Chris Elrod

The Sorry State Of Christian Retailing

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor, Rusell Moore blogged today about his interview with political scientist, non-believer and director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College, Alan Wolfe concerning current trends in Christian retailing.  All in all, it's a pretty sad commentary about Christians creating a retailing subculture so we do not have to engage the unchurched.  Products like Scripture golf balls, Bible-based Barbies and Prayer Of Jabez pot holders have made it easy for Christians to only buy "churchy" stuff.  Most of these products are a total turn-off to the unchurched of America and make believers look like . . . well, weirdos!  It's a theme that the Los Angeles Times also reported on.

In his interview with Moore, Alan Wolfe pointed out that that he could not imagine an unbeliever coming to faith through, say, a Christian bumper-sticker on the car in front of him. Buying the stuff gives Christians an easy conscience that they are carrying out the Great Commission without ever having to verbally and relationally engage their unbelieving neighbors.

The Los Angeles Times reported that "the effect of such products is to create almost a parallel universe, one that allows Christians to withdraw from the world instead of engaging it as Christ commanded."  Alan Wolfe - also interviewed for the Times article - made the comment that, "It's as if they're saying the task of bringing people to Jesus is too hard, so let's retreat into a fortress."

I believe that Alan Wolfe and the Los Angeles Times have hit the nail squarely on the head. It's time that the church takes seriously the idea of relationally reaching the unchurched of America instead of shoving a chessy Christian slogan in their face via some piece of "Jesus junk".

I realize that I'm a missional cheerleader when it comes to ministry, evangelism and doing church.  However, I think both of these sources prove my point!!!

Praying For Planters

Over the last three years Denise and I have lived the challenges of planting a church on the 21st Century.  Th rewards are beyond imagination, but the struggles can also be unreal.  It is for this reason that she and I commited to pray for church planters and their families on a daily basis.

Right now we pray for Wayne Gooden, Tadd Grandstaff and Jonathan Herron every evening.  We pray for them, their families, their marriages, their church plant teams, the leadership of the upcoming churches, the finances, the launch date, etc.

While I went to college wih Wayne, I've never even met or talked to Tadd or Jonathan.  Denise and I just felt that we needed to do more than just blog about church planting . . . we needed to pray for planters as well.

I write this not to pat Denise and I on the back, but to challenge all established church planters to pray specifically for others that are just beginning this journey.  We know the trials, tribulations, difficulties and strain that church planting can cause.  What better folks to pray for church planters than other church planters?

Oh yeah, there is always room in Denise and my prayer journals to add a few more planters to the list.  Just drop me an email.

Songs From The Edge - Volume 1

Since I posted about the Last Year Portrait show here in Lakeland last week, I've received numerous emails inquiring about "the latest, greatest, cutting-edge bands" in music right now. As I wrote in the previous post, I have several folks within Compass Point that keep me up-to-date with the hottest new rock groups. One of the reasons is because we are launching a concert ministry in September. The other reason is because some of the very groups that are making a splash in the "indie-world" of music attend Compass Point. We are definitely blessed by God with talented, artistic people!

Anyway, it seems that quite a few church planters are interested in what the "25-and-below" crowd is listening to these days. In order to make it easier I put together an Imix called "Elrod's Songs From The Edge - Volume 1" over at iTunes.  Just follow this link to sample, purchase and download the songs. I warn you, most of these bands you've never heard of . . . but your teens and college students have!!!

Spiritual Attack

Several years ago I was hit in the head with concrete which left me with occassional stuttering and minear's disease - a type of vertigo. Usually the vertigo only hits about one day every oher month - but not so bad I can't function. Two weeks ago it kicked in worse than I've ever had it and lasted until yesterday. I couldn't walk, drive or keep food down because of the dizziness. The doctors basically can't cure it or eliminate the symptoms, they just have to knock me out so I can sleep through the worst of it. Therefore I haven't really been able to do anything for the last ten days.

Denise and I truly believe that this has been a spiritual attack. The doctors have no clue why this happened and was shocked that it did. Minear's doesn't usually act like this - at least not for me.

Compass Point is going through some changes right now. Good changes, but difficult. I am in the same camp as Mark Driscoll in believing that sometimes you shake things up and create choas for the sake of growing in leadership and ministry. After six months of praying, fasting, meditation and Scripture study, I beleve that God led me to take Compass Point into this time of creative choas. The minear's began the day we started the creative choas process. I think this was by design by the enemy!

I'm beginning to understand that spiritual attack occurs when God is moving. I'm almost to the point if I'm/we're not being attacked by Satan's forces then I look to see if I'm/we're truly following God. It seems to be an indicater!

I have also found that - in my life - Satan attacks my health or my home - meaning my marriage. Nothing huge, just bickering and impatience with each other. Some days Denise and I are just having a bad day, but most of the time it is spiritual attack.

Pastor's be on guard. If God is truly doing something wonderful through you or your church, Satan will attack in mighty ways. Keep your armor up - particularly in your home!

It's About Meeting People

Today Denise and I had a blast working as volunteers at this year's Mayfaire Kid's Art Pavilion, sponsored by the Polk Museum of Art. The head of education at the museum is a Compass Point member and we had some other church folks working as volunteers. As you can see I was in charge of the hat making booth where we used rolled up grocery bags and art supplies. I met a ton of folks, made great contacts with city leaders and got to invite several dozen to Compass Point.

I once heard a church plant "expert" say that the planting pastor's job was to spend forty hours a week preparing a sermon and letting the core team build the relationships. That's just CRAP!!! The shepherd should be leading the flock by example! You can't sit in your study or office and build a church! Anyone that tells you different has never actually been a church planter.

That's not to say you should punk out on sermon preparation. There have been many Saturday nights of no sleep so I could go back over my sermon notes for Sunday. God created Sunday afternoons for three things; the NFL, NASCAR and a chance for night-owl pastors to grab a nap.

For a church planter sleep is optional, not a necessity. If you can't occasionally make it on three hours of sleep (or less), then take a cush job at an established church - don't plant. If you don't like to be around people . . . great big gatherings of people - don't plant. If you wife needs you home by 6:00 PM every night of the week to feel secure in the marriage - don't plant. If you have to have a minimum of thirty hours a week of preparation to preach a sermon on Sunday - don't plant.

Church planting is about meeting people wherever and whenever you have to. It's kind of like selling insurance . . . every person you meet could possibly be a candidate for salvation and in need of a church home.

Some days it may take a conversation with a stranger over a cup of coffee. Other days it might be wearing goofy grocery bag hats at the local park.

Whatever . . . whenever - the church planter's creed!

No Battleground

What do I and Compass Point Church have in common with Mark Batterson Ed Young, Jr., Perry Noble, Andy Stanley, Gary Lamb or Ben Arment nd their churches? The answer is . . . practically nothing. We have different visions, different audience demographics and different ways of doing things. The one thing we ALL have in common is the unbridled desire to see as many people come to Christ as possible!

I have grown incredibly tired of this "implied battleground" by some of the emails I receive from church planters and other bloggers. They seem to think there are two camps - those trying to be modern churches and those that are not. What a stupid thought process! Modern churches are stupid. Emerging churches are stupid. Identifying with a movement is stupid! Christ is the only identifying characteristic a pastor or church should have. We are all in this together and all the guys I mentioned above struggle to find out how do a better job of reaching more people.

Sure there are different ways of approaching this concept we call church. However, it shouldn't be determined by what is a "right way and wrong way" of perfecting church. It should be solely determined by the leading of the Holy Spirit in the shepherd's life in accordance with the needs of the individual flock. Approaches are not wrong. Concepts are not wrong. Ideology is not wrong. We should constantly be struggling to discover new ways to present an old Truth without dismissing things because of personal preference. Only heresy is wrong and should always be a battleground.

Gary Lamb doesn't podcast, however I do. Not because one is right or wrong, but because our flocks are different. Mark Batterson's National Community Church has muli-site services, Compass Point does not. Not because one is right or wrong, but because our flocks are different. Ben Arment's History Church uses message series, while Compass Point doesn't. Not because one is right or wrong, but because our flocks are different. God calls different leaders to different things because of different missions. God doesn't seem to care all that much about movements, just people. For a church leader to dismiss an idea or approach just because it comes from a different type of church is just plain . . . well . . . stupid.

Compass Point is more like Mosaic or Mars Hill, than say. . . Northpoint.  We attract a predominately 2o-something, highly artistic, almost nerdy-hippie flock. Yet, my staff has devoured all of Andy Stanley's books and our Pathfinders children's ministry uses the 252 Basics! curriculum designed by Northpoint. Why? Because it is the best solution for our flock of children and we spent countless hours in prayer coming to that conclusion. Our leadership might come up with something better tomorrow, but today Northpoint's resources are the best for our situation.

In essence, there is no battleground. Some of the leaders I have mentioned in this posting I communicate with several times a month through email or phone. I read their blogs everyday. Their thoughts, visions and strategies challenge me. They challenge me to think, to color outside-the-box, to pray, to ponder, to read Scripture, to seek God's guidance in leading this flock called Compass Point. They may have different styles, but that doesn't mean they are wrong. They are Godly men seeking to do Godly business in an ungoldly world. Anytime that "iron sharpens iron" God moves in mighty ways. That is why I will always read the blogs and books of other church leaders.

I was once asked at a church plant conference I spoke at what would be the greatest advice I'd give to church planters. It is this . . . don't box yourself in with the latest/greatest/coolest church plant movement because it makes you stop listening to other ideas from other church leaders that God might want you to use.

Compass Point is not emergent. Compass Point is not modern. Compass Point is not old-school. Compass Point is Compass Point. We are trying to reach as many people for Jesus Christ in Polk County as we can and disciple them into a growing relationship with God. We will beg, borrow or steal an idea, concept or strategy if we think God can use it to help us reach that goal - no matter where it comes from.

Seed Service

North Lakeland is growing by leaps and bounds - particularly through new homes being built and purchased. Many of these new homes are a stones' through away from the YMCA that Compass Point is meeting in. The realtors/developers/builders tell us that those buying them are mainly families purchasing their first home or folks not wanting to live in the Tampa/Orlando area. Anyway, 95% of them are in the building stage with no yard or exterior.

For the last year the Compass Point staff has been going out walking and praying through these new communities. No real original idea - except three weeks ago we included the entire church in the deal. We called it a "Seed Service" and would throw out a handful of grass seed at each home or lot we prayed over. It took off and our folks just kept doing it. They really have a heart for our soon-to-be neighbors.

Every Sunday night since the "Seed Service" there has been a group of Compass Point people out praying in our new subdivisions. The greatest thing is that the staff never really drove this. We just planned on doing it about once a quarter. People just took it upon themselves to invite others and go out informally. Most of the time they pray over homes/lots for an hour (throwing out seed they purchased themselves) and then head off to dinner together.

I know that, for most of you reading this, a "Seed Service" is nothing new under the sun. However, the fact that our folks have embraced it has really blown me away. Sometimes God just moves in such an unexpected way that you can't help but fall on your knees in awe. This is one of those times!

When Sunday Sucks

The life of a church planter is incredible! The adventure, the blessings, the feeling of accomplishment, the closeness with God, the last-minute miracles are just beyond words.

However, not everyday is a great day in the life of a church planter. Some days just suck. They are far and few between, but they do exist. It's especially tough when the day that sucks is a Sunday. The hours spent in planning, preparation and implementation seems like a waste when the Sunday service just goes in the toilet. Today was one of those days for Compass Point and me.

We got to the YMCA this morning to set up and they've had a teen lock-in that no one told us about. Kids are in sleeping bags all over the area where we are suppose to set up. They have stuff in every room making it almost impossible to get our children's area ready. Then the lights in the atrium keep going off for no reason throughout the morning - leaving our "welcome area" in the dark. Our children's leader doesn't make it because her niece had an emergency C-section. Our Life Development Pastor is late because of food poisoning. To top it off, we have to make the announcement today that he will no longer be with us because he is going to Bible college (he wants to plant a church in the near future). The children's area is hot because one of the teens from the lock-in leaves a window open all night. The air conditioning system has been programmed to lock out any changes so we can't get the rooms any cooler (sweating kids do not make for happy parents). Almost half of our congregation is college students, so the attendance for today has bottomed-out due to spring break. During the worship time the YMCA phones keep ringing until we have to finally unplug them. While I'm trying to deliver the message the YMCA staff is cleaning up from the lock-in by loading equipment onto a cart and rolling the squeaky-wheeled thing from one side of the building to the other. A mom - who has refused to put their child in our nursery because it's too hot - is now trying to keep the kid from screaming out in the service (which he has done for about ten minutes). During my message the batteries die in my wireless so the Podcast is toast. I finish with no microphone at all. It doesn't really matter because the squeaky-wheeled cart and screaming kid have overpowered any sound system we possess. We finally get to the end of the service where we announce the resignation of the Life Development Pastor (who has finally arrived), thus totally bumming everyone out. As we are tearing down the YMCA staff has discovered the "broken" phones and called the Area Director - who has called the phone company in to fix them. When it is discovered that the Compass Point staff unplugged the phones, the Area Director informs us "not to touch their stuff again." About this time the counters have informed me that we took up the lowest offering in the recent history of Compass Point. It was at this point that I began to envy the just-resigned Life Development Pastor.

Why did I share this? Because I think too many times the PlanterBlogs.com guys only tell the upside of church planting. Again, it is the greatest experience in the world, but there are some really tough days. Days when everything goes wrong and you just want to crawl in the bed to hide. Days when you question your abilities and God's faithfulness. I believe, however, it is the days that suck that makes us more into what God wants us to be - than, say the really mountain-top-experience days.

So how do you handle it when Sunday sucks?

I'm sure there are better, more experienced church planters out there with better ideas, but this is how I handled today:

1. Pray - Yeah, I know that sounds like a Sunday School answer, but I spent quite a bit of time this afternoon praying.

2. Trust - Trust that God still spoke to people even through all the crap.

3. Don't Hurt Others - It's easy to take a day like today out on the ones you love. Don't!!! It's not their fault and they don't deserve it.

4. Analyze - See what could be done better (like new batteries in the wireless) and what you just can't help (like emergency C-sections and food poisoning).

5. Take A Break - Get away from the church for the rest of the day (if you can). No meetings, no phone calls, no visitation. Go to the movies. Go play putt-putt. Go fly a kite. Whatever, but get away from the church planter/pastor thing for a few hours to recharge the spiritual and emotional batteries.

6. Forget It - Today is done. You'll have another shot at it next week. Make the changes you need to make, but let it go from there.

I hope this helps. If anyone else out there has a few ideas on what to do when Sunday sucks, email them to me and I'll post them here.

An Emerging Church

Last week I spoke at a church planter’s conference for the Florida Baptist Convention. Over the course of several days I was constantly asked if Compass Point was an emerging church. It took me back a little as I’ve never really thought about it. I always considered Compass Point just a church trying to help people find and grow in God – no real affiliation with a particular movement.

In all honesty movements really turn me off. All in all, movement-minded (driven) churches/pastors seem a little too self-important to me - especially the emerging church movement. They seem more concerned with the demise of modern, mega-churches and being a Christian welfare agency than anything else. Besides “a movement” is just another fancy word for “a fad” – here today and possibly gone tomorrow.

Don’t get me wrong, as a church planter; I have issues with mega-churches. I also believe that it is the church’s job to reach out to those less fortunate or in need. However, to be labeled an emerging church really had me back-peddling.

    

As a mainline, conservative follower-of-Christ I am all too aware of the emerging church’s identity as a more liberal view of Christianity. My theological thinking is more in line with Mark Driscoll and Erwin McManus han say, Jordan Cooper and Brian McLaren. Not that I am not inspired to think by Jordon or Brian (I read Jordon's blog everyday, Brian doesn't post all that much to his); I just disagree with a great deal of what they write. Still, I must admit, I like the original ideology behind the emerging church concept.

    

I believe the “come-and-see” churches are breathing their last breath. By “come-and-see” churches, I mean churches that put on the biggest productions or events and then spend thousands of dollars on a marketing plan in order to get people to “come-and-see” what they are all about. They do their thing within the confines of their own four walls and expect people to come to them.

    

I am much more a supporter of the “go-and-do” churches (as if anyone really cares what I think). By this I mean the churches that are encouraging – and leading – their people to “emerge” from the four walls to take the Gospel to the people that do not know Him. Emerging with servant project outreaches. Emerging with relational evangelism. Emerging with the idea that we should be the salt of the Earth for the cause of Christ. Salt doesn’t do squat when it’s still in the shaker! It must “emerge” in order to season (how’s that for a cliché).

    

So with all that being said, I guess Compass Point is an emerging church. A doctrinally-conservative, unorthodox in practice, emerging church.

Favorite 2005 Quote

My favorite quote/idea/thought/epiphiny/etc. of 2005 is from Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. He recently wrote on his blog:

"Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God!"

A profound statement that left me speechless.  Thanks Mark for rocking my world!

Ten Things I Learned In 2005

This is a list of things I've discovered in 2005.  They are in no particular order and may not be all that profound:

1. Church planting is NOT an acquired taste. You either love it or hate it. If you don't love it, you will never learn to love it - it has to be your calling and in your blood or you'll be miserable. However, if you are called to it, you'll never be happy doing anything else!

2.  I'm pretty sure that the words "church planter" in the original Greek and Hebrew translations means - poverty.

3. You can always start another church, but you can't replace a godly wife!

4. Worship leaders are weird. Why is it that they always feel that they have to "take the church to Throne Room every Sunday morning", when all we want to do some days is rock?

5.  Coffee is over-rated!  I've tried every drink on the Starbucks menu and it all still tastes like liquid cigarettes.

6. You is who you is! The world doesn't need another Erwin McManus, Ed Young Jr., Rob Bell, Andy Stanley, John Maxwell, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, etc.

7. It's better to pay the IRS your self-employment tax on a quarterly basis instead of waiting until the end of the year and paying the penalties. So that I don't end up with a 4-year missionary trip to a federal corrections facility, that's all I'll say about that.

8. When you can't be strong, be still.

9. No matter how small you are, there will always be someone bigger that is afraid of what you might accomplish.

10. Preaching other people's sermons (SermonCentral.com, CreativePastors,com, etc.) may be easy, but it's not very life-changing.

BONUS THING:  You can never out-dream God!  Sappy, but nevertheless true.