God is Faithful!

God is good! And I just want to give Him praise as I start a new week. I am blessed with a wonderful family, a roof over my head, bills that are paid, and I have the love and support of many friends who have demonstrated their love for my family and I through what has been difficult times. I haven't received a paycheck since September 14th but we are blessed! God has provided our every need. I will receive my first paycheck for substitute teaching on November 10th, PTL! The church plant is growing and has developed a solid core of 30 people. We are seeing new faces each week! God showed me many years ago when I came to Tullahoma that He had a greater plan in store for ministry and our family; a plan that is now coming to fruition. God is showing us what is important and what we can do without and what are truly "needs" in our lives. The bottom line... everything that has happened to me, transpired over the past few months, both the difficulties and the joys have been used to draw me closer to Him. What an awesome, faithful God we serve! To Him be all the glory both now and forever more! Thank you Lord for your faithfulness! PCW

A Note Regarding "A Night in Bethlehem"

In 1997 my father Dave Watts began a tradition in Tullahoma that became a staple in our community. Every December 21, 22, and 23rd "A Night in Bethlehem took place at 108 East Grundy Street. For the past five years, I have had the joy of leading this community ministry. This year was to be our 20th year. Unfortunately, due to circumstances and decisions beyond my control, "A Night in Bethlehem" will not take place this December 21, 22, and 23rd. And in all honesty, I have no idea whether it will ever take place again.  There are young people, young adults even who do not know Christmas in Tullahoma without a visit to "A Night in Bethlehem". People came from near and far, many from other states, and many who planned their vacation around it, to experience this wonderful event that included nearly 100 volunteers and paid workers to make happen. Typically we would be in the midst of preparation for "A Night in Bethlehem" from August through December 24th when the event culminated into the packed-out Christmas Eve service where the nativity scene came to life and entered into the Worship Center. Last year was our largest attendance in all 19 years with thousands attending all three nights. It saddens me to think about the Christmas season in Tullahoma without this event that brought so many together in service, and in wonder as we reflected upon the night that Heaven came down to earth.  I share this with you as I have had many ask me via social media or in person about "A Night in Bethlehem" 2017. Regardless, even now as the Christmas decoration are popping up in our local stores, I implore you to be reminded this year, as in years past, that Christ is what Christmas is all about. I encourage you as you begin planning and buying gifts to remember "The Gift" (Jesus) that forever changed the world! And as you prepare for Christmas 2017, think more about what you can give rather than what you might receive. Think about those who are in need during this Christmas season and be the hands, feet, voice, grace, and love of Christ. In all reality, that's why we did "A Night Bethlehem" for some 19 years. We did it to serve as a reminder of what is the true meaning of Christmas... and that being Jesus! The greatest gift we can ever receive! The greatest gift we can ever share!  Finally, I want to say "Thank You" to all who worked so hard to make "A Night in Bethlehem" the community outreach it was to all who attended. Your hard work and dedication will never be forgotten. May God bless you all as you celebrate Him, not just at Christmastime, but all of the time.

Pastor Christian Watts

Watch "A Night in Bethlehem" 2015 Highlights at https://youtu.be/kqFFQyA0UN8

From My Heart to Yours

Over the past 4 months I have had an array of emotions and thoughts run through my heart and mind. I have been hurt, unheard, and have felt abandoned by people that over the span of some 5 years I had poured my life into. I admit I made mistakes along the way, but they have only proved to make me a better person as I have learned from them. However, I can honestly say that in every circumstance, every situation, I strived with the best of my ability to bring Glory to God by standing up for what I believed was best for the Body of Christ I served. Over the past 3 years I strived to better myself even more, by going to counseling 2 years in a row for a span of 3 months per year (2015, 2016). And no one prompted me to go to counseling. I did this on my own accord to strive to be the best Man of God I could be. And I can wholeheartedly hold my head up and say that I not only strived to become a better Pastor and Servant of Christ, I believe I did. Perhaps that is what perplexes me the most when I think of how things ended with a Body of Believer's of whom my family and I had poured 20 years of life, our families, and ministry into.

Over the past two weeks I have come to a crossroads as far as how to handle things from here. Amidst the struggle, God has continually brought the passages of scripture below to the forefront of my mind. And although it has taken time, tears, and a humbling of myself to not seek revenge, I am finally at peace and have let go and have laid everything at the feet of Christ. Do I still hurt? Do I hurt for my children, my wife, my parents, my sister and her family? Do I hurt for those who were innocent bystanders, but themselves have been hurt, or at the very least, left confused by it all? Yes. Healing will take time, but it will come. God is fully in control and He will make things right, even in dealing justly with those who took part in the hurting.

I write this publicly for two reasons: One, to let you know that I have placed everything that has happened over these past 4 months in God's hands. He knows what is right, what is true, and will deal with those of whom need dealing with. Secondly, I want you to know that Tullahoma Church Plant is not being done out of retaliation, ill will, or as a competition to any other church in or around Tullahoma. This church plant is being planted because God has called me to continue serving Him here where he placed me in June of 2012, Tullahoma.

Sometimes God's best plan comes out of what seems like tragedy. But in all reality, what we deem as a tragedy, is in all reality a part of His greater plan. For several years God has been speaking to me about stepping out and planting a new church right here in Tullahoma. A church for those who have given up on church. A church for those who are broken, hurting, addicted to drugs, struggling through divorce, contemplating suicide, and a host of other issues people face that Tullahoma Church Plant will minister to. Genesis 50:20 really sums things up... "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives".

I truly believe this verse explains the "what" and "why" of what has happened to me, and for that I am grateful!

The following passages are ones God has set before me in recent days...

Philippians 1:12-19 - Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,[b] that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. (The Apostle Paul)

Romans 12:9-21 - Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (The Apostle Paul)

May God bring us to peace in the days, months, and years to come as we all work together to advance the Gospel and further the Kingdom with the Hope that is Christ.

In Him Alone,

Pastor Christian Watts

WHEN SHOULD A CHURCH FIRE A PASTOR? by Joe McKeever

This article by Joe McKeever is a must read for anyone and everyone in Church Leadership! It hits home with not only me, but hundreds of Pastor's who like me have been hurt by the very people they strived to love and lead to a closer walk with Jesus.

This is the most painful subject I ever deal with (and I write about plenty of them).

The very nature of church conflict demands that the pastor be found in the midst of the firestorm. Sometimes, he is an innocent bystander, sometimes she inherited the problem, sometimes he is the problem and at all times he or she tries to be a healer.

In every case, the pastor gets bloodied in the fray.

The church consultant we brought in to help us deal with a 30-year split in the congregation did his interviews, took his polls and then announced, “McKeever is not this church’s problem. But he has become the focus of it in the minds of many. So, I’m going to recommend that he leave and the church start afresh with someone new.”

Sheesh. Thanks a lot, friend.

But, that’s how it happens sometimes. A pastor was trying to help the church and was downed by friendly fire, as we call it.

At other times, the pastor is neither a healer nor an innocent bystander. Sometimes, he or she isthe problem and the congregation decides to take action.

The only question is, “What action?”

The most severe action a church can take is to terminate the minister. Fire him. Oust her. Send him packing. Vote her out. Force him from the pulpit.

Call it whatever you want.

Termination is the death stroke, the ultimate statement that “this man’s or woman’s ministry in this church is beyond repair.”

But consider what it says when a minister is voted out.

Terminating the preacher is an announcement to the world that this preacher is a failure and we do not recommend him to any church anywhere.

The typical church, however, would balk at that and insist, “No, we don’t want him out of the ministry. We just want him out of our church.”

No matter, friend. This is the result of your action.

Do not miss that.

By firing the minister, you are guaranteeing he or she will be out of the Lord’s work for some time, years in all likelihood, and in many cases, permanently.

I recently posted a simple paragraph on Facebook stating, “If you are going to fire a preacher, you’d better have good reason, friend. Because you will face a holy God and account for your behavior.”

Within hours, the number of “likes” reached the hundreds. Two days later, it was past a thousand. Furthermore, the “shares” are out of sight. Clearly, this post struck a nerve.

And something else happened.

A number of ministers have left comments saying they were terminated by a church several years ago and have not been able to get another pastoral position since. “Search committees are suspicious,” they say. “If this guy is so good, how come he’s unemployed?” One said, “It’s as though there’s a black mark by my name.”

One brother called to ask if I would be a reference for his application to a fast-food restaurant.

The quickest way to put a minister out of the ministry permanently is to fire him or her from a church. Because that’s often the result.

For that reason …

The only time to vote to fire a minister is when you want to put him or her out of the ministry altogether.

Now, there are times when that should be done.

There are men and women in the ministry who should be out of work, and the sooner the better.

A Baptist pastor I knew frequented casinos to gamble and would order alcoholic drinks in restaurants, making no secret of either. He needed to be canned, and he was.

A Baptist pastor I know of (but never met) was a practicing homosexual who made overtures toward the young men in the congregation. He was quickly terminated and sent on his way, as he should have been.

So, what is a church to do if the congregation wants to get rid of a preacher but not disable his or her ministry for the future?

Here are seven thoughts on that.

1. Make sure it’s “the whole congregation” and not just a few powerful individuals.

In most cases, when someone (or a committee) tells the preacher, “A lot of people are unhappy with you,” or, “You no longer have the support of the congregation,” they are dead wrong. In most cases—I have no stats to back this up, it’s my strong conviction—a few people have decided the preacher has lost his effectiveness and needs to go. But they are often wrong.

2. What you should never, ever do is offer the pastor a severance package if he or she will go quietly.

That smacks of manipulation of the worst sort.

3. Another form of pressure is to tell the pastor, “If the church votes to fire you, you get no severance.”

My response is, “Oh? Who said so? You? And who are you to be making that decision for, the congregation?”

A church can do whatever it chooses to do. It does not have to be cold-hearted or cruel.

4. Churches considering firing their ministers should think about a dozen aspects …

… including whether the Lord will be pleased with this, the reputation of the church within the denomination, the effect on the future ministry of this preacher, whether other churches will be willing to consider him or her, the effect of this on the pastor’s family, how many people within the church will be irreparably hurt by this termination, and so on.

5. It’s possible to take a vote on a pastor—one which he or she might lose—and it not be the death sentence for his or her ministry.

A church could actually vote: “We think Pastor Tom’s ministry here is finished as of today, but we love him and affirm him. And we will continue to provide his income until another church calls him as pastor.”

Or, it could vote: “We thank God for Pastor Eddie and pray for him. We believe his ministry here is nearing an end, however. We hereby request the administrative committee (or whoever) to work with Pastor Eddie and his family to provide a smooth transition and suitable support for them as long as is necessary. The committee will report back to the church regularly.”

Or something similar.

The point being, it’s not necessary to cold-heartedly fire the minister and cast him or her into outer darkness. It is possible to be redemptive in letting a minister go.

However—do not miss this—in most cases, the congregation will not vote to terminate. Pastors tend to have much more support within the church than a few people may think.

6. Avoid this manipulative ploy that some cruel leaders attempt. They tell the pastor, “If you force this to a vote of the congregation, you will be responsible for the church split.”

That’s almost humorous, it’s so blatantly false. It’s also dishonorable to God and unworthy of any self-respecting Christian.

Otherwise, find some other way.

If you’re a member of the congregation, it’s better to move your membership than to tear up a good church just because you don’t care for the present minister.

7. Ask a friend to tell you if you are acting unkindly, vindictively, harshly or unreasonably.

If you are, then apologize to everyone you know and make a pledge to sit down and be quiet. Once you “get in the flesh,” you are no longer qualified to deal with this matter because the devil is in the driver’s seat.

Consider this story from a pastor friend of mine:

My story: I was given a one-year leave of absence from my church. This lasted from August 1989 to August 1990. A few months prior to my leaving, I dealt with a search committee for a church that was twice our size, running around 2,000 in attendance. However, I ended it by informing them that the Lord was not going to let me run from our problems, that I had to see this thing through. Then, after I was unemployed, churches running a hundred in attendance were skeptical of me. It was as though I were a leper.

The only reason the church that hired me considered me was that they were recovering from an internal explosion 18 months earlier, leaving them with half the congregation and all the debt (several million dollars). The salary they offered was slightly over one-half of what I had been receiving at my previous church.

My situation is unusual—only in the 12-month package the church gave me. It is typical, however, in the difficulty in finding a new place to serve.

Only if the preacher’s ministry should come to an end—and only if you are willing to stand before the Lord and take account for your actions, which you and I will—should you vote to terminate his or her pastorate.

In all things, act like Jesus.

Better to put up with a lazy preacher or an ineffective one than to soil the name of your church and hurt a lot of people. As Paul said to the Corinthians, “Why not rather be wronged?” (1 Cor. 6:7).

“Dear Lord, save your church, please.”

Joe McKeever spent 42 years pastoring six Southern Baptist churches and has been writing and cartooning for religious publications for more than 40 years. This article was originally published on McKeever’s blog.

To all my Friends and Family...

Over the past 3 months Kelleye and I have been seeking God's direction for ministry and our family. We have been blessed to have several churches express interest in me as a Pastor or Worship Pastor and have spoken to and met with several of these churches. All of the churches that we have spoken to would have taken us a good distance from Tullahoma...

One thing that has remained constant is the feeling that God led us to minister in Tullahoma and we do not believe He is done with us here. When I came to Tullahoma in 2012, I was overwhelmed with the reality that a town in the "Bible Belt" consisted of a majority of persons that did not attend church. That reality is still true today and that is why we are currently seeking God's will and direction as to whether He is leading us to plant a new church right here in Tullahoma. If you've read any of my previous post, you know that I am fully aware that there are many churches in and around Tullahoma. At the same time, I believe that our city is in need of a Biblically solid, Christ-centered church that is intentional in reaching the lost, displaced, and unchurched. Please know that I am not saying that there are not churches in and around us who are doing this, but what I am saying is that there is room for more! Therefore, in response to God's call on my life, and His call to minister in the City of Tullahoma, we are pressing forward with seeking His will and direction regarding a new church plant in Tullahoma.
Let me say again that this church is not meant to be a competition to other established churches in our area, nor are our intentions to pull people away from their current church family. This church, if planted, will have the intentional purpose of reaching the unchurched in ways many of our established churches may be unable to. Do we need seasoned Christian's who feel God leading them to join us in this effort to help us? YES! We absolutely do! We need people who have a heart for the lost and a vision to reach the masses in our community to join us in our efforts because we will need teachers, youth workers, people to care and love on the children, greeters, counselors, and people who will work to disciple those who are new in their faith.
Tullahoma is our home and our mission field. As Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38 - “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” We have prayed and believe this is the field God has called us to. I ask for your prayers, support, and love for my family and I ask we work to serve our Lord here in Tullahoma. I believe God has a reason for everything and I am excited about what He is revealing to us at this time.
May God be glorified, Christ be exalted, and may the Kingdom be increased by all of us who are called to work the mission field of Tullahoma Tennessee!
Praying for God's best!
Pastor Christian Watts