What Kind of Catholic?

I have been overwhelmed with the amount of questions that have come in from our congregation about Catholicism. I'll answer the biggest question on Sunday, "Are Catholics Christians?" and talk about the traditions of the Catholic Church. One area I won't have time to cover is the diversity within the Catholic Church. I have been surprised to discover that there are as many different kinds of Catholics as there are different kinds of Protestants. There are about a billion Catholics in the world and they can be grouped into seven major categories. I'll list them here because it is important to understand the differences.

Ex-Catholic - One out of ten Americans consider themselves former Catholics. Many of these people do not practice any religious faith. A large number of people in our area fit into this category.

Ultratraditionalist -These are Catholics who are critical of any modern adjustments to the Catholic Church. They would be happy if the Catholic Mass were still conducted in Latin and view any reforms to Catholicism as heresy. The most famous ultratraditionalist Catholic is Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson stated publicly that his ultraditionalist beliefs inspired him to make The Passion, which was based in the works of ultraditionalist writer and nun Anne Catherine Emmerich.

Traditionalist - This group focuses on obedience to the teachings of the church as interpreted by Rome. They accept the reforms of the church and were led by Pope John Paul II and the current Pope Benedict XVI. The hierarchy of the Catholic church including most bishops and priests fit into this category. Traditionalists are the celebrated back bone of the Catholic church, but in reality many American Catholics are supsicious of their traditionalist views and their authority.

Liberal - This group is the opposite of the traditionalist Catholics. They question most church teachings. They openly reject papal or biblical authority and replace it with the authority of human reason. They disagree with what Catholicism teaches about abortion, birth control, and homosexuality.

Charismatic & Evangelical -About 10 million Catholics in the United States consider themselves to be "born again, spirit filled Catholics." They emphasize the gifts of the Holy Spirit and assurance of salvation through a personal faith and trust in Christ. Evangelical Christians have more in common with Charismatic Catholics than any other group of Catholics.

Folk - This group of Catholics is found primarily in Central and South America and combine traditional Catholicism with their local spiritual beliefs. The result is a mix of Catholicism, occult spiritism, and superstition that enslaves millions of Latin American peasants in fear.

American - American Catholics have their own category within the Catholic church because they tend to pick and chose beliefs that traditionalist Catholics hold. Most American Catholics hold the pope in high esteem, but they have a defiant attitude about traditionalist beliefs. This is especially true regarding sex and lifestyle choices. Most disagree with the traditionalist views of the church about contraception and have a moderate pro-choice position. Notable American Catholics would be politicians like John Kerry and John F. Kennedy.

Catechism Series

Today in our staff planning we laid out some great ideas for our Catechism series starting Sunday, March 2nd. We're going to look at the differences between Catholics and Protestants in a positive non-judgmental way.

This is where I need your help. I'd love to hear what questions you have about Catholicism. I want to base much of what I talk about on your questions, so please email me or post them here as comments. You can email me at dale@newsongchristian.org

As I shared Sunday, we are doing the Catechism series for two reasons. First, we are going to look at some of the foundations of what we believe like the Trinity, the Bible, Baptism, and Communion. Second, I am hoping that you invite friends to church who are familiar with Catholicism and want to know more about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus. There are a lot of people in our area who consider themselves Catholic, but don't actually practice any religious faith. For many, being Catholic is more of a family tradition than an a real part of their life. So, if you know someone who might be interested in knowing more about how to have a personal relationship with God, make sure to invite them.

I'd also like to take a minute for those of you who encouraged me after this Sunday's message. I really appreciate your feedback. I think Sunday was a huge turning point for our church family and will set the direction for our future. Last summer, I described to you how as a middle sized church there is a natural inclination for us to shrink in size. We are either going to break through and reach people for Jesus Christ or we'll shrink into an "us four and no more" kind of church. As I said on Sunday, my greatest fear is that we'll focus on what is easy and ignore what is hard about being a Christian. I am praying New Song will be a church where we have a passion for the truth and compassion for people! Reaching people for Christ is an almost impossible assignment, but I want to be a part of a church were God does the impossible!

Financial Update

This week I met with our Financial Management Team and our Ministry Leadership Team to talk about our church finances. Both meetings resulted in the same decision - pray for wisdom.

Church finances are a small part of our church that we rarely talk about but need to monitor. Church finances are kind of like checking the oil in our car. We need to check the oil once in a while to make sure that we aren't out, but we usually look at something else when we're driving.

With that in mind let me share with you a little bit about our church finances as I check the oil at New Song.

Our church is going through a season of growth and expansion. About 18 months ago we had a successful capital campaign to raise funds for a full time youth minister. We were able to prefund Doug Husen’s position as our full time youth pastor. In addition, we were able to bring David Sheppard on full time to lead out in our small groups’ ministry.

Before we made this move, I was told that in a new church, the shift from three to four full time staff is difficult because of the financial dynamics. After much prayer, we decided to move forward with the expectation of continued growth of the church that could allow for this addition.

As a result of these staff changes, in the last 18 months we have seen many new people join our church family. At the same time, several long time members have moved on. The net result has been that our attendance and weekly giving have remained pretty much the same. Yet, because of the addition of a fourth full time staff member our financial expenses have gradually increased. We have been able to adjust for this transition by cutting back in other areas. However, we will not be able to sustain our current level of spending without an increase in giving that we pray comes from the growth of the church.

As we finished 2007, I am glad to say that our tithes and offerings were in line with our budget projections. However, in the first six weeks of 2008 we have seen a significant drop in giving. With that in mind we are praying for wisdom about how to move forward in the next season of the church. This week we adopted some small budget cuts to our ministry areas (children’s, youth, etc.). Our prayer is that we will not be required to make further cuts and that God will bless our church with continued growth.

As we move forward into the spring, please pray with us that God will provide for our financial needs. Our church is making an incredible impact in people’s lives and we want to continue being a place where people discover how much God loves them. Just last Sunday, someone came up to me after church and shared how he was struggling, but the message that day and his wife’s Life Group are making all the difference in their life! I hear stories of life change and encouragement on almost a daily basis! God is doing some great things at New Song! Let’s pray that this continues and that we are able to continue being a healthy church that never stops growing!

Acts 22 - Paul's Radical Change

This morning in my devotional time, I read Paul's speech to a crowd that wanted to kill him in Jerusalem. Here's how God spoke to my heart and changed my life through this passage.

Scripture - Talking about Paul -"You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard." (Acts 22:15) -
Paul speaking to God - " 'Lord,' I replied, 'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.' " (Acts 22:19-20)

Observation - Paul underwent a radical transformation from an enemy of God to an advocate for God. God has the ability to change anyone's heart in a drastic way and set them free from the lies they believe. Paul believed the lie that by persecuting the church he was honoring God. God changed what Paul believed, which led him to make radically different decisions, which resulted in a radically different outcome for his life. Paul's life change is an example of how what we believe leads to what we decide, which leads to the outcomes we get.

Application - God can bring a radical change in my life by changing what I believe. When I struggle with sin or I am not experiencing God's joy in my life it is because I am believing something that is leading to a wrong decision and a wrong outcome. I struggle when I believe subtle lies of the devil that lead me away from God's best for my life. Example: When I believe that I have to provide for my family I get stressed out and often make bad financial choices. When I believe that God loves me enough to provide for me and meet my needs I trust him and make the decision to tithe to him first. This leads to the outcome of joy in my life instead of stress or fear.

Some of the truths that I believe that result in my decisions...

1. God loves me more than I even love my own
children. (John 3:16)
2. God approves of me because of who I am and not what I do. That's called grace. (Eph. 2:8-10)
3. God promises to meet my needs and provide for me (Philippians 4:19).
4. God wants me to worship him alone and look only to him for my security, my joy, and approval. (Exodus 20:1-6)
5. God doesn't want me to be afraid of failure because he is with and will help me with whatever circumstances I am struggling with (Isaiah 41:10).

Prayer - "God, please help me to believe only what is true about you and your love for me. Please expose any subtle lies or agreements that I have made with myself that are lies. Please change my life like you changed Paul's life by teaching me your truth so that I can praise you like he did! Please burn your truth into my heart so that I make right decisions and live out your great plan for my life!"

P.S. The picture of Liam and Michael is from our recent snow day at Kyle and Bonita Thomas' cabin in Strawberry! The boys had so much fun sledding and playing. Meg would have been in the picture, but she wasn't very happy that day. There was about 2-3feet of snow and since she is only two years old and only thirty inches tall...well you can imagine how well that went.

Staff Meeting - Easter Week

Today at our staff meeting we talked through some exciting developments for Easter Week that I am so excited about I have to get them out to you today.

1. Good Friday Life Groups - We have been debating having a Good Friday church service where we would show the movie, The Passion of the Christ, worship, and take communion together. We have been struggling with logistics (facilities, etc.) and realized today it wouldn't work. So, Steve Caler came up with a fantastic alternative. We are going to invite our Life Groups to have their own Good Friday times in homes. We haven't figured out all of the details, but each group could customize their experience to whatever works.
Here are some ideas that might be included for your Life Group on Good Friday.

• Have dinner together. Share a meal like they did in the Bible and "break bread" together.


• Invite your whole family including the kids. It could be a great way to share with your children what Easter is all about.


• We'll have a group discussion Bible Study available for everyone to share a common experience and review what Good Friday is about.


• You can take communion together. Get a big loaf of sourdough bread (yes, I know it's not unleavened) and some grape juice (yes, I know it's not fermented) and take communion with your group and your family.


• Have a time of worship in singing!


• Read the story from the Bible of the crucifixion.


• Watch The Passion of the Christ together. This might be something where you eat, take communion, have a Bible discussion, and sing. Then take a break and anyone who would like to can leave. Then the rest of the group can watch The Passion together and then pray together as a group at the end.

2. Good Friday Kids Camp - Steve and the team are working hard to put together a one day Kid's Camp on the morning of Good Friday, March 21. They are planning on giving a preview of our Summer Kids camp with the same curriculm and characters. Our thought is that it would be a great way to invite kids to as a way of exposing them to the incredible summer program that we have each year. They can come for one day and then sign up for the Summer Kid's Camp. If the Friday works out well this year, we might even expand it to the whole week of Easter Vacation next year.

3. Easter Services - This Easter we are borrowing an idea that has been floating around for the past couple of years that I am thrilled about. We are talking about the power of the resurrection to help us to break through obstacles in our life. We are using the metaphor of doors that God gives us the power to walk through. This Sunday at church we'll have inviation cards available so that you can start inviting someone to Easter Sunday!