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Jeff Calloway
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Posts by Jeff Calloway
Foolishness
02 months ago
We are called to climb trees! Climbing trees is actually a biblical metaphor in Luke 19.We read stories like the one about Zacchaeus and don’t think much of it. But how many adults do you know that still climb trees? Not too many.
I love the mental picture of this tax collector in a three-piece suit climbing a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus!
Zacchaeus had a reputation to protect. He had an image to uphold. But this distinguished tax collector in a three-piece suit climbs a tree like a little kid. He didn’t care about decorum. He didn’t care about protocol. He didn’t care how foolish he looked. He just wanted to get a glimpse of Jesus!
And I want you to notice what is often overlooked in this story. Zacchaeus was willing to looking foolish to get a glimpse of Jesus. And Jesus returned the favor. The people criticized Jesus for hanging out with Zacchaeus.
The end result is an amazing conversion. Zacchaeus gives half his possessions to the poor on the spot. And Jesus says, “Salvation has come to your house.”
This is one of those days you never forget. Zacchaeus never forget the day Jesus came through Jericho—the day he climbed a sycamore tree and Jesus hung out at his house! This is the defining moment of His life. I’ve got to think that Zacchaeus would occasionally make a pilgrimage back to this sycamore tree. Maybe even climb it for old time’s sake. I bet he brought his grandkids there and let them climb the tree and told them that is where he met Jesus!
I don’t know what happens to Zacchaeus. I actually think we’ll get to hear the rest of the story in heaven. But I’ve got to think that giving half his possessions to the poor was just the beginning. He could have cheated people the rest of his life and lived selfishly. But if this story is any indication, Zacchaeus made a difference with his life! And it all started with climbing a tree.
Let me tell you what God is looking for. And I think this is huge. If you don’t know what God is looking for it is awfully hard to please him. In fact, we waste a lot of effort trying to please God in ways that aren’t pleasing to him. The Pharisees are exhibit A. God isn’t looking for religious protocol. I think God is looking for tree climbers. God is looking for people who will do anything to get to God.
Read the gospels and you’ll find that God is looking for tax collectors who climb trees to get to Jesus and prostitutes who crash parties to get to Jesus. He is looking for people who push through crowds like the woman with the issue of blood. He is looking for people who yell at the top of their lungs like the blind beggar. He is looking for people who cut holes in ceilings; jump out of boats; and follow stars to get to Jesus! The greatest turning points in Scripture can be traced back to someone who was willing to look foolish.
Let me tell you why some of us have never killed a giant or walked on water It’s because we’re not willing to look foolish.
Consumer Christianity
01 year ago
There is a cancer that has been around the American church for decades that needs to be addressed by pastors, ministry leaders, seminaries, denominations, and the person in the pew. That cancer is what is known as Consumer Christianity. I will try to give a simple definition explaining as best as I can. The word consumer is pretty self explanatory in that it is a verb that describes someone who consumes. Being a consumer means that you take and take, and take and rarely ever give back. Take for example the retail segment of our economy. That industry is a consumer driven industry where the retailer has a product and the consumer buys it for their consumption or use. There would be no product unless there were a consumer and there would be nor consumer unless there were a product. A two-edge sword, one creates the other.
In churches across America today we have the same dilemma. A cause/creation factor of the consumer wanting from the church and the church offering up a product that meets the needs of it’s consumers. We want to Live Our Best Life Now with Joel Osteen and find out how to live a Purpose Driven Life with Rick Warren. Our children are fed a diet of Veggie Tales, then when they’re old enough they move onto whatever the coolest current Contemporary Christian Music offering is. Our church culture is filled with church shoppers looking for the best bargain, the best services, the best programs to meet their needs. What in the name of Napoleon Dynamite have we come to?
The problem for the church in America is that it has acquiesced (for you guys in the south, that means to comply/give in) to the consumer and given it what it wants at the sake of the gospel. I know you may be thinking you know where this going. I am going to slam guys like Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Ed Young, Andy Stanley etc… The answer is no. I planted a church that is considered contemporary/edgy/different. Let me warn church planters that you will face this more quickly than you imagine. There will be those who come in with their ideas and agenda as to what your church should be and look like.
What I am talking about is not the church, but the people who are attending. They are shopping for the best product to meet their need, bottom line. What is the problem with that? The problem is that pastors, under pressure to be successful, keep people, increase the finances are willing to acquiesce to keep people from leaving. I am all about reaching people, ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I focus on reaching people more than I should. I am also about making sure that people have opportunities to grow, serve, and make an impact in their world. What I am about, is not stroking and petting those who want to have their needs met. Don’t be afraid to lose people. I never want to see people go, but there are times when people need to leave and there are times when I was too afraid to lose people that I kept around people that needed to leave.
The damage that is being done here is not to pastors or churches, but to the gospel. Everyone, pastors and congregants both need to realize, be taught that everything is about Jesus. Churches do not exist for pastors or for people to come get their needs met. The church exists for Jesus. It is there to make him famous so that he will be looked at as special, as holy, as the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. Christianity is not about the next greatest Christian novel or the heart touching worship song. It is not about cool buildings, large budget, or the unbelievable children’s programs. Christianity is about Jesus. Church is about Jesus. It is for him and by him!
Being Missional
01 year ago
The OT uses words like sojourners or wanderers as precursors to the NT words like aliens, foreigners, strangers, or ambassadors. All these words describe that a Christian’s life is transitory. In other words, we are passing through this life with a sense of purpose, duty, passion, and responsibility for the mission of God.
The foundation of a missional life is the decision to offer God our plans in exchange for his plans. It requires that we are willing to leave our world so he can send us to extend His kingdom.
Throughout scripture we see God calling his followers to live a life of “sentness.”
Jesus asked his disciples to leave their nets while they were still clueless. As they walked and lived with him, they learned his ways challenged their ways.
Jesus said in John 20:21 – “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
There is no way to say it gently: spreading God’s blessing to the world does not come easy.
Church doesn’t end when you leave the building each Sunday. It never ends when it is a body of believers living near one another, meeting one another throughout the week, sharing with one another, and leaning on one another.
Church never ends if it is in your home, or your neighbor’s home, or in the neighborhood in which you live.
In reality, Jesus didn’t command us to even make “churches.” And He certainly did not call us to prioritize steepled buildings. We are called to be and make disciples of Christ (Matthew 28). And disciples of Christ make up the church. Therefore church can be anytime and anywhere.
Jesus is our lifeblood. Becoming his disciples is our heartbeat. And making more disciples is our privilege and calling. Whatever we do as a local church, we pray it will always reflect this.
The biggest hindrance to living out the gospel in our lives is our hearts. Until the gospel gets bigger in our own lives, we’ll have a hard time displaying it to the world.
To put it plainly, living out a missional life will require that you get over yourself and start considering the needs of others.
Church Planter Training
01 year ago
by Jeff Calloway
in Church Planting
Rural and House Church Planters in NE Ohio – you are invited to be part of church planter training that targets what you are doing. No smoke and mirrors kind of stuff, but practical training on how to do church in your context. Best news is it is free and you will receive free books and materials. First class February 26th from 9-1. Contact me ASAP if you want to be part of some exciting and relevant training!
The decision before the decision
01 year ago
This is the one that was made before you even showed up. This is the one that sets the agenda, determines the goal and establishes the frame.
The decision before the decision is the box.
When you think outside the box, what you’re actually doing is questioning the decision before the decision.
That decision is far more important and much more difficult to change than the decision you actually believe you’re about to make.
-Seth Godin
Church Planting Centers
01 year ago
Over the past several months I have had the opportunity to collaborate with John M. Bailey of NAMB on creating a church planting center (CPC) here in northeast Ohio. What exactly is a CPC? Church Planting Centers are an environment where multiple diciples are intentionally selected, developed, and sent to make disciples which results in new churches. CPC’s can be a church, a church planting school, a seminary, or a organization that has a vision for church planting.
The CPC we are working on developing here in our region will be called PlantOhio (www.plantohio.net)and will focus deliberately on the town and country areas of northeast Ohio. These areas have not necessarily been neglected when it comes to church planting, but they have not had any momentum to propel them forward. We will be looking to start house churches as well as more traditional church plants. We will enlist, train, resource, and deploy church planters all across this region over years to come.
In the coming weeks I will be focusing 100% of my energy into PlantOhio as we seek God for church planters, church partners, and persons of peace who are praying for new churches in one of two dozen communities. Working with us on this project is George Bannister of Steel Valley Association, Kevin Litchfield of Cleveland Hope, Gary Odom of State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, and John M. Bailey of NAMB.
Keep us in your prayers!
a new chapter
01 year ago
Today the Bridge Church leadership team and I shared that I would be transitioning out of the role as Lead Pastor of Bridge Church in the coming weeks. This transition will take place as I follow and pursue an open door the Lord has put before me.
In 1998 God began to move in my heart regarding church planting. It was about that time that I was assessed at the highest score possible as a church planter by the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio. Our family has been blessed to been involved in re-launching a church (Lake Ridge), sponsoring a new church (Life Brand Cowboy Church) and planting a new church (Bridge Church) as a North American Mission Board missionaries. During this time God has not only opened doors for us to be involved in new works, but He has also revealed to me that I am gifted with apostolic leadership. In other words, I have been gifted in gathering and starting new churches, not to necessarily pastor them. In the very near future (August 1st), I will be transitioning from Lead Pastor of Bridge to being a regional church planting catalyst for three associations in NE Ohio. We will be leaving Bridge Church in the capable hands of a godly leadership team who are guiding the church through a transition of pastoral leadership.
In the geographical area I will be concentrating on, there are approximately 3.8 million people, which, represents twelve counties and represents one-third of the population of Ohio. In this area there are only ninety-seven Southern Baptist churches, one church for every thirty-nine thousand people. It is estimated that 90% of the population in many of the towns and cities in this region are lost without Christ. Within this region, there are three major metropolitan areas and thousands of squares miles of rural areas with towns and villages. We are working with the North American Mission Board to create a Church Planting Center in NE Ohio that will focus specifically on town and country church planting(rural). I will be responsible for identifying, assessing, and training/coaching church planters for this region. Part of my responsibility will be to help the church planter develop partnerships for their individual church plants. We believe God is at work to bring about a movement of salvation in this region.
Unfortunately this undertaking will not be fully funded as it is not in the budget of Bridge Church, our association or the state convention to do so. Bridge Church will be one of our partners. The North American Mission Board will possibly provide some funds as well for this position, but that is still yet to be seen. We will need to secure the financial support of other partners to allow me to work at this ministry on an ongoing basis. If you would like to help in funding this work, please call me at 440-796-8050 and I would be glad to share how you, your church, or denominational agency can help. If you would like to see the full plan and prospectus for this opportunity click here.
As I close this post, I want to ask you to pray for our family as we yet take another step of faith. We don’t know where the money will come from, we do not know the church planters that God will bring to us, nor do we know the people we will be reaching, but God does. I am excited by this challenge as we reach out to areas of Ohio that are not reached.
Feel free to contact me with any questions!
A post about nothing
01 year ago
I was recently chided by a friend (Patrick) for not having any recent posts. Look for many coming up beginning Monday, June 28th.
We Can Do It
02 years ago
by Jeff Calloway
in Teamwork
Too often, it seems, this attitude is missing from teams, organizations or the community.
It’s missing because people are quick to opt out of the ‘we’ part. “What do you mean, we?” they ask. It’s so easy to not be part of we, so easy to make it someone else’s problem, so easy to not to take responsibility as a member of whatever tribe you’re part of.
Sometimes it’s missing because people disagree about what ‘it’ is. If you don’t know what you’re after, it’s unlikely you’re going to find it.
And it’s missing because people confuse cynicism with realism, and are afraid to say “can”. They’d rather say ‘might’ or even ‘probably won’t’.
Just about everything worth doing is worth doing because it’s important and because the odds are against you. If they weren’t, then anyone could do it, so don’t bother.
Product launches, innovations and initiatives by any organization work better when the key people agree on the goal, believe that they can achieve it and that the plan will work.
Do we have a cynicism shortage? Unlikely.
Successful people rarely confuse a can-do attitude with a smart plan. But they realize that one without the other is unlikely to get you very far.
Count me in. Let’s go.
-Seth Godin
America. A Christian Nation?
02 years ago
I have on several occassions made the comment that I believe that America is no longer a Christian nation. I based that comment and belief on the documented research of The Barna Group and The MIssional Research Center. Basically, we are a nation with a population of 300 million plus people and it is estimated that the large majority of the population are not Christian as defined by evangelical standards. Those standards which are rooted in biblical scripture include, but are not inclusive: the belief in a Creator – God, the belief in the existence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit existing as one entity in the form of three individuals, that the Son Jesus came to earth to atone for men’s sins, that Jesus is the only way to the Father and thus eternal life in heaven, the belief in a literal heaven and hell, the belief that Jesus will return and judge humankind, and the belief that we re to follow and imitate Jesus and live out his teachings.
I will confess here and now that I have changed my mind. I do believe that America is a “Christian” nation. Let me explain. I just gave a very brief description of the core beliefs of an evangelical Christian. Let me give you the definition that most Americans have of “Christian” which will be broad and very over-arching. For the majority of Americans, Christian means I do good to others, attend church ocassionaly, be a good citizen and top it off with donating a small percentage of your time and money to charitable causes. Now, some people might say they are are Christian because their Mother was Christian or because they attended Sunday School when they were a kid. With these kinds of definitions, I do believe our country is full of “Christians.”
But what about followers of Christ, believers, disciples? How many Americans refer to themselves this way? I am a follower of Jesus. I count myself as one of his disciples not because I live in the land of the free or the home of the brave, but because He lives in me.
Could it be possible that there is such a thing as a Christian Atheist? Christian Atheist you say! Could there be such a thing? Craig Groeschel is releasing a book with that title and he defines a CA as - Someone who believes in God, but lives as though He doesn’t exist. Now that is what I am talking about when I address this problem of using the term Christian lightly.