“I was glad when they said unto me…” – Part 45

Over the intervening 38 years, as I have shared what we learned at Circle Church, I have never insisted that everyone “do it our way.” In fact one of the strange things about “the Church,” in its many and varied manifestations, is its similarity. Why are local congregations in South America so similar to the ones in North America?

Certainly while we serve the same Christ and are part of the same body, the church is bound to have variations as differing as the cultures and climates in which it is found. More in-depth examinations than this one have accused the missionary of transporting a cultural Christianity rather than a New Testament one. But, is the missionary really to blame?

The North American church has very little variation in pattern either. It is time we allowed God’s explosive, limitless, creative forms to invade His church.

Circle Church was different. We were plainly aware of that, and we hoped then, and continue to hope today, that our experience will inspire and initiate similar situations—similar only in the fact that they are allowing God’s Spirit to do His unique work in them.

More than this desire, we remain anxious and longing for the day when those very works of the Holy Spirit begin to inspire and initiate creative new forms within churches here and around the world. Then we can, together, experience the excitement of Psalm 122:1:

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (KJV).

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Pastor, when “sermon prep day” rolls around each week, do you face the task of preparing another sermon with a frown on your face? If so, you’re not alone. Many pastors literally dread preparing their Sunday sermon. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. The good news: David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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The Church and the Real World

Was any reference made in your service last Sunday to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan? For example, did someone pray for those still looking for loved ones? Was an offering taken to help with the relief efforts? Was a phone link made with a missionary serving in that devastated nation?

I ask because all too often church services are like they take place in a world secluded from any outside influences. While in some people’s minds that could seem like a good thing, my feeling is that it gives the impression that the world of the church is too often unconnected to the one in which people live the major portion of their lives.

My concern is for the impression the church gives when it ignores events of great magnitude like this. Certainly what happened in Japan is of epic proportions and needs to be acknowledged. To totally overlook such devastation would be a sign of incredible provincialism.

Are we so trapped in our traditions that nothing can infringe on the way we normally do church? Maybe we feel that praying makes little differences when problems are this enormous. But can Christians in their services of the church act as though nothing all that extraordinary has happened?

We have now had a little more time to absorb the huge impact of this tragedy on the Japanese people. Let’s make sure that in our church services this coming weekend, what occurred is acknowledged and responded to in a way that is fitting for God’s people.

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No matter what type of Sunday sermon you need to create, David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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“I was glad when they said unto me…” – Part 44

With regard to change, a pastor may respond, “My people just wouldn’t be open to many of these ideas, but they are expressing need for change.” That is the unstated theme of these blog posts. This series of posts, in particular, is full of methods which proved extremely pertinent and workable in our particular congregation. They will apply and be helpful to many groups. But, to some they will be anathema.

The important thing is not to start with methods, but with a philosophy of how a church is supposed to function. From this philosophy you can build your methodology. In an established church don’t change everything at once. This is so critically important, that I want to repeat it. In an established church don’t change everything at once.

Begin slowly. Choose a theme for the morning and coordinate your music so that it is appropriate. Maybe you can eliminate the announcements. But don’t be afraid to change just because you can’t change everything. A little at a time is most effective.

The series of blog posts that preceded this series of blog posts tried to establish what it is a local church is supposed to accomplish. In the single meeting on Sunday morning at Circle Church, we put into practice a part of that philosophy. Although prayer and interaction were present in that service, it was mostly corporate worship and the utilization of some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that received the emphasis.

Again, we did not feel that the methods—although they were extremely exciting to us—were as important as the philosophy. How you carry out your purposes is not as initially important as whether you have purposes you are trying to accomplish?

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about? Or, what will you preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon? David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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“I was glad when they said unto me…” – Part 43

In reference to the seven items stated in the previous blog post, I could probably go on and on, but these are the major reasons which gave us validity for engendering so much energy for one hour a week.

Pastors may be thinking, “I don’t have a team like you do. I can’t possibly do the creative things that you are doing.” But, you do have a huge team behind you—your congregation. Up to this point, the members of your congregation have been limited in expressing their gifts. Pull them into the planning.

For four years, the burden of this planning was on the shoulders of the Circle Church staff. During our fifth year, a portion of the congregation began to actively participate in the service planning. Their enthusiasm and ingenuity, the quality of their talents and depth of their commitment, became an inspiration to me.

Ideally, if a pastor can involve his or her congregation in the main functions of the church, it will be much better than having a staff that is totally responsible for those events.

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You can learn how to develop highly relevant Sunday sermons that grab the attention of your congregation and help your listeners respond effectively to the deep truths of God’s Word. David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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