Years ago I coined a phrase born of the pain from constant scrutiny ministry leaders endure - “Criticism is the luxury of non-involvement.” In other words, if I’m not committed to your success then I have the right to stand back, arms crossed and pick apart everything you do.  Rick Warrens says, “Never complain about what you could change.”  Wisdom!  A critical spirit only reveals the heart of the one doing the criticizing – proving they really aren’t committed to the success of the one they are attacking.

So, instead of complaining about the way things are – allow me to do a little celebrating! (And yes, I know I’ll be criticized for doing so!)  As much as there is wrong with the church today there’s also a lot that is right.  Riverside is certainly not the perfect church and I’m not the perfect pastor.  Trust me – I could point out a lot more things wrong with the way things are and list dozens of things we could do better.  But the bottom line is GOOD THINGS are also going on in the church in America!

Here’s just one example.  Check out the changes we’ve seen in just the past 30 days:

190% – Increase in attendance

116% – Increase in General Fund giving

174% – Increase in tithing households

Those are results worth celebrating! No one’s taking credit for this – and I certainly don’t believe Riverside is the only church where God is at work…but I’m grateful to be ONE of them!  Jesus is alive and well on planet earth today and fully engaged in the business of changing lives.  He looks not for perfect churches but willing hearts to partner with in the process.  As imperfect as she is, the church is still the vehicle God has chosen to work through.

If you can’t celebrate when you hear results like those I’ve listed then you’re either jealous or you don’t WANT the church to succeed.  If that describes you then enjoy your seat on the comfy couch of criticism.  The rest of us are too busy celebrating what God is up to!

The triumphant close.

Words cannot describe our gratitude and appreciation for every person who helped stage our biggest Easter outreach in recent memory. Last year’s Easter attendance topped out at 279. This past weekend over 700 people attended one of three worship experiences. At least 28 decisions for Christ were registered – and dozens more raised their hands during the invitation. That is a HUGE Kingdom win and a testimony to all the prayer and hard work that went into the production.

A major THANK YOU to everyone who helped out – from providing food for the crew, ushers, set construction, and actors, to those who invited their friends, neighbors and strangers – you share in the reward of a job well done and the changed lives that resulted. One of the best comments came from a 13 year old young man who does not attend our church who said, “Now THAT’S how church ought to be!” If we can capture the hearts and minds of young men like this, then the outlook is bright for bringing a Message of hope to a group that most ignore or have written off completely – but have the potential to transform their generation.

This is only the beginning, Riverside!  Keep praying, keep believing, keep volunteering, keep inviting. Found people find people – and that’s exactly what we intend to keep doing.

“INVICTUS” is the title of this year’s original “rock ballet” set to the music of one of the most popular musical groups of our day.  It’s the old, old story with a modern twist.  “Conventionalism is not something we’re known for,” says Pastor Tim Doyle.  “Our goal is to take a ‘back door’ approach and present the Easter message in a cultural context that people can understand and relate to.”

The church proved their determination to depart from the typical Easter drama with last year’s services featuring Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” complete with dancing zombies and signature moves borrowed from the classic 1980’s music video of the same name.  “It certainly raised some eyebrows,” admitted Doyle, “but in the end the message was a compelling demonstration of the fact that we’re all walking dead apart from Jesus.”

This year’s production includes the voicework of Oscar announcer Tom Kane, choreography by Turning Pointe Dance Studio owner and Kansas City Chief’s Cheerleader Jillian Helton, special laser lighting effects and a cameo appearance by Riley Israel, a member of the nationally known Power Team, breaking out of a set of handcuffs.  “The message this year highlights the ultimate victory won by Christ on the cross as demonstrated through a mixed medium of visual arts.  It’s going to blow people away,” promises Doyle.

Tickets for “INVICTUS” are free but required for reserved seating.  Visit www.invictus2012.com to chose one of three performances and print the desired number of tickets.  Performances are 7 pm Friday and Saturday, April 6 & 7 and 10 am Easter morning April 8.  For more information call 816.279.6422.

The journey of my life reads like a roadmap of preparation for that moment.  I attended the church we now pastor as a college student in 1979.  From there I spent the next 16 years in media work including radio, television and promotions.  During that time I experienced some amazing opportunities in ministry – from a radio missionary stint in the Middle East broadcasting to over 1/3 of the world, to bringing the Gospel to then a Communist controlled Soviet Union through a multi-media stage production that had seen over 150,000 decisions for Christ, to producing the world’s most listened to Christian radio program for families, “Focus on the Family” with Dr. James Dobson.

It was at the pinnacle of my media career in the shadow of Pike’s Peak that the Lord began to stir my heart with the notion that He might have something else for me to accomplish with the rest of my life.

An unmistakable call to serve the local church began to emerge, and in 1997 my family and I moved back to our native Missouri to engage in ministry that was more hands on and face to face.  The next three years of pastoral work showed us a side of ministry that I’d only reported on during my work at Focus – the incredible need for health and strength in the local church.  The reality of 2,000 pastors leaving the ministry every month due to stress, burnout or turnout led us in the fall of 2000 to establish Joseph Resource Group, a ministry dedicated to connecting and serving churches and leaders.  I soon found myself traveling coast to coast assisting pastors and churches of all denominations.  Partnering with several well-known national ministries including Great Dads, Man in the Mirror, A Chosen Generation and Promise Keepers, we were able to provide churches with helpful tools to assist in building a committed core of leadership within their congregations.

We established a ministry center where pastors and ministry couples could retreat for some necessary time away from the pressures of pastoral work.  We also served as a catalyst for developing relationships with pastors and churches of various denominations within our city and region, hosting monthly pastors’ prayer gatherings and the annual National Day of Prayer observance – activities that continue to this day.  By 2008 our reputation as a friend to the local church and to pastors was recognized and respected on a scale we’d only dreamed about a decade earlier.

Little did we know that the church we would be called upon to help the most, however, would be our own.  We came to Riverside, the same church I had attended in my college days, upon entering the mission field in 2000.  The church had experienced a painful leadership transition in 1999 – losing the pastor who had grown the church to record attendance in his 15-year tenure there.  It seemed to fit a disturbing pattern of instability for this congregation, and it became increasingly obvious that the catalyst precipitating these unhealthy trends was still very much present and active in this fractured congregation.  We watched a church slowly disintegrate as the congregation dwindled from over 1,500 attendees at it’s peak in April of 1999 to around 200 nearly a decade later.

At the same time we witnessed a leader slip further and further into unhealthy patterns of stress and burnout.  We saw the effects firsthand on his family, staff and congregation.  I warned the pastor and his leadership team about the pending disaster but was rebuffed.  And so it was in September of 2008 that our pastor, a man whom I’d fiercely defended and befriended during our time of ministering to so many other churches and leaders – resigned his post and left the same day, asking me to serve as interim in his stead.

My initial reaction to this request was shock and dismay.  Although I’d certainly felt called to assist other pastors and churches in their time of need, I never imagined I’d be asked to take the lead in my OWN church – especially one so deeply riddled with pain, division and strife.  It reminded me of a story I’d heard during my days at Focus of a young pastor called to the bedside of an elderly woman in his congregation who was facing imminent death…a woman named “Pearl”.  When asked what he could do to bring her comfort, her only request of her pastor in that moment was that he would sing “Amazing Grace” – one of her favorite hymns.  As the pastor and his wife quietly sang over this precious saint, she slipped peacefully into the presence of the Savior she had loved dearly and had served faithfully for so many years.  I never forgot that story, and as my wife and I pondered the request being made of us it was as if the Lord was asking if we would be willing to serve His Bride in this way – to “sing to Pearl”.   We knew in that moment there was no other choice to be made.  It was our turn to sing.

As painful as it is to witness the death of a church, it is equally rewarding to watch new life spring up in its place.  The past three years have certainly seen it’s share of heartache, frustration and trepidation – but through it all God’s hand of faithfulness has been evident.  We are blessed to have served as midwives in the “rebirth” of a new work that carries with it the legacy of so many who’ve gone before.  Our numbers are growing once again…the first positive growth in over a decade.  Our leadership is solid and in lockstep behind the vision God has given us.  Men and women far from God are finding new faith in Christ on a weekly basis.  Young families are visiting the church in record numbers – and staying!  Our children’s ministry is experiencing growing pains we are GLAD to have to deal with!  Our youth ministry is helping the next generation encounter a fresh passion and zeal for the things of God, and our worship experiences are some of the most creative and impactful I’ve seen in over 30 years of ministry.  God has taken the failures of the past and transformed them for our good.  The future looks incredibly bright and we believe without a doubt that our best days are yet to come!

The “pearl” of the past may be gone, but something just as precious has risen to take her place.  God is not finished with His Church!  Though faces and labels change with the passing of time, our purpose has not nor ever will waver.  May we learn from the mistakes of the past and never repeat them again.  The pain and heartache we have experienced has made us all the more determined to face the future without fear. Nothing can stop the forward advance of the most powerful force on earth – the Church of the Living God!  By God’s grace we will write the next chapter of her legacy that we have been commissioned to accomplish, knowing we have His calling, His passion and His resources to fuel the fire in our hearts.  Nothing is impossible for a church that recognizes that truth and acts courageously upon it.

And to that end we will continue to sing.

In the stand off with Goliath, a young shepherd boy faced the challenge of his life.  The beauty was – he didn’t even know it.  He didn’t care about the Vegas odds.  He’d fought lions, tigers and bears (oh my) defending his father’s flock of sheep.  (Well – maybe no tigers.)  And in David’s mind this big dude, mean muggin’ Almighty God and His people, was no different.  Blessed naiveté!  He didn’t look at the size of the challenge – his eyes were too full of the size of his God.  So he grabbed his rocks and went after it.

You and I both know there was nothing magical about those rocks.  They were just…ROCKS!  But that’s all David needed.  It was the God behind the rocks that made the difference.  The soldiers cowered, Goliath laughed – but David got the last laugh. And all it took was some rocks…and faith in a big God.  David showed he had the REAL stones that day.

What challenges are YOU facing right now?  What giants stand before you taunting and mocking?  And what do you have to face him with?  Only what God gives you – and what God gives you is ENOUGH, even when to the world is looks like just a couple of rocks.

So grab your rocks and run to the battle.  The church needs more men (and women) with stones.  Just don’t throw them at one another.  And don’t brag about the size of them. There’s never been anything that impressive about God’s true warriors.  No fancy weapons or strength worth bragging about.  But they had stones.  And so do you.  Use them today to see giants fall.

Here’s a quick recap of how Riverside reached out in 2011:

• Tent City Outreach
• Easter Eggstravaganza
• Joplin Tornado Relief
• Winter Coat Distribution
• Christmas Toy Giveaway

We also had some awesome events including:

• Escape from Zombieland (Easter services)
• 85th Anniversary Celebration
• Andy Cherry Concert
• DadFest (Joe Jackson/Father’s Day)
• CRAVE (Epic Youth Dance Party)
• Joe Sangl financial counseling event
• July 4 Fireworks Display
• Servabration (Fall Carnival/Volunteer Fair)
• Home for Christmas (Christmas production)

And don’t forget the absolutely astounding steps forward we took as a church in 2011:

• Church operations officially moved to the north building
• Sale of the south building
• Refinished floors in the lower level lobby and auditorium
• Repainted the entire interior/exterior
• Created new children’s ministry spaces
• New parking lot installed on the north side
• Expanded new main entryway
• New building and directional signage
• Added a new Saturday night service

We saw our first ever baptisms in the north building, gave away over 1,000 food vouchers and paid off an $879,000 mortgage!  As a result we enter 2012 totally debt free, with record numbers of new visitors checking out the church each week and a solid team of leaders ready to take us into the new year and beyond.

As thankful as we are for the amazing year behind us we are just as excited about what’s to come!  Join us in celebrating what God has done and anticipating what He will do in 2012 at “PARTY!”, our New Years Eve/Day services Saturday at 6 pm and Sunday at 10 am. We believe 2012 will be our best year yet – and we cannot wait to have you experience it with us.

Welcome to the party!

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Nowhere in the Bible does it say we are to confess our sins to God – or someone representing Him.  Rather, James says we are to confess our sins to “one another” – meaning the one we’ve sinned against.  Too often we stop at relieving our conscience by acknowledging to God our shortcomings, but failing to make amends with the person who has been the victim of our poor judgement.   In Matthew 5 Jesus makes it pretty clear that we shouldn’t even think about worshipping God if our horizontal relationships are messed up.  He says, “First go and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift.”

As we learned today, genuine confession leads to repentance and reconciliation.  Being brave enough to confess our sin – to God and the ones we sin against – and making steps to correct the situation is how true healing comes.  The Bible does not say God “forgets” our sin.  It says He chooses not to remember it.  Our pattern of forgiveness toward those who sin against us must be the same.  When we confess our sins to one another and pray for each other…then we are healed.   How different our lives (and the church) would be if we practiced this simple truth.

Let the healing begin.

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Ronda Adams, worship violinist, brought a wonderful addition to our first Saturday night service.

Kay Goodman summed it up best when she saw the results of our first Saturday/Sunday weekend service combo – “The party has officially started!”

What a fantastic launch to a new season for Riverside!  With the exception of Mother’s Day, this weekend was our biggest worship service attendance of the year! This is a resounding confirmation of our decision to add a Saturday night service.  We knew that if our people would commit to serve and invite, we would be able to reach more people.   You stepped up and proved that, if we will do our part, there’s no question God will do His.

We’ve only scratched the surface of the great things God has in store as we remain faithful to His call and seize the opportunity to impact our city with the Gospel.

The party truly has just begun!

It was the perfect convergence of God’s timing, a “now” word for our congregation and a whole lot of hard work and creativity.  The end result…SERVE-A-BRATION!  Several months ago when planning the LifeApps series we knew we needed a volunteer fair to recruit people to serve in various ministry capacities.  We wanted it to be more than your average “sign up here” operation.  The thought hit us – serving is supposed to be FUN…and what’s more fun than a carnival?!  Capitalizing on the whole fall harvest theme various ministries sponsored their own booths featuring their particular area to offer a taste of what they do.  We also incorporated fun games for the kids and yummy carnival foods & treats.  The message of servanthood set the tone for the day and the service ended with a “BANG” – literally!  The Central High School Drum Line joined us for a big finish complete with confetti canons and a rousing dance party to Kool & The Gang.  The result was something that doesn’t happen nearly often enough in church…A BLAST!  You can watch the action here: Serve-A-Bration Dance Party

Thanks to the invites handed out for the carnival plus the visiting band members and their families, it was the third highest attendance of the year – bested only by Easter and Mother’s Day.  Just goes to show how far a little creativity can go…and all to promote a virtue that can’t get enough positive press in the church – the JOY of SERVING!

Great job, Team RC!

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Something really BIG is happening at Riverside! God has called us to reach people in this community who need to know Him.  He’s given us tremendous resources and the opportunity to partner with Him in the process.  And now we’re taking that opportunity to a whole new level!

Starting November 5th we’ll be doing something never before attempted in the history of our church…a SATURDAY NIGHT service!  Why Saturday instead of a second Sunday morning service?  Primarily because simply adding a second service on the same day and general time as our existing service limits us to reaching the same people currently able to attend our Sunday morning service.  A Saturday night worship experience opens up the possibility that an entirely new audience could be able to check out Riverside in their search for a potential church home.

Some people are simply unable to attend church on a Sunday morning due to work and other commitments.  A Saturday night service offers them a great alternative!  There are others who may be attending a church but have been searching for a better place to connect and serve.  This gives them the flexibility to also check out what God is doing at RC and see if it might be a fit for them.  And finally, a Saturday night service provides believers an opportunity to come together and enjoy a night of corporate worship while still attending their home church on Sunday morning.

Two things must happen for this strategy to succeed – both relying on the faithfulness of every person who calls Riverside home:

1) The commitment to volunteer to serve in at least one worship experience per month.  You chose when and where!  We have identified at least 260 opportunities to serve in any given month.  If every person who calls Riverside home would claim even a couple of those slots we will be fully staffed and ready to serve others.

2) The primary reason someone would check out Riverside is if YOU invite them!  If you make the decision to invite the people God puts in your path, I guarantee that He will USE you to reach those that are just waiting for someone to ask them.  We’ll provide you with the tools to do it and create an environment where those you invite will encounter the life and love of God.  The results will be something that all of us have been praying to see for a long time!

It’s a BIG deal and it all begins Saturday, November 5th.  Get ready to make history!

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