The Scorecard at BridgePointe.

We’re by nature “scorecard people.” We all have some way by which we measure ourselves. When we were kids, our parents determined our self-worth. They were the “scorekeepers.” We did everything for them. To win their smile and approval was everything. A few years later we passed the mantle to teachers, and then to coaches. These were adults in our life who seemed to rule like kings and queens. To win their attention was glorious.

By the time we were in junior high the scorekeepers were our friends. Call it peer-pressure, but at this age our friends determined almost every “win.” The only force strong enough to break that allegiance was the opposite sex … and it did! Remember when your boyfriend or girlfriend held the scorecard? Enough said. But it didn’t stop there. We then gave the scorecard to our college or career … and then to our neighbors. If our neighbor was impressed with our car, house, and toys—we scored!

Things don’t change much with church. Every church has their scorecard. What makes it challenging and confusing is that the leadership, the congregation, and the guests often all have their own way of measuring. It’s safe to say that the average church attendee traditionally scores a church by what has been referred to as the “A-B-C’s.” “A” stands for “attendance.” If lots of people attend your church, score! “B” stands for “building.” If you have an attractive place to meet on Sunday, score! “C” stands for “cash.” If you church has a large budget, score! Now certainly these aren’t factors to which we should turn a blind eye. They have their purpose. Yet these things seem far from the scorecard Jesus gave in Matthew 28:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

If we are wanting to be significant, and not just successful, the central pursuit of BridgePointe must be to encourage and facilitate movement in people’s relationship with God. Jesus called it, “discipleship”—the process of following after Jesus and being like him.  The New Testament refers to it as “growth” or “maturity”—that natural sign of progression. At BridgePointe, we mark such movement in three ways:

1.     Discovering faith- Are unchurched people finding a new relationship with God? If so, score!

2.     Developing faith- Are they being baptized? Are they volunteering? Are they committing as partners? Are they joining a Life Group? Are they reading their Bibles? Are they attending Deep End workshops? If so, score!

3.     Demonstrating faith- Are people outwardly showing acts of compassion by joining ventures that meet needs locally, nationally, and globally? If so, score!

If a church ever looks like they are coming in last, be careful with using the A-B-C scorecard. It may be that they are running in a different race. 

Coming and Going: Creating Cycles in Life

It’s over. This is my last day of vacation time spent in Southern California. In a couple hours I will catch a plane that will fly me back home to Georgia. We returned to our native land on the west coast to attend and celebrate our oldest daughter’s graduation from college. Christi and I have been staying with some friends and I’m doing right now what many of you will be doing at some point this summer: Packing up. It’s over and that’s a good thing …. even from good things.

Whether you’re packing to leave or return, your vacation time this summer is much more than a work thing or even a leisure thing. It’s a God thing. According to the Bible, God computed into life the need for cycles. Cycles by nature imply a beginning and an end. Cycles create a natural break in our rhythm of the familiar, the common, and the habitual. God modeled this life law at the beginning of time at creation. After six days of creating, he rested. Resting wasn’t “nothing”. On the contrary, it was “something”, and something different from what he was doing before. God intentionally broke from the routine.

Now certainly God did not need to rest. This intentional break was not for him. It was a model and pattern for us to follow. God wanted the 7^th day to be different; a rest from the familiarity of work. This was more than just the precedent for the Hebrew Sabbath. It was intended to be a law woven into our DNA as people. In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon’s life wisdom shadowed God’s ordained calendar for life: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: He has made everything beautiful in its time.” He then identifies a long list of extreme pendulum swing changes we experience. These seasons in life produce a necessary change that God knew we would need. It’s a part of our makeup and a basic human need to break from the routine.

To avoid such break in our life rhythm would be to go counter to the God-given bent and flow in our human blueprint. Those who know how to “mix it up” are envied for the fresh spirit that characterizes their life. They find the beauty and significance in the moment. They own an excitement about discovery and learning. They possess a great capacity to care about others. They laugh hard and cry easily. They express a softness in their approach while remaining solid in their convictions. They enjoy a genuine appreciation for small things. They spark with creativity and courage. They lead with a profound simplicity and clarity. They are fun to be with. And best yet, they hear and see God in the details. Creating intentional cycles in our routine will rejuvenate our life in this way. I promise.

This summer it’s imperative that we intentionally find ourselves coming or going from our regular schedules. I’m not sure what our summer break will look like. We could find ourselves on a hike, kick’n it with friends, at a water park, cheering at a baseball game, sightseeing, gliding on a Wave Runner, enjoying a great restaurant, or reading a book at Starbucks. However you break from the routine, remember that rest, fun, and enjoyment is serious business with God.

Yup, vacation is over and that’s a good thing …. even from good things.

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

It was at the very start of a conference I was attending when a well-known author and teacher posed a question to the audience of about 1000 pastors and leaders: How many small groups can one church potentially have? The question stumped most of us. Our instructor asked us to form small circles around where we sat and arrive at a group answer.

The “spirituals” went straight to their Bibles to find a verse. The “academics” played with all kinds of complex formulas. The “visionaries” made it a faith issue and reached for a gigantic number. The “traditionalists” were stuck in deep suspicion thinking this was a trick question. Our instructor enlightened us with an obvious answer:  A church can have as many small groups as there are leaders. It made sense. It also suggested to me that leadership can easily be the critical and necessary factor that escapes us in any venture. It’s certainly the case with church leaders, as was proven that day.

At the end of the day, a church can only effectively grow to the extent of the number of leaders available to lead. In fact, every ministry’s growth in the church operates under the same growth law. Growth has to be sustained, not just experienced. Yet, leadership seems to be one of those vital ingredients that we simply take for granted. Like oxygen, we rarely consider it until we are gasping for air, suffering from severe shortness of breath, or experiencing a blockage of some sort. Then we panic. This usually occurs in ministry when a church outgrows their volunteer leadership reservoir or the volunteer leaders are not employed correctly. Churches seem to wait until they are choking and gasping for air before they pay attention to expanding and solidifying leadership.

Every church wanting to be intentional about growth can’t wait until they are short of breath to reveal the need for leaders. They must create a leadership culture that is inclusive of the gifted, intelligent, and effective volunteers that God has given them at their church. This starts with unifying volunteers under a common vision and direction. Recently, all the volunteer participants in our Children’s Ministry gathered together to hear our Children’s Director, Kristen Terrette, cast vision and direction. She knows that our Children’s Ministry will only grow to the extent of the number of leaders who lead it. Such a team gathering is the start to inclusively bring the team under a common vision, empower volunteer leaders to rise, take ownership, find their place, and lead.

This school year one of our targets is to create a leadership culture at BridgePointe. Be looking for other ministries to have their own team huddles and to find yourself as a volunteer more tightly connected to a team.  On July 24, I will address all our volunteer leaders in a church-wide gathering called PULSE. Everything rises and falls on leadership. It’s a simple, yet profound growth law we are going to be intentional about this year.

So here’s the question: How much can BridgePointe grow? You know the answer.

The First Dollar Focus

It’s usually inconspicuously on the wall next to the cash register. Go to any small business of any kind-  donut shop, grill, dry cleaners-  and you will find it. The one-dollar bill will be neatly smoothed out and framed in glass. It’s a tradition that we all recognize. This, of course, was the first dollar the store earned and they are celebrating it by displaying it.

But it also serves as a visual reminder that every entrepreneur needs to be reminded of. It’s the simple principle of focus. Imagine the dreams and aspirations of any new business. They hope to make it big. They hope to win customers. They hope to make a buck, and lots of them.

But they have to make the first dollar, first, before the second. Pacing your commitment to raise one dollar at a time can make all the difference in the world when you have challenges and mountains that can seem overwhelming. Breaking a challenge into bite-size pieces helps bring focus to what is right in front of us. Dreaming or wanting something in the future can take your eyes off the “here” and “now” opportunities in the present.

The BridgePointe staff recently came back from a retreat in which we not only planned the entire year calendar, but also charted 10 targets that define the “there” for our church next school year. We have a visionary staff, so we have chalked up some lofty challenges. Our next move is to break these goals down into the “how to’s”. It’s a good time for all of us at BridgePointe to affirm how we build a church: “One dollar at a time”.

Translated, it means we win people to Jesus … one believer at a time. It means we add volunteers … one volunteer at a time. We enlarge our children’s ministry …. one family at time. It means we launch Life Groups … one group at a time. We restart Inside BridegPointe … one guest at time. We build our Mpact and Women’s events ... one man and one woman at a time. We create the new Jr. High Group this fall … one student at a time. We develop Deep End Workshops … one learner at a time. And our future facility location? Yup, one dollar at a time.

Hockey legend, Wayne Gretzy, known as “The Great One”, was presented with hockey’s most prestigious award. With cameras rolling and mics shoved in his face, he was asked by a news reporter, “Now that you have received hockey’s highest honor, what else is there?” Gretzy replied, “Tonight’s game!” That’s the kind of bite size attention that allowed him to focus on what was right in front of him.

BridgePointe, what is the “one dollar opportunity” in front of you now, today, this week, or this summer that will allow you to draw close to God, to build God’s church, or to impact others and our community? 

The Deep End

Summer is upon us and for all parents that means “pool time”. Depending on the age of your kids, that also means the annual parental pool lecture about the rules:  Use sun screen, no running , no splashing, and let your lunch digest before going back into the water. Now, the smaller the child, the more said about the “deep end”.  The deep end can be overwhelming for a kid. Not being able to touch the bottom with your feet can be a scary thing. Even though the pool may offer a deep end, the shallow end is right where they need to be.

However, if you have an older child, you are expecting them to be in the deep end. At a certain age they should be able to dive in on that side. They may even feel comfortable going off the slide or diving board into the deep end, and maybe even doing some tricks. You know-  doing a flip, cannon ball, or standing on their hands with their legs straight up. Every parent would hope this would be true of their 16 years old. In fact, when the teen-agers want to regress and play in the “kiddie pool”, they usually end up getting kicked out. Even though the pool offers a shallow end, the deep end is right where they need to be.

The Bible gives us the same parental lecture in regards to expectations about our spiritual growth. Look at how John understands and perceives his reading audience:

I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.

(I John 2:12-13)

The mission of BridgePoint Church is to draw people close to God. This means the central role of our church is to move people forward in their relationship with Jesus. Movement, from being a spiritual child in the faith to a spiritual father, is the natural progression of a Christian. That’s why our Growth Path will intentionally offer a shallow end that makes entry simple for someone discovering faith or new to the faith. An Inside BridgePointe or a Baptism event this summer is where you can get into the pool and still have your feet touching the ground. Both are offered in August and you can sign up now.

I am just as excited about our summer discipleship workshops that are called “The Deep End”.  They are designed to challenge you in your understanding, participation, thinking, and application beyond a Sunday morning message. These workshops will be offered on selected Sunday nights, from 5:00-7:00 PM, in June and July at the Outback. Each two-hour class is independent so you can select the ones that best align with your interest and summer schedule. Workshop titles and descriptions are available at the Next Steps Station or on our web site. You can sign up now.

Regardless of where you are on the growth continuum, our “pool” at BridgePointe allows you to swim at a depth right for you. The challenge of our Heavenly Father is to move you forward in taking another step in growing your faith. Are you right where you need to be?

I get to worship at BridgePointe

Yup-  You’re the winner! I know-   you never win anything, but this time you did. I’m sending you and your family to Los Angeles for the American Idol finale. An all expense paid, first class flight will get you there and you’ll be kick’n it at the best 5 star hotel in Hollywood. Not a bad crib! A free rental car will allow you to check out the beaches and with the $5000 spending cash, there will be plenty of restaurants, sightseeing, and theme parks to explore while you’re there.

Now, to fully receive what has been given to you there will need to be an effort on your part, right? You still will have to get yourself ready-  make arrangements, get to the airport, and check in at the hotel. But whatever effort on your part is required, it is diminished by the privilege that has been given to you. With the full weight of the opportunity and benefit you are receiving, you might not even consider your part an effort at all. You see, everything changes when things are a “get to”, rather than a “have to”. The realization of privilege always trumps the feeling of effort or duty.

This is the point the Bible makes about attending and being a part of a church community. In Hebrews 10, the author gives us an Old Testament Sunday school lesson about the way things used to be for the Hebrews when they came together for their worship. “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” (10:11) But because of what Jesus has done as the ultimate, once and for all sacrifice, the worship of God has been transformed from effort to privilege.

1. We have the privilege of direct worship with God at BridgePointe:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us … let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience... (19-23)

2. We have the privilege of gathering as community at BridgePointe:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” (24-25))

Will it take an effort to make Sunday worship with your BridgePointe family a priority? Sure. But if we understand the great privilege and opportunity our Creator God has given us, worship at Bridegepointe will be a  “get to”, never a “have to”. The Inside BridgePointe event, on May 22, Sunday, can serve as a tangible way to express your commitment to the privilege of being a part of this church community. It’s an event that explores who we are and where we are going so that you can intelligently partner with us. It’s a great next step if you have been a recent guest.

Forget Los Angeles! I “get to” worship at BridgePointe!

God is Closer Than You Think

For Noah it was a rainbow. For Abraham it was circumcision. For Moses it was a burning. But for all of them, they had an outward, tangible sign that God was present and that he would in fact fulfill his covenant promise. They were just like us. They needed something that made the invisible God, visible. We have all been stumped in our everyday lives playing “Where’s Waldo” with the God of the universe who is invisible, inaudible, and untouchable. A visible sign helped them to remember that God is closer than we think.

The one fact that God is present and alive in the everyday, ordinary moments of my life can be an elusive reality. Our preset series, “The Perfect Trap”, will demonstrate over the next month just how much living in an imperfect world can lead us into a “hide and seek” game with God. Whether it’s an unexpected test result, a job loss, or mistakes made as a parent, there’s never a burning bush when you need one. The weaknesses, flaws, and defects of our imperfect world can throw us into a spiritual tail-spin of pain and confusion. It makes it impossible to live up to “model home conditions” of perfection. Biblical expectations set? us from having to perform and stage our lives so it appears we have all the right answers, we have it all together, and we have all under control.

It was the Psalmist who revealed that “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9) Like daylight appearing, he prayed, “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.” (10:17) God’s presence is the game changer. It’s the factor that can change the way every day of our lives unfold. God is not responsible for every tragedy and setback we experience. Nor has he determined every plight. But make no mistake …. he will never waste them. He will draw us close to him in our imperfect moment. It is there that he will meet us. It is there that he will change.

But God’s presence may turn out to be more than just a comfort, and certainly more than just an abstract theological concept.  It can also be an accountability factor. Think about it: God being everywhere can also make us think twice about our behavior. Just remember what you did when your parents were out of town and you were alone for the weekend. Consider how your driving becomes angelic when a cop is in sight. Talk about a game changer! 

It is for this reason I have named my weekly blog with you “The Unseen  3^rd Party”. God’s presence is truly just that. In every circumstance, location, or relationship that we will ever encounter in life, God’s presence will not be the unseen 3^rd party. It’s the factor that can change the way every day of our lives unfold.

God is closer than you think.