Sunday Mind Dump On Monday

• Okay. I realize I that I haven’t posted anything new for three days. This was done deliberately. I wanted to be sure that my post about JOHN PIPER was read/seen by everyone who logs on to this site. More than four hundred hits later, I can now move on. Mission accomplished.
  
  
• I enjoyed church yesterday.
  
  
• Attendance was a little off due to holiday travel, which is to be expected. This particular Sunday (between Christmas & New Year) is always a challenge.
  
  
• The morning message (Annual State of the Church Address) was the right topic to speak on. With Christmas behind us and the New Year just before us, it was the perfect Sunday to review 2009 and outline some objectives for 2010.
  
  
• I had a lot of fun with some of the content, and some moments were pretty tense too. It needed to be said.
  
  
• A group of teenagers came to the stage at the conclusion of the second service to help with the closing song. They did a good job and it was a pleasant surprise.
  
  
• We are preparing for some changes in 2010. Business-as-usual won’t cut it if we are going to be the kind of prevailing church God has called us to be.
  
  
• Every year we evaluate our programming, procedures and personnel. It’s always a tense time but it must be done. We do this to ensure that we are as lean and as efficient as possible. If a program isn’t working, it gets axed. If a procedure is inefficient, it gets changed or improved. Ineffective leaders are replaced.
  
  
• It is also time for MY ROLE to change at PCC. I spend too much time working “in” the church when I should be working “on” the church. I should be doing more “equipping” of others to carry the work load. Ephesians 4:11-12 is very clear that the role of pastors is to “perfect the saints” so that they can “do the work of the ministry.” I should not be vacuuming the carpet in our church.
  
  
• Our church should become a congregation of 600-700 in 2010. There is no reason why we shouldn’t.
  
  
• BREAKING 500 IN ATTENDANCE: “When a church is at the 500-attendance-threshold, it is a very critical time in the life-cycle of that church. This is the stage that will determine the future of that church. Either they break through the 500 barrier and go to the next level, or either they let the small church mentality keep them like they are….”
  
  I remember saying those exact words two summers ago to a group of leaders in our church – almost all who are now gone. They couldn’t cope with the prospect of change. They wanted us to remain like we were in the days of meeting at the High School. Yet, our attendance is better now than it was then and we have done more to fulfill the Great Commission than ever before. But the best part is this – the people who are with us now HAVE a WHOLE NEW MINDSET. They are ready and eager to move forward.
  
  
• A new message series begins this Sunday – based on the book of Malachi. It’s going to be very challenging, but will result in spiritual growth for the members of our church family who desire it.