You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 – NASB95)
Pastors (and people in other professions) take sabbaticals for a number of reasons with varying results. In these newsletter articles I have been sharing some results in my personal life from the sabbatical I took earlier this year. We covered three so far and now we look at a fourth: the blessings of hospitality and friendships when you travel. (See Mt. 25:35-40; Rom. 12:13; 1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:8; Heb. 13:2; 1 Pet. 4:9 for more on “hospitality.”)
How wonderful those words must have been to the believers in Thessalonica. They were surrounded by people opposed to them and to the gospel, so much so, that the Apostle Paul had to leave the area about 6 months earlier (see Acts 17). A brand-new church under intense persecution, yet they experienced the joy of the Holy Spirit and became an EXAMPLE to all the believers (and churches) in the region.
My dad often said to me, “There isn’t a person so old that I can’t teach them something, nor so young that I can’t learn from them.” In other words, we can all keep learning things from one another. What is true with individuals is also true with churches. I love local churches! I enjoy visiting different churches (in person and online) to see how they do what they do and why they do it that way. There are no perfect churches, but there are things we can learn from each local church. That is why Diane and I visited different local churches during our Sabbatical earlier this year… to learn things that we could bring back to our church so we could make a greater impact on our city and world for Jesus Christ.
In my most recent newsletter articles I have shared four lessons from our Sabbatical: 1) I need a lot of help in the ministry. All of us need to engage actively serving the body of Christ and advancing Christ’s kingdom. 2) The vital role of godly grandparents. 3) Priority of Prayer. 4) Hospitality and the role it can play in family vacations (and Sabbaticals). Today is lesson #5: Learning from other Local Churches.
It was our privilege to visit numerous churches all over California & 1 church plant in Oregon during the 3 months we were away. They ranged in size from a small church plant that met outside to mega-churches with thousands in attendance, and everything in-between. Their services were different lengths with a variety of styles of worship. But the main thing didn’t change, it was always about knowing, loving, and serving the Lord. They were all exemplary in one way or another.
I won’t tell you the names of all the churches but below are just a few of the things we learned that I would love to see us implement or improve upon in the months ahead.
1. Welcoming new people. Some of the churches went out of their way to make new people feel welcomed and wanted. They had obvious places for visitors to park, people providing verbal and/or written information about everything they might need to know, greeters pointing the way or escorting new people to where they needed to go, a place to sign in as a guest and receive a nice gift, church members gladly giving up “their seats” to new people, and QR codes for everything the church did so people could easily find more information on their phones or tablets.
2. Parking lot attendants. The moment we got near a parking lot there were people helping us know where to go to find optimal parking. If the lot was full, they would direct us to the next best place to park. They also provided security so we knew our car would be safe while we were inside.
3. Family meal after church. One church had lunch every week after the worship service was over. The people stayed to enjoy food, fellowship, and fun. They talked about what they had just learned, developed closer friendships, and got to know new people. It reminded me of the old “church potluck” days. The youth recently had a pancake breakfast for all of us that I thought was great. I would love to see us have a lunch on an occasional basis in the months ahead (bbq, potluck, picnic, In-N-Out truck…).
4. Prayer team after each worship service. Some had elders, deacons, or prayer team members waiting in a designated area to pray / counsel with anyone who came up. We have done this in the past but not in recent times. I would love to see us do this consistently going forward.
5. Prayer during the worship service for other local churches. I meet with a group of pastors from the valley each month and several of them have a weekly practice of praying for another local church. It is a great statement to their congregation that there are other solid churches in the area and that we are all together in this great work of making disciples of all the nations. It also makes their members aware of needs in other local churches. Some of these dear brothers prayed for me every Sunday while I was recovering from heart surgery in 2021.
6. Strong emphasis on Adult Bible Fellowships. One of the mega-churches we visited has numerous “fellowship groups” of hundreds of people that meet each week either before or after the worship service they attend. We went to one and the fellowship was intense! The people were so excited to be there that they overflowed a room that seated hundreds. They greeted visitors, sang songs, spent time in prayer, taught God’s Word, and thoroughly enjoyed one another. It was an infectious group of people. No wonder they are growing beyond the size of their room. It appeared to me that a very large % of people who attended the worship services also went to an Adult Fellowship group. I would love to see a much higher % at our church as well. We need more time to learn practical things from God’s Word, get to know one another on a much deeper basis, and stimulate one another to love and good deeds.
7. Strong emphasis on Small Groups (not on the church campus). One church in particular encourages everyone who attends to join a small group during the week. They emphasize training both the small group leaders and hosts to do an excellent job shepherding the people who come. They have clearly defined goals for each group, starting and ending dates (on a quarterly system during the fall, winter, and spring, with summers off), and signs everywhere letting people know this is a priority. They have groups all over the city to make it easier for people to attend closer to their homes.
8. Strong emphasis on Service Projects in the community as a way of evangelism. Some churches did this primarily through their small groups, but others had a designated Sunday once or twice each year where they broke into teams after church and went out to perform specific acts of service in their community.
That last one really resonates with me. For the past few years, I have been dialoguing with church leaders across the country to see what the most effective form of evangelism for them has been. It is almost unanimous that #1 is friendship evangelism on an individual basis. That is why we have repeatedly emphasized the Prayer-Care-Share model of evangelism with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors… But the #2 method from churches across the U.S. has been service projects in the community. These churches meet with community leaders, schools, etc., to find out what they could do that would truly bless the community. They find out what those projects are, plan a specific date, get all the required tools & supplies needed, organize their people into teams, then go out and bless their city. Each person carries some cards that invite people to visit the church along with some gospel tracts to give out to people who pass by.
Can we do this? Yes, we can! We did it on a smaller scale several years ago by serving the elementary school a few blocks away. But I would love to see us do it with hundreds of people joining in (English & Spanish). To that end, I have asked Tony & Julie Pircey to start talking with local leaders to see what the needs are in this community. But I’m looking for a team to help them contact local leaders, plan a specific date (probably 2 or 3 weeks before Easter in spring 2025), organize all the needed materials, make church t-shirts for everyone to wear, and give us clear direction so we can go out and make a positive difference in our community. If you are interested in helping, please contact the Pirceys directly or call the church office and let me know.
What are the benefits of doing this? 1) Everyone can participate. You don’t need to be a teacher or a singer or have any “up front” gifts to serve. Adults & children can all participate. 2) We’ll get to know one another better. Working together for an hour or two will give us opportunity to get to know other church members better. 3) Community improvement. No matter what the project is, we will make our city better for its residents. 4) Evangelism opportunities. People who see us will be curious. We will have opportunity to share our testimonies, hand out tracts, and/or invite them to church and get the privilege of telling them about Jesus at another time. Hopefully many people will come to know and love and serve Jesus! 5) Model for our children / grandchildren service in the name of Jesus. 6) A reputation in the community that we are here to be a blessing.
The Lord has called us to this city at this time to shine the light of the Gospel. We have a great example in the Thessalonian church. They not only received the gospel as stated above, but they spread the gospel all over their region. 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 says,
For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
May the same be true of The Bridge Bible Fellowship! Will you join me?