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Leadership and Mission (Part 3)

john — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:18:13 -0800

John Sweetman

I have been reading a fascinating book (Nick Spencer and Graham Tomlin, The Responsive Church, IVP, 2005) about Christians and their mission in society. I really am wanting to be a more missional leader. Last week we looked at society's view of Christian beliefs. Here are some thoughts on society's views of Christians themselves - what people think about us.

What people think about Christians

Most people seem to have a love/hate relationship with the word "Christian." On the one hand, they will call themselves Christian, and on the other, they will criticise Christians. It's as though they have two different concepts of a Christian. One is the unofficial Christian who they want to identify with, and the other is the official Christian who they dislike.

They see the unofficial Christian person as a good person and a solid Australian. Christian in this unofficial sense means kind, caring and, most of all, tolerant and accepting. Any sign of judgementalism or intolerance is seen as unchristian. There is also a nationalistic edge to the term. Australia is seen as a Christian nation and the majority who live here are positive about their Christian roots. For example, they are happy to call themselves Christian in a census.

Conversely, the official Christian person (that's us) is seen as religious and is associated with stuffiness, legalism, hypocrisy, war, naivety, Bible-bashing, extremism and intolerance. The interesting thing is that even when people have actually experienced the love and generosity of real Christians, they still tend to retreat to their stereotypes of Christians, viewing their personal experience as abnormal. They presume that the official media and community perspective must be right.

Christians are not seen as being truly Christian for two main reasons. First, we are intolerant about the wrong things (that is, the things that most people are tolerant about like sex, morals, personal freedom). Second, we are hypocritical because we proclaim a moral code that we don't keep. Actually, unofficial Christian people pride themselves on their own moral code but it's personal and private so they can never actually be accused of hypocrisy. Only those brave or stupid enough to pronounce their moral code can be pronounced hypocritical.

How Christians can respond

This is not a new problem. The early church faced similar image difficulties and was unfairly criticised and persecuted. Yet the Bible emphasises the importance of reputation (1 Tim. 3:7; Rom. 12:17-18). Christians need to work on their image. We strive for good reputations.

We will always be liable to charges of hypocrisy if we proclaim the difference Christianity makes and then live in much the same way as everyone else. There has to be a noticeable difference.

We need to make the Kingdom of God visible so that Christianity will be aligned with goodness, compassion and generosity.

This is the biblical emphasis. Peter says: "For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people" (1 Pet. 2:15). Real Christianity is not just the absence of evil but the presence of good. Christians need to be known for what they do, not just for what they oppose.

We also need to let our Christian faith and identity be known. This is how we show that the gospel is more than a private choice. We need to be more public about our faith and to adopt a more conscious sense of Christian identity. We don't force our views on others, but are open about our Christian faith - talking about God, reading our Bible publicly, speaking openly about our church or the ways we are serving others, praying for people. The Christian faith has to be far more visible in people if perceptions are to change.

6 Misconceptions about Missional Church

john — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:20:00 -0800

From Jason Salamun's Blog

The missional church is a new idea
Perhaps the word, "missional" is a recent discovery to our vernacular, but it's been around for a while (since the 1800's). However, the command to "Go and make disciples..." has been around for a couple of thousand years. And the missio dei, the mission of God, has been around since the fall of humanity. It's not a new idea. It's a return to an ancient call to be the church Jesus had in mind. No trend here, just obedience.

The missional church believes gathering for worship is unnecessary
The misunderstanding here is the shift in thinking, "it's all about Sunday" to "it's all about everyday including Sundays." A church that doesn't worship Jesus is no church at all. But let's not limit worship to an hour a week. That kind of dualistic thinking and lifestyle is a dangerous pool to swim in and doesn't mesh with Scripture. The truth is missional churches do worship Jesus by assembling together- it just doesn't end there.

The missional church is about raking leaves and hanging out in homes
Well...actually...that's true. But it's incomplete. The missional church intends to advance the gospel abeit through public gatherings, house parties, loving thy neighbor, serving their city, or having coffee with a friend. Whatever it takes to love God and others. Missional church doesn't need a leaf-raking church program to help the elderly couple across the street. They just do it.

The missional church isn't attractional
Imagination flows heavy in missional church. So does creativity. I'm not sure where the idea came from that missional church can't (or won't) have compelling environments. Perhaps the notion came from the correct rejection of reducing the church to being a big show or a building. Maybe it has something to do with replacing language like "we go to church" with "we are the church." Nonetheless, missional church believes the most attractive environments are created when they are filled with compelling people.

The missional church isn't concerned about church growth
Any missional church that doesn't intend "to go and make disciples..." isn't missional. Any missional church that intends to be a holy huddle (i.e. us 4 no more) isn't missional. Actually, the opposite is true. All missional churches want to reach people far from God. As many as possible. And if that's happening, the Church will grow. You can't make disciples without people believing in Jesus in the first place. But with missional church, it doesn't end there. Missional church is about two things: first steps and next steps. Getting thousands to an event isn't church growth (concerts can do that), but making thousands of disciples is. That's what missional church is committed to.

The missional church is a church model
Cookie cutter approaches are rare in missional church. What works in one city, may not work in another. True missional churches know their context. They've studied their culture and the rhythms of the people in their city. They look at the streams of people who aren't connected to Jesus (or a church) and ask, "How can we meet them where they are?" The answer to that question will result is various methods, approaches, and styles. And the missional church has to continually pay attention to the ever-changing rapids of their culture- which means their methods will change as well. That said, my hope is that missional churches not just change with culture- but that we change culture. That's our challenge.

Read Jason's Blog here

The difference between Good and Great churches

john — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:28:48 -0800

From the Reveal Study

According to the Reveal Study, there are five things that all great churches have in common...

1. They Get People Moving
> They set an enormous expectation that people become fully-devoted disciples of Jesus Christ
> They get people moving early
> They create a clear path for people to move through
> They only offer one first step option (not a smorgasbord)
> After the first step, they offer a smorgasbord of options

2. They Embed the Bible in Everything
> Not just sermons. But everything they do.
> The Bible is taught every week
> They start with the Bible, and then move to application (not the other way around)
> They make the Bible accessible through classes, devotionals, seminars, etc

3. They Create Ownership
> They believe that we all have a role to play
> Creating a sense of belonging is not enough. They need to know that they are the church.
> They give permission for people to step up
> They train people to lead and to disciple other people

4. They Pastor the Local Community
> They don't see themselves as pastoring the flock. But rather meet the needs of the local community.
> They create high expectations for people to serve outside the community.
> They form partnerships with outside organisations
> They use serving as a platform to share the gospel

5. They have Leaders who are Consumed with Making Disciples
> They themselves are on a journey
> They share their journey with their congregation
> They are relentless in their pusuit.

Watch the Video Here
(It is worth the watch. You will need to scroll down to bottom of page)

Small Church Research

john — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:12:59 -0800

From Ed Stetzer's Blog
Most pastors of smaller-membership Southern Baptist churches see what God is calling their congregations to be and do and have laid the groundwork for accomplishing the mission, but their efforts to lead are frustrated by "turf" battles and a failure to clarify and evaluate plans.

According to a new study by LifeWay Research published in the November/December issue of Facts & Trends magazine, those pastors could see their congregations make progress by evaluating church ministries, organizing to reach their goals and planning for the future...

"The effectiveness of local church ministry often is jeopardized by poor organization," said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research. "Understanding God's calling and the context of the church is important, but leadership requires knowing where you are, knowing where you need to go and knowing how to get there. Most small church pastors actively pursue the first two but many struggle with the third."

The study, which surveyed 350 pastors of congregations that average fewer than 100 in primary worship attendance, was conducted in March 2008. It found, among other things, that 67 percent of small church pastors are frustrated with how slowly progress is made at their church.

The inertia, however, isn't for lack of trying. According to the study:

Most pastors of small churches have assessed their church's cultural context. Three-fourths have studied their communities. Ninety percent have examined trends in their congregation. Seventy-one percent say they try to be actively involved in their community.

Most pastors of small churches see what God is calling their church to be and do. Ninety-four percent say they clearly see the needs, hurts and problems God is calling their church to address. Eight out of 10 have shared with the congregation a clear, compelling picture of what God is calling their church to look like several years from now.

The obstacles to missional progress, however, are familiar to every pastor. While two-thirds of the pastors surveyed indicated their church makes regular changes to improve their effectiveness, 49 percent said lay leaders in the congregation often resist change to protect their area of responsibility. A full one-third of them said their church had experienced disruptive conflict in the past year...

There are many more charts, a PowerPoint, and other information here.

Purple Cows

john — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:38:10 -0800

From Mark Batterson's Blog
One of my favorite marketing books is Purple Cow by Seth Godin. The book revolves around this metaphor: if you've seen one brown cow you've seen them all. But a purple cow, now that would catch your attention. One statement in the book has profound implications: "If you aren't remarkable you're invisible."

Every church needs to paint itself purple. I'm not talking about gimmicks. I'm not talking about being different for difference sake. I'm talking about making such a remarkable difference in our communities that we are unignorable.

I have a couple core convictions:

1) The good news ought to make the news. Brown churches sit on the sideline and invite the community to come to them. Purple churches are always going and compelling. They are making such a big difference that they become a highly visible part of their community. And people drive by the brown churches--the churches that are invisible--to go to the purple church.

2) The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. I know that marketing is a dirty word in some church circles, but does it get anybody else riled up that Madison Avenue is far better at pedaling its worthless wares than the church is at preaching the good news? I have a problem with that. We need sanctified competitive streaks.

3) The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet. Too many churches look too much alike. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. Every church has a unique churchprint and ought to be a unique expression of the gospel in their kingdom niche.

So how do we paint ourselves purple?

For starters, dare to be different. You might offend some Pharisees, but that isn't who you're trying to reach.

Secondly, disrupt the routine. I think it starts with your personal routine. Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. You need to get out of your routine so you can have some purple thoughts.

As a leader, you need to cause confusion. Jesus didn't do orientations. He did disorientations. You need to find new ways of saying old things (see the Parables). You need to find new wineskins. You need to sing a new song. Neurological studies have found that familiarity stimulates the left-brain. Novelty stimulates the right-brain. We need some Spirit-inspired, right-brained ideas that capture the imagination of the church and the world.

Read Mark's Blog Here

Leadership and Mission (Part 2)

john — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:20:52 -0800

John Sweetman

I have been reading a fascinating book (Nick Spencer and Graham Tomlin, The Responsive Church, IVP, 2005) about Christians and their mission in society. I really am wanting to be a more missional leader. Last week we looked at society's view about God and spirituality. Here are some thoughts on society's views of Christianity.

What people think about Christian beliefs

Belief in specific Christian claims (like Jesus is the Son of God and the Bible is the unique word of God) sits around the 30% mark, although 52% do believe in heaven. So more people have Christian beliefs than go to church. But many who believe in god clearly don't hold to Christian beliefs.

The most prevalent barrier to Christian beliefs is the presence of suffering in the world. This is the most common argument that people raise. Most people can't see how an all-powerful, loving God (as Christians claim) would allow the degree of suffering that people experience in our world. This is very personal for people, so intellectual debate is difficult.

Other major criticisms of Christian beliefs include Christianity's claim to exclusivity (intolerance is not tolerated), the lack of historical reliability of the Bible, and science's disproving of Christian beliefs.

When pressed, people don't have much depth in their objections. They have not really thought through the issues and don't have specific examples. They know very little about Christian faith. Their objections are not really intellectual, but more cultural. Because these are the commonly held beliefs about Christianity, people presume that they must be true.

Over 70% of people feel that there are no good reasons for Christian beliefs.

How Christians can respond

This information is both concerning and encouraging. It concerns me that most people dismiss Christian beliefs easily without serious reflection. They have unknowingly made their decision based on hearsay not real evidence.

On the other hand, it does suggest that some may listen if we provide the right answers in the right way. People do have questions that are unresolved. Most will not be convinced solely by logical argument. (I am never persuaded by someone who sets out to prove me wrong.) But we must provide genuine responses to genuine questions. There is a place for humble, authentic apologetics.

We need to make sure that we are able to gently explain Christian truth, with a genuine heart for the well-being of others. We need to know how to respond to the following common criticisms:

1. A God who controls everything and genuinely loves people would never allow the severity of suffering we see.

2. Christians have caused a huge amount of suffering to the world. Look at the Crusades and missionaries who destroyed cultures.

3. Science has disproved God. All the things we needed religion to explain are now explained by science.

4. The Bible is full of contradictions. You can't live your life by 2000 year old stories. That's stupid.

5. Christianity is arrogant because it says that everyone else is wrong.

Common Misunderstandings about the Gospel (Part 7)

john — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:43:14 -0800

Mark Broadbent

MISUNDERSTANDING
> You can sin your way out of heaven

A few days ago, I was talking with a Christian leader who believed that we could sin our way out of heaven. Inevitably this lead to an argument about whether or not we could lose our salvation.

HERE IS HOW I DEAL WITH THE ISSUE (you may disagree with this)...

I try to explain...

1. 'If my actions can't get me into heaven, and then my actions can't get me kicked out of heaven'.
I am saved by faith, then surely my salvation is maintained by faith.

2. 'If I have to maintain my salvation by doing works, then I could never be sure that I was doing enough works'.
The Bible is clear that we can be sure. Our salvation depends upon the works of Christ, not the works of man.

3. 'If I am not currently trusting in Christ alone to save me, then I am definitely not saved'.
It doesn't matter whether we prayed some prayer in the past, had some experience of God, or have even made great sacrifices for God, we must have faith in order to be saved. If I do not have faith, if I am not trusting in Christ to save me, then I am not going to heaven.

Some will interpret this to say that I was never saved in the first place. Others will say that I was saved, but threw my salvation away. Either way, if I don't have faith, I am definitely not saved.

4. 'If there is no evidence of the Holy Spirit's work in my life, then I may not be saved'.
More on this next week...

5. "If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself". (This is a direct quote from 2 Timothy 2:12-13)

There is a difference between disowning Jesus and being faithless to him.

One person explained it like this... Imagine there is a mother carrying her baby across a busy road. The baby is holding onto the mother, and the mother is holding onto the baby. Should the baby let go of the mother, the mother will continue to hold onto the baby. But suppose the baby is able to kick and scream and break out of his mother's arms, then he is no longer safe from the traffic.

Now obviously there is debate as to whether a saved person is able to disown Jesus, but regardless of the debate, I think it is extremely important to differentiate between being faithless and disowning Jesus.

If we are faithless - he will remain faithful!!! Why??? Because he cannot disown himself. Christ's Spirit lives inside us. Disowning us would be like disowning himself.

Finding Your Leadership Style (Part 8)

john — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:37:44 -0800

From an article by Bill Hybels

Entrepreneurial leader

These leaders possess vision, boundless energy, and a risk-taking spirit. Their distinguishing characteristic is they function best in a start-up operation. They love being told it cannot be done.

But once the effort requires steady, ongoing leadership-once things get complex and there are endless discussions about policies, systems, controls, and databases-the entrepreneurial leader loses energy and may even lose focus and confidence. He or she starts to peek over the fence and wonder if there's another start-up project out there.

Entrepreneurs often feel guilty at the thought of leaving something they gave birth to. But if they think, I can't give birth to something every few years, something inside them starts to die. That's their style. It's important in the kingdom.

The apostle Paul was an entrepreneurial leader. He wanted to build churches where Christ had not been named. He wanted to pioneer them, then let someone else run them so he could move on. He made no apologies for his leadership style.

Link to original article here

10 Reasons Why You're Probably Going to Fail

john — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:05:54 -0800

From an Article by Tony Morgan

1. It's not your passion. If it doesn't make your heart beat fast or cause your mind to race when you're trying to sleep, you're probably doing the wrong thing.

2. You don't have a plan. You need a vision, and you need to identify specific steps to make that vision become reality. That includes a financial plan. (I happen to believe you need direction from God on this.)

3. You're waiting for it to be perfect. Test-drive it. Beta-test that new idea. You'll fall into the trap of inaction if you think it has to be absolutely right from day one.

4. You're not willing to work hard. Everything worth pursuing in my life has involved discipline and perseverance.

5. It'll outgrow you. Keep learning. Keep growing. But more importantly, build a team of people including leaders that can be who you're not.

6. You've had success in the past. I've watched organizations hang on to a good idea for too long. Time passes. Momentum fades. It's risky to let go of the past and jump on the next wave.

7. You're unwilling to stop doing something else. Complexity is easy. Simplicity takes discipline. You can't build a healthy marriage if you're unwilling to give up dating other women. Who/what do you need to stop dating?

8. You won't build a team of friends. Anyone can hire from a resume. You need to find people you want to share life with. In the long run, great relationships will get you out of bed in the morning.

9. You won't have the tough conversations. When breakdown happens (and it always does), someone needs to put on their big-boy pants and initiate the difficult conversation that leads to relational healing.

10. You're afraid of failure. When fear consumes you, it will cause you to do stupid things. You'll let negativity distract you. You'll embrace the known, and grow comfortable with mediocrity. The more often you fail, though, the more often you'll find success.

Here's the deal. I don't think this list is just about personal failure. This is about organizational failure (your ministry, your church plant, etc.). This is about business failure (your start up, your turnaround effort, etc.). This is about relational failure (your marriage, your dating relationship, etc.). The same principles apply.

Link

Free Small Group Material for World Aids Day

john — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:06:24 -0800

The Willow Creek Association, Fuller Seminary, and World Vision have teamed up to create FREE downloadable resources for World AIDS Day, which occurs December 1. Specially designed for group discussion, this interactive resource features a one-lesson format that will lead your group through a discussion around AIDS in the face of poverty.

Download the resources here.