10 Tips to Prevent Scandal

1.   Live a humble, transparent life.
2.   Stay open to correction.
3.   Audit your actions regularly.
4.   Stay in touch with the real world.
        Ministry is about loving people. But you will never develop compassion unless
        you are close enough to the grass roots to smell the poverty, lay hands on the
        sickness and cry with those who are in pain.
5.   Don’t allow people to make you a celebrity.
6.   Make family a priority.
7.   Live modestly and give extravagantly.
8.   Don’t build your own kingdom.
9.   Develop keen discernment.
10. Maintain your spiritual passion.
         People who experience moral failure almost always
         lose their spiritual passion first.

Taken from an article by J. Lee Grady

Jim & Casper Go to Church

There's a great book out called Jim & Casper Go to Church by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper. It features two guys touring and rating churches across the Unites States. What makes it especially interesting is that one of them is a former pastor (Jim) and the other one is an atheist (Casper).

It is a great read for making you think. It is a reminder that how you perceive your ministry may not be the same as how those you minister to perceive it. It makes you consider why you do what you do and question if there is a better way to do your ministry. In the foreword, George Barna opens the book saying,

Few religious leaders or churches have any idea what it’s like for an outsider to try to break into the holy huddle. Most churched people have been so immersed in the church world that they have completely lost touch with what it is like to come through the church door and try to fit into a place that has very distinct habits, language, goals, events, titles, architecture, traditions, expectations, and measurements.

I was particularly intrigued by Matt Casper’s perspective (that of a musician and an atheist). Here are a few highlights from his insight:

On slick worship music -

[Jim: “On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you rate the music?”]

Two stars. That’s all I can do for you here.

For presentation and professionalism, they get a 4 or a 5, but the music is too contrived, too slick, too professional, really.

[Jim: “But that’s a good thing, no? That should attract people, right?”]

Maybe people who like American Idol. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I see the entertainment value, but when it comes to music, I like it pure. Too much polish and you lose the heartfelt power, you lose the soul of the music, and you’re not going to move anyone.

On fancy staging -

These guys are actually helping people, and the diversity of the attendees seems to be representative of the urban area where they are located.

I can relate to this part of the church, but I don’t understand why they need to do the big show. Why don’t they just help people and call it good? Why the fog machine, camera crane, multiple screens, PowerPoint, and the lights, lights, lights?

I think the light show and all that, for me anyway, does less to attract and connect me than to disconnect me.

On song lyrics -

[What bothered me is] the massive disconnect between the words on the PowerPoint projection and the stuff I saw in the church.

On good deeds -

To someone like me who doesn’t believe there is a literal God that we’re going to meet someday up in the sky, a God that can’t be proven otherwise… well, to me, proof of good deeds.. count more than anything. That’s evidence that you are following what anybody can read in the Bible.

Even though I don’t believe in God, I see evidence of the idea of God being a good thing…

On the modern church -

What does the way Christianity is practiced today have anything to do with the handful of words and deeds uttered by a man who walked the earth two thousand years ago?

These are just a few of the many thoughts Casper transparently shares throughout the book as he and Jim visit churches like Saddleback Church, Mosaic Church, Willow Creek Community Church, Mars Hill Church, Lakewood Church, and The Potter’s House. So what’s the point of the book? Jim Henderson concludes with this:

Unless we’re willing to remove the handles from the front doors of our churches and publicly say to outsiders, “We don’t care what you think,” the church must become more reflective and repentant about how outsiders perceive us.

Become self-aware.

True Teachers, Friends and Heros

True Teachers, Friends and Heroes
by Jason Pogue
volunteer in the junior high ministry at Saddleback Church


can you name the five wealthiest people in the world?
can you name the last five Super Bowl MVP's?
can you name five people who have won the Nobel Peace Prize?
can you name the last five Academy Award winners for Best Actor/Actress?
can you name the last five Grammy Award winners for Best New Artist?

Pretty tough huh? I don't think I can get any of these right and these are "important" people who are at the top of their game! how about these?
name your favorite teachers who aided your journey through school.
name two or three friends who helped get you through a tough time.
name several"heroes" who have stories that inspired you.

My junior high group starts up again tonight, and while preparing last night I started to think about how every year I set out to be the best small group leader ever. I set out to make true and authentic disciples out of these 7th and 8th grade guys; ther're gonna memorize books of the bible, know their "swords" forwards and backwards, have quiet times everyday, pray for hours on end, etc. but then reality sets in, I get busy, (they get even busier) life gets going, and things end up getting lost in the normal everyday crazy routine each of us calls life.

And then I thought about Kurt Johnston and his youth ministry setting. that maybe my approach has been wrong/skewed. Kurt's been teaching me for years that "a caring adult + a jr. high student = good stuff." Am I too focused on these guys becoming giant disciples of Christ instead of just focusing on showing up in their life? How often am I attending their sporting events, band competitions, skating at the skate park with them, taking them out for dinner, dirt biking with them, etc.

Now don't get me wrong here, I still want to teach my guys what an authentic follower of Christ looks like, and i want to teach them good habits for developing spiritual disciplines, but maybe - just maybe, my focus should be more about loving them and caring for them instead of just trying to get through a 30 minute lesson each week that will lead to life altering times with God later?

So, to Dominick, Drew, Ben, Nick, Daniel, Max, Sean, Matt, Chad, and Josh - you guys are studs. I’m sorry for being a crappy small group leader last year and I’m sorry my focus was more about ME changing you, instead of God showing up through me in even the smallest of ways. I hope I can be a teacher who aids your journey, a friend to help get you through a tough time, or a hero who inspires you someday!