt in the rain, I would just lump.

Well the fear of melting never stops our awesome group of volunteers from rolling out at 8 am each Sunday morning to set up.  But we know that there will be times when team members will be away during sickness and special events, like this Memorial Day weekend.  So, spread the word that we can always use another helping hand.  That’s the spirit of teamwork! And as a team, we’re being counted on by friends that have already been invited, and others that just decided to come to church for the first time in a long time, come rain or shine.

Next Sunday, we’re going to display several ways in which everyone can serve.  So, until then, and at the great advice of Olivia, here’s a song to keep us focused during a gloomy, rainy week.

Click here to play Shine by Team Church Worship

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15 Minutes for Connecting

When the service ends on Sundays we always remind people to go hang out in the Connection Café before we begin to pack up everything. We love volunteers to pitch in and help carry all the gear back to the storage unit, but there is something we love even more…taking time to get to know you.

Relationship always will take priority over packing up church, so we deliberately want volunteers to wait at least 15 minutes to talk with one another, meet visitors, and enjoy some refreshments together. I know that it is hard for some to wait before rolling up their sleeves, but remember, church is about reaching people. And we can’t really reach others when we’re not personally connected. So, grab another cup of coffee, take some time to introduce yourself to someone new.

Some may say, “What if I don’t know what to say.” Here’s a quick acronym to help. I.F., as in “What IF I don’t know what to say?” “I” stands for interests and “F” stands for family. Ask your new acquaintance about their I-interests or hobbies, and F-their family. That should be enough to get you started…and then if you hit it off, ask them to help carry some gear with you!

Sunday I will be speaking about Uncommon Compassion. Here’s something to chew on…who are we generally more compassionate toward, people we’re personally connected to, or those that we’re not?