The Importance of Visitation

I want to follow up on that letter Tom Ditto wrote.  He was pastor in the church I serve 50 years ago.  Perhaps you remember that I could point to two couples that I know, and their kids and grandkids, who came to this church because of the visitation Rev. Ditto and members of the congregation did.  I asked Sue Wells, a member who knows a lot about this town and this church.  She took the names and addresses and made a report for me.

From that report, in addition to the two couples I know, Sue noted that at least 8 people became active members.  She had additional information about a number of people who became active to some degree and then others who while they never joined were a strong part of the ministry.  And how about this… there are a number of families who the parents did not come, but the kids did.  And one of those “kids” now has two kids in our youth ministry.

What a great legacy—new members, people exploring the faith, maybe the parents did not come, but some grandkids are here.  Think long-term.  Yes, it is awesome when someone comes to Christ.  But for that to happen on your watch, many others went before you, preparing the ground.  I look at the two grandkids (not using their names because I have not asked permission yet) and I think how important they are in my kids’ lives… to think that an important piece in their accepting Christ last year was something they probably have no clue about: some people from the church visited their grandparents.

I am also humbled by my spiritual fathers.  I have Howard Willen’s robe, Harold Hunter’s stole, and Harold Dorsey’s service book.  And now Tom Ditto’s letter.

I really hope that we are encouraged to reach out to our neighbors. To be serious about visitation! Over and over you hear that it doesn’t work.  Even now, someone is saying, “well, it worked then, but that was the 60s. Times are different. It doesn’t work now.”  Have you tried it?  Consistently? Not one-and-done, but regularly going out with some people, inviting new folks to the church? Inviting people who have been here forever… to come to church?

I have a favor to ask.  A friend of mine, John Wesley Leek, will be leading some visitation work with his church in rural Mississippi.  He has been serious about going out and getting to know the neighbors, helping them to get to know the church.  Will you pray for him and his church?  I bet if we get some prayer power on it, his little church will see great results!

Bishop Asbury Speaks

Those of you who know me and those who have read this blog know that often enough I bring up the practice of visiting house to house.  This kind of evangelism freaks people out for a whole variety of reasons we can talk about later.

What I want to bring up here is the vow we take as Methodist pastors.  “Will you visit from house to house?”  All those who are ordained as Methodist pastors get asked this at their ordination service.  We are all supposed to answer “yes.”  And we do.  I visit house to house first of all, because I took a vow to. (The other vows are worth looking at, too.  Again, later.)  I visit house to house because IT WORKS, on a bunch of levels.  Sometimes it brings people to church and then to salvation.  Sometimes I get to pray with people! People I would otherwise never meet, or know the burdens on their heart.

I have noticed from the beginning of my ministry that almost no pastor who vowed to visit house to house does so.  I have asked all kinds of people—other pastors, District Superintendents from various conferences, bishops—and I get a basic response.  The questions are “heritage” questions.  We are acting out an old ordination service, but we don’t need to live into the vows.  Or, for the specific question, “Will you visit from house to house,” I have been told most often that it means the people in your church.

Francis Asbury, one of the two original Bishops of the Methodist Church, died in 1816, 200 years ago.  I have been thinking that this would be a great year to read his journals.  I have read Wesley’s Journal, and it was probably the best thing I ever read about what it takes to be a pastor.  Asbury was the bishop who laid out a vision for the Methodists in the new nation.  Well, finding Asbury’s journal has been a little harder.  I found one on Amazon, but it is only volume 2 of a three volume set.  No biggie, I figured I would start there.

As I was packing to head to Illinois, I picked it up to put in my bag and it opened.  I glanced at random and came across this gem from May 24, 1795: “I spent part of the week in visiting from house to house. I feel happy in speaking to all I find, whether parents, children, or servants; I see no other way; the common means will not do; Baxter, Wesley, and our Form of Discipline say, ‘Go into every house;’ I would go farther and say, go into every kitchen and shop—address all, aged and young, on the salvation of their souls.”

So, there you have it.  Asbury, who knew Wesley well, gathered that visiting from house to house really  means going from house to house!  And not just the homes of your own people.  He cites Richard Baxter, probably thinking of his great book on pastoral care “The Reformed Pastor,” and John Wesley and the Methodist book of Discipline.

All that remains for us to decide is if this practice makes any sense today.  What has changed since 1816, and when did it change, so that visiting from house to house should be neglected?  And if it should be neglected, can we drop it from ordination, because it seems in poor taste to start ministry with dishonest answers to questions that don’t matter.

Or… could it be that in a day when fewer and fewer people come to church, and very few know much about what it means to be a Christian, that pastors should rediscover this to get to know the people who aren’t coming to church, and for whom the “common means” (going to church, growing up in a Christian culture, etc) are not working?

A Letter to My Church

I have now, in my formerly gunpowder-stained hands, a letter, written in 1961,  to my church from its then-pastor, Tom Ditto.  In just a few days, it has become a very important and inspiring thing to me.

But before we go back to 1961, I have to say a few words about Tom Ditto.  When I was going through ordination, I was placed in a sort of small study group of other ordinands.  I was in there with some of my closest friends in ministry.  Martina Ockerman, one of my oldest friends in Kentucky; my best friend from seminary, Lyle Morton; and Scott Wilson—you know that story… we went to middle school together in Germany, and how cool is it to be in ministry with him AND his son, Jacob.  Well, Tom Ditto was assigned to us as a clergy mentor.  Man, did he walk me through some thorny stuff.  My first church had the meanest white woman in America in it.  I bet I cried to Tom once a month.

I would see Tom about once a year at Evangelism Resources’ banquet.  He went home to glory a little over a year ago.

Last week, Janis and Jack Ellis invited me over to give me some of Jack’s old books.  Look through a preacher’s, a writer’s, a scholar’s books?  Yes, please!

I was not prepared that the best part of what was in one of the boxes he gave me was the aforementioned letter.

The letter was written to a number of people who had gathered together to go over names of new people in Morehead, and then went out to visit them (!!!) and invite them to church.

The most important paragraph of the letter, and the only part I will quote, reads: “’Jesus Christ is Lord’ is the emphasis of the Methodist Church for the next four years.  Immediately the special area of this emphasis is centered in evangelism.  The goal is that every member of the Church will begin to witness about Christ to friends, neighbors and associates.  Let us each prepare ourselves daily with spiritual disciplines that will enable us to do this.”

Whoa. Friends, this is great stuff!  One time, not too long ago, the national church called its members to evangelism? To the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Evangelism has fallen on hard times in the United Methodist Church.  Since Rev. Ditto wrote that letter, the UMC has lost more than 60% of its members.  In 1957, we were the largest Protestant denomination.  Since then, a continuous slide.  But we’re paid well, have nice pensions, and a lot of property value.  You know, the stuff the Great Commission is all about.

But there is more to the letter.  In fact, it’s not so much what Rev. Ditto wrote as it is what else was in the letter: the names and addresses of many new people in the community.  I want to sit down with some of the older members and see how many of the folks on this list became a part of the church.  But I can tell you that two of the families on that list did and are still here. I know their kids, grandkids, and soon great-grandkids.  Paul Ousley is on the list. He has gone home to glory.  But his dear wife Gail is still here, one of our treasurers.  And so are Howard and JoAnne Setser.  Howard and JoAnne’s daughter Elizabeth married a friend of mine from Sunday School in Lexington, Mike Berry.  Mike and Elizabeth are both prominent leaders in a great church where Jerry Beck-- a pastor I love-- serves!

I have no way of calculating the impact of these families on the Kingdom.  Their years of worship.  Of service. Of tithing. Their witness to their friends and family. The work that goes on through their kids and grandkids.  Now what would happen, if were to learn about how so many others of our members came to know Christ?  Wouldn’t we have a totally different view of how to do evangelism, WHY to do it?  How to stay encouraged about it?  Joyce Saxon’s father told God is she got saved he would become a preacher.  What about countless fathers and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers praying by children’s bedsides, doing devotionals together, exalting Christ in the day-to-day? If I think about it, I am overwhelmed. I see each person in my mind and cannot fathom how many people, stretching back to the Apostles, were faithful in living and proclaiming so that each person in my church came to know Christ! To think that today, I may be someone who can witness to another.  Any person living their life in the light of Christ—we can never understand what influence they will have. Each one of us who is saved is a miracle!

Someone went to visit the people on this list.  I know of at least two other prominent members of my church that came because Rev. Ditto visited them when they came to town.

I think this letter is one of the most encouraging and challenging things I have come across.  A simple letter, nothing of earth-shaking historical value.  But what it shows us is a pastor and church who wanted to reach their town for Christ.  A small town, but that does not matter.  Everywhere, people need to know Jesus, and we should be pleased to introduce Him anywhere to anyone!

And then there’s this.  We may think, “I went out and visited people, and invited people, and no one came.”  Don’t I know it! If I counted the fruit of my evangelism based on the percentage of people who became followers of Christ, I’d be so depressed.  My own self-assessment is that I am a less-than-average evangelist.  But I don’t worry about numbers or rejection. What I do focus on is that when one person accepts Christ, angels rejoice.  And this letter from Rev. Ditto reminds me that each person who comes to Christ can have an amazing impact over the long haul of the Kingdom. Don’t obsess about all the people who don’t respond to your invitation.  Or who reject your precious Savior, who is so dear to you that it hurts if they take Him lightly.  Think that those who do come to know Him through your witness will also bear fruit for the Gospel.  You may never get to see that fruit.  But it is there.

So it has been a long time since I have posted here.  A part of me wishes that I had written something soon after the Exponential West Coast Conference, because some really wonderful things happened there.

Maybe I should just hit the highlights.  Maybe that will jog my memory a bit.

Exponential is a church planting conference.  Church planting is kind of like the space program of the church; it pushes the envelope and develops new strategies for evangelism and discipleship.  So even if you are not interested in planting a church, you can still learn a lot.

There were really great speakers, too many to mention.  Max Lucado was definitely a highlight, but so were Joby Martin, Derwin Gray, and Oscar Muriu.   I think, though, two speakers really stood out.  JD Greear has been beating the drum of multiplication and releasing leaders and resources to start new churches.  Ying Kai is a church planter in China whose organization has baptized 1.7 million (yes, you read that correctly) people in 20 years.  And he freely gives away what he has learned.  As I write this, I realize that I will spend some time blogging about this in the future.

What I want to say now… God does some amazing things.  I just keep finding that he puts so many people in our path.  I don’t know where to start so maybe with the first crazy thing.  In the first breakout session, the guy presenting talks a bit to me and says, “Hey, you’re from Kentucky, go meet Jamey!” So I meet Jamey, who planted a church in Louisville, but is now planting a church in Phoenix.  Where are his parents from, and where did he spend most of his summers as a kid? Menifee County!  We hope to have a conversation with him to reach out to some of his family who still live there!

Some of you know how much I agonize for places that don’t have the Gospel preached, and how much I am distressed that California, my home state, the state with the most population in the U.S. has so few Methodists.  My great-great grandmother was a Methodist from Bitterwater.  I can’t imagine what a middle-of-nowhere that place was 140 years ago… and still a Methodist circuit rider went out there, because even though homesteads were few and far between, there were souls there to save!

Anyway, one day at Exponential, I was in the bookstore of the church that was hosting the Conference.  They have their own Lifeway bookstore…which is another story.  I see a guy whose name tag says he is from my dad’s hometown.  He and his wife are planting there. She left and was never going back, but she said they were visiting and saw so much pain and brokenness and they wanted to plant a “life-giving church for God’s people.” God was working on me, because I woke up the next morning weeping with the joy of the Lord! The Holy Spirit had started working me over before I woke up!  I was so blown away that this couple was there!  God spoke plainly. “Don’t worry about California.  I’ve got that.  What I don’t have is Eastern Kentucky.”

I had to laugh, because as I look back on my intense prayer time last year where God told me I could ask Him for anything I wanted, and after weeks of Him pushing me to ask for something real, for something only He could do and only He could get any credit for, I finally blurted out, “Give me a disciple-making movement that wins Eastern Kentucky to Christ!” He worked me around to where my heart broke for what breaks His; He led me to follow where He was going.  I am so thankful! Otherwise I would be roping the wind.

This Conference was in many ways a dream.  I took Jessie, Mike (our planter in Frenchburg) and Jacob, who I hope will be able to come on board at our church to lead worship in a third service.  I keep wanting to take more and more people, to let them have a taste of the deep desire so many have for evangelism and discipleship.

New Hope Discipleship Movement.

Next Sunday, I will be heading to the Exponential West Conference in Orange County, CA.  There is a pre-conference event called The National Discipleship Forum, which is hands down the best event I have been to anywhere, anytime.  Exponential is the largest gathering of church planters in the world.  The one in Orlando in the spring has about 5,000 in attendance.  I think West has about 2,000.  I love going because of the energy and optimism.  It's thousands of people who believe everyone is going to be baptized... tomorrow!  The worship is some of the best I know of and the teaching is from the best practitioners.  Even though it is church planting-specific, church planting is kind of like the space program of the church-- it develops great evangelism and discipleship tools.

Jessie, Mike Adams (our former youth pastor who is planting our church in Frenchburg, KY) and Jacob Wilson are going with me.  I hope to keep taking more people each year. The Discipleship Forum by itself is worth the time and effort to get to.  If you have a holy discontent about the church, about your own discipleship, let's talk.  New Hope Discipleship Movement (a non-profit Mike, Wes, and I set up to start new churches in Appalachia) will be taking a crew to Orlando in April. Hit me up if you want to go.

Pray for us-- for safe travel, for great fellowship, for deep learning.  Last year I went with Mike and Jacob.  Jesus wrecked our lives.  I daresay we are still figuring out what happened, still dealing with the fallout, still putting things into place to be better at making disciples. Pray that we get wrecked again, hearts broken for the neglected mission of making disciples.  Pray that we come back with a spirit of humility, because we are going to be on the cutting edge of the Church.

About this time last year, I went to take one of my 15 minute afternoon naps.  But I could not.  God had me raise my arms in prayer and I knew I just had to keep them there in praise.  After a while, He spoke.  "Ask me for anything you want."  I made a few feeble stabs, ashamed that I was not ready!  Everything I asked for, He said "I already do  that. Ask me for something that only I can do."  I would pray at other times for the next few months, but still was not asking for enough.  I shared this with a small group  of friends, some prayer warriors.  Finally, one day I just cried out in desperation for the mission, "Lord, give me a disciple-making movement that takes back Eastern Kentucky for Christ!" And then there was absolute peace and assurance.  Thus New Hope Discipleship Movement was born.

Pumped Up

I want to share some stuff that's been going on that has been really encouraging.

First, our Children's Ministry.  My wife Jessie is the Children' s Pastor in our church, and she is knocking it out.  As in they have outgrown their second space, and need to look for a new place. The kids have a great two hour bloc on Sundays of Sunday school and children's worship.  They do catechism and they know more about worship than the adults!

Second, our Youth Ministry.  Adam Foster and a crew of volunteers worked really hard to put on a great Youth Kickoff with a lot of energy and games and fun and an awesome fireside devotion.  It's great to be in Morehead where you can have a big gym to romp in and then go outside under the trees and hear crickets chirping. 40 kids, most of whom we just met last night, came.

On the church planting front, Mike Adams, our church planter in Menifee County, KY, is also working as a boys basketball coach for the high school.  It has given him and his new church a lot of visibility in the community, as well as providing them with a mission.  His main focus is on discipleship.  He, Wes, Holland and I have formed a non=profit called New Hope Discipleship Movement with the purpose of raising up and training evangelists and disciple-makers who start new works of God in the rural areas of Eastern Kentucky.

When I was in Lexington, I met a couple, Chad and Meredith Brooks.  They have the dubious honor of inventing the Methodist Mimosa-- orange juice and Ale-8.  Anyway they came to our church in the fall of 2006, and informed me not long after they started coming that they were leaving because of something I said.  It's not what you're thinking.  I was challenging people to live incarnationally where they worship. So Chad and Meredith said it was crazy for them to drive from Nicholasville when there was a church right next door that needed their help.  But, he said, he would be back to do his supervised ministry with me.  Sure enough, 2010 he came back.  We had some epic times talking Q, doing evangelism visits on the crazy streets of Northside, and fellowshipping.  My boys adored Chad and Meredith.

Fast forward. Chad went home to Louisiana.  He is planting a church called Foundry in Stirlington, outside of Monroe.  I stay in touch with him because we're buds and also because one of my spiritual gifts is talking church planters out of quitting when they get hit with the ridiculous obstacles and barriers that get thrown at them.  They had their launch service last weekend.  I have been preaching for years you need to launch Fast and Loud.  As many people as you can get.  Because after 6 weeks you will only have 1/2 of the number who come to launch.  Chad launched with 354.  Basically, he is day one sustainable.

Chad was worried he might break the rule about 1/2 the people after 6 weeks, as in he was worried they have been a misfit church, not fitting any paradigms, so maybe they will have less.  I doubt it.  I think he will grow even bigger.  Chad works hard and smart.  Pray him up and check him out at revchadbrooks.com

Awesome Evangelism Visit(s)

So, we divided up into two teams.  Justine took Adam, our youth pastor.  I took Jacob Wilson, pastor of Barterville UMC and general idea-generator.  We hit a neighborhood I had been to about a year ago.  MOst folks weren't home, as it was middle of the day.  And that's ok-- sometimes it's good to get a lot of cards out!  But we had three people we got to talk to.

First was a fellow who said he "just has not felt the need to go to church."  Now, normally, I would have talked about what he thinks his "need" would be, and then describe the Bible's definition of his need.  But for a number of reasons, I knew it was not the time. The Gospel would not have gotten a hearing, and as I was sensing that he will one day respond to communication at a later time, I moved on.  I hate that, because a part of me thinks, no you have to tell him now. I hope I was right.

Next house, a woman opens the door with a maybe a three year old on her hip.  We told her who we are, asked if she had a church.  Long story short, she visited the church about 3 years ago, I visited the house they were living in after they came to the church, but they moved.  She remembered the church and we had a great time reconnecting.  Then while we were still talking, her husband showed up and we were able to really talk to them about all the ministries of the church.  So let's hope they come!

I asked Jacob what he thought about that visit.  He was pumped, of course, but he had a great suggestion about getting contact information.  To see it, you'll have to watch the periscope video.  Get the periscope app on your smartphone or tablet and follow aaronjmansfield  Maybe I will post it to youtube.

Anyway, we hit another house and it was another family who came sometime back but had not been since.  It was cool to reconnect there, too.  We had a chance to invite them and remind them of the love of God.

Jacob was excited that we made a contact that will probably come to church.  He said, "What would happen if every month you had a family of four join the church?"

Right! Your church will grow!  The tough thing is... getting more people out and getting the time to do the visits.  I guess I would say, many many days I wish it was all I did!