IN LAYMAN'S TERMS

Culture of Call: Part 1 — The Madison Effect

Even smaller churches can make a big impact in the world for Christ. And there is an example tucked away in Madison, Kansas, about 22 miles south of Emporia, that serves as proof.

In his book "The Madison Effect," Gary Robbins writes about how a church in a town of 700 people has helped 16 people enter into pastoral ministry. And they did it by paying attention, listening for the Holy Spirit and working in partnership between clergy and laity. 

In this episode, Todd Seifert talks with Gary Robbins about why he wrote the book, some of the concepts he introduces and how Gary thinks churches can create a culture of call in their congregations.

Reflection: Parables of Lost Things

Some people feel lost. They don't think they deserve love or respect or any consideration from God. They know sin has taken over their lives, but they don't know what to do.

Jesus tells us through the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin that while we may be lost, He never stops searching for us. To Jesus, we are the valuable sheep that has wandered off. We are the highly valued coin that has been misplaced.

Through these parables, Jesus teaches that we are loved, we are highly desired, and we are of great value to God.

Reflection: Parable of the Good Samaritan

We continue our exploration of what Jesus taught by using parables. In this episode, we look at the widely known parable of the Good Samaritan. Even if you don't know the story, you probably know the term.

But what does it really mean? What was Jesus trying to teach us? And who, exactly, is our "neighbor"? 

Reflection: Parable of the Prodigal Son

We start a series of Bible-teaching episodes on some of Jesus' parables with a look at the Prodigal Son. This story teaches us many things and makes us ponder even more. But Todd shares in this reflection how the story of the younger son teaches that nobody is too far gone, too lost to find his or her way back to the God who yearns to see them appear over the horizon.

Reflection: The Christmas Story

As much as I love Santa Claus, Rudolph, Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree and the redemption of Ebeneezer Scrooge, Christmas really is about the arrival of the Christ child, the Savior for all humankind.

The story is told primarily in the books of Matthew and Luke. So we’re going to spend some time in this episode going through the entire story, in order, by merging those two books together. Told in seven acts — or seven mini-stories within the larger birth story — we'll learn about how God paved the way for Jesus, remind ourselves of the familiar parts of the Christmas story, and learn a little bit more about Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and magi.

I hope you enjoy this telling of this precious, important story to our faith. Have a very merry Christmas!

Reflection: God's Motivation for Sending Jesus

Motive has been interesting to me for as long as I can remember. From novels to crime television shows to true-live documentaries, motive plays a key role in almost every story. And because it's so prevalent, it also can be complicated. Since we’re coming close to Christmas, I think we should explore why we even have this holiday.

After all, Christmas is not really about buying presents, Santa Claus, Rudolph and other elements of the season. Christmas is a religious holiday when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ child.

Why did God send Jesus to earth? What was God’s motivation? Let’s explore and find out together.

Reflection: Jesus as the Light of the World

In this Bible-teaching episode, Todd Seifert shares a reflection on John 1:1-18 and explains how the opening poetry of this gospel introduces Jesus as the light of the world.

Learn how the darkness in the shadows of life don't have to be permanent, nor do they have to be scary, because Jesus will be the light to drown out the darkness amid many circumstances.

Institute for Discipleship

Southwestern College — home of the Mound Builders — is tucked away in Winfield, Kansas, a small school in a small town southeast of Wichita. And tucked away on one corner of this secluded campus is the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship.

A quick glance reveals nothing grand. It’s a fine building, but it’s relatively small, with three or four office spaces, one larger hall space for gatherings.

It looks like nothing special.

But looks are deceiving. God said as much to the prophet Samuel when the man was looking for the next king of Israel.

Just as King David started off small in stature, this small institute has blossomed. In fact, some mighty big things regarding relationships with Christ happen because of what takes place here.

There may be grander buildings, but what happens inside these walls reaches right to the hearts of people to help them meet Jesus Christ and to get to know Him better.

At the centerpiece is the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship.

Technology as an Evangelism Tool

The days of opening the church doors to find a waiting crowd eager to take their seats are long since gone.

Now, many other activities occupy people on Sunday mornings and throughout the week. So, how can you make a connection? 

In this episode, we look at three churches — two in Nebraska and one in Kansas — that use a variety of techno-tools to connect with their congregations outside of Sundays while also reaching new people, even folks who otherwise likely would not willingly set foot inside a church without first making these kinds of connections.

Premiere — Greensburg, Kansas — A Resurrection Story

In this premiere episode, I want to tell you a story about brokenness and resurrection of an entire town.

Back in March, the first of a series of devastating floods damaged hundreds of homes in Nebraska. In the spring, a massive tornado destroyed or damaged homes in several communities in northeast Kansas. And later this past summer, more floods ravaged parts of Kansas and Nebraska. The Great Plains Conference’s Disaster Response ministry has been going nonstop since around March 14, so leaders in the conference were concerned about pastors serving in these disaster areas.

We planned a workshop/retreat for these pastors, but only a very small number signed up, so we postponed the event. But we had prepared for it. And part of that preparation was an interview with the Rev. Terry Mayhew. His experiences are unlike any other in our conference. You see, Terry received the call from his district superintendent late the evening of May 4, 2007, that he was being moved from Plains and Kismet United Methodist Churches to the town of Greensburg. Less than an hour later, a tornado would nearly wipe Greensburg off the map.

Or at least the twister would have killed the town, if not for the hope provided by faith in Jesus, the determination of residents, and people from both near and far working together to serve as Christ’s hands and feet in a shattered community.