I Love My Church…Because We are DEBT-FREE!

There are so many reasons I love the church that God has called me to serve, Western Hills Church of Christ. Just one of the reasons came recently when I got to preach a message we called, “Special Announcement: Please Stand By“. In the sermon I announced we have paid off the existing debt that we owed due to a facility remodel from 5 years ago. We are now completely debt free.

What does this mean for us? We were paying $25,000 per year toward this debt. I know that’s a small number to some churches but to us it is a great amount. More than just retiring the debt in the past 4 years our people have OVER contributed to the budget. We have increased budget by 26% in 4 years and the congregation has given 26% MORE than the increase. ALL of this in one of the worst economic disasters our country has seen in the last 50+ years.

I am blessed to serve a church that takes both stewardship and generosity seriously.

What do you love about your church?

Sunday Night Reflections

My first week back after enjoying a great family vacation in Colorado. Here are my reflections at the end of a Sunday.

1. I LOVE preaching for the Western Hills Church! I can think of no place I would rather be.

2. I am blessed to work with 2 guys who are incredibly gifted and talented not only in their respective ministry areas but also as preachers.

3. Each Sunday an army of volunteers are working to create the worship atmosphere and experience. We have the best people in the world running everything from media to coffee spot to worship.

4. The elders spent time clarifying their vision for world missions today. Our elders have a heart for taking the gospel around the world.

5. Each week I am blown away by the people that God is bringing to our campus. I have conversations every Sunday with people who are in our worship for the first time and they are hungry for a place they can connect with God.

Why I Love My Church

I love my church because it has expectations

Every month I get to lead an experience we call  Starting Point. It is an opportunity for those who would like to know more about the mission and vision of Western Hills. Everyone who wishes to be a member is asked to attend this class first. Why? Because we want each person to know what God is calling this church to be and to prayerfully reflect on their participation in that mission.

Each calls I get to share the expectations the leadership has of each member. I love this because there is no guessing. We have 3 basic expectations of any person or family who believes that God is leading them to be an active part of Western Hills.

Our Expectations are:

1. Be active in our Sunday morning celebration – This means more than just attendance. This means find a place of ministry on Sunday morning and get in the action.

2. Be active in a Home Group – Home groups are our small group system. It is not just an additional program it is how we structure this church. We expect every member to be in one. It is through this system that we attempt to provide care for each member.

3. Invest your time, energy and resources here – We want you fully invested here. This means that you commit and share your God given talents and gifts here. Yes this includes your money. No we don’t prescribe a particular tithe or percentage…but we do call all of our members to be good stewards and actively investing in the kingdom of God.

Those are our expectations of each member of Western Hills and another reason I love my church.

Does your church expectations of its members? What are they?

Sunday Night Reflections (May 15)

Today was the Starting Point Experience. This is a monthly opportunity for those who are new to Western Hills to learn about our core values and mission. We have been offering Starting Point for 2 years now and it never gets old.

Today 3 families participated. The first half of class is spent sharing our stories and how we came to Western Hills. Each story is a reminder of how God is actively working in our lives. God is bringing people to Western Hills from a variety of backgrounds and faith traditions.  As people share their story it is encouraging to know that God is trusting us as a church to play a critical role in their spiritual formation.

The other thing that I love about Starting Point is each time I get to share why I love Western Hills and that never gets old.

Sunday Night Reflections

Here is a quick list of things that I loved about Western Hills today…

1. Hearing Brandon Baker preach!! Western Hills has a deep bench when it comes to the pulpit.

2. Experiencing the worship lead by Case Herndon, one of our graduating seniors. God is using WH to rasie up the next generation of church leaders.

3. Being apart of the 2nd Take It Home Event today. This one was lead by Brandon and focused on giving a blessing to your children.

I LOVE my church!
Scott

Sunday Night Reflections (Easter Edition)

I LOVE Easter Sunday and I LOVE preaching at Western Hills on Easter. Here are a few of my reflections on today.

1. We have the BEST volunteers! From the Coffee Spot to the Tech team each week over 100 people serve and minister
2. The worship today was fantastic. Thanks to Todd, MJ and the entire praise team for leading us in worship.
3. Thanks to so many who helped create space by parking farther out and sitting closer up. Your efforts made it possible for 603 people to participate in our worship today.
4. I am excited about the series that we launched today, PICTURE PERFECT?, and I can’t wait till next week when Brandon Baker brings part 2.
5. I loved the backdrop created by Patty Thomas. If you haven’t seen it yet be sure to check it out…It’s a 10 ft by 8 ft picture frame. In a word awesome!

I love my church!

Grace  & Peace

Runnin’ Buddies & Preachin’ Buddies

Recently, I began running (more like slow jogging).  There is only one reason that I have been running, our Children’s Minister and my good friend, Scott Seela. He’s a runner and he runs with me. He is my running buddy. A running buddy challenges you to go farther than you can by yourself. I would have quit after the first mile were it not for him both encouraging me and keeping me accountable.

I also have a preaching buddy. His name is Jordan Hubbard. Last fall Jordan & I collaborated on a 9 wk series about HEAVEN. Every Tues we came met (8am-5pm) to study and write the messages we were going to preach. Even though our churches are only a few miles apart we were preaching the exact same messages. After this experience I recommend every preacher should have a preaching buddy.

Here are 6 things I learned through the experience…

1. Western Hills Church of Christ was blessed because it was receiving MORE than just my limited brain power.

2. Having to be ready for a Tues. meeting made me more disciplined.

3. The creative nature of the sermons was multiplied through our shared brainstorming…which was FUN!

4. Sharing resources was a huge time saver…graphics, videos, props, etc…

5. Since our churches (Western Hills and Belton Church of Christ) are in close proximity is was great for our people to see two churches preach the same message and model kingdom partnerships instead of “friendly competition.”

6. You need to check your ego at the door. Jordan Hubbard is a great friend and humble so the process never became about making sure our ideas “won” but instead that the best messages were preached.

Do you have a preaching buddy? How can you be more collaborative with your preaching?

Tags: Ministry, Preaching

Why We Count

At Western Hills we count.

No, I don’t mean we are important. I mean we actually count how many people participate in our worship each week. Having said that I often run into an attitude from other ministers that can be reflected in this statement, “We don’t count because its not about numbers to us.” or “We care more about spiritual growth than numbers growth.”

As one who prays for Western Hills to be a church that is healthy and making an impact for the kingdom here is why we place a high value on counting attendance.

1. Each number represents a person. Rick Warren is quick to point out that numbers were important enough to God that he named a book of the Bible after them.

2. Accurate data lets us make good decisions. I am a lousy guesser. I can never estimate our attendance. Our data allows us to make good decisions when it comes to choices like adding another service or opening a new venue.

3. Our memories get fuzzy fast. I can never remember from year to year which Sundays are our high Sundays. Of course Easter but after that which ones? Only through our record keeping were we able to identify our top 5 Sundays, Easter, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, 1st Sunday in January.

Tags: Attendance, best practices

Google Calendar as a Pastoral Tool

Here is a simple tip on how to use your Google calendar as a pastoral tool.

As ministers we are invited into 3 of the most significant moments of life that a family or individual experiences, (Baptisms, weddings, funerals). Often it is us who are asked to speak or perform the ceremony that marks the event. Here is a strategy that I use to extend the reach and impact of my involvement in that event.

I use Google calendar to coordinate all activities on my schedule. Since I have the baptism, wedding or funeral already I use the “repeat” or “recurring” function on the calendar to repeat the event annually. This way I have a simple reoccuring reminder of the day. In a year on the anniversary I send a card or note of encouragement. Especially if it is the anniversary of a death the loved ones are grateful that there family member has not been forgotten. This is a simple means to maintain a personal connection even in the busy schedule of ministry.

Why the Youth Minister Should Preach

As a Senior Minister who is a former youth minister I am convinced that there are many advantages to for the student ministry to take advantage of the occasional opportunity to preach.

Here are 3 of the reasons that you should take advantages of the opportunities to preach.

1. Presents you to the WHOLE church

Preaching is an opportunity for you to speak to the whole church…not just the students. This includes the parents of the students in your ministry. Speaking to the whole church presents you as minister to the whole church not just a particular age group.

2. Earns credibility among the parents

When you speak to the whole church you are also speaking to the parents of your students. In most youth ministries it is possible for a student to grow through 4-6 years of your ministry and their parents never hear you teach. Often it is your sermon that parents are exposed to your philosophy and passion for ministry.

3. Gives the senior minister a sabbatical

Your willingness to preach gives your Senior Minister a much needed sabbatical. This break can give them a great time to reflect, study and refill their cup.

Student ministers, don’t pass up these opportunities when they come around.

I am grateful to work with a student minister, Brandon Baker, who understands the benefits that come with preaching to the whole church. Here is a recent sermon he delivered at Western Hills.