Far too many churches are just looking for someone to fill the pulpit, but they have no intention of doing what the man in the pulpit calls them to do. Visitation? Are you kidding me? Service in the nursery? I raised my kids already. Step down and let someone new serve? Are you threatening me?

These kinds of churches call new pastors every year or two, and the honeymoon lasts about as long as the ketchup from the food pounding. Then they pound the preacher and his family through gossip, backbiting, and undermining until he finally leaves or is dismissed. They have meetings after the deacon’s meeting to undermine what the pastor just said. They say one thing to the pastor in a meeting and then vote against it in the business meeting. It’s enough to make an angel puke.
 
I’m broken and wearied by the unbelievable number of emails and calls I get from pastors wounded by parishioners. They seem to have no recourse. I know, I know, there are some pastors who probably deserve it, but they would be in the minority. Most of these men are called of God and are giving their lives to that calling.

It means living on a small salary while others take nice vacations and buy new cars. It means living in a glass house, while the membership demands that you stay out of their business. It means putting up with deacons elected by popular vote, which has no basis in Scripture. It means putting up with committees who vote to do nothing and insist that nothing be done. You wonder why anyone in their right mind would want to be in ministry! Nero treated the early Christians better than some church members treat their pastors.
 
So, I’m proposing that pastors form a union. Here’s my reasoning:

First of all, it would draw national attention to this issue. Imagine how a union would help us get on the news and talk about the committees of our churches that are hindering progress, limiting wages, cutting benefits, and demanding more productivity. I know the unions are driving jobs overseas, but the lack of a union for preachers is driving preachers into an early grave. Pastors could have their own committees to decide if a church is worthy of having another pastor. They could demand no cut contracts. Then we could demand health benefits.
 
Secondly, we could all boycott. Let’s form a union, leave the national convention meeting, go back to our churches, and say, “We won’t take this mistreatment any longer. We demand that every church in this denomination operate under the authority of the Word of God. Failure to do so will mean that our colleges and seminaries will put out a list of churches to boycott. We will not let you brutalize, beat up, demean, or destroy one more pastor. We will make sure no one ever comes to this church again. You can grind your teeth and shake your fist, but your days of running over preachers is over!” Imagine the power of a united front.
 
We could list in our state papers all the churches that have repeatedly fired pastors. We could have a section in our book of reports at the annual convention of churches that we will rename, “Ichabod.” Paul named the troublemakers in Philippi, why can’t we? We know the names of Nehemiah’s critics, why can’t we use our publications and annual reports to print the names of jerks?
 
Thirdly, we would be following the principle of shaking the dust off our feet. If they will not receive the Word, they shouldn’t have a pastor. It’s time many of our churches just closed their doors. They are an embarrassment to the cause of Christ, a shame to the kingdom, and a black eye to the good news of the gospel.
 
Finally, we could then focus on increased funding for church plants. I’m all for helping a new church start. I’m not for trying to fix a body that won’t admit it’s broken. We could start churches with clear guidelines and standards set out in Scripture. We could, as a union, say, “No more deacons who think they are to act as a board of directors. No more committees for everything from flowers to missions. You have to justify your existence by whether or not you are fulfilling the Great Commission. No more organizations that are not contributing to the expansion of the gospel and the discipleship of the saints.”

If someone or some church wants to have a business meeting, I’m sorry. We believe the business of the church is prayer—the one meeting most church members never show up for. We could pray about planting a church in a community full of Ichabod’s and invest in young, creative, passionate, Bible believing gospel preachers who are longing for God to use them. They wouldn’t be bogged down in bureaucracy. They would be free to be the men of God (Acts 6).
 
It’s just a thought. A crazy thought maybe, but you have to wonder what would happen if every preacher, every college and seminary student would “just say no” to these churches run by carnal, lost, ungrateful, mean-spirited people. Let them eat their young, but let’s not let them devour anymore preachers.

It’s not easy. It’s probably not practical. But it sure was therapeutic for me to write this on behalf of all the guys who can’t.

How many pastors’ kids have grown up hating the church? Many of these men find it difficult to find another church because they are “branded.” Meanwhile, the so-called leaders of the ouster pat themselves on the back for protecting “their” church. It seems some folks think roast preacher is a pleasing aroma to God. No, brethren, it stinks to God and stinks up the fragrance of Christ.

I’ll admit there are pastors who create their own crises. They try to do too much…but is that worse than doing nothing at all? Some may need better people skills, but the bottom line is do they preach the Word? Liberals have great people skills, but they will ruin a church and bankrupt a nation.

While there are some who need to be dismissed, I find they are the exception, not the rule. Most church/ pastor conflicts are over preferences, not the Word. The issues rarely deal with immorality, unethical behavior, or anything illegal. Rather, the preferences of a few (usually not biblically based) and the opinions of men drive the man of God out the door. Lacking biblical grounds for dismissal, the church leaders throw out statements like:

- “We want a preacher who just visits the sick.” (That’s not biblical!)
- “We aren’t being fed.” (Pigs usually like anything, but I guess the meat, milk, bread, and honey of the Word give them indigestion.)
- “This is OUR church.” (Really? Are you kidding me? It’s the Lord’s church! )
- “We have a deacon run church.” (That’s not biblical either).
- “We don’t want to change.” (You won’t find that excuse defended in Scripture.)
- “We will not change.” (That’s the sin of stubbornness.)
- “The last preacher who tried that didn’t last long.” (Obviously an admission that the problem is not the pastor.)
- “I was here before you came and I’ll be here after you are gone.” (Lehman Strauss used to say, “I pray for funerals, and God often answers my prayers.”)
- “We don’t want a bunch of new music or young people in our church. They’ll change things.” (Translated, “Let them go to hell—we could care less.”)

The list could be a mile long, but you get the point.
 
In my denomination, we have over 42,000 churches and most of them are ineffective, declining, and dying. Drive by most of them on any given Sunday, and the parking lot is pathetically empty. Why? No power. I’m not talking about electricity. The lights are on, but they lack the power of God. Why? They don’t think they need it. They’ve lived so long without it that they think their way is God’s way.

In reality, they need to be shut down. Our nation is one of the largest mission fields in the world, yet we have more churches per square mile than any nation in the world. There’s a disconnect. The disconnect is we’ve got buildings with signs that say “church,” but they are nothing more than good old boy power clubs where the jerks are in charge and Jesus has no say or sway in what is done.
 
We’ve got dozens of boards and agencies in our denomination. I’m for forming one that recommends we shut some doors and sell some buildings. Or just kill the church off and resurrect a new church in its place where the old guard can’t come or attend unless they publicly repent.
 
Many of our churches could go out of existence tomorrow, and no one would notice or care. Somebody needs to padlock some of these places. They haven’t changed. They aren’t going to change. They resist change. They refuse to change. Even Jesus can’t change them.
 
They are Corinthian in nature. The Corinthian church was the most carnal, ungodly, whining, personality driven, disrespectful (of Paul) bunch of baptized people to ever walk the planet. They were carnal, they were filled with jealousy, strife, and envy, and they were playing favorites. They allowed immorality within the church. Unfortunately, not much has changed.

My wife and I will be hosting another trip to the Holy Land this year, October 30-November 9. I would love for you to join us for 11 exciting days as we tour various sites including Caesarea, Capernum, The Dead Sea, Masada, and Jerusalem. The trip cost is $4,096, and we’ll be departing from Atlanta. You may find more details about the trip by clicking here. Feel free to call or email my assistant Debbie Toole if you have questions or would like to register (229-883-1910, ext. 1200 or debbiet@sherwoodbaptist.net).

I will never understand how disgraced ministers can keep bouncing back like a rubber ball when one godly pastor who runs into a deacon buzz saw can’t even find a church to listen to him. You tell me. Has it come to the point that being fired for standing on the Word is grounds to be banished, but having a relationship outside of marriage is grounds for building a monument?

I’m all for forgiveness, but some things should disqualify you from having a pastorate again. I’m not even saying that a person who has fallen can’t have a ministry; I just believe they are disqualified from a pastorate. The divorces of religious TV’s rich and famous seem to add to their appeal. I find it appalling that they can just keep going as if nothing happened. Whether it’s Jim Bakker, Paula White, or now Benny Hinn and a host of others, it seems that letting your family fall apart qualifies you for “greater ministry opportunities.” If that’s the case, let’s sin so that grace may abound!

Gibson says, “Christianity is all about second acts, and disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard is the latest conservative Christian to exploit that role to the hilt.” This week, Haggard announced he was starting a new church in his home, in the same town where the name of Jesus was slandered, trashed, and drug through the mud in 2006 when it was revealed he was involved with a male prostitute and drug use.

According to the article, Haggard says the church “will be for people like himself, a church for sinners—for people who have hit rock bottom and people who want to help people who have hit rock bottom. . . . It is not a gathering for the righteous, except those who are righteous by faith.” I have no problem with that part. It’s what follows that makes me wonder what Bible he is using and if he truly understands the phrase, “Be holy as I am holy.”

Haggard continues, “Everybody is welcome: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, gays, straights, tall, short, addicts, and recovering addicts.” It wasn’t long ago that Haggard preached against that which he now embraces. Will the darker demons of his past rise up to tempt him when he actually welcomes people who justify a lifestyle contrary to the Scriptures? How will he rely on the Holy Spirit to empower him when it’s the flesh that empowers those lifestyles?

He says, “I think I am qualified to hold their hand.” So, in the shadow of the church that made his name famous, he will start a church. In the same city where he brought shame to the name of his church and the Lord, he will now plant a church. Has he not caused enough embarrassment already to that body of believers? Couldn’t he at least move to another state? Does he have to rub it in their faces?

In an interview in January he said, “Sometime, somewhere we will do some type of ministry.” He knew then what he was going to do. In my humble and accurate opinion, which I highly respect, it’s always been about Ted Haggard, never about the integrity of the gospel. I would have to agree with what was reported on a Christianity Today website, “Locally it is being called ‘Second Church of the Hypocrite.’” Regardless of what you think about the morality issues, how about the integrity issues? According to Gibson, this church start could be “problematic” for the members of his old church, New Life. “Haggard’s scandal devastated and infuriated many in the church, which has suffered a drop in membership and donations. Haggard and New Life negotiated a severance package stipulating that Haggard would undergo counseling with a team of Christian leaders they appointed and that he would leave the area and not start a rival church.” He now flaunts his lack of integrity in their face. He is not a man of his word. He lacks the character to keep a promise.

According to the article, “In June 2008, when the conditions of the severance package expired, Haggard and his family moved back to Colorado Springs.” That must be a mere coincidence. Surely there was nothing intentional in that move. Surely he wasn’t planning on trying to go back and milk the cow one more time? Surely he doesn’t believe there are still some suckers in Colorado Springs who don’t know the facts. Last year the couple launched what some call a “repentance tour,” appearing on Oprah, Larry King, Good Morning America, and other national broadcasts—even Divorce Court. Haggard also appeared in an HBO documentary about the scandal. He’s now filming a documentary for a show about (guess who?)—Ted Haggard. Apparently the repentance tour was nothing more than a publicity stunt to get his name back in the news, hoping that liberal media would cut him some slack.

I’ve never met the man, but it seems to me as an outsider looking in that he knows no shame, no boundaries. He has no integrity. He can’t keep a promise. Let’s face it, it’s all about Ted. It’s not about anything or anyone else. He is self-deceived and will deceive many because you can’t lead people in the truth if you aren’t walking in it.

R.G. Lee said, “A lie travels around the world while truth is putting on its boots.” We are more willing to spread a rumor than spread the gospel.

The story is told of a man who saw an old acquaintance. He said, “I heard you were dead.” The other replied, “You’ve got the wrong information, as you can see, I’m very much alive.” The man said, “I don’t know, I heard it from a reliable source.”

Let’s be honest, gossiping is fun until you are the subject. We have an insatiable appetite for gossip. National Enquirer has the largest circulation of any paper in America.

The New Testament identifies three types of gossips. The first is the busybody. 2 Thessalonians 3:11, “…doing no work at all, but acting as busybodies.” These persons delight in gathering and spreading information. Facts are irrelevant.

Second, you have the whisperer, the person who says, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but…” In Romans we read, “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God.” Funny, Paul says if you gossip or slander you hate God.

Thirdly, the slanderer; this person damages another’s reputation. The Greek word for slander is “diabolos.” It’s the same word for Satan or the devil. (see 1 Timothy 3:11 and Titus 2:3).

When we became believers we gave up the “big” sins like stealing, drinking, cheating, drugs and fornication. Unfortunately, we picked up what we call “little” sins like gossip. In Proverbs 8 God says, “…the perverted mouth I hate.” In Leviticus 19:16 we read, “You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people.”

Let’s get God-honest. Our tongues do more running than our feet. We love to talk. We want to know what’s going on. I’ve never heard positive gossip. Gossip is cheap, cowardly, ungodly entertainment.

I heard it through the grapevine was a popular song in the 60s. I suggest it’s time the church prune that vine. We are one of the few fortunate churches where such talk is rare. When it raises its head, for any reason, it’s a signal of Satanic activity.

I have discovered a 100% sure fire method to eliminate gossip. All you have to do is ask the question, “Can I quote you on this?” Or, you can ask, “Who told you this?” You are wasting your time when you listen to “I heard” and “They said.” The epistle of James tells us that one of the major signs of spirituality is the ability to control your tongue. If you can’t, you aren’t spiritual!

Would you pass a tongue test? Okay, open your mouth and say, “Ahh.” Your tongue is evidence of the condition of your heart. It is the exit door of the heart. A disciplined tongue is evidence of spiritual maturity. Suppression is not the same as transformation. You heard about the lady who came to lay her tongue on the altar? The pastor said the altar wasn’t big enough!

Our tongues are to be vehicles of grace. Our lips are to speak righteousness. Our conversations are to be seasoned with salt and full of grace. Of all people, George Harrison, the former Beatle, has written a song entitled, “Devil’s Radio.” The words are, “I heard it in the night, Words the thoughtless speak, Like vultures in the night, On the Devil’s Radio. I heard it through the day, Airwaves getting filled, With gossip forecast to-and-fro on the Devil’s Radio.”

In Matthew 12:36 our Lord said, “every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgement.” Every time we open our mouths, pick up the phone, or even listen to gossip, we are making a choice. In that choice we bless God or grieve Him.

A trip through Proverbs might lead to personal and corporate revival. Royal families make their personal servants sign oaths never to reveal what goes on in private quarters. If we, as Christians, are members of a royal priesthood, shouldn’t we apply even higher standards to the way we speak?

“Be sure that your lips in public are compatible with your lips in private prayer to God.” - Don Miller

As believers, we often get what I’ve come to call SADD—Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder. None of us start our Christian life this way, but sadly the majority seem to end up with SADD before they die. How does one diagnose this problem?

First, you look to see if you have left your first love. The complaint of Christ against the church at Ephesus was that they had left their first love. They quit paying attention. They lost their focus. They lost their purpose. Here was one of the great churches of the first century, and she was now in danger of judgment. The church to which Paul had written so many positive things was in danger of losing the blessings of God.

Ephesus had been reminded that they were a brotherhood, but now they were a bother. They were a building infected with devilish termites. They were a body, and the body was sick. They were in a battle, but the church had gone AWOL. If it can happen to them, it can happen to us.

After a screening of the rough cut of The Passion of the Christ, a woman who worked for Mel Gibson said she drove home and all she could say to the Lord was, “I’m sorry I forgot.” Have you forgotten? Are you in the first stages of SADD? It can slip up on you before you know it. It is most often brought about by not recognizing deception, not rejecting a lie or by embracing and justifying sin and compromise. Then, in a moment, first love leaves and mediocrity moves in.

Secondly, you need to check your devotional life. How’s your personal Bible study? How’s your prayer life? When something becomes bigger than God in your life, you’ll lose your focus and purpose, and you’ll find it hard to concentrate when you read the Bible or pray. Other things will battle for attention. Other thoughts will cause distractions.

This is why having a daily time with God is so important. It keeps us focused on what is important. If we aren’t careful, even as church-going Christians we can get in a rut and depend on the preacher to tell us. For you to stay focused and live a life on purpose, you must have a healthy diet of God’s Word and quality time in prayer.

The third symptom of SADD is a loss of love for the lost. We get in our holy huddles. We enjoy our Christian fellowship. We buy our Christian books. We read our Christian magazines and listen to our Christian music. Before you know it, the only people we know are Christians. There is nothing wrong with all these things, but we must remember that the Great Commission is not optional. We are called to love the lost. We are called to share our faith. We are called to go outside the walls of the church. If we fail to do that, we are no better than the self-righteous Pharisees who knew the law but didn’t know the Lord.

When we have SADD in the area of evangelism, we can walk through this lost world and never see a world dying without Christ. We can eat in a restaurant and never have our hearts broken by those who are drowning their sorrows and sins in a shot glass. We can watch the news and be numb to the fact that the people we are seeing are probably lost and headed for a Christ-less hell. We must not forget what God reminded us of just before He ascended into heaven.

A fourth symptom of SADD is in the realm of misplaced priorities. When what we own, what we want and what we have is more important to us than investing in kingdom business, we are experiencing SADD. Christians have become as materialistic as lost people. Millions of believers sit in church every week and think nothing about supporting the church financially. We tip a waitress more than we give to God. We pay the person who washes our car more than we give to God. We get room service when we are in a hotel, but we never think about serving God.

Any true revival results in three things: a return to first love; a renewed heart for the Word, prayer and the lost; and obedience in giving. If you are not on track in these areas, you didn’t have a revival, you had a feeling. A revival changes the environment. A movement of God changes the climate and the culture.

When the pastor went there, the church couldn’t pay her bills and was dying on the vine. Since his becoming pastor, the church has begun to gain a positive reputation in the community, people are being saved, the income is up and the baptismal waters are being stirred.

Just this past week, a man who owned land adjacent to the church said he was going to give the property to the church because of the work the church was doing. Yet, Brother Knucklehead wants to take the church backwards.

Brother Knucklehead is of his father the devil. Like the devil, he hates authority. Satan refused to remain surrendered to the Sovereignty of the Living God. He wanted to rule and run the universe. Brother Knucklehead thinks he knows better although he was never called to preach or pastor. He thinks it’s his church. He doesn’t realize that God birthed, ordained and established the church before Brother Knucklehead was ever a thought.

Like the devil, he wants to rule. He wants to be in charge. I do not believe in pastoral dictatorship, I do believe the Bible teaches pastoral authority. Anything with more than one head belongs in a freak show in a circus. While there are many ‘elders’ in a church, there is one pastor. Paul didn’t appoint a committee to serve as pastor, he appointed Timothy. Brother Knucklehead doesn’t agree with Paul’s philosophy, which just happens to be sanctioned and approved by the Holy Spirit who gave us the Word. Apparently, Brother Knucklehead has a problem with the way the Spirit runs His church.

I’ve served in ministry for thirty years, trust me, Brother Knucklehead is in every church. These kinds of people reproduce like rats in a sewer. The devil doesn’t have to fight churches, he joins them.

How do you recognize a knucklehead? They have an agenda. They join a church to get their way. They expect everyone to bow to their wishes. They organize an unofficial group around them to discuss how they can gain power and influence. They butter up the right people to try to get in influential positions.

They want power. Their agenda is power and control. Most of them have never been successful in life and are failures at home so they try to take over the church. They maneuver in dark hallways and have covert meetings to seek to overthrow the God given structure. They try to stack business meetings with people who haven’t been in church in years.

They hold their money. Knuckleheads vote with their pocketbooks. They think holding their money will punish the preacher or the leadership. It might hinder ministry, but ultimately the knucklehead will answer to God for what he has done with God’s money. Nobody gets away with anything when it comes to robbing God.

They organize church factions and splits. Officially on unofficially, they find ways to siphon off enough people to start a new church of ‘like minded people.’ I remember the story of one knucklehead who happened to be a popular Southern Baptist Evangelist. He got the attitude, ‘I know better than my pastor.’ Although his pastor was one of the most respected leaders in his convention, this evangelist went on a ‘supra-spiritual ego trip.’ He refused to listen to counsel. Eventually, he pulled hundreds of people out of the church and started his own church. His church ‘grew’ initially. Today it’s dying. Rev. Knucklehead Evangelist who knew better has moved on, the people he took with him now have a dying church.

Let me chase a rabbit here. Churches can start one of two ways. They can be birthed with the blessing of another church or they can be the result of a church split. There’s a difference between a church started as a mission with the blessings of another church and one started by knuckleheads who will not submit to authority.

The knucklehead church may grow initially, but eventually, they will turn on each other. These churches have experienced an illegitimate birth. God is not their father and they are not the bride of Christ. Their motives are not pure. Their agenda is not to fulfill the Great Commission.  The weed may grow overnight, but the seeds of destruction have been planted. Growth is not synonymous with the anointing of God.  The devil can grow churches, too. He has Brother Knucklehead leading his mission board.

One other word here, knuckleheads never reach the lost in significant numbers. They baptize by accident. Their idea of church growth is getting members from other churches to join their church. They don’t care about evangelism, they just want numbers and hides and the best hides are the ones they can steal.

Knuckleheads will always be with us. They work to infiltrate churches and Sunday School. We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices. When we see a Knucklehead at work, we should point it out. The devil hates the light. He dwells in darkness, let’s expose him. Pastors, stand up to the knuckleheads, all they can do is fire you. Better to be fired for standing for the truth than to cave into a knucklehead and lose the approval of God.

The remnant needs to pray that God will protect her church from knuckleheads. The church needs to get back to church discipline. Be not afraid of removing a knucklehead. If they don’t repent, give them the ‘or else.’

One of the best decisions I’ve made in the last fifteen years was handing a person their church letter on the spot when he wouldn’t repent of an offensive act. I decided a long time ago, this old gospel ship is not going to be overrun by rats. The knuckleheads will always be with us, but no church should feel obligated to live with them.

I also like to visit Civil War battlefields, but being the only man in my family, I don’t get much cooperation. My idea of a good side-trip is a bookstore, especially a used bookstore. I like to look at mountains, but I don’t necessarily want to climb one. To be honest, I like New York City. I do enjoy going to Broadway plays, but I can’t tell my girls that—it would spoil their fun. I enjoy visiting our nation’s capital and other historical sites. I don’t necessarily care for the beach. To each his own. Everyone has their favorite place for vacation.

In the movie, Michael, the main character is a fallen angel who wants to stop by some very odd vacation spots. In the movie, National Lampoon’s Vacation, the Griswold family takes a magical (and nightmarish) trip to Wally World. As a youth minister, I took my youth group to Six Flags so much I never want to go again. Wally World reminds me of Six Flags.

I’ve often wondered who actually stops at the alligator farms in Florida. As I was pondering these deep issues, I heard about a book, The New Roadside America. The authors have actually visited hundreds of strange tourist traps. Here are a few:

The Five-Story Tall Chicken in Marietta, Georgia
People actually visit the “Big Chicken” at the intersection of Roswell Street and Highway 41. I drove past it every day for four years. The only thing it’s good for is a landmark. It’s hard to miss your turn when someone tells you, “Go to the Big Chicken and turn right.”

The Hair Museum in Independence, Missouri
A haircut is actually included in the admission price. I wonder if bald people get in free.

The Liberace Museum in Las Vegas
Talk about gaudy! The King of Kitsch is honored in this shopping center shrine to Liberace. I hear they are building the Elton John and Freddie Mercury museums next door.

Jimi Hendrix Viewpoint in Seattle
According to the book, “it overlooks the zoo and is surrounded by purple bushes.” You’d have to be in a “Purple Haze” to want to make that trip.

Hobbittown USA in Phillipsville, California
It houses a life-size replica of Bilbo Baggins’ hometown (from Lord of the Rings).

Toilet Rock in New Mexico
It’s literally a rock that looks like a toilet. Just flush the thought out of your mind of spending the time to see it.

The World’s Largest Artichoke
It’s in California. Where else?

The World’s Largest Stump in Indiana
The stump is 57 feet around and 12 feet high. That’s what is known as a dead landmark according to the book.

The World’s Largest Twine Ball in Minnesota
It’s 12 feet around and weighs 21,140 pounds.

The Tupperware Awareness Center in Kissimmee, Florida
While you are at DisneyWorld, stop by and visit this amazing site. You’ll discover better ways to burp the lids to get all the air out. There’s also a display of every Tupperware product known to man. Personally, I’m aware of Tupperware every time it falls out of the cabinet when I open the door, and I’m frustrated when I can’t find the matching lid.

Spongeorama in Tarpon Springs, Florida
Nothing but sponges. Go ahead, soak it all up.

The Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota
The only place you need to go to learn everything you need to know about Spam.

Why do these places exist? I think it’s because people are bored. Lacking any sense of purpose, they wander through meaningless museums and tourist traps. Look at crowds in a theme park—they are hot, testy, fussing and frowning. The kids cry and whine while mom and dad spend thousands of dollars on credit cards to “have fun.”

Most people have a meaningless existence. They spend their lives, energy and money on entertainment, trips and sporting events to escape the monotony of their meaningless existence. They want to get away from the daily grind. They are looking for something to give them meaning.

What’s the point? People need meaning and purpose. Otherwise, they waste their lives. Church ministries provide an alternative. The church, through her activities and ministries, is not just trying to keep people busy. We are providing opportunities for encouragement, relationships, outreach and body life. As you and I support the church financially, we provide ministries people need. As we invite others to join us, we offer them the only alternative to an empty existence—life abundant in Jesus Christ.

The Church is not a museum. What we do matters in time and for eternity. The church exists to equip the saints and evangelize the lost. That’s why we should give, serve and tell others. It is imperative that we share good news with people who are wandering through life looking for something to do. They need someone, and that someone is Jesus.

It is apparent by reading these emails that the church and the leadership where they spent the weekend know how to pray, prepare, and plan for an event. They are ready for the men to arrive. They promote the event and expect participation. They work to make it a good use of the time of those leading and attending.

You will not always find this to be the case in the local church. Sometimes, more often than I care to think about, I’ve found churches and pastors unprepared.

Many are unprepared for an event. Not enough planning, prayer, or preparation went into the event. It was “just another thing on the calendar,” not a big deal. The end result is poor attendance, while the preacher or leaders apologize for the crowd (when they may be the ones who are to blame for the poor attendance). No table set up for products that the speakers or other guests might sell. No thought given as to meals before or after the service. No water for the speakers or singers. No prayer before the event with the guests.

Here’s a principle: If you want your people to be excited about something, you’ve got to be a cheerleader. If you want them to give their time to you, you should make it sound like it’s worth their while. I’ve seen too many situations where the announcement of a guest speaker was given with the same passion as an announcement about a business meeting. If it’s worth asking someone to come, it’s worth promoting it.

Make a video and show it several weeks in advance. Put it in your newsletter and worship folder. Make posters around the church. If the person is a notable personality, send a press release (free Public Service Announcement) to the local media. Use the event to reach people. Don’t get past the event and say, “I wish we had told more folks about this.” Put the event/ speaker on your website or Facebook page. Send a twitter about it. Blog about it. Text about it. Get the word out. If you are going to have an event, make it an event and not a passing thought.

When a church or a pastor isn’t prepared for an event, the special guests may feel the event isn’t worth the time away from their church, family, or ministry. To be honest, far too many churches make guests feel unwanted with an attitude that says, “If we couldn’t have gotten you, we would have gotten someone else.” In other words, you wonder why they asked you in the first place.

Here’s a principle: If you are going to invite a guest to your church, know something about them. Get your people excited about them. I’ve shown up in churches where I had to tell the host what they needed to say to introduce me. They ask for a resume, and my bio is posted on our website, but apparently no one took the time to read them. If you expect people to come, you’ve got to tell them why you expect them to come and why it will be worth their time. I’ve sat on many front rows as I was introduced with titles I don’t have or as the author of books with the wrong title (if they even mention the books at all).

Here are a few guidelines:

- If you have a concert artist, promote their products.

- If you have an author, promote their books.

- If you have either, ask if they will stay after and sign their CDs or books.

- Be familiar enough with their resume or experience to have your facts straight. If you can’t remember it all, read it.

- Never use the “aw shucks” approach to an introduction.

- Encourage your people to be responsive and to thank guests for coming.

- Work diligently to honor your guests.

- Make it sound important. Especially if the speaker is new to your church, the majority will need to know why you’ve asked this particular person to speak and not someone else.

Here’s a principle: Pay them. If you pay an honorarium, give more than you think you should. If your thought is, “How little can we pay?” don’t even ask someone to come. It means you are cheap, not gracious.

We have evangelists in our church, and I know a number of evangelists. What some churches give them is absolutely unacceptable. It is inexcusable. There are more churches than I can count who want to quibble over travel expenses. I know people who depend on love offerings to make their living, and some churches would let them starve! This is wrong in the body of Christ. The laborer is worthy of his hire. The evangelist is worthy of a worthy offering. Pay what the IRS says you should pay for mileage. Pay for meals while traveling. Pay for the hotel. Offer to pay for the guest to bring their spouse. If they don’t bring their wife, send their wife some flowers and thank her for sharing her spouse with you.

Be prepared to supplement the offering if it’s not enough, but teach your people to give. Giving to love offerings is not going to hurt your budget. Teaching your people to give will help your budget. If you don’t push to promote a love offering, you will rob your people of a blessing, you will rob the guest of what he deserves, and you will miss God’s blessings. To not give an offering or honorarium worthy of the event is to short-change yourself and your people and to quench what God might want to do in someone’s heart.

Don’t tell me you can’t afford it. You can’t afford not to do it. I serve in Albany, Georgia. We are one of the 100 poorest cities in America. We’ve had two major plants close in the last two years, and we’re in a down economy. However, we finished 2009 ahead of budget and gave well over $100,000 in love offerings last year. In one service we gave over $3,000 to 17 college students from the University of Mobile over and above the honorarium we set for them to sing in our service for 20 minutes. We were able to give each of those students over $160 for spending money (that’s more than I’ve gotten for some speaking engagements in the last few years). One week later, we took up over $14,000 for the Gideons and Muslim Bible Day in special offerings.

Unfortunately most pastors and churches don’t know how to give. It grieves me that pastors are hesitant to take an offering. God loves, and He gives. We say we love, but we will not ask people to give. Why not think about adding a few dollars to that “right hand of Christian fellowship” and “thanks for coming”? It will bless you and your guest.

Put them in a nice hotel. No one can relax in a member’s home, no matter how much you tell them they can “make themselves at home.” I know of a church that had guest stay with a member, and the dust in the guest area was an inch thick. The pastor was shocked to find out how dirty the place was. Spend the money or don’t have the event. Host them properly or don’t invite them.

This is a pet peeve for me because I’m tired of seeing God’s servants, who are asked to hit the road and sleep in a strange bed every week, treated like second-rate citizens. It grieves me, it’s a poor witness, and it’s a sign that we don’t take seriously how we treat those who serve God. Just because some church member’s middle name is Scrooge doesn’t mean you have to cave into the “Bah Humbug” spirit. Teach the grouches to die to greed and enjoy grace giving. Teach them to honor the man or woman of God. Teach them to esteem the person who comes in the name of the Lord.