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Why I’m writing about holiness

Holiness is a mega-theme of Scripture, running from very early in the story to the final pages of the Scripture, and soaking into every book of the Bible in some way.  So clearly, it’s important — God wants us to know something about it. 

Holiness is a neglected topic  

Kevin Deyoung wrote a book recently called “The Hole in our Holiness” — he’s seeing the same thing that I am.  A lot of times, the Gospel is treated as the Good News, and holiness, sanctification, growing in Christlikeness is treated as the irrelevant news… like it barely matters.  

It can be a bit controversial at times, because it touches every part of your life.  I want to warn you — don’t do this unless you’re willing to let theology get uncomfortable.  If you’re just wanting to be one of those Christians who goes to church, occasionally shares “I can do all things through Christ” memes on Facebook and your closest relationship with your Bible is when you’re taking a picture of it with a great filter on instagram.  🙂  then this probably isn’t for you. 

Seriously, only do this if you’re wanting a passionate walk with God, if you want it to blow up into something that may be uncomfortable at times, but results in greater joy, greater intimacy with Jesus, greater amounts of the potential of God’s grace being real in your life.  

Holiness must increase after the New Birth

I think we all know that there’s this gap in our lives — a gap between what God provided and what we experience… between what Jesus accomplished, and what we actually bring into real life experience.  We all know there’s more victory, more joy, more love for God, more committed following of him… more growth in holiness leading to more happiness.  

This program is about what God can do to close that gap.  It’s not new teaching, or something I came up with.  I’m taking truths that have been taught by millions for centuries… that are found in the pages of God’s Word, and just shining new light on them. 

If you’re just watching this on the website, you can click the link in the description below to download a printable Holiness Bible study workbook that you can print out.  

What if I’m not from a holiness church?

Now, I know there are two kinds of people reading this: 

People who have maybe heard of “holiness churches” and you’re not sure what that is, or if it’s some kind of cult or something.  You’re wondering if this really Gospel, or if it’s some fringe teaching… is it Pentecostal?  Do I have to handle snakes? 🙂  Do I have to become a Methodist?  Or maybe you’re wondering if you have to leave your church or something in order to learn about holiness def and see it grow in your life.  Relax.  I’m interested in you being holy no matter where you are, and growing in that holiness for the rest of your life.  This isn’t about a denomination, it’s about a quality of life with God.  That’s what I want for you. Everything else is details.

What if I don’t understand holiness?

Another group of people are here who are FROM holiness church near me, and you’re a bit confused… you’ve heard different things about the doctrine of holiness.  Sometimes it’s been confusing.  Some people have been around you who lived it, but didn’t teach how very well.  Other people around you may have taught it, but when it came to their life, they really didn’t live it.  Sometimes people preached entire sanctification in ways that really didn’t connect with you, and you’re kind of wandering theologically. I think this is going to be helpful to that group, too.  

Both of those groups, here’s what I’d like you to do:  Put aside your pre-suppositions for a minute and let me say this… all I want is for you to be as much like Jesus as possible.  That’s it.  That’s what holiness means.  So if you’re in for that journey, stick with me.  We’ll build a biblical theology of what it means to be holy, and how Jesus grows our holiness, and we’ll chase it together for these 40 days.  I think what you’ll discover is, that this isn’t as complicated as you thought, it’s a way full of joy and passion for God and his Gospel and his character in our lives.

If you’ve been raised in a holiness church and you’re wondering whether or not to give it another shot, stick with me.  For the next 40 days do this study, set aside your assumptions and what you thought you know, and what you’ve been taught and confused about… and just flow with this.  

Here’s a word about holiness theology and terms:

This is my attempt to teach what is possible for God to do in your heart by using as few theological and category words as possible. I’m going to (as much as possible) avoid using theology categories, and just let the scripture shape both the container and the holiness content that we’re going to put in it. 🙂

This is a 40 day journey… watch your daily video, pray over it, meditate on the question of the day, and let’s pursue holiness and learn what holiness to God means together.

I’m excited to get started!

40 Days of teaching videos on holiness def at www.40daysofholiness.com

A Bible study about Holiness

www.40daysofholiness.com is a holiness bible study that teaches on God’s holiness, and how he creates it in humans. Taught by Darrell Stetler II, this 40 day discipleship journey to teach you how to grow as a Christian will take you deep into the heart of God, seeing the beauty of His holiness, and learning to long for it in your own life. We’ll give holiness definition and clarity, talk about what holiness is and what holiness isn’t, and teach you how to become holy, and grow in holiness. The 40 Day Holiness Bible study deals with questions such as:

  • How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? 
  • What does it mean that God is holy?
  • What is the definition of holiness? 
  • How does God make us holy?
  • What is sanctification?

You can get your own copy at Http://challenge.40daysofholiness.com.

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What does the Bible say about Holiness?

Darrell Stetler II video teaching on holiness

Holiness is one of those topics that seems to confuse people. Sometimes, people don’t seem to understand why holiness matters, or even what the definition of holiness is. There are many questions people struggle with:

  • What does the Bible say about holiness?
  • What does it mean that God is holy? 
  • What is the definition of holiness? 
  • Why are some churches called holiness churches?
  • How much holiness does God require of me? 
  • How can the Holy Spirit really transform my character and life?
  • Is it really reasonable to expect a life of holiness and victory over sin?
  • How can I ever be holy when I’ve got so many issues?

Holiness is not a niche product for a narrow market — it’s not just for Pentecostals, or the Holiness Movement, the Bible Methodists, or people who believe Wesleyan/Arminian theology. Study of God’s holiness and how to “be holy, for I, the Lord your God am holy,” (see 1 Peter 1:16) is for all serious Christians, all students of God’s Word, regardless of denomination or background.

After all, “…without holiness, no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14) I’d say that places the stakes pretty high. Regardless of denomination or theological background, we should care about what the Bible says about holiness, both about God’s holiness and ours!

How do we teach what the Bible says about holiness?

Much of my childhood has been marked by men who preached holiness in my generation. My grandfathers, Kenneth Stetler and V.O. Agan, preached holiness for their audiences, and lived it in their home life and before their families. Much of what I know about the Scriptures teach about holiness was preached and lived before me by my dad, Darrell Stetler, Sr.

I owe much to these men and their faithful teaching of the Scriptures.

But how do we teach people what the Bible says about holiness in the current day? How do we disciple new Christians to break through the current cultural climate and care about God’s holiness being reproduced in their lives and hearts? Frankly, people in my theological circles have not written and said much in the public “theological square” about the topic of the holiness of God in the last few decades.

So it is with great trembling that I am stepping out to add my voice to the topic.

Today, I want to invite you to participate in the Pursuing Holiness Challenge: A 40 Day Holiness Discipleship Journey.

Introducing Pursuing Holiness

www.40daysofholiness.com Pursuing Holiness Logo for Pursuing Holiness: A 40-Day Discipleship in Holiness experience
Pursuing Holiness: A 40-Day Discipleship in Holiness experience
What is included in the 40 Days of Holiness Church Campaign? www.40daysofholiness.com

What 40 Days of Holiness Includes

The campaign is starting to be starting this year on Pentecost Sunday, but it is one of those work at your own pace things. If you miss a day you just pick up where you left off, so it’s a great opportunity to learn about what holiness means, and how you can be holy as God is holy. 

Throughout the Pursuing Holiness challenge, there will be a Facebook group and you have opportunity to ask questions — 

When you participate in 40 Days of Holiness, you’re buying so much more than just one more spiritual growth book. Let me show you what I mean:

Feature #1: 40 Days of TEACHING VIDEOS ON HOLINESS

Here’s an example of the teaching videos on the holiness of God. This is from Day 1 of the challenge:

Feature #2: 40 Days of video PRAYERS FOR HOLINESS

When the teaching video is done, there is a sample prayer that is included in your workbook and there was also on the website a five minutes video of guided I pray for 2-minutes. Here’s an example from Day 8 of the challenge:

So these daily prayers are specifically praying back to God about what he’s talking to us about from the Bible verses on holiness for that day, you three minutes of prayer at the end of that to pray and seek on your own.  

Feature #3: Holiness MEDITATION QUESTIONS

Each day also features 2-3 meditation questions where you have a chance to pause and think and journal, to consider what God is saying to you, and to allow the Holy Spirit to teach you in a deeper way what holiness means.

  • Pursuing Holiness Workbook meditation questions on what holiness def

Feature #4: A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS about holiness

Every single day of the 40 Days of Holiness experience has a neat feature — on the website, there’s an invitation to ask questions. You can click the little chat button, and your questions come straight to my email. I’ll try to answer it on my YouTube channel.

Feature #5: A FACEBOOK COMMUNITY

So we’re going to do our best to just experience this seeking of holiness together. But it’s way different and way more than just a book what year what year purchasing here is an experience with a whole group online a digital community of God’s people.

So how can I get 40 Days of Holiness for my church?

You can either choose a digital download version of the Pursuing Holiness workbook that you can print out yourself, or you can choose to have one shipped directly to you… 

If you’re a pastor, or Sunday school teacher, I’m going to give you a hint – you can HUGE price discount if you get your church or Sunday school class to take it together! Click this link to get the 40 Days of Holiness church campaign

I want you to invite invite you and your family and your people in your church of your small group along with us that’s all across the country we engage this topic is vital crucial but often forgotten misunderstood topic of the Holiness of God. 

A subscription to this product in the NewStart Discipleship Tools family, gives you an unlimited printing license for these 130 page workbooks.

So here’s the final question I want you to think about:

Imagine with me for a moment that you took 40 days and you looked deep into God’s holiness. What if you spent an anchor 15 minutes a day just learning and mulling over and meditating on the Scripture… meditating on God and inviting his work in you that time of day for you — everyday for 40 days? 

Would it make a difference in your walk with Jesus?

Oh, yes it would! I am convinced that God is going to use this take you to a different level in your walk with him in his holiness!

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How to Handle the First 50 Days of Discipleship

Darrell Stetler II talks about how to build holy habits into the lives of new Christians by creating tools like the NewStart Discipleship journal. For more info, or to download a free evaluation copy of the journal, visit www.newstartdiscipleship.com
The First 50 Days of Discipleship for New Christians short seminar

I was recently asked to share at Outreach and Bus Convention about how to create tools to help new Christians get established in their faith, and form discipleship routines.

I shared a session about how even small church pastors can do a better job discipling new converts in those crucial first 50 days.

Here’s the video:

If you’d like to download a handout and use this for training in your local church to create vision for making disciples, you’re welcome to do that. CLICK HERE to download the handout instantly.

In a recent Barna Survey:

Only 1% Of Pastors say that churches these days are doing “very well” with discipling new believers.

Only 8% Of Pastors say that their church is doing “very well” with discipling new believers.

Wow. Clearly, almost everyone recognizes that we’ve got work to do to level up our game for new believers!

3 Questions You Must Ask About Your Discipleship

#1: What am I trying to produce?

Baby Christians who know the disciples names? Or new Christians who have holy habits that will continue to transform them?

Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he was you.

Dallas Willard

So here’s what I decided I want to produce in my new believers here in my local small church. I want to go from information to transformation by producing:

  • Actions & habits in their lives.
  • Emotions.
  • Prayer & Bible as a conversation with God.
  • Self feeders

#2: Is the entrance & pathway absolutely crystal clear?

#1 rule of marketing: A confused mind always says NO. Unclear direction stops people from moving forward.

#3: Can it be multiplied?

You’ve got to set your discipleship plan free from the need for a Bible or communications degree.

Multiplication is going to require 2 things:

Clarity & Simplicity

WHAT IF YOU COULD BUILD A SYSTEM THAT WOULD SOLVE THOSE PROBLEMS?

#1: a system that was more about habits of transformation for new Christians than information?

#2: a system that was absolutely crystal clear to new believers for that critical first couple of months?

#3: a system that was EASY to give away & multiply so that anyone in your church could become a disciple-maker?

Creating a NewStart for new believers means discipling them on how to become self-feeders, how to develop holy habits that will continue to transform them.
Creating a NewStart for new believers in Jesus


5 Secrets to move from information to transformation:

Secret #1: Do your thinking in advance.

What habits do I want them to develop right up front? How am I going to create those habits in a way that is perfectly clear for new converts? How can I

Secret #2: Focus on mini habits, not factoids.

If you can establish habits for your new Christians that are tiny, but are anchors for future growth, you’ll be ahead instead of teaching them Bible fact content.

Secret #3: Start with Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

The NewStart Discipleship System, for instance, starts with a 50 day Bible reading plan that covers the highlights of the Bible, so they grasp the broad strategy of the story God is telling. (If you’d like a free evaluation copy of the NewStart Discipleship Journal emailed to you, just click here to get it instantly via email.)

Secret #4: Harness rhythms & tools that already exist.

You’re only going to get so far fighting the way people consume information in the modern age. Your plan should integrate with technology like smartphones or devices, to help new Christians find the tools they need to grow in discipleship.

Secret #5: Integrate connection with your plan. How are you going to remind & facilitate connection with your new Christians so they are matched with disciple-makers in your local congregation?

What next?

If you want a solid, turn-key system to help you create new disciples that are forming new habits that will grow their new life in Christ, you should consider subscribing to NewStart Discipleship Premium.

This valuable set of tools features the NewStart Discipleship Journal, The NewStart Discipleship website, and a series of bite-sized, tech-integrated spiritual growth tools for new Christians.

NewStart Discipleship premium subscription gives your small church unlimited access to www.newstartdiscipleship.com and unlimited printing license for the

Not only does NewStart Discipleship Premium include an unlimited printing license for the new believer journals and Bible reading plan, the set of tools also continues to grow. I’ll be sharing more in a few weeks, but coming soon, the NewStart Discipleship set of tools will add:

Defending Your Faith

This 10-session video class will equip new believers to understand the firm foundation on which their Christian faith rests. It features content developed for Shepherd’s Global Classroom by Dr. Mark Bird, and a downloadable workbook.

Pursuing Holiness – A 40 Day Journey

www.40daysofholiness.com is a site that teaches on God's holiness, and how he creates it in humans. Taught by Darrell Stetler II, this 40 day discipleship journey for growing Christians will take you deep into the heart of God, seeing the beauty of His holiness, and learning to long for it in your own life. We’ll give holiness definition and clarity, talk about what holiness is and what holiness isn’t, and teach you how to become holy, and grow in holiness. Holiness is not a Pentecostal concern, or one for the Holiness Movement, the Methodist CHurch or Wesleyan/Arminian followers of John Wesley. It isn’t just for holiness churches! It is for all serious Christians, all students of God's Word, regardless of denomination or background.

Pursuing Holiness is a 40 day campaign that teaches about God’s holiness, and how he re-creates it in humans. This 40 day discipleship journey for growing Christians will take you deep into the heart of God, seeing the beauty of His holiness, and learning to long for it in your own life.

We’ll give holiness definition and clarity, talk about the definition of holiness, and what holiness isn’t, and teach you how to become holy, and grow in holiness. 

Holiness is not a Pentecostal concern, or one for the Holiness Movement, the Methodist Church or Wesleyan/Arminian followers of John Wesley’s theology. It isn’t just for “holiness” churches! It is for all serious Christians, all students of God’s Word, regardless of denomination or background. 

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The Challenge of New Believer Discipleship

Every pastor loves it when brand new people repent of sin, and trust in Christ for salvation! But in a busy world, there are lots of challenges to making sure that new life in Christ is nurtured and maintained until the new Christian is fully mature.

frustration with how to disciple new believers

I recently asked my email list if they had any particular suggestions and frustrations in this area of getting new Christians established in their walk with God.

Here’s what they said: (click the graphic to read their emails…)

#1: “Honestly, I don’t have a good plan in place. I’m winging it every time.“

There’s nothing wrong with seeking the direction of the Spirit, and knowing what a specific new convert needs! It’s the privilege of the sons of God to be led by the Spirit of God!

But a while back, I realized that I was spending a lot of mental energy INVENTING! I was creating something new every time, instead of working off a framework that could help me give expected, good guidance to someone just starting off.

Every one is different — but there are at least SOME universal principles that ALL new Christians need. How can I build those into a system?

Here’s what another pastor said:

If you’ve read this blog for very long, you know I’m a huge fan of systems, which I define as “expected ways of doing critical work.”

I just hadn’t really applied systems thinking to discipleship in our church!

#2: “Some tools are too hard/too overwhelming for my audience.“

This pastor friend referenced Shepherd’s Global Classrom, which is great… one of the most exciting discipleship and education tools in years. (You really should check it out!)

But he’s correct — some tools are basically, “Welcome to the Family of God! Here, have this large textbook.”

My audience is full of people who are not really readers, and they get overwhelmed easily if you can’t give them something they can chew — something BITE-SIZED for them.

#3: “There are some good discipleship resources out there, but it’s hard work to get it workable for MY CHURCH.”

One pastor had some great content he shared! I was thankful to review it — it was over 400 pages!! — but it was obvious that he and others had done a ton of work on it, to make it more workable for their particular theological framework.

That’s one of the challenges… finding tools that you agree with their theological framework, or their approach, etc. I’ve run into that many times. “Ooh, this is a great tool… really, you had to go there?”

#4: “I’m so busy doing the work, I don’t have time to build a good discipleship system.“

I know exactly what this pastor means when he says, “I’ve given more effort to the work than to improving my processes.”

People work is messy and busy. We can get so busy working IN our church that we have no time to work ON our church.

#5: “I’m the only one doing any discipling, and there’s no clear plan to empower others to help.”

Man, I really feel this. To be able to give discipling away, it takes either:

a) a really skilled helper — who is a strong Christian with great leadership abilities

OR

b) a really clear system that can empower your more mature Christians to help — even if they feel unqualified.

So I’ve been working on it…

Those are some of the things that pastors shared with me about their frustrations with discipling.

I’ve been working on a solution to help, a system that I think

  • I can empower someone else to use, even if they don’t feel qualified
  • keeps everything bite-sized to prevent overwhelm
  • focuses on habit development, not just information
  • gives an extrememly clear pathway for the first few weeks of following Jesus
  • prevents some common problems such as getting bogged down in Bible reading
  • Is a great on-ramp to a longer-term discipleship strategy

If you’re interested, stay tuned. I’ll be writing about it in the next few days.

For a free sample of this tool for discipling new Christians, navigate over to NewStart Discipleship. Next time, I’ll share a copy of the New Start Discipleship Journal that you can download and evaluate.

In the meantime, reply or comment and let me know your frustrations with discipleship if I didn’t cover them! 🙂

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Understanding Black Anger

One good thing God can bring out of the COVID-19 situation, is to help the white church understand the anger of people of color. I know that many white people are struggling to understand the level of anger that would bring African American people to riot, burn, and loot.

If you have a hard time understanding, give me 5 minutes, and let me try to put it in a way you can understand.

Imagine…

Imagine governors & local officials going beyond their mandate, and imposing extra burdens on freedoms you thought you were guaranteed in the Constitution.
Imagine local law enforcement tackling people for something like not wearing a mask. Imagine no real recourse available.
Imagine that police were far more likely to do this to evangelical Christians who looked like you.
Imagine someone you knew had been jailed for it. Imagine they were killed in custody.
Then imagine that nothing was done; the people responsible were never brought to justice.

And imagine that it happened again… and again. In other places, other states, other communities.
Imagine that the public stories — the ones that got out — were reacted to with flippant excuses like, “Hey, if you don’t want to get arrested, wear the mask” by a percentage of the population.

Imagine that the public stories that managed to get out were dwarfed by the sheer volume of stories that were only known because they were whispered around kitchen tables.
Imagine that DAs didn’t press charges.
Imagine that the badges gave protection to bad actors.
Imagine that this didn’t go on for 2 months of lockdown, but for decades… your entire lifetime… and for centuries.

How would you feel?

*THAT’S how people of color feel.*

Some of you have been protesting masks and closures peacefully (thus far). But we’re only 2 months in. What if it lasted years? What then?

I’ve seen your tweets & posts, Christians.

And I sympathize, and even agree with the overreaction you’re wrestling with. I sympathize with the weaponization of bureaucracy, the empowerment of small minded people to remove freedoms you treasure, and options you should have. But…

You have faced nothing — NOTHING — like those who have dealt with prejudice over the decades. And yet, after 2 months, you’re chafing under these restrictions. I would encourage you to meditate on this and let the Holy Spirit soak this truth down into your heart:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – MLK Jr.

Think on this:

If you were speaking with a pro-shutdown person who disagreed with you politically, and you wanted to tell them how they could understand your perspective & that of others like you, what would you tell them?

Here are 3 things I think you’d tell them:

1. LISTEN.

Go listen to those who have hurt because of the shutdown. Listen, don’t lecture or talk down. Hear their pain and don’t deny it to them. Wait – a long time – before suggesting reasons for their problem.

2. FEEL.

Put yourself and your family in their shoes. Imagine the pain of uncertainty about your children’s future. Imagine what you would do if you felt your children would never be able to return to what you’ve experienced as “normal” America… imagine what you’d feel & fear if lockdown was forever.

3. LOVE:

Let love motivate speaking and action. Be willing to call injustice what it is, and work for structural solutions to structural problems & spiritual solutions to spiritual problems. Let love inform your water cooler talk, the way you discuss, write posts, & vote.

So let’s do those things with our African American brothers & sisters… the things you would wish that people in power & people agitating for extended shutdowns… …would do for you.

Seems like what Jesus would encourage you to do.

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MentorMe #2: John Parker Interview

I recently sat down with John Parker.  John served as a church planter in Alabama, pastor of the Easley Bible Methodist Church in Easley, SC, for years.  He now serves as Conference President of the Alabama Regional Conference of the Bible Methodist Connection.

We discussed leading outreach, dealing with failure, managing emotional swings, what he would say to his 20-year-old self and much more.

I hope this interview is an encouragement to you.

If you have comments or questions, please share them with me!  405-974-0507 or on the MarcoPolo group for this coaching program.  If you don’t have MarcoPolo (it’s a video messaging app that works well for group video questions, etc.), you can DOWNLOAD IT HERE.  Once you download it, you can join the coaching group BY CLICKING HERE.

John shared a number of sermons with you guys, which you can find below the video.

Click here to download sermon #1. 

Click here to download sermon #2. 

Click here to download sermon #3. 

 

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Why Discipleship is Crucial for Outreach

I sat down recently with Dr. David Fry, Pastor of the Bible Holiness Church in Frankfort, IN.  He graciously shared an hour of his time with me, and we covered a wide range of topics in that hour.

Mentoring for Small church pastors to prevent pastoral burnout www.darrellstetler2.com/coaching

This interview was so valuable on strategies for new believer discipleship and the value of discipling a brand-new Christian.

But here was one of the key moments in the interview, at least for me… when David talked about his philosophy behind discipleship and why it’s so important for outreach.  Watch it here:

Wow… that’s a good word for our churches, isn’t it?

“Pastors should discern quickly and clearly where the people are spiritually… are they spiritual babies or parents? If you’re the only spiritual parents, the last thing you want is 50 more spiritual babies who will die without nourishment.”

“If you enter a room with 25 spiritual infants, the last thing you need is to say ‘Let’s go get 25 more infants so I can take care of you all.”

What do you think?  Do we need to delay outreach until we have spiritual parents?  Where are your people in their discipleship?

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Texting Is Better Than Phone or Email for Churches

I remember when I first sent a text message on my flip phone. Things have changed a lot since then. People are more connected to their phones than ever.  In those days, I rarely texted, and almost always called.

Lots of people under 30 don’t really check voicemail at all.  I rarely listen to a voicemail.  I have Google voice transcribe them and sent to me — as texts!

Sure, there are some things you shouldn’t do with a text. Ask for a date. Break up. Deal with conflict. Have a deep conversation. But if you’re just needing to quickly communicate in an extremely connected culture, texting sure does help.

There are lots of ways to use texting in your church communications.  Texting is a great way to:

  • Send quick encouragement to someone.
  • Remind people of events & appointments
  • Do a quick check on a fact
  • Get information such as a phone number without breaking workflow
  • Request an “at your convenience” reply on a question
  • Send information such as links and phone numbers so the recipient has a record of them
  • Drive quick traffic to a link, such as event registration or church video

 

Here are 5 reasons why I think texting is better than email or phone for church communications:

1. More people respond your message.

Not everyone is into texting.  But if you’re working with younger people, in my experience, you are more likely to get an answer from a text than a voicemail or email.

There are exceptions to this.  Boomers & office professionals still use email quite a bit.  But even that is changing, as communication becomes more informal, even in the workplace.

2. People see it more quickly.

I like to use email for longer-form things, but when you need to communicate something quickly (a cancellation, a schedule change, an urgent message) texting is almost always faster.

Lots of people have their phones set NOT to notify them when an email comes in, but very few people have their phones set that way for texts.

3. Texting is more personal than email.

Now, texting is probably less personal than a phone call, but the texting space isn’t as crowded as the email space… and while several dozen companies have your email, it’s mostly people (persons) that text you.  That’s why I’d argue it’s more personal.

4. Texting is more focused than email.

Often, emails can communicate too much and have too many possible responses, which tends to immobilize people, and lead to no response.  Texting is so short, that you can usually only take 1 action in response to a text, so people are more likely to actually act on it.

 

So how do we harness texting to do this kind of communcation in our churches?

 

Here are my favorite tools for churches to use for texting folks:

1. MightyText

Now, how to do it more quickly… that’s the problem. And my favorite solution is MightyText.  MightyText lets me text from my phone using my computer, which is far faster.

Here’s what it allows me to do:

  • See who’s texting without breaking my workflow. Texts pop up down in the corner, letting me decide if it’s important enough to stop for.
  • See who’s calling without breaking my workflow. Again, notifications pop up in the corner.
  • Reply without picking up my phone. A quick click and I’m replying.
  • Text multiple people at the speed of my computer, not my phone. I type way faster on a keyboard.
  • Easily Schedule texts to send in the future.

MightyText is quite valuable — and free to use. I used it for months with the free app. But on this one, it’s worth going to the paid version for the features that are included. The ability to create Contact Lists is particularly valuable. It lets me text groups of people with a single click.

I have admin assistant add mobile numbers to a list like “Trunk or Treat” and I can text 25 of those folks at a time from my own phone, and start a conversation, like “Thanks for attending our Trunk or Treat! This is Pastor Darrell, & this is my personal cell phone. Did you feel like your kids enjoyed it?”  (I like ending that kind of a text with a question, because they’re more likely to respond!)

One caution: If you use MightyText on a church computer, and someone else uses that computer, they can read your texts.  Obviously, this could cause issues with sensitive information.  So, be cautious here if you have sensitive info — log out, etc.

But obviously, you can’t use your personal phone for all church annoucements, which is why I like:

2. Textedly.com

Textedly is a great texting service that allows people to sign up to receive texts through keywords.  Such as this slide, which we use in our offering-time slideshow:

I’ve used Textedly in these ways:

  • Send out church cancellations or schedule changes
  • Quick Sunday reminders about church dinners
  • Saturday encouragement to “bring a friend”
  • Church-wide fasting and prayer campaign – Scripture verses

If you’d like to sign up and give them a try, you can CLICK HERE, and you will get a bonus 5,000 messages when you sign up for a plan. 

So what do you think?  Is texting better?  How do you use it?

 

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5 Ways Small Church Pastors Can Beat Forgetfulness

You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach when your phone rings, you see the name on caller ID and you groan — because you realize you forgot something?  I hate that feeling.  I hate letting people down, when I’ve agreed to do something.
  • It’s embarrassing.
  • It’s stressful.
  • It costs you relationships, respect and trust, especially as a pastor.

“As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a lazy man to the one who sends him.”  (Proverbs 10:26)

How to help deal with forgetfulness for forgetful small church pastors.
If you are like me, your “forgetter” works overtime.  I can remember random facts and poems I memorized when I was 9, but I can’t remember what I told someone a week ago.  And that creates a lot of day-to-day stress.  It will either keep you mentally torn trying to keep everything straight, or kicking yourself that you didn’t!  And the more projects and roles you’re juggling, the harder it is to get it all right and on time.

I imagine this is pretty easy for people who are obsessive compulsive naturally organized, and never seem to forget anything. But I’m not naturally organized.  I’ve had to design systems to work around my weaknesses.

Here’s what I’m learning:

 1. Write it down.

You should keep a to-do list.  Writing is a neurokinetic activity that aids in memory.  David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” book has become a gold standard for time management (or as he would prefer to say, “action management.”)  The benefits here are many:
  • Less stress.
  • More producivity.
  • Less forgetfulness.
The shortest pencil is better than the longest memory. – Unknown
That’s true, but you have to write it down in a place where you know you’ll check, and on something you won’t lose.
Personally, I don’t write it down in a Moleskin or legal pad, because I lose the pad.  🙂  But because I use a phone belt clip, I almost never lose my phone… so I write everything down there in Todoist, my current favorite to-do list app.  Other places where I capture things include:

 

2. Create a system.

Ever forget details of a complicated activity?  You need a system.  The simplest system is really just a checklist, and any materials that go along with it.

Atul Gawande wrote “The Checklist Manifesto,” claiming that “The volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly, safely, or reliably. Knowledge has both saved us and burdened us.”

He’s right.

If you’re older, and it feels like life is more complicated now, that’s probably because… it is!

A lot of people (particularly forgetful ones!) balk at the idea of having a checklist for simple things.  “I’ve got it all in my head,” one guy told me.  To which I replied, “Yes, which is why there’s no room for anything else up there!”  If you think this checklist thing is baloney, consider this:
  • in 2001, a 5-point checklist virtually eradicated central line infections in the ICU at Johns Hopkins Hospital, preventing an estimated 43 infections & eight deaths over 27 months
  • The same system at hospitals in Michigan decreased infections by 66% in 3 months, and over the next 18 months, saved 1,500 lives.
One of my favorite blogs, Art of Manliness, did a very lengthy post about the power of checklists, which you should read if you have any doubt that they are important.

3. Automate whatever you can.

I’ll bet you have some things in your life that you forget to do on a regular basis.  Little, nagging, recurring tasks that will slip by unnoticed — until they are costing you dollars & time & embarrassment.  I’ll also bet that there are ways to get some of them done automatically, if you’ll invest the time to automate them.
I’ll do another post on automating things in your life later, but for now, my favorite automating tools are:
> A good smart phone
> Banking tools
> Auto bill pay
I hate filling my short-term memory with things I could just “set and forget.”  Do it.  Automate enough good behaviors, and they will pay you back eventually.

4. Set reminders.

OK, let’s imagine you have something, an object that MUST go to work with you tomorrow.  It is imperative.  Let’s imagine you will lose your job, or someone will die if you do not remember that object, but it’s too valuable to keep in your car.
Where do you put it?
Most people I’ve asked this question have said some version of, “By the front door.”  That’s right.  So you have to find ways to put things “by the front door” in your life… in a place where you know you will HAVE to encounter it again.
But really, some things you can’t put by the front door, and you can’t realistically cover your front door with Post-It notes…  So you have to have some way to make sure you “trip over” that thing again.  Ideally, this would look like a list or notebook that you check reliably, so you can stop keeping it in your over-taxed short-term memory.
For me, the place I’m most likely to trip over things is on my smart phone.  So I put things “by the front door” using my Google Calendar, my alarms, location-based reminders, etc.

5. Harness the power of accountability.

You’re more likely to accomplish something if you tell someone you are going to do it, if you really make a commitment out of that.  In fact, some studies on goals indicate that you are 95% more likely to get it done if you’ve become personally accountable to someone for that action or goal.

Use this to your advantage.  Tell someone, or maybe multiple people, what you intend to do.  Verbalize it, text it to them…

And then, (my personal favorite thing) make that a trigger.  Tell them, pull out your trusty phone or calendar, and let it be your cue to write it down.  

 

Really, it all comes down to this: Just don’t refuse to deal with it.

Don’t make “that’s just who I am” a reason to live the rest of your life letting people down and breaking promises.

As I said, I’m naturally forgetful of things like appointments and commitments.  It has required significant work for me to do better.  I’m a long ways from perfect here (ask my wife and my church family!), but with desire and work, and a plan, I’ve improved.

As a pastor of a smaller church, if you want to grow, you’ll need to show your ability to grow past these kinds of things in your life in order for you to be trustworthy with larger things.

When you improve in these kind of character traits, it ultimately speaks well of you and of the One you serve.

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MentorMe #1: Chris Cravens Interview

I recently sat down with Chris Cravens.  Chris served as a pastor of the Bible Methodist Church in Findlay, OH for years, and now serves as Conference President of the Heartland Regional Conference of the Bible Methodists.

Chris shared a lot of wisdom in this interview.  I hope it’s a blessing to you!