Visiting Door-to-Door

I kept a journal for about ten years, 1998 to somewhere in 2007. Not exactly sure why I stopped. I have picked up the habit again.

I was reading through a section of it from when I served Dunaway United Methodist Church, outside of Winchester, KY. I came across something that may be of help in understanding why door-to-door visitation is so important.

I had an entry about a house I stopped at. It's strange I remember exactly where it was, and even some details about the house, even though the family never came to our church and I am not sure that I ever stopped there again.

A woman answered the door and I shared a bit about our church and was probing to see where she was spiritually, what doors might be open for a conversation about Jesus. Before I left, I asked her if there was anything I could pray for her about. She said yes, her 18-year old son was very sick with kidney problems. So we had prayer.

We often make excuses for why we don't do door-to-door evangelism. We say it is ineffective (which since most people who say this have never consistently done it, I am not sure why they say it is ineffective.) We say it is intrusive, an invasion of privacy, and Americans don't like that and they associate it with Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. I can answer from experience that very few people have ever been disturbed that I came by.

And more: there is such a great benefit. I got to pray with a woman with a deep concern for her son. I learned something about the community I lived in. When you add up all the homes I tried to visit and people I tried to talk to, I think I generally got a better perspective on what was actually happening than most other people.

If for no other reason than learning what is hurting and helping your community, learning what they pray for and praise, shouldn't door-to-door visitation be more of a priority? And was it not a great benefit to that mother? I have countless other stories of people who never came to the church but were blessed by a visit. And I also have countless stories of how many people did come to the church because of a visit to their house, being blessed by the knowledge that God cares, that His shepherds were out roaming the hills, gathering up the scattered flock! In net numbers, we grew by about 30 in worship in that little church. If you count my first year growing it down from 35 to 20, the net gain was closer to 45 or 50. And I am not sure how to count all the people who visited here and there for a season. Is it any wonder that one of the vows Wesley had his preachers take was to “visit from house to house?” We still take that vow, we are just not held accountable to it. In fact, it seems the majority of UM pastors don't think those vows actually mean anything!

After reading my journal entry, I was convicted that I need to get back out there. I realized I have not been as diligent about it this year. And here are some things to consider. Last year at Morehead, we had 20 professions of faith, bringing in 30-something new members. This year, 4 professions of faith and 12 new members. I get it, the Lord blesses how He's going to bless, so you can't just look at the numbers. But I think the numbers do mean something when you realize you were not out there as much as you needed to be. I let too many good things get in the way of doing the important thing! And how amazing is it that I have a lot of help in this work... more than I ever have had anywhere? Time to get serious about systematically using it!

We Had It, Then We Lost It

A few days ago I was at the Conference Office for a meeting. I was in Paul Brunstetter's office, looking at his and bookshelf. He had a Book of Discipline of the Northern Methodist Church from 1900. I am fascinated by the old Disciplines. They were short and the Bishops wrote compelling, convicting introductions. They stood firm for orthodoxy and historic Methodism. They wrote in the Bishops' Greeting something that I think should be very instructive and convicting to us. They were talking about the amazing amount of success the church was having, and had been having for about 20 years. They were in that phase of our history where we were opening a new church EVERY DAY. Can you imagine? Opening one new church every day. They were, in fact, close to opening two a day for a while.

They attributed their success to the very reason we have a Book of Discipline: our structure and organization (the METHOD in Methodist) was (WAS) geared to get out and evangelize, make disciples and gather them into churches. They attributed the success directly and unequivocally to “the itinerant preacher and the sub-pastorate of the class meetings.”

We had it.  Then we lost it.

The pastors weren't itinerant solely based on the Bishop moving them around. They went out looking for the people and places where Jesus was not worshiped as Lord. People would be gathered into small discipleship groups, and when there were enough of those, they became a church. In the times between the return of the preacher, the small group leaders provided pastoral care and encouragement for spiritual growth.

1900 was about 160 years after the Methodist movement started. 160 years after the Wesley brothers started, their movement had another outburst, of probably greater growth than the first revival! So a movement can still burn 160 years later! No doubt it can happen again. And it is, just not among the Methodists. We wryly say, “The Wesleyan movement is alive and well in the non-denominational church.” Other people have adopted the Method. I am part of a learning community from the Exponential Conference. It is my second go-round, learning from churches that are doing discipleship well. They are all working heavily with accountable small-group discipleship. Alan Hirsch, perhaps the foremost thinker in this movement says that all he does is “teach Methodism.”

I am hopeful that some may rediscover “the old paths,” and that individuals and churches here and there will start class meetings because they see and feel the life transformation. Perhaps it might even become so compelling that we re-adopt it again as the model for our churches!

More on small groups

So today I asked a friend of mine if he wanted to be a part of our small group accountability meetings.  He is interested in Jesus, but has not settled his mind about the church.  At any rate, when I described what we do in confessing sin and encouraging one another, he said, "so you are asking people to quit hiding behind habits and rituals?"

I have never heard it out quite so clearly, except for maybe Al Coppedge, one of my favorite seminary professors.

Are you ready to come out of hiding?  One of the things I am hopeful for is that when this is the way the church functions-- meeting together and growing in grace, and having THAT to invite people to-- our work of evangelism will be that much easier.

A Word on the Power of Small Group Accountability

Resentment is a spiritual killer.  The things we do when we are sullen because we did not get what we thought we deserved-- the praise, the money, the status; the things we do when we are angry and fearful because we feel that what we love and value is threatened; these things are truly frightening.  They are the root of so much spiritual downfall and outright sinning.

I caught a real good case of resentment a few weeks ago.  But I was able to confess it plainly to a group of men I meet with.  Not only was there square dealing with the issue at hand, but also encouragement to move past it with God's help. I can say confidently that I have never gotten over a resentment so quickly.  All the negative consequences of resentment-- self-righteousness, anger, fear, hatred, thanklessness, being quick-tempered, self-indulgence, gossip-- these all disappeared under the discipline of the Holy Spirit.

I hope you have a group like I have, a place like I have with these guys.  But I know that almost none of you do.  Would you like this kind of help?  Would you like the power of the Cross of Christ not just for forgiveness, but for power over sin's continuing influence in your life?  We are starting as many of these groups as we can.  Please talk to me and let's start one.

They are so simple.  But that simplicity demands a rigor.  It's not just any group of people getting together and hanging out and talking.  Small group ministries in churches fail because they won't stick to the plan.  And the plan is to ask 4 simple questions:

How are you doing spiritually?

Have you avoided evil?  (More pointedly, how have you sinned?)

Have you done all the good you can do?

Have you used the means of grace? (the usual ways God is present to us: prayer, worship, reading Scripture, etc)

If you go to Church Multiplication Associates at www.cmaresources.org you will see a link to their Life Transformation Groups.  They are the same questions, only more specific.

Every group like this I have ever been a part of has changed my life.  In fact, it's the place where the greatest life change has happened.  When they fail it is because they fail to ask the basic questions; they want to back off and assume we are all basically ok.  If you think you're basically ok, then good luck, you're gonna have a bad time.  But if you know you're a mess and need Jesus, let's talk.

I was visiting a guy in the hospital a few days ago.  I asked him how he was doing spiritually (a usual question I ask when I visit people in hospital or at home).  He confessed some things and in a Holy Spirit moment, I confessed to him, and we were both greatly blessed by the power of Christ.  I think this is how the normal Christian life is supposed to be.

I was walking down the street to visit one of our people.  A pastor I know and respect in this town was driving by.  He stopped and we talked about some stuff and then he said, "I think you and me and some other pastors need to get together and pray and study the Scriptures and break down the strongholds in our lives to break through in ministry."  Man, he has no idea what a divine appointment that was. If pastors can lead the way in confession and transparency and the power of victorious living...

What Discipleship Looks Like, And How It Leads to Evangelism

So today we got some hard news.  A dear long-time saint of the church has been in a rehabilitation facility for too long.  This morning, her daughter had a stroke.  We don't know much about prognosis, but we will pray nonetheless.
I went to visit the church member in the rehab facility.  I was told a fellow who is helping to lead a visitation ministry had been sitting with her.  When I arrived, I saw two other women there, comforting her.  They left, and after a little while a couple from the church came in, to be there and bring the comfort of Christian fellowship.
My eyes welled up with tears as I prayed.  I was telling someone recently that I have never been more humbled in my life than to be the pastor at Morehead United Methodist Church.  Humbled from the standpoint that it is so gloriously clear that none of what goes on here is due to me.  I just get to be the pastor of a group of people who love each other so much that they will go down the road, some to be with the mother, others in the hospital in Lexington with the daughter.
Johnny (our 14 year old son) went with me.  I told him, "You just saw the Church.  That's what we are inviting people to, a real life with real people who love each other, and organize going to the nursing home so the mother doesn't have to be alone."  They do it not because they have to, but because the Spirit of Jesus is alive in them, and they have great love for Him and His people.
Normally, it seems that evangelism is an invitation to discipleship.  But sometimes, seeing discipleship is an evangelical invitation to the Gospel life.
But please do not just depend on good works, or setting a good example.  Invite people to the saved life!  More important than not being alone in a time of difficulty in this life, more important than being rescued from trouble in this life, is to not be alone at the Judgment, and to know that God has your whole life in His hands.  He has secured your temporary life and your eternal life, if you have faith in Him!  (1 Tim 1:12)
May our church keep loving Jesus and each other!

And Another Thing

A few months ago, maybe it was as far back as Spring, Asbury Seminary and our New Church Development Team hosted a Church Planters Roundtable.  There was a guy there, Chris Backert, who gave a great presentation on the recent history of church planting, current trends, and likely future developments.  Our core team snagged some time with him, picking his brain.  His basic advice to us was first, make Kentucky the most attractive place to plant a church; let planters know that we are invested in them and their success.  Second, become the best you can be in rural church planting.  He said that not only because Kentucky is a rural state, but also because it is a new frontier.  He pointed out that everyone tries to plant in cities and large towns.  But no one is planting in the countryside.  As far as an emerging trend, it is a clear one.

Ha ha!  Here we are planting a church in Menifee County, and feeling called and being blessed with people to do more and go farther south and east.  But it is really hard to find any advice or resources... it's so new, planting in a rural context, that we are writing the book as we go.

But then... at dinner in a Mexican Restaurant in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho... I sit next to Phil Claycomb, a pastor from Texas who is in the learning group I am a part of this year.  What does he do?  He runs a church planting network that recruits, trains, and equips church planters for towns under 3,000 in population.  I asked him, "So how did you get into that?"

Because he plants churches in Texas and Oklahoma, where there are lots of small towns.  And over dinner, he was gracious enough to share what they do.

So like I said, 350,000 churches in America.  Who knows how many pastors.  12 of us in a learning group.  And two of them intersect directly with what Mike and I are up to.

The Lord couldn't speak much more clearly.

Small World

I was in Post Falls, Idaho last week at a cool church, Real Life Ministries.  They are a large church, 6,000 + on Sundays, built on discipleship groups.  I am in my second go-round of an Exponential Learning Community-- small groups who get together at high-functioning, discipleship-oriented churches to learn.  I am pretty pumped to be able to take Mike Adams with me.  We will go to two more churches over the next 6 months, in Kansas City and Tacoma.

Anyway, what was really cool: when I introduced myself to some other pastors who just arrived, one guys asks me if I know where Frenchburg, KY is.  His church has been sending mission teams there but has had a hard time getting churches in the area to partner with. Ha ha.  I said, let me introduce you to Mike Adams, the pastor of our church plant in Frenchburg!

Seriously... how do you leave Morehead for Idaho and have a guy ask about Frenchburg?

Maybe the Holy Spirit!  What a divine appointment!