In his book, Mere Discipleship, author Lee Camp recounts the Rwandan civil war from the mid 1990’s. At the time, Camp was located in Kenya as a missionary. In the book, he explains how Rwanda had been considered a textbook case of successful Christian Missions. Churches were being planted and were multiplying rapidly. Then came …
Author Archives: Scott Attebery
Quit “Trumping” Your Church
The President recently announced policy changes via Twitter. I’m not sure that’s a wise move. My concern has nothing to do with the policy change itself. Rather, the method of communication is what seems lacking. His announcement caught the Pentagon off-guard. Respected generals were left to answer reporters’ questions without the luxury of preparing a …
The Blind Side of the Blind Side
It’s almost football season. That means it’s time for watching football movies. One of my favorites is “The Blind Side.” But there is one problem… Maybe it’s because I’m a minister. Or maybe it is because it was glaringly obvious. Either way, Disney rewrote Scripture. Maybe you caught it too. Near the beginning of the …
Why You Must Warn About Following Christ
My friend Adam recently went to the hospital for a biopsy. Doctors had found a growth in his pancreas and needed to determine what it was. Before the procedure, a nurse explained the risk: 1 in 100 pancreas biopsies will agitate the pancreas enough to cause pancreatitis. Adam understood the risk and signed the waiver. …
8 Ways to Improve Your Church’s Care Plan
Loss is hard. Although everyone handles grief differently, I’m convinced that nobody handles it easily. One of the ways that Christ comforts His children is through His body –the church. Romans 12:15 reminds us to “weep with those who weep.” After all, that’s what Jesus did. When His friend Lazarus died, He wept with Mary …
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Clean Churches Die
During my second full week of pastoring, one of the ladies of our church made a disturbing comment. Looking back, I believe her comment probably describes the attitude of many other churches and their members. Our church was getting ready to construct a new building when I was hired. I’m sure the lady meant well, …
Recruiting Seekers: The Mission of God and the Role of the Church
Recruiting in college athletics is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year task that involves seeking out talent, assessing skills, and evaluating character. Athletic programs live or die by it. The church has been given a task similar to recruiting. We are called to evangelize, sharing the gospel with the lost in hopes they will come to Christ. Evangelism …
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Recruiting Strategy: The Church’s Approach to Seekers
This is the final post regarding seekers. Previous posts have explored God’s mission in seeking sinners and the church’s role in evangelism. This final post discusses the approach a church takes toward evangelizing the lost. How we evangelize is just as important as who we evangelize and why we evangelize. How Should the Church Perform …
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Recruiting Network: The Church’s Role in God’s Mission
This is the third post in a series on “seekers.” Previous posts have established that Sinners do not seek God naturally (Romans 3:10-11) God seeks and saves sinners (Luke 19:10) The Holy Spirit draws sinners to seek Him (John 3:8) But that does not mean that sinners are automatically converted without being evangelized. That leads to the question this post …
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Master Recruiter: What is God Doing in the World?
In my previous post, I suggested that church leaders need to clarify the idea of a “seeker.” Then, I proposed three questions to help define the issue. What is God doing in the world (i.e. the mission of God)? What is the church’s role in God’s mission? How should the church perform its role? This post tackles the …
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