The Evangasmack

Proverbs 12
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.

When was the last time you “got smacked?”

Last week at our Staff Lunch we all got a good lashing on the topic of evangelism. The smack didn’t come in a verbal assault delivered by our Senior Pastor but in one simple question presented by him. How many people in the last year have you brought to Christ from outside of the church? This question was difficult for me because I had to report a goose egg, A BIG FAT 0!

The way the question was asked took away the conversations I was able to be a part of as a result of students bringing friends to the ministry. I couldn’t count the conversations I had with adult visitors of the church. I simply couldn’t count the conversions that resulted in other people doing the hard part of getting people to church in the first place.

Understand that this question wasn’t asked in a competitive nature. We don’t have a big score card posted in our staff office with check marks next to our names for all the conversions we’ve been a part of (But man that could be a sweet deal! Instead of check marks we could do crosses! AWESOME!). Instead, it was a way to communicate “speed of the leader, speed of the team.” If we expect our volunteers and other attendees of our church to bring others to Jesus, then we need to be sure that we are able to communicate our own stories of doing so. We need to be able to share rejection stories of the times people weren’t interested in hearing the message and to be able to share all the joys and pains associated with being an evangelist.

So what are your conversion stats looking like? Any crosses next to your name? Do you remember what it feels like to meet a neighbor, build a relationship, and share the message of Christ? Do you remember the passion that occurred when a friend met God for the first time? I look forward to hearing your future stories and being motivated to do the same!

Welcome to Disney

Welcome to Disney,

Okay so the impossible happened… I am now a Disney fan. After spending a week there, I now think it is an awesome place to vacation. I have been one of those bah humbug Disney kinda guys until now. A few years ago I went as a guest as some friends and thought the location was great, but I never could understand why people were wowed by silly characters. My wife in particular loves the little winged demon called Tinkerbelle. Although it will be years before I cover my body in mouse ear parafanalia, I certainly have an appreciation for Disneyworld.

While there I went on a “Keys to the Kingdom Tour.” http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/tourDetail?id=KeystotheKingdomTourPage&bhcp=1

On the tour you are given some “insider” information. It’s the kind of stuff that if I told you, I would probably get my blog shut down. Okay, that’s a whole lotta dramatization. Truthfully, it would be a whole lotta typing.

Many of the things revealed on the tour are worthy of discussion but here is something that I would encourage you to reflect on. While on the tour they told us the four keys to the kingdom. Our guide explained that they are the keys to a door with four locks. She continued, “If one key is missing then the door does not open, symbolizing a less than “magical” Disney experience.”

The four keys were simple… not a list of 10 or 15 but a simple list of four:

• Safety – the number one priority of the day
• Courtesy – all cast members (employees) must treat every visitor as a guest and be hospitable
• Show – every aspect must be tied together to build a theme
• Efficient – the park must run smoothly
  

I would suggest doing an inventory of your ministry on those four simple things. As a church we must always question our spiritual direction, as a church, we must always keep the other four in check to pursue excellence.