When you have 5 children who all love to wake up at the crack of dawn, you go to bed early like I do.
I was sound asleep last night, sawing logs, when my wife's cell phone buzzed.
It was around midnight, I was groggily awakened, and my Dad (who lives in Cleveland) wanted to talk:
"Jon, I have some bad news," he began.
"I know you were at The White House last week. Turns out you may have been exposed to that Coronavirus that's all over the news by someone at your Washington briefing.
You should go and get tested. You might have a lethal disease.
Maybe you need to self-isolate for 14 days. This virus is killing people.
Okay, well, that's all. Have a good night!"
Turns out I was not exposed to the Coronavirus.
But I can't blame my Dad for being anxious.
Everywhere you turn, people are talking about the coronavirus.
The evening news is trumpeting The End Of Civilization As We Know It.
There’s a lot of panic.
In some ways, I think the viral fear about it may be worse than the virus itself.
Don't get me wrong: If you are above age 60 or have underlying health conditions, there is reason to be alert to this virus.
But let's not lose our dang minds: God is bigger than the coronavirus. Don’t be afraid.
You have permission to not freak out about coronavirus.
Yes, we all should step up our hand washing game and listen to health professionals.
But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7).
Some of you need to sit back and take in the big picture.
Don’t over-react. Don’t under-react. Just experience God’s peace and walk in wisdom.
Here's what the Scriptures tell us about the season we're in:
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. (Psalm 91:5-7)
No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:10-11)
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Jesus in Luke 12:25-26)
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (Jesus in John 14:27)
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (Jesus in John 16:33)
I am the founding pastor of Life Church, the fastest-growing church in Michigan and 11th fastest-growing in America. I am focused on strategic leadership and engaging teaching, all fueled by a gnawing passion for engaging people far from God. My unique ministry approach has been featured online in Time Magazine, USA Today, and The Washington Times. Married twenty-one years to my high school sweetheart, I have five children plus a wiener dog with a nervous bladder. Bring me to your next event!
Every church leader longs for their people to not just buy into the unique vision God has for their church, but to actually own the vision personally.
When volunteers choose to make the ministry their ministry, when ordinary people attempt extraordinary steps of faith for the Lord, and when the hearts of people in your church beat faster dreaming about what could be and whatshould be, the Kingdom of God moves forward faster!
At Life Church, the vision is to Reach the Lost at Any Cost.
We are all about Jesus - dangerously, obsessively, undeniably Jesus.
Our tribe is willing to do the things nobody else is doing in order to reach the people nobody else is reaching!
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
(Matthew 13:34)
Jesus always taught using stories that people could understand.
The Son of God connected spiritual truths with sticky stories that anyone could remember and connect with.
Since God created us with minds that are hungry for stories, I say why not reach people far from God by leveraging the Star Wars stories with the Christmas story?!
For example, our current outreach series is Star Wars Christmas - We're sharing the story from a long time ago in a Bethlehem far, far away!
When we first attempted this ambitious approach to sharing the message of Christ back in 2015, God gave us favor with the Associated Press and our reach was extended as far away as Time Magazine's Money, USA Today, and The Washington Times!
When D.L. Moody was attempting to reach street orphans in Chicago with the Gospel back in the 1800's, he did something extraordinary: He rented a Saloon for Sunday School on Sunday nights! To get children in the door, he offered free candy, pony rides, and pennies. And his outreach methods worked!
The only pushback Moody received was from religious people. Moody's response is my motto:
"I prefer the way I do evangelism to the way you don't."
What excites me most is seeing our Lifers own the outreach and running with it!
Nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than hearing stories of Lifers texting friends and talking about Star Wars at work as a bridge toward a Sunday invite.
Every invitation is an opportunity.
Every opportunity is one step closer toward the Gospel.
I had a BLAST sharing about what God is doing at the church I love, partying with Chris Farley, PLUS how EXCITED I was to open for LEE STROBEL at the Outreach Summit!
Jonathan says the two main ingredients to church leadership in the 21st century are laughter and love.
Laughter because comedy clubs are packed and our pews are empty; using the principles of improv-comedy can help church leaders unleash authenticity and the love of Christ.
We're losing ground in North America because we're doing ministry out of memory, trying to fit in and please men.
Instead, we need more mavericks to simply listen to God and do what he says.
First-time guests are looking for a reason not to return to church.
People must feel environmentally-secure before they become theologically-aware.
Laughter is universal: It breaks the ice, and it's a wink to your audience that everyone in the room is on the same page.
If you want to reach Gen Z, stop trying to enforce the rules and instead become an outpost of grace.
As our church has grown, our staff team has literally shrunk by 50% due to bad hires and sending out church planters.
Goodbyes always hurt, so laughter and levity heals.
Jesus did promise that leading a growing church will always get harder, not easier.
Do not believe the lie that you've arrived or are entitled. That's the beginning of the downward spiral.
Leaders are learners.
You have got to keep your edge by remaining hungry, humble, and willing to hustle.
Seminary does not prepare you for reaching people far from God; it only shows you how to exegete ancient languages (which is important) and how to maintain a small group (which is antithetical to the Great Commission).
Jonathan Herron, founding pastor of Life Church Michigan with campuses in Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw, Michigan
That was preached and modeled by Jesus nearly two thousand years ago.
No matter what someone's upbringing, skin color, or background, every person is an image-bearer of God and is of great worth and immense value.
Jesus lived this out in a poignant moment after He rose from the dead.
The Scriptures tell us that after the Resurrection, Jesus stuck around for 40 days before returning Home.
Let me ask you a question:
If you are the Son of God and you have only 40 days left to show people worldwide that you're alive, who would you pursue?
Kings? Presidents? YouTube Stars?
I know that I certainly would not pursue a former close friend who had betrayed and backstabbed me.
That would be a waste of my time, right?
Not according to Jesus.
Every Person Matters.
Even the person who hurt you most deeply.
Enroute to the Cross, Jesus' right-hand man Peter had denied Christ three times.
Three times!
After the Resurrection, Jesus pursued Peter.
This is mind-blowing because Peter was a 7 day journey away up in Galilee, fishing and sulking with his buddies.
So get this: the resurrected Christ spent 7 of His 40 days walking north to Galilee, all for one person: Peter.
Every Person Matters.
In John chapter 21, Jesus comes upon Peter.
Jesus does not lecture, or point fingers, or give Peter the silent treatment... Jesus cooks Peter breakfast!
Because Peter had dropped the ball three times, we discover that Jesus forgives and restores Peter three times.
It's that third moment of restoration that gets me:
Then Jesus asked him again, “Peter, son of John, do you have great affection for me?”
Peter was saddened by being asked the third time and said, “My Lord, you know everything. You know that I burn with love for you!”
Jesus replied, “Then feed my lambs!"
(John 21:17, The Passion Translation)
Peter was a fisherman.
In his line of work, he had to pay a tax to Rome for every single fish he caught and kept.
This meant that fishermen would look at a caught fish and if it seemed weak or not good enough, they would throw the sickly fish away.
After all, who wants to pay a tax on a fish that doesn't matter anyway?
Jesus looks into Peter's eyes and basically says,
"You are no longer a fisherman who casually throws fish out of the boat. You are now a shepherd. In a shepherd's eyes, every single lamb matters because every single lamb is pure potential. They just need extra love, extra attention, and someone willing to take care of them and show them the way forward. A shepherd is willing to do whatever it takes to find and feed the sheep."
The Great Lakes Bay Region is a diverse region full of pure potential.
What ignites that potential?
Jesus.
And so we are all about making Jesus famous, one life at a time.
We are Kamikaze Disciples.
We want to make it HARD for people in our region to go to hell and EASY for people in our region to go to a Life Church location!
Trust me, it makes NO SENSE to essentially launch three church start-ups in six years.
The hours are long, the work is tough, critics are loud and the pay often averages less than a school teacher.
Yet that is what God has called us to do: Reach the Lost at Any Cost.
We are United Under One Vision.
Stewarding this vision has been my job since Amber and I began putting the pieces together for a new church start-up back in 2011.
Raising up leaders has been our concentration since launching Life Church on March 17, 2013.
Championing the reach of Life Church has been our ambition as God has graciously grown us into one church in three locations: Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw.
Even though I am free from obligations to others, I joyfully make myself a servant to all in order to win as many converts as possible."
(Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
I am proud that Life Church was the first church in Mid-Michigan to experiment with multiple locations.
If Every Person Matters, Let's Bet the Ocean.
I'm not here to play tiddly-winks.
I have zero interest in the status quo of a Yacht Club when God has called us to be a Rescue Boat.
We exist for the benefit of our non-members.
Playing it safe is too risky.
And our movement chooses to pray audacious prayers while moving forward at the speed of faith.
Life Church is less Atari and more Apple.
We will bet the ocean and not play in puddles.
I will not bring God my leftovers when He deserves my first and best.
Movements Move
If every person matters, then every Sunday matters.
That's the secret sauce of Life Church's incredible growth in such a short time: We will not surrender a single Sunday!
Every weekend worship experience is an opportunity to point people to the hope we all share.
Humor Over Hammer
My job isn't to lecture people or beat them up over their life choices.
I just want to paint a picture of what their lives could be and should be.
Following Jesus will make your life better and make you better at life!
We've discovered that humor travels further than hammer.
Make 'Em Laugh
Humor is our default in sharing God's timeless message in timely ways.
And now, it appears more people are catching on to what we're up to.
Our mischief as Kamikaze Disciples apparently caught the attention of Outreach Magazine, a national publication for church leaders.
Every year, Outreach compiles their popular Fall edition listing the 100 Fastest-Growing Churches in America.
Today they let the cat out of the bag with this article online: Life Church is on their list!
Dang it, We Just Missed the Top 10
Of course, it blows my mind that anyone would take notice of our feeble efforts here in the High Five State.
It's even crazier that we cracked the Top 20 in Growth for 2019.
I believe it's all because we serve an extraordinary God and we are a church family full of extraordinary Lifers.
The people of Life Church pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on them.
Our Lifers are incredibly special to me.
But dang it, we just missed the Top 10!
(kidding)
Dream Bigger
If I've learned anything in my faith journey, it's that I cannot out-dream God.
His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts.
I don't think God is impressed by our ranking on the Outreach Magazine list.
If we were the 11th fastest-growing church in America for 2019 with only a small percentage of Lifers ALL IN (both serving and tithing), how much faster would we be growing with 100% of Lifers ALL IN?
Healthy Things Grow and the choice is ours.
We can choose to be brave, trust God, and take our next steps forward in serving and generosity. That's healthy.
Healthy things grow.
Unhealthy things miss out.
God cannot and will not bless disobedience.
Hearts that are open-handed with their time and their treasures are what God multiplies and blesses.
So Here's My Challenge to our Lifers
1) I love you. I am proud of you. What God is doing here is special.
2) We can do better. Jesus deserves our very best efforts in changing the world, not our leftovers.
3) I am challenging you to go ALL IN on serving twice a month.
We've simplified everything so that serving is fun, easy, and exciting!
4) And yes, I am challenging you to take baby steps forward in generosity.
Mid-Michigan’s NBC & FOX News affiliates recently covered our church’s pro-active security plan roll-out.
I am thankful for the positive news coverage — below is their reporting.
SAGINAW COUNTY, Mich. — Local churches have taken big steps to keep their members safe, following the recent mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.
One church in particular, Life Church, is working with local law enforcement to increase security during its services.
“You think you’re going to a safe place like church, but terrible things can happen anywhere,” one church member said.
The lead pastor, Jonathan Herron, said his congregation expressed concern following the tragedy in Texas, so he took action.
“I started getting messages on my Facebook from people here at Life Church saying, ‘Does the church have a plan?'” Herron said.
He said he then reached out to the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department and developed a more in-depth plan.
“We’re working with a lot of churches with training, but recently we did have one church in Saginaw County that asked to hire us… hire a deputy on duty, full uniform, with a car to be at their church services,” Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel said.
Herron said just having their presence makes him feel better as both a parent and a pastor.
“It makes me feel good when I bring my children to church on Sunday that they see a smiling sheriff’s deputy there to welcome them,” he said.
He said this change has encouraged more people to walk through their doors.
“Church is a light in the darkness and partnering with the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department is just another way that we’re able to shine that light brighter, so people feel welcomed into a place full of hope and without fear,” Herron added.
Sheriff Federspiel said the department is working on holding active shooter situation training for churches in the area later in December.
The sheriff said his deputies are also making a point to make their presence known in church parking lots on Sundays.
Two years ago we had a blast at Life Church Michigan giving away hundreds of free movie tickets to a private premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Our efforts landed us in Time Magazine, USA Today, and The Washington Times.
We had so much fun and saw so many new people give their lives to Christ that we’re doing it again for Star Wars: The Last Jedi! And we have a deeply theological reason for this unique outreach initiative.
People far from God matter to God.
Jesus said that the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
People far from God ought to matter to us.The church is not a country club; it’s a rescue mission!
Our mission is to unapologetically Reach the Lost at Any Cost… just like D.L. Moody.
In the 1850’s, traveling shoe salesman D.L. Moody began renting pews (a common practice back then) in his local Chicago church. On Sunday mornings, he filled four pews with street orphans. When the religious establishment complained, Moody was told to take his smelly orphans elsewhere.
Twenty-two year-old Moody pooled resources with two other friends and began a Sunday evening Bible school for children. In 1858 it quickly grew to 300 children. How did Moody attract the children?
He bribed them.
D.L. Moody offered three free incentives to street children who would come to his Sunday night Bible gatherings: free candy, free pony rides, and one penny per kid.
Seriously, the great evangelist D.L. Moody, who is revered for preaching the gospel to over 100 million people before the invention of radio, was willing to do whatever it takes to reach people far from God!
Did Moody receive push-back from the religious establishment? You bet! They threw stones and called Moody every name in the book.
D.L. Moody’s response was awesome: “I prefer the way I do evangelism to the way you don’t.”
Moody modeled to the Church reaching out by selling out! At his Sunday evening Bible class, street orphans would receive their welcome gift and then engage in what Moody called “planned rowdy time” to get their energy out. Then the children would sing a hymn and receive Bible teaching. And it worked: hundreds of children gave their lives to Christ!
We use this exact same strategy at Life Church: all our kids’ areas strategically feature giant indoor inflatables to help get nervous energy out, followed by high-energy worship and dancing, and finally age-appropriate teaching from God’s Word.
Do we receive critical words from other Christians? Yup. All the time. And we honestly don’t care. Because they have no authority over us, only the Lord does. As long as we obey what God is telling us to do, we can leave all the results to Him!
Within two years, history records that Moody’s outreach to orphans grew to one thousand. Moody’s ministry was no longer being mocked as the fruit of his efforts was abundantly clear to his fiercest critics. President Abraham Lincoln even visited in 1860 — lives were being changed by the gospel and Moody’s attractional ministry was vindicated!
I’m passionate about reaching the lost at any cost.
We are willing to do the things nobody else is doing to reach the people nobody else is reaching. I can’t wait to see how God moves beginning this weekend as we head toward that galaxy far, far away!
