One of the questions most frequently asked by church and ministry leaders prior to choosing to work with an outside consultant is if the process will make a difference. Church Doctor ministries is now offering this unique report showing statistical data specifically related to the results taking place in the local church following a diagnotic consultation. Since we are results-oriented, we measure, through before and after analysis, key areas of the ethos or culture of the church.

These key areas of comparison focus on spiritual growth, Bible study involvement, financial stewardship, service, biblical worldview of the church’s purpose, future orientation reflecting openness to innovation and change, positive attitudes in a spirit of optimism and sense of belonging and connectedness.

This analysis is the first of several on these churches served in 2008. It’s focused on the timeframe 6-12 months after the consultation report. The report from the consultation provides a three-to-five year ministry plan for each church. While few ministries measure and publish results, at Church Doctor Ministries, this is our focus.

Commentary and analysis is now available for download or can be ordered in full color, hard copy formats.

To download the PDF of the one page summary report please click here:

http://www.churchdr.org/downloads/2008_eval.pdf

To download the PDF of the full commentary that supports this metrics report, please click here:

http://churchdoctor.org/downloads/DCSummary.pdf

To have this information mailed to you in hard copy format, anywhere in the world, please email us at info@churchdoctor.org with your request. Please be sure to include your full name and mailing address in your request.

We were at the airport security checkpoint when my 70 year-old mother got the urge; that overwhelming desire to spice things up a bit! As the security officer (Serious Sam) looked at her, my fun-loving mother casually remarked, “Oh-I guess I should have taken the gun out of my bag!” Look out.

This was Mom’s second time flying - and it was over 20 years ago, yet it was the wrong time for a joke. “Ma’am, you’ll have to step aside,” said Serious Sam. “I’ll have to call an official from the airline, who will determine if you can fly today.” My mother’s eyes got huge and, much to our fear, she spoke. “What? You’re kidding!” was all she could muster.

“No ma’am. I’m not kidding at all.” was the reply. “This is a serious matter. Place your luggage on the table. We’ll have to search it.” Well, now Mom was starting to see that the joke was over. This one had gone sour. “Oh, come on…I’m a 70 year-old grandmother. What do you think I’m going to do?” she innocently asked. The stern looks came back from what was now three or four “airport officials.”

After a thorough scouring of her knitting needles, each and every ball of yarn, every sock, blouse and undergarment, and after the most thorough chewing out I’ve ever seen a person give my dear mother, they let her fly.

As we headed toward the gate, Mom said: “Well girls, I guess there’s a time and place for everything!”

The Lesson for the Church

Just like my mother, some churches learn this lesson the hard way. Some churches offend, lose members and are responsible for de-churching multiple people before learning this lesson. Some churches get taken down by corruption and in-fighting that went un-confronted. The life of Jesus Christ provides plenty of examples that, even in the church, there’s a time and place for everything.

Jesus walked with people, talked with them, admonished them, forgave them, ate with them and - I believe - laughed with them. And in John 2:14-16 we read that Jesus became angry when he saw corruption in the house of God. John says that when Jesus saw the money changers “He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple.” What? Violence and anger? In the house of God?

In Galatians 5:12 Paul models the appropriate actions of a servant of God responding to an internal corruption of the church as he says “I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.” The intensity of his response is, no doubt, amplified by his zeal for God and his love of the Church.

Did Paul love all people? Absolutely. Read his words found in I Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.”

It’s safe to say that a person’s clothing, status, genealogy - even their past - did not keep Jesus or Paul from focusing on the right thing. The important thing. Yet, when a person or group was in sin, they didn’t hesitate to make the correction.

Jesus’ anger at the money changers. Paul’s strong feelings toward a corrupt church. These are examples of the principle that there is a time for everything: joy, grace, compassion, forgiveness - even anger and conviction. My mother learned that joking at the wrong time and place can come back to bite you. There is a time and a place for everything.

What about you and your church?

Are you aware of this principle? Do you know when to laugh with people, when to be serious, when to show grace, forgiveness and mercy? Do you know when to hold your ground on an issue?

Some church members are so focused on carpet colors and music styles that they have lost track of what’s important. The mission of the church is to go and make disciples. That is the most important thing. There’s never a time to break relationships over carpet color. But there will always be times when overlooking the faults of others, or dropping your “issue” with a leadership decision is the right thing. There are times when the right thing to do is confront. There are also times when it’s best to show grace.

Vital, healthy churches know the difference.

Written by Mary Sweeney, Church Doctor Ministries Consultant in Training

By now, approximately 40-50% of Christians who attend churches in America have seen the movie Avatar. After a small, informal research project, I was surprised to see how many Christians had watched the movie and didn’t get the amazing parallel to the salvation story of Jesus Christ.

First you have the incarnation: Jake Sully becomes one of them. It wasn’t exactly one birth in a manger, but over and over again in a “pod.” Then there was the final battle with the Satan figure, the commander, all dressed up in his robot. Then, the savior of the people suffers, dies, and then, in the final scene, is the resurrection.

What interests me most, however, is the fact that such a celebration story–even with it’s save the planet, go green overtones–can excite and enthuse so many people in theaters so that, by the end of the movie, almost everybody is cheering for the salvation of the Avatar people, even when the enemy, the “sky people are…us!”

Not everybody in theaters is a Christian, and maybe the Christians there aren’t astute enough to catch the parallel. Nevertheless, it’s amazing to see how people can be so caught up in a salvation story. Do you think this is an appropriate symbol of the receptivity–the growing receptivity–of Americans? Was it too far-fetched to say this couldn’t possibly be a message for a church that wants to get serious about incarnational mission?

The world is fascinated with mass production — it is the economy of scale. It works well for cars, fast food, and flatscreen televisions. It works not so well for developing people. This may be one of the reasons Jesus built relationships, discipled a few, and empowered them to multiply. It may also be one of the reasons Jesus did not raise up an army, start a denomination, or build a seminary.

Quality people are not perfect. But they do have values, character, virtues, boundaries, and beliefs that guide their imperfect behavior most of the time. That makes a difference and shows. They operate from different worldviews, they see the world differently. You can be a high-end graduate from the most prestigious school and still bankrupt Enron, develop a Ponzi scheme, and steal millions, or cheat on Wall Street. Great institutions don’t insure quality people, just quality knowledge.

Quality is more caught than taught. If you grew up as a Christian, who is the first Sunday school teacher you can remember? What is it you remember? A lesson, or something relational? Chances are you can’t pinpoint one particular teaching, even though you learn, collectively, over the years, through a lot of good Bible teaching. That’s good, but you can probably name a teacher, pastor, parent, uncle, neighbor — someone who had impact on you. The quality side of you came from relationships. The knowledge base from an institutional source.

Jesus combined these two in the discipling process. Most electricians, carpenters, and skilled labor groups still do it. Most churches do not. Churches have Bible classes — the institution forming groups — and call that growing disciples. Yet how many pastors can specifically name one or two people they are mentoring, discipling, investing personal time to discipleship? How many church leaders are right now intentionally mentoring someone. How many Christians have even had a thought — ever — about pouring their lives into others?

Life for many starts in daycare, then preschool, grade school, high school, and college or trade school. In between, parents ran kids to scouts, music lessons, basketball practice, and youth group. Yet, how many parents have an ongoing intentional plan to relationship mentoring their children? Exposing them to experiences, as they relate side-by-side? Intentionally sharing values, attitudes, worldviews, beliefs?

Growing quality people is a relational effort supported by institutional instruction. This is a different, biblical approach than paying tuition or supporting an institution and expecting the institution to develop quality people. What do you think? Think our culture — our world — needs quality people?

Read this week’s Powerful Coaching Question by Church Doctor Tracee J. Swank here:

http://tinyurl.com/coachingquestions
 

Read this week’s Powerful Coaching Question by Church Doctor, Tracee J. Swank

Doing too much and not getting desired results? http://tinyurl.com/PQweek2

Below is a link to a news article about Pastor Tom Schaeffer and Threshold Community Church in Toledo, Ohio. This new model of ministry will transform the way the Gospel message is shared. Read the full article here:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100109/NEWS10/100109705

To learn more about how you can travel to St. Tom’s church in Sheffield, England with Dr. Kent Hunter and his team in June 2010 to experience this movement first hand please contact Jason Atkinson at 1.800.626.8515 or email your request to info@churchdoctor.org.

Read the latest edition of the Church Doctor Check Up.

http://tinyurl.com/CDMcheckup
Join our mailing list to get the Check Up right in your inbox every two weeks!

New this year from CDM!

Each week Church Doctor Ministries will provide a powerful question coaching tip designed to help you think through challenges or roadblocks you might be facing. Each week’s tip will contain a short story or quote along with powerful coaching questions designed to help you turn your thoughts into action.

Read the first edition here: http://tinyurl.com/coachingtip1

Our Vision & Prayer for 2010

Visionary leaders have the capacity to see in their heads what many cannot see with the naked eye. That is one of the qualifications to lead leaders. After the completion of Disney World someone remarked, “Isn’t it too bad that Walt Disney didn’t live to see this!” Mike Vance, creative director of Disney Studios, replied, “He did see it–that’s why it’s here.”

Source: Aubrey Malphurs, Vision for Ministry, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1994, p. 11

Our hope and prayer at Church Doctor Ministries is that 2010 will be the year that Christian leaders all over the world begin to realize their capacity to become more effective in fulfilling the Great Commission, to make disciples of all peoples.

We pray that each day brings you closer to God and closer to answering His call to introduce more people to Him.

It has been an honor and blessing to serve the Kingdom through this ministry in 2009 and we are looking forward to seeing our vision come to life in 2010!