Next Series: Move!

Jesus never sat still for long.  He was always going...always doing...always on the Move.  So why is it that we usually talk about what Jesus said and spend so little energy looking at what he did?  

One reason is because Words Matter.  So, Jesus' words happen to be really important.

But his actions are equally important.

So, leading up to Easter, we are going to look every week at some of the actions of Jesus.  We'll be staying in the book of John for this series and encouraging everyone to read John along the way, as a community, finishing it by Easter.  

We've never done a series like this, and I'm really excited about it!!  To think about Jesus, on the Move, and to study the things he did.  When I researched this, it blew me away when I saw the things he quietly did, with little or no comment.  I can't wait to share with you each week what I saw...and Beth and her team have some really cool creative elements that will help us encounter God and engage with the subject.  

I promise that the implications of this series will meet you where you are and have an impact on your life!

I hope you will make an effort to be there each week.  It's going to be awesome!

Criteria I Use to Select Someone to Speak at PCC

In the past 6+ years, we've had a handful of people who have spoken for me in my absence.  Most have done a good job, some have done a great job.  But this kind of language is subjective. What does it mean to do a good, great, mediocre or poor job when standing in for me?  To be sure, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.  One person will think a joke is funny while someone else won't even get it.  One person will be moved to tears and the person next to them will be offended.  So the point is not to make everyone happy.  If that was the goal, it would be an effort in futility, because it's simply impossible.  Any given Sunday I get a word from somebody somewhere that I've upset them in some way.  I understand that in a church our size.  

But there are some criteria that I use to evaluate a person to determine if I will ask them to speak, and if I will ask them to return to speak again.  Here are a few of the guidelines I consider:

1)  Do they have the gift of preaching?  I don't use this word - preaching - very often.  It's a churchy word that has lots of negative connotations.  People remember mean 'preacher', a boring 'preacher', and a judgemental 'preacher'.  So I try to avoid the word.  But the truth is that the Bible says that God gives every Christ follower at least one spiritual gift, and among the list of options from which He chooses is the gift of preaching.  People who want to preach who do not have the gift of preaching end up being bad preachers.  Unfortunately, there are lots of these folks out there.  So, I try to look at a person and ask, "is the gift of preaching inside of this person somewhere?"  I've sometimes thought it was there and been wrong, but usually I can spot it.

2)  Are they coachable?  I am not the world's gift to public speaking.  I still have so much to learn and I am still growing.  One, Five and Ten years from now, I'll be so much better than I am today.  But, having said that, it's not a prideful statement to also recognize that this is something I have a good bit of experience, training, and a gift at doing.  I've learned a lot of lessons.  When I work with someone, I want to know that they are going to actively seek out my advice and that they are going to take some or most of it.  I want them to ask questions and seek feedback from me.

3)  Do they want to learn?  In short, I don't want anyone who thinks they already know it all.  I'm looking for someone who will take advice on books to read, CD's to listen to, other speakers to go online and seek out and learn from.  I want them humble, hungry, and hopeful that they can be better than they are.  

4)  Do they understand our church?  Almost always, I use people who are already at PCC because I don't want to have to worry about whether or not they understand who we are.  I don't want a mess to clean up.  At PCC, there is a certain structure, a certain theology, a certain style, a certain leadership, etc. that is important for a speaker to honor.  If someone were to stand on the stage and violate certain boundaries, it would hurt our church.  

5)  Can they meet deadlines?  We work as a team.  There are certain things that I do that are acceptable because they are the norm because I am the normal speaker.  When a guest speaker comes, he or she has to live within a set of deadlines.  Being on time to meetings, with early copies of outlines or manuscripts or pictures or slides is important.  

That's probably more than you ever wanted to know, but just in case anyone ever asks, now you can tell them to come to the blog and find the answer!

Why PCC Doesn't Do an Invitation or Altar Call

Why Doesn't PCC Do an Invitation or Altar Call?

by Dr. Brian C. Hughes

Senior Pastor

It is a question that many people have asked me through the years.  I get asked this question regularly, especially from those who have had significant exposure to church, since most traditional churches do an ‘invitation’ or ‘altar call’ every week.  The answer is a reflection of our understanding of the culture we live in today.  Let me explain. 

Let’s say that you could plot someone’s spiritual journey on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the moment when that person crosses the line of faith and accepts Jesus as the Lord of their lives.  Forty or fifty years ago, most every non-Christian in the United States had lots of exposure to Christian teachings.  They not only had heard of Jesus, but they had been to church, to Sunday School, to revivals.  Everybody went to church, even if they weren’t Christians.  That was just what people did.  So, the average non-Christian was probably a 7 or an 8 on that scale.  It wasn’t a long journey to get from where they were spiritually to the place where they were ready to commit their lives to Christ.  A passionate plea from a respected pastor following a moving sermon accompanied by a moving hymn was effective.  Or a church revival service.  Or even a knock on their door and a visit from a deacon or the local preacher.  Non-Christians just didn’t have that far to go to become Christ followers.  

Things are different today.  People don’t go to church and aren’t expected to go to church.  There is no peer pressure.  The result is that we have at least one generation of folks who have little or no exposure to church, to Biblical teachings, or to Jesus Christ.  They aren’t unspiritual.  In fact, they are often very open to spiritual truth and they are often asking spiritual questions.  However, on the over-simplistic scale, they are more likely to be a 2 or a 3 or a 4.  They have a lot farther to go to be ready to cross the line of faith and trust Christ with their lives. 

Now, added to that, we know from extensive research (and from our own experience at PCC) that people today do not want to be put on the spot.  Unchurched people want to be anonymous.  They want to slip into church and slip out and check out claims of faith at their own pace and on their own terms.  By singling them out, we turn them away and they are very unlikely to return.  Unchurched people repeatedly say that they want a non-threatening, no-pressure environment to explore spiritual questions.  If we pressure them or put them on the spot, they will not come back.  And remember, because they are not as far along on their faith journey towards Jesus, it is very unlikely that they will cross the line of faith in one visit to church.  If we don’t get them back repeatedly, for a long period of time, they are unlikely to commit their lives to Christ.  

All of this is fine, and it answers the question ‘why don’t we have an altar call’, but it doesn’t answer the question, “how do we call people to commit their lives to Jesus”.  Several ways. 

1)   Come to Jesus Sundays.  Unchurched people tell us that they come to PCC for a variety of reasons.  Our children and youth programs are outstanding and kids love being a part of the activities and events designed for them.  Also, they tell us that they love the music, that church is not boring, and that the messages are relevant and meet them where they are.  Consequently, they come back.  We strategically plan times when we specifically talk about what it means to cross the line of faith and why they should commit to Jesus and become a Christ follower.  Then, I will lead them in a prayer of commitment.  Finally, I challenge them that, if they made that decision today, to not leave until they tell someone.  I invite them to tell me and I tell them where I’ll be.  I also point out other people on our staff or in leadership.  And I tell them they can share their decision with a friend or someone else they know.

2)   Baptism.  I tell everyone that Believer’s Baptism is where you ‘go public’ with your decision.  This is the Biblical model (see Acts 2, 8, 9, 10, etc.)  There were no altar calls or church service invitations in the Bible, but simply calls to follow Jesus.  (I’m not saying that it’s wrong to have an altar call, simply that it’s not wrong to not have one).  The place where that new believer tells the world is at their baptism.

3)   Small Groups.  This is where real community happens.  Small Group leaders are the real pastors of our church.  And Small Groups are the real church.  We say this is where you can ‘know and be known, love and be loved, serve and be served, celebrate and be celebrated.’  It is here that people often explore spiritual questions in safe, intimate settings, and where they often are guided to faith in Jesus.

4)  Personal Invitations.  This is how it worked when Jesus was here and how it worked in the early church.  People were excited about their faith in Jesus Christ and they invited those around them, at opportune moments, to also know Christ.  We won't change the world with church services.  We'll change it when people who say they love Jesus place themselves strategically in places, friendships, and situations where they can share their faith in natural, non-threatening ways without coercing and pressuring people.  This is what Jesus had in mind in Matthew 28:18-20.

The bottom line is that what we do works.  It works not because we’re right and everyone else is wrong, but because we’re doing exactly what God has called us to do.  We believe that Jesus understood and responded to the culture of his day, not changing his message, but constantly changing his method.  He said that He came for the sick, not for the healthy.  In six years, we’ve baptized almost 300 people, most of whom were adults and most were not going to church anywhere when they came to PCC.  In fact, half of the people in our church each week weren’t going to church before they came to us.

So, I hope this gives some insight to why we do what we do, and why we do things a little differently.

Overcome

One of the most powerful messages I have ever heard was from Jamie Rasmussen called 'Life Isn't Fair, Nobody Owes You Anything, But God Loves You Anyway'.  A long, rather daunting title - but a true and powerful message.  

It's true that life is not fair.  We discover this truth through experiences and through observation.  Many of us are in the midst of painful struggles even now that illustrate how difficult life can be when things seems unfair, unjust or just wrong.

A foundational part of faith rests in the hope that there is someone who understands, who holds things together, who has the answers; that there is someone with us in the midst of our most difficult, incomprehensible days.  It is often - and sometimes only - when struggles come that we are able to dig into the core of that faith.

New Life Church in Colorado Springs learned to lean deeply into these truths recently.  The very public moral failure of their senior pastor, coupled with unimaginable violence at their church, combined together to give the entire church community - and even the world - cause to question and doubt their faith, their calling, and even their God.

They sought answers, from a God who is big enough to handle any questions.  And their answer came, in a way that provoked an unbelievable outpouring of worship.

To hear the story, click here.

To hear the song, click here.

Thanks to Jan for sharing her own thoughts...

Mighty To Save

If you have attended PCC in recent months, you may have heard "Mighty To Save" during one of our worship sets.  Like many contemporary worship songs, there is a story behind the song - and it's powerful.

In this case, the story is extremely pertinent to many of us.  As we talk about perseverance and staying focused on Christ, it's encouraging to see and hear how such faith is lived out in the lives of others.

Take a look at this short video about the composer of "Mighty To Save", Laura Story, and her husband, Martin.

Why Use Secular Songs?

People regularly ask me some version of this question: "Why would we do a secular song during the services on Sunday mornings?" This is a great question and deserves great answer.

1. Secular music meets people where they are. In Tim Stevens' book Pop Goes the Church, he specifically talks about this subject. He argues that Jesus and Paul both used popular, secular culture - including philosophy and music - to bridge the distance with people and form some common basis for a conversation. In this way, people would know that they weren't a project or a trophy, but that Jesus (and Paul) really cared about them. One of the best examples of this is in Acts 17. While in Athens, instead of condemning the people, he actually honors their secular culture and then uses it as a basis for helping them to see God.
2. Secular music helps ease the tension. When people who don't go to church decide to come to church, they are usually apprehensive about it. They wonder if they will be judged or embraced. They don't know the customs, the music, the rituals. By having a secular tune early in the service - one that is popular and well known - it helps them relax because it's familiar. "Here is at least one thing I have in common with these people" is the sentiment. We once did Breaking Free from High School Musical. The people who had seen that movie (especially the younger folks) really connected with it. It helped set them at ease.
3. Some secular songs really speak to the topic of the day. We loosely call these 'set up' songs. They 'set up' the message. The ask the question. "How Far is Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys does this. So does "Where is the Love" by the Black Eyed Peas. Both of these songs pose the question. Then the message and the Biblical perspective is supposed to offer some kind of resolution.
4. Some secular songs are about God, even if the song's writer doesn't know it. "How Far is Heaven" or the Clapton tune "Tears in Heaven" are two examples of this. Just because the writer is not a professing Christian does not mean that we should ignore their work. In fact, a spiritually searching person often writes about God in a very authentic way.

We've done "Calling All Angels" and "Just Another Day In Paradise" and "Who Are You" and a whole list of songs that were popular, helped people connect and relax. Then they were more open to hear the truth from Scripture. And they were more likely to return.

I have little regard for the spiritual state of the author. The only rule I generally employ has to do with profanity. We don't use it, and we'll change the words to the song if profanity is in it.

Hope this helps explain my position and our church's use of secular music. I'd love to hear from you on what you think.

Healer

Today's worship service was powerful and soul-stirring. Brian raised some thought-provoking issues. I don't know about you, but my family continued to talk about the message and the music throughout the afternoon.

One of my kids asked a question that Brian and I had actually discussed last week as we planned the service.

"Mom, since Brian said that God didn't promise to protect us or save us from disease and illness, why did we close with a worship song that says, 'You heal all my disease?' "

Good question.

The final song in today's service was Healer; it's an emotional song with a fascinating backstory that deeply impacted many of us on the stage today. The lyric says:

You hold my every moment
Calm my raging seas
Walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease
I trust in you...
I trust in you

I believe that
you're my healer
I believe that you are all I need
I believe that you're my portion
I believe you're more than enough for me
Jesus, you're all I need

Nothing is impossible for you..you hold my world in your hands

When you stand this lyric up to the bulk of Brian's message today, there do seem to be some powerful contradictions. How can we declare that God 'heals our disease' when our pastor - and the facts - clearly establish that not all diseases are healed, in spite of fervent prayer? How can we say that God holds our world in his hands, when the teaching today stated that God has relinquished control?

I wrestled with these issues myself. I do not take lightly the choice of music for our services each week. My responsibility to choose songs for worship includes a tremendous respect for the authority of the Bible and a desire to reflect a theological understanding that is accurate and representative of our core beliefs.

In my wrestling, which involves the bible, seeking out wisdom from others and prayer, I came to this conclusion:

I believe.

For me, this song relects an issue of faith - faith that stands regardless of any expected or desired outcome. Several years ago, I read a book by Larry Crabb called The Pressure's Off. In it, the author dissects the common Christian notion that 'A+B=C; what he described as a faulty perception that living a Christian life means working towards a prescribed set of behaviors in order to accomplish a desired goal. That's a common sense way to approach many issues in life. But in matters of faith, prescribed behaviors don't always result in the expected outcome. People sin. Wives leave. Children stray. Parents die.

Even if you're living a 'good Christian life'.

Today, I was able to sing the words 'you heal all my disease' in a way that did not contradict the teaching of my pastor. Although God can and does heal physical illness in mysterious ways at times, this line serves as a metaphor for me; one of faith and a definition of healing that goes beyond my understanding. You see, I believe that my deepest and deadliest disease is simply this: I am human. I fall short of the glory of God time and time again. My disease keeps me from holiness and purity that I can only envision through the power of Jesus in me. The only healing for this comes through faith - my willingness to trust that Jesus is, indeed, more than enough for me.

This powerful worship song reflects a faith that I strive for on a daily basis; to believe, truly, that nothing is impossible - all the while realizing that my humanity will always limit my understanding. And that, to me, is the greatest miracle of God - that he is more than enough, beyond my understanding, creator of all things, the beginning and the end - he is God.

Right now I am limited. One day, however, I'll see him face to face - by faith - and I'll get it. And then, there will be no contradictions.

I realize that there are more powerful implications for those who are struggling right now with cancer, or brain injuries, or lupus, or heart failure, or a myriad number of other physical difficulties. For those who are mourning the loss of loved ones, for those who anguish over circumstances that seem terribly unfair and painful, the concept of healing takes on a deeper meaning. However, at the root of all these things, we are all human, in need of healing. For this reason, I think this song can stand as a powerful reminder not of our limitations - but of the mighty power of the One in whom we believe.