In the latest of a great series of posts on the subject of "What I wish someone would have told me", Perry Noble of NewSpring Church addresses one of the fairly-obvious-yet-easily-overlooked pitfalls of successful pastors and church planters - arrogance - and shares how he "almost allowed pride AND insecurity to completely destroy God’s work" before God humbled him in 2005.
In my interactions with young church planters, this is THE most distressing characteristic that I've observed. It is distressing not only because it is so subtly destructive, but because it is so pervasive. Noble describes a shift in his thinking in which "our way of doing church was the only way–and that if ANYONE was not in line with OUR vision as a church then they were wrong." I can't tell you how many guys I talk to who feel this way. And these are mostly guys who, like me, cannot really claim to have had any ministry success yet. In fact, all most of them have is an abundance of enthusiasm and a handful of seemingly ingenious, yet still personally untested, theories about church planting.
Brothers, none of us have anything to be prideful about. May we resolve to boast in nothing but "the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." But don't just take it from me. Take it from Perry.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Where Mission Meets Politics
A much discussed topic, especially in an election year, is the relationship between religion and politics. Not many would deny that faith does, and should, profoundly influence our politics. It gets murky, however, when we realize that one person's faith influences them to identify with one side of the political spectrum while another person of the same faith is influenced to identify with the other. How does this happen?
Matt Adair has a brilliant explanation for this phenomenon:
The truth is that Christianity is far too conservative for liberals and way too liberal for conservatives. The way of Jesus is equally concerned for the rights of individuals and the health of our communities. The message of Christianity that we call the gospel not only deals with the brokenness of individuals but the dysfunction of systems and the injustice of nations. Our identity as followers of Jesus is found in the call of God to make him known by joining him on his mission that emanates from the cross of Jesus Christ.
That first sentence in the quote is what they call a "doozy" where I come from!
Matt Adair has a brilliant explanation for this phenomenon:
The truth is that Christianity is far too conservative for liberals and way too liberal for conservatives. The way of Jesus is equally concerned for the rights of individuals and the health of our communities. The message of Christianity that we call the gospel not only deals with the brokenness of individuals but the dysfunction of systems and the injustice of nations. Our identity as followers of Jesus is found in the call of God to make him known by joining him on his mission that emanates from the cross of Jesus Christ.
That first sentence in the quote is what they call a "doozy" where I come from!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Going Out to the Sick and Wounded
My office window looks out over a hospital emergency room. Throughout each day, I have a remarkable view of ambulances coming in, bringing patients in need of medical attention. There is also a heli-pad, and at least twice a week I experience the dramatic scene of a LifeFlight helicopter bringing patients in for help. I'm always reminded to pray for those who are sick or injured, and then to thank God for things like ambulances and helicopters.
One day this got me to thinking, what if hospitals operated like most churches do? There would still be an ER, for sure, but it would be a lot different. It would be clearly marked with eye-catching signs and some sort of iconic, Apple-esque logo. Inside, it would be a lot less dreary and, well, hospital-ish. When you first came in the door, instead of a grumpy nurse near the end of her shift being there to greet you, you'd be greeted by some hip looking twenty-somethings behind a counter making designer coffee drinks. Instead of "The Price is Right" playing on the television mounted in the corner, you'd see plasma screen everywhere with slick videos that show what a difference the hospital is making in the community.
If a hospital operated like most churches, the emphasis would go into making the front entrance to the hospital more inviting, and less into making the less glamorous back-entrance more accessible. A lot of effort and money would go into letting the community know that the hospital is there and ready to help in time of need. They would have some really clever catch-phrase that communicated to the community, "We get you and are here to serve you!" The various media used to get the word out about the hospital would have very clear directions and even an easy-to-read map so that residents can get there quick if they ever have a need. Anyone in the area who was sick or injured would have no excuse for not knowing where to go for help and how to get there.
But not many in the community would actually make it to the hospital in their hour of greatest need, because many people who need to go to a hospital are probably not in the condition to get there themselves. You see, if hospitals operated like most churches, I don't think you'd observe many ambulances or helicopters bringing people in for help, because ambulances and helicopters have to go out to where the sick and wounded are to help them.
For me, an ambulance or a LifeFlight helicopter is a beautiful metaphor for a missional Christian. A missional Christian is the person who is willing to step outside the comforts of the church and go out to where the sick and wounded are. To care for their immediate needs on the spot, and then to bring them into the hospital of souls for more care.
One of the few things I can think of that is more dramatic than the LifeFlight helicopter swooping in over my office to the heli-pad with personnel rushing from the hospital to bring in the wounded is we saw a similar scene acted out more regularly in our churches.
One day this got me to thinking, what if hospitals operated like most churches do? There would still be an ER, for sure, but it would be a lot different. It would be clearly marked with eye-catching signs and some sort of iconic, Apple-esque logo. Inside, it would be a lot less dreary and, well, hospital-ish. When you first came in the door, instead of a grumpy nurse near the end of her shift being there to greet you, you'd be greeted by some hip looking twenty-somethings behind a counter making designer coffee drinks. Instead of "The Price is Right" playing on the television mounted in the corner, you'd see plasma screen everywhere with slick videos that show what a difference the hospital is making in the community.
If a hospital operated like most churches, the emphasis would go into making the front entrance to the hospital more inviting, and less into making the less glamorous back-entrance more accessible. A lot of effort and money would go into letting the community know that the hospital is there and ready to help in time of need. They would have some really clever catch-phrase that communicated to the community, "We get you and are here to serve you!" The various media used to get the word out about the hospital would have very clear directions and even an easy-to-read map so that residents can get there quick if they ever have a need. Anyone in the area who was sick or injured would have no excuse for not knowing where to go for help and how to get there.
But not many in the community would actually make it to the hospital in their hour of greatest need, because many people who need to go to a hospital are probably not in the condition to get there themselves. You see, if hospitals operated like most churches, I don't think you'd observe many ambulances or helicopters bringing people in for help, because ambulances and helicopters have to go out to where the sick and wounded are to help them.
For me, an ambulance or a LifeFlight helicopter is a beautiful metaphor for a missional Christian. A missional Christian is the person who is willing to step outside the comforts of the church and go out to where the sick and wounded are. To care for their immediate needs on the spot, and then to bring them into the hospital of souls for more care.
One of the few things I can think of that is more dramatic than the LifeFlight helicopter swooping in over my office to the heli-pad with personnel rushing from the hospital to bring in the wounded is we saw a similar scene acted out more regularly in our churches.
Becoming Missional
Last night I was lying awake, as is often the case, thinking about how there are a plethora of books about the missional church, but not one that I can think of about how to be a missional Christian. I've read most of the significant books on missional thinking, and while they're excellent and have shaped my thinking tremendously, they are all written primarily for pastors. (The one exception to this that I have found is a book to be released in May 2008 by Ed Stetzer.) While I've enjoyed and benefited immensely from the writings of Frost & Hirsch, Guder, Stetzer and the like, I think that the average Christ follower would look right over the very pastoral titles of these books, and if not, would shrink away in fear once they flipped through the pages. And while all of these authors challenge, and to some extent teach, pastors to equip their people be missional, none are really resources that I could put in the hands of my people and feel confident they they would read them or would be impacted by them in the same way I have been.
Anyways, this got me to thinking: what if someone provided a resource to help the vast majority of Christians who are not professional pastors become missional? That would be really cool, I thought. Then it hit me, Dwight, why don't you do it? So, that's what this will hopefully become.
And it really is about becoming. Not just about a website becoming what I envision it to be, but about me, and the rest of you brothers and sisters in the Church, becoming truly missional. Because I have to be the first to admit that I'm not there yet. I'm pretty much there on missional thinking. It's the missional LIVING that seems to be the hangup for me. Thus, I hope that my journey in becoming missional in thinking and in life, and leading the people God has entrusted into my care to do the same, will help you to walk ever closer to our Lord and to fulfill His mission to the world.
Anyways, this got me to thinking: what if someone provided a resource to help the vast majority of Christians who are not professional pastors become missional? That would be really cool, I thought. Then it hit me, Dwight, why don't you do it? So, that's what this will hopefully become.
And it really is about becoming. Not just about a website becoming what I envision it to be, but about me, and the rest of you brothers and sisters in the Church, becoming truly missional. Because I have to be the first to admit that I'm not there yet. I'm pretty much there on missional thinking. It's the missional LIVING that seems to be the hangup for me. Thus, I hope that my journey in becoming missional in thinking and in life, and leading the people God has entrusted into my care to do the same, will help you to walk ever closer to our Lord and to fulfill His mission to the world.
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