Category: Missional Church

A Dangerous Meeting

aslan.jpg C.S. Lewis wrote in  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,

“Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver. “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or just plain silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver, “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you.”

He dangerousworship.gifis good and He is the King and he most definitely is dangerous. Next Sunday morning I’m willing to bet you will sing the praises to the first two but how often have you considered the third?

 I’ve been reading Mark Labberton’s new book The Dangerous Act of Worship for the past couple of weeks. Well, maybe reading is too active a verb. Savoring, contemplating, worshipping, repenting; these are far better descriptions of how a reader will encounter these pages. The book is constructed on the idea that we have lost the danger of worship by turning it into an hour of safety and complacency rather than a way of life. Labberton reorients our thinking to worship as life and how our recognition of God and His place in life must translate into a renewed concern for biblical justice.

I’m going to post further on this book in the days to come. I would encourage you to pick up the book and read it. Join me in a conversation about its ideas and together we’ll kneel at the altar of justice and danger.

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Where Did Our Love Go?

I bet the chorus to that song started playing in your head the minute you saw the title, didn’t it.

Baby, baby, where did our love go?

And all your promises

of a love forever more?

Go ahead, hum it a little bit more….I’ll wait. I wonder if Jesus gets the same song stuck in His head when He looks at His Church. We’re good at a lot of things and we could be better at some. Loving one another and those yet to join the family is one of those things we could be a lot better at.

If we tried.

We’re good at loving Jesus. We praise Him, proclaim Him as our personal savior, and talk in glowing terms with our brothers about Him. It seems to be the people around us where we struggle. Now,there are innumerable reasons why we struggle to love others and we can provide a justification for every single one of them. People push our buttons, they’re different from us, they’re consumed with bad habits, and on and on and on. It’s no wonder we love who we love and don’t who we don’t.

Except, Jesus didn’t leave us that option.

Love your neighbor as yourself. No conditions, no out clause, no way out. He demonstrated this for us by loving and associating with those who had been segregated by the culture in which He walked. He loved through words and His companionship. He loved without words through compassionate action. He loved through angry correction that put people back on the rails. He loved through sacrifice.

Where has the love gone? Each of us might want to ask ourselves this question each morning as we greet the day. The most emergent, missional, seeker sensitive, purpose-driven thing we can do is love others in the same way that Jesus loved others. Love them as they are, Accept them as they are, Forgive them as they are.

Just don’t leave them there. Introduce them to the one who loves, accepts, and forgives you.

 

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Organic Church Planting

 Jerry over at Becoming Missional pointed out a great post on Organic Gardening and the nurture of a church. As the author contemplated the parallels of gardening and church planting he came up with this gem of an observation:

The organic church foundation is a theology of compost, breaking down into simple and abundant life. There is more things alive in a handful of good compost than there are people on the planet, or stars in the sky, so I’ve heard and believe. Another reason why the next big thing is smallness. A good small group of people on a mission is equivalent to the enriching power of good composted soil

This brought a smile to my face as I thought of how powerfully our small missional community has touched people in our city. Without the fortress attitude that seems to sprout as the size of the group demands greater and greater hierarchy, a small mission-minded crew can feed, clothe, love and heal without worrying about upsetting other ministries.

Thanks Ron for a thought provoking post.

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Missional Church Growth

Lunched with my Barnabas again today and we talked about the growth of the church. Though numerically we are small, we were able to point to areas of significant spiritual growth within this tiny body. This nascent maturity has profound effects both inside and outside of the body that we believe is moving ever closer to the ideal (as stated by Alan Hirsch) of ‘us for the community’ rather than ‘a community for us.’

The spiritual growth has brought some of the folks to a greater passion for others. From the first tentative steps that they made into our nursing home ministry where some were very shy and unsure of themselves, the love of Jesus for people has so taken hold of them that their passion for other, community based ministries is beginning to explode. The Spirit is moving them to suggest new avenues of service AND the willingness to lead these ministries that are close to their hearts.

The spiritual maturity that is developing is also serving them well in their relationship with God. His perspective is becoming their perspective and each, in his or her own way, is processing the events of life and the church through a God centered lens rather than a human one. Fellowship grows stronger and the commitment to the mission is strengthened as well.

Ultimately, the missional church is the one that breaks the sacred/secular wall and brings a God driven life to every part of world. The driving objective becomes ‘us for the community.’ Growth is measured in how many lives are touched by our ministry as we follow the discipleship of the Lord. The attractional church, though it can certainly grow strong disciples, still maintains the ‘community for us.’ Growth here is measured by souls in the fortress.

All praise to Jesus…and forgiveness for boasting!

On the Mountainside with Jesus: Lent Reflection 11

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Most people exposed to Christianity for any length of time have heard the ‘salt and light’ refrain in a variety of contexts. There is little doubt in this passage that the Savior calls His followers to be active components in their community. Why then, we reflect this morning, has this passage had so little effect on the development of the Church through the years?

The missional church movement is a response to the insular form that the church of modernity. Movements are good but individual commitment to our individual call is better. Have you lost your saltiness? The Holy Spirit awaits the opportunity to refill the shaker. Has your light been dimmed? The Fire is available eternally and all it takes is for you to reach for a spark.

We meditate through the Lent period on the commitment of Jesus as He proceeds toward the cross. Perhaps we should meditate on our commitment as well.

 

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Me, Change? Church Shopping Time

Though Out Of Ur is using her quote to entice new subscribers to Leadership, Sarah Cunningham voices the fear that most pastors face every week. We know deep down that the easy grace and undemanding faith that many in pews crave is not the discipleship that Jesus demands but we are also afraid of the impact of calling for radical life change among the congregation. Sarah gives this answer to the question “If you could say one thing to church leaders, what would you tell them?”

“I would say that faith systems that don’t compel transformation are empty. … But few people see Christianity as a shift of allegiance that prompts us to make personal changes in beliefs, habits, and lifestyles. We must continually examine our churches to make sure our message is one that requires transformation.” (Leadership, Winter 2007)

One of the defining characteristics of the missional church is a high membership requirement based upon a demanding discipleship. Is this going to be attractive to the majority of church consumers? Most likely not, but it is going to resonate with those who seek authenticity in their faith. Trying to move a settled congregation toward a higher order of discipleship has been the beginning of the end for some pastorates. Church plants that germinate with high lifestyle and discipleship demands often fail to blossom as they appear unfriendly compared to the seeker sensitive plant around the corner. Both, understandable fears for those called to shepherd God’s beloved.

Understandable but not fears to be clung to. As a pastor, responsible to God for the call He has issued to me, I must be accountable to the Bible’s clear demands for our pursuit of holiness. If this requires changes in beliefs, habits, and lifestyles then I must not blink when calling those I shepherd to follow. If the price to be paid is the failure of the plant then so be it, as it pales in comparison to sacrifice made on my behalf.

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The Church Unleashed

The second of two books that have most affected the formation of my pastoral philosophy is The Church Unleashed by Frank Tillapaugh. Long out of print but widely available used, this along with Love, Acceptance, & Forgiveness by Jerry Cook should be formative reading for anyone exploring the ideas behind the Missional Church. Tillapaugh describes in his wide-ranging chapters a variety of ministries that the Bear Valley Church explored in the 1970’s and 80’s. What is central to the development of all of the ministries is the notion that the church should focus their energies on those outside the walls of the sanctuary, to be true missional entities wherever God has planted them.

Tillapaugh emphasizes a phrase that I don’t know is original to him but has become a part of my lexicon as I work to disciple my leaders and laity. The fortress mentality is the fear of being polluted by those outside the sanctuary and therefore, the Christians must blockade themselves inside the safety of the four walls, ministering to one another. Nonsense, counters Tillapaugh, we should not be in retreat from the world but rather, we should consider our security in Christ and follow his command to be the salt and light desperately needed by the people around us.

The church he led built around the ideas in this book has lived out two fundamental ideals that remain critical to the missional churches of today. First, they have committed to maintaining minimal internal expenses in order to focus on external (outreach) ministries. I drive by the modest building every day sandwiched between apartments and small park and reflect that it could have grown much, much larger. Second, they have empowered their laity, trusting that the Holy Spirit can work through everyone. The laity are able to germinate ministries rather than waiting for seeds to be dropped from the leadership.

Long before it was a movement, the missional church was an idea. The Church Unleashed is a practical guide to the foundations of the movement. It is worth whatever effort you must expend to purchase and savor a copy of this book. But don’t stop there. Trust the Spirit’s guidance, break the fortress mentality, and expand your ministry to every corner of wherever God has placed you.

 

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New Adventurers

Read Sarah’s proposition Could Church Not Suck?  Well Sarah, I hope you are discovering that the answer is Yes! Actually, Church can not suck! God’s heart is for people and He is with them in many, many places outside of the four walls of the sanctuary. The missional ideas that Hirsch is talking about takes us all out of the church and into the world. It’s dangerous out there where God is but you can’t beat it. Come on and join the adventure…