From South America with Love (Part Two)…

Once the dates and details were set for our mission project in Cordoba, Argentina I began sharing my heart for this project with the Cross-link family each Sunday.  I offered an opportunity for people to join me for nine days in South America for a Pastor’s Conference, ESL Training in Public Schools and Vacation Bible Schools.  After several weeks of promotion, I had two men on board with me.  One was my Director of Evangelism and Discipleship, Terry Ross and the other was my Director of Hospitality, Patrick Simmons.  To the Glory of God, all three of us raised the necessary funds without any expenses from the Calvary Cross-link budget.

(Left to Right: Terry Ross, Will Herndon, Me, Patrick Simmons,
Daniel Beard, Sherry Anderson, Pastor Tim Anderson, Glenn Price)

Our Trip to Cordoba started on Wednesday, March 21^st when we left Calvary Cross-link, headed for Richmond International Airport at 9am.  We didn’t arrive at our hotel in Cordoba, Argentina until noon on Thursday, March 22^nd.   After a quick nap, the evening was spent planning our week with the 4-person team from Clements Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama and our AMAZING ground man, Will Herndon, over some delicious Argentine steak.  I don’t think any of us were quite prepared for what God was going to do in, through and around us over the next few days.

When we arrived at the International Congress for Revival Pastor’s School on Thursday night, there were over 400 pastors, lay leaders and ladies in attendance.  These sweet brothers and sisters were so gracious, grateful and passionate for the opportunity to attend this experience.  Very few, if any of these church leaders had any formal ministry training whatsoever, so they were eager to learn!  We challenged them to solid leadership and sound doctrine for the next 2 & ½ days.  Every time Pastor Tim & I preached, they furiously took notes, hanging on every word.

Worship Service Attendance at ICR School

It should be said, that my experience in preaching through a translator is limited but I cannot imagine a better translator than my new friend Will Herndon.  Pastor Tim and I could literally preach and he translated right over the top of us.  It was an incredible sight to behold and experience!

I was told, over and over again, how much this conference meant to the pastors and church leaders in attendance.  They emotionally shared how they were challenged, encouraged and equipped for greater ministry impact for the Glory of God in Argentina.  This was great to hear.  However, I believe that the experience had an even greater impact on my life than it did theirs.  As I worshiped Jesus in a language I didn’t comprehend, I sensed the moving of the Holy Spirit in my own life that was calling me to a deeper level of commitment to the “end of the earth” section of Acts 1:8.  I knew this would require a re-prioritizing of my ministry calendar, budget and focus.  However, I knew that this special calling on my life didn’t just affect me, but all those whom I have the privilege to lead…to be continued…

From South America with Love - Part One

When God called Ashley and I to the Shenandoah Valley in the fall of 2009, we knew that it would be a serious change of pace from the suburban Atlanta community in which we lived. I never imagined myself being a pastor and I remember swearing I’d never move to Virginia as long as I lived. Not only was I not interested in living or pastoring in Virginia, but especially not rural Virginia. Yet, God called us here and we (reluctantly) obeyed!

Let be begin by saying that, over the past 31 months, I have found such incredible joy in leading Calvary Cross-link to Impact the Valley and Bless the Nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, after spending 18 months in the Valley, it became evident that leading my church to a global ministry mindset was going to be a challenge. The closest international airport is over 100 miles away and most of the people I inherited had never been on an airplane before. The general mindset was “There’s enough lost people in the Valley, why go on a mission trip till we reach the ones in our own back yard?” Sound familiar?

I knew that I wasn’t the only pastor to face these challenges in leading my rural church to a global ministry mindset, so I decided I needed a mentor. I have always been blessed with many mentors in my life, none more influential than my own father. But, I needed a specific kind of mentor…someone who was leading a rural church to global focus. I found Pastor Tim Anderson from Clements Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama. Pastor Tim started a church 17 years ago in rural Alabama that is now personally invested advancing Gospel in dozens of nations around the world. His church invests hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. They have freed up their pastor to lead an incredible organization called International Congress on Revival that trains pastors around the world. Once I contact Pastor Tim, he made himself available to me any time I needed. We began to talk over the phone about various aspects of ministry, staff, leadership and missions. I found him more than familiar with the mindset I was fighting in the early days of Calvary Cross-link.

Tim invited me to join him in Cordoba, Argentina for an ICR Pastor’s Conference. I joyfully accepted and so begins Calvary Cross-link’s journey on to the international mission field…to be continued…

The Energy to Energize Others

All areas of life require balance. Andy Stanley was teaching last year on that very subject, making the argument for appropriate amounts of tension. I try to imagine my ministry & family traveling a road that runs between two very attractive (but also very destructive) ditches. I'll take them point by point:

My identity is not found in family or Ministry. My identity is found in Christ who is the Author & Perfecter of it (Hebrews 12). This is central to Energy to Energize Others!

It would be so easy & comfortable to lose myself in my amazing family who adores me. Many have done exactly that! To the detriment of all other relationships, ministry opportunities or job opportunities, they have sold out to their family and are enjoying that comfortable ditch. No question: I pastor my family before I pastor anybody else in my life, but why must it be "either-or" instead of "both-and?" Why can't I disciple my 4-year-old and an orphan nobody wants at the same time? Why can't I love my wife and lay my life down for her, while also challenging other men to do the same with their wives? Why can't I lead my family in such a way that I am leading other families as well? Simple Answer: I can and I should! It takes balance to stay out of the Ditch of Worshipping Family!!!

It would be so easy and comfortable to lose myself in my career. After all, my job description is to "Lead Calvary Cross-link to Impact the Valley & Bless the Nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Who wouldn't want to sell-out to that? I could (and have) work 80-100 hours per week and not scratch the surface of all that needs to be done here. But, it's not God's intention that I reach all the children of the world while mine go to hell without Jesus! My pastor is known for saying, "The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home." I believe the key is embracing my career with my family deeply involved! And, the most important part is making sure that my career flows out of my deep and abiding intimacy with Jesus. Balance keeps my focus clear!

Part of my role as Lead Pastor of Calvary Cross-link is coaching people to their God-given, Christ-honoring potential. One of the greatest "zappers" of energy is feeling like I am failing at something that I can ill-afford failure. Settling into either one of the ditches is a sure-fire way to drain all energy. My energy to energize others comes from a balanced life between the ditches!

Super Bowl (AKA, Easter) Sunday, 2011

I follow around 50 pastors on twitter and, based on the "tweets" before during & after this past weekend, it's obvious that we (yes, WE) all look at Easter Sunday differently than the other 51 every year. Let's face it, it's the protestant version of Superbowl Sunday! Now, there is room for a legitimate discussion about the virtue of this distinction on the part of pastors and churches, but this post isn't the time or place. I want to offer my thoughts on the biggest day in the history of Calvary Cross-link, to date.

1) An Unorthodox Message Seemed to Work - My wife, secretary and staff will attest to the fact that I was more than a little anxious about my sermon on Sunday. Usually, a pastor will preach a rousing, enthusiastic sermon on the resurrection of Christ. But several months ago, I decided to go with an apologetics message on Easter Sunday. I began by establishing the historicity of the New Testament, therefore making C.S. Lewis' Trilemma of Jesus being a Liar, Lunatic or Lord the only the logical possibilities. When the possibilities were examined a little closer, the only one that could reasonably be true is that Jesus Christ is Lord!

My anxiety stemmed from the fact that the message contained a great deal of technical information (2 Diagrams, multiple quotes from historians, archaeologists and scholars). And, from the fact that, when I get nervous, I begin to ramble on & on & on & on & on...you get the picture. So, this seemed like a prime opportunity to go far too long and bore people to DEATH! But, at the end of the day, God used the message and we saw 13 people accept Jesus Christ for who He is...Lord!

If you're interested in hearing the message, you can find it at www.calvarycrosslink.org

2) The Two-Service experiment was a success - One of the biggest challenges in a church going from one service to two is pitifully low turnout in one and a packed house in the other. However, it seems that an early service is attractive to a number of CCLr's, making the transition less abrasive than it would otherwise be. On Sunday, we put 373 people in worship on our campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia. We had 161 in the 9 am service and 192 in the second. Those numbers don't include the 25 or so volunteers that were at both time slots.

In September, we'll go to a permanent two-service Sunday schedule to accommodate the continued growth to Calvary Cross-link. Easter Sunday was a great "dry run" to let us know how it could work. We've still got to work through the details, but I believe we've got an answer to our worship space issues.

3) It only Takes a Taste to Develop a Craving- The two services I just mentioned were not the only Calvary Cross-link Easter Services. In fact, about 10 of our senior adults went to Harrisonburg Health and Rehabilitation Center to lead an Easter service for the residents there. They had 50 or so in attendance and Stacy Meyerhoeffer brought the message. Praise the Lord, a 92 year old woman invited Jesus Christ to be her Savior. The initial feedback is that the Seniors' Class is eager to continue ministering in that context!

In all honesty, this nursing home Easter service was something that the Senior Adult class kind of "fell" into. I praise the Lord for their willingness to step in, but now I can see an obvious passion to minister to people who have largely been forgotten by the world. A taste of this type of ministry has lit a fire within our blessed senior saints and this pastor is very proud!

4) The Calvary Cross-link People REALLY Stepped Up- We ordered 7,500 invite cards to Easter Sunday at Calvary Cross-link. We mass-mailed 2,500 of them and passed out most of the rest. Most of our regulars showed up with lost/unchurched friends/family/co-workers in tow! Also, our music & production team worked double duty on Sunday showing up at 7:30am and not leaving until around 1pm. Their families accommodating the demanding Easter Sunday schedule was essential as well! I am super proud of these team members.

5) I am going to need to get in better shape before September- I love to preach! After doing so, I am emotionally and intellectually fired up! However, I am physically exhausted after a 40-50 minute message. So, I am going to need to lose some serious weight before committing myself to two of those in a 3+ hour period every Sunday. I feel a little like a weakling for mentioning it, but unfortunately it's very true.

Lastly, I can say that this is merely the beginning of what God has in store for Calvary Cross-link. Next year, we'll look back at Super Bowl Sunday 2011 as a "good start" to managing the growth of this fellowship! Jump on board and help us steam full speed ahead!

Content & Delivery

I spend a great deal of time every week preparing sermons. I'll study original languages, do word studies and consult about a dozen commentaries in the process. All this is in addition to the prayer time and context reading from the Bible that each sermon demands. Once the preparation is finished (typically by Thursday afternoon), I'll let the message sink in to my life over the next 2 & 1/2 days. I quote my mentor and pastor, Dr Johnny Hunt, when he says "my sermon is finished, but it's not ready" once the writing process is completed, because I've got to respond to the message before I ask anyone else to.

This is not a novel idea for anyone who has ever taught the Bible at any level. I don't suppose I'm breaking any new news on this subject, but I came to my own realization last week and I'd like to share it with you...

I found myself asking God to guide the presentation of my message as much as he guided the content of my message. If it's true that many people will pay more attention to "how" I say something than to "what" I say, then my presentation needs to communicate the crux of the message as much (if not more so) than the content. Do you follow?

This past week, I was preaching the 2nd of Jesus' Beatitudes from Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." The crux of the message is that Jesus is calling us to Godly mourning over personal sin and societal sin. Well, in preaching this message to the hundreds gathered at Calvary Cross-link, I became extremely emotional. I could not finish my message and found myself absolutely broken over sin: my sin (first), my church's sin and my country sin. I was overwhelmed with the reality of my sin, past & present, and broken over the fact that Jesus not only died for me, but was also comforting me! It was a tough pill to swallow.

This is something that, in 14 years of preaching, has NEVER happened to me. I am a very passionate person, but not an emotional person. I rarely cry, choke up or break down in any situation, but God brought me to a breaking point over sin and then pushed me over to communicate this concept to Calvary Cross-link. No lie, I turned into a big, sweaty, red faced, cry-baby in front of my whole church! Tears and snot went everywhere while I attempted (with a high pitch whine) to conclude the service. I wanted to find the nearest exit and leave before talking to anybody (didn't happen). You can listen to an edited version (Thanks Robert) of the sermon at www.calvarycrosslink.org and hear for yourself.

I wish that I could tell you that revival broke out and the spirit of God was poured out on our fellowship. However, that wasn't the case. Most eyes were dry, wide in surprise, but completely dry nonetheless. Very little response to the altar or visible response to the message was apparent. I assume the days to come will tell the story of how well we obey Matthew 5:4.

Even if there is no difference, this preacher has been changed and I believe that this situation is a direct result of my praying, "Lord, guide my presentation of Your truth as You have guided my preparation of Your truth."

I fear that there is more of this to come...

Fleeting Thoughts on a Fantastic Sunday

If self-examination is hard, then evaluating the success/failure, quality, efficiency or productivity of a Sunday Worship Experience is just about impossible! How does one (other than God) quantify the quality of a worship service, objectively? I don't think it's really possible. But, after acknowledging the futility of the effort, here I go...

1) Patrick Simmons and his hospitality team handled a large number of visiting families with their kids in tow. I was able to introduce myself to them and the team members got their children set up in the appropriate places. Great job!!!

2) Terry Ross (my Sunday School Teacher & Part Time Director of Evangelism & Discipleship) did a fabulous job leading a packed house in his class to reach, teach and minister to people. He, furthermore, challenged the socks off his Sunday School leadership team in a post-worship service meeting. Those leaders left that meeting encouraged, challenged and convicted about their personal witness - all while trying to put their socks back on!

3) Robert Hampshire's team had the week off. But, in their place, the Christian Student Union Praise Band from James Madison University did a fabulous job leading worship! I particularly liked how, on the final song (How Deep the Father's Love for Us), they stepped back and the congregation took over, it was a sweet moment of praise to Jesus!

4) Tina Knight and Cher Younger have a fantastic team of leaders that love, teach and lead the children of Calvary Cross-link! I watched Mrs. Brenda Puffenbarger (Mrs. Puff) welcome a new child into her class, while at the same time, loving on the ones who were already there! A young man, visited Kids-Link for the first time on Sunday and came out of there RAVING about it to his mom and dad (also visiting for the first time). Bill & Karen Reedy made a real impact on that boy!

5) I preached on the value of friendship from Ecclesiastes 4:7-16 and I feel that God used the message. I am constantly fighting the battle of believing that little to no movement in the invitation does not constitute a poor message or delivery. However, I sensed a sweet spirit during the message and had someone attempt to join the church during the pastor's reception for visitors that followed the service. I know the Lord is working in our midst and I just want to be sensitive to His leading!

I deeply love the people of Calvary Cross-link! They are the most precious people I have ever had the privilege to lead and I'm so thankful that God led me here. We had 239 in worship this morning (only 3 short of the church's all-time high, set back in October), but we're growing and that's cool!

How to strike Rhythm in Worship!

I recently read a quote by the missional teaching pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama and author of "Radical", Dr David Platt. He said: "worship is a rhythm of revelation and response–hearing Scripture and responding with our hearts and lives..." He was responding to the American church’s' infatuation with stylistic identification of churches based on the type of music they play. This practice has so drastically pigeonholed the focus, process and basis of worship that it demands a corrective response! So, a few questions to ask about a corporate worship service that will, hopefully, steer us in the right direction:

Question # 1: What does this worship service reveal about person, work and character of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Question # 2: What does that revelation demand, by way of response, from the worshippers?

Question # 3: What does the leadership of this worship service invite people to do, by way of response, to that revelation?

Question # 4: Is there adequate time given to respond to the revelation presented in the corporate worship service?

Question # 5: Is your corporate worship service designed, first and foremost, to connect people with God or to make a lost person comfortable? Or both? Or neither?

These questions are complex and require much thought. Don't breeze past the issue without significant prayer and meditation!

Attitude makes it work!

A phrase that was popular when I was in High School was this: "Act like a Rock Star till you ARE a Rock Star!" Or another one: "Fake it, till you make it!" These seem like juvenile phrases for people looking for an excuse to act like a big-shot, and that is certainly how my friends meant it. However, is there anything for the modern day believer and servant in the local church to learn from those weird slogans? At their core, these phrases deal with one single element: Attitude!

Obviously, attitude can be positive or negative, helpful or destructive, motivating or debilitating! Obviously, I am encouraging the positive, motivational and helpful attitude in all our lives, but what about an attitude that chooses to see (and accentuate) the best? For instance, when we put someone on our Hospitality Team at Calvary Cross-link, and they greet someone in the parking lot: Do we want their attitude to accentuate the best about our church? Or the Worst?

Could you imagine if someone got out of their car and complimented the grounds of the church as being well-kept, nicely presented only to hear one of our "hospitality team members" say "well they ought to be, we're swallowed up in debt on this property!" And, what about on their way in, that same "team member" tells this visitor "we've got some ornery people in there, watch your back and don't sit in the wrong seat!" Even if (and that's a BIG IF) what that "team member" was saying was true, it represents a pessimistic attitude towards the church. Wouldn't it be more productive to accentuate the positive aspects of Calvary Cross-link to those who may visit? Maybe we do have our warts (who doesn't?), but focusing attention on the things God has blessed us with the ability to do well is a strict principle of leadership that can make or break a church!

They say leaders must focus 80% of their time on complimenting their followers strengths and only 20% correcting their mistakes. So, is that "faking it till we make it?" I guess time will tell!