Rethinking the Church

I first became acquainted with the writings of James Emery White several years ago when I received one of his books by accident from my IVP book club.  The book was Serious Times and I almost sent it back.  It sat on my desk for probably a year before I picked it up and started thumbing through it.  I’m glad I did, as it was one of the best books I’ve read in the last 10 years.

Rethinking Church is an earlier work of his (originally 1997 and revised in 2003) and it came highly by several people I respect.  Going in to the book, I had several fears of what a book on “doing church” might be like.  Usually, these types of books fall into two groups.  The first group simply points out how horrible a job the church is doing.  Statistics abound to show why the church is ineffectual in our modern society.  This group is long on criticism and negativity while short on constructive ideas.  The second group of books focus primarily on the “how to” of church.  They peddle the latest and greatest programs and many times are written by the newest megachurch celebrity pastor.  This group offers lots of advice on what to do, but rarely addresses the deeper theological issues or takes into account the differences in geography, personality, or background of churches.

It is at this point that Rethinking Church diverges from the pack.  White does an admirable job of bridging the two needs of a book on leading a church: theory and practice.  Specifically, the author addresses eight areas that need to be evaluated in the church: Foundational Questions, Evangelism, Discipleship, Ministry, Worship, Structure, Community, and Change.  Each of these chapters deal with the need for change and offers both biblical and practical ideas for rethinking them.  In each area, White does a very good job of not only challenging long held assumptions, but offering constructive ideas for moving forward.

The book has two primary strengths.  First, it is short and simple (barely over 160 pages.)  It can be read in a short time and is not overly difficult.  Through concise illustrations and statistics, White drives home his point without being negative or critical.  At the end, the reader thinks, “Hey, this is a very doable thing that God has called us to.”

The second strength is that there is a distinct lack of programming suggestions.  There is no lack of books espousing the latest ideas on programming.  White freely admits that “Why and what” we do are foundational to “how” we do it.  I appreciate that he allows the specific implementation of the biblical principles to the individual.  He respects the church enough to know that one size, copy-cat programs do not work.

I highly recommend this book to every church leader, whether on staff or volunteer.  It is not the deepest or the latest book on how to do church, but it is a very accessible and useful launching pad for those who take seriously the Great Commission.

Leading on Empty

This past year has been one of the most difficult for me in ministry.  Many circumstances collided into the “perfect storm” of being over committed, over worked, over eating, under rested, and generally operating beyond healthy boundaries in most areas of my life.  In the back of my mind, I knew that June was coming.  Every five years, the ministers on staff at HCC are blessed to take a one month sabbatical from ministry at the church.  I knew that I needed something to guide my time off.

As I began preparations for my sabbatical, this book came highly recommended.  In this brutally honest account of his own journey through severe ministry burnout, Wayne Cordeiro details his descent into depression and the steps he took to ascend out of it.  Sometimes meandering narrative and sometimes self help manual, the book is a very engaging read and very insightful.  I’m not sure that I could have written such brutally honest things about myself, but I’m thankful that Cordeiro did and shared it with the rest of us. 

While I’ve not hit the lows that the author describes, I’ve had periods of tremendous challenges to my mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical state.  Some of the book, therefore, was more theoretical to me personally, but I imagine to others it would be like reading their own personal diary.  While the books tries not to be a “takes these 7 easy steps and you’ll be fine” kind of self-help guide, the final several chapters do provide some very useful and insighful lessons. 

For those who are not in full-time church ministry, you probably won’t understand the difficulties that Cordeiro describes.  He makes a great point that ministry is just simply different from any other occupation.  Because of that difference, the toll that it takes on the person and family of the minister is unique.  Without the proper boundaries in life, the longevity of the ministry and quality of life will be greatly diminished.  For those in ministry, you will completely identify with the situation and shake your head in agreement. 

This is a must read for anyone in ministry–if not as a path through the storm as a map around it.

The Lazy Critic

I loved the Muppet Show as a kid (technically, I probably still do.)  It was kind of a zany show with so many interesting characters.  My two favorite characters, though, were the grumpy old men who sat in the balcony making fun of everyone.  Liking those two guys probably shows what I am deep down in my core…a critic.

I’m not alone, though.  Everyone is a critic of something.  That’s why fantasy baseball is so popular.  Everyone thinks that they can run a baseball team better than the actual general managers.  That’s why message boards on news websites are so popular.  Everyone thinks they know the best way to run the country or who the police should arrest.  That’s why everyone loves Simon from American Idol.  Everyone wants to be able to tell people that they are awful singers without getting kicked in the groin.  That’s why talk radio is so popular.  Everyone has an opinion on everything.

Being a critic is safe, fun, and practically risk-free.  You get to criticize other people and don’t have to actually do anything yourself.  Who would you rather be?  A chef on Iron Chef America or a Judge on Iron Chef America?  One practically kills himself for an hour getting a phenomenal meal together while the other sips wine and looks pretty for the camera.  One presents their finished work while the other says “The flavors just really don’t compliment each other.”

The problem with being a critic is that you’re short of two very important commodities.  One is information.  We all scream, “He should have pinch hit for that guy in the 9th inning,” but we’ll never know that the team’s best pinch hitter had leg cramps.  A critic gets to make armchair decisions with only part of the information.  I suspect that every new President has realized this the first day in the Oval Office.  It’s much easier to criticize and make fantasy decisions when you only know 10% of the information.  It’s the other 90% that complicates things.

The other missing commodity of the critic is responsibility.  It’s easy for Simon to rip a singer, but I’ve never seen Simon on stage.  It’s easy to critique a hitter for striking out having never faced the pressure of hitting with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th.  This idea was impressed on my yesterday.  I will be the President for the Missouri Christian Convention in 2010 and I led my first meeting of the planning committee.  About 2/3 of the way through the meeting I had a frightening thought.  I thought, “I’m a much better decision maker when I don’t have the responsibility of making or carrying out the decisions!”  Aren’t we all?

So I must constantly remind myself of this fact…when I’m critical, I’m really just lazy.  It’s much easier to be the judge than to sing the song.  It’s easier to deride the chef than it is to cook the meal.  It’s much easier to post a blog entry about a book than to actually write the book.  Should that stop us from engaging in relevant, honest, and constructive criticism?  Absolutely not.  It should just remind us that the critics have the easy job.

What’s the Difference?

What’s the difference between good and great?  In nearly every area of life, there seems to be a slim, narrow margin between something that is merely good and something that is really great.  Granted, there are many factors that could go into this equation.  Sometimes it is talent, sometimes it may be resources, and other times it may just be opportunity.  When you are talking about sports, talent can make a ball player or a team good.  Talent certainly is a prerequisite for a good musician.  I think that talent can take you a long way, but I can think of a million examples of people who had all the natural talent in the world and were just “good.”  There is something else that has to be mixed in to go from good to great.

Think about this question in terms of an organization or group of people.  What makes a good company?  What makes a great company?  What makes a good team?  What makes a great team?  Or, put in the reverse, what KEEPS a good company from being great?  What KEEPS a good team from being great? 

Now to my real question.  What’s the difference between a good church and a great church?  Is it the talent of the staff?  Maybe.  Is the the available resources?  Perhaps sometimes.  Or, what keeps a good church from being a great church?  There are probably dozens of factors that come into play (not the least of which is the blessing of God).  However, I think that one of the foremost factors that makes a church great and not just good is effort.  Now, before you think that I don’t believe in the power of God, let me assure you that I do.  Ultimately, any good or great thing that we do comes from God.  However, many times we settle for good when we could be great.  Why?  Because it takes determination, effort, hard work, and a willingness to go the second, third, fourth, and sometimes the fifth mile.  I believe that one of the fundamental differences between a good church and a great church is simply effort.

What’s the difference between a good sermon and a great sermon?  Can it be measured in hours of preparation?  What transforms just an okay lesson into a fantastic one?  Does it come down to preparation time?  The longer that I am in ministry (closing in on 20 years), the more I see some churches that are just good rather than being great.  Why?  I think sometimes it is because their leaders (ministers, elders, etc.) only want to work hard enough to just have a good church.  They become satisfied with marginal results.  In the words of my former senior minister Ben Merold, “Sometimes the staff of a church doesn’t want to pay the price to have a great church.”  Is there a price to pay?  Absolutely.  It costs time, energy, and personal sacrifice.  Is this the only think that keeps a church from being great?  Absolutely not.  However, when the leadership of a church settles for just being good, the rest of the people will follow their lead.  Also, it can’t be just one person who wants the church to be great.  It has to be the majority of the people.  I know plenty of godly men and women who diligently and faithfully serve the Lord in their churches, and the results don’t seem to come like they would want.  For a church to be great, the majority of the people have to be willing to do everything possible to make it great.

Is there anything wrong with having a good church?  Certainly not.  A good church beats a bad one every day of the week.  But why settle for good church when you could be part of great church.

Sprouting Seeds

This afternoon and tonight I attended a wedding and reception.  Normally I severely dislike weddings–mainly this comes from my aversion to getting dressed up on a Saturday afternoon.  However, this one was a little more special than normal.  Let me explain.

I dove into full time ministry at the tender age of 21.  I started at a small church in the suburbs the week after I got married, which was the week after I graduated from college.  I had virtually no ministry experience and they actually trusted me to work with the children and teens.  For the next 4 1/2 years, I served the church as the Youth Minister.  The church didn’t grow numerically much during those years, but there was a group of probably 20 kids whose families were brave enough to entrust them to my care for a couple hours a week.  Those 4 1/2 years were great for a number of reasons.  Primarily I learned that ministry is relational before anything else.

Now, 17 years and two churches later, I found myself at the wedding of one of those kids (he’s not much of a kids now!)  God really blessed me tonight because I got to see many of those kids and their parents once again.  Some of them are in full time ministry.  Some are married and have kids of their own.  Others are volunteering in their churches.  By and large, they have turned out great.

Now, I certainly don’t want to overestimate the amount of influence I had on them.  They all have great parents, and they deserve the credit.  However, I did teach some lessons, spend countless hours on trips,  converse over many sodas, and play dozens of games of basketball behind the church.  So I will take just a little pride in having just a little influence on these young men and women (I almost typed KIDS!)

Which brings me to the point of this little trip down memory lane.  One of the most difficult aspects of ministry is that you very rarely see immediate results of your labor.  In fact, many times, it seems like your labor is in vain.  However, I was reminded tonight that results in ministry mainly come over the long haul.  You many never know if you didn’t a good job until 20 years after the fact, especially when working with children or youth.

So, thanks to Kari, Justin, Jordan, Shane, Kevin, Kendall, Joey, Amanda, Nathan, DeAnn, Kathleen, Daniel, and anyone I inadvertantly missed from tonight.  Seeing all of you made my day and it made me proud of the work that God had done in each of you.  I may have planted, someone else may have watered, but God made the seeds of His word grow in each of you.

Quantum Observation #4: Incorrect Corporate Measure of Spirituality

In Quantum Observation #3, I wrote about incorrect individual measures of spirituality.  This list included Bible knowledge, perceived spirituality of others, personal morality, Christian “busyness”, and church membership.  The basic premise is that Christians often use these qualitites (for lack of a better word) as incorrect measures of spiritual in themselves and in others.  Now, before you get all frothy at the mouth, I’m not saying that these qualities are bad.  In fact, I believe just the opposite–they can all be definite signs of spirituality (except maybe the busyness thing).  Spiritual people will have these life qualities.  The correlary is not necessarily true, though.  Having these life qualities does not mean a person is spiritual (at least not in the biblical sense.)

I have another list as well.  This list has to do with how groups of people (primarily churches) view what a spiritual person is.  Maybe this is where the “crowd mentality” come into play.  We see these qualities in a person and just assume that they’re a good disciple.  As with the previous list, though, having these qualities isn’t necessarily a sign of spiritual development.  Of course, I also think that not having these qualities (at least many of them) is a pretty good sign that a person isn’t growing.  Anyway, without further adieu, here are five incorrect corporate measure of discipleship.

1.  Church Attendance
I heard an old preacher say one time, “Sitting in church no more makes you a Christian that standing in a garage makes you a car.”  Now, granted, attending church is certainly better than not attending.  However, just parking your rear in a seat year after year doesn’t make one spiritual.  In fact, some of the most obnoxious, self-centered, and rude people I have ever met have been in church every week.  I think that church attendance is the ultimate “check box” spiritual indicator.  “I put my hour in at church this week; God owes me now.”  I suppose it’s natural for a group of people to view church attendance as a sign of spirituality, given that a person is seen pretty regularly. 

2.  Financial Giving
I would put giving in the same category as church attendance.  I certainly do see that the Bible teaches that discipleship involves allowing Jesus to become Lord of our bank accounts as well as everything else.  A spiritual person will be one who contributes to the work of the Lord.  However, you don’t have to be a spiritual person to write a check out every week.  I’ve known people who make a lot of money and give a lot of money.  I’ve also know people who make a little money and give a lot of money.  While disciples certainly do give money, giving money isn’t always a sign of discipleship.  (In fact, it could be a sign of lots of other things, like trying to control the church, trying to buy your way into heaven, alleviating a guilty conscience, or getting a great tax credit.)

3.  Leadership Position
I’ve actually been in the room when comments like this were made…”Well, I know that Billy Joe Bob (not his real name…or is it?…hmmmm) isn’t really involved in the church, but I think that if we make him an elder (or deacon, or leader, or teacher, or head grass mower) he’ll do a good job and probably come more.”  Just as I’ve said before, some of the most unspiritual people I’ve ever encountered have been leaders in the church.  Also, some of the most spiritual people I’ve ever met have never held an official position of leadership.  Ideally, serving in the role of a leader should be a sign that a person is a growing disciple.  However, the harsh reality is that it isn’t always that way. 

4.  Involvement
Same thing as all the above.  We tend to look at people who serve a lot and are involved in lots of stuff and think, “They must really be spiritual to do all that stuff.”  This is very similar to the myth of “Christian busyness.”  Of course, it’s pretty tough to be a growing disciple and not be involved in  a church (in fact, I would say that it is IMPOSSIBLE to be a growing Christian and not be involved in a church, but that’s the subject for another entry.)  However, just being involved doesn’t mean that a person is a growing disciple.

5.  Completion of an Artificial Process
Thanks to Saddleback church and the whole 101, 201, 301, 401 concept, many church have adopted similar processes for new members and discipleship.  As a Christian educator, I have mixed feelings about this.  The Bible certainly does teach that we are to grow in Christ and there seems to be a logical progression to it (it is compared to physical growth in Scripture.)  My reservations with the concept is that I fear we may be giving people a false sense that once they graduate from 401 (or whatever the process is) they are spiritually complete.  Also, we may be (either intentionally or unintentionally) communicating that spiritual growth stops once we complete the process, which certainly isn’t the case. 

Now, before I start receiving comments from everyone, let me restate the key premise to all this.  I believe that all of these qualities are evident in the life of a growing disciple (leadership, if they are gifted in that area.)  In fact, they are all signs that a person is a growing disciple.  However, the reverse isn’t necessarily true.  Just because we see these, it doesn’t follow that a person is a growing disciple.  Let me know what you think.

Interruptions

I’ve been teaching through the gospel of Mark in one of my Sunday morning classes.  To say the least, it has been a wonderful experience and I have learned a lot.

One thing that struck me is the number of interruptions that Jesus faces on nearly a daily basis.  One of these occurs in chapter five.  Jesus had gone to the east side of the Sea of Galilee to preach to the Gerasenes.  This did not go well and ended with the people asking Jesus to leave.  The instant His foot hits the shore in Capernaum, He is immediately met by one of the rulers of the synagogue and pressed into duty to heal his sick daughter.  On the way to heal the sick daughter, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years touches Jesus and is healed.  While Jesus is helping this woman, word came that the little girl had died.  Jesus then proceeds to the house and raised brings the girl back to life.

That made me tired just typing it.  Imagine how Jesus felt!  He constantly had people pressing against him, demanding attetion, arguing with Him, begging for something, asking questions, and wanting food.  It sounds like the week I just had.  It was one of those weeks that was filled with constant interruptions, requests, problems, last minute changes, “quick” questions (there are no such things!), and so on.  It seemed like every time I turned around there were five people wanting to talk to me at the same time.

I am blessed to serve in a wonderful church, so these kinds of weeks don’t come along very often.  When they do, it is pretty overwhelming.  I got home tonight at the end of the marathon week and kind of collapsed in front of a big bowl of popcorn and the baseball scores.  I know what is on my schedule for this week, but who knows if that is what God has scheduled for me.  Regardless of what happens, I’ll pray for two things.  First, that I will view the interruptions of ministry AS the ministry, just like Jesus did.  Second, I pray that the fountain Pepsi at the church gets fixed in a hurry, because next to Jesus, that’s what keeps me going.

Sneaking into Church

Today (actually yesterday–I’m writing this at 2:30AM because I’ve been up most of the night bailing storm water out of the window wells of my basement from the monsoons today) was supposed to be a vacation day for me.  As a minister, I get a certain number of Sundays that I can be on “vacation”.  If you are not a minister, this concept of taking a vacation from church may seem a little strange.  The lines between personal and professional lives are virtually non-existent for a minister.  If we are at the church we serve at, we are working and if we working, we are at the church we serve at. 

Anyway…normally we would be traveling somewhere if we are on vacation.  Our plans changed, though, and we were in town for Sunday.  When this happens, we usually have two or three other churches that we attend on “vacation” Sundays.  It is great to see friends from other church and have someone minister to us for a week.  However, this was my son’s last week in the children’s ministry.  He is being promoted next week and will now be part of the student ministry, which is in a completely different building.  So, today was kind of his last hurrah for being a “kid” at church.  He really didn’t want to miss it, so we gave in and decided to attend our own church, even though this is really against the rules of being a minister (those ministers who may be reading this, please don’t turn me in.)  I guess it is a good thing that our kids like our church so much, though.

So, we decided to “sneak” into church.  This involved coming a little late, sitting on the back row, keeping a low profile, and leaving as soon as possible after the service was over (I thought about wearing a hoodie and fake glasses, but thought that our security team would get a little to nosy and I’d get busted.)  Needless to say, I felt really weird about the whole operation.  It ran contrary to everything I am and do every week.  Usually I get there early, talk to dozens of people, and teach multiple times.  It really felt like I was participating in some kind of criminal activity.  On the way out, I was careful not to make eye contact with anyone for fear of having to stop and talk, which would mean I’d have to explain all the ministerial vacation rules, which probably sound really silly to everyone except ministers.  We managed to pull the whole operation off and then got on with the rest of our “vacation” (which involved attending a big get together with dozens of people from church!)

As I was sitting in the car waiting for my family to find me (we even parked in a different spot than usual to aid in the fast getaway), I began to feel really cheated.  We went to church, but it wasn’t church.  The service was good as always, but the whole clandestine, cloak and dagger, sneaking around stuff took anything good out of the experience (my kids, though, had a very good day in their usual classes, so it was worth it.)  Then I thought that so many people do this very thing every week.  Their whole goal of going to church is to make a fast getaway.  They purposely avoid talking to people or getting to know anyone (or are they not letting anyone get to know them?)  They come in late and leave early though the side door.  How absolutely sad.  They are missing out on one of the greatest gifts that God has given humans–the family of God.

So, to my church family, I want you to know that I missed you today even though I was there but wasn’t supposed to be.  All of you make my job the best job in the world.