An interesting side note is that this style originated in Western Kentucky by a coal miner named Mose Rager in Muhlenberg County. Merle Travis heard him play and developed that same style of having the thumb play the rhythm part while the other fingers play the melody, thus a one man band. Chet heard Merle play and copied his style. So there you have it. Great music always has some Kentucky roots!

Back to my story, yes I, Mike James played guitar with the great Chet Atkins. It happened while we served in Nashville. Several years ago they decided to build a brand new country music hall of fame so they wanted a few guitar players to march from downtown Nashville to the new location of the Country Hall of Fame building while picking guitar with Chet Atkins. Ok, there was more than just me. I did have to call and audition for them but I am a man of the cloth so I must confess something else to you.

I was not the only guitar player who marched in the parade with the great Chet Atkins while we all played, “You Are My Sunshine” on our guitars. It really wasn’t just me and Chet. It actually was @ 75 guitar players from all over Nashville who auditioned and had the opportunity to pick with Chet that blessed day. Now you know the rest of the story. What in the world does this have to do with discipleship or assimilation or anything spiritual? Well here is my point.

Sometimes our words do not tell the whole story. The title of this blog is accurate and absolutely true but very miss leading. When we do not tell the whole story on any issue it can get us in lots of trouble and shatter friendships.

Also, as we share Jesus with people let’s make sure that folks understand that this is a lifetime commitment of radical obedience that will change the course of their lives forever! Don’t soft sell the Gospel because then it’s not the Gospel. As we share with people let them know that following Jesus is dangerous and costly. We should make sure that the person we are sharing with knows that this Savior is also Lord. Jesus cannot be your Savior if He is not your Lord and He cannot be your Lord if He is not your Savior. Yes He wants to save you but that is only the beginning step in following Jesus for the long haul or as the writer Petersen phrased it, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.

I still joke with people that I picked guitar with Chet Atkins and it was a highlight of my guitar life, but the best news I can share with people is the change that Jesus has brought into my life. I did not get to know Chet personally but I do know Jesus personally and that relationship continues to guide, change, and bless my life and that my friend is the whole truth.

Step #1: A readiness to admit past mistakes.

Probably the best example of this is the three-year study at one of America’s largest churches, Willowcreek. Pastor Bill Hybels said, “We made a mistake.” The church published its findings in the book “Reveal: Where Are You?”

I find many churches refusing to study and research their ministry in order to see where they are. So the first thing leaders should do is a thorough evaluation of all ministry. (Note: Kentucky Baptist convention offers a tool to do this called, “Ministry Tool Box.”)

Step #2: A willingness to change.

According to a recent survey of the congregations whose leaders strongly agreed that their congregations were “willing to change to meet new challenges,” 46% experienced the highest levels of attendance growth. There is a connection between growth and willingness to change. New ministries reach new people. New Bible study classes (Sunday School, small groups, discipleship, etc.) reach new people. My experience in consulting churches across our state is that growing churches do new things which usually involves some type of change.

Step #3: More preaching on obedience based discipleship.

Preach and teach challenging messages and raise the bar for membership. This always proves to be effective. One of the largest churches in our state recently did a series that had messages entitled… complete surrender; repentance; denying self; giving everything up; taking up your cross daily; and daily death. These may not seem seeker friendly but these types of messages need to be preached.

Step #4: Cross-generational cooperation.

In a blog post following the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Chuck Lawless reminded young Southern Baptists of how much they were needed and challenged them to be involved in all aspects of SBC life. After the 2009 convention, he called on older Southern Baptists to love and listen to the younger generation; to labor in prayer for them; to continue leading the younger leaders. “They still need us, and we still need them,” Lawless said. Not only is this needed on an associational, state, and national level but also in our churches we need to bridge the generational gap and work together for the Kingdom.

Step #5: Use of consultants is on the rise.

Churches are turning to consultants to help in every area of church life, staffing needs, stewardship and building needs, conflict resolution, vision planning, evangelism training. The Leadership Network attributes the rise of consulting to the complex nature of leading in this time of unprecedented cultural and organizational change.

Step #6: Accelerating use of media and technology.

I don’t know how I did ministry before computers and my smart phone! I think I used a yellow note pad and lots of index cards. Churches should not shun technology but use it to communicate the gospel. Along with traditional media, new media technologies are making it possible for churches to very quickly and with little cost publish and broadcast the gospel. Blogs, websites, webinars, e-mail blasts, twitter, podcasts, texting, facebook, downloading sermons are just a few of the ways churches are leveraging this powerful tool.

The 85% stat can be reversed if we trust the Lord and seek His will for our ministries and stay open to new ideas. “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.” (Proverbs 31:24)

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Mike James

1. Disregarding the 80% rule

If your worship or Sunday School class is averaging 80% attendance you will not move beyond that barrier. I have seen this principle proven true over and over. I am a big advocate of multiple worships and multiple Sunday Schools. You don’t have to build a new worship center or educational building to grow, just use your facilities more than once a week. In one church I pastored we went from one to three worships and each time it produced new growth.

2. Sporadic Follow Up with Guests

It’s not enough that your church has guests each week but what is your strategy for follow up. This is one of the most important things a church can do. It requires forethought, time, and energy but brings great dividends as these guests return to your church, trust Christ, and join. Handle those guest cards prayerfully and with great care.

3. Not enough parking spots

At one church I served we got on top of the building and watched cars drive away one Sunday because they could not find a parking spot. It is easy for us to judge people and say, “why don’t they just park away or car pool” but the truth is guests do not think that way. We must do all we can to make it easy not difficult for people to get into our parking lots and then into our facilities. Make sure you have plenty of handicap, guest spots, parents with preschoolers, etc. places reserved.

4. Boring worship

This is not a question of musical style in worship or as we commonly say, “worship wars.” It is about a worship that is well thought out, connected, prayed over, and has a good flow. Put some energy into your worship! God’s Word is not boring. We may be boring but our message is anything but boring so teach, sing, serve, and preach with passion and energy. Use new illustrations, humor, object lessons, video or live testimonies, drama, tag- team preaching, music, visuals, art, and other creative ways of communicating the truth.

5. Not connecting to your community

We have all heard the phrase, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Today we must win the right to be heard and to present the Gospel and our testimonies. That means we must show our community in tangible ways that we are serious about meeting needs and making a difference. It is not enough to just have a good message (the talk) we must walk the walk and demonstrate that our faith is the real deal.

Study your community and discover what the needs are, then strategize to meet those needs. Clean up the local park, adopt a local school to provide tutoring or supply needed supplies for teachers, give away smoke alarm batteries door to door. Any way we can provide that cold cup of water that Jesus talked about in Matthew 10:42 will help get us outside the walls of our churches and into the fabric of our community. After all that is where the harvest is!

Look closely at your church and determine the walls that need to come down in order for healthy growth to take place. Trust in the Lord to provide the steps and process necessary to remove those walls.

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Mike James

The company is trying to re-invent itself over the past decade. They have moved into digital printers.

To me it is sort of odd that their future is now in printers which may have caused them to decline in the first place.

As you know the company dates back to the late 19th century and the technical and marketing genius of founder George Eastman. The estimate is that the company is worth $5.1 billion but has debts of $6.75 billion. It does not take a financial genius to figure out that they are on deep trouble.

So what can the church learn from the Kodak company that would help it stay healthy?

1. Don’t forget what you do best.

At some point it appears that Kodak may have become a little sloppy with their product while other companies were producing the same thing with a cheaper price. What does the church do best? We have something to offer that no other entity does…the Gospel! We must not get off track from teaching, preaching and sharing with people what we have discovered…salvation through Christ. The church must become very careful that we are not doing so many other good things that we miss doing what we do best.

2. Keep the Mission in mind.

Many companies who get off track have become complacent and lose their mission and purpose. Their success actually is actually the cause of their downfall. Matthew 28:16-20 is our purpose as a church. We are to “make disciples.” How an individual church fulfills that mission will look different from church to church because of the location, people, resources, etc. The mission is the same but the vision and steps for fulfilling that mission will need to be contextualized in each church.

What is Vision? “A clear mental image of a preferable future, imparted by God to His chosen servants…based upon an accurate understanding of God, self and circumstances.” George Barna, The Power of Vision

3. Continue to do new, innovative things.

Somewhere along the way the Kodak Company got passed up by other companies doing new, creative things. Churches should always be open to find new ways to reach and disciple people. If we continue to do the exact same methods we will continue to get the exact same results. Actually we usually will get fewer results. A new ministry usually reaches new people and adds excitement and energy to a congregation. Start a new men’s group, Sunday School class, outreach event, new worship service opportunity, mission project, or home Bible study.

Look around your community and find a need no one is meeting and then your church develop a plan to meet that need for the glory of Christ. This will open doors to share the Gospel.

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Mike James

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in a powerful way on Easter Sunday and for all those who help lead worship.

3. Use the term “guest” rather than “visitor.” Do you have a guest bed room or a visitor bed room? A visitor is someone passing through and who will probably not return. A guest is someone you want to come back for a second time and more.

4. Everyone be a greeter-Look around you before, during, and after worship and greet as many people as possible.

5. Give a gift. People love to receive gifts so why not prepare some special gifts for your Easter guests.

6. Remember their name and use it in the conversation.

7. Think like a first-time guest. Look around and pretend you are a first time guest…what do you see? What do you feel? What do you expect? Familiarity does breed complacency so open your eyes to what they are seeing.

8. Sit toward the front so new people will not have to come too far down the aisle.

9. Park on the far ends of your parking lot leaving the best spaces for guests and late arrivers.

10. Smile and let the love of Christ flow through you to other people before, during and after the service.

11. Help with follow up (letters, phone calls, visits) to those who were guests on Easter.

12. Be biblical. 1 Peter 4:9 says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Hospitality is simply showing the love of Jesus to everyone we meet. Let’s get ready and do our very best to effectively welcome every guest on Easter. “He is Risen!”

Remember…What your guests initially experience on Easter Sunday will stay in their minds for a long time. We must do all we can to prepare for their visit and to communicate the love of Christ.  If their first impression is negative and they do not experience God’s love, we have missed a great opportunity.

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Mike James

Chuck Lawless suggests seven ideas to correct this problem.

1. Compare the church’s addition numbers with corresponding attendance. If, for example, a church reports 25 new believers in the last two years with a corresponding attendance increase of only 10, further review is warranted. There may be legitimate causes for the discrepancy (e.g., job transfers, deaths, or church conflict), but one leading cause is poor assimilation of new believers. Most churches would have grown significantly if they had kept at least 50 percent of their new members over the last 5 to 10 years.

2. Review attendance and participation records of specific new believers. In the above scenario, review the records for the 25 new believers. Are they actively attending a small group? Participating in some type of ministry? Accountable to someone for their spiritual growth? If all new members are attending and participating, the cause for the membership/attendance discrepancy may not be related to poor assimilation—at least not of these new believers. However, we have seldom found that to be the case in this scenario.

3. Evaluate the church’s current strategy for keeping new believers. Our studies of growing churches have shown four components of effective assimilation:

* Expectations.

* Involvement.

* Relationships.

* Convictional teaching/preaching.

Stated expectations help the new believer understand up front what God and the church expect; the growing believer is then held accountable to these expectations through participation in a small group.

Ministry involvement—even in an “entry” position—gives the new believer purpose in the church. Involvement begins with a strategy to help believers understand their giftedness and callings.

Healthy relationships help form the “glue” that draws new believers back to church; discipled members then turn around and reach out to others.

Convictional teaching and preaching meet the needs of new believers who long for Christian growth; these same believers then mature and grow under that preaching.

In many cases, though, churches have no intentional strategy in place. Expectations are few, involvement is by accident, relationships are shallow, and the preaching is weak. Where there is no intentional strategy based on these components, it is not surprising that new believers do not remain long!

4. Determine the church’s primary approach to evangelism. Sometimes new members fall away because the presentation of the gospel they hear is incomplete or misfocused. A gospel call that lacks repentance is insufficient, and the result is often new members who fall again into previous sin patterns. A gospel message that speaks only of blessings, without sacrifice and commitment, commonly leads to new believers who depart when those blessings are not immediately realized. A poor presentation of the gospel often reaps what it sows.

5. Review the church’s covenant. If indeed the church has a covenant that is relevant and utilized, does it require members to participate in the church? How and when do new members learn about the covenant? If no covenant exists, how do new believers learn what the church expects from them? And why is it surprising when new members do not live up to expectations about which they have heard nothing?

6. Listen to new believers who no longer attend the church. Interviewing church members is one of the most helpful and productive strategies of church consulting. With the church’s help, locate non-attending new believers and ask them why they no longer attend. Again, the causes may be several (e.g., laziness, church conflict, recurrent sin, “never really fit in,” etc.), but the church must recognize that something is amiss when new believers no longer participate. Interviewing them may be the first step toward drawing them back to the congregation.

7. Interview new believers who have remained in the church. Just as something happens to leads to non-participation, something usually happens to keep new believers in the fold. The new believer may not be prepared to articulate that “something,” but a good consultant can interpret answers as needed. “It’s just a friendly church” may mean, “They connected with me relationally.” “I feel important here,” may mean, “The church has given me some purpose.” “I get answers here” may well reflect the church’s commitment to teaching truth.

Ideally, the church’s new believers will all fit into this camp—remaining in the church and serving God through its ministries.

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Mike James

So last week I pick up our small town newspaper and was quite surprised to see my name listed in the obituary. There it was in black and white…Mike James’ obituary. Mike James had died. I kept the paper to show to my wife, son and a few friends. I am not diminishing all the other Mike James’ in the world today who might have died, but after reading this obituary I was fairly certain it was not me, if not for the singular reason that I was actually the one reading the article.

This experience did spark my thinking about how my obituary might read when I do die. By the way you will die too. The last time I checked the mortality rate was 100%. No one gets out of this world alive.

Here are a few funny ones.

“Here lies the body of Jonathan Drake, stepped on the gas instead of the brake.”

“He was a good husband, a great Father but a lousy electrician.”

“I told you I was sick.”

Seriously, have you ever thought about writing your own obituary? Even if you don’t use it, it is a good life exercise. Why? Because it summarizes who we are and what we have accomplished.

The truth is we are all writing our obituaries each day by the way we live. Will you leave a legacy of faith in Christ? Are you making your life count for the Kingdom of God?

It’s never too late to start. So look at the obits in the paper and if you are not listed…Live your life today for the glory of Christ!

Keep the Son, in your eyes,

Mike James

The president of Integrating Focus says a congregation that wants to promote fellowship needs a leader who demonstrates an outgoing nature so that God’s love will touch everyone who enters.

She says such a stance should include a time and place where guests can meet the pastor afterwards, as well as multiple greeters throughout the building and a sensitivity towards newcomers.

“What if everything you did was focused on guests?” Rendell asks. “You have parking places for them, have someone to greet them, give them a bulletin and a map of the church…Invite them to sign up for a tour of the building, or assign a person to be with them for their entire visit. You want guests to realize you’re there if they need you.”

If personal guides aren’t a realistic option, the Florida consultant says a welcome team can hand guests a card with a cell phone number to call in case they need directions or other information.

Signs of unfriendliness

Rendell says some indications that a church isn’t that friendly include:

* No directional signs inside or outside the building.

She shared an experience of visiting a church with multiple services, the group she was with had to ask four times to find the one they wanted to attend!

* No welcoming committee, greeters or guest packets.

* Nothing for guests beyond a 30-second “meet and greet” time during the service.

* No one invites guests to dinner or their home. Or, at least an invitation to return next week.

* No recognition of guests.

Rendell says this doesn’t mean calling out individuals or asking them to stand, but a global welcome to any newcomers and a “thank you for coming.”

* Small groups are closed, meaning no guests can connect with one.

“You see so many things that are missing in how a church functions and how it looks from the outside,” Rendell says.

How does your church handle a first or second time guest? What can you do beyond a handshake? We never get a second change to make a great first impression!

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Mike James

Examine this list and see how you are doing in these eight key areas. Is there room for improvement? Consider teaching or preaching on these disciplines or include them in your small group/Sunday School class. Use this in your devotional time and look up all the verses. Ask the Lord to help you live out these disciplines each day.

1. A basic, growing knowledge of the Bible and application to the person’s life (John 8:31-32).

2. A regular devotional time (prayer, worship, so forth) with God and the family (John 15:7-8).

3. A daily recommitment (putting the Savior first) of one’s life to Jesus (Luke 9:23-25, 14:25-35)

4. Regular attendance at church and membership in a small group Bible study. (Hebrews 10:25; John 13:34-35, 15:1-7; Acts 2:46, 5:42, 8:3, 20:20)

5. Understands his/her gifts and is involved in a ministry (1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6; Ephesians 4:11-13).

6. Building relationships and sharing the faith with lost people locally and globally (Matthew 9:36-38).

7. A generous, joyful giver (2 Corinthians 8).

8. A lifestyle that is modeled after Jesus’ love for the Father and for others (Matthew 22:37-40).

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Mike James

2. Respect their privacy. Don’t embarrass them by having them stand up and share their IQ, weight, political party, and bank account numbers.

3. Explain things in worship so they are not confused. Don’t assume they know what is going on.

4. Lovingly ask them to fill out an information card (also called connection or guest card). Most folks will not fill one out the first time they visit because they know you will do something with it.  The more people you have filling out such a card the more the possibility that guests will do so.  Let people update information and write prayer requests on these cards so it it not just a guest activity.

5. Provide the best, spirit filled worship possible. We should always do our best for the glory of the Lord not only in worship preparation but everything we do. A dead worship will not bring guests back!

6. Give them a gift before they leave. Some churches give away a book or CD or gift coupon to Dairy Queen, bass boat (just kidding) etc. Do what fits your area.

7. Quick follow up touch within 24 hours. It is critical that they know you care. This can be as simple as a quick visit with an information packet about the church and inviting them to come back.

8. Process their information to other leaders. If they have children pass that along to the proper Sunday School leaders, etc. In addition to this have someone praying for them.

9. Follow up by e-mail or snail mail. Be sure to personalize any correspondence so it does not look mass produced.

10. Pastors give them a telephone call on Friday or Saturday inviting them back to church and asking if they have any needs, questions, or prayer requests. When I did this as a pastor folks were always surprised that the senior pastor would take time to give them a call.

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Mike James