Liars, Bigger Liars and Statisticians

OK, OK, I know that is not the actual quote.  What Mark Twain is actually purported to have said is "There are liars, damned liars and statisticians."  I just didn't want to write that in the title.  I first heard that quote when I was in college, taking a class on sociology and statistics.  The point was that researchers can make statistics say almost anything they want them to depending upon the questions they ask, and the way they word them.

This quote came back to me today as I was reading an article on a science blog entitled "Why Religion Make People Happier (Hint:  Not God)."   The article begins by acknowledging that people with religious faith are more satisfied with their life than nonbelievers.  I can buy that.  But I also knew from the title that there was a "however" coming.  This empirical, scientifically researched article went on to say that the reason for this has nothing to do with God, but is in fact the result of religious people having a social network within the church community.

The researchers apparently conducted a national phone survey with 3108 people.  Quoting from the article "According to the data, about 28 percent of people who attended a religious service weekly were "extremely satisfied" with their lives, compared with 19.6 percent of people who never attended services. . . People with more than 10 friends in their congregation were almost twice as satisfied with life as people with no friends in their congregation."

It seemed fairly transparent from the article that they began their research with a conviction that they were intent on supporting.  Namely, that there is really nothing to this God thing, and if Christians have higher life satisfaction than non-Christians, it is simply because they have a strong social network, good friends and a place of belonging.

While I beg to disagree with their primary conclusion, there is still a grain of truth to be gleaned from this research.  What I think this does prove is that relationships matter.  God has created us as relational beings.  We are intended to be in relationship with him, and with one another.  We are a growing church.  It is not realistic to think that we can be in relationship with everyone that is a part of this ministry.  However, we do need to be in relationship with at least a few other believers.

This is where small groups become so important.  Worship is our large corporate gathering.  It is a wonderful time to join our voices together in praise to our Lord and Savior.  However, it is in our small group that we really build relationships.  Here at St. Matts and the Rock, we offer many different small groups.  Each one is unique.  They are offered on different day, different times, and with different styles.  Some are gender based, some are mixed.  Some focus more on prayer, others on study, others on fellowship and still other on service.  Yet they all share this in common.  They are a place where relationships can be built and where brothers and sisters in Christ can love and support one another as they grow in faith together.

I believe being a part of a small group is essential to a complete Christian life.  Unlike the researches, I don't believe that this is somehow separate from our faith in God.  To the contrary, I believe it is a conduit through which God works.  If you are not currently part of a small group, I would encourage you to find one.  According to the research, you will be a happier person with a higher sense of life satisfaction!  To get started, contact the church office at 603-887-4922.  We'll help you get hooked up with a group that fits you!

Cutting Through the Christmas Hype

Dear Friends,

    Here we are, December 1^st.  We’ve made it through Thanksgiving, we got through the hype of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Now it is time to settle in and really focus on the true meaning and purpose of this Holy season.  This has the potential to be a wonderful, blessed season.  Unfortunately, every year I see situations where individuals or families have turned it into such a stressful time that it sucks the joy right out of it.  So, I want to offer you a few suggestions to help make this a great Advent/Christmas Season.

                First, take the focus off materialism.  Particularly in a difficult economic year, it is even more important that we de-emphasize excessive gift giving.  We can do this in several ways.  Set appropriate expectations within your family in the area of gifts so that no one feels the pressure to over-do or out-do.   Absolutely do not go into debt to purchase gifts.  Only buy and give what you can reasonably afford to pay for outright.  Focus on giving to the needy rather than buy more stuff for people who already have everything they need.  This year our entire Christmas Eve offering will go towards our various local outreach efforts such as the soup kitchen, food pantry, Somebody Cares New England, and our own care ministry fund which helps hundreds of people throughout the year.  I would ask you to set aside a tithe (1/10) of whatever you would spend on Christmas gifts and entertaining to give to this offering.

                Secondly, focus on people.  It has been my experience that most people would rather have a little bit of our time and attention than to receive a fancy gift in the mail.  Take time for family and friends.  Get together with folks you haven’t seen recently.  Try to think of people you know who don’t have family in the area (or perhaps at all).  Invite them over.  And don’t get too caught up in the preparations.  It doesn’t have to be a feast.  A cup of soup with good friends, or family, is enough if the home is filled with love and joy.

                Finally, focus on Christ, the one whose birth we celebrate.  If you really want to experience the full joy of this Christmas, it must be centered in Christ.  So in the midst of the busyness, make sure you are setting aside time for worship, prayer, and personal devotional time.  Last week, we began a new four week series for Advent.   Without giving too much away, I want to tell you that the message this Sunday is VERY important.  In fact, for some of us, it may be the most important message we hear all year.  I hope to see each and every one of you in worship this Sunday.

                God Bless,

Pastor Steve

The Power of Invitation

The estimates vary, but depending on whose stats you reference, somewhere between 60% and 80% of the people in New England have no active relationship with Christ or His church.  This means it is very possible that 4 out of 5 of the people we work with, our neighbors, those we pass in the supermarket, are far from Christ and destined for an eternity separated from God.  I know that for many of us, that is a heart breaking reality.  The question, of course, is what can we really do about it.  

How do we effectively reach that 60% to 80%  of the population that is far from God?  Over the years, between St. Matthews and The Rock, we've done it all.  We placed ads, even full page inserts, in the newspaper. We hung posters.  We've put out banners.  We've direct mailed post cards to thousands of homes at once.  We've even run cable TV commercials.  But would you like to guess has has been far and away the most effective form of outreach our church has ever done?  Personal Invitation!

The difference between someone receiving an impersonal postcard in the mail (or seeing an ad in the paper) and receiving a personal invitation from someone they know and trust is immeasurable.  That is not to say that every person we even invite will accept our invitation.  But even if one in ten responded affirmatively, the impact would be enormous.  And I would venture to guess that if the invitation is sincere, offered to someone with whom we have a relationship, we might find that 2 or 3 out of 10 might respond affirmatively.  Compare that to other forms of marketing where 4 or 5 out of 10,000 is not uncommon.

If we will consistently invite our friends, neighbors and coworkers to worship, Bible study, a concert or other special event, we will see in ever increasing measure the lost coming to Christ.  That is the heart of our mission as a church:  to reach and disciple people for Christ.  And allow me to share with you something else we've noticed.  We keep track of the number of visitors we have each week in worship.  Between St. Matthews and The Rock we average 5 to 10 visitors every week.  When a person, family, or couple comes by themselves, we find that about 10% of them eventually connect to the church.  This is actually right at the national average.  However, if a person was invited to worship, and the person who invited them is there with them when they attend, the overwhelming majority of them are returning, and becoming connected to the church. 

So what can we do about the fact that so many of the people around us are far from God?  Quite simply, we can invite.  It is far and away the most effective and powerful tool we have for reaching the unchurched. Of course, all through the process, we must be in prayer for those we are inviting.  This work is always a partnership with God.  If we will do what we can do (invite), God will do what He does (touch hearts), and together souls will be saved and lives will be transformed! 

We are coming up on the Advent Season.  It is a time when many people are even more receptive to invitation.  Who could you invite to worship between now and Christmas?  Start praying for them now.  And when God opens the door, step through it confidently and extend an invitation.

God Bless,

Pastor Steve

Why on Earth are we here?

I'm in the middle of a teaching series entitled "From Here to Eternity."  We are focusing on such questions as "What really happens when we die?"  "Is there really a Heaven and Hell?" etc.  This past week we looked at the question, what will Heaven really be like.  We dispelled some of the myths of Heaven being some boring place where we will sit around all day on fluffy white clouds playing the harp.  By the time we were done, we had a glimpse of Heaven that was so glorious, it virtually begged the question "Why are we still here?" 

That's a great question.  Why on Earth ARE we here?  There are days for all of us when life is hard.  Some people are out of work.  Others are under employed.  So despite working a full week, some still struggle to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.  There are some among us who are walking through heartbreaking relational or emotional struggles.  Some face serious illness in their own life, or the life of someone they love.   If we are honest, many of us have had days when we were tempted to pray "Come Lord Jesus, take me now!"

For those who are walking through a season of life that is hard, I want to remind us that life is a gift, and we are here for a purpose.  Looking at this question in broad strokes, I want to say to you that we are here for at least three reasons:
       1)  We are here to love and support one another.  Through the peaks and valleys of life, God has placed us in relationship with others so that we can help, and be helped, along the journey of life.  Some days, we may be in the valley and God will send someone along to help us through.  At other times, we will be the one to reach out and help bring someone else along.  And the experiences that we have lived through can be the foundation from which we can help others.
       2)  We are here to be a part of the work of God's Kingdom.  Every one of us has been given specific gifts from God that are to be shared as a part of the overall work of Christ.  No matter what your gifts, talents, and resources are, God has a way to use them as a part of the overall work of his Kingdom to make this world a better place for everyone.
       3)  We are here to share the hope of the Gospel.  When we think about Heaven, how glorious it will be to live eternally in the presence of God, we must stop and recognize that we have the hope of Heaven because someone cared enough to share the Good News with us.  If you think about it, it would be kind of selfish to have received such a great gift, but be unwilling to share it with others.
       Why on Earth are we still here?  Because there are people all around us that still do not know the Good News of Jesus Christ, and the hope of Heaven.  And as long as God sees fit to keep us on this Earth, we have an important (in fact, eternally significant) work to do.  We are here to make life better for one another while we are on this Earth, and we are here to share the hope of eternal life.
        God Bless,

Pastor Steve

The Old Guy in the Room

I had an interesting experience this week.  I attended a leadership roundtable that was sponsored by Next Level Church at their coffee house in Dover.  It was awesome.  I met some great people.  We got to reflect on ministry, how we "do church" in an ever changing culture.  I picked up lots of great ideas, and made some excellent connections, some of which I hope may even grow into genuine friendships.

But there was one thing that struck me the moment I walk into the room.  I'm getting old.  Many of those in attendance were lead pastors or church leaders from new church starts, or from multi-site ministries.  These were great, cool, cutting edge ministries.  I wouldn't say I was the oldest person in the room.  But I suspect that the four or five others in the room (of the 70 people or so) that were my age or older, noticed the same thing I did.  There is a new generation of young leaders emerging in the Christian Church that are all out, sold out for Jesus Christ!  This was a room full of church planters and entrepreneurial Christian leaders who are prepared to storm the gates of hell for the sake of the lost and dying.  There was a tremendous energy and excitement in that room that I don't always experience when Christians gather.

So, I am excited and encouraged by what I see happening all around us among young adults who are, at once, serious and passionate about their faith.  But I couldn't help but wonder, what about the rest of us?  What about those of us that did not grow up with the internet?  Is there still a place for those of us in our 40's and 50's, dare I say 60's and 70's?  There is something awesome about seeing a new church where the average age of the leadership team is 26.  But I also believe the Christian Church is desperately in need of people who are further along in the journey.  People who are able to share some of the experiences of life.

I guess I feel as though the Christian church is at its best when we can combine the energy and passion of committed young adults with the wisdom and maturity of a long time Christ-follower in a synergistic way.  So, to those of you who are younger, bring it on!  Bring your energy, your new ideas, and your passion.  We need your fresh perspective on how we can reach the unchurched in an increasingly secularized world.  And those of you who (like me) are a little further along in the journey, don't check out.  Retirement is not a Christian concept.  We need your experience and knowledge.  And there are many younger Christians who would welcome the opportunity to be mentored and encouraged along the way.  

All in all, I am more optimistic about the future of the Christian Church in America than I have been in a very long time.  This is an exciting time to be a part of the work of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God!