At every church there are many opportunities to learn and be involved. There are weekly, monthly and yearly activities and events. So here is an interesting question to ponder. A month or a year from now, or maybe 10 or 20 years from now, which things will I feel had the greatest positive impact on my life? Which things helped me the most to grow spiritually? 
From a "how do people learn" point of view, I think activities that include these things will have the greatest impact.

ENGAGEMENT
Active engagement in learning will be better than passive learning. Active engagement includes things like reading, thinking, group discussion, answering questions, asking questions, explaining something to others, and using what I learned in real life.
GUIDED PRACTICE
We rarely learn to do anything well by only doing it once. It is really useful if we try something, get feedback on how to improve, and then try it again and again.
RELATIONSHIP
Discipleship happens in the context of healthy, positive, challenging relationships. High expectations and high support at the same time.

So what kinds of things might have the greatest impact?
Engagement:
Camps, retreats, mission trips, Vacation Bible School, being on a sports team, small groups and leading or helping to lead a class or ministry.
Guided Practice:
Saying a memory verse over and over for several months. Practice explaining the gospel not once, but 40 times. Reading the Bible daily and picking out verses that stand out to you as opposed to only reading the Bible on Sunday in the worship service.
Relationship:
Sunday School classes and small groups that are intentional to spend time together getting to know one another in addition to "class" time. When a "coach" helps someone learn by giving them individual attention and support.

As we look for ways that our church can help people grow spiritually as they follow Jesus, lets think about increasing engagement and practice and being more relational.

We are just beginning to read and discuss Canoeing the Mountains. I still have a couple of books if you would like to join us for lunch and discussions of each chapter.
The basic ideas is this:
Lewis and Clark began on a canoeing trip and they had to change their approach to become mountain climbers.
30, 40 and 50 years ago, many pastors went to seminary and began their ministry thinking it was going to be one way and then the culture of America changed and now leading a church requires a different set of leadership skills.
Are we as pastors willing to learn and change?
Are we able to train and coach our church members to do ministry in a world that is increasingly indifferent to the Bible and even hostile toward Christian churches.
We are not always pastors to a large group of families who want their family to be in church on Sunday morning. As an older generation of Americans pass away, pastors now have to be missionaries to a younger generation that didn't grow up in church, doesn't know anything about the Bible and doesn't have a habit of attending church.

Most things don't happen overnight.

"Kids" at the Olympics. People amaze the world when they are only 18 or 22 years old. They weren't born with this gift. They trained and trained for countless hours since they were 6 or 8 years old. They were willing to swim hours and hours in a pool. They were disciplined enough to run and run for hours every day in the wind, the heat and the cold.
Successful business people, speakers, writers, actors, singers, and artists usually don't happen overnight. They were willing to get up early and practice hours every day in order to gain excellence.

The "average" American has college debt, credit card debt, and very little savings. Many people approach retirement without the savings they will need to live out their years without a full-time job. If a person isn't average in their finances, it usually means they were willing to make sacrifices and delay gratification for many years.

How do people grow spiritually?
How do churches grow and reach people?

It's because they are willing to do things that others are not willing to do.

Noah was willing to build the ark.
Abraham left his country by faith.
Joseph had integrity.
Moses overcame his fear.

A Christian can choose to do things that aren't easy. They can read the Bible every day. They can forgive and ask for forgiveness. They can pray for their enemies. They can serve others instead of being served.

A church can give their time and talents to build up the next generation. Married people can reach out to college students and single adults. People who are comfortable sitting in their favorite pew can get up and go sit beside a guest. Churches can organize their efforts to serve people who need help. Pastors can train new leaders and let them shine. Retired people can use their free time to volunteer.

​What are you willing to do that others are not willing to do?

1. The history of our life is kind of like a bowl of spaghetti noodles. Our life touches many others and many people touch our life. On the battlefield of life, fear is contagious and bravery is contagious.

2. Most of us feel inferior at some point. If I was just taller, or smarter, or richer, or more talented. In I Samuel 16 it says "The Lord looks at the heart."

3. Every person contributes to the flow of history and is important in their own way. People like Washington, Lincoln and Einstein take center stage, but they were raised to adulthood by people who cared for them, fed and clothed them, and taught them.

4. We are loved, chosen and called. I Sam 16:12 "Rise and anoint him."

5. God prepares us. I Sam 16:18 "play the harp ... brave ... warrior ... speaks well ... the Lord is with him." The years he spent being a shepherd to sheep were also preparing him to be a leader of men.

6. God gives us the strength we need. I Sam 16:13 "the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power"

7. God puts us in the right place at the right time. I Sam 17:23 "Goliath ... stepped out ... and shouted his usual defiance and David heard it." There were three types of soldiers - infantry, cavalry and artillery. Goliath was infantry and David was artillery.

8. God uses our unique strengths and weaknesses. I Sam 17:39 "I cannot go in these (coat of armor) ... with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine."

9. God gets the glory when we trust Him. I Sam 17:46 "The world will know that there is a God."

​Acts 13:36 "David served God's purpose in his own generation."

We are learning some new things about how people learn during this pandemic. 

Can school kids learn just as well online as they do in a classroom?
If not, why? If so, why and how?

What about church members?
Our church culture often focuses on members attending church and Sunday School on Sunday morning and hearing the teaching and preaching.

There may not be any way to accurately answer this question - but we wonder how many church members read the Bible during the week, or mainly rely on what they hear on Sunday. Our goal would be to encourage reading the Bible at home as well.

I observed two strategies to increase learning related to preaching.

​1. Some pastors email church members during the week and ask them to read the scripture ahead of time before they come or listen online on Sunday. This helps develop a habit of reading at home and stimulates their thinking and questions about the coming sermon on Sunday.

2. At the end of the sermon, some pastors/churches provide several discussion questions for individuals, families and small groups to consider and discuss. The pastor might talk about these discussion questions or post them in the bulletin or online.

I think it would be valuable for many Christians to experience this increased engagement every week.

• Read the scripture before the Sunday sermon
• Hear the sermon
• Discuss the sermon's ideas and challenges with other friends and family. Discuss what the scripture says, what it means, and how to apply it in the areas of my life.
  
• Then go do it.

It is July 2020 and I am looking back from the perspective of 6 months of hindsight.

What have been some of the lessons that churches have been learning the last six months in this context where things are not so bad, then get worse, then get better, then get worse ....?

1. Communicate with clarity. 
Whatever you decide to do or not do, let the church and the community know what the plans are - phone, text, email, newsletter, website, Facebook, etc.

2. Figure out what the priorities are for helping people grow in Christ:

• Should we offer worship services both in the building, in the parking lot and online? Should we have multiple times and rooms to attend worship?
• Should we offer small groups in the building, online and in homes?
• Should we step up efforts to help individuals read, pray and study on their own and with their family in their home?

3. Figure out the best way to help people give their offerings in person, through the mail or online.

4. Help church members learn how to do meetings and groups online through Facebook, Google, Zoom,  FaceTime and other avenues.

5. Increase the communication network of your church so that people are contacted every week - people who are part of a small group and those who aren't.

6. Find ways to increase engagement of the people who watch online using things like discussion questions, homework assignments, links to resources, testimonies,  interviews, video clips and family or small group discussions.

7. Learn how to not just make people who attend feel safer, but actually be safer. Doing things like cleaning surfaces, opening doors, provide fresh or filtered air, physical distancing, wearing masks, smaller groups, and so forth.

​8. Learn new ways to do group meetings - conferences, camps, VBS, business meetings, Bible studies, staff meetings and leadership training.

9. Look for ways to meet community needs - food, clothes, job search help, tutoring, support groups, counseling, etc.

10. Be flexible and adaptable. Be a learner. Help people cope with change.

11. Be empathetic with people who have a different experience than you do. Some people are young and healthy and not worried, others are at risk. Some lost their jobs and may not get them back, some work at home, and others are on the front line and face incredible stress wondering if they will carry some germs back and infect their whole family. Some are happy to quarantine and relax, while others miss the chance to travel and see children and grandchildren.

12. Be patient. Some problems can't be solved in 3 weeks or 3 months. 

13. Practice and get better at online communication - better sound, better lighting, better camera angles, better eye contact, how close to zoom in on the speaker, etc.

14. Posting worship and Bible study videos online can help reach dozens or hundreds of new people but there should also be an effort to followup and engage them so that they learn to enjoy fellowship with the church family in-person as well.

15. Individuals tend to get lost in the scope of the world, countries, cultures and statistics. People talk about the 1918 Flu Pandemic but they don't personally know how individual people and families were affected. Someday, it will be the same for the 2020 pandemic. 100 years from now, people will read about the statistics in a history book. But when you are living in the middle of it as we are now, what matters is the individual. Who are we praying for, who are we serving, who are we sharing our faith with? Jesus said the shepherd left the 99 and went to look for the one sheep that needed help.

I was reading a new book this month that talks about how churches can bring about a major change and how that is a different approach from small incremental changes.

Major changes take a lot of work, a lot of people involved in making decisions, a longer time frame that may take years and sometimes a big financial commitment. Changes like adding new staff, new buildings, additional worship services and new programs are major changes that take skilled leadership.

Incremental changes are often seen as not very important, but I think there are many small changes that ministries can make that will have a huge impact.

• Having your teachers, deacons and other leaders mentor younger assistants is incremental, but the impact is huge.
• Adding Bible reading during the week and discussion about what they read in your small groups can change the course of a person's life.
• Moving from rows to circles can dramatically change the friendliness and communication level in a Sunday School class.
• Making weekly or monthly opportunities for church members to share their testimony with a larger group can influence their confidence in a way that affects their family, their workplace and their neighborhood.
• New toys, a clean carpet, clean bathrooms and robust safety measures can help visitors and members to have confidence in the children's ministry of a church.
• Allowing half of your class time for discussion about the lesson can create a lot of involvement and participation and increase learning.

I was listening to Thom Rainer's and Ed Stetzer's recent blogs where they interviewed Daniel Im about his new book, No Silver Bullets (5 Small Shifts That Will Transform Your Ministry)

Here are a few shifts in strategy that he suggests churches make:

1. Changing our definition from Destination to Direction. Churches often say that discipleship means being obedient and growing over a period of time, but we might give the impression it means learning some information or completing a class 101, 201, etc. He reminds us that disciples cannot be mass-produced and that listening to information does not automatically  mean we will retain it and apply it.

2. Shifting Our Focus from Output to Input. He said that there is a correlation between helping people do certain things and the outcome it often produces in their life. For example, when we intentionally help people to become self-feeders, to read the Bible consistently for themselves, God uses that in their life and produces changes in their life. I think one way to apply that is to help our teachers concentrate on helping their class read the Bible for themselves each week, not just attend a class and listen to someone else tell what they read.

3. Shift from Being a Sage to Being a Guide. We often teach the way someone taught us, we imitate the model that was given to us. Instead, he encourages churches to teach the way people learn most effectively, which is this: we learn best on-the-job - when we read it, when we do it, when we explain it, when we discuss it. So in addition to lecture, teachers would do well to be more of a guide and help us to do what we want to learn.

4. Shift from Form to Function. The size of the group can be important, but we should make sure that we care about and be intentional about the function of the group.

5. Shift from Maturity to Missionary. Sometimes we might give the impression that the goal of discipleship ends with me - my maturity, my knowledge, my relationship with God. But we have to model for church members that the purpose of helping them grow is so that they can serve others, love others, disciple others, and help others have a personal relationship with Christ.

We are starting a new pastor study group and we will read the book Mistakes Leaders Make, by Dave Kraft.
1. Allowing ministry to replace Jesus
2. Allowing comparing to replace contentment
3. Allowing pride to replace humility
4. Allowing pleasing people to replace pleasing God
5. Allowing busyness to replace visioning
6. Allowing financial frugality to replace fearless faith
7. Allowing artificial harmony to replace difficult conflict
8. Allowing perennially hurting people to replace potential hungry leaders
9. Allowing information to replace transformation
10. Allowing control to replace trust

​Pray for us as we try to become the best leaders that we can be. Come join us if your schedule allows.

Recently in 2018, our Association helped with four teacher training sessions at one of our local churches. About 30 teachers attended the training. The information we talked about was not new - if you read a book about best teaching practices, the information would be very familiar. 
What was different was that, in our training sessions, we allowed time to practice what we were recommending they do when they return to the classrooms where they teach.

• we arranged our group in a circle like we would in Sunday School
• we stood up and had conversations for fellowship like we would on Sunday
• a leader introduced a first-time guest with three or four sentences of information
• someone announced the next class supper at a home and reminded us to invite friends and family
• someone announced our next service project and how we will do it together
• class members took time to read the Bible verses ahead of time before the class met and underline the verses that stood out to them personally
• the teacher introduced the Sunday School lesson for today - what are the broad themes, who is the author, who they were writing to, and how these verses are relevant and important to us today
• the class broke up into smaller discussion groups (D-groups) of 3 to 6 people
• in D-groups, people shared what the verses had meant to them during the week
• the D-groups discussed 5 to 10 discussion questions provided by the Sunday School material or thought up by the class teacher
• each D-group allowed 10 minutes at the end for prayer requests and praying for each person in their small group
• as class time came to a close, people looked around for someone to walk with and sit with in the worship service (either a regular class member they wanted to get to know better or a guest that was new to our church)

Looking back on the last two years of working with our Association Missions Interns.

1. They were relational - they formed encouraging relationships with one another and enjoyed a little bit of competition and especially humor.
2. They were eager to learn and critique what they were learning - "does this fit with reality and with my experience?"
3. When they felt that their opinion was valued, they were willing to share and evaluate. 
4. They were willing to study and teach what they were learning to others.
5. They memorized scripture and rose to the challenge.
6. They read a book about leadership and analyzed each chapter for application.
7. When there was an opportunity to serve, they jumped in to unfamiliar circumstances.
8. They read a Bible chapter and wrote discussion questions for a small group study.
9. They showed compassion for those who needed help.
10. They gave a weekend to volunteer for Disciple Now.
11. They went on mission trips and they lived a missional lifestyle.
12. They shared their salvation testimony and other stories of what they learned.
13. They welcomed a variety of commitments - school, work, church, friends, sports.
14. They expressed gratitude for a year of doing life together.
15. They did not see themselves becoming full-time workers at a church but they did see themselves as full-time Christians with a desire to serve others and be used by God

My convictions:

• we should be spending time in leadership training with young adults
• we should be releasing more ministry leadership to young adults
• sometimes their ideas and skills are better than ours
• we can learn from young adults and they can learn from us
• sharing Christ, praying, memorizing scripture, serving others, and learning about leadership can have lasting impact on the direction of our lives

​I've asked this question many times and usually get a similar answer. "Of all the things that helped you to grow spiritually the first few years you began to follow Christ, what were the top two?" The usual answers:
1. "A person who spent personal time with me to encourage, mentor and coach me. It was more than being in a class. It was a teacher, a youth pastor or some other friend who took time outside of a class to talk and listen."
2. "The times when I was actively involved. Instead of just sitting in a class and listening, I was involved in doing something - I served, I memorized, I read, I discussed, I served food at a homeless shelter, I built shelters in a third-world country, I visited a prison, I taught a children's class, I prayed for someone or I told my story of how God is working in me."

There are so many conferences, workshops, seminars, books and other training opportunities and they give so much information! Lots of great ideas! The challenge to me is ... can I condense the things I heard over several hours or days into a few things I can begin to do differently. In 2016 and 2017 our Association interns had the opportunity to lead a youth group Bible study for Middle and High School students at a local church for several months. We were interested - would the new ways of teaching the interns were learning be accepted and would it be more effective (as far as we could tell)?
1. Sit in a circle so we can see each other? - yes, interaction increased
2. Break the large group of 25 students into 4 smaller groups - yes, better participation
3. After the lecture part, have 6 or 8 discussion questions - yes, students liked it
4. Give every student the chance to share prayer requests and be prayed for - yes
5. Were new leaders attracted to come help? - yes
6. Did every student get a chance to read the scripture and make comments? - yes
7. Did students ask questions they were wondering about from the Bible? - yes
8. Did we get several people involved in creating discussion questions each week? yes
9. Were students stretched in their thinking, did they search to find answers? - yes
10. Did students and teachers say they liked discussion better than lecture? - yes
​11. Did we involve more leaders and give them leadership training? - yes

​Getting fresh ideas and new inspiration.
Most pastors I know read books and articles, attend workshops and join peer groups to challenge themselves with a steady stream of ideas for ministry. We ought to help the teachers in our church to do the same. Why not meet at least once a month with your small group leaders to brainstorm new ideas and let them share what they see God doing in their groups.

Every year, the Mid State Baptist Association offers three ways to encourage your teachers:
1. A once-a-year area-wide conference.
2. A workshop at your church custom-tailored to your needs.
3. An opportunity for coaching any teacher at your church individually. I can meet with any teacher once or several times, once a week, once a month or as often as desired.

Summer is almost here and most churches think strategically about having some outreach activities during the summer for children and teenage students - VBS, camps, mission trips, service projects and fellowship/outreach events.

Children and Teenagers
1. If your church leaders would like training or some help brainstorming about ways to reach out to children and teenagers during the summer, please call me at the Association office. I would be happy to assist or coach your leaders and help them get information and connect with leaders in our community who are doing a great job and are experts.

For example: the youth and leaders at your church could join the other 400 students at our Middle School and High School Lockin on May 5.

College Students
2. How can your church make the most of the 2 or 3 months when your college students are home for the summer?

• could you recruit them as volunteers or hire them as interns to help with every event you have this summer for children and youth
• could you have a 10 week series of study and fun in a home for the 2 to 15 college students who might be available and connected to your church families?
• could several of your college students help in the worship services this summer - preaching, testimonies, running tech, praying, leading the children's worship, greeting, etc.?

​Millennials
3. Don't forget that there are thousands of single adults from 22 to 30 years old around the Middle Georgia area. Who do you have in your church that would have the best chance to connect with this age group? Plan a six-month effort to be intentional and provide opportunities to connect and serve and then see what God might do.

• postcards to an apartment complex?
• start a new home Bible study and fellowship?
• a group for engaged and newlyweds?
• a divorce recovery support group?
• a sports team?
• an unemployment or job-networking group?
• a service project for young single adults to help with?
• a trip to the beach or the mountains?

Pastor Jim Duggan sent me the link to this article about reaching Millennials which every pastor should read. It is very thought-provoking!

Article on millenials. 
http://faithit.com/12-reasons-millennials-over-church-sam-eaton/

Whatever is at the top of your do list gets the most attention. If you are a senior pastor it might be preaching, teaching, preparing sermons, counseling, visiting homes, visiting hospitals, answering emails, paperwork, newsletters, staff and committee meetings.

Sometimes, things we want to do that might help our church to grow and make disciples gets pushed to the bottom of the list, because there doesn't seem to be enough time after we take care of all the weekly urgent tasks.

What are some of the things that get pushed to the bottom of the list?

• training teachers to become better at leadership training in their small groups
• individual meetings with present leaders to brainstorm
• individual meetings with prospective leaders
• individual meetings with church families
• evaluation of present ministries
• time to brainstorm new ideas for the coming year
• visits with other pastors to learn from their experiences
• meeting with local leaders - schools, law enforcement, non-profits
• Association meetings with other pastors
• reading widely to challenge yourself with new thoughts

If you can't find time to work these things into your schedule, find a volunteer who will take one of the above tasks and help you.

     My last blog was from the point of view of the student - "What helped you learn and grow?" This time let's look at it from the point of view of the teacher. As a teacher, my greatest desire is to teach something that will then be applied and, as a result, lives will be changed. My train of thought might be something like, "I taught it (gave them a lot of good information) so I don't understand why they are not applying it!"
​     Sometimes we need to be reminded again about using teaching methods that will help people learn more effectively. Just saying it doesn't mean they learned it.Try one or all of these methods with your small group:
1. Ask group members to read the scripture for themselves, either at home the week before or right now in your group time.
2. Ask them to pick out one or two verses that stood out to them and tell why.
3. Ask a group member to come up with a question he is wondering about and would like answered.
4. Ask several people in the group to write two or three discussion questions about the scripture passage that would be interesting and helpful to talk about as a group.
5. Get a volunteer to be ready to tell a scripture story or passage in their own words when you get together next week.
6. Make time for your small group to have discussion about their understanding of a scripture verse and some of the best ways to apply it. Prepare 6 to 10 discussion questions or allow at least 30 minutes for discussion each time you meet.
​7. Stretch the thinking of your group. Instead of a question like "What is one way that we could apply this verse?", instead push their thinking with "What are ten ways that we could apply this verse to our lives?"
8. Ask several group members to lead in prayer about the topic you are studying. "Help us to understand." "Help us to find the best ways to apply this."
9. As a group, memorize a scripture verse from the chapter you are studying.
10. Ask for a volunteer to be ready each week to tell a real life story about what he or she is learning in this area of their life.
11. Once a week, once a month or whatever your schedule allows, plan a service project to do together as a class. Practice, repetition and experience are the best teachers and the best way to learn something. The point of reading and discussing in our small groups is to lead us to the "doing" part.
     James 1:22 says "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."