Evangelism – Page 2

5 Reasons I’m Excited That We’re Starting Another Worship Gathering

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Evangelism, Ministry, Practical Ministry, Redemption City Church August 3, 2017No Comments

Four years ago we set out to start a church that would join Jesus in building Redemption City with the gospel—a city where everyone is redeemed, every aspect of life is redeemed, because it is completely centered on the Redeemer (Rev. 21-22). We’ve given our lives to connecting people to Jesus and growing people in Jesus with the gospel. While we’ve had a lot of blessings and difficult moments, Jesus has faithfully and fruitfully advanced his work through it all.

As we prepare for the “back to school” and “back from vacation” bump in weekly attendance, we are facing a challenge we’ve never had before—we don’t have room for all the people Jesus is bringing us through your efforts! In fact, during the month of July, a month that we’ve historically seen a decrease in attendance, we have had two record attendance Sundays! On one Sunday, we literally did not have enough chairs in the building for all the people who came (thankfully some servant leaders found some without finding the fire chief!). That’s why we are excited to announce that starting on August 13^th we’ll be adding another worship gathering, one at 9:00am and 10:30am!

As we approach this strategic next step, I thought I’d share five reasons why I’m excited about adding another worship gathering at Redemption City Church!

I believe it increases the chances of lost people having their lives changed by Jesus at Redemption City Church! Redemption City Church loves to introduce people to Jesus. One of the many challenges to seeing more unbelievers having their lives changed by believers has nothing to do with the gospel. It has to do with seating capacity. Studies say that people, some of whom are unbelievers, don’t want to come a worship gathering where 80% of the room is full. Most people want a chair between them and the person next to them, when it is a person they don’t know. Since we have reached our seating capacity, we have to either find a new location with more space or create more space at this location to continue to introduce more people to Jesus. With no good alternative locations, we’re creating space at our current location by adding another worship gathering. Because Jesus made room for us, we want to make room for others. Our prayer is that with more worship gathering options, more will opt! And when more opt, we pray more lives will be changed by Jesus!

I believe it improves Redemption City Church for the Redemption City Church family! Redemption City Church loves to introduce people to Jesus AND grow in Jesus. Since we have very limited space available, many people have had a hard time finding a seat. I’ve seen families eagerly searching for seats who have had to climb over a bunch of people for that one middle seat, divide their families into different sections in the space, or even go to another building for more chairs. By having more worship gathering options, we’ll have more seating options. This will take the focus off of looking for a seat and back where to it should be, on looking to Christ! It also allows great flexibility for those who have a schedule conflict with a worship gathering. Whether that is coming back in town, leaving town, going to a Titans game, or something else, more options to worship improves your ability to make needed adjustments without losing needed worship time!

I believe it will improve the Ministry Team Ministries for our volunteers! Adding another worship gathering improves the Ministry Team Ministries for our volunteers in two ways. First, serving becomes more sustainable, since two worship gatherings creates the scenario for volunteers to serve weekly AND go to a worship gathering weekly! This “Serve One, Attend One” reality creates the opportunity for those serving others to be served by others every week, those refreshing others in the gospel to be refreshed in the gospel every week. Secondly, serving becomes more strategic. Adding another worship gathering doesn’t just increase our work, it changes our work. The increased work leads to greater specialization, allowing us to let go of areas of weakness and play to our strengths! Those gifted with Kids can pour more consistently into kids. Those more gifted in worship can focus more on worship. When we play to our strengths, we advance more effectively.

I believe it will improve the Kids City ministry for kids! Since the Kids City ministry will continue during both the 9:00am and 10:00am hours, kids in the Kids City will have the opportunity to benefit from some important improvements. First, since there will be two opportunities, our class sizes will move to a more ideal size. While we’ve loved the high attendance, sometimes it felt like we didn’t give some children as great an experience in Christ as we were hoping to give them. This sweet spot allows for greater attention for each kid. Secondly, since the “Serve One Attend One” allows for a more consistent presence from Kids City Leaders, kids will be known better by their leaders, which will enable them to be helped better by their leaders!

I’m excited about adding a second worship gathering because I believe it will improve the Kids City ministry for parents! Because the “Serve One, Attend One” scenario created by two worship gatherings exists, Kids City Leaders can serve more consistently than they used too. This reality enables them to be more present in the kids lives AND the parents lives. Greater consistency will lead to greater familiarity between the leaders and parents, which will lead to greater partnership between leaders and parents!

As we approach this significant next step, I wanted to share these areas that I’m particularly excited about. I hope they excite and encourage you too. Let’s continue to be thankful for all Jesus is doing and prayerful about all we want to see him do!

Life After Your Short Term Mission Trip

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Evangelism, Missions, Prayer, Southern Baptist Convention, Uncategorized May 11, 2017May 11, 2017No Comments

Life after a mission trip can be difficult, especially when it was your first trip. It’s difficult to make sense of what you just saw while handling all of the responsibilities that have piled up. But with a little forethought, life after your mission trip can be a powerful, life-changing season. I’m praying that God would use these 12 insights to help you advance further, faster into the mission of Christ. In the last post, I offered up 6. Here are the remaining 6.

Remember what it’s like to meet God outside of your comfort zone – There are a lot of places mission teams go around the world. Rarely, if ever, does this list include a “comfort zone.” God’s mission pushes outside of our comfort zone. It’s important to remember that God offers his children special blessings outside of their comfort zones, not in them. This is true when you head back to “normal life.”

Remember what it felt like to be an outsider – Most mission teams feel what it is like to be an “outsider.” For many, feeling like an “outsider” is a first. We typically stay in circles where we feel like “insiders,” especially the older we get. Yet, on the mission field, we feel strange. When we go to the worship gathering or the work site, we aren’t in control, we don’t know everyone. We’re outsiders. Remembering this experience will help us do a better job following Jesus’ example and reaching the “outsiders” around us back home.

Remember what it’s like to be on guard – Mission teams know that they encounter strange situations and pressures when they decide to join Jesus on mission amongst the nations. So they put up their guard. Often times, people let their guard down when they get back to the states. Unfortunately, the Enemy often works harder to stop the kingdom momentum generated by the Spirit on these trips. Stay on guard when you’re back in “normal life.”

Remember what it’s like to be flexible – Flexibility is the name of the game on the mission field. You have to learn “to hurry and wait.” Plans change quickly and often. But most mission teams understand that God sets the agenda on the mission field, so they face their changes with expectancy, not anxiety. The same God is setting the agenda at “home.” Face your unexpected problems with expectancy, not anxiety, when you get back to “normal life.”

Remember what it’s like to be a missionary – Most mission teams are made up of people who see “missionary life” for the first time. Often times, people are both inspired by their example and encouraged by their normalcy. Missionaries aren’t the super heroes that we often make them out to be. They are regular sinners, like you and me, following Jesus in normal, grace-dependent ways. By God’s grace, you can live more like one where God’s placed you.

Remember what it’s like to be saved by grace – I’ve never met a person that followed through perfectly on their post-mission trip commitments. So many of them end up struggling from what I call, “post-mission trip guilt.” You experience this when you don’t feel like you did on the trip, don’t change like you hoped you would, or don’t _______________. Remember that you are saved by grace, not by your works. Jesus is the only one who has ever performed perfectly. So expect to be imperfect as you take new steps of faithfulness. Rest in his grace, even as you reach for more.

I hope these have been helpful. I’m sure I’ve left some off. What would you add?

The ERLC, Prestonwood, And The Mission

by Jed CoppengerChurch, Diversity, Evangelism, Southern Baptist Convention March 16, 2017No Comments

Since 1845, Southern Baptist’s have focused on “… eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the Baptist denomination of Christians, for the propagation of the gospel….” While it’s true that our faithfulness to this cooperative mission has varied over the years, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed with gratitude for the grace of God so evident in the SBC’s impact on the globe for the gospel. Faithful pastors, entity leaders, and messengers have come and gone, along quite a few controversies, yet here we are, advancing the gospel for the sake of the nations.

Yet, a quick look at the history of denominational life in America shows that past successes don’t necessarily equal future flourishing. Each generation of Christians have to face and overcome unique challenges. Or, more accurately, each mixture of generations has to figure out a way to do more together than they could apart to advance the kingdom of Christ.

More and more, I’m convinced that Southern Baptists are facing one of these unique challenges. As many know, Pastor Jack Graham has led his church to hold their CP monies because of concerns with Dr. Russell Moore, the president of the ERLC. This is a significant conflict in SBC life because Graham is a former-SBC president and leads one of the largest churches in the SBC and America.

Tense moments like these cause our hearts and minds to go in a lot of directions. I’ve found that most of my initial reactions to situations like these to be “less than helpful” to cooperative mission and “less than pleasing” to the God we all serve. Maybe I’m not alone. Hopefully, the following beliefs about our cooperative mission add something to the existing conversation that will lead to greater cooperation and greater glory for God.

I believe our cooperative mission would be hurt if Dr. Russell Moore resigned or was fired – What many thought was a small disagreement over how leaders handled one of the most unique presidential races in U.S. history, has quickly turned into a situation where “resignations” and “firings” are being talked about publicly. I think this would hurt our cooperative mission significantly. Moore has done a fantastic job of leading the ERLC in the short time he’s been in his role. Not only has he done a great job representing Southern Baptists on some of the most significant and nuanced issues our churches are facing, he’s done a great job creating more Southern Baptists. That is, since he has been in his role, many pastors and churches have partnered with the SBC for the first time—starting CP giving, increasing CP giving, increasing diversity in the SBC, and more. I believe Moore is uniquely qualified to lead the ERLC in these increasingly difficult times.

I believe our cooperative mission is helped when we affirm the autonomy of every local church in the SBC – It’s hard for many outside of the SBC to wrap their minds around the nature of our cooperation. I consistently find myself having to explain the nature of our cooperation to new members of the church I lead, to reporters, or people interested in learning more about the SBC. Most think that someone can make a decision at the SBC headquarters for all of the 50,000 SBC churches. This, of course, simply isn’t how it works. Every church is autonomous. They decide the nature of their engagement in our cooperative mission. Churches review these things all of the time. I think it’d be a mistake to attack this key, Southern Baptist commitment just because you don’t like one particular church’s reasoning.

I believe our cooperative mission is helped when we recognize that disagreements are evidence of our growing diversity – I don’t know of a church in the history of Christianity that has had complete agreement on every key decision. No pastor I’m aware of has ever had 100% of the church they lead on board with every significant decision they’ve made. If that’s true of our churches, how much more will it be true of a denomination like the SBC that is made up of 50,000 churches?! If there’s no significant disagreements in our midst, then we’ve become something different than what we see in the NT (Eph 2:11-20). Conflict isn’t always a sign of weakness, it’s often a sign of strength. I think we should be grateful to God that we are diverse enough to disagree. As our diversity grows in the coming years, we’ll have even more disagreements. By God’s grace, we’ll be better prepared to face them because of our current conflicts. Disagreements are often evidence that God’s using his glorious gospel to unite people at levels they’ve never experienced.

I believe our cooperative mission would be helped if we give a little more to the CP to advance the mission and take the pressure off of Prestonwood – The beauty of the SBC is that it’s made up of 50,000 who give around a billion dollars a year. That means churches can change their level of financial support for the CP without the whole thing falling apart. I think it also means that churches can give a little more to make up financial gaps that inevitably appear. I know the SBC is made up of churches of different sizes, most of which are smaller. But what if half of our 50,000 churches gave just 40 dollars more this year? Or, perhaps, we could find a 1000 churches that would give 1000 dollars more this year? Whatever the exact giving strategy is, I think we could easily make up the immediate financial gap in a way that keeps the mission going forward while taking the pressure off of Prestonwood as they carry out their internal review and decide how they want to handle their missions giving. What a beautiful picture of cooperation it would be if SBC churches were able to signal that the mission is too urgent to let up while allowing churches more space and less pressure to figure out how they want to cooperate in the coming days.

I’m thankful for all that Prestonwood has done to help advance our cooperative mission over the years. We wouldn’t have been able to accomplish as much as we have without them. I’m hopeful that they will reengage financially in the cooperative mission of the SBC. In the meantime, let’s remember that Jesus is on his throne and our current disagreements won’t be our last. Let’s lean into the gospel for hope. Let’s pray for unity. And let’s stumble forward together in cooperative mission by God’s grace and for his glory.

4 Ways Every Christian Can Join Jesus’ Evangelistic Mission

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Evangelism, Prayer March 2, 2017March 3, 2017No Comments

I know a lot of Christians who wish they were more evangelistic. They long for the day when they’ll experience the great joy of leading someone to Christ. They hunger to be like the Apostles and the early church who saw unbelievers from all walks of life give their lives to Christ.

The desire to be evangelistic isn’t near as rare as actually being evangelistic. I don’t know a lot of Christians who share the gospel regularly. Fewer are those who have actually led someone to Christ. And every study that I’m aware of says that my experience isn’t unique. Most Christians never share the gospel with lost people.

So what’s at the heart of our evangelism problem? Why don’t we share the gospel? Most Christians know that Jesus came to “seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10). Most know that we’re called to make disciples of all nations, a command that requires evangelism (Matt. 28-18-20). So if we don’t have a problem understanding that we should be evangelistic, what is our problem?

The reasons, no doubt, are many. Some people are probably scared of the responses they’ll get, whether that’s a fear of being made fun of, having tough questions thrown at them, or something else. Perhaps others find that they just forget to make it a priority because they’re so busy. I’ve come across a lot of Christians that simply don’t know where to start. For this last group, I’d like to offer 4 ways that every Christian can join Jesus’ mission to save the world.

Pray For The Lost Regularly – Only God is powerful enough to change our hearts. He alone is able to give life to dead hearts. That’s why evangelism starts with prayer. Ask God to save the lost people you encounter throughout your day. Ask him to show you a few lost people whose lives you should invest in. Evangelism starts with prayer because our confidence is in God not our evangelistic efforts.

Invest In The Lost Consistently – Most people need to belong in some way before they believe. They often need to get to know who you are before they’ll follow the God you worship. While it’s true that many people become Christians as a result of a gospel presentation from a stranger, most conversion stories I’m aware of include a part where a Christian has invested relationally in their lives. Together they hung out, worked out, shared meals, coached, or something else like this. Invest in the lost people in your life so that there’s a relational bridge strong enough to invite them to take a step towards Christ.

Invite The Lost Repeatedly – Christians are called by God to be an inviting people. No, that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to be “nice” when unbelievers come. It means we are called actually to invite people to come toward or to Christ. When you invite an unbeliever to a meal, a worship gathering, a group, or something like this, you’re inviting them toward Christ. You’re inviting them to take a step toward Christ that isn’t exactly the same as inviting them to Christ. When you share the gospel with someone and invite him or her to trust Christ, you’re inviting him or her to Christ. Both types of invitations are significant kingdom advancement actions. The Enemy hates both types of invitations and will try to discourage every believer that attempts them. Satan wants to take one of the greatest kingdom advancing actions, a believer inviting an unbeliever towards or to Christ, and use it to discourage you. Negative responses to your invitations don’t change the fact that God loves you and celebrates every imperfect invitation you extend in his name. Keep praying, investing, and inviting.

Connect The Lost Strategically – Christians are called to be connectors. We’re called to be a part of connecting unbelievers to the family of God, the body of Christ, and the temple for the Spirit. When unbelievers respond to your invitation, whether that’s towards or to Christ, do your best to connect them relationally. If they respond to an invitation to come towards Christ and show up at your house, worship gathering, or group, connect them with those they’ll have the most in common. If they come to Christ and surrender their lives to him, connect them to potential disciplers. Every born-again Christian needs to be parented again. Don’t just worry about how you’re connecting, help others connect to Christ, his body, and his mission too.

I’ve had the privilege of leading people toward and to Christ. Without question, these moments have been some of the most exhilarating moments of my life. Even as I write this, many of their faces are running through my mind, causing tears of joy and gratitude to run down my face. I’m praying that every believer would experience the unique joy that is available to those who follow Jesus as he “seeks and saves” the lost in their city, country, and world.