A giving church

I’ve attended various churches in different formats my entire life.  In each one I’ve been a tither, meaning I give a portion of the money I earn back into the church.  I’ve always felt really good about tithing, it’s like a “get out of guilt free card”.

I’ve always felt that I just fork the money over, I’ve done my good deed, it is now the responsibility of the church.  If any moolah is misspent it really isn’t any of my business, the church will have to answer to God for it.  This way of thinking is no longer acceptable to me, I wish it was, it would make my life much easier.

Now, I’m concerned about where finances go. I want to attend a church that puts a premium on maximizing the dollar I’m giving them. A place that sees the benefit of being a beacon of light into the community around them, whether the family attends their church or not.

Francis Chan, who wrote the fantastic book Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (buy this book now!), recently said this about his church in a recent article.

In other words, put your money where your mouth is. I came to an elder meeting one morning with this suggestion: If we “love our neighbor as ourselves,” then wouldn’t it make sense to spend on our neighbors what we spend on ourselves? What if we set up our budget so that half of our income leaves the church and goes to other ministries? To my surprise, the elders decided that morning to commit half of the budget to people and ministries outside of Cornerstone. It’s been almost a year now, and we’ve been able to give approximately 55 percent of our money away.

That mentality blows me away! “ If we “love our neighbor as ourselves,” then wouldn’t it make sense to spend on our neighbors what we spend on ourselves?”

So tithers, where is your money going?
Pastors, what are you putting money to for the community?
For example, building a “safe house / shelter” for a local community.  : )

Share in the comments friends!

-Rex Barrett
image via thriveconference

Our God as Judge

Our God as Judge From Psalm 50

Psalm 50 gives us a good example of the language that the Old Testament uses in reference to God as judge.

 3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest. 4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 ”Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge!

I’d like to point out some parallel verses in Matthew 24

30b …they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Both these passages give us a picture of the common language used regarding the judgment of God.  And both passages indicate that judgment happens when God comes to visit his people.  Another commonality between these passages is a gathering of God’s elect.  This gathering, often misinterpreted in the New Testament as a rapture, is a reference of God’s people coming together in times of trial.  Instead of falling away, God’s elect stand firm in the face of tribulation. God’s people rally together.

Just one more instance of Scripture interpreting Scripture.

-Luke Barrett
image via noyava

Building friendship and other stuff

Okay, after a bit of a sabbatical from blogging we are back and ready to roll. This post will be a bit random because I have a few things bouncing around in this head of mine.

• The election is almost over! Has anyone else felt that the campaigning has gone on way too long?
• ProjectOKC has been a part of some really cool things lately. A kid’s celebration in the heart of the Paseo & a fall festival in Grace Living Center for OKC’s urban core. Check out our Meetup group at www.meetup.com/projectokc to see how you can jump in and be a part.
• We are collecting lightly used clothing for a December 13th giveaway to some children in the Paseo & Mid-Town area. Email me for more information on where to drop off the clothing. (see the contact us link at the bottom of the page)

Just a brief final thought… Many times we connect with people thinking about how we can leverage the friendship to be beneficial for ourselves. Sometimes we start programs designed to help people but really the program was just started to get people to attend your church. I want all of us to practice loving unconditionally. Love people, connect with people and serve people, not because of what you get out of it though.

The love you show towards others builds bridges naturally in relationships. Sometimes, our own strategy interferes with God’s strategy. Take a break and enjoy the time it takes to grow great friendships!

-Rex Barrett
image via Ric e Ette

Catalyst Update: SETH GODIN

Next up is Seth Godin, his latest book is “Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us”. I will be buying the book before I leave the building.

Before Seth, a 14 -year old young man was interviewed that started an organization at the age of 9 in conjunction with World Vision called Hoops of Hope.

Learn more at HoopsOfHope.org.

Seth Godin…

I think I know what you want. More.

How do we grow?

Most marketing is based on interupting people. And eventually people have done what we want them to do. NOT ANYMORE. Interruption marketing is broken.

What is better, more reliable and organic is word of mouth.

People are asking two questions:
Who else is going to be there? Who is going to lead us?

Tribe. A group of connected people.

We like doing things that other people are doing. And they like doing what they want to do. People like being with people they like being with.

A crowd is not the same as a tribe. A tribe is a self-connected group often times with a leader and a shared mission.

What matters is connection. Tribes matter.

Tribes act the way the leader would act.

Lead people to the place they want to go.

Check out the non-profit online charity, Kiva.

Understanding Tribes:

Tribes want a movement.

Growth comes from small groups that simply and slowly get bigger. 2 families becomes 3 and 4 and 5.

Tribes are not about how many friends you have but the people you are connected to when it matters.

Some tribes are tight. Some tribes are big. Small tribes.

If you want to grow you are not in the marketing business anymore, you are in the leadership business.

Not everybody will want to join your tribe.

Its about finding people who are already leading and giving them a platform to lead more.

Start with 10 people you can lead.

Do something worth criticizing. If you are playing it safe you have already failed. Nobody is seeking a safe leader.

Find people who are alone in the world.

Find people who always knew there were people like them.

Put together a group of people that would never get together.

Its about leading not controlling.

Become a heretic. Have strong enough faith to: Push the boundaries. Challenge the norms. Push back against the standards. Challenge the religion to support the faith. Heretics don’t let the rules of religions stand the way of their faith.

(Seth Godin just gave props to Rob Bell)

Leadership is the same thing as marketing and marketing is the same as leadership.

Things leaders do:

• Challenge 
• Create culture
• Curiosity
• Charisma
• Communicate 
• Connect
• Commit

Things people in a tribe want:

• Connect
• Create meaning
• Make a difference
• Be noticed
• Matter
• Be missed

My goal is to inspire you to be inspiring. If you can’t be inspiring you have no business leading.

Are you doing something “for” the tribe or “to” the tribe.

Where’s my tribe? What am I doing to feed and nurture them?

Leadership is not a choice its an obligation.

Seth Godin was absolutely brilliant!!!

-Ben Nockels

Catalyst Update: Speaker free for all

Interviewing Chris Seay of Ecclesia Church in Houston and Dino Rizo of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge about Hurricane Ike relief. Check out the Hope Melody Coffee Tour with the Robbie Seay Band, Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot).

Next up is Brenda Salter McNeil from Chicago…

She has a new book, “A Credible Witness“.

Acts 1:8

Samaria is the place we know exists but avoid.

The homeless. Gay community. HipHop culture. Race. Ethnicity. Economic class. Political views, etc.

Christians get weird in Samaria because our worldview and experiences get challenged.

I am challenging you to be a powerful witness for the Kingdom of God, not a witness for your church or organization.

Craig Groeschel, from LifeChurch.tv in OKC, is sharing about the One Prayer effort. They pulled 1500 churches together this summer for a wonderful effort. Check it out

Jon Foreman is peforming live. You should buy all of his music, it’s incredible!

Next up, Steven Furtick from Elevation Church…

The space between the promise and the payoff is a process and most times the process is full of pain.

Sometimes we can’t see the vision God has given you.

Be faithful in the process.

God is preparing you for what he has prepared you for to do.

Hold onto your vision and keep it in sight even when there is nothing to see.

For many, there is frustration over the promises that have not come to pass. Hold on. Be faithful.

Our God is a covenant keeping God.

Steven is a firey and exciting dude!

-Ben Nockels

Catalyst Update: Jim Collins

Jim Collins, author of “Built to Last” and “Good to Great” is up next…

If we only have great corporations we will be a prosperous nation, but not a great one.

Good is the enemy of great.

Greatness is not a function of circumstance, the cards we are dealt.

Greatness is a function of willful choice and discipline. We are freed by our choices.

The path to greatness for a church is NOT to become more like a business. Because most businesses are average.

It’s not a business idea. It’s a greatness idea found in the culture of discipline.

Disciplines that separate average from greatness:

It takes time. You don’t stop. Keep pushing. The discipline to keep going so you can see “cumulative results”.

Most overnight successes are 20 years in the making.

13 years into its history, Starbucks had 5 stores.

It took Sam Walton 7 years to open his second store.

The great fall by over-reaching. Too far. Too fast. Seduced by your own success. Undiscipline pursuit of more. Outrageous arrogance that inflicts pain on the innocent.

It’s not what but who. If we get the right “who” you get better “what”.

I surround myself with young people who don’t care what I think.

I am a recovering leadership skeptic.

Leaders of the great are cut from a different cloth.

The signature characteristic of great leaders is humility. What a delightful surprise. Humility born from ambition for others not themselves.

If it is about you, and only you know, you will not build something great.

Great leadership is not about personality or charisma. You don’t have to have an inspiring personality, but you do have to have inspiring standards.

Churches have become too dependent on a powerful personality. To do so is irresponsible.

The true test of a leader takes place when you are done, gone.

We need both “to do” lists and “stop doing” lists to be truly disciplined. What do we need to stop doing?

Genius of the “And”.

Every generation needs to create its own practices so it can express the universal values that extend to all generations.

To do’s:

Free Good to Great diagnostic tool on www.JimCollins.com

How many key seats are on your bus? And are the right people in those seats? What is your plan?

Who are the people on your “personal board of directors”? Put the right people in your life. Who will you allow to be your mentors?

What is your questions to statement ratio? Ask more questions. Listen to those you.

You spend too much of your life trying to be interesting. Spend more time being interested.

Always take time in quiet to think.

How do I commit myself to something to which I am deeply passionate?

We are freed by the choices nobody can see.

Greatness is not determined by success, but the choices we make.

Pay your mentors back by mentoring others.

Go out and make yourself useful.

Check out “Good to Great for The Social Sectors”.

The right people need to be led not managed.

Discipline stems from people understanding their responsibilities not their position. Don’t give titles, communicate and share responsibilities. Person X is ultimately responsible X.

Three priorities for the year. If you have more than 3 priorities for the year, you have no priorities. For every to do, there must be an equal amount of stop doing.

-Ben Nockels

Catalyst Update: William Paul Young

Mark Batterson from National Community Church in Washington DC just shared for a few minutes about their recent effort, Convoy of Hope.

William Paul Young, author of “The Shack” is being interviewed by Ernie Johnson, the basketball announcer.

Two years ago he was working in a manufacturing plant in shipping, receiving and doing janitorial duties.

He wrote the book for his six children for Christmas. He identifies himself as an “accidental author”.

The Shack is symbolic for the human soul. You cannot compare people pain and the healing process.

We want people do believe in the facade we have created. God is so affectionate that he destroys the facade and we find God in the center of our souls.

Religion promises relationship that it cannot deliver.

We need to put theological and doctrinal issues aside so we can be healed.

I am a missionaries kid and a preachers kid, so I’m screwed up.

We all got Shacks.

We all have a great sadness.

It took me 50 years to realize that God has an affection for us that is relentless.

God is in the middle of our shacks.

He heals us not so he can use us, but because he loves us. And then he let’s us play.

Ben speaking: Everybody should read this book! William Paul Young was absolutely enthralling!

-Ben Nockels

Catalyst Update: Opening and Andy Stanley

I heard from Jeremy Kubicek last night that Catalyst is officially sold out, 12,000 people strong.

We have arrived at Catalyst for the first day of Main Stage Speakers. We got the serious hookup so we are sitting on the second row of the floor and have access to a luxury box with food and drink, etc.

Steve Fee led worship this morning. I wasn’t a huge fan of his radio stuff going in, but he was incredible live!

Andy Stanley is up first…

His objective is to present Biblical context for leadership through the life and example of Nehemiah.

All we have is the ability to influence people. We cannot make people do anything. But we can obtain moral authority. If we do what we say. We have moral authority when people say, “I don’t believe what you believe, but I know you believe what you believe.”

There must be alignment between what you say and what you do. Without that, you have no real influence.

When people get closer and closer to us, is there a gap between our private and public life?

Is there alignment between creed and deed?

What can happen when a leader has moral authority?

Can we as leaders be found “working on the wall” like Nehemiah did? Or are we too busy being in charge somewhere?

For 12 years there was alignment in Nehemiah’s life. He did what he asked others to do.

Forgiveness. Our message is the message of forgiveness. We have been forgiven, therefore we forgive.

Do you have a forgiven and forgiving heart?

Maybe the boldest move we can make as leaders is to get on our knees and release all the crap you’ve been hanging on to.

Do you have moral authority in the area of forgiveness?

Family. Does your wife feel like the church is your mistress? Do your kids feel neglected? Prioritize your family over your work.

Maybe the boldest leadership decision you could make is to go back to your hotel, pack up and go home early. Because you left a family behind that is hurting and needing you and tired of you “working for Jesus”.

There will be other pastors of North Point church but my kids will only have one dad.

Do you have moral authority in the area of family?

Finances. If you want to lead generous people be a generous leader. Give. Save. Live on the rest.

Maybe the boldest leadership move you can make is to go home and write a big check and give it away.

Do you have moral authority in the area of finances?

Great talk!

-Ben Nockels

Catalyst Labs: Mid-Sized and Missional

Next Catalyst Lab…

Mid-sized & Missional: Mike Breen, Andrew Williams and Oklahoma City’s own Lance Humphreys.

Mike leads 3dm (www.3dministries.com).

Andrew is on the senior leadership team for St. Andrews Church in England (google them, great networked church of 35 Missional Communities).

Lance has spent the last nine years leading Bridgeway Church (www.BridgewayChurch.com).

God has a rescue team, the people of his Kingdom.

Kingdom values are the compass that guide us in uncertain times.

The rescue team shows compassion. If God’s people can’t be tender, then who can?

The rescue team helps people reconnect their story because true identity has been lost. We have to tell the story of God so that people will have something true to identify with.

We have seen the destruction of the extended family and now the nuclear family.

We need to rebuild and remake society.

We live in the most exciting time in the history of the church.

Acts 2 will come alive and be experienced “in the living room”. in that living room there is room for black and white, rich and poor.

American culture is on track to become like Europen culture, post-church and post-christian.

We must release all people to be the church. To live life in community with a piece of their world being changed and transormed.

We have been operating under the “attractional model” that operates under the assumption that “if we build it they would come”.

Nobody gets saved during altar calls in churches because the people are already Christians. Not-yet-Christians were safely at home.

Andrew used the phrase, “Missional Potency”. I wonder if we have that?

Missional Communities are about ordinary people in the hands of an extraordinary God.

We need to recycle the time and energy spent on Sunday and allow people to spend it “out there”.

Leaders releasing leaders to build extended family sized communities.

The role of the senior leader/pastor in a network of Missional Communities is “head cheerleader”.

-Ben Nockels

Catalyst Labs: Andy Crouch

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