I believe the most important aspect of being a church that reaches a lot of unchurched people is creating a culture of evangelism. The only way I know to create a culture of evangelism is to preach the Gospel every week.   We give people an opportunity to come to know Jesus in our services every week and not a week goes by when we see people give their lives to Jesus.   You have to preach on evangelism, but people need to see the Gospel preached and see people respond.  It builds people's faith when people are turning to … Read More

I am amazed that God has allowed Calvary Fellowship to be much an evangelistic church that reaches primarily unchurched people.   The reason I'm so amazed is because I'm not an evangelist.  I'm a Bible teacher. That's my sweet spot. Teaching through books of the Bible and feeding God's people.   While that's my primary gifting, my passion is to see lost people found. Nothing give me greater joy than to see a lost person give their life to Jesus and start growing in their faith.   This week I'm going to talk about how that happens in our context … Read More

– Yesterday was amazing!  – I taught Proverbs 31 & talked about the ideal woman  – Yes, I cried… in both services! – I get very emotional when I talk about my wife & how good God has been to me.  – I was amazed to see the majority of people in the congregation (both men and women) crying as well.  – I believe God was glorified and we were challenged to follow Jesus more closely  – I really believe this Proverbs series has been one of the most powerful series of teachings we've ever done. God is using every … Read More

This is a question I get regularly. Many times, a Pastor will give a challenge for Christians to "test God" according to Mal. 3 and tithe for 90 days and see how God is faithful. Lots of people will indicate that they are going to participate and never give.   Why does this happen? Simply put, if you don't have a solid follow up plan, the results will be minimal.  While giving is of course a spiritual act, the encouragement of a good follow up plan helps those who made the decision to begin giving continue to give and experience … Read More

In this new economy, churches seem to be feeling the sting of people losing their jobs. I'm hearing about churches cutting staff positions, cutting salaries, and cutting ministries. I'm thankful that in this new economic reality, we've seen a 31% increase in giving in 2009!  I believe the key to creating a culture of generosity in your church is to teach new believers that giving is basic Christianity. That's why we teach new believers about giving in our new believers' class and we encourage them to take the Tithe Challenge and see God's faithfulness in giving.  Generous people create a … Read More

– Today was amazing! We had a great crowd that was very receptive to a serious message.  – I taught Proverbs 3:1-35 on the subject of "How to be a Man of God" – I talked seriously to the guys about how to be a real man according to the Bible  – I talked to the girls about waiting for a man of God to show up and not settling for a chump.  – I think I got the most feedback I've ever gotten from a message.  – I'm praying for the men in our church to be the men … Read More

I got this question recently, so thought I'd post my answer:  "I see that you guys reach a lot of unchurched people. How do you help them take the next step after conversion?"   First, this is a fantastic question. It's the question that we should be obsessed with getting better at answering.  There's more than one issue here, but I'll give you a couple of important points:  1) Define what the next step is – People will generally follow the steps if you lay them out in a logical way and only share the steps one at a time. Share more than … Read More

The major reason new believers fall through the cracks in churches isn't because leaders don't care.  It's not because the friend who invited them don't care.  The #1 reason new believers fall through the cracks is because there is no intentional plan to lead them from a decision for Jesus to becoming a disciple of Jesus.  Peter Drucker said to start with the end in mind. The goal is want them to be mature. The key now is the develop an intentional process that leads them to maturity.   I believe the greatest stewardship we are given is the stewardship … Read More