The Tool Box

By Bishop Charles Scott

Today it sits alone. Mostly it is used to hold the weight of more important items that are needed on a regular basis. Occasionally it is opened in search of an obscure implement known to exist but seen only on rare occasions. It holds no real monetary value or material worth. It’s my stepdad’s toolbox.

Newer storage systems have replaced the old metal clunker. The new containers are shiny, well planned and ergonomically strategic. They have a place for everything. No longer are the tools just tossed in a tray and laid in the chest; there is a method for tool storage. Toolboxes have gone high-tech.

Effective Church ministry requires tools. From website to nursery, from parking lot to media presentations, from first impressions to lasting impressions, from seating arrangements to event planning, the healthy local church requires multiple tools to reach all people groups. Sitting in the Sunday morning service are newcomers, participants, engaged members, and all-star servant-leaders. Pastors must reach into the toolbox and locate a tool to craft something for everyone. The message must inspire, educate, motivate, and bring everyone closer to Jesus.  It takes a full toolbox to do that Sunday after Sunday. 

Data shows that the newcomer is most likely to visit a church via an initial visit to the church website. In 2009, roughly 40 percent of visits to church websites came from newcomers. In 2012 the number increased to 91 percent (State of the Church, 2012. Monk Development. www.monkdevelopment.com/mediafiles/2012-state-of-the-church-online-v1.pdf ).  Research shows that people make choices about what church to visit based on preference rather than a denomination (State of the Church, 2012.  Monk Development. www. monkdevelopment.com/mediafiles/2012-state-of-the-church-online-v1.pdf ).

The Church toolbox in 2013 must be mobile. The communication culture has moved past the desktop computer to the mobile device. People want to find your church location on a mobile site with directions that are easy to read. 

Activities and events that provide fellowship and social networking are important devices in the Church toolbox. Discipleship, evangelism, and worship all connected to an anointed biblical message are foundational to build a healthy church. Printed bulletins, email newsletters, postcards, and mailers all go in the toolbox. Twitter and Facebook must be essential instruments.

There are so many tools to fit in the toolbox. Just taking care of the tools can become a full-time job. The focus can become taking care of the tools, polishing the tools, sharpening the tools, and admiring the vast array of tools.

Then, one old toolbox is ignored.

There remains one necessary tool that requires its own “box.” 

PRAYER.

Prayer is the toolbox that holds all the others in place. Without it, they all fall apart.

Once in awhile I open my stepdad’s old toolbox. I think about the times we worked on pipes, fiddled with the car, got a little greasy, and worked on a project. We were closest when we were working out of that toolbox. We were happiest when we were using that toolbox. We were more productive when using that toolbox. We saw a lot of things happen when we used that toolbox. We even saw things eye to eye.  

IBQ goes GLOBAL -by Susan Menzel

Buzzing sounds have been sounding off for years as generations of students have taken a seat in Bible Quiz matches in churches, classrooms, and conference rooms across America. Bible Quiz took shape within the Pentecostal Church of God in 1967, introduced by Rev. Charles and Marcella Pancoast. Thus, Impact Bible Quiz (IBQ) is not new.

With the introduction of technology, strides have been taken in many arenas of ministry to stay relevant with this techno-age. Video conferencing was introduced to users several decades ago; thus, as advancement has taken place, the development by companies such as Skype, ooVoo, or SightSpeed has made it feasible for the average person to communicate with someone across the world for FREE!

 

The Michigan District Impact Team has recently utilized this technology within an age-old program to connect missionary students from Iraq to Bible quizzing in the United States.

How we began.

I approached other primary Bible Quiz coaches within my league to ask if they objected to the idea. Once I received an enthusiastic response, I proceeded to check on Internet capabilities at the church location where the meet would be held. Our first match we signed into Skype on an ipad. After dialing and connecting, I set the ipad to face the quizmaster. Ellie and Chloe Pickett were tagged as Green 2 and Green 3.

The Pickett girls were set with spoons in their hand. We instructed the girls to strike the table when they knew the answer. After the prayer to begin the meet, the quizmaster began reading the questions as normal. The Pickett girls answered four questions the first match.  

The excitement!

Senior and junior players were so excited to hear what was taking place in the primary rooms, they requested to watch a match. However, because of the time difference between Iraq and Michigan, those watching the primary match were the only ones to witness the occasion.

The downside.

Depending on the Internet service, it is possible to experience a delay in sound. This makes it difficult for the “out-of-country” players to beat the US players to questions without interrupting the question. Also, our quizmasters do not use microphones for our league quiz meets, so it was hard for the Picketts to effectively hear each question.  

Overall, it was a positive experience for all parties involved. The leaders and parents enjoyed having an opportunity for the kids to interact with other quizzers across the globe.

ROUND AND ROUND WE GO by Randy Lawrence Jr.

Will they repeat the chorus or go back to verse 2? Or maybe they’ll go to the bridge? My thoughts raced as I listened closely to the worship team, focused intently on their every move. I clutched the next two transparency sheets firmly in my right hand (trying not to smear the handwritten ink), and with my left hand positioned 3 inches from the projector, I was ready for the big switch. I was the fastest transparency switcher east of the Mississippi, or at least I thought I was, and I wasn’t about to screw this up. It was the early ’90s, and the worship “transition” was in full effect. Our church was somewhere in between page 121 of red backs and “He Has Made Me Glad.” I laugh as I think back about all the times I sorted through the songs, wrote out new choruses, and even put the transparencies up backwards (complete accident, honestly, Dad, I promise).

To me, these are some great memories. However, years later, my parents (the senior pastors) shared some of the difficulties they experienced during this transition. What? Seriously? People did what? Said that? Left, why? My young mind was blown as my parents shared how they graciously transitioned from one style to another, and some of the struggles they faced. 

The Church has faced many transitions over the years. Why the change? Why the transitions? Why? Because at the end of the day, we live in a changing world in which we have the most relevant answer for society. Today, we, the Church, have access to the greatest tools and resources the world has ever known, and for that we must hold ourselves accountable. Are we doing the absolute best job we possibly can to communicate the message of the gospel to our communities? Regardless of whether we’re in the Burbs, the Bronx, or the Barns, this is the question! 

This is what we must ask ourselves when we look at change and transition. Why add a website? Why open up a Facebook account? Why add a coffee shop? Why add another service? Why paint the foyer and update the kid’s area? The answer: the change is not for us, for our preference or style, but for the unbeliever in your community who has yet to enter your doors. They deserve a relevant message, presented with a spirit of excellence that communicates to them that God is in our midst!

I love the words that God spoke to Moses in Deuteronomy 2, “You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward” (verse 3, NKJV). OUCH! That hurts. Talk about getting straight to the point! What is it that we have argued over long enough? How many trips around the mountain does it take for us to realize we’ve missed the goal here? God has plans for us and we must move on!

It’s quite humorous, how everything for me in life has now done a 180. Now I’m the one in the worship service trying to keep up. What are the words to that song? How many verses do we really need? Can we sing any faster? I smile as my mind thinks and refers back to my (now outdated) worship preferences. It’s in these moments I realize, WOW, this really wasn’t about me in the first place was it, God? I really didn’t have it figured out! And to be quite honest, I’m beginning to think that God doesn’t have a worship, church, or style preference, but rather a HEART preference!

The changes, additions, and transitions we make as a Church family, must be centered on one thing: Jesus. The goal is not to be “hip” or “trendy,” but to communicate the message with a spirit of excellence that is relevant to our community. In the words of Pastor Tullian Tchividjian, “Jesus plus nothing equals everything.” Whether you preach in skinny jeans with an i-pad or in a 3-piece suit with leather bound KJV, if Jesus remains the focal point of your heart, you will be able to make the changes necessary to effectively reach your community. At the end of it all, nothing else matters. To me, that is relevant.