Are We On Mission?

What is Our Mission?

Synergy: Pt IV

Material taken from a podcast by John Lee and Steven Schenk for UNITE WNY

Examples of Ministry/Business Collaboration

1. A pastor and a retired businessman from two different congregations in the same city, have become friends and ministry partners.  They strategize together, network, organize, and advocate for common projects.  Together they have been involved in the creation of several Kingdom endeavors in the area.

2. Pastors have volunteered their time at a local community health center providing spiritual care, and helping to establish a program that was ultimately brought in house.  This is a collaboration of business leaders, ministry leaders, and medical professionals.

3. Several churches have provided volunteers for a work readiness program operated by a local parachurch organization.  This program provides soft skills training to underemployed individuals currently receiving government assistance.  Program participants are finding work, connecting to a mentor, hearing about the love of God, connecting to churches and bible-studies, and changing the trajectory of their family.

4. Several churches and organizations have collaborated in support of an urban farming initiative that employs neighborhood teens, provides affordable high quality food to neighborhood markets, and creates multiple opportunities for neighbors and employees to experience the love of God.  A key question in the management of the farm is “how can we use the market as an engine to drive Kingdom endeavors?”

5. A semi-retired businessman is a member of a church that is not big enough to hire a full staff.  He has become the “consultant” to his church leadership team (who are almost all volunteers) on matters of strategic planning, ministry task management, and efficiency.

Synergy: Pt II

Material taken from a podcast by John Lee and Steven Schenk for UNITE WNY

Missio Dei V Missio Ecclesia

The Mission of God is simply bringing all things back into relationship with Himself.  God is at work redeeming and restoring, and has promised to complete that work at some point in the future.  A key part of God’s plan is inviting us to join in His work!  God wants us to use our skills and resources to partner with Him.  What is more God actually cares about completing the work!  This isn’t “make-work,” we aren’t just digging a hole so that we can fill it.  God is actually inviting you to learn how to advance His Kingdom.

That process of learning how to advance His Kingdom is called discipleship.  And discipleship is for everyone.  It is for pastors and worship leaders, but it is also for stay-at-home mothers, teachers, doctors, and tradespeople.  Discipleship is also for business leaders.  Business leaders are invited to learn from Jesus how to join God’s ongoing project to bring all things back into right relationship with Himself.

This is where the church comes in.  The role of the church is to teach people how to do this.  To create spaces, programs, and processes, by which people can learn how to be in right relationship with God, and participate in what God is doing in our world.

Unfortunately, the church often gets lost in its own agenda.  Instead of existing to advance God’s mission, the church ends up just doing whatever it takes to maintain its own existence.  Local churches end up competing with each other for resources instead of collaborating to accomplish our common goals.  Pastors and ministry leaders lose sight of their calling to teach people how to partner with God in whatever sphere of influence they have.

Business leaders can play a unique role in helping the church regain its focus.  Business leaders can help the church re-focus on mobilizing its members (and their personal resources) to advance the Kingdom in the marketplace, education, healthcare, housing, job creation, as well as in Sunday gatherings and Wednesday Bible studies.

Safety and Danger in the Church

We baptized several people on Sunday.

One of them was my son.

It was glorious!

People shared briefly of their decision to follow Christ, to be washed clean in His death, and remade in His resurrection.  And then Pastor Cap and I plunged them into a feeding trough full of water!

At the baptism of the first adult, I saw gallons of water slosh over the side and onto the floor, water went everywhere.  I thought, "well, its too late to stop it now, people are here to get baptized, and we will just clean up the mess later."  …and then we kept right at it!

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Afterwards I got to thinking about the mess of the baptism, and what that says about the church as a whole.

So often we expect the church to be safe in all of the wrong kinds of ways.  We don't want anyone to come in and bring any of the world in with them.  We don't want anyone to come in who doesn't fit, who isn't tidy, who doesn't play by our rules.  In short, we want our faith community to be comfortable for us.  May our church never be this safe.

But what that ends up producing is a church culture that promotes hypocrisy, secrecy, and emotional isolation.  If no messy people are allowed into the circle of christians, then we can't let anyone know about our own messiness.  We have created a club for perfect people, and that is a very dangerous thing for a church to become.  Dangerous in all of the wrong sorts of ways.  May our church never be this dangerous.

Instead the church is supposed to be a safe place for messy people to let their messiness get dealt with.  People are supposed to bring the world with them right into our community.  The church is supposed to be a safe place for dark secrets to be exposed, it supposed to be a safe place for bad habits to be dealt with, its supposed to be a safe place for vulnerable wounds to be exposed and healed.  May our church always be this safe.

The church is supposed to be dangerous too.  Dangerous in the same way a show at Marine World is dangerous; you might get wet!  Dangerous to our comfort, dangerous to our ego, dangerous to our need for control and our desire for gratification.  Celebration is always a danger to decorum; just as worship is a danger to pride, fellowship is a danger to wealth, and glory is a danger to apathy.  May our church always be this dangerous.

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It wasn't just the water that was a little 'messy.'

We joined together with another congregation during the service.  Both congregations had members to baptize, so we celebrated the unity of faith in 'one baptism' as proclaimed by St Paul.  This meant we got to hear preaching that was different than normal, got to see baptisms performed in ways that were uncomfortable for some of us, and heard things said that we didn't all agree with.

I have to say, I was blessed to see the way people entered into the mess, cleaning up the water, engaging in relationships across dividing lines, and celebrating the beauty and potency of the Spirit's work in the lives of the saints.  This is a picture of how the church is supposed to be safe in the right ways, and dangerous in the right ways...

Love Your Neighbor pt II

The small group I belong to had a blast this week…

…Donna (one of the women in our group) has started making a list of her neighbors who need help on projects around their homes.  One of those people was a woman who has gotten to the point where she can no longer bend over to do work on the ground, her husband has passed, and she has no family in the area to help.  Additionally, the City has been pestering her about some of the peeling paint on her home.

So we went over to brush and repaint her foundation wall.

Almost 20 of us showed up (including kids) and we got about half the job done (you can see pictures below).  There weren't quite enough tools to go around, so several people ended up hanging out with our neighbor while we worked.

Our plan was to order pizza and head back down the block to Donna's house, but instead we were told we had to come inside and eat.  (This is typical Italian hospitality, and our host is proudly Sicilian…) So inside we went!

It was a wonderful blessing to me to watch our small group love each other, and love this woman.  Over the course of the evening people engaged with our host, asking her about her life, chatting with her, encouraging her, loving her…

…at one point she said to me, "this is like a godsend… wait a minute, this IS a Godsend!"

Several of us were able to pray for her, blessing her home and her life.  We are headed back next Wednesday to finish the job!

I was struck by how naturally our small group community was able to serve together, love together, and minister together.  There wasn't anything forced or awkward about the way we were present with our neighbor.

I left with a full heart.

Only Jesus...

...throws parties with Pastors, Prostitutes, and Politicians!

Structure

Here is what I would say about the 'organization' of the church, and its relative importance to keeping the church on mission, and to advancing the kingdom in the lives of individuals, in communities, and in the world...

http://damascus9.blogspot.com/2010/03/broken-tomato-cages-pt-i.html

http://damascus9.blogspot.com/2010/03/broken-tomato-cages-pt-ii.html

http://damascus9.blogspot.com/2010/05/broken-tomato-cages-pt-iii.html

http://damascus9.blogspot.com/2010/05/broken-tomato-cages-pt-iv.html

The posts above are something I wrote several years ago, and they express my frustration at the rigid structures of church that kill the life within it. However, the metaphor works the other way too, as I have come to see in recent years...

Acts 6 is the tipping point where the early church discovered a need for tomato cages. But here is where I continue to hold the line. While the cages may be necessary at times, they are ALWAYS a means to an end. The point is the life in the garden, and the structures must serve that end. We must be ruthless in this.

What this means is that the 'spontaneous expansion' that results from people falling madly in love with the Kingdom and the King, and then selling everything for that cause, is the life of the church. We can build structures and strategies around that to support, nurture, and foster this central vitality, but we must always prioritize the life of the Spirit, and never the supporting structures...

Yeast, Salt, Seed, and Light

“This then is what I mean by spontaneous expansion. I mean the expansion which follows the un-exhorted and unorganized activity of individual members of the Church explaining to others the Gospel which they have found for themselves; I mean the expansion which follows the irresistible attraction of the Christian Church for men who see its ordered life, and are drawn to it by desire to discover the secret of a life which they instinctively desire to share; I mean also the expansion of the Church by the addition of new Churches.” ― Roland Allen, The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: And the Causes That Hinder It

Celebrating Black History?

Why would a White man write an article celebrating Black History?

...thats a fair question, but I think the answer is obvious enough.  A better question, however, is why would anyone want to read an article from a White man celebrating Black History?

Hopefully that question is answered in the next paragraphs.

Permit me an observation.  Some of the most articulate African-American voices I interact with are often given a platform to speak to White people about issues of race and racial reconciliation.  White culture, and in particular, White Christian culture, is coming to terms with the fact that the gospel demands that we share meals with Christians of every cultural background (see Galatians 2).  In light of this, articulate African American voices are sought after by some White Christians...  but those voices are quite often only invited to speak about one thing: race and racial reconciliation.

The White Church will have a panel discussion around issues of race, and invite a multi-cultural group to speak, or will have an event focused on the issue and invite an African-American scholar to present some ideas the topic.  In and of itself, this is a good thing.  We need people of all cultures speaking to the issue of a reconciled and reconciling church.  In particular we need the voices of the Black community to share their perspectives and their pain regarding the racial history of our world and the Church.  The problem lies, however, in the fact that this is often the only space where White Christians are willing and able to hear Black voices.

Back to Galatians.

Paul's argument is not that Jews and Gentiles must resolve past hurts for the sake of the gospel, but rather, that Jews and Gentiles must eat together for the sake of the gospel!  Indeed, the entire point of resolving past hurts is precisely so that we can enjoy fellowship in Christ!

What this means to me is that, while it is indeed vitally important for me to hear Black voices explain the history of race from Black perspectives, it is equally, if not more important, for me to hear Black voices speaking about worship, poverty, Christology, prayer, Ecclesiology, discipleship, addiction, Missiology, evangelism, technology, leadership, business, philosophy of ministry, socio-economics, etc. from Black perspectives!

The Church needs the wisdom of the Black community's voice, not just on issues of race and racial reconciliation (although this is one of the great gems that the Black community has to offer the global church!), but on all issues.  The Body of Christ needs every member healthy and fully engaged for us to be healthy as a whole.  If we belong to Christ, then we belong to each other.  While this must be asserted when one part is suffering, it should also be asserted when there is no suffering!  Should we only give attention to our hands when they are injured, or might we consider using them for work, and play, and art when they are healthy as well!

So... back to the question at the top; why would anyone read an article celebrating Black History that is written by a White man?

Simply put, if we are to ask for the African-American voice to speak to every facet of life in God's good creation, then we ought to expect to hear the White voice speak to issues of race and reconciliation.  If I have asked African-Americans to speak about the breadth and depth of life and ministry, then perhaps I ought to speak to the issue of race and reconciliation.

Admittedly, this article has not actually been much of a 'celebration' of Black History or Black culture, so much as a push in the direction a multi-cultural future!  So I will end with a few practical thoughts that might help:

1) Recognize our failure at a multicultural church as a failure at believing the gospel (Galatians 2:14); as a failure at Christian maturity.  We must begin to talk like this and think like this.  "I won't eat at the table with 'them' because I won't trust in the power and truth of the gospel."

2) Start with eating together with those different from you.  Jesus scandalized his contemporaries precisely by who he chose to eat with.  This is because table fellowship builds intimacy.  Let us learn to eat the bountifully diverse fare of the Lord's Wedding Feast!

3) Look for collaborative projects with Christians of different cultures and traditions.  The word conspiracy literally means "to share breath with another."  This is the definition of intimacy.  Let us find conspirators amongst Christians of all cultures!

4) Move towards giving away control, power, and influence.  This means you will get things that you dislike and disagree with.  Do so anyway, for the sake of the gospel.

5) Be true to who you are in Christ, don't hide yourself or pretend to be something you are not.  But be humble and accept others as they are in Christ, allow them the same luxury to be themselves!

6) Expect this to be a painful process.  Don't be afraid to communicate your pain, but be even more attentive to the pain of others!  Think of it like a poodle dating a gorilla, it surely requires a great degree of sensitivity and creativity!

Dating Advice to Gorillas and Poodles

One of the pressing issues facing the church today is the lack of unity. (OK so its been an issue for 2,000 years!) And one of the difficulties in working towards unity is the inherent pain that is caused when those who have power and privilege in the church try to 'help' those churches who lack power and privilege.  In particular, I am thinking of large, wealthy, middle/upper-class suburban churches that feel a calling to 'help the poor,' whether that is the poor in the urban slum nearby, or the third-world nation across the water.

A friend and I had a conversation where we compared that to a dating relationship between a gorilla and a poodle. The reality is that, no matter how much of a gentleman the gorilla is, if the gorilla is in charge, the poodle isn't going to fare very well. It is simply inherent in the power dynamic between the two.

So here is some advice to those of us in the church who are poodles dating gorillas, or vice-versa.

To the poodle:

1) God has brought the gorilla into your life (He makes poodles and gorillas for a reason and wants them to live together in harmony), submit to God in this and you will discover the strength of the gorilla at work on your behalf.

2) Don't be afraid to tell the gorilla when it hurts you. Feel free to call sin, "sin." But recognize that there IS a difference between intentional and unintentional harm.

3) Don't be afraid to take the lead with the gorilla. You need to teach the gorilla a different way of doing ministry.

4) You don't get to tell the gorilla to go away, or that it has nothing to offer. You need what the gorilla has to offer (above and beyond its sheer size and strength), and the gorilla has things to teach YOU about doing ministry.

To the gorilla:

1) You are not God's gift to the poodle. This is your greatest problem, you confuse your size and power with godliness, faithfulness, and effectiveness in the Kingdom. Repent.

2) Show up and help the poodle, but let the poodle tell you what help it needs! Be patient, poodles aren't used to polite gorillas, and have a history of being either ignored, patronized, or brutalized by gorillas. Be patient! Let the poodle take the lead. Offer suggestions, but ultimately let the poodle be the boss, and be patient. Remember, there IS a difference between hurting the poodle on accident and doing it on purpose, but if you are the poodle they both hurt exactly the same!

3) Show up to learn. Don't presume you know how to live like a poodle just because you are a gorilla. The poodles lack of size and strength has taught it to rely on God in ways you will never know. The poodle has a perspective that you cannot have because of your own perspective. Learn from the poodle.

4) Keep showing up and keep making the resources you do have available to the poodle. Offer your insight, your organization, your expertise, your strength, your size. Don't go away, and don't return to a lifestyle of ignoring the poodle, even if the poodle bites you! Remember, the poodle is biting you because you are hurting it! Keep offering your services, but don't forget point #2!!!

To both the gorilla and the poodle:

1) God made you both. That means you are of equal value. Each of you is necessary, which means you are both important in and of yourself AND you both need the other!

2) Be yourself. Don't try to be each other.

3) Love each other. It is a command AND it is wisdom.

The Millennial Generation: a Rock in the Path

In 1 Corinthians 1:23 St Paul refers to Jesus as a 'stumbling block.'   A stone that is in the way.  Something to trip over.  Something to prevent you from your headlong pursuit of your own way.  Something to impede your progress.

Not exactly flattering terms for our Savior.

The American Church is facing an interesting problem.  It's dying.  In short, the younger generation wants nothing to do with it.  This is true of those raised in church, and its true of those raised outside of it.   The church is growing largely irrelevant to the culture of America.   Some of us are seeing this trend and growing morose and resigned to our impending doom, others are growing more shrill and frenzied in an attempt to forestall it.   I suggest the radical middle; a different way of doing and being church that actually makes sense to the next generation.  In short, I suggest that we listen to those people who have rejected us, and we learn from them.  I think they have a lot to teach us about how to live in the Kingdom of God.

In fact, what I would say about the 'Millennial Generation,' (specifically those raised in the church) is that it would be most helpful to think of them as 'third culture' people.  For example, Ara was raised in a home that was culturally and linguistically Greek, but went out into a world that was culturally and linguistically American.   This led her to become increasingly adept at navigating both cultures, while becoming increasingly uncomfortable in both, and ultimately led to a crisis of identity.  Not knowing who she was, hating one or both cultures, and even rejecting one or both cultures. Eventually, instead of trying to be Greek, or American, Ara figured out how to be Ara.

I observe that there is a group of people in the church (but probably not in fellowship) going through the same kind of struggle.  The difference being, they don't have the convenient cultural markers of language, food, etc. to distinguish between the two cultures they are navigating.  In short, very few people understand that this is a cross-cultural situation, including the people going through it.

Many are familiar with the conversations around the 'emerging church' and 'post-modern cultural shifts.'  This is, essentially, all I am describing.  The church and the christian home are one culture, the rest of society is another.  The Millennials are learning to navigate both cultures, but have a hard time articulating the disconnect between the two worlds.

Indeed the church doesn't see it either.  It is too simple to dismiss as 'worldliness.'  After all, the church isn't supposed to live the way the world does!  But that isn't what I am describing here.  If American culture truly is shifting into postmodernity right before our very eyes, then this situation is fundamentally not about rejecting worldliness in the church, but rather it is about learning how to be missionally sensitive to our culture.  We would find it strange if Congolese missionaries came to America and refused to worship in English because they didn't want to let the world into their church.

So, what are we talking about here?  What is this difference in culture?

There are many, but one of the key cultural markers of the Millennial Generation is the priority that is placed on the perception of authenticity.  (Emphasis on perception!)  The more slick the production, the more off-putting it is.  (Of course, advertisers are aware of this, and have long since learned to take advantage of this by simply changing their production techniques… but that is another story.)  When someone approaches a Millennial in an over-priced suit, with well-groomed mannerisms, a gleaming smile, and a perfect sales pitch, it doesn't matter if the product is a cheap gym membership, a great financial opportunity, or spiritual bliss, the Millennial feels for his/her wallet and slowly backs away...

"You can't trust a man with perfect teeth."  This is something that makes great sense to Millennials who prefer a matte finish to a high gloss (metaphorically speaking).

But who can blame them, they are inundated with sales-pitches and advertising slogans and they can smell an ulterior motive coming a mile away.  This means that many of the tools the church learned in the last 50 years are actually repulsive to people in their 20's not because of their content, but simply because of the glossy sheen.

It would be easy to discount the Millennials.   They won't just 'get on board' and 'get with the program.'  Indeed, they have become for us 'something to trip over, something to impede our progress.'

I would suggest, however, that they actually have quite a lot to offer us in our mission to reach the culture around us with the Good News that Jesus is King.

Innovation Inhibitors

(Re-posted from ChurchPlanting.com)

One of the reasons church planting is such a powerful tool for the mission of the Gospel is because it allows leaders to overcome challenges through innovation.  But, as churches grow larger and more committed to systems, innovation can be lost.

So based on both my experience and this recent article from the Harvard Business Review I want to expose these eight inhibitors of innovation.

Inhibitor #1: Focused on the short-term results

Often church planters get funding from groups that want “quick” & “quantifiable” results…  resist the urge to sacrifice long-term missional purpose for the short term goal.

Inhibitor #2: Afraid of cannibalizing the sending church

Create partnerships with church leaders that have a history of sending people without reserve. Leaders who make people “off-limits” lack the innovative thinking needed to prosper the Kingdom.

Inhibitor #3: Devoted too many resources to today

It is easy for church planters to get consumed with the tyranny of the urgent. Force yourself to make time and set aside resources for new ventures.

Inhibitor #4: Passed it on to someone else

There are unique needs in each community that can’t be left to someone else. Using your unique gifts and talents, look for ways to engage pressing needs with new ideas.

Inhibitor #5: Constrained by efficiency and excellence

Efficiency and excellence are the enemies of innovation. Ministry is always messy and if you wait until everything is “perfect” & you have everything you “need” you will never take action.

Inhibitor #6: Coached by leaders not trained to be innovative thinkers

Find a church planting coach who is capable of fostering innovation and not simply helping you imitate the success of others.

Inhibitor #7: Paralyzed by flaws and fears

New ideas are full of flaws and the only way to work out the kinks is to discover the power and potential of an idea, move forward, and take risk.

Inhibitor #8: Controlled by systems that don’t reward innovation

Avoid denominations, churches, and leaders who are afraid of letting go of their systems or want to make clone-ministries and embrace those who reward new ideas.

Read more here: 8 Inhibitors of Innovation - ChurchPlanting.com

Unity is GREAT! But not with them!

So far, every single person who has seen this video, and then commented on it to me, has shared two things:

Firstly people have said something like, "the vision of unity in the body of Christ is compelling and powerful.  I am completely on board with the message of unity in the church across theological divides."

And then they have said something like, "the source of this message is off-putting precisely because it comes from a corner(s) of the church that crosses a theological divide."

Everybody likes what was said, except for the fact that it was coming from the Pope, or from Copeland, or both!

And there lies the issue!  Unity is a beautiful concept and an ugly reality.  Singing kum-ba-yah while holding hands with people of all colors is beautiful, but once we stop singing, I have to give up my right to have things the way I want them to be.

1st Century Church Planting Strategy

Do you ever wonder what the secret of the miraculous growth of the first century church was? Well here it is!

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:7-8

Jesus commands them here (and earlier) to go into all the earth and teach women and men how to live in the Kingdom, partnering with the Spirit's actions on the earth.

"you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching"
Acts 5:28

The pharisees themselves testify to the effectiveness of the apostle's preaching, but we see that they still haven't obeyed Jesus! They have stayed in Jerusalem. They are indeed witnessing effectively to the King's rule, but not obeying it!

8 And Saul approved of their killing him (Stephen). On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
Acts 8:1-3

With the stoning of the deacon Stephen, a great calamity falls on the 1st Century church, and yet, it is the very tool that God uses to spread His people throughout the surrounding countryside, and nearby regions. So, to be succinct, the 1st Century church-planting strategy is a) disobey God until b) persecution comes, and c) the church is scattered, so that d) the seeds of the Gospel are carried to the far corners of the earth.

The Problem

"The problem with the church is never that we don't have enough money, or people, rather the problem with the church is the quality of its people.  And that begins with me."

Dallas Willard

Consumerism and Mission

"In religion, nothing fails like success."

Why Tents are Best: Sojourning as a Prime Ministry Strategy

We like the phrase 'soft architecture' not least because it brings to mind edible structures, but primarily because of the functionality implied.  Christianity is a missionary religion.  In many ways our faith was birthed in a syncretic impulse, taking fundamentally Jewish concepts, commitments, and creeds and translating them into a plethora of non-Jewish cultural paradigms.  As such we must stay flexible with our practices.

We are committed to a person, not a tradition; to a grand strategy, not a particular set of practices; to a community, not an institution.*  This necessitates that our fundamental posture towards life and ministry must be that of a pervasive flexibility.  We must constantly be learning, re-evaluating, listening, and re-organizing.

In short, we are sojourners; our philosophy of life must be nomadic, we cannot afford to built permanent structures, because then we will be committed to maintaining THEM instead of what is central.  This applies to everything we do; worship styles, preaching styles, small group ministries, children's ministry; as well as things like how we pray, what books we read, where we spend our money, and how we organize our time; it even applies to where we work, how we raise our children, and the theological commitments we have made.

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*This, of course, doesn't need to imply that traditions, practices, or institutions are evil, or even avoidable, merely that they aren't primary.  Indeed, they should only be implemented insofar as they aid the pursuit of what IS primary; Jesus, Mission, and Church.

Seeking God in the Other

I think we should be constantly looking for meaningful ways to partmer with people who are not like us. Specifically those we find opaque or useless. We do this in order to be shaped by God and used by him. After all, we are commamded by Jesus to enter into discipleship relationships cross culturally, not primarily within our own culture...

Along that vein, I came across this quote from another Vineyard pastor:


"We desire to live our lives and seek God as transparently as possible in our community. Sometimes this gives us feelings of closeness to one another, and other times this introduces tension and frustration with one another. In all emotions, we trust God is at work when we, in vulnerable trust, choose to live life oriented toward Him and toward one another."