Good News to Share
We are pleased to announce that thanks to Michael Wright, our Media Library now has a new tool to reach beyond our physical doors. A video of our Sunday Morning Worship Service will be posted each week on our Facebook page. We will also have copies on DVD in our Library that can be checked out and shared with your family, friends and neighbors. Use this ministry tool to share with those who are homebound and unable to attend our worship services and also to introduce Christ to those who not have a personal relationship with Him.
"7 Out of 10 people in this county (Wilson County, Tennessee) are not in church"
When Brother Jonas made this statement in his message this morning I was very shocked. I immediately began to take a mental inventory of my friends and neighbors to try and identify who these seven people might be. These are the ones that I need to reach. These are the ones that I personally need to invite to Sunday School. Will you join me in accepting the challenge that was presented to us this morning? It really burdens me to think that just maybe one of those seven is a close friend or family member. Perhaps its that little boy or girl just down the street. Maybe they are just waiting on an invitation from me...or you!
Let's become a church family of caring people and reach out to those who are not in church in this county. They are waiting for us to show that we care.
New Donations
Thank you to Julie Barrett and Tara Montgomery for recent donations made to the Library.
Another
wish granted! Thanks to a very generous donor, we now have a copy of
the new mini series "The Bible" on DVD.
Are You a Church Member?
This article was recently published in a LifeWay newsletter. We are sharing this article in its entirety for those of you who may have not had the opportunity to see it.
When Michael and Liam began meeting for Monday morning breakfast at 6
a.m. more than five months ago, they originally thought it would be a
one-time event. They met in a couples' Bible study group in their
church. For many reasons, they hit it off and were becoming good
friends. The two men enjoyed their time together so much that the
one-time event became a weekly event.
Still,
Michael was caught off guard on that particular Monday morning. Liam
loved the poached eggs in the little restaurant; it was his regular
order. But on this Monday morning, he hadn't touched them. He was barely
sipping his coffee.
Liam didn't take long to get to the point.
"Michael," he began, "Lana and I have decided to leave the church." The
pause seemed to last minutes. Neither of the men knew who should speak
next. Michael took the initiative and spoke softly yet deliberately.
"You want to tell me about it?" Michael inquired. He honestly didn't
know if Liam wanted to say any more about it. His friend seemed
resolute. Nevertheless, Liam began to explain his feelings and decision.
"Lana
and I went to the church to learn deep truths about the Bible," Liam
offered. "But Pastor Robert is just not feeding us. We're not getting
anything out of his messages. Sitting in the service on Sunday morning
is a waste of our time."
Michael didn't respond but could tell that Liam had more to say.
"There are several great people in the church," Liam continued. "You
and Karen are the best, and there are a few more like you." He paused
and his facial expression became even more serious. "But, honestly,
Michael, our church is full of hypocrites. Did you hear Jim at the kids'
basketball game? He embarrassed me the way he was calling out the refs.
What kind of testimony is that for a Christian? And of course, everyone
knows about Neal. He was supposedly this pillar of the church, and we
found out he's been cheating on his wife for more than a year. What kind
of church is this with these kinds of people?"
Liam was angry but
controlled as he continued to vent. "Look, Pastor Robert acts like he
cares for us, but I'm not sure he does. I told him that Lana's dad was
in the hospital for hernia surgery, and he never visited him."
Michael
knew that Lana's father was not a church member, and he lived 50 miles
away. He also knew that Pastor Robert called him and prayed with him.
But he also knew that any rebuttal would not be timely at the moment.
Michael held his tongue.
It seemed that Liam's mild rant was
winding down. Liam seemed exhausted, ready to bring the conversation to a
close. He did, however, offer a few pointed comments and two insightful
questions.
"Michael," Liam began softly. "I really like you and
Karen and your kids. All of you are a class act." He paused briefly.
"But you seem enthused about the church. You keep serving and
contributing. Don't get me wrong, but I wonder at times if you are blind
to all the problems in the church."
Then Liam offered a closing
that spoke more than he realized. "We are two different types of church
members," he stated. "Why is that? Why do we have such different
perspectives?"
The difference
Nine out of 10 churches in
America are declining or growing at a slower pace than that of their
communities. Simply stated, churches are losing ground in their own
backyards.
Another way of looking at it is generationally. About
two-thirds of the Builder generation, those born before 1946, are
Christians. However, only 15 percent of Millennials, those born between
1980 and 2000, are Christians. Millennials are the largest generation in
America's history with almost 80 million members.
And we have all but lost that generation.
We can blame it on the secular culture. And we often do.
We can blame on the godless politics of our nation. We do that as well.
We can even blame it on the churches, the hypocritical members, and the uncaring pastors. Lots of Christians do that.
I'm
proposing that we who are church members need to look in the mirror.
I'm suggesting that congregations across America are weak because many
of us church members have lost the biblical understanding of what it
means to be a part of the body of Christ.
We join our churches expecting others to serve us, to feed us, and to care for us.
We don't like the hypocrites in the church, but we fail to see our own hypocrisies.
God didn't give us local churches to become country clubs where membership means we have privileges and perks.
He
placed us in churches to serve, to care for others, to pray for
leaders, to learn, to teach, to give, and, in some cases, to die for the
sake of the gospel.
Many churches are weak because we have
members who have turned the meaning of membership upside down. It's time
to get it right. It's time to become church members as God intended.
It's time to give instead of being entitled.
A new path
Though
it's a small step, I'm suggesting that church members consider a new
path. There are six steps we should carefully and prayerfully take.
Let's consider each of these steps to be the type of church member God
called us to be.
First, let's note the metaphor of membership.
It's
not membership as in a civic organization or a country club. It's the
kind of membership given to us in 1 Corinthians 12:27, "Now you are the
body of Christ and individual members of it." Because I'm a member of
the body of Christ, I must be a functioning member, whether I'm an
"eye," an "ear," or a "hand." As a functioning member, I will give. I
will serve. I will minister. I will evangelize. I will study. I will
seek to be a blessing to others.
Second, I will strive to be a source of unity in the church.
I
know there are no perfect pastors, staff, or other church members. But
I'm not perfect either. I won't be a source of gossip or dissension. One
of the greatest contributions I can make is to do all I can in God's
power to help keep the church in unity for the sake of the gospel.
Third, I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires; that's self-serving.
I'm
in this church to serve others and to serve Christ. My Savior went to
the cross for me. I can deal with any inconveniences and matters that
aren't my preference or style.
Fourth, I will pray for my pastor every day. His work is never-ending.
His
days are filled with constant demands for his time, with the need to
prepare sermons, with those who are rejoicing in births, with those who
are traveling through the valley of the shadow of death, with critics,
with the hurts and hopes of others, and with the need to be a husband
and a father. My pastor cannot serve our church in his own power.
Fifth, I will lead my family to be good members of this church as well.
We
will pray together for our church. We will worship together in our
church. We will serve together in our church. And we will ask Christ to
help us fall deeper in love with this church because He gave His life
for her.
This article is an excerpt adapted from I Am a Church Member by Thom S. Rainer.
Thom S. Rainer
serves as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Among his
greatest joys are his family: his wife, Nellie Jo; three sons, Sam, Art,
and Jess; and six grandchildren. Dr. Rainer publishes a daily blog at
thomrainer.com and can be found on Twitter at
@ThomRainer and on Facebook at
facebook.com/Thom.S.Rainer.
Book Reviews
Submitted by Debbie Irvin
This book has been purchased
for the church library, but I was fortunate enough to read it before it hit the
shelves. I had never heard of this
author before, but was pleasantly surprised. I look forward to more of her
writings.
It was a quick read because it
was spell binding and really holds your attention. The book offers everything from mystery,
romance, a bit of history, adventure and faith of the characters. The book described one of the characters that
lost her way as a young woman but who finds mercy and forgiveness in her home
town.
I would highly recommend this
book and Book 2 in this series. I read
both books in just a few days.
Shattered (Alaskan Courage Book
#2) by Dani Pettrey
Book 2 of Alaskan Courage delves
further into the lives of the family and once again offers suspense, romance
and faith.
It was exciting to read about
how a long time friendship turned into a deep love between two of the
characters. The family dynamics in this
book were wonderful. An inspiring story
of how close knit family members and friends deal with the challenges of
staying true to themselves and their responsibilities, while
maintaining their relationships.
I rarely set the book down
until it was finished. I would definitely recommend this book.
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We appreciate all of the positive comments that were received after last month's business meeting.
