I left off yesterday talking about adaptive leadership. Today I want to go further in the thoughts of yesterday. As I continued my blog reading I went to Ed Stetzer's blog. I read Stetzer's blog because he interviews great church leaders, has a lot of research on what is happening within Christianity and has a grasp on the missional church. He wrote a blog about a discussion he had for USA Today about "Is there one way to heaven?" (Read the article here). If you read the article be sure to read the comments that follow.
I was amazed at the number of Christians who think there is more than one way to get to heaven. Could this be one of the reasons so few people go to church on a given Sunday? For the adaptive leader this is just another brutal fact in our culture when it comes to Christianity and the church.
Is it possible we have gotten so caught up in church growth and being seeker sensitive that we have failed to promote even the basics of the gospel?
Reading Stetzer here reminded me that I needed to finish a study we are doing as a staff. It is a small group study written by Stetzer called "Sent." Currently we are having all our life groups go through the study. This study is kicking our butt! I have never done a study that asks some of the most thought provoking questions about some of the things we take for granted. If you want to order a copy go here.
I finished the last section after reading Stetzer's blog. In the last section he pointed out that 56% of people think about their eternal destiny. Another current reality for the adaptive leader. This is an opportunity to engage people in a discussion about their eternal destiny. But, as Stetzer points out, this goes beyond inviting people to church. He says, "Sure, it's easier to tell people to come to church and live a good life, but that's not the gospel. . . To share Christ, we have to go beyond formulas that fit on napkins."
This is another challenge for the adaptive leader and adaptive Christ followers. It requires leaders and the people they lead to develop authentic relationships with other people. At some point in the relationship the opportunity may arise (don't force the issue) to talk about eternal destiny.
We have moved beyond just teaching people to bring people to church. We need to lead be to be the church everywhere they go and with everyone they meet. Stetzer sums it up like this, "What, after all, are missional churches except gatherings of missional individuals?"
The sad reality of all this is that all we are talkning about here is living and being the church that is described in Acts. It is not something new, it is something we have got to get back to doing. Then the church (gathering of missional individuals) will begin to reach people and answer their questions about their eternal destiny.
So let's all commit to living missional lives, Loving God, Loving People and being authentic in our relationships to both.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Adapting in order to Survive
I usually take a morning a week and read through blogs of people I think have something to say about the missional church, connecting with people and just life in general. This morning was the morning I chose to catch up on some blog reading. Here is where it led me:
I started with Vince Antonucci's blog . I love his blog because he really has a way of looking at scripture and has a heart for reaching lost people. Vince is currently starting a church on the Vegas strip. I can't wait for the stories that emerge from that journey. Anyway he posted a map of the number of people who go to church on a given weekend from 2000 (view map).
What I learned from this map is there is a lot of work to do. I Ohio there are only 20.3% of the population that attend church on a given weekend. Two things: 1) As a church we need to see the need for us to become more missional and 2) We need to continue to be involved in church planting (the most effective way of reaching lost people).
Next I read Alan Hirsch's blog. Alan Hirsch has a real grasp on the church and the decline it is in world wide. He is committed to helping churches find their way again. Two of his books, "The Forgotten Ways" and "ReJesus" should be read by every church leader. This morning two of his blog posts made me think about the role of a leader in the church. It is a four part post summarizing his thoughts on a book called "Surfing the Edge of Chaos." It is about adaptive leadership and how adaptive leadership can create a church with "spiritual energy."
He quotes a law of cybernetics (I had to look this one up) called the "Law of Requisite Variety." This law states, ". . . that the survival of any organism depends on its capacity to cultivate (not just tolerate) variety in its internal structure. Failure to do so results in the inability to cope successfully with 'variety' when it is introduced from an external source."
It simply means there are external factors that effect an organization or organism. The ability to adapt to the external factors will determine the rate of survival. The role of an adaptive leader is to disturb the organization enough so that it has to adapt to it's surroundings.
Combine this thought with the chart from Vince Antonucci and we see the need for the church to adapt in order for it to survive. There is a problem that we need to address and as church leaders we need to cultivate variety into our internal structure. This is when we begin to become a missional church.
Any thoughts?
(to be continued)
I started with Vince Antonucci's blog . I love his blog because he really has a way of looking at scripture and has a heart for reaching lost people. Vince is currently starting a church on the Vegas strip. I can't wait for the stories that emerge from that journey. Anyway he posted a map of the number of people who go to church on a given weekend from 2000 (view map).
What I learned from this map is there is a lot of work to do. I Ohio there are only 20.3% of the population that attend church on a given weekend. Two things: 1) As a church we need to see the need for us to become more missional and 2) We need to continue to be involved in church planting (the most effective way of reaching lost people).
Next I read Alan Hirsch's blog. Alan Hirsch has a real grasp on the church and the decline it is in world wide. He is committed to helping churches find their way again. Two of his books, "The Forgotten Ways" and "ReJesus" should be read by every church leader. This morning two of his blog posts made me think about the role of a leader in the church. It is a four part post summarizing his thoughts on a book called "Surfing the Edge of Chaos." It is about adaptive leadership and how adaptive leadership can create a church with "spiritual energy."
He quotes a law of cybernetics (I had to look this one up) called the "Law of Requisite Variety." This law states, ". . . that the survival of any organism depends on its capacity to cultivate (not just tolerate) variety in its internal structure. Failure to do so results in the inability to cope successfully with 'variety' when it is introduced from an external source."
It simply means there are external factors that effect an organization or organism. The ability to adapt to the external factors will determine the rate of survival. The role of an adaptive leader is to disturb the organization enough so that it has to adapt to it's surroundings.
Combine this thought with the chart from Vince Antonucci and we see the need for the church to adapt in order for it to survive. There is a problem that we need to address and as church leaders we need to cultivate variety into our internal structure. This is when we begin to become a missional church.
Any thoughts?
(to be continued)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Blue or White Collar Jesus?
I was driving in the car the other day and heard a discussion about blue collar workers and white collar workers. I had never really thought about it before but when we study the life of Jesus where would he fall, blue or white collar?
To answer this question we really need to understand what is meant by the term blue collar and white collar. A white collar worker is a person who is in the work force in the role of management or administration. Blue collar workers would be more manual labor. White collar workers would have more of a formal education. Blue collar would be more skilled labor.
So, what would Jesus be, white collar or blue collar? Without any formal education Jesus worked a trade as a carpenter. In religious circles he was far from the upper management team. He was more of a common worker within his Father's line of work. He did not tell people what they were to do while sitting back and watching to see if the tasks were carried out. He worked on the ground level showing people how to serve at a very high level.
I would say Jesus was more of a blue collar worker in the business of the Father. On the other hand, the religious leaders were carrying themselves as upper management. They touted their formal education and made those who were a part of the organization walk a narrow path.
This very easily carries over to today and the church. We have become a movement made up of mostly white collar workers. We come together and worship touting our formal church education. We look down on those who have not had the same church background as ourselves. We do this even though Jesus taught us to live as blue collar workers in His kingdom.
Jesus lived as a labor worker in the kingdom. If Jesus lived that way shouldn't we? Or do we like the status of being a white collar Christian with all its perks?
If Jesus worked in the kingdom as a blue collar worker, that is good enough for me. It is time we stop touting our formal church education and start to do the labor required to build His kingdom. Even if we have to get our hands dirty.
Any thoughts?
To answer this question we really need to understand what is meant by the term blue collar and white collar. A white collar worker is a person who is in the work force in the role of management or administration. Blue collar workers would be more manual labor. White collar workers would have more of a formal education. Blue collar would be more skilled labor.
So, what would Jesus be, white collar or blue collar? Without any formal education Jesus worked a trade as a carpenter. In religious circles he was far from the upper management team. He was more of a common worker within his Father's line of work. He did not tell people what they were to do while sitting back and watching to see if the tasks were carried out. He worked on the ground level showing people how to serve at a very high level.
I would say Jesus was more of a blue collar worker in the business of the Father. On the other hand, the religious leaders were carrying themselves as upper management. They touted their formal education and made those who were a part of the organization walk a narrow path.
This very easily carries over to today and the church. We have become a movement made up of mostly white collar workers. We come together and worship touting our formal church education. We look down on those who have not had the same church background as ourselves. We do this even though Jesus taught us to live as blue collar workers in His kingdom.
Jesus lived as a labor worker in the kingdom. If Jesus lived that way shouldn't we? Or do we like the status of being a white collar Christian with all its perks?
If Jesus worked in the kingdom as a blue collar worker, that is good enough for me. It is time we stop touting our formal church education and start to do the labor required to build His kingdom. Even if we have to get our hands dirty.
Any thoughts?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Which Flavor is the Best?
I always have a hard time when I go to a Ice Cream place like "Graeters," "Handles" or "Cold Stone Creamery." I can never decide which flavor is the best. Sometimes I get lucky and I am craving a certain kind of ice Cream, other times I am at loss as to what I need. There are times I feel adventurous and will try something new. Usually I choose something with berries or nuts in it because that is my favorite.
What about church? What flavor is the best? In our culture today there are so many different flavors to choose from that it is confusing for people. The questions that come up are: "Does it have contemporary music or traditional?" "Is the 'dress code' dress-up, casual or it doesn't matter?" "Is there a lot of multi-media or not?" "Do they have Sunday School or ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship)?" "Is it a megachurch or is it a small family type of church?"
While all these are questions may matter when it comes to preference, these are not the right questions? These questions do not make a church a church. There is one thing for certain. When I go and get ice cream, which I do not do very often, I sometimes decide I am going to be healthy. I will get sugar free or fat-free. Every time, I am never satisfied. Why? Because it is not real ice cream.
Whoever invented ice cream never intended it to be free from sugar and heavy cream (thus the name ice "cream"). Anything else is just an impostor. When God created the church he had something very specific in mind. The church would be a body of believers who: 1) Were in love with Jesus and His mission, 2) Loved people who were far from God, 3) Lead those who were far from God into a relationship with Jesus, 4) Lead people to be more like Jesus in every part of their life, and 5) Lead people to lead others far from God into a relationship with Jesus.
There are other things like authentic community, prayer and service. My point is, when we look at churches we judge the flavor on things that really don't matter. The most important thing when it comes to the best flavor of church is that it is fulfilling the mission of a church, that it is a real church. Any time I have gotten ice cream and it is real ice cream I have never been disappointed.
What about church? What flavor is the best? In our culture today there are so many different flavors to choose from that it is confusing for people. The questions that come up are: "Does it have contemporary music or traditional?" "Is the 'dress code' dress-up, casual or it doesn't matter?" "Is there a lot of multi-media or not?" "Do they have Sunday School or ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship)?" "Is it a megachurch or is it a small family type of church?"
While all these are questions may matter when it comes to preference, these are not the right questions? These questions do not make a church a church. There is one thing for certain. When I go and get ice cream, which I do not do very often, I sometimes decide I am going to be healthy. I will get sugar free or fat-free. Every time, I am never satisfied. Why? Because it is not real ice cream.
Whoever invented ice cream never intended it to be free from sugar and heavy cream (thus the name ice "cream"). Anything else is just an impostor. When God created the church he had something very specific in mind. The church would be a body of believers who: 1) Were in love with Jesus and His mission, 2) Loved people who were far from God, 3) Lead those who were far from God into a relationship with Jesus, 4) Lead people to be more like Jesus in every part of their life, and 5) Lead people to lead others far from God into a relationship with Jesus.
There are other things like authentic community, prayer and service. My point is, when we look at churches we judge the flavor on things that really don't matter. The most important thing when it comes to the best flavor of church is that it is fulfilling the mission of a church, that it is a real church. Any time I have gotten ice cream and it is real ice cream I have never been disappointed.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Is Taking Ten Ibuprofen Bad?
Not if they're Junior Strength. I had this horrible headache this morning after our staff meeting. So on our way to lunch we stopped by the store to get some ibuprofen. I ran in and grab the generic brand off the shelf without looking at the package. While walking out the store I began to open the ibuprofen.
Hmmm. "These are rather large for me to swallow," I thought to myself. Then I read the word chewable. No problem other than they taste horrible. I had hoped they would taste like baby aspirin when I was a kid. No such luck. So I took the normal three when I have a headache of that magnitude.
After I choked those three down I read a little further on the bottle, "Junior Strength." Crap! I haven't been the size of a junior since I was in first grade. So I looked on the back of the bottle- "72-95 lbs., three tablets." I can't remember the last time I weighed under 100 lbs. So I had to do the math. So I rounded it off and took an even ten.
The good thing is that my headache is gone.
The lesson learned, other than reading the bottle before you purchase, is a quote I have on my white board:
"It is more important that we do the right things than we do things right." Dave Browning
Hmmm. "These are rather large for me to swallow," I thought to myself. Then I read the word chewable. No problem other than they taste horrible. I had hoped they would taste like baby aspirin when I was a kid. No such luck. So I took the normal three when I have a headache of that magnitude.
After I choked those three down I read a little further on the bottle, "Junior Strength." Crap! I haven't been the size of a junior since I was in first grade. So I looked on the back of the bottle- "72-95 lbs., three tablets." I can't remember the last time I weighed under 100 lbs. So I had to do the math. So I rounded it off and took an even ten.
The good thing is that my headache is gone.
The lesson learned, other than reading the bottle before you purchase, is a quote I have on my white board:
"It is more important that we do the right things than we do things right." Dave Browning
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
I love being in the Woods
I went Turkey Hunting for a little while this morning. This is the last week of Spring Gobbler season in Ohio. While I still haven't "caught anything," as our student minister puts it, I have enjoyed being in the woods.
if you have never done it, you need to try it. Even if you don't hunt. But you have to go before the sun comes up. It is incredible to hear the woods wake up in the morning. The birds start chirping, you hear the rustling of leaves as squirrels and chipmunks begin their day. The dew is still on the grass. No gobbles this morning though.
I did see ten deer. They are fun to watch. They could smell me, but could not see me. They looked hard, but never knew where I was.
You know, God is awesome! A morning in the woods, by yourself, with God . . . Life is good!
if you have never done it, you need to try it. Even if you don't hunt. But you have to go before the sun comes up. It is incredible to hear the woods wake up in the morning. The birds start chirping, you hear the rustling of leaves as squirrels and chipmunks begin their day. The dew is still on the grass. No gobbles this morning though.
I did see ten deer. They are fun to watch. They could smell me, but could not see me. They looked hard, but never knew where I was.
You know, God is awesome! A morning in the woods, by yourself, with God . . . Life is good!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Inspiring Day @ KSP
Several years ago a friend of mine asked if Northwest would be a part of a dream of his. The dream was(is) to make it hard to go to hell in the state of Ohio. The idea is to create networks of churches that will partner together with Stadia to plant 50 churches in the next 10 years. Today we determined we are currently in year 3. There are 7 plants that are either in the works or have birthed and the network for the
8th is being developed.
The stories that are coming from the churches that have currently been started are amazing.
The first, Momentum Christian Church, led by Dan Smith taught us about the kingdom today. For years churches have been territorial, not Momentum. They have sent about 30 people to be a part of the second church plant, Velocity which is in it's 6th week. Not only that, but Momentum announced today it was ready to commit $50,000 to a new church plant in Cleveland. Momentum is only 3 years old.
Second, Scott Pugh from Velocity spoke about Jesus an how he said if we want to be great we need to learn how to serve others. This is a major part of Velocity's DNA. As a matter of fact Scott did not begin his report by telling everyone how many people were at Velocity in it's 5th week (which was 190). He started by talking about how Velocity was becoming a great church by serving the community. When Velocity speaks of "service" they are not talking about what happens on Sunday morning. Serving others is so much of Velocity's DNA that every staff person is required to serve in some way one hour a week.
Finally, there was a report given of a inner city church in Canton. There were two stories of homeless people desiring to give. One guy wanted to put money in an offering. The other bought a bag of food to feed someone who was in need. Rivertree Christian has partnered to see this church happen. Greg Nettle pointed out that when you see homeless people give sacrificially it makes you more accountable as to how you spend your yearly budget as a church staff person.
Wow! What a day of stories about God. How He moves when people are obedient to the leading of the Spirit. People who are far from God are coming to know Him. This just confirms in my spirit that church planting can change the world. Spend some time praying for Momentum, Velocity and Kingdom Synergy Partnership. For people who are far from God and for church planters that can make an impact wherever God may lead them.
8th is being developed.
The stories that are coming from the churches that have currently been started are amazing.
The first, Momentum Christian Church, led by Dan Smith taught us about the kingdom today. For years churches have been territorial, not Momentum. They have sent about 30 people to be a part of the second church plant, Velocity which is in it's 6th week. Not only that, but Momentum announced today it was ready to commit $50,000 to a new church plant in Cleveland. Momentum is only 3 years old.
Second, Scott Pugh from Velocity spoke about Jesus an how he said if we want to be great we need to learn how to serve others. This is a major part of Velocity's DNA. As a matter of fact Scott did not begin his report by telling everyone how many people were at Velocity in it's 5th week (which was 190). He started by talking about how Velocity was becoming a great church by serving the community. When Velocity speaks of "service" they are not talking about what happens on Sunday morning. Serving others is so much of Velocity's DNA that every staff person is required to serve in some way one hour a week.
Finally, there was a report given of a inner city church in Canton. There were two stories of homeless people desiring to give. One guy wanted to put money in an offering. The other bought a bag of food to feed someone who was in need. Rivertree Christian has partnered to see this church happen. Greg Nettle pointed out that when you see homeless people give sacrificially it makes you more accountable as to how you spend your yearly budget as a church staff person.
Wow! What a day of stories about God. How He moves when people are obedient to the leading of the Spirit. People who are far from God are coming to know Him. This just confirms in my spirit that church planting can change the world. Spend some time praying for Momentum, Velocity and Kingdom Synergy Partnership. For people who are far from God and for church planters that can make an impact wherever God may lead them.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Authentic Family Community
I was in Wayside, West Virginia for a few days last week. It is Spring Gobbler season and I always try to get away for a few days to hunt at the farm. I did not stay at our place. We are still cleaning from a furnace problem a few years back. I stayed with my great uncle and aunt.
This is one of the things I love about my dads side of the family. There is a closeness that goes beyond generations. I discovered the reason why this last week. My grandmother was one of 10 children, one of them is the uncle I stayed with. Their family placed a high emphasis on education. I found out that all of them were teachers at some point in their life.
Here is the amazing thing though. Aunt Emma, once she was out of college, helped pay for her next sibling down to go to college. Then once they were out they began helping other siblings pay for college. This family grew up putting a high emphasis on being a family that works together.
The Houchins family, while not perfect (I could tell you some stories), did live with an understanding that they were not individuals. They lived not just for themselves but for each other. If anyone had a need they were there to help each other out. This culture that existed in their home is why they were and are so close to each other.
Look, I know there are other families that are like this, but I do not think it is normal today. Maybe that is why it is so amazing to me.
Here is the thing, this family operated by the same principles that we find in the book of Acts when the early church is described. They had everything in common, there were no needy among them and they met together regularly.
What if we really began to apply these principles to the church? How about your own family?
Maybe we would become what God intended for us to be. Maybe the church would reclaim it's identity. And maybe our families would be transformed into something that would create lasting memories. Churches and families doing life together, what could be better than that?
This is one of the things I love about my dads side of the family. There is a closeness that goes beyond generations. I discovered the reason why this last week. My grandmother was one of 10 children, one of them is the uncle I stayed with. Their family placed a high emphasis on education. I found out that all of them were teachers at some point in their life.
Here is the amazing thing though. Aunt Emma, once she was out of college, helped pay for her next sibling down to go to college. Then once they were out they began helping other siblings pay for college. This family grew up putting a high emphasis on being a family that works together.
The Houchins family, while not perfect (I could tell you some stories), did live with an understanding that they were not individuals. They lived not just for themselves but for each other. If anyone had a need they were there to help each other out. This culture that existed in their home is why they were and are so close to each other.
Look, I know there are other families that are like this, but I do not think it is normal today. Maybe that is why it is so amazing to me.
Here is the thing, this family operated by the same principles that we find in the book of Acts when the early church is described. They had everything in common, there were no needy among them and they met together regularly.
What if we really began to apply these principles to the church? How about your own family?
Maybe we would become what God intended for us to be. Maybe the church would reclaim it's identity. And maybe our families would be transformed into something that would create lasting memories. Churches and families doing life together, what could be better than that?
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