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When I was five years old or so, my sister Rhonda and I were playing in the neighbor's sandbox. Rhonda was digging in the sand she found a lead pipe. Don't ask my why she did this...perhaps it was from watching too many Tom and Jerry cartoons, but she hit me over the head with that lead pipe and knocked me out! I was told she ran crying up to the house to tell my parents she had killed me! After a trip to the hospital and a few stitches, I lived.

I wonder how many of us Christians need to be hit with a lead pipe...and get a "go ye" whack from God upside the head? (As you know, God is not in the business of hitting people with lead pipes...but how about a whack from the Word?)

My husband and I, like many pastors of growing churches, are having the time of our lives right now as we lead our church into one of it's most exciting seasons: there is huge momentum, lost people are coming to church and getting saved each week, backsliders are returning to the Lord, believers are being fed and they are serving. We've had record attendance and what we are doing is working...big time! It's awesome! We look forward to the weekend services and we are hearing the same things from so many members and from the staff—they are all on the same page. They getting it...and we love it!

But...
We are disappointed, maybe surprised, actually grieved by the sad reality that some "mature" believers don't share this enthusiasm. It's as if a stupor has mesmerized the saints. In some cases...perhaps these believers just need an education on "Reaching the Lost 101." In other cases, maybe the lead pipe trick would work?

Key words in the Bible come to mind: "Awake Oh Sleeper. Arise and Shine. Wake Up."

Here's a very important question: What should the focus of a weekend service be? Who should it be for? Is it possible to offer a weekend service that reaches both unbelievers and believers? Can we reach the lost while at the same time feed believers? Yes...it takes God's grace and God's strategies, but we believe it's possible!

But...
If we are committed to reaching out, then believers might not get a 40-minute worship set; they might only get 20 minutes. Believers might not get a 60-minute verse-by-verse teaching in as much depth as they would like; they might get a 40-minute, meaty, biblical teaching with culturally relevant connections. (Longer worship times and longer Bible teaching times might be more available during special meetings, classes, small groups, or worship nights, etc.) Believers might be asked to serve in nursery , or traffic, or youth...or lots of other places. That's a small price to pay, right?

If the lost and unchurched will actually come to our service and sit in a chair for 75 minutes...shouldn't we take advantage of their attendance and give them the Word of God in a way they can digest it? I know my husband and I, when we are preaching, really seek the Lord on how to deliver His Word in a way that is meaty enough for believers, but with enough culturally relevant connecting points to lead the lost to Christ. We, along with our creative team, prayerfully incorporate elements in a service that reach the media-driven society we live in.

This approach is needed for adults and teens. Listen to this interesting story of a youth ministry that discovered these truths. Jeanne Mayo, a mentor to thousands of teens talks about the importance of changing our approach. She asked some interesting questions. Here are her thoughts:
What do I think the ultimate goal of youth ministry is? Why should we work hard to build our youth ministry in size? The reason is simple. We are called by Jesus Christ to change the way society, environment and life has labeled our teenagers. We must look at these teenagers, who to the rest of the world seem like hopeless causes because of their rebellion, fear and anger. We must see them as the champions they are on the inside not their current state that appears on the outside.

This may cause you to make a few adjustments to your youth ministry approach, which may have the potential to bruise your ego. Don't worry you are not alone. Allow me to share how my efforts early in youth ministry in the area of visitors brought about some painful reality checks. Each week I would encourage the teenagers in my first youth group to bring their friends to the service but it soon became apparent that my appeals weren't working because there were very few visitors coming.
Finally, in frustration I had a heart to heart talk with one of the sharper guys in the group and asked him why he wasn't inviting friends to the youth service. A few awkward pauses and stammers later he finally uttered a nervous, "Do you really want an honest answer?" I said I did and so he gave me a brutally honest one. The young man looked at me sheepishly and said, "Because what happens here doesn't connect to our friends' lives. They wouldn't understand them. They would either be bored or scared out of their minds."

Talk about taking the wind out of your sails! I could have allowed his answer to make me feel like a total failure. But instead I chose to allow the Holy Spirit to prick my heart. I knew if we were going to reach this generation of young people, I would have to make some adjustments. When it came to understanding what would make new visitors feel most comfortable, I started going to the experts, my teenagers.

It's time for a major shift in heart and thinking among us believers. We really must embrace and pursue the Great Commission...really, we must!

"Go ye..." (Matt. 28:18).

Copyright © Beth Jones Ministries All rights reserved.

Author Biography

Beth Jones
Web site: Valley Family Church
 
As a young couple, fresh out of Bible School with Two daughters and a third child on the way, Jeff and Beth Jones felt God's call to pioneer Valley Family Church in 1991 with a vision to make an eternal difference in Southwest Michigan. As a husband and wife team, they have always led together as visionary pastors and have shared the pulpit as Bible teachers. They are passionate about building the local church in greater Kalamazoo and the global church around the world.
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