Lynn Pryor, Author at Group Ministry

December 5, 2019

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 4

What does a mature disciple of Christ look like? Over the past decade LifeWay Research has delved into this with thousands of pastors and church leaders. Culling through the data, we discovered that strong discipleship ministries and practices could be put in eight categories. We call these eight categories the signposts along the discipleship pathway. One sign of growing disciples is that they live unashamed about their walk with Christ.

Live Unashamed. Everyone has a favorite something. It might be the college football team you cheer for or a favorite restaurant. You might have a passion for a hobby or activity like golf or running a marathon, or you have a television show that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Whatever your favorite thing is, you talk about. You find ways to discover if other people feel the same way you do. You wear team colors or gather around at lunchtime to discuss the latest development on a show.

We are unashamed about those things for which we have a passion.

Christians have even more reason to put something on display for the world to see. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). As believers mature in their walk with Christ, they grow increasingly unashamed for others to know about their faith. They are unabashed in letting the gospel and its transformative power be on display in their lives.

LifeWay’s research into discipleship ministries and practices found that maturing believers felt it was not just appropriate but necessary for others to know them as Christians. When you are being changed by Christ, you want others to know about it. Not surprisingly, as we develop in this attribute of an unashamed lifestyle, it only fuels and strengthens our growth in the other discipleship attributes. For example, living unashamed makes it easier to also exercise faith, share Christ, and serve others. Even more so, we live out these qualities with intentionality. We want people to know why we can exercise faith and why we serve. All our actions flow out of our unashamed love for Christ and His gospel.

Living unashamed lives includes transparency. Maturing believers are OK with others seeing their weak spots. It’s not that they’re proud of those weak areas, but neither do they pretend to be perfect Christians. In fact, they are quite willing to let other believers speak into their lives and help them along the path of growing in Christ. Maturing believers are unashamed about their pursuit of maturity to the level that they invite help in the process.

I began this article with a reference to the unashamed approach people have toward their favorite teams or interest. But being unashamed of our walk with Christ differs from the unashamed—boisterous, proud and obnoxious—behavior many fans display for their favorite team. (I’m sure I’m not referring to the behavior of the fans of your team.) The believer is neither arrogant about his faith nor derogatory of those who disagree. Instead, an unashamed believer lives by the principle in 1 Peter 3:15-16: “In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:15-16, emphasis added).

Living for Christ is counter-cultural, and it is becoming increasingly more counter-cultural. Mature believers do not shout at the darkness, but unashamedly live and speak for Christ. In the process, they can pique the curiosity of unbelievers and galvanize the lives of other believers. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Ways the Church Can Foster Believers Who Live Unashamed.

Model. The best way for any believer to understand what it means to live unashamed is to see it modeled for them. It’s easy to appear unashamed from the church pulpit, but let believers see how your faith is openly and naturally expressed in your day-to-day interactions with individuals. Let individuals church members participate with you in your various tasks, especially out in the community.
Host ministry opportunities in the community. Provide opportunities for church members to serve in the community. Opportunities for Christians to serve together are also opportunities for them to practice living unashamed as a group. They can support and encourage each other. Those moments when they step outside their comfort zones for the name of Christ only embolden them to do it more.

We’d love to hear from you. What are some ways your church is helping believers live unashamed?

Lynn Pryor (@lynnpryor) is a team leader in LifeWay’s ongoing adult Bible study department. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com.

Church Leadership

November 5, 2019

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 3

By Lynn Pryor

Serving others is a good thing. Even those with no connection to the Christian faith will tell you that. Even if they don’t know it’s a biblical principle, people will teach their children it is better to give than to receive. (See Acts 20:35.) Multiple studies even validate this.

Those who volunteer are 42% more likely to be happy.
Those who give to charity are 43% more likely to be happy.
Those who put the needs of others before their own experienced a “warm glow.” (communitywestfoundation.org).

The varied studies share something in common: the focus is on feeling good about ourselves. We serve in order to be happy.

Is that why Jesus served? Jesus certainly didn’t need a boost to His self-esteem. He served because He loves. He had compassion on the people and sought to meet their needs (Matt. 9:36). He told His disciples, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

The goal of a maturing disciple is to become more and more like Jesus. Jesus loves others, and we are to love others. Jesus served others, and we are to serve others.

Our service to Christ and others is carried out in three ways.

Use your spiritual gift. The Holy Spirit has gifted every believer with at least one spiritual gift. We don’t all have the same gifts, but corporately, all the gifts are present in the church. Those gifts are for serving the needs of the church. “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others” (1 Pet. 4:10).

Many people are eager to take a spiritual gifts inventory so they can know where to serve. Frankly, that’s not necessary. Just step in and serve. As we get involved, we find our hearts drawn to certain forms of service more than others. That’s an indication of where your giftedness lies. Embrace that.

Share your finances and resources. Maturing disciples understand they are only managers of their finances and physical resources. God owns it all. We don’t hoard money and possessions, but we are to willing share what we can to serve and meet the needs of others.
Seize the moment. We can’t meet every need, but when an opportunity is right in front of us to serve someone else, we take it. Much of our service is structured and planned—giving regularly and working weekly in a specific ministry—but there is a spontaneous side to serving as well. We have unplanned “intersections” with people every day, and maturing disciples are sensitive to the Spirit’s nudge to step in and help.

Ways the Church Can Foster Believers Who Serve God

Publicize minister opportunities. For many church members, serving means singing, preaching, or teaching. Those are valid ways to serve, but they are not the only ways. Don’t make a specific announcement like “We need two people to help with the youth group;” it may be answered by people who are not a good fit. Instead offer a ministry fair. Give each ministry outlet in the church a table and display area. Let church members mill around and learn of ministries they may not be familiar with. People who can’t sing, teach, or preach will discover other service opportunities. Consequently, as individuals express interest in an area, you can counsel, encourage, and train them as needed to serve in that area.
Model service. The best training for service doesn’t come from a manual; it comes from observing. As a church leader, you can’t be deeply involved in every ministry around the church, and the church family already sees you as a servant; but you can strengthen the service of others by letting them walk along side you as you serve in the ways you are gifted. For example if you are gifted in administration, encourage others with the same gifting. Let them see how your administrative work is both service to others and to Christ.
Encourage Mentoring. Ask others serving in different ministry areas to find someone whom they see as a good candidate for the same area of service. Challenge them to serve as mentors, helping others see their own potential. They can train them and bolster their skills. An obvious example is for every Bible study leader to adopt another person and show them the ropes of leading a group. The leader not only gains someone to help with the group, but when the church needs to launch a new group, a servant is trained and ready to step in.

Serving others can be hard. It can often be inconvenient. And maturing disciples serve whether they experience a nice warm feeling or not. They serve because they’re drawn to serve out of love—love for Christ and love for those He has placed in their path. And better than any nice warm feeling will be to one day hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt. 25:21).

We’d love to hear from you. What are some ways your church is helping believers serve?

Lynn Pryor (@lynnpryor) is a team leader in LifeWay’s ongoing adult Bible study department. He also serves as an interim pastor in the Nashville area. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com.

Church Leadership

October 31, 2019

Happy Reformation Day: Here I Stand, I Can Do No Other

By Lynn Pryor

It doesn’t matter what “brand” of Christian you are—October 31st is the anniversary of an event that impacts your church’s theology and background. And it’s impacted you.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, in an act of frustration over the way the Roman Catholic Church had veered off course, nailed a document—95 Theses, to be exact—to the front door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.

With a hammer and nail, Luther struck the first blow that would grow into the Protestant Reformation. Luther (and those who joined him) did not initially set out to be the 16th-century version of the church hopper. He set out to reform the church (hence, the term “reformation”) and bring it back to the foundation of God’s Word.

Martin Luther was a Catholic monk who saw the Bible for what it is: the Word of God and, therefore, our ultimate authority. He also saw in this ultimate authority the clear teaching that salvation is through faith in Christ alone. Over the centuries, the church veered from these two central truths, placing more faith and authority in the institution of the church. So Luther called the church back to its roots: the centrality of Christ and the authority of His Word.

But to do that, Luther had to “call the church on the carpet” for its errors—and that did not set well with the church leaders. So four years later, Luther was called before the Diet of Worms. (To be clear, this is not one of those sketchy weight-loss programs involving tapeworms. A “diet” was a formal hearing, and it was held in the city of Worms.) The purpose of this hearing was to get Luther to recant, but he was fully committed to obedience to the Word of God. He said:

“I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God.”

What are you fully committed to? What calls you to say, “Here I stand, I can do no other?” Would you nail that commitment to the door?

Conviction and commitment should be second nature for the follower of Christ. Commitment to Christ should be so ingrained in us that we don’t think twice about whether we will be obedient to Him. We don’t have to think twice about whether or not we will compromise our convictions—or look the other way “just this one time.”

God’s Word does not change—and neither should our conviction to follow it.
God’s Holy Spirit does not abandon us—and neither should we abandon our dependence upon Him.
God’s love and grace does not fluctuate—and neither should our display of His love and grace to others.

Is your commitment to Christ nailed down? And is it on display for others to see?

This post was re-purposed with permission from lynnhpryor.com. Lynn Pryor is a team leader for adult resources at LifeWay. He and his wife, Mary, lead a Bible study group for young adults and have survived raising two sons to adulthood. A graduate of Southwestern Seminary, Lynn has previously pastored and served churches in Texas. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com.

Church Leadership

September 26, 2019

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 2

By Lynn Pryor

We were built for relationships. I know that doesn’t sound as poetic as John Donne’s “No man is an island entire of itself,” but it captures the same truth. God wired us to live in community with others.

In the opening chapters of Genesis, an incredible picture of God’s creative power is revealed. Each day of creation closes with “God saw that it was good.” In fact, at the end of it all, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed” (Gen. 1:31).

The only thing God observed that was not good was the man living alone. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him’” (2:18). The context was the creation of the woman and the introduction of the God-ordained marriage relationship, but it points to an overarching principle: We were created to live in relationships.

The ultimate relationship we’re called to is a personal relationship with Christ. But when we come to Christ, we also come to His body: the church. As we walk with Christ, we don’t walk alone. We walk alongside others. Community—living and interacting with other believers—is a central part of a believer’s discipleship and growth.

From the earliest days of the church, this idea of community was central. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Do you hear the “togetherness” in that passage?

The New Testament has close to sixty passages with the phrase “one another.”

Love one another (John 13:34).
Live in harmony with one another (Rom. 12:16).
Instruct one another (15:14).
Have equal concern for one another (1 Cor. 12:25).
Serve one another (Gal. 5:13).

You help me in my walk with Christ; I help you in your walk. We’re in this together.

Scripture contains only one explicit command telling us why we must be involved in a community of believers.

“And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” (Heb. 10:24-25, emphasis added).

Yes, we gather together for worship … for prayer … to hear and study God’s Word, but in all these things, we encourage each other. I’ve heard the excuse—and you probably have too: “I don’t need to go to church to worship God … to pray … to study the Bible.” While we can do these things privately (and we should), we miss the rich element of doing it with other believers. We are hard-wired for community, and there’s no greater place to do that than in relationship with other believers.

As we mature in Christ, we see the value of community more and more. Consequently, we will seek to build and strengthen those relationships. But maturing believers don’t just build relationships with other believers; they seek to build relationships with those outside the faith too. They do this with intentionality; they want to build a relationship in order to show the love of Christ and share the gospel.

Ways the Church Can Foster Believers Who Build Relationships.

Promote Bible study groups. Corporate worship with the whole body is great, but the ideal way to build relationships is within the smaller setting of Bible study groups. Whether you call it Sunday School, Small Groups, Life Groups, or whatever, a group of 8-16 people gathered to discuss the Bible together can’t help but build relationships within the group.

Some group leaders love a larger group, but the larger the group gets, the dynamic for relationships within the group can lessen. Introverts are far more likely to participate and thrive in a smaller group—and 1/3 to 1/2 of the congregation is filled with introverts! So when a group is regularly reaching 16 or more people, start a new group.

Create opportunities for relationship building. Encourage the Bible study groups to do more than just study the Bible together. Parties, mission projects, and ministry opportunities bring people together.

Consider intergenerational opportunities as well. Let a get-together or ministry project involve two or more generations. For example, as younger adults build relationships with senior adults, they can be mentored and disciple by someone with more life experience.

Model building relationships. As a church leader, you have many occasions you interact with outsiders. When appropriate, take someone with you. Let him learn how you start and build a relationship. Open the door for him to build a relationship with the other person. Our relationship-building habits can be contagious.

We’d love to hear from you. What are some ways your church is helping believers build relationships?

Lynn Pryor (@lynnpryor) is a team leader in LifeWay’s ongoing adult Bible study department. He also serves as an interim pastor in the Nashville area. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com.

Church Leadership

September 3, 2019

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 1

By Lynn Pryor

Deep down, most believers know they should be sharing their faith, but few of us do. We can offer excuses—I’m afraid of saying something wrong. I don’t know how. I don’t want to come across like a pushy salesperson.—but growing in our faith should include sharing our faith. Mature followers of Christ may still experience sweaty palms or the occasional nervous tremor in their voices, but they embrace the opportunity to witness of Christ for three reasons:

They see it as their personal responsibility.

Christ’s Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) is a call for everyone, not just pastors and church leaders. Everyone is commissioned to make disciples. Of course, that includes more than just evangelism—it includes the whole discipleship process—but it begins with leading the person to trust Christ. It is our responsibility to not only let others see Jesus in us but also to tell them about the Jesus they see in us!

They are aware of the lost people around them.

We are surrounded by the lost, and as we live out our faith, we stand out. For example, when we respond to trials and difficulties with joy and contentment, others notice. Maturing disciples are aware their actions are observed by others. They are ready to respond to any questions the lost may have, and they are equally ready to give an answer even if the question is not verbally asked. As Peter wrote, “In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15).

They build relationships with the lost.

It’s tempting—and easy!—to surround ourselves with other Christians and those who believe just like us. While maturing disciples do not neglect the needed accountability and fellowship with other believers, they also intentionally seek out the lost. They attempt to build a relationship, getting to know the other person, in order to love them and seize the opportunity to share with him the gospel.

Ways the Church Can Foster Believers Who Share Christ.

Model it. Let church members see you share your faith. Talk about it. Take someone with you if you’re making an intentional evangelistic visit.
Lead a course on how to share your faith. There are several good options for leading a group in learning to share their faith: Tell Someone by Greg Laurie; Life on Mission by Dustin Wills and Aaron Coe; and the classic Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay and Ralph Hodge.

Lead a course on apologetics. Many believers are concerned they wouldn’t know how to respond if they’re asked a difficult question. One place to start is in offering a course on defending the faith and answering the tough questions. Mary Jo Sharp’s Why Do You Believe That? and Jeremiah Johnston’s Unanswered are good options.

Pray for the lost. During corporate times, we often focus on health needs. We should lift those needs before God, but guide believers to also pray for lost people by name. Encourage them to place those names in a prominent place as a reminder to pray. As we pray for individuals, our hearts are drawn to them and God opens doors for sharing the gospel with them.

Cultivate relationships with those outside the church. Use every event on the church schedule as an open door to those outside the church. Remind believers to get to know the lost guests who attend the events and be intentional in building relationships.

We’d love to hear from you. What are some ways your church is helping believers share Christ?

Lynn Pryor (@lynnpryor) is a team leader in LifeWay’s ongoing adult Bible study department. He also serves as an interim pastor in the Nashville area. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com.

Church Leadership

May 30, 2019

8 Ways to Make Your Bible Study More Engaging

By Lynn Pryor

I loathe lectures. I suppose there’s a place for them in learning somewhere, but I don’t think group Bible study is one of them. Unfortunately, lecture is a common method used in Bible study—as if imparting knowledge is the number one goal—and it’s the reason a lot of people write off an invitation to join a group. They equate Bible study with a misguided approach to Sunday School where someone lectures and reads to them.

I don’t blame them. I would dread that too. But there’s a better way.

Think back to your childhood. In the early years of school, you drew, told stories, interacted with the others kids, and even played games as a part of learning. Somewhere along the way, though, we were expected to grow up, which means sitting quietly in chairs, reading a book, and listening to the teacher. Play was reserved for recess.

I propose we recapture the ways we used to learn, because we never outgrow the ways we like to learn.

Educators like Thomas Gardner and Thomas Armstrong have identified eight ways we learn. We can all learn using these eight approaches, but individually, we gravitate to certain ones. There are certain approaches to learning that connect with each if us and make learning and applying quite easy and natural. It’s time we brought these back into our group Bible study.

Here are the eight approaches to teaching and learning. See which ones resonate with you.

Relational Learners. Some of us learn well when we get to interact with others in the process. As we work together, they learn from each other. This can happen through personal sharing, storytelling, debating, and brainstorming. The key is that we’re doing it together. (In fact, as we look at these others ways we learn, many of them can be incorporated with relational learning and working together.)
Musical Learners. For some of us, music enhances the environment for learning. They don’t have to be musicians, but they enjoy music. Let them listen to a song and consider how it connects to the Scripture being studied. They can rewrite lyrics of a well-known song to capture the essence of your study. Even playing music in the background during other activities gets them in tune with learning (no pun intended).
Logical Learners. OK, so these people often enjoy lectures, but they also like problem solving. They like to reason through things and analyze them. They enjoy an outline, word studies, analogies, and even statistics.
Natural Learners. When nature and God’s creation are brought into the mix, these people become more attune to learning. They’re the ones whose quiet time is enhanced with a walk though nature. But you can bring nature—physical objects—into the group as well. For example, as you discuss Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, pass out water. Or better yet, give them salty pretzels, and they’ll be thinking about water. A physical object helps them make the connection and discover biblical truth.
Physical Learners. The physical learners in your group don’t always like to sit still! Physical movement engages their brains. Use hands-on activities. Let them role-play. When asking a question that calls for an agree/disagree response, place the words on different walls. Let the group members move and stand based on how they agree with the statement. Let me stress again, movement engages their thinking.
Reflective Learners. These learners don’t mind quiet. They like to internalize and think things through. Like logical learners, they don’t mind a lecture, because they want to think and reflect. Instead of talking, occasionally direct the group to write down their responses to a discussion question.
Visual Learners. Anything they see with their eyes engages learning: visuals, PowerPoint, movie clips. Let them draw or illustrate something from the study. Drawing is not a juvenile activity. I’ve done this with senior adults, and they loved it. Why? We never outgrow the way we like to learn.
Verbal Learners. These people in your group connect with words: writing, reading, and speaking. Give them a moment to read a small portion of the book you might be using. Let them write a prayer oru how they will apply the Scripture. Let them use words!

Some of these learning approaches will take you out of your own comfort zone if they are not how you like to learn—but others in your group will love it. They will feel more engaged. But don’t try to do all eight approaches in one study! You’ll wear yourself and your group out. Instead, incorporate one or two different learning approaches each time you meet. Thirty-five years of leading groups has shown me that by using these eight approaches on a regular basis, everyone is more engaged. They learn better, which leads to transformation—and that’s what it’s all about.

NOTE: LifeWay’s ongoing Bible studies—Explore the Bible, the Gospel Project, and Bible Studies for Life—offer ways to incorporate these learning approaches in their group plans.

Lynn Pryor is the publishing team leader for Bible Studies for Life. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com. Follow him @lynnpryor.

Church Leadership

October 19, 2018

Planning for Spontaneity

By Lynn Pryor

Are you a planner, or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants?

I’m sorry. That didn’t sound very spiritual. Let me put that in churchy language: Do you make plans, or do you just let the Spirit lead?

Order v. freedom. These two approaches don’t have to live in opposite corners, but unfortunately, the “Orderites” view the “Freedomites” with disdain, and the “Freedomites” look down their spiritual noses at the “Orderites.”

It’s nothing new. In the 2nd century, the Montanist Movement arose with an emphasis on the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit. They saw the church as becoming too structured; conversely, the established church saw this movement as venturing into heretical territory with too much emphasis on prophetic revelations instead of the written Word of God. There was some validity in the accusations of both groups.

Another example comes from colonial America. The established churches with their rules and order looked down on those who emphasized the “inner light” (to borrow a Quaker term). While schools like Yale and Harvard were still institutions with a Christian emphasis, they had concern over the “spiritual enthusiasm” of students influenced during the Great Awakening.

The tension continues, as churches stare down each other over the question of how much emphasis should we give to the Holy Spirit. Order v. freedom. This should not be an either/or matter. It should be both/and. We need to plan—and we need to let the Spirit lead.

“Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1 Cor. 14:40).

Confession: I am a planner. I live by this verse. I have a love for to-do lists. My prep for Sunday’s sermon begins on the previous Sunday.

Planning is good, but too much reliance on that plan can be bad. On previous occasions as I’ve prepared to lead a Bible study group, I have created teaching plans I was sure would lead those in my group to (1) bring five more people with them next week, (2) go on the mission field, and (3) spearhead revival in America. But then someone would raise a question or an idea would surface that wasn’t in my well-orchestrated plan. I can’t help but wonder if I have been guilty of quenching the Spirit because I wouldn’t deviate from my plan.

Once when I was preparing to lead a group through Experiencing God, I was captured by something I heard from the author, Henry Blackaby.

Plan, but be prepared for the Holy Spirit to work.

In the Book of Nehemiah, we find Nehemiah grieved by a report he received about Jerusalem. He rightfully turned to God and prayed for the city and for himself. He wanted God to work. He sought God’s leadership, but at the same time, he planned.

The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king …” (Neh. 2:4-5).

And Nehemiah laid before the king a detailed plan. He had prayed. He had planned. He prayed again. And now he presented the plan he had prayed over.

Order and freedom are not mutually exclusive. Planning and relying on the Spirit should go hand-in-hand.

Creating plans without a reliance on the Spirit’s leadership is presumptuous on our part. I can figure this out on my own,
Simply waiting for the Spirit to lead us at the critical moment is equally presumptuous. God will tell me everything I need to know at the last minute.

Prayer—a dependence on God—must permeate our planning and our action. God will often change our plans at the last moment, but if we have been dependent on Him through the whole process, we are in a far better position to know what is of God and what is not.

Plan, but be prepared for the Holy Spirit to work.

Lynn Pryor is the publishing team leader for Bible Studies for Life. He is serving a Nashville church as their transitional interim pastor. Lynn and his wife, Mary, have survived raising two sons to adulthood. A graduate of Southwestern Seminary, Lynn has previously pastored and served churches in Texas. Read more from his blog at *lynnhpryor.com. Follow him @lynnpryor.***

Church Leadership

October 5, 2018

An Innovative Approach to Church Life…from 1916

By Lynn Pryor

The following historical tidbit surprised me.

It just seems so natural to walk into the store, make my selections while I walk up and down the aisles, and check out. But prior to 1916, you went to the local grocer and simply handed him your list. He went to the back, got the items, and brought them out to you. Every store did that, including the store Clarence Saunders operated in Memphis. But the process bugged Saunders. It was time-consuming. He wanted a faster way to serve customers—and serve more customers.

This sounds so ordinary to us, but he rocked the shopper’s world when they walked into his new store and found all the products were out front—not in the back. He handed shoppers a basket and empowered them to pick up their own items!

Some people expected this approach to fail. The naysayers expected a negative reaction: I should be paying less since I’m doing the bulk of the work. But when Saunders opened his new store on September 6, 1916, his innovation took off. And here we are 100 years later, gladly standing in the chip aisle, trying to choose between Cool Ranch or Nacho Cheese Doritos. Some of us still shop in the store bearing the same name as the 1916 original: Piggly Wiggly.

Believers need to approach the Christian life with the same attitude we have when we enter the grocery store. If you need something, you go get it. Instead, too many Christians go to church expecting others—in particular, the church staff—to do things for them.

Pastor, I need you to pray for my Uncle Murray. Because God listens more to pastors.
Pastor, you need to share the gospel with my neighbor. If he was saved, he’d keep his dog out of my yard. Because the message of salvation only has meaning when it comes from the pastor—and not from someone who has been yelling at the neighbor’s dog.
Pastor, you need to visit Martha. She’s upset because she’s been ill yet no one came to see her. Because only pastors are allowed to visit the sick.
Pastor, the restroom is out of paper towels—again.

Anyone who has ever pastored can tell you these are exactly the kinds of things many church members expect their leaders to do. It never crosses their minds that they could do these things themselves.

Church members need to get out of 1915! Let’s move into 1916 with its innovative approach to grocery shopping and apply the same principle to church life. If you see something in life and ministry that needs to be done, do it. Don’t present your list to the pastor and expect him to do it.

Notice who does the work of ministry in this passage:

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service” (Eph. 4:11-12).

Don’t give your ministry shopping list to your pastor. Take care of it yourself—as God leads you and works through you.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Pet. 4:8-10).

Lynn Pryor is the publishing team leader for Bible Studies for Life. He is serving a Nashville church as their transitional interim pastor. Lynn and his wife, Mary, have survived raising two sons to adulthood. A graduate of Southwestern Seminary, Lynn has previously pastored and served churches in Texas. Read more from his blog at *lynnhpryor.com. Follow him @lynnpryor.***

Church Leadership

September 18, 2018

When the Local Bar Acts More Like the Church Than the Church Does

By Lynn Pryor

For the record, I don’t frequent bars. But I do watch a lot of movies. And if Hollywood—that bastion of truth—has taught me anything about bars, it’s two things the church should embrace:

People in bars talk to each other. OK, so maybe it’s because a little alcohol works on our inhibitions, but people talk. They talk to whoever walked in with them, the bartender, or just the random guy sitting on the next bar stool. They talk problems at home, hassles of work, or whatever. They talk about life.
People in bars accept you just as you are.This is the part that fascinates me. People will talk about themselves, and those listening just listen. No judgments. There’s a sense of shared humanity: we’ve all got problems and we’re in this together.

Sure, people at church talk to each other, but there’s often a superficiality to it. We talk about the Bible, we talk about Jesus—and in all we talk about, we want to appear spiritual. We want to look like we’ve got it all together. After all, if we’re Christians and we love Jesus, shouldn’t we have it all together?

We don’t have it all together.

And because we don’t have it all together—but we assume other believers do—we don’t want to open up, lest we look inferior or unspiritual. We’re afraid people won’t accept us as we are—or worse, they’ll reject us. So we pretend. And when it comes to praying together, we talk about a distant relative’s gall bladder rather than our own doubts and struggles. Unfortunately, this lack of openness means we miss out on the deep sense of family and fellowship—sharing all things in common—Christ intends for His church.

I lead a small group Bible study. One week as we closed in prayer, one of the group members requested prayer because she had been struggling with feeling down all week. At the end of our prayer time, another person commented, “I didn’t know she struggled with that too. I sometimes get down, but I didn’t want to say anything.” A connection was formed that day, and it created more openness in the group.

I always thought the theme song to Cheers would be a great theme song for the local church. Just for the moment, don’t picture Norm on a bar stool; picture Norm on a church pew. Shouldn’t the lyrics of this song reflect a key motivation for going to church?

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see our troubles are all the same.
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.

When we come to Christ, we come to His family. Let’s be family, talking and accepting each other.

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Rom. 15:7).

Lynn Pryor is the publishing team leader for Bible Studies for Life. He is serving a Nashville church as their transitional interim pastor. Lynn and his wife, Mary, have survived raising two sons to adulthood. A graduate of Southwestern Seminary, Lynn has previously pastored and served churches in Texas. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com. Follow him @lynnpryor.

Church Leadership

August 13, 2018

Three Ways to Improve Your Skill as a Small Group Leader

By Lynn Pryor

When I enlist leaders for new groups, I look for one key trait:

a teachable spirit.

The value of any teacher—whether he or she has never led a group or has been leading groups for fifty years—is his or her desire to learn—and keep learning. Unfortunately, too many leaders assume they know exactly how to lead a group, and that assumption is based on how someone once led them. Too often, bad teaching skills are simply passed down through the years.

But even for those among who do know how to facilitate a group, it’s wise to keep learning. The message of Scripture never changes, but methodologies change. Different generations process knowledge and interact with one another in different ways. Culture has an impact on the teaching-learning process, so there is great value in continually looking for ways to improve. And if our desire is to honor Christ through our groups, wouldn’t that include a desire to give Him our very best?

Let me suggest three ways you can invest in your group members by becoming a better leader.

Self study. Pick up a book and read it! Many books are available on creative teaching, facilitating a group, and leading effective Bible study groups. A set of books I have found especially helpful over the years are written (or co-authored) by David Francis. Each book is intensely practical. Although short (48 pages), each book is not one to breeze through. Read a chapter, mull it over, and consider ways to apply it to your leadership.

Group planning. If your group is a part of a planned, strategic discipleship strategy in your church (and I sincerely hope it is), consider getting with other group leaders to plan. When the leaders are studying the same book or using the same curriculum, they can come together and share ideas. Some churches do this weekly; some do it monthly. I can immediately call to mind specific stories of how my group study was enriched because of planning beforehand with others. On some occasions, I have walked into the planning meeting with a solid plan in place, but as we discussed ideas for leading, I left with an even stronger plan. On other occasions, I struggled with how I would approach a certain issue or part of my plan. As I shared my concern and we discussed it, I left the meeting with a great solution.

Conferences. Check around for Bible study training occurring in your area. Some denominations (Southern Baptists, for example) offer training events on a state and local level. These conferences are led by experienced practitioners and offer great tips for working with different age groups, developing a creative study, facilitating a discussion, and on and on. One benefit I particularly enjoy is interacting with leaders from different churches. We learn from each other.

Leading your group has kingdom impact. It is significant! That reason alone should be the impetus for doing what you can to continually hone your skills as a group leader. Take advantage of the opportunities before you.

Lynn Pryor is the publishing team leader for Bible Studies for Life. He is serving a Nashville church as their transitional interim pastor. Lynn and his wife, Mary, have survived raising two sons to adulthood. A graduate of Southwestern Seminary, Lynn has previously pastored and served churches in Texas. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com. Follow him @lynnpryor.

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 4

Lynn Pryor (@lynnpryor) is a team leader in LifeWay’s ongoing adult Bible study department. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com.

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 3

Happy Reformation Day: Here I Stand, I Can Do No Other

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 2

Lynn Pryor (@lynnpryor) is a team leader in LifeWay’s ongoing adult Bible study department. He also serves as an interim pastor in the Nashville area. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com.

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 1

Lynn Pryor (@lynnpryor) is a team leader in LifeWay’s ongoing adult Bible study department. He also serves as an interim pastor in the Nashville area. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com.

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When the Local Bar Acts More Like the Church Than the Church Does

Three Ways to Improve Your Skill as a Small Group Leader

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