On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed an essay, commonly referred to as his 95 theses, to the door of a Catholic church in Germany. He also mailed a copy of the document to a Catholic leader.

Luther’s original intent was for the Catholic church to reform; instead, because they would not reform, it sparked the Protestant Reformation. Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals and just about every other Christian denomination would not be possible without the Protestant Reformation. And after Henry VIII’s death the Church of England also was influenced by the Reformation.

This begs the question, is it time for a second reformation?

Today’s churches are more concerned with their differences than finding ways to work together. Many even see other churches as competition, and anything that is different has to be unbiblical and evil.

Is this true of every church? Of course not – but if the statistics are to be believed, this is the way it is for over 90% of churches. On top of that, while individual churches are growing and thriving, overall, the church in America has been shrinking for the past fifty years. With that being said, author, blogger and pastor Jared Wilson has reposted his 95 Theses for the American Church. Not limited to any one style, demographic or denomination, Jared lists the problems that he sees in the American church.

Part 1: Discipleship

Part 2: Community

Part 3: The Church

Part 4: The Pastorate

Part 5: Purpose

For more info on Martin Luther, click here.

In Acts chapter fifteen we see the first recorded conflict in the Christian church. A group of Jewish Christians were telling Gentiles (non-Jews) that if they wanted to be saved, in addition to accepting Christ they must also be circumcised. So Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to bring the matter before the apostles. After the various parties made their arguments here is what James (the brother of Jesus) had to say in verse nineteen:

Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God. (ESV)

It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (NIV)

And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (NLT)

So here is my decision: We’re not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master. (The Message)

There is so much one can unpack from this verse, which is why I presented it in various translations. They all say the same thing, but to varying degrees of bluntness.

Have you added anything to the message of Christ that could make it difficult for your unchurched friends to come to know Him?

Is your church or ministry doing anything that could make it difficult for unchurched people to know Christ?

It’s okay if people choose to reject the cross, but let’s don’t put a whole lot of other things in their way that cause them to get confused before they get to the issue, which is the cross.
- Andy Stanley

Now I know some of you reading this will find it hard to stomach the first part of that quote;

It’s okay if people choose to reject the cross…

Because if what the Bible says is correct, then the only alternative to the cross is Hell. But the fact is that many people will reject the cross (Matthew 7:13). So what Andy is saying in this quote, and in the video below, is let’s not make it easy for them to reject the cross by putting obstacles in front of them before they even get to make a decision to follow or reject Jesus. Instead, let’s make it as easy as possible for people to come to God – that way, if they still choose to reject Jesus it isn’t because of traditions or a musical style or dress code or a language only known to the churched.

Anyways, here’s the video. It’s about ten minutes long.
To watch the full sermon click here.

Why don’t we have a website?

Why does our website suck?

Why aren’t we getting our content out into the world?

Why do the messages seem thrown together much of the time?

Why is the pastor constantly taking up a special offering?

Having spent the majority of my life in church, I’ve heard each of those questions asked dozens of times. Up until recently there were some good excuses (usually budget and/or time related), but no more! Over the past couple years several companies have come forward with solutions designed specifically with churches (and their budgets) in mind.

Clover
Collision Media
Updatable
It’s the 21st century – every church needs a website! Your website is your front door. No longer will potential visitors call your church for info. They want to know what they’re getting into before they visit, no strings attached. This isn’t just for newcomers to your area. Think of the unchurched people you know that are curious or seeking, but apprehensive about actually stepping foot in a church. And what about your members? As your church grows, your website (not a bulletin or announcements on IMAG screens) will serve as their information hub. And with Clover, Collision and Updatable, price and expertise are no longer issues. You can get a beautiful, functional website for under $1,000 and all three companies use browser-based editing, so if you can surf the web, you can edit your website. To be honest, the only thing worse than having no website is having an ugly website.

Podbean
Livestream
Ustream
A pastor friend of mine once said, “If your sermon is good enough to preach in church, it’s good enough to share online.” Up until a few years ago most churches were more concerned with CD’s, DVD’s or getting on TV (shudder). But now, with sites like Podbean, podcasting is easy. They offer free hosting and tiered pricing as well, if the free hosting isn’t good enough. And if you don’t like what they have to offer, just Google podcasting and you’ll get all sorts of hosts. If you aren’t already recording your services and are on a budget all you need to do is go to your local music store and but a stereo-to-USB converter (between $50 and $80), connect it to your FOH mixer and a computer and you’re set. Both Mac and Windows come with pre-loaded software for basic recording. And for those who want to stream live video, there is LiveStream and Ustream.

LifeChurch.tv Resources
Planning Center
Every pastor I’ve known has told me that at one point or another, they weren’t as prepared for a particular sermon as they wanted to be. Life happens! We want our pastors to be human, but when they are we get mad at them for not being perfect. And every pastor I know has borrowed from other pastors, so don’t start acting super-spiritual. This is why Craig Groeschel and LifeChurch.tv give EVERYTHING away. From message outlines and graphics to videos of messages and worship services – whether you need a little inspiration or an entire service, it’s all FREE! And for the music and service programming departments there’s Planning Center. Now you can plan your services online and even post videos and music so that your musicians and tech team can practice on their own time so that no time is wasted at rehearsal.

Church Metrics
Need a cost-effective way to track attendance, salvations, baptisms, giving and more? Or maybe you’re tired of having to pay expensive software fees to do all of that, just to be told that for the latest version of said software, you need to upgrade your computers? Welcome to Church Metrics, by LifeChurch.tv. It’s web-based, so as long as you have an internet connection you’re good to go and this also means it works across all platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.). Best of all, as with other LifeChurch.tv resources, it’s FREE!

The Change Group
It takes money to operate a church. Some churches can afford to have a full time business administrator on staff to keep the church accountable. But what about church plants? Or young churches? And what about the churches that just aren’t good stewards of what they have been given? That’s where The Change Group comes in. For MUCH LESS than the cost of even a part time bookkeeper they handle everything a full time business admin/bookkeeper would, plus they offer professional consultation to help you squeeze the most out of every last cent.

MailChimp
Tatango
Tired of sending monthly or quarterly newsletters through snailmail? Need a way to get announcements out to your members in case of an emergency? MailChimp and Tatango are here to help. MailChimp offers browser-based HTML email design, so you can send custom branded emails to keep people up to date with your church. Tatango is a text message service that allows you to send bulk text messages to your members. In addition, if you aren’t already using Facebook and Twitter, GET TO IT!!

18 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: They hated me without a cause.

John 15:18-20 (ESV)

When most people read this passage they think of all the religious persecution Christians have faced over the years. From ancient Rome up through modern day China, Christians have always faced persecution in some form, whether it be governments or other religions.

Not to discount those persecutions – I can’t begin to describe the level of respect and admiration I have for those who, in the face of death still cling to their faith in God. But this morning when I woke up, there was one question on my mind: What group, more than any other, persecuted Jesus?

What if Jesus, seeing as He is God and knows the future, were trying to tell us not that the world (as in unbelievers), but the world (as in all those around us) would hate and persecute us?

Think about it – if you’re a Christian in a Muslim nation, of course your persecutors will be Muslim; you’re surrounded by them!

But if you’re a Christian in a Christian nation…… a nation where, especially in certain areas, everyone is a Christian…… who will be your persecutors?

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

Luke 11:15-18 (ESV)