Thank you for 5,612 hits on my blog in November, the most so far.
Ryan
Christmas through the Eyes of a Child- Wonder and Awe
Our 2011 Advent sermon series is entitled Christmas through the Eyes of a Child. We’re rereading the familiar Christmas story and rediscovering for ourselves the excitement and awe that children experience at Christmastime.
It might surprise you to know that what produced wonder and awe in the first persons to hear the Christmas story was not the virgin birth of Christ. It was something else.
To find out more, listen to my sermon from this past Sunday, “Wonder and Awe.”
Wonder_and_Awe_Nov_27_2011_Ryan_Gear
At about minute 28 of my sermon, I show a video that went viral a couple of months ago…
Like this:
Filed under Pastors, Sermons and Sermon Series Ideas, Uncategorized
Zig Ziglar on Gratitude
Do you want to feel more thankful on this Thanksgiving? Watch this short video of Zig Ziglar speaking about gratitude.
Filed under Pastors, Sermon Illustrations, Uncategorized
If the Starbucks Loses Its Coffee-ness…
On the last two Mondays that I’ve stopped by the Ashland Starbucks, they’ve been out of coffee. Their “coffee machine” is broken.
Starbucks without coffee is like a gas station without gas, a grocery store without groceries, (add your own obvious comparison here). What’s the point?
There’s a lesson here.
In Matthew 5v13, Jesus says, “’You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.’”
If the Starbucks loses its coffee-ness, it is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Filed under Pastors, Sermon Illustrations, Uncategorized
The Emotional Movements of an Engaging Narrative Sermon
(You can click on the image to enlarge it.)
This post is obviously for people who preach or teach.
How do the various parts of your sermon affect people emotionally?
How does the congregation you serve feel at the end of your sermon? Are they motivated to follow Jesus more closely? Are they uplifted, given hope? Do they feel like coming back next week? Do they head straight for a bar to make themselves feel better?
Every sermon produces an emotional reaction in those who experience it.
Are you aware of how each part of your sermon affects the congregation- when they feel a sense of heaviness, when they feel uplifted, when they feel angry, tired, impatient, embarrassed, apprehensive, expectant, relieved, excited, joyful?
Are you intentional about what emotion each element of your sermon produces?
Narrative sermons engage the emotions on purpose. This is not emotional manipulation. It is simply the result of involving the congregation in a drama, and experiencing emotions is a continual and normal aspect of human life. The congregation you serve experiences emotions while you preach, regardless of whether you are intentional about it or not.
A narrative sermon moves forward like the plot of a movie, novel, or any story. In other words, it employs the elements of drama. In doing so, it engages both the intellect and emotions of those who experience the sermon.
My bias is that I believe sermons should end “up”, as an uplifting experience. I believe this because the Gospel is good news, and therefore, results in joy. A great sermon also eplores and feels the deep pain and suffering that is part of the human experience, but God’s redemptive purpose in creation ultimately has a happy ending. I believe that every sermon should send the congregation out with that expectant joy and hope.
This past Sunday, I succeeded at this movement in the 8:00 and 9:30 services but not at 11:00. At 11:00, I left off the comic relief at the end, so the sermon ended more down than it should have. I could feel it, and it was painful to me. I know that the congregation felt it too.
Next time, I’ll be more intentional about guaging the emotions that my sermon is producing in the congregation as I preach it and make corrections to make sure that I end “up.”.
For more on narrative sermons, check out my blog post http://ryangear.com/2010/03/03/narrative-sermons/.
Also see http://ryangear.com/2010/09/08/preaching-sermons-people-remember/.
Thanks to Steve Jobs
I just read that Steve Jobs passed away today. What a giant of innovation!
Thanks for groundbreaking, innovative, and exciting products.
Thanks for riveting presentations that captivated people’s imaginations.
Thanks for making computers intuitive.
Thanks for making products that help people to create new things.
Thanks for boosting the economy.
And thanks for thinking outside of the box.
Steve Jobs was a perfect example that when someone believes in a dream, goes for it, and perseveres, “it just works.”
Also see “Preach like Steve Jobs” , Steve Jobs on Vision and Alignment”, and “In Honor of Steve Jobs”
Filed under Leadership, Pastors, Preaching, Uncategorized
Leadership Institute 2011 Session 4 Adam Hamilton
The opening prayer was given by the Bishop of Southern Africa.
Adam told a story about COR partering with people in Zambia to create fish ponds, so that people can provide fish for themselves.
A 10-year old girl, Gracie, recorded a CD and, with its sales, has raised $10,000 to create fish ponds.
She sang a moving song from her CD. (So what if a 10-year old sings far better than I do?)
Adam has realized that younger people are more interested in serving than past generations in the church.
Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers (rescheduled from yesterday)
1600 volunteers a month serve at COR just for services. This does not include all of the outreach ministries.
2 Keys to Recruiting Volunteers
1. Put the people first, before needs. No slot-filling, except for the church essentials. Start with people’s gifts.
2. The personal invitation, 70% of the people will volunteer if they receive a personal invitation.
When they’re a fit and passionate, it becomes a priority.
Offer training to volunteers who are going to engage with people who are vulnerable.
What demoralizes volunteers?
1. When they feel like they’re failing (when you put them into a position that they’re not suited for)
2. What they feel like what they’re doing doesn’t make a difference (leader must remind volunteers of how they’re ministry is connected to the larger vision)
3. When they feel powerless, when they don’t have a voice, not listened to. Say “yes” to volunteers whenever you can.
Tell volunteers the “Why”.
Leaders are here to euip our volunteers. We work for them. Eph. 4:11-12
Expose volunteers to the end user of their “product”. Ex. help those who sort close to at least occasionally meet the people who get the clothing.
Twice per year, write a hand written note to volunteers and personalize it.
Provide ongoing training and development to volunteers. Share a book, article, etc. Ask leaders to speak and train in needed skills. Take volunteers to an event that will feed them for awhile- Leadership Summit, Leadership Institute, etc.
Dan Entwhistle- Recruiting Volunteers
Serving from the Heart and Leading from the Heart
COR Best Practices
1. Preaching
There is nothing more important that a pastor does than preaching. If the pastor preaches effectively, everything works better.
Time is the enemy of great preaching.
Teaching + inspiring to action (head, heart, hands)
The Body of Christ does hospital visits, counseling, taking phonecalls, etc.
Bishop W.T. Handy- Preach the Word and love the people.
Adam shared a story of resurrection from a 1/4 time pastor in a rural Illinois church that grew from 2o to 50 people. What made the difference? Good funerals after tragedies, preach pastoral care sermons to congregation afterwards, etc.
Preparing Excellent Messages
a. Mimimum of 10 hours per week for prep and writing. “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Adam gets 20 hours per week, 1/3 of his time.
b. On sermon writing days, except for critical emergencies, someone else needs to answer phones, conduct visits, provide care for people, etc. If critical emergency, so visit, then reschedule next day’s appointments.
c. High speed internet access, as part of ministry, not pastor’s salary
d. One week away each year, not vacation, to do 1 year in advance sermon planning
e. Survey the congregation before you go away, 1. If there was a sermon series I could preach that would be easy for you to invite your friends to, what would it be? 2. What parts of the Christian faith are you struggling with- theological ideas, parts of the Bible you wish you knew more about, etc? 3. Tell me about your relationships with other people and how you’re doing emotionally, problems in personal life, and you would like to know what the Bible says about it? Ask staff, “What do you think our people need to hear?”
The sheep can talk. Listen.
f. Small continuing education budget to provide resources for sermons- buy the 4 best commentaries for each series month in advance, read the best books on relationships, etc.
Adam prapares sermon at home to eliminate distractions.
Resources:
preachingtoday.com (Adam uses about 10 times per year)
Weddings and Funerals
Huge evangelism opportunities for you to care for people who are unchurched.
Tell funeral directors that you are available. Visit family of the deceased in the home for 1 hour.
These ideas are from Adam’s book, “Unleashing the Word.”
Start funeral sermon with family’s stories about the person. The text is the person’s life.
COR employs wedding and funeral coordinators.
Weddings (8 minute homily, Genesis, Colossians 3, story that illustrates real marital love)
Adam loves officiating weddings but admits that he has to psych himself up for it.:)
He starts pre-marital counseling by saying, “I can’t tell you how excited I am to do your wedding.” Pray tohgether. WEhy and what letters.
The couple’s story is the text that begins the wedding homily.
Adam tells Genesis story of Adam and Eve. God formed ”the new improved mode of the man. This is what I’ve been waiting for, and she is mysteriously and sometiomes maddeningly different from me.” It was God creating two people to be helpers to each other. God is callling you to do that. God is asking, “Will you be his helper? Will you be her helper?” God doesn’t command you to be in love with each other every second of your lives.
I don’t think you can do that without God’s help.
Then, Adam tells a story of love, helping, sacrifice,
John and Denise Elliot, 2 boys, 4 years into their marriage, Denise had a recurrence of a brain tumor, inoperable, They moved back to where there family was, John called Adam and invited him because Denise was close to dying. Adam drove 2 hours to meet them. Adam rang doorbell. John had finished bathing Denise and getting her dressed and putting on her makeup. he carried her down the stairs, cut up a balonga sandiwich and carefully fed her. She didn’t know what was happening anymore.
It stopped being about sex a long time ago, romance,. It is not about a promise, a coveant, love. That’s what you’re signing up for today.
Tells story about how faith has kept he and LaVon together.
God ordains you in marriage when you kneel together. God calls you to marriage, to serve one another.
When you do the loving thing even when you don’t feel like it, love will come back.
Pray for each other. Adam listens to LaVon breathe. he thanks God for LaVon and asks God to help him love her well and thanks God for her.
Some COR series ideas (Adam played video promos for these sermon series)
- The Journey, Advent campaign, now published by Abingdon
- Give away entire Christmas Eve offering to children in poverty, half to local and half to global (tell congregation 1 month in advance and ask to give to the offering whatever you will spend on Christmas gifts, Adam shows a short video about where the money will go)
- Why? Making Sense of God’s Will
- Going Fishing: Fishing Stories from the Gospels
- Check out http://cor.org for more sermons (years of video sermons are on the website)
Congregational Care
Adam interviewed Karen Lampe
High touch ministry
All of the 5 ordained Associate Pastors are in charge of providing pastoral care according to the last names of congregants. Most of the people who make COR work are directors of ministries hired from the business world. each pastor oversees 10 volunteer “pastors” who who are congregational care ministers. They have to be members for 3 years before they serve. These volunteers are proactive- hospital visits, funeral homes, weddings, hospice, etc.
We get down in the dirt with people. Karen believes that COR has thrived partly because of pastoral care.
COR has a training event coming up for Congregational Care Ministers, Feb. 10-11, 2012. Read The Caring Congregation.
Adam told another resurrected church story. The pastor said, “We realized that its all about people.”
another church holds an annual Pumpkin Fest, give away free pumpkins, requires everyone in the church to volunteer to serve 400 hundred attendees.
Adam and Debi Nixon spoke about 3 partner churches who are using COR resources, sermons, etc but are not COR campuses. It is a pilot program in which churches maintain their own DNA but use COR resources (similar to Lifechurch.tv Open)
Leadership Institute closed with Communion.
Filed under Leadership, Pastors
