Since the church I pastor is the one Brother Steve Willoughby grew up in, we streamed the service via the internet (www.upci.org) to the screen in our sanctuary. Unfortunately, the passing of our oldest member forced us to modify our plans and kept many from being able to attend. Sister Grace Anderson, 101 years old, would be delighted to know that she upstaged the little preacher boy on her way to glory.
It was neat to watch the service with Brother Steve's mom and dad and sisters. He will be impressed when he learns that his sister drove all the way from Nashville to share the moment with us.
I post this short note to say thanks to the UPCI IT team for providing this service and for a job well done. (For the record, we paid $100 for the highest speed available and it was superb).
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Better Than Resolution Six
The much discussed Resolution Six is scheduled to meet its fate tomorrow morning. What can your church do to get your community's attention - regardless of what happens to ol' Number Six?
1. Instead of buying an ad, become the story. Figure out a first-class way to meet some need in your community. Promote it well and, chances are, your local news media will notice. Some outlets even have hotlines so they can be informed of these newsworthy events. Matt Maddix (www.myhouseofprayer.com) is one metro pastor who has capitalized on this concept. Many TV stations archive their local news stories on their web sites. That means your church can be in the news for several days. And you never have to buy a camera or pay for an ad!
2. Some churches, both rural and metro, have used sidewalk Sunday schools as an outreach into their communities - and as an effective promotional tool. It won't work for the "anyone needing God will come to our church on Sunday or Wednesday" crowd. But those willing to sacrifice the time and effort required to deliver a quality program will touch lives who will never forget the name of their church. David and Kim Ramsey tell how they do it in their book - available here www.pentecostalpublishing.com.
3. For those living in metro areas that do not permit house-to-house evangelism - remember David Yonggi Cho? The church he pastored in South Korea, back in the 1980's, was considered to be the largest in the world. (His name then was PAUL Yonggi Cho, but never mind that). Anyway, in one of his books he told about a woman who lived in a high rise complex that prohibited any door-to-door solicitation. According to his story, this lady spent every Saturday riding up and down the elevators of that complex helping all the residents carry their just purchased groceries into their apartments. She sacrificed her day off every week, but gradually gained the trust of her neighbors and eventually built a huge home fellowship church in a complex that did not allow door-to-door visitation. She could have bought an ad on television. If she could have afforded it. I wonder if it would have worked as well?
The fact that advertising is an effective tool is undeniable. But advertising can become an easy out because it requires nothing personal from us. We can buy an ad in the Sunday paper or a spot on the radio and nobody gets their hands or clothes dirty. We carefully craft the image we want them to see, usually omitting our human side, freeze it in a photo or sound bite and proudly wave it around chanting, "Don't you want to be like us?" Our personal evangelism efforts should drive our advertising - not the other way around.
We all want to be "cutting-edge" with our buildings and technology, but what about spending some of that creativity to generate evangelism opportunities? Something like what that little lady in South Korea did.
©2006 Doug Ellingsworth
1. Instead of buying an ad, become the story. Figure out a first-class way to meet some need in your community. Promote it well and, chances are, your local news media will notice. Some outlets even have hotlines so they can be informed of these newsworthy events. Matt Maddix (www.myhouseofprayer.com) is one metro pastor who has capitalized on this concept. Many TV stations archive their local news stories on their web sites. That means your church can be in the news for several days. And you never have to buy a camera or pay for an ad!
2. Some churches, both rural and metro, have used sidewalk Sunday schools as an outreach into their communities - and as an effective promotional tool. It won't work for the "anyone needing God will come to our church on Sunday or Wednesday" crowd. But those willing to sacrifice the time and effort required to deliver a quality program will touch lives who will never forget the name of their church. David and Kim Ramsey tell how they do it in their book - available here www.pentecostalpublishing.com.
3. For those living in metro areas that do not permit house-to-house evangelism - remember David Yonggi Cho? The church he pastored in South Korea, back in the 1980's, was considered to be the largest in the world. (His name then was PAUL Yonggi Cho, but never mind that). Anyway, in one of his books he told about a woman who lived in a high rise complex that prohibited any door-to-door solicitation. According to his story, this lady spent every Saturday riding up and down the elevators of that complex helping all the residents carry their just purchased groceries into their apartments. She sacrificed her day off every week, but gradually gained the trust of her neighbors and eventually built a huge home fellowship church in a complex that did not allow door-to-door visitation. She could have bought an ad on television. If she could have afforded it. I wonder if it would have worked as well?
The fact that advertising is an effective tool is undeniable. But advertising can become an easy out because it requires nothing personal from us. We can buy an ad in the Sunday paper or a spot on the radio and nobody gets their hands or clothes dirty. We carefully craft the image we want them to see, usually omitting our human side, freeze it in a photo or sound bite and proudly wave it around chanting, "Don't you want to be like us?" Our personal evangelism efforts should drive our advertising - not the other way around.
We all want to be "cutting-edge" with our buildings and technology, but what about spending some of that creativity to generate evangelism opportunities? Something like what that little lady in South Korea did.
©2006 Doug Ellingsworth
Monday, September 18, 2006
Blue Like Jazz
I heard several folks talking about this book, so I picked it up a few months ago. I'll share a few of my comments over the next few days.
Donald Miller(www.bluelikejazz.com) is a good communicator, but he makes me tired. His writing reminds me of a dear sister who used to take forever to get to the point when she had a prayer request. She would start out by reminding a couple of folks in the audience about the time their parents took them to the rodeo in Stillwater back in 1966 where a girl they knew turned her ankle climbing to her seat on her way back from the concession stand. When that same girl was in high school, she broke that same ankle while cheerleading at a football game. Well, that lady's granddaughter was climbing to her seat at the football stadium last Friday night, on her way back from the concession stand, and she turned her ankle on her right leg - just like her grandma did at the rodeo back in 1966. "So let's pray for her." Mr. Miller often takes the long way around to get to the point. I may be acting my age or perhaps I am subconsciously reacting to all those times people have screamed, "Get to the point!" while I was preaching. But, anyway, I could only read a chapter or two at a time.
Mr. Miller breaks all the rules they teach at writing seminars, but he has managed to connect with those who share his point of view and has produced a book that continues to sell. I've written a few books, but none that have sold as successfully as his. Is it because no one shares my point of view, my writing stinks, or because my marketing is pathetic?
If you love me, buy a book!
Next time I'll talk about the one point that Miller makes that we all should pay attention to. And if he can end his sentences with prepositions, so can I.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Kayla's Art
My youngest daughter is a senior in high school - and a self-taught artist. Last Christmas, Luke got into my wife's decorations and had fun with the beads, hat, and horn. Kayla drew this from a photo she took of him.
Here is another - a picture of actress Jennifer Garner.
She has some of her work posted online in case you want to look around. www.katyboo.photosite.com
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Resolution Six
With General Conference looming on the horizon, the debate about advertising and ministering on television is becoming a roar. A rather boring and monotonous roar, but, still, a roar. Since I won't be attending the conference, and since none of our leaders have sought my counsel, I figured I'd just share my opinions with myself. It won't resolve the issue, I know, and I hope I don't lose any friends, but maybe I will feel better having vented.
There are essentially two positions on this issue. The proponents say that we should use television to reach the masses, to preach the gospel and advertise our churches. The opponents say that doing so will open the door to a host of troubles: devaluing personal standards, becoming motivated by money, one church creating a negative image for all others - and on the list goes.
Other than providing an opportunity for some to rehash decades-old arguments and for others to repeat their well-rehearsed threats to leave, this resolution is all but worthless.
We've rallied the troops and we've dug our foxholes...one hundred miles behind the frontlines. The two sides are lobbing hand grenades at each other while the real battle is being fought far beyond the little bean patch they have grown comfortable defending.
Television changed our culture. However, it was not the preaching of Billy Graham or Jerry Falwell or Pat Roberson or Jimmy Swaggart or Tommy Tenney or Mark Hanby or T.D. Jakes that our culture embraced. It was, rather, the principles taught by wily crafted characters who entertained America for eight hours every day. While you and I sat in the living room and listened to Bible story records, the rest of America was homogenized into a self-centered hedonistic culture by television programing. Now we deal with the results. What my mother wouldn't let me watch on television my son now sees every time we go to the grocery store. What your parents sheltered you from, your kids now deal with every day at school. The cultural battle between the church and television is over. TV won. It affected our culture more than our churches did.
But that was only one battle. The war is not over. But the war is no longer centered around television.
Network televison viewers have been dwindling for the past several years. The success of many cable channels is owed to 'niche' marketing. It is no secret that while television continues to be the dominant medium, it is fast losing ground to new technology. Television, as the world knows it, is being swallowed by the much more powerful internet technology which is being embraced by this young and savvy generation. They aren't going back. Eventually, all media will be seamlessly delivered on order. The days of a captive network audience is over.
The real movers and shakers who are going to shape our culture in this century are no longer fighting for television air time. They are building websites and creating age and issue relevent programing that can be viewed online any time, downloaded into an Ipod, or streamed right to a cell phone. In other words, the battle has moved into areas that apostolics have already embraced. Computers. Telephones. Sound and video.
But where are the apostolics? They're still at Denny's arguing about television.
A few of our churches now stream their services on the internet. That's a start, but probably in the wrong direction. Remember, it was not the church services on television that changed our culture. It was what Americans watched those eight hours every day. As millions of Americans seek entertainment, knowledge, and friendship via the internet, what are we doing to capture their attention?
www.ninetyandnine.com is probably at the head of the line when it comes to apostolics who are trying to get a foothold in the new media. Their writers and designers all donate their time. No big church or organization supports them. Yet, in just one week in August over 22,000 readers came to their website. I wonder how we could influence our culture if apostolics like these had the financial resources to create podcasts, produce video, and develop other media that an old guy like me would never even think of?
Nothing can ever take the place of preaching and one-on-one witnessing. However, if we can anticipate where people are going to gather and get there early with a well-designed and targeted plan, we will have a golden opportunity to influence our culture and, in the process, create new venues to preach this apostolic message.
We must couple our preaching with an intelligent plan to shape our culture. We can't conclude our preaching on Sunday and think we have fulfilled the will of God just because Acts 2:38 was our text. We've got to find out where our neighbors gather and be there to influence them. Didn't someone once say something about salt and light?
Or we could stay home and argue about a medium that is dying a slow death.
©2006 Doug Ellingsworth
There are essentially two positions on this issue. The proponents say that we should use television to reach the masses, to preach the gospel and advertise our churches. The opponents say that doing so will open the door to a host of troubles: devaluing personal standards, becoming motivated by money, one church creating a negative image for all others - and on the list goes.
Other than providing an opportunity for some to rehash decades-old arguments and for others to repeat their well-rehearsed threats to leave, this resolution is all but worthless.
We've rallied the troops and we've dug our foxholes...one hundred miles behind the frontlines. The two sides are lobbing hand grenades at each other while the real battle is being fought far beyond the little bean patch they have grown comfortable defending.
Television changed our culture. However, it was not the preaching of Billy Graham or Jerry Falwell or Pat Roberson or Jimmy Swaggart or Tommy Tenney or Mark Hanby or T.D. Jakes that our culture embraced. It was, rather, the principles taught by wily crafted characters who entertained America for eight hours every day. While you and I sat in the living room and listened to Bible story records, the rest of America was homogenized into a self-centered hedonistic culture by television programing. Now we deal with the results. What my mother wouldn't let me watch on television my son now sees every time we go to the grocery store. What your parents sheltered you from, your kids now deal with every day at school. The cultural battle between the church and television is over. TV won. It affected our culture more than our churches did.
But that was only one battle. The war is not over. But the war is no longer centered around television.
Network televison viewers have been dwindling for the past several years. The success of many cable channels is owed to 'niche' marketing. It is no secret that while television continues to be the dominant medium, it is fast losing ground to new technology. Television, as the world knows it, is being swallowed by the much more powerful internet technology which is being embraced by this young and savvy generation. They aren't going back. Eventually, all media will be seamlessly delivered on order. The days of a captive network audience is over.
The real movers and shakers who are going to shape our culture in this century are no longer fighting for television air time. They are building websites and creating age and issue relevent programing that can be viewed online any time, downloaded into an Ipod, or streamed right to a cell phone. In other words, the battle has moved into areas that apostolics have already embraced. Computers. Telephones. Sound and video.
But where are the apostolics? They're still at Denny's arguing about television.
A few of our churches now stream their services on the internet. That's a start, but probably in the wrong direction. Remember, it was not the church services on television that changed our culture. It was what Americans watched those eight hours every day. As millions of Americans seek entertainment, knowledge, and friendship via the internet, what are we doing to capture their attention?
www.ninetyandnine.com is probably at the head of the line when it comes to apostolics who are trying to get a foothold in the new media. Their writers and designers all donate their time. No big church or organization supports them. Yet, in just one week in August over 22,000 readers came to their website. I wonder how we could influence our culture if apostolics like these had the financial resources to create podcasts, produce video, and develop other media that an old guy like me would never even think of?
Nothing can ever take the place of preaching and one-on-one witnessing. However, if we can anticipate where people are going to gather and get there early with a well-designed and targeted plan, we will have a golden opportunity to influence our culture and, in the process, create new venues to preach this apostolic message.
We must couple our preaching with an intelligent plan to shape our culture. We can't conclude our preaching on Sunday and think we have fulfilled the will of God just because Acts 2:38 was our text. We've got to find out where our neighbors gather and be there to influence them. Didn't someone once say something about salt and light?
Or we could stay home and argue about a medium that is dying a slow death.
©2006 Doug Ellingsworth
Going To Columbus?
If you attend General Conference, be sure and stop by the Altars of Promise booth in the Convention Center Exhibit Hall C. They build custom personal altars. I have one in my office. Can't say that I pray as much as I should, but I find myself using this prayer bench quite often. These are great reminders of the need for prayer and are quite practical to use. Would make a great gift for a pastor or friend.
They are also on the web. www.altarsofpromise.com
They are also on the web. www.altarsofpromise.com
September 11
I was given the honor of addressing our county's legislative body as they met for the first session of this four-year term. I was asked to include a tribute to the people and events of September 11, 2001, in my remarks. Here is what I said.
Thank you Mr. Chairman and Mayor for inviting me to this evening’s activities.
It is interesting and ironic how some events coincide. You, the members of the Dyer County legislative body, have gathered for your first official meeting on the very day that just five years ago men and women gave their lives in the frantic hope of saving others. Tonight we remember our innocent fellows who were minding their own business on the morning of September 11, 2001. Some rushing to work, others on the telephone giving last minute instructions to their children, still more performing the routine tasks just as they did every Tuesday morning - none of them anticipating nor deserving the horrible fate forced upon them. We honor those police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who gave their lives while working to save others. We stand in awe recallling the courage of those passengers who forced Flight 93 into the ground so that their plane would not become another weapon of mass destruction. Tonight, at least in our minds, we wrap our arms around their families and comfort them the best we can with our thoughts and prayers.
Congratulations to each of you as you begin this term of service to which you have been elected. Thank you for willingly stepping into the bulls eye of public critique. Your words and decisions may not always be understood or appreciated by those who don’t see the big picture or by those who can’t be bothered with learning all the facts, but rest assured, your integrity, diligence, and sincere fulfilling of your sworn duties will be appreciated by those who call Dyer County home.
Albert Schweitzer, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952, said, “I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”
The secret to finding success in this work is not in simply holding the office, but in making life as good as it can possibly be for those who have chosen you.
You will often face difficult and troublesome decisions. May you always be more concerned about the next generation than you are about the next election. May you face each of those coming storms with the same hope that John Adams felt when he told his wife about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In his letter to her John wrote, "I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom I see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means."
May God grant you wisdom, courage, and a sense of justice as you fulfill your duties – and may you always see those rays of ravishing light and glory that remind you always that the end is worth all the means.
©2006 Doug Ellingsworth
Thank you Mr. Chairman and Mayor for inviting me to this evening’s activities.
It is interesting and ironic how some events coincide. You, the members of the Dyer County legislative body, have gathered for your first official meeting on the very day that just five years ago men and women gave their lives in the frantic hope of saving others. Tonight we remember our innocent fellows who were minding their own business on the morning of September 11, 2001. Some rushing to work, others on the telephone giving last minute instructions to their children, still more performing the routine tasks just as they did every Tuesday morning - none of them anticipating nor deserving the horrible fate forced upon them. We honor those police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who gave their lives while working to save others. We stand in awe recallling the courage of those passengers who forced Flight 93 into the ground so that their plane would not become another weapon of mass destruction. Tonight, at least in our minds, we wrap our arms around their families and comfort them the best we can with our thoughts and prayers.
Congratulations to each of you as you begin this term of service to which you have been elected. Thank you for willingly stepping into the bulls eye of public critique. Your words and decisions may not always be understood or appreciated by those who don’t see the big picture or by those who can’t be bothered with learning all the facts, but rest assured, your integrity, diligence, and sincere fulfilling of your sworn duties will be appreciated by those who call Dyer County home.
Albert Schweitzer, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952, said, “I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”
The secret to finding success in this work is not in simply holding the office, but in making life as good as it can possibly be for those who have chosen you.
You will often face difficult and troublesome decisions. May you always be more concerned about the next generation than you are about the next election. May you face each of those coming storms with the same hope that John Adams felt when he told his wife about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In his letter to her John wrote, "I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom I see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means."
May God grant you wisdom, courage, and a sense of justice as you fulfill your duties – and may you always see those rays of ravishing light and glory that remind you always that the end is worth all the means.
©2006 Doug Ellingsworth
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Nashville Men's Conference
The First United Pentecostal Church of Nashville hosted their annual Men's Conference the weekend of August 18-19. As usual, the church did a fabulous job of hosting hundreds of men and providing fun, exciting, and challenging sessions.
The host church's men's worship team is superb. They really don't need to bring in outside talent for this event.
Every speaker was dynamic and every message pointed and relevant. Every man needs to hear Brother Mike Williams' Friday night message, the general session conducted by Dr. Ray Kloepper, and the closing sermon delivered by Pastor Jerry Dean.
The church's website is www.firstchurchnashville.org.
The host church's men's worship team is superb. They really don't need to bring in outside talent for this event.
Every speaker was dynamic and every message pointed and relevant. Every man needs to hear Brother Mike Williams' Friday night message, the general session conducted by Dr. Ray Kloepper, and the closing sermon delivered by Pastor Jerry Dean.
The church's website is www.firstchurchnashville.org.
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