You Can Know God

Accountability

Accountability, as most people know it, is overrated. Pastors with Elder boards and finance committees still manage to cheat with the secretary or buy themselves new cars. Corporations with Boards of Directors still find ways to rob the shareholders. Even Christians with accountability groups asking them questions look their accountability partners in the eyes and lie.

That's because accountability can't just be a system. You can't simplify it to a sheet of paper or track it in a flow chart. No matter what boards or committes you report to, there's still the possibility that you'll do an end-around to get around the system to get what you want.

Now we do have some accountability systems in place here at Oak Leaf Church. I can't sign checks or access the online banking information. We have a Board of Directors that sets my salary and looks through our annual report. We have a finance team that meets with our Executive Pastor. We have systems in place where our male staff doesn't counsel women alone and so on. But accountability isn't a system; it's an attitude.

We are a very staff led church, and our systems are set up that way, but I think it's smart to seek advice and to surround yourself with other Christians who can help you. For me personally, I want people that know me and want our church to succeed to have the freedom to speak truth to me. That's one reason I put together a Pastor's Advisory Team - a group of people in our church - who meet with me once a month to offer advice. I don't HAVE to do this...it isn't some requirement in our church, but it's smart. That's why I talk to other pastors and church leaders on a regular basis about issues facing Oak Leaf Church.  People that don't have the spirit of accountability will not be accountable no matter what system is around them.

Ten Confessions

As we get ready to kick of a new series called Confessions of a Pastor, I wanted to write about ten things that I don't do or don't like to do as the pastor of Oak Leaf Church. Some are philosophical - some are just my personality.

1. I don't like to do weddings. I've been known to do a wedding or two, but I have to really like you. :)

2. I don't counsel people.  It's not that I don't think it's important, or needed.  I'm just no good at it.  At all. Trust me...you don't want me to counsel you. It's not my gift and I'm not trained in the field. After listening to you for five minutes, I'd interrupt and give you a list of three things you need to do to fix the problem and send you on your way. I have several people on our staff and recommend a couple professionals, because they would do much better than me.

3. I don't know everything that happens in the church. In some churches or in small churches, the pastors knows everything. I, on the other hand, don't. We have a great staff and a great volunteer team and they handle so many thing. I don't know it all when it comes to what is happening in the church.

4. I'm probably not the person you need to talk to. My job description is pretty short - lead, teach, and develop relationships with community people. When you need something from the church, most of the time I will refer you to someone. I'm not the person that handles most things in our church.

5. I don't like to be called Pastor. I know some pastors like to be called Pastor Freddy. Though I've never met a dentist that liked to be called Dentist Harvey. Hello Teacher Melissa. Hello accountant Bob. And please, I'm probably not your brother. You can just call me Michael.

6. I don't like to talk to people. I'm actually working on this one, but I don't really like to talk to people. I kind of like to keep to myself, and it's out of my comfort zone to walk through the lobby and talk to people and meet people. I'm more comfortable in front of 1,000 people than I am in a room with five new people. Please don't jump on me for this...I'm just being honest.

7. I don't manage the money of the church. I know how much we have in the bank, how much we have in savings, and know what the budget says, but I don't handle the finances. Not only am I not good at those kind of things, I just don't want to do it. I can't sign checks or log into our online banking account.

8. I don't answer my phone on the weekends or after 6 PM. I don't have a home number and I don't give out my cell phone number to many people. After 6 and on the weekends, I'll probably only take a call from my wife or from Anthony. I will check messages and respond in the event of an emergency, but I'm not going to talk about church business 24 hours of the day. These are my self-imposed boundaries.

9. I don't visit people in the hospital. We have a network of small groups and small group leaders - that's how care and prayer happen in our church. That's one reason everyone needs to be connected to a group. When something bad happens, those people will spring into action because they know you and care about you, not because they work at a church and are paid to do it. If I come to visit you in the hospital...it's bad.

10. My wife is not the second in command or the first lady of the church. You can't get to me by getting to her. So don't try and use her as a go between or think she works at the church like I do. She doesn't lead the women's ministry or the children's ministry. She goes to church and volunteers. On Sunday morning, she's a real person, a regular person, and a mom with kids.

So there you go. You may read this list and think I'm not a real pastor. I'm sorry. You may wonder what I actually do (that list is coming soon). They say confession is good for the soul, so I figured I'd get these confessions off my chest. :)

Church Things that Aren’t Biblical

You won't find this stuff in the Bible...

1. Hymnals


2. Choirs


3. Sunday School


4. Constitutions and Bylaws


5. Pipe Organs (interestingly enough, you do find drums and stringed instruments)


6. Sunday Bulletins


7. Children's church


8. Pulpits


9. Baptistry's


10. 60 minute church services


11. Ministers of Youth, Music, or Education


12. Preaching verse by verse through the Bible


13. Topical sermon series

Does that mean all of these things are wrong? Of course not (okay, maybe the pipe organ is wrong). But so much of what we do as a church, even in the most traditional church, is the result of man-made thinking in the church. Churches across the board have adopted a certain way to do things...something that was not prescribed in the Bible, but something they determined to be effective in accomplishing Christ's mission.  Before you're so quick to judge a church for using drums, just remember that there were no organs in the upper room.

Anything else you want to add to the list?

Poker Pastors

I actually skipped our Journey Group tonight and went to hang out with my pastor friend Gary.  I hope Anthony isn't too mad.  We drank beer and played poker...just kidding.  I didn't drink beer and Gary didn't even play poker.

Revolution Church organized a charity poker tournament and raised $6,000 for the Cherokee Child Advocacy Council.  I'm sure Gary took a lot of heat for organizing this kind of event, but I love it.  I love it when the church lays aside preferences and actually gets out in the community and does something.  There may be a pastor that is ticked off, but there's a worthy charity that now has some much needed money, and some kids are going to feel that.

One of the blogging pastors that I read is about to launch a Tuesday night church service in a bar.  Think he's going to catch some flack from the religious over that one?  Do you think the bar is going to catch any flack from drunk people for letting a church in?  In our county, we're debating if churches and schools can meet, but in Virginia Beach, churches and bars are mixing.  What an amazing example of the church being the church in the culture.

By the way, I'm not a hard core poker player or anything.  But I did come in third and Gary hooked me up with a couple nice prizes.  Gary writes about it here.  Maybe poker tournaments are the new church golf tournaments.

Children and Teenagers

I've heard it said many times that children and teenagers are the future of the church. We need to reach them while they are young, because one day, they will be the leaders. They are the next generation.

I don't think they are the future of the church...THEY ARE THE PRESENT. I firmly believe that as these ministries go, so the church will go. Dead and dying churches have lame children's and student ministries. This is why we are investing in children's and student ministry.

Stats are pretty blatant that you have to reach people while they are young, or it might be too late. It might be hard for churches to spend money on full time staff for this area, because teenagers and children don't put money in the offering plate, but it's hands down one of the most important things churches can do. I think churches that put an emphasis on children and teenagers will always grow and be healthy.

We've had four Limelight services once a month on Sunday morning, and that group has grown to 90 teenagers. Over the last couple of weeks, we've had about 200 children coming to church on Sunday morning. These are huge opportunities!

Students are not second class Christians. In many cases, they will serve, volunteer, invite, and participate more that adults (who wrongly think they have more important things to do) As we move forward, we're going to invest in these areas. We're going to spend money and put some of our best people on these opportunities.

We will never have a youth group fundraiser. If our students need something, then we're going to budget for it and get it. Youth group fundraisers are stupid. You never see the choir of such-and-such baptist church having a car wash to buy robes. We won't be doing any rock-a-thons or bake sales or selling Kripy Kremes to raise money for camp. Our church is going to pay for it. If you are an adult, and you give to this church, then that's where some of your money is going to go.

We have some big things planned for children and students this next year. I can't wait to unveil the plans.

Oak Leaf Leaders

I sat down with some of our staff and recorded some short training sessions for some of our volunteers.  If you're a greeter, usher, KidVenture worker or small group leader at Oak Leaf, we put some quick hit training online.  Go to oakleafleaders.com to listen.  You can also subscribe to the stuff via podcast, meaning iTunes will download episodes automatically to your computer.  In a few weeks, we'll put all the training on a CD and make it available in that format as well.

We figured it would be better to provide you some training this way than have more meetings to busy up your week!  Thank you for serving and giving, and we hope these resources help.

Church Speak

Christianese. Churcy talk. I'm taking about words like...

Visitor
Committee
Preaching
Sermon
Bless your heart
Sanctuary
Fellowship
Sunday School
Brother
Pews
Member
Amen

All of these words come from a church culture that regular people do not understand. Unless you grew up in a Baptist church, you have no idea when someone responds when they invite you over for some fellowship.

Don't say, “This way to the sanctuary,” or call anyone “brother.” Unchurched people don't know those terms. You can help guests find the right theater, but "sanctuary" is a church term that outsiders may not understand. Don’t talk about how great Sunday School is for the kids, or ask how many members we have. And since “Amen” really means “Yes, I agree,” just say “Yes.”

Insurance guys can use insurance terms around regular people, and we will have no idea what they mean. Lawyers can use legal terms, which their lawyer friends may understand, but the general public will not.  Church people can use church speak - other church people will get it, but the unchurched will not relate.