Jonathan Herron

Answers on the Fly

One of my favorite Sundays of the year is when we do Answers on the Fly: Live Q&A via texting. 

Instead of a regular sermon with notes, we invite the audience to instead text-in questions anonymously that I then answer live on stage. 

It creates a safe place for people to wrestle with their faith while keeping me sharp and on my toes!  Everyone loves the accessibility and trust this creates (i.e. "This guy really does know what he's talking about!").

For what it's worth, here's our latest Answers on the Fly featuring questions about Yeshua, abortion, LGBTQ issues, and more!

 

 

Have You Considered a Church Merger?

We Are Better Together

Church mergers have become one of the most effective strategies for struggling churches to thrive again, for growing churches to amplify their reach, and for church facilities to be better utilized to advance the Gospel in a region.

What is a Church Merger?

When two or more churches become one through the combining, integrating, and unifying of people, structures, systems, and resources in order to better reach their community with the message of Jesus.

Three Types of Church Mergers

1. Rebirth
   Typically when a struggling church gets a second life by being restarted under a stronger, vibrant, usually larger church.

2. Adoption
   This occurs when a stable or stuck church is integrated under the leadership of a stronger, vibrant, usually larger church.

3. Marriage
   Typically when two growing churches realign with each other under a unified vision and new leadership configuration.

4. 

5. Questions to Consider

   1. Could we accomplish more together than we could separately? Would we find more ministry synergy, created by the two churches joining with common vision and purpose?
      
      2. Would my congregation benefit from this merger? Would my individual congregation be better, healthier or stronger by joining with this church?
      
      3. Would our community be better served by us working together? By joining forces, can we make a bigger impact in our surrounding community?
      
      4. Could the Kingdom of God be further extended by us joining together? Would uniting help us make more and better disciples of Jesus?

    

   INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?  Let Us Know!

6. 

Overcoming Rejection

Have you ever felt rejected?
Have you ever been cut out of a friendship circle?
Has a church wounded you deeply in the past?

If so, this message might be encouraging and helpful.

#FromPainToPurpose

 

Easter Weekend at Life Church

LIFE CHURCH'S EGG DROP on ABC12 NEWS

I was a live guest on our local ABC affiliate talking about Easter at Life Church.

For what it's worth, here's the interview --

 

HELICOPTER EGG DROP 2023

Our Easter event was a huge success!

Thank you to the thousands who came out and joined in on the fun.

A special shoutout to our dedicated volunteers who made it all happen!

 

 

Reflecting on 3 Years After COVID

Three years ago today I sent our Life Church staff home due to this great unknown, COVID-19.

We had just celebrated Life Church’s Midland Comic-Con event success and I had just returned from a briefing at The White House.

Sending our team home that day, I could not have known all the change and tumult that awaited our church family in the coming months.

Online worship became the norm. We did five Drive-In Easter services that April. By September, everything I knew was sadly gone: friends abruptly disappeared and blocked my family online, the entire staff curiously quit one by one, and I was left holding the place I loved together by the skin of my teeth.

What’s remarkable to me is that none of this took God by surprise. You cannot surprise the Master. In John 13:19 Jesus says, “I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.”

When life feels out of control, God remains firmly in control. Everything that happens to you in life has passed through the sovereign hands of God and is ultimately for your good.

That doesn’t mean that life can’t hurt sometimes. Trust me, Amber and I received deep educations in 2020 on betrayal and heartache.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4, “At first there was no one I could count on to faithfully stand with me—they all ran off and abandoned me—but don’t hold this against them. For in spite of this, my Lord himself stood with me, empowering me to complete my ministry of preaching.”

When the earth shakes, the Lord stands firm. When life doesn’t make sense, I can choose to trust in a God who does and who is working behind the scenes for my good.

While our family’s life now looks radically different than it did three years ago, I am thankful for a God who remains faithful and just regardless of passing troubles.

I am thankful that our faith is grounded in the concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation, and that it is never too late to become who you might have been.

Whatever your life looks like today, choose to persevere. Choose to believe the best in people and allow love to cover over all sins (1 Peter 4:8).

Trust in the Carpenter-King and see what God can do through you.

5 REASONS CHURCH PLANTING WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE

Thinking of starting a new church from scratch?

Got the itch to "graduate" from leading the youth group to becoming the lead pastor of your own thing?

Sure, church planting looks hot and sexy on Instagram, but take it from me, there are 5 Reasons Church Planting Will Ruin Your Life:

5.  Get Used To Being Broke.

You will never have all the resources you used to have at your cushy, all-expenses-paid, endowed former established church.  Church planting is like Adulting for Church Leaders: you'll learn very quickly that receipts matter and you'll have to get used to raising cash for your salary and ministry needs.   

The good news?  You're reaching people far from God.  The bad news?  Baby Christians don't tithe. 

There's a reason the Apostle Paul wrote so many fundraising letters (I'm looking at you, 2 Corinthians).  Stop whining and get used to it.

4. Get Used to Being Misunderstood.

You're a dreamer, like Joseph.  You can pitch a crowd on what could be and what should be with both hands tied behind your back and blindfolded.  Vision is just your thing.

And because you're seeking to persuade people to join your cause, you will be misunderstood.  Some church people will assume you're in it for the money (*ahem* See #5 above). Others will think you want to become the next attention-starved Celebrity Pastor.

Here's the thing: They won't actually come to you with their "concerns."  Instead of a face-to-face conversation, misunderstandings happen through behind-the-scenes condemnation.  You'll be going through life, doing ministry, minding your own business when WHAM-O!  You're socked from the rear by a book-length Facebook post that tags everyone in your church.

Not cool, but it really does happen.  A lot.

Whatever the case, just remember that passive aggressiveness is not a fruit of the Spirit.  Put on that Ephesians 6 Armor and suck it up because being misunderstood sucks.

3.  Get Used to Having Zero Vacation Time.

When you're the only staff member on staff, who can you trust to fill in for you?  Further, if you really do believe that every Sunday is somebody's first Sunday, do you want their first Sunday to be a JV experience?

You see, it's not that you don't have dedicated, carved out vacation time on the calendar... It's that you are constantly in Vision / Survival Mode and it requires your direct attention.  This makes missing a Sunday nearly impossible.  Is this healthy?  No, and that is why you will need to really think through a strategy for getting dedicated time off to recharge your batteries.

2. Get Used to the High Turn-Over Rate.

Just like Shakira's hips, statistics don't lie.  Do you know what percentage of your church start-up will experience turnover two years in?  100%.  That's right, complete turn-over. 

Starting a church from scratch requires sacrificial amounts of energy, time, giving, and buy-in.  It will wear on your people over time.

Get ready for experiencing pain.  In fact, your pain threshold is also your leadership lid.  Love people and hold them loosely with open hands.  Bless them on the way out but don't be shocked when they're on their way out.

1.  Get Used to Collapsing at Jesus' Feet.

At the end of the day, Jesus is the Senior Pastor of your church; you're just an undershepherd (see 1 Peter 5).  This means that He is responsible for what happens in your church start-up, not you.  It's His church, not yours. 

And so you can cast your cares on Him because He really, really does care for you. 

Collapsing at Jesus' Feet gets you off your pedestal and into a position of submission.  Advancing the church on your knees is the best strategy for reaching people far from God.

They Were On Fire

I’ve always been fascinated by the lives of the earliest Christians who lived two thousand years ago. 

Under the crush of Roman occupation, a new movement was birthed: men and women who worshiped the risen Messiah. 

This wave of radical acceptance and grace-filled lives swept the world and changed human history.

In 1947, J.B. Phillips wrote this description of the Christian movement: 

“The great difference between present-day Christianity and that of which we read in these letters is that to us it is primarily a performance, to them it was a real experience. We are apt to reduce the Christian religion to a code, or at best a rule of heart and life. To these men it is quite plainly the invasion of their lives by a new quality of life altogether.

They do not hesitate to describe this as Christ ʻliving inʼ them. These early Christians were on fire with the conviction that they had become, through Christ, literally sons of God; they were pioneers of a new humanity, founders of a new Kingdom. They still speak to us across the centuries. Perhaps if we believed what they believed, we might achieve what they achieved."

 

The earliest followers experienced the powerful aftermath of Jesus’ empty tomb: thousands of people turning to Jesus as their Master and Forgiver, radical life-change, and rumblings throughout society about this God-man who now lives. 

In addition to keeping the Jewish Sabbath, these first followers of Christ added the observance of the first day of the week - the day that Jesus rose from death to life.  This is why most Christians worship on Sunday mornings. 

According to premiere Christian historian Justo Gonzalez, the earliest communion services did not center on Christ’s passion - they were not quiet, introspective, reflective services.  

Instead, Christians worshiped weekly in loud celebration, understanding that the tomb was empty, death could not hold Jesus, and He was ushering in a new age of victory.  Yes, every Sunday was a party for One! 

It was much later - centuries later - before the focus of Christian worship shifted towards the death of Jesus.  In the earliest Christian community, the breaking of bread took place “with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46).

May we embrace this same infectious enthusiasm first demonstrated by the earliest Christ followers. 

May we worship Jesus Christ with great passion, may we love others with scandalous grace, and may we be outward-focused in our church communities. 

An empty tomb provokes nothing less.

Sermon on the Dugout

SERMON ON THE DUGOUT: LIFE CHURCH HOLDING SERVICE AT DOW DIAMOND

Sunday morning's event is free and open to public
by Jon Becker, for the Midland Daily News  |  May 19, 2022

 

MIDLAND — Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and … church? Yes, you read that right. America’s pastime is not normally associated with passionate preaching, live bands and a worship service, but that’s exactly what’s going on Sunday, May 22 at Dow Diamond.

Life Church, a Great Lakes Loons 2022 partner, is holding its weekly church service at the Loons' home stadium beginning at 11 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The nondenominational church likes to get creative in its approach to inspiring people to become engaged in their faith.

 

“We believe that faith is a journey, not a guilt trip,” said Jonathan Herron, founding pastor of the nine-year-old church. “We take our faith seriously but don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Since Life Church is sponsoring Faith & Family Nights throughout the Loons’ 2022 season, “We thought it would be fun to actually hold a church service along the first base line,” Herron said. “We’re always brainstorming for new ideas for engaging our community at Life Church. We love bringing families together.”

Minor League Baseball is noted for its family-friendly game experiences. The Loons, who hosted their second School Kids Day of the year on Tuesday, are all in for a Sunday sermon at the ballpark.

“Faith and Fellowship Nights has been a staple at the ballpark for well over 10 years,” said Tyler Kring, the Loons’ assistant general manager of business development. “Faith is part of the journey for many of our players. We’re excited to be partnering with Life Church this season.”

The church’s house band, Kingdom Sound, will lead modern worship songs outdoors, followed by Pastor Herron sharing scripture from atop the first base dugout. The pastor also plans to interview some current Loons players about their faith journeys.

 

“Through this event, we hope to engage more Midland and Sanford area households as we gather a core group to launch our Midland campus this September,” Herron explained. “The plan is to become one church in two locations. We’ll have worship Sundays at 9:30 a.m. via Northwood University’s Griswold Theater, followed by worship at our Saginaw campus at 11:15 a.m.”

Michaela Yenior, of Midland, attended her first Life Church service about a year and a half ago and was quickly captivated.

“They’re on to something here,” Yenior remembers thinking. She added of Sunday's plans, “This event is really exciting and works within the scope of Life Church’s mission: reach the lost at any cost. The church is willing to think outside of the box.”

“We’re kind of known for doing things big,” said Herron, noting the church’s annual Easter Egg Helicopter Drop as proof positive that Life Church will pull out any and all stops to advance its mission.

 

“Pastor Herron is an incredible guy,” said Life Church parishioner Arnel Hipolito. “He’s selfless. The church has been through some ups and downs, but he’s kept going forward. He’s done a lot of outreach in the community. It’ll be interesting to hear him preach gospel from the dugout. He’s a passionate, fired-up guy, but it’s his leadership acumen that really stands out.”

Hipolito, also of Midland, plays drums and guitar in Kingdom Sounds. He played at Dow Diamond a couple of times last year and really enjoyed the experience.

“It was hot and a lot of work, but fun,” he said. “You’re outside and you’re watching baseball. Who doesn’t enjoy watching baseball?”

On another occasion, the Greater Midland Tennis Center (where Hipolito works) treated a group of its employees to a Loons game.

 

“It’s great family entertainment,” Hipolito said.

Sunday will mark Life Church’s first foray into serving the Lord at Dow Diamond, so Herron is unsure how many people will show. However, “According to our Facebook Page, over 300 people have indicated that they are planning on coming.”

“Hopefully, we’ll get enough people to reopen our Midland location,” Yenior said.

Life Church in Midland closed during the pandemic. This Sunday’s morning event is part of the plan to relaunch Life Church’s Midland campus this fall, Herron said.

 

Herron encourages people to invite neighbors and friends for church at the ballpark and to then to stick around and purchase tickets for the ballgame that follows. At 1:05 p.m. Sunday, the Loons will conclude a six-game home series against the Lansing Lugnuts.

How to Quickly Reach People Far From God

I’m not concerned about being criticized for taking risks to reach people far from God.  I’m concerned about not being criticized.

Recently I was invited to teach a breakout session at a conference in Chicago based on my book, Holy Shift.  The topic was so popular among church leaders that we ran out of seats!

I had fun sharing my journey in comedy and ministry, the unique story God is writing atLife Church Michigan, and equipping church leaders in my jam-packed breakout with comedy tools that will help them reach more people far from God.

Because I love church leaders and I want to see you go further, faster, here is the full video as a free resource to your team!

Life Church's Core Values

Core Values are important in any organization as they articulate the kind of organization we dream of becoming.

Putting into words the culture you are seeking to model into existence is hard work.

During my recent doctoral studies, I've been refreshing Life Church's Core Values for the journey ahead.  

For what it's worth, here are our Core Values, Version 2.0...

We Are United Under One Vision

To reach the people no one else is reaching, we will do the things no one else is doing.
We will do anything short of sin to reach people far from God.
We will unapologetically and aggressively defend our unity and vision.

Every Person Matters

All people are image-bearers of God and are wonderfully made.
Because every person matters, relationships are not disposable.
We will always choose conversation over condemnation.
We will always seek to maintain the relationship over winning the argument.
We choose honesty over hypocrisy and gospel over gossip.

 

We Strive for Integrity, Transparency & Accountability

We do not gossip or spread rumors.  No insider politics here.
Full of honor and integrity, we will choose to do the right thing even when it hurts.
Our position is to out-love, out-serve, and out-give those who misunderstand us.

Because we have nothing to hide, we value humble transparency in all areas, including finances.

Everyone is accountable to someone at Life Church.

 

Found People Find People

We will put more effort into reaching the Lost than keeping the Found.
We will never allow this lifeboat to become a yacht club.
We will spare no expense because the just-one-more is worth it.
We will celebrate every story because every person matters.

Saved People Serve People

“... just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..."  (Jesus in Matthew 20:28)

Becoming more like Jesus means we focus on serving others.
When we take the spotlight off ourselves and place it on other people, it will result in improving our marriages, making a difference in our workplaces and discovering our spiritual gifts.

We are never more like Christ than when we see Sunday mornings as our mission field.

Growing People Change

Jesus accepts us as we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay that way.
Over time, the Lord changes us from the inside out.

Colossians 3:9-10 reminds us that we have "taken off the old self" and "put on the new self."
Once we know Jesus, we can’t go back to the people we were before.

As we listen to Jesus and do what He says, our desires change.
We begin to think and act and love as He did.

 

I Cannot Out-Give God

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (Jesus in John 3:16)

It is a spiritual impossibility for us to outgive God, because He has already given us everything.
Everything belongs to God and we are simply managers of God's stuff.
When we give, we’re giving God back a small portion of what He’s already given us.

 

Jesus is Our Only Celebrity

We celebrate the contributions of God's servants to our spiritual education and formation,
but we look to Jesus above all others and put our hope in Him alone.

 

Movements Move

We are not Atari, we are Apple.
We believe in humor over hammer.

We will always maintain a posture of humility and learning new methods for reaching people far from God.

We will always narrow the focus in all we do.  We think steps, not programs.