Parachurch Ministry: An Outlet for the Pew Person’s Ministry Passion
I did a shape workshop yesterday (that is a workshop that helps people look at their spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personalities and experiences for ministry) and not one person was sure what they wanted to do for a ministry. Out of 26 people not one! We have trained them well.
Some national events have been both immediately visible and have had a lasting impact on the U.S. For example Dec 7th, 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the September 11, 2001 the terrorists attack in New York. Even the Scopes “Monkey Trial” had a visible and immediate impact on churches and the culture at large. In contrast to those events, there were probably only a handful of people who were aware of the first U.S. chapter meeting of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship in the in 1939. The initial chapter meeting may have been inauspicious, but it signaled the beginning of the modern American Parachurch Movement.
Anyone born since 1939 has lived all their lives during the greatest Parachurch explosion in 2,000 years of Church History. There have been Parachurch organizations around for hundreds of years. (In the broadest sense a Parachurch organization is, “any Christian organization that works alongside the church, but is itself not a church”).
Actually, most of the early monastery movements began as Parachurch ventures. But, the sphere of Parachurch activity and influence has reached unparalleled heights in America since World War II. Stephen Board wrote an article entitled “The Great Evangelical Power Shift” in 1979. In the article he said that Parachurch organizations were clearly having more mission impact in the culture at large than the churches were.
Why Has Post WWII America Produced More Parachurch Organizations Than Any Other Generation in the 2000 Year History of the Church?
Ironically, the grand daddy of the American Parachurch Movement, Inter-Varsity, came from Great Britain. Since World War II, however, there has been an astonishing number of Parachurch organizations birthed on American soil. That leads us to a cause-effect question; why did the post WW II generation of American Christians create the largest number of Para church organizations in the history of the church? I think that the answer is two-fold. Para organizations provide the only outlet for “local mission passion” for thousands of church lay people. They are the only ministry alternatives available to those who want to travel “off road.” Plus the Para organizations are sensitive to the emerging people groups. It is the recognition of a new people groups, e.g. people with AIDS, that spurs the creation of new Parachurch organizations.
Thoughts about unleashing the greatest force on Earth
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
1980s Some Community Churches Become Community “Seeker” Churches
By the early 1980s, some Community churches took the next logical step and became Seeker churches. Seeker churches make Life vs. Death the center piece of their ministry strategy. They have moved another step away from the Right vs. Wrong crowd. They prefer to attract people that don’t have any Christian beliefs. And when they educate new believers about the Christian life; they often teach them that there are not a lot of theological or behavioral issues worth dying over.
Clergy Control a Legacy of the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies
Today the Community Church mentality reigns supreme. Gone are the days when churches routinely split hairs over their over their pet doctrines. Also gone are the days when watching a movie is considered a sin. In fact pastors in conservative churches often draw illustrations from select movies.
But that doesn’t mean that clergy control in churches has lessened. A man who has been a faithful Christian and church man most of his life, and now attends a Seeker church, recently told Frank, “Sunday morning is the most controlled portion of my week. I drive into the church parking lot and attendants tell me where to park. I go into the church building and ushers tell me where to sit. During the worship service I am told when to sit, when to stand, when to sing or greet someone and when to keep quiet. Then I am told when to leave and again directed by the parking lot attendants as I leave. I think I have had it with church.”
Clergy Control a Roman Catholic Hangover
Today many church leaders may not be fighting over their doctrinal distinctives or petty behavioral issues; but their churches remain bastions of clergy control. Clergy control may have been enhanced during the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies, but its roots go much further back. In fact they go all the way back to our Roman Catholic heritage. We may claim to be Protestants but in reality, we have never fully embraced the Protestant doctrine of the Priesthood of Believers.
If we are to restore ministry passion to our churches, it must be structured so that it is possible for lay people to shape some portion of a church’s life. We believe that pastors and staff really are better equipped to shape and direct worship and edification. But mission is a different story; the rank and file are better equipped to shape the local mission strategy of churches. Which people groups a church ministers to should be determined mostly by the ministry passions of its lay people. In other words the SHAPE of a church’s local mission strategy should flow primarily out of the ministry passions of its lay people.
During the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies clergy focused on their theological distinctives and behaviors more than they did life and death. By the 1960s churches began to restore the New Testament priority on life and death over right and wrong; as was evidenced by the rapid rise of the Community Church Movement. While a Community Church can be a non-denominational church, it is just as likely to be a denominational church that initially prefers not to be identified with its denomination. Community and Seeker churches put an emphasis on life and death and keep their doctrinal distinctives to a minimum. Interestingly, that is the same approach that Parachurch organizations have always taken.
Long before the rise of the Community Church movement many Christians felt the need to minimize their denominational differences and get on with the task of fulfilling the Great Commission. They continued to attend churches, but their ministries and their passions were devoted to and channeled through the Parachurch organizations, which brings us to 1939 and the birth of America’s Parachurch Movement.
Clergy Control a Legacy of the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies
Today the Community Church mentality reigns supreme. Gone are the days when churches routinely split hairs over their over their pet doctrines. Also gone are the days when watching a movie is considered a sin. In fact pastors in conservative churches often draw illustrations from select movies.
But that doesn’t mean that clergy control in churches has lessened. A man who has been a faithful Christian and church man most of his life, and now attends a Seeker church, recently told Frank, “Sunday morning is the most controlled portion of my week. I drive into the church parking lot and attendants tell me where to park. I go into the church building and ushers tell me where to sit. During the worship service I am told when to sit, when to stand, when to sing or greet someone and when to keep quiet. Then I am told when to leave and again directed by the parking lot attendants as I leave. I think I have had it with church.”
Clergy Control a Roman Catholic Hangover
Today many church leaders may not be fighting over their doctrinal distinctives or petty behavioral issues; but their churches remain bastions of clergy control. Clergy control may have been enhanced during the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies, but its roots go much further back. In fact they go all the way back to our Roman Catholic heritage. We may claim to be Protestants but in reality, we have never fully embraced the Protestant doctrine of the Priesthood of Believers.
If we are to restore ministry passion to our churches, it must be structured so that it is possible for lay people to shape some portion of a church’s life. We believe that pastors and staff really are better equipped to shape and direct worship and edification. But mission is a different story; the rank and file are better equipped to shape the local mission strategy of churches. Which people groups a church ministers to should be determined mostly by the ministry passions of its lay people. In other words the SHAPE of a church’s local mission strategy should flow primarily out of the ministry passions of its lay people.
During the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies clergy focused on their theological distinctives and behaviors more than they did life and death. By the 1960s churches began to restore the New Testament priority on life and death over right and wrong; as was evidenced by the rapid rise of the Community Church Movement. While a Community Church can be a non-denominational church, it is just as likely to be a denominational church that initially prefers not to be identified with its denomination. Community and Seeker churches put an emphasis on life and death and keep their doctrinal distinctives to a minimum. Interestingly, that is the same approach that Parachurch organizations have always taken.
Long before the rise of the Community Church movement many Christians felt the need to minimize their denominational differences and get on with the task of fulfilling the Great Commission. They continued to attend churches, but their ministries and their passions were devoted to and channeled through the Parachurch organizations, which brings us to 1939 and the birth of America’s Parachurch Movement.
Building Roads Within Gated Communities: Passive and Isolated Part II
During the period of Church History dominated by the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies, 1925-1965, lay people were forced into both passive church ministry roles and isolated lifestyles. It was important that only those who really understood their church’s theological distinctives be able to exert influence in the church. Therefore lay people expected their leaders to be professionally trained and passionately committed to both their church’s distinctives and social lifestyle. After all the clergy was paid to be knowledgeable and passionate.
Lay people, on the other hand, were not expected to be passionate about their personal call to ministry. But, they were expected supportive of their leaders through regular attendance and financial support, (nickels and noses). And in conservative churches they were expected to separate themselves from the world; which meant no cards, dancing, listening to Elvis or, God forbid, watch him shake his pelvis in the movies. Churches successfully structured themselves so that their people could only travel within “gated communities.”
1960s Enter: The Community Church
By the 1960s many church leaders were growing weary of both the theological controversies, and petty behavioral issues. The most telling evidence of just how many church leaders had become weary of these issues is demonstrated by the large number and wide variety of churches that began using the label Community to identify themselves. The label Community was not widely embraced because it has a nice ring to it, rather it was embraced because it carries a clear message. The message is “life and death really are more important than right and wrong.”
As more pastors became convinced that life and death are more important than right and wrong; they became reticent to put their denominational or non-denominational label in their church’s name. The emergence of The Community Church can be traced to the desire to communicate that everyone, regardless of their behavior or beliefs, is truly welcome. Or to say it another way, the Community Church message is, “relationships are our top priority,” we will deal with right and wrong latter, when it is more appropriate.
The John Knox Image
My friend Frank took an open bus tour in Edinborough Scotland. As the bus passed the home of the great Presbyterian reformer, John Knox, the guide said, “There is where the great reformer John Knox lived, he preached against everything in life that was fun.” In the 1960s more and more pastors wanted to avoid the “John Knox Image,” To do so they disguised their real identity with the name Community.
Community is the most popular of the new generic names, but it certainly isn’t the only one. Some churches became Family churches and still others simply became The Church By The Side Of The Road, or The Church On The Corner or Northwest Church, etc. They are names that tell us nothing about either the beliefs or moral codes of the people. Ask pastors why their churches have embraced more generic labels; and they will likely tell you that they don’t want potential visitors to be turned off by the “baggage” contained in their denominational, (or non-denominational), labels. It was a huge change for church leaders to put their theological distinctives and moral convictions on the back burner. It doesn’t mean that they abandoned the distinctives or convictions. It does mean that connecting with people became a priority over defending distinctives.
Kicked Out Over a Name Change
In 1971 Frank became the pastor of Lakeridge Baptist Church in Denver. The church had a troubled past and needed a new start. The leaders of the church felt that part of the new start should be a new name. The church was in a subdivision called Lakeridge, but the larger area was called Bear Valley. So the church got rid of both Lakeridge and Baptist and renamed itself simply Bear Valley Church.
The local Association of Southern Baptists was not happy with the change of names. Changing from Lakeridge to Bear Valley was not a problem. But dropping Baptist was a big problem. The local Association of Southern Baptist churches disassociated themselves from Bear Valley Church. (But Bear Valley remained part of the Southern Baptist convention on a national level). Today local church associations rarely disassociate themselves from churches that don’t use the denominational label in their name, there are just too many new “community” churches.
Denominational labels and the name Frank have something dreadful in common. Whenever you meet someone named Frank chances are good that he is 50 years old or older. Parents don’t name their kids Frank anymore. And since the 1980s church names seldom “admit” their denominational ties, if they don’t have to.
By the early 1980s, some Community churches took the next logical step and became Seeker churches. Let's see how that is working out tomorrow.
Lay people, on the other hand, were not expected to be passionate about their personal call to ministry. But, they were expected supportive of their leaders through regular attendance and financial support, (nickels and noses). And in conservative churches they were expected to separate themselves from the world; which meant no cards, dancing, listening to Elvis or, God forbid, watch him shake his pelvis in the movies. Churches successfully structured themselves so that their people could only travel within “gated communities.”
1960s Enter: The Community Church
By the 1960s many church leaders were growing weary of both the theological controversies, and petty behavioral issues. The most telling evidence of just how many church leaders had become weary of these issues is demonstrated by the large number and wide variety of churches that began using the label Community to identify themselves. The label Community was not widely embraced because it has a nice ring to it, rather it was embraced because it carries a clear message. The message is “life and death really are more important than right and wrong.”
As more pastors became convinced that life and death are more important than right and wrong; they became reticent to put their denominational or non-denominational label in their church’s name. The emergence of The Community Church can be traced to the desire to communicate that everyone, regardless of their behavior or beliefs, is truly welcome. Or to say it another way, the Community Church message is, “relationships are our top priority,” we will deal with right and wrong latter, when it is more appropriate.
The John Knox Image
My friend Frank took an open bus tour in Edinborough Scotland. As the bus passed the home of the great Presbyterian reformer, John Knox, the guide said, “There is where the great reformer John Knox lived, he preached against everything in life that was fun.” In the 1960s more and more pastors wanted to avoid the “John Knox Image,” To do so they disguised their real identity with the name Community.
Community is the most popular of the new generic names, but it certainly isn’t the only one. Some churches became Family churches and still others simply became The Church By The Side Of The Road, or The Church On The Corner or Northwest Church, etc. They are names that tell us nothing about either the beliefs or moral codes of the people. Ask pastors why their churches have embraced more generic labels; and they will likely tell you that they don’t want potential visitors to be turned off by the “baggage” contained in their denominational, (or non-denominational), labels. It was a huge change for church leaders to put their theological distinctives and moral convictions on the back burner. It doesn’t mean that they abandoned the distinctives or convictions. It does mean that connecting with people became a priority over defending distinctives.
Kicked Out Over a Name Change
In 1971 Frank became the pastor of Lakeridge Baptist Church in Denver. The church had a troubled past and needed a new start. The leaders of the church felt that part of the new start should be a new name. The church was in a subdivision called Lakeridge, but the larger area was called Bear Valley. So the church got rid of both Lakeridge and Baptist and renamed itself simply Bear Valley Church.
The local Association of Southern Baptists was not happy with the change of names. Changing from Lakeridge to Bear Valley was not a problem. But dropping Baptist was a big problem. The local Association of Southern Baptist churches disassociated themselves from Bear Valley Church. (But Bear Valley remained part of the Southern Baptist convention on a national level). Today local church associations rarely disassociate themselves from churches that don’t use the denominational label in their name, there are just too many new “community” churches.
Denominational labels and the name Frank have something dreadful in common. Whenever you meet someone named Frank chances are good that he is 50 years old or older. Parents don’t name their kids Frank anymore. And since the 1980s church names seldom “admit” their denominational ties, if they don’t have to.
By the early 1980s, some Community churches took the next logical step and became Seeker churches. Let's see how that is working out tomorrow.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Conservative Churches Focused on Right Belief and Wrong Behavior
Augustine’s great quote is, “Love God and do as you please.” The key to that quote is love God first, in the same way, behavior driven by passion for God is different than behavior driven by belief systems based on the rules. During the first half of the 20th century another den of iniquity sprang up in towns everywhere, i.e. the movie theater. Conservative church leaders regarded any behavior associated with saloons or movie theaters as evil. This led to an interesting paradox. What lay Christians did in ministry wasn’t very important, but what they did, or more precisely, what they didn’t do, in their social lives was very important.
Conservative Christians isolated themselves. They separated from other Christians because of what the other Christians believed. And they separated from non Christians because of how non-Christians behaved. My friend and co-author remembers the struggle that he had as a new Christian, when he was offered a glass of wine while visiting in the home of a French family. He wanted to share my Christian testimony with this gracious family, and he didn’t want to offend them. But, he also didn’t want to offend his conservative Christian friends. Fundamentalism created a behavioral dilemma for me as a young Christian; a dilemma that I soon learned is supported by neither scripture nor Christian tradition.
Interest in the personal ministry callings of the church’s lay people languished during the four decades of the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies. It is true that liberal churches remained more committed to social action than did conservative churches. Liberal pastors were more likely to make Social Action pronouncements from their pulpits than were conservative pastors. As a result, there were more liberal Christians than conservative Christians, marching for civil rights. But neither liberals nor conservatives were likely to get involved in personal ministry to the new emerging people groups.
In both liberal and conservative churches it was largely the religious professionals who ministered with passion. In conservative churches the professionals were armed with the necessary theological weapons needed to fight the heresy battles. And in the liberal churches the professionals were armed with the sociological awareness necessary to direct the masses to the appropriate places of social protest.
During the period of Church History dominated by the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies, 1925-1965, lay people were forced into both passive church ministry roles and isolated lifestyles. It was important that only those who really understood their church’s theological distinctives be able to exert influence in the church. Therefore lay people expected their leaders to be professionally trained and passionately committed to both their church’s distinctives and social lifestyle. After all the clergy was paid to be knowledgeable and passionate.
Lay people, on the other hand, were not expected to be passionate about their personal call to ministry. But, they were expected supportive of their leaders through regular attendance and financial support, (nickels and noses). And in conservative churches they were expected to separate themselves from the world; which meant no cards, dancing, listening to Elvis or, God forbid, watch him shake his pelvis in the movies. Churches successfully structured themselves so that their people could only travel within “gated communities.”
Conservative Christians isolated themselves. They separated from other Christians because of what the other Christians believed. And they separated from non Christians because of how non-Christians behaved. My friend and co-author remembers the struggle that he had as a new Christian, when he was offered a glass of wine while visiting in the home of a French family. He wanted to share my Christian testimony with this gracious family, and he didn’t want to offend them. But, he also didn’t want to offend his conservative Christian friends. Fundamentalism created a behavioral dilemma for me as a young Christian; a dilemma that I soon learned is supported by neither scripture nor Christian tradition.
Interest in the personal ministry callings of the church’s lay people languished during the four decades of the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies. It is true that liberal churches remained more committed to social action than did conservative churches. Liberal pastors were more likely to make Social Action pronouncements from their pulpits than were conservative pastors. As a result, there were more liberal Christians than conservative Christians, marching for civil rights. But neither liberals nor conservatives were likely to get involved in personal ministry to the new emerging people groups.
In both liberal and conservative churches it was largely the religious professionals who ministered with passion. In conservative churches the professionals were armed with the necessary theological weapons needed to fight the heresy battles. And in the liberal churches the professionals were armed with the sociological awareness necessary to direct the masses to the appropriate places of social protest.
During the period of Church History dominated by the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies, 1925-1965, lay people were forced into both passive church ministry roles and isolated lifestyles. It was important that only those who really understood their church’s theological distinctives be able to exert influence in the church. Therefore lay people expected their leaders to be professionally trained and passionately committed to both their church’s distinctives and social lifestyle. After all the clergy was paid to be knowledgeable and passionate.
Lay people, on the other hand, were not expected to be passionate about their personal call to ministry. But, they were expected supportive of their leaders through regular attendance and financial support, (nickels and noses). And in conservative churches they were expected to separate themselves from the world; which meant no cards, dancing, listening to Elvis or, God forbid, watch him shake his pelvis in the movies. Churches successfully structured themselves so that their people could only travel within “gated communities.”
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Violence: White on White, Black on Black, Brown on Brown
Sociologists have done numerous studies indicating that racial groups tend to have more vicious violence among themselves than they do with other races. Pulpits, during the Liberal/Fundamentalists Controversies, became the primary place to defend and explain not only why a given church was Presbyterian or Baptist, but why it was a particular kind of Presbyterian or Baptist church. The most intense theological fights were not between Presbyterians and Baptists but rather they were between Presbyterians and other Presbyterians, or Baptists and other Baptists, etc. In fighting among Pentecostals was not a pretty sight during the hey day of “establishing our theological turf” battles.
While preachers and teachers passionately communicated the veracity of their position on the pre, mid or post tribulation rapture of the church; the vast majority of the lay people believed in a pan-tribulation. They simply believed that in the end the rapture of the church would pan out! Of course the battles over the timing of the rapture of the church or the meaning of the Lord’s Table pale when compared to the fights over the role of Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, or the Role of Women in the Church!
Christians Separated From Each Other and Isolated Themselves From Society
The United States Congress declared America’s frontier closed in 1890. At the time of the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925 the American psyche was still being shaped by the social dynamics of the small frontier town. In frontier towns there were two primary centers of social life, the saloon and the church.
The main activities in the saloons were drinking, playing cards, dancing, listening to secular music, swearing and prostitution, (kind of like modern Family Hour on American television). Unacceptable behavior for Christians became a case of “guilt by association.” If there were prostitutes in saloons, anything going on in saloons must be immoral. Since people played cards in the saloons, playing cards must be evil. That’s how playing a game of Old Maid got to be a sin!
Saloons were also the places where the immoral ladies wore make up. So of course wearing lip stick had to be a sin. Guilt by association became the norm among those attending conservative churches. The behavioral guidelines became, “if they do it in the saloon, it was wrong for a Christian to do it anywhere.” The longer the list of my church’s “no nos,” the more isolated I became. Isolated from the very people we want to reach with the Gospel message. We would do well with a reminder of John 17:15, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." I am concerned that we are no longer in the world, but we are not in the world but totally of it.
While preachers and teachers passionately communicated the veracity of their position on the pre, mid or post tribulation rapture of the church; the vast majority of the lay people believed in a pan-tribulation. They simply believed that in the end the rapture of the church would pan out! Of course the battles over the timing of the rapture of the church or the meaning of the Lord’s Table pale when compared to the fights over the role of Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, or the Role of Women in the Church!
Christians Separated From Each Other and Isolated Themselves From Society
The United States Congress declared America’s frontier closed in 1890. At the time of the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925 the American psyche was still being shaped by the social dynamics of the small frontier town. In frontier towns there were two primary centers of social life, the saloon and the church.
The main activities in the saloons were drinking, playing cards, dancing, listening to secular music, swearing and prostitution, (kind of like modern Family Hour on American television). Unacceptable behavior for Christians became a case of “guilt by association.” If there were prostitutes in saloons, anything going on in saloons must be immoral. Since people played cards in the saloons, playing cards must be evil. That’s how playing a game of Old Maid got to be a sin!
Saloons were also the places where the immoral ladies wore make up. So of course wearing lip stick had to be a sin. Guilt by association became the norm among those attending conservative churches. The behavioral guidelines became, “if they do it in the saloon, it was wrong for a Christian to do it anywhere.” The longer the list of my church’s “no nos,” the more isolated I became. Isolated from the very people we want to reach with the Gospel message. We would do well with a reminder of John 17:15, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." I am concerned that we are no longer in the world, but we are not in the world but totally of it.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Right and Wrong vs. Life and Death
Years ago a women at a church I consulted with asked me to meet with a friend of hers. I said sure I would be at the church next Tuesday and she could meet me there. The person told me she would not be comfortable meeting me there and would I meet her down the street at a coffee shop? I was not too excited about that, but this lady begged me. I didn’t have the boundaries I do today and agreed. This young woman showed up and began to tell me of her heroin addiction. One hour turned into three and by the end of our time together she committed her life to Christ. I was thrilled for her and the Kingdom. Almost at the end of our time I asked what she did for a living. She said she was a dancer and it hit me like a brick, here I was sitting outside two blocks from a church I am working with, with a stripper and heroin addict. I knew my wife would kill me and I was sure I would be fired by the church, just then my self reflection was brought back to reality by a question from her, “Does this mean I am going to have to quit dancing?” I was on the spot, I knew that of course it does, but for some reason said to her that will be decided between you and God. She was relieved and to this day I am haunted by that question and answer, but within a few weeks she called me and said, “Rich, God wants me to stop dancing.” Eight months later I preformed her wedding. What a changed life.
Relationships with non-Christians are the vanguard of Mission. Our relationship with God is what Worship is all about, and our relationships with both God and other Christians are what Edification is all about.
Throughout his ministry Jesus was hassled by a group of Jewish Fundamentalists called the Pharisees. They were not very relational; they were too busy policing the strict enforcement of both their theological distinctives and their behavior codes. When Jesus had dinner with the tax collector, Matthew, the Pharisees asked his disciples why their master associated with riff raff like Mathew. Of course Jesus engaged Matthew over the life and death issue of his lost soul. Jesus was always more concerned about life and death than He was about right and wrong. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Luke 5:27-30
Certainly Jesus felt that right and wrong was important, but right and wrong could be dealt with latter. Initially it was more important to connect with someone than it was to hammer them about how wrong they were. Jesus made it a priority to meet people where they were, even if they were in a bad place. In fact the worse their place, the more likely he was to connect with them.
Relationships with non-Christians are the vanguard of Mission. Our relationship with God is what Worship is all about, and our relationships with both God and other Christians are what Edification is all about.
Throughout his ministry Jesus was hassled by a group of Jewish Fundamentalists called the Pharisees. They were not very relational; they were too busy policing the strict enforcement of both their theological distinctives and their behavior codes. When Jesus had dinner with the tax collector, Matthew, the Pharisees asked his disciples why their master associated with riff raff like Mathew. Of course Jesus engaged Matthew over the life and death issue of his lost soul. Jesus was always more concerned about life and death than He was about right and wrong. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Luke 5:27-30
Certainly Jesus felt that right and wrong was important, but right and wrong could be dealt with latter. Initially it was more important to connect with someone than it was to hammer them about how wrong they were. Jesus made it a priority to meet people where they were, even if they were in a bad place. In fact the worse their place, the more likely he was to connect with them.
Monday, October 25, 2010
When the Most Important Issues are Theological Distinctives Guess Who Has All the Power and All the Passion?
Today I was having coffee with Mike,John and Will and Will blurted out, "It is missional!"
During the first half of twentieth century numerous new Denominations, Non-denominations, Associations, and Restoration Movements were formed on American soil.
For the leaders of these groups being a good church member was linked to “what we believe” and not “who we minister to.”
In a world where right belief in a variety of doctrines is all-important, those who have the education to understand and articulate the nuances of the disputed doctrines have all the power and all the passion. The central message for conservatives was that Christians are saved by faith and not by works. So we had better get what we believe right, because faith in the wrong thing is not saving faith. What we are determines everything, that’s why we are called human beings and not human doings.
Therefore, it is important to be “our kind” of Presbyterian or whatever. As a result lay people were taught that their Christian life is best worked out in developing their brain muscles. How else can we explain the relentless number of church classes on Prophesy, Holy Land Geography, and the Different Names of God in the Old Testament; while, at the same time, there is almost a total absence of classes on Being Poor In America or The Lives of the Physically Disabled?
Theology 101, The Essential Triad: Worship Edification and Mission
Theology is important. The doctrine of the church is called Ecclesiology; one of the basic truths of Ecclesiology is that churches are essentially triads. Everything a church does falls in one of three categories, (1) Worship (our vertical relationship with God), (2) Edification (our horizontal relationship with other Christians), or (3) Mission, (our outreach to those who are not part of the faith).
The above definitions of worship, edification and mission are intended to be simple, (but, hopefully not simplistic). Just as we talk about people being comprised of body and soul, even though body and soul cannot be separated until death, we can also talk about worship, edification and mission, even though separating them is not really possible. So, if someone were to say that, “everything a Christian does should be an expression of worship,” we agree. But for our purposes I am making the vertical and horizontal distinctions above. With that in mind worship and edification have more to do with our “being” while mission has more to do with our “doing.”
Theologically speaking, the clear winners in the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies were worship and edification, while the looser was mission. Genuine mission requires people who have a “fire in their belly,” and unfortunately most of the fire during this period of history, (1925-1965) was ignited by “our theological distinctives,” and resided in the bellies of system’s leaders. Mission, in churches became largely writing checks to foreign and local mission agencies. Mission was therefore distant and not personally engaging, whether it was being done on the other side of the globe or the other side of the city.
During the first half of twentieth century numerous new Denominations, Non-denominations, Associations, and Restoration Movements were formed on American soil.
For the leaders of these groups being a good church member was linked to “what we believe” and not “who we minister to.”
In a world where right belief in a variety of doctrines is all-important, those who have the education to understand and articulate the nuances of the disputed doctrines have all the power and all the passion. The central message for conservatives was that Christians are saved by faith and not by works. So we had better get what we believe right, because faith in the wrong thing is not saving faith. What we are determines everything, that’s why we are called human beings and not human doings.
Therefore, it is important to be “our kind” of Presbyterian or whatever. As a result lay people were taught that their Christian life is best worked out in developing their brain muscles. How else can we explain the relentless number of church classes on Prophesy, Holy Land Geography, and the Different Names of God in the Old Testament; while, at the same time, there is almost a total absence of classes on Being Poor In America or The Lives of the Physically Disabled?
Theology 101, The Essential Triad: Worship Edification and Mission
Theology is important. The doctrine of the church is called Ecclesiology; one of the basic truths of Ecclesiology is that churches are essentially triads. Everything a church does falls in one of three categories, (1) Worship (our vertical relationship with God), (2) Edification (our horizontal relationship with other Christians), or (3) Mission, (our outreach to those who are not part of the faith).
The above definitions of worship, edification and mission are intended to be simple, (but, hopefully not simplistic). Just as we talk about people being comprised of body and soul, even though body and soul cannot be separated until death, we can also talk about worship, edification and mission, even though separating them is not really possible. So, if someone were to say that, “everything a Christian does should be an expression of worship,” we agree. But for our purposes I am making the vertical and horizontal distinctions above. With that in mind worship and edification have more to do with our “being” while mission has more to do with our “doing.”
Theologically speaking, the clear winners in the Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies were worship and edification, while the looser was mission. Genuine mission requires people who have a “fire in their belly,” and unfortunately most of the fire during this period of history, (1925-1965) was ignited by “our theological distinctives,” and resided in the bellies of system’s leaders. Mission, in churches became largely writing checks to foreign and local mission agencies. Mission was therefore distant and not personally engaging, whether it was being done on the other side of the globe or the other side of the city.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
A Passion for Right Doctrine, But Not for Personal Ministry
One of the results of the theological wars, following the Scopes Trial, was the inability of the clergy to value a lay person’s passion for personal ministry. That makes sense since the theological wars were fought by seminary, denominational, and church leaders. Those who did the fighting fought passionately. But they were professionals whose beliefs were tied to both their identities and their livelihoods. They were defending new institutions and new denominations, e.g. the new Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia broke away from Princeton Seminary in 1929 to train leaders for the new denomination, Presbyterian Church of American not to be confused with the Presbyterian Church in American which started forty years later.
The whole identity of Westminster Seminary and the new Presbyterians was initially tied to a handful of doctrinal issues. The passionate feelings among the new denomination’s power brokers were tied to a handful of theological issues, they that defined the new group’s “distinctive's.” In other words their passions were focused on the theological issues that created their identity as OPC Presbyterians. But the passion that the leaders felt for their theological distinctives rarely transferred to the people in the pews. Most churches had a few lay people who were willing to die to defend their church’s view of the Rapture or the meaning of the Lord’s Table, but they were few and far between.
The “system’s” power brokers were too busy defending their theological distinctive's to pay attention to the massive number of emerging people groups. The emerging groups could be divided into two categories: (1) Need Groups (2) Affinity Groups. Need Groups are groups that need practical and spiritual help. Affinity Groups, i.e. people who like to fish, or ride motorcycles, do not need practical help but they still have spiritual needs. In light of the Great Commission both groups are potential “ministry target groups” for the church.
The whole identity of Westminster Seminary and the new Presbyterians was initially tied to a handful of doctrinal issues. The passionate feelings among the new denomination’s power brokers were tied to a handful of theological issues, they that defined the new group’s “distinctive's.” In other words their passions were focused on the theological issues that created their identity as OPC Presbyterians. But the passion that the leaders felt for their theological distinctives rarely transferred to the people in the pews. Most churches had a few lay people who were willing to die to defend their church’s view of the Rapture or the meaning of the Lord’s Table, but they were few and far between.
The “system’s” power brokers were too busy defending their theological distinctive's to pay attention to the massive number of emerging people groups. The emerging groups could be divided into two categories: (1) Need Groups (2) Affinity Groups. Need Groups are groups that need practical and spiritual help. Affinity Groups, i.e. people who like to fish, or ride motorcycles, do not need practical help but they still have spiritual needs. In light of the Great Commission both groups are potential “ministry target groups” for the church.
Gavin Daniel Cuomo
I am taking a break from my series to talk about something that just happen. I just met Gavin, he arrived today. His parents Dan and Steph Cuomo are two of my hero's. I have watch them face everything thrown at them with such integrity and grace. So now God has given them one of the greatest gifts anyone can get. How much God loves and trusts them. Join me and pray for them and Gavin as he begins his life. I have a dream that one day Gavin will serve our God and make Him famous. I have a dream he will be faithful, fruitful, fulfilled and in the end he will indeed make God famous. On that night our savior was born, God knew...today God knew. We live in the shadow of His mercy and greatness. I pray that the blood of Christ may cover Gavin each day and that Steph and Dan will be honored by his life and that they will know his children's children. Dan and Steph Congratulations.
TRAVELING ON PRIVATE ROADS WITHIN GATED COMMUNITIES
The first date we need to explore is1925 The Scopes Monkey Trial: The Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies:
(Ministry Passion vs. Correct Thinking and Correct Behavior)
The Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies have their roots in the debates over Darwin’s Origin of the Species written in the 19th century. For churches, the battle over evolution verses creation was really a battle over the inerrancy of scripture. The early Post-Darwinian theological battles between Christian Liberals and Fundamentalists were more intense in Europe than they were in the U.S. In America the Liberal/Fundamentalist fight was introduced to mainstream church culture by the Scopes Monkey trial; and the fight raged unabated for four decades, till the mid 1960s.
The IFCA: I Fight Christians Anywhere
Christians fought over the Inerrancy of Scripture, the Rapture of the Church, the Perseverance of the Saints, the Work of the Hoy Spirit, the Gifts of the Spirit, The Role of Women in the Church, etc. Liberals fought with Evangelicals who fought with Charismatic’s who fought with Fundamentalists who fought with everyone (The Independent Fundamentalist Christian Association, the IFCA, has been dubbed the “I Fight Christians Anywhere” movement).
During the four decades following 1925 the larger “system” that churches operate within (1) seminaries, (2) denominations and (3) publishing houses focused primarily on rightly dividing the word of truth. As a result Sunday School Quarterlies were much more likely to contain elaborate lessons on the Travels of Saint Paul than they were lessons on understanding and reaching the new immigrant populations.
Emerging People Groups
Ministering to the host of new emerging people groups on the American landscape was not on the agendas of most church, seminary and denominational leaders. Nor did information on emerging people groups make into the publications, except in a peripheral way. As a result, churches in Post WWII America, have made only token efforts to minister to the addicted, the imprisoned, refugees, the disabled, etc. (Most churches even ignored the very large and visible emergence of the Street People during the 60’s and 70’s. The Jesus Movement took place among Street People largely in spite of the churches, not because of them).
In fairness to the leaders in the larger church system it is important to remember that America in 1925 was a much simpler place than it is now. There was a prison population but it wasn’t the largest in the world. People had addictions but there was little awareness of the severity and number of addictions that we know about today. But there is little excuse for continuing to ignore the new people groups throughout the 20th century.
It seems to be me that we are more concerned to be on our private road behind the gated walls than reaching God's lost. Luke 15 is a great read.
(Ministry Passion vs. Correct Thinking and Correct Behavior)
The Liberal/Fundamentalist Controversies have their roots in the debates over Darwin’s Origin of the Species written in the 19th century. For churches, the battle over evolution verses creation was really a battle over the inerrancy of scripture. The early Post-Darwinian theological battles between Christian Liberals and Fundamentalists were more intense in Europe than they were in the U.S. In America the Liberal/Fundamentalist fight was introduced to mainstream church culture by the Scopes Monkey trial; and the fight raged unabated for four decades, till the mid 1960s.
The IFCA: I Fight Christians Anywhere
Christians fought over the Inerrancy of Scripture, the Rapture of the Church, the Perseverance of the Saints, the Work of the Hoy Spirit, the Gifts of the Spirit, The Role of Women in the Church, etc. Liberals fought with Evangelicals who fought with Charismatic’s who fought with Fundamentalists who fought with everyone (The Independent Fundamentalist Christian Association, the IFCA, has been dubbed the “I Fight Christians Anywhere” movement).
During the four decades following 1925 the larger “system” that churches operate within (1) seminaries, (2) denominations and (3) publishing houses focused primarily on rightly dividing the word of truth. As a result Sunday School Quarterlies were much more likely to contain elaborate lessons on the Travels of Saint Paul than they were lessons on understanding and reaching the new immigrant populations.
Emerging People Groups
Ministering to the host of new emerging people groups on the American landscape was not on the agendas of most church, seminary and denominational leaders. Nor did information on emerging people groups make into the publications, except in a peripheral way. As a result, churches in Post WWII America, have made only token efforts to minister to the addicted, the imprisoned, refugees, the disabled, etc. (Most churches even ignored the very large and visible emergence of the Street People during the 60’s and 70’s. The Jesus Movement took place among Street People largely in spite of the churches, not because of them).
In fairness to the leaders in the larger church system it is important to remember that America in 1925 was a much simpler place than it is now. There was a prison population but it wasn’t the largest in the world. People had addictions but there was little awareness of the severity and number of addictions that we know about today. But there is little excuse for continuing to ignore the new people groups throughout the 20th century.
It seems to be me that we are more concerned to be on our private road behind the gated walls than reaching God's lost. Luke 15 is a great read.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Four Dates and Four Fortress Factors
We are going to look at four dates this next week that are critical to understanding the death of ministry passion among the laity in American churches. These dates span a generation, 1925 to 1964. Each date ushers in a powerful new influence that has had a tremendous impact on our churches. And each date drives another nail in the coffin of ministry passion among rank and file Christians.
By the mid 1960s suburban churches, according to Gibson Winter, author of The Suburban Captivity of the Church, the suburban church had largely been reduced to “religious parks and recreation for the middle class.” It is not a coincidence that following the full impact of these four dates America’s transition from a Christian to a Post-Christian nation was rapid. In our opinion the Free, (filthy), Speech Movement, 1965-75 completed the transition.
Ultimately, the lack of ministry passion is the result of multiple and complex influences. I certainly haven’t identified all of them, but I will identified four influences that are pretty important.
By the mid 1960s suburban churches, according to Gibson Winter, author of The Suburban Captivity of the Church, the suburban church had largely been reduced to “religious parks and recreation for the middle class.” It is not a coincidence that following the full impact of these four dates America’s transition from a Christian to a Post-Christian nation was rapid. In our opinion the Free, (filthy), Speech Movement, 1965-75 completed the transition.
Ultimately, the lack of ministry passion is the result of multiple and complex influences. I certainly haven’t identified all of them, but I will identified four influences that are pretty important.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Restoring Ministry Passion Requires a Commitment to Minister to People Groups
Every church has people who are passionate about the traditional ministries, there passionate pastors, bible teachers, children’s workers, musicians, youth workers, etc. These folks, (a group that includes us by the way), normally represent about 20% of those who attend a church. The 20% are incredibly important; their ministries make the church’s Base of Operation a solid one.
The challenge for the other 80% is to cast a vision for additional ministries; ministries birthed out of their sense of ministry calling. These 80% need to be encouraged to get involved in the kinds of ministries that the scores of Parachurch organizations are already pursuing. If the ministry playing field in a church is too narrow, the 80% will end up in the rear echelon. Once in the rear echelon, in addition to becoming part of the sit, soak and sour crowd, they also become Great Commission Casualties. Their ministry potential goes unrealized.
You can’t feel the heart, of a shoeless little girl, beating next to your heart in a rear echelon class on Discipleship or Holy Land Geography. Christians of all ages, incomes, and abilities long to feel someone’s heart beating next to theirs. There is a huge river of potential ministry passion flowing in the pews of America’s churches. The biggest challenge that church leaders face at the beginning of the 21st century is to tap into the river of ministry passion.
The challenge for the other 80% is to cast a vision for additional ministries; ministries birthed out of their sense of ministry calling. These 80% need to be encouraged to get involved in the kinds of ministries that the scores of Parachurch organizations are already pursuing. If the ministry playing field in a church is too narrow, the 80% will end up in the rear echelon. Once in the rear echelon, in addition to becoming part of the sit, soak and sour crowd, they also become Great Commission Casualties. Their ministry potential goes unrealized.
You can’t feel the heart, of a shoeless little girl, beating next to your heart in a rear echelon class on Discipleship or Holy Land Geography. Christians of all ages, incomes, and abilities long to feel someone’s heart beating next to theirs. There is a huge river of potential ministry passion flowing in the pews of America’s churches. The biggest challenge that church leaders face at the beginning of the 21st century is to tap into the river of ministry passion.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Understanding the Present by Looking at the Past
When anyone faces a systemic problem it behooves them to try to figure out how the system was created. We are going to look to the past to try to understand why American churches, whose cultural influence has been in decline for three or four decades, are poised for non engagement with dozens of people groups who: (1) are begging to be engaged (2) already have Parachurch organizations strategically placed to help train and connect church people to the front lines of local mission!
Of course, some might argue, that engaging people groups is exactly what Seeker Churches or Gen X Churches do. But there are well over a hundred definable people groups on the American landscape. So the fact that every decade or two a few churches expand to embrace one or two more groups just doesn’t cut it!
Of course, some might argue, that engaging people groups is exactly what Seeker Churches or Gen X Churches do. But there are well over a hundred definable people groups on the American landscape. So the fact that every decade or two a few churches expand to embrace one or two more groups just doesn’t cut it!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
100,000 Pastors Suffer From Burn Out
I have watched new pastors burn out in less than a year...why?
Fuller Institute did a survey and found that 80% of pastors believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively, and Focus on the Family did a survey that indicated 80% of pastors are discouraged or are dealing with depression. Alan Klass from Mission Growth Ministries says that there are 100,000 pastors currently suffering burn out. (Clergy Care Fact Sheet).
While Parachurch organizations remain on the front lines of local mission; churches, for the most part, continue to funnel their people into the rear echelon of local mission. In warfare the soldiers on the front lines soon discover that there isn’t a lot of time for griping and complaining. On the front lines people stay focused on the battles to be fought and won. But, in the rear echelon griping and complaining are a way of life. The expression “SIT, SOAK & SOUR” is well known. Of course it refers to church members whose main role is to criticize everything the pastor does.
So what has happened to the lay person’s passion for ministry? These are days when there is much for American Christians to be passionate about. For example we have the largest prison population in the free world. Jesus said “I was in prison and you came to visit me.” We have over two million opportunities to do something right out of the pages of scripture!
Scot McKnight listed some statistics on “Burnout for Pastors” he drew from London and Wiseman’s Pastors at Greater Risk (2003).
The American Church
*Churchgoers expect their pastor to juggle an average of 16 major tasks
*Pastors who work fewer than 50 hours a week are 35 percent more likely to be terminated.
*87 percent of Protestant churches have full-time paid pastors.
*50 percent of all congregations in the United States are either plateauing or declining
*Two-thirds of pastors reported that their congregation experienced a conflict during the past two years; more than 20 percent of those were significant enough that members left the congregation
*The typical pastor has his/her greatest ministry impact at a church in years 5 through 14 of his pastorate; unfortunately, the average pastor lasts only five years at a church.
The Upside – Pastor’s Life in the Church
*86 percent of pastors said they’d choose ministry as their career if they had it to do over
*87 percent of pastors say a strong sense of God’s call is why they chose ministry as a career
*91 percent of pastors feel very satisfied about being in ministry;
*75 percent say they want to stay in ministry
The Downside – Pastor’s Life in the Church
*90 percent of pastors work more than 46 hours a week.
*80 percent believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively
*75 percent report they’ve had a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry
*50 percent feel unable to meet the needs of the job.
*40 percent report a serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
*40 percent of pastors say they have considered leaving their pastorates in the last three months.
*19 percent of pastors indicate that they’d been forced out of ministry at least once during their ministry; another 6 percent said they’d been fired from a ministry position
Marriage and Family
*33 percent of pastors confess “inappropriate” sexual behavior with someone in the church
*20 percent of pastors say they view pornography at least once a month
*According to Focus on the Family’s Pastoral Ministries Division, approximately 20 percent of the monthly calls to their pastoral care line deal with sexual misconduct and pornography
*20 percent of pastors admit to having had an affair while in the ministry
*12 percent of pastors say that since they’ve been in ministry, they’ve had sexual intercourse with someone other than their spouse,
*51 percent of pastors say that Internet pornography is a possible temptation for them; 37 percent admit that it’s a current struggle
*13 percent of pastors have been divorced
*48 percent of pastors think being in ministry is hazardous to family well-being
*33 percent say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family
*80 percent of pastors say they have insufficient time with spouse
*58 percent of pastors indicate that their spouse works either part-time or fulltime outside the home because the family need the income
*56 percent of pastors’ wives say they that they have no close friends
*45 percent of pastors’ wives say the greatest danger to them and family is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual burnout
*66 percent of pastors and their families feel pressure to model the ideal family to their congregations and communities
*53 percent of pastors spend time off from pastors’ duties to do activities with their families; *21 percent spend time with hobbies or physical tasks
Fuller Institute did a survey and found that 80% of pastors believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively, and Focus on the Family did a survey that indicated 80% of pastors are discouraged or are dealing with depression. Alan Klass from Mission Growth Ministries says that there are 100,000 pastors currently suffering burn out. (Clergy Care Fact Sheet).
While Parachurch organizations remain on the front lines of local mission; churches, for the most part, continue to funnel their people into the rear echelon of local mission. In warfare the soldiers on the front lines soon discover that there isn’t a lot of time for griping and complaining. On the front lines people stay focused on the battles to be fought and won. But, in the rear echelon griping and complaining are a way of life. The expression “SIT, SOAK & SOUR” is well known. Of course it refers to church members whose main role is to criticize everything the pastor does.
So what has happened to the lay person’s passion for ministry? These are days when there is much for American Christians to be passionate about. For example we have the largest prison population in the free world. Jesus said “I was in prison and you came to visit me.” We have over two million opportunities to do something right out of the pages of scripture!
Scot McKnight listed some statistics on “Burnout for Pastors” he drew from London and Wiseman’s Pastors at Greater Risk (2003).
The American Church
*Churchgoers expect their pastor to juggle an average of 16 major tasks
*Pastors who work fewer than 50 hours a week are 35 percent more likely to be terminated.
*87 percent of Protestant churches have full-time paid pastors.
*50 percent of all congregations in the United States are either plateauing or declining
*Two-thirds of pastors reported that their congregation experienced a conflict during the past two years; more than 20 percent of those were significant enough that members left the congregation
*The typical pastor has his/her greatest ministry impact at a church in years 5 through 14 of his pastorate; unfortunately, the average pastor lasts only five years at a church.
The Upside – Pastor’s Life in the Church
*86 percent of pastors said they’d choose ministry as their career if they had it to do over
*87 percent of pastors say a strong sense of God’s call is why they chose ministry as a career
*91 percent of pastors feel very satisfied about being in ministry;
*75 percent say they want to stay in ministry
The Downside – Pastor’s Life in the Church
*90 percent of pastors work more than 46 hours a week.
*80 percent believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively
*75 percent report they’ve had a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry
*50 percent feel unable to meet the needs of the job.
*40 percent report a serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
*40 percent of pastors say they have considered leaving their pastorates in the last three months.
*19 percent of pastors indicate that they’d been forced out of ministry at least once during their ministry; another 6 percent said they’d been fired from a ministry position
Marriage and Family
*33 percent of pastors confess “inappropriate” sexual behavior with someone in the church
*20 percent of pastors say they view pornography at least once a month
*According to Focus on the Family’s Pastoral Ministries Division, approximately 20 percent of the monthly calls to their pastoral care line deal with sexual misconduct and pornography
*20 percent of pastors admit to having had an affair while in the ministry
*12 percent of pastors say that since they’ve been in ministry, they’ve had sexual intercourse with someone other than their spouse,
*51 percent of pastors say that Internet pornography is a possible temptation for them; 37 percent admit that it’s a current struggle
*13 percent of pastors have been divorced
*48 percent of pastors think being in ministry is hazardous to family well-being
*33 percent say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family
*80 percent of pastors say they have insufficient time with spouse
*58 percent of pastors indicate that their spouse works either part-time or fulltime outside the home because the family need the income
*56 percent of pastors’ wives say they that they have no close friends
*45 percent of pastors’ wives say the greatest danger to them and family is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual burnout
*66 percent of pastors and their families feel pressure to model the ideal family to their congregations and communities
*53 percent of pastors spend time off from pastors’ duties to do activities with their families; *21 percent spend time with hobbies or physical tasks
The Local Church/Parachurch Dichotomy
How could these two expressions of Christianity, the Local Church and the Parachurch, have such different attitudes toward the ministries of lay people? It was a strange dichotomy for someone like myself, who was still young in the faith. Eventually, however, I began to understand that at the heart of the Local Church/Parachurch dichotomy is a theological issue.
The Parachurch world and the Local Church world have a different take on lay ministry because American Christianity has unofficially sanctioned the separation of worship and edification from mission.
Local Churches practice Worship and Edification
Parachurch Organizations practice Mission
Worship and edification rule in the Church World; while mission rules in the Parachurch World. Mission in the local church is often confined to mission budgets and projects that need some temporary volunteers; it is largely a vicarious experience for most people. And when direct involvement in mission is separated from worship and edification the latter two inevitably become passionless. Worship and edification need experiential mission to stir passion. Worship and edification may be inspiring, but inspiring does not necessarily mean passionate.
When I have opportunities to speak at conventions and conferences I often tell stories about church people who are involved in a wide variety of community ministries. Inevitably, following the message, someone who has a passion for a community ministry will approach us and pour their heart out. Amazingly they often feel that their biggest obstacle to pursuing their ministry passion is the leadership of their church!
I know, however, that church leaders are seldom opposed to someone’s ministry passion. Rather the problem is that church leaders often don’t know how to respond to someone who wants to start a different kind of ministry, e.g., Car Care Ministry for single moms.
The really amazing thing is, when I tell pastors that they are perceived as the primary obstacles to the ministry passions of lay people in their churches, pastors are seldom surprised! And unfortunately, when lay people do not have ministry passion, it is the pastor who often ends up paying a personal price.
The Parachurch world and the Local Church world have a different take on lay ministry because American Christianity has unofficially sanctioned the separation of worship and edification from mission.
Local Churches practice Worship and Edification
Parachurch Organizations practice Mission
Worship and edification rule in the Church World; while mission rules in the Parachurch World. Mission in the local church is often confined to mission budgets and projects that need some temporary volunteers; it is largely a vicarious experience for most people. And when direct involvement in mission is separated from worship and edification the latter two inevitably become passionless. Worship and edification need experiential mission to stir passion. Worship and edification may be inspiring, but inspiring does not necessarily mean passionate.
When I have opportunities to speak at conventions and conferences I often tell stories about church people who are involved in a wide variety of community ministries. Inevitably, following the message, someone who has a passion for a community ministry will approach us and pour their heart out. Amazingly they often feel that their biggest obstacle to pursuing their ministry passion is the leadership of their church!
I know, however, that church leaders are seldom opposed to someone’s ministry passion. Rather the problem is that church leaders often don’t know how to respond to someone who wants to start a different kind of ministry, e.g., Car Care Ministry for single moms.
The really amazing thing is, when I tell pastors that they are perceived as the primary obstacles to the ministry passions of lay people in their churches, pastors are seldom surprised! And unfortunately, when lay people do not have ministry passion, it is the pastor who often ends up paying a personal price.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Attendance more important than passion!
Church Systems Value Attendance More Than They Value Ministry Passion
In the Practical Ministry Classes in seminary the message was clear: “if church leaders are smart they will value people who can attract crowds.” Every pastor knows that it is critical to find teachers and musicians who can draw crowds. And there is nothing wrong with that; good teachers and musicians should be valued. But what about the person involved in a hospice ministry? Isn’t it ironic that someone doing a hospice ministry would be valued more for their attendance at church events than for their hospice ministry?
It is not in the typical church’s DNA to recognize and value the person who is doing an important kingdom work beyond the walls of church. To say that, “it is not in the churches’ DNA” is to say that our churches have a systemic problem.
In the Practical Ministry Classes in seminary the message was clear: “if church leaders are smart they will value people who can attract crowds.” Every pastor knows that it is critical to find teachers and musicians who can draw crowds. And there is nothing wrong with that; good teachers and musicians should be valued. But what about the person involved in a hospice ministry? Isn’t it ironic that someone doing a hospice ministry would be valued more for their attendance at church events than for their hospice ministry?
It is not in the typical church’s DNA to recognize and value the person who is doing an important kingdom work beyond the walls of church. To say that, “it is not in the churches’ DNA” is to say that our churches have a systemic problem.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Most Powerful Force in the World
The most powerful force in the world is not nuclear energy harnessed by man or hurricanes unleashed by nature – it is passion. It was God’s passion for us that prompted him to send his only son to rescue us. It was Christ’s passion that drove him to the cross. It was passion that compelled the Apostle Paul to invest his life in the service of his master. It is passion that drives countless people to do acts that change the world, for better or for worse.
Passion for ministry has been a powerful force in my life since the late 70s. That is when I first met Frank Tillapaugh. At that time he was the pastor of Bear Valley Church in Denver, Colorado. Frank’s primary message to his congregation was that their church needed to be unleashed and committed to ministries in the city of Denver. The people of Bear Valley responded to his message in a big way. They launched new ministries and got involved with existing ministries throughout metro Denver. In 1982 Frank wrote what turned out to a best selling book, entitled, Unleashing the Church: Getting God’s People Out of the Fortress and Into Ministry. Once the book was published people came from all over the world to listen to the message of what it means to be an unleashed church.
In the Right Place At the Right Time
As for me I didn’t have to go far to be impacted by the message and ministry of the “church unleashed.” I lived – and I use the word “lived” loosely – just a few miles from the epicenter of the action. At that period of my life I was mired in the counter-culture, involved with crime and drugs. I was desperately trying to find some answers before my life style put me in the grave. It was at that low point that that one of Bear Valley’s myriad of ministers walked into my life. Indulge me for a moment as I tell you how that encounter changed my life and unleashed my passion to live for Christ.
I had been staying, or should I say hiding, from some dangerous associates at my parent’s home for over two weeks. I would spend twenty-four a day in my bedroom, ready to flee if necessary. After the two weeks I worked up the courage to venture into the family room each evening around 10pm, to watch the evening news with my parents. One evening as the news was finishing around 10:30 pm, the door bell rang. My Mom greeted a man at the door who simply said, “Hi my name is Jerry Donaldson, do you mind if come in?”
My mother, forever the southern lady, said, “Not at all, please come in,” and, as if on cue, she introduced him to my dad and then to me. It was immediately obvious that the stranger had come to see me. Jerry looked at me and asked, “May I talk to you for a minute?”
His visit caught me by surprise. But my mom seemed to be happy to see him and that was reassuring to me. I wasn’t afraid as much as I was confused, at this odd late night encounter. What I didn’t know was that my mom, in desperation to have someone talk to her messed-up kid, had called Jerry. She called him because he is a professional counselor, and she had asked him to come over and to talk to me. He listened to her story, i.e. a grown child out of control. But he had told her, “I’m sorry, I don’t make house calls. However, if you can get him to come to my office I will see him.” Then he took all of my mom’s information and said, “I hope to see Rich at my office soon.”
That night Jerry couldn’t sleep. Something, or Someone, compelled him to get out of bed and pay me a visit. His wife begged him no to go, but he insisted. So there he was in the family room, asking me, “Can I talk with you?”
Still weary, I asked, “are you a cop?” When he answered, “no,” I said sure, “Sure, sit down.”
As a teenager I had attended a Billy Graham Crusade; and when Mr. Graham extended the invitation for those who wanted to ask Christ for forgiveness and receive eternal life, I responded. Even though I had committed my life to Christ, I had not given my life to him completely. I knew about Christ from the Young Life meetings that I had attended. But, while I had asked him to be my savior, I never committed myself to his lordship. During my twenties the lure of drug culture became the most powerful force in my life. Little did I realize, on that evening when the stranger turned up at my parent’s house, that I was about to complete the commitment that I had made as a teenager.
Before he left that evening, Jerry told me that he was on the pastoral staff at his church and invited me to attend Bear Valley. The following Sunday, as I sat in service, I remember feeling very alone and out of place, but I was desperate. During the sermon I remember Frank, saying something like, “We want this to be an unleashed church, a church where everyone is encouraged to pursue the ministry God has gifted and wired them to pursue.” The challenge to find and passionately follow God’s call to ministry struck a deep cord within me.
That was the beginning of my deep desire to unleash God’s passion for ministry in my life. Soon I found myself involved in the singles’ ministry and connecting with both the church’s coffee house for street kids and a group home for delinquent girls, called the Cornerstone. I was inspired by the dozens of community ministries that people from Bear Valley were pursuing. Slowly my life began to change, and God began to shape me into a new person. I caught Frank’s passion to reach out to church leaders with the message, “If you pursue your passion for God, he will unleash his miracles into your life and into your community.”
Passion for ministry has been a powerful force in my life since the late 70s. That is when I first met Frank Tillapaugh. At that time he was the pastor of Bear Valley Church in Denver, Colorado. Frank’s primary message to his congregation was that their church needed to be unleashed and committed to ministries in the city of Denver. The people of Bear Valley responded to his message in a big way. They launched new ministries and got involved with existing ministries throughout metro Denver. In 1982 Frank wrote what turned out to a best selling book, entitled, Unleashing the Church: Getting God’s People Out of the Fortress and Into Ministry. Once the book was published people came from all over the world to listen to the message of what it means to be an unleashed church.
In the Right Place At the Right Time
As for me I didn’t have to go far to be impacted by the message and ministry of the “church unleashed.” I lived – and I use the word “lived” loosely – just a few miles from the epicenter of the action. At that period of my life I was mired in the counter-culture, involved with crime and drugs. I was desperately trying to find some answers before my life style put me in the grave. It was at that low point that that one of Bear Valley’s myriad of ministers walked into my life. Indulge me for a moment as I tell you how that encounter changed my life and unleashed my passion to live for Christ.
I had been staying, or should I say hiding, from some dangerous associates at my parent’s home for over two weeks. I would spend twenty-four a day in my bedroom, ready to flee if necessary. After the two weeks I worked up the courage to venture into the family room each evening around 10pm, to watch the evening news with my parents. One evening as the news was finishing around 10:30 pm, the door bell rang. My Mom greeted a man at the door who simply said, “Hi my name is Jerry Donaldson, do you mind if come in?”
My mother, forever the southern lady, said, “Not at all, please come in,” and, as if on cue, she introduced him to my dad and then to me. It was immediately obvious that the stranger had come to see me. Jerry looked at me and asked, “May I talk to you for a minute?”
His visit caught me by surprise. But my mom seemed to be happy to see him and that was reassuring to me. I wasn’t afraid as much as I was confused, at this odd late night encounter. What I didn’t know was that my mom, in desperation to have someone talk to her messed-up kid, had called Jerry. She called him because he is a professional counselor, and she had asked him to come over and to talk to me. He listened to her story, i.e. a grown child out of control. But he had told her, “I’m sorry, I don’t make house calls. However, if you can get him to come to my office I will see him.” Then he took all of my mom’s information and said, “I hope to see Rich at my office soon.”
That night Jerry couldn’t sleep. Something, or Someone, compelled him to get out of bed and pay me a visit. His wife begged him no to go, but he insisted. So there he was in the family room, asking me, “Can I talk with you?”
Still weary, I asked, “are you a cop?” When he answered, “no,” I said sure, “Sure, sit down.”
As a teenager I had attended a Billy Graham Crusade; and when Mr. Graham extended the invitation for those who wanted to ask Christ for forgiveness and receive eternal life, I responded. Even though I had committed my life to Christ, I had not given my life to him completely. I knew about Christ from the Young Life meetings that I had attended. But, while I had asked him to be my savior, I never committed myself to his lordship. During my twenties the lure of drug culture became the most powerful force in my life. Little did I realize, on that evening when the stranger turned up at my parent’s house, that I was about to complete the commitment that I had made as a teenager.
Before he left that evening, Jerry told me that he was on the pastoral staff at his church and invited me to attend Bear Valley. The following Sunday, as I sat in service, I remember feeling very alone and out of place, but I was desperate. During the sermon I remember Frank, saying something like, “We want this to be an unleashed church, a church where everyone is encouraged to pursue the ministry God has gifted and wired them to pursue.” The challenge to find and passionately follow God’s call to ministry struck a deep cord within me.
That was the beginning of my deep desire to unleash God’s passion for ministry in my life. Soon I found myself involved in the singles’ ministry and connecting with both the church’s coffee house for street kids and a group home for delinquent girls, called the Cornerstone. I was inspired by the dozens of community ministries that people from Bear Valley were pursuing. Slowly my life began to change, and God began to shape me into a new person. I caught Frank’s passion to reach out to church leaders with the message, “If you pursue your passion for God, he will unleash his miracles into your life and into your community.”
From Topics or People Groups
When a young seminarian writes, “We are shooting to get 80 percent of the people to minister in some way – either with an evangelism team, the prayer team, or the discipleship team. We want to help people get plugged in and excited about serving.” (Leaders in a Changing World Summer 2003 pg 5), he is reflecting the common notion that being involved in a ministry means pursuing topics, e.g. prayer, discipleship or evangelism.
Those of us who are Church leaders have been taught to enlist people to join “topic teams” as the primary way of getting them into ministry. Parachurch leaders, on the other hand, have demonstrated for decades that the best way to get people involved in prayer, evangelism and discipleship, is to give them the opportunity to minister to a particular group of people. When people minister to other people prayer, evangelism and discipleship are the results, not the objectives. The key to finding their ministry callings, for most folks, is to figure out what particular people group, not what topic, stirs the most ministry passion within then.
It is true that God has wired some folks to be passionate about topics. All of us have met people, perhaps some of our teachers, who love history, economics, or theology more than they care about people. But most people are more passionate about people than they are about topics.
Fortunately there are Christian organizations specializing in ministry to every conceivable people group in the U.S., and they are eager to connect church people to:
The World’s Brightest and Best Studying in the U.S.: International Students Inc, (ISI).
High School Dropouts: National Association of Street Schools, (NASS).
The Inner City Poor: Local Rescue Missions
The Physically Disabled: Joni and Friends
Athletes: Fellowship of Christian Athletes
People Behind Bars: Prison Fellowship
The Homeless: Habitat For Humanity
A complete list would include several thousand Parachurch organizations.
Still, with all of these great organizations in place, the ministry objectives of the typical church are seldom connected with any of them. It seems obvious to us that these organizations can do the best job of equipping church people for ministry. However, since I have seminary degree, I suspect that a pastor’s approach to training people has a lot to do with the way he or she was trained. Most pastors spend years studying topics in classrooms before they enter their ministry.
The class room is not the best place to equip lay ministers for ministry. Instead of telling people that they need to study certain topics before they get involved in a ministry; we should be telling them that life has already equipped them to minister to a wide variety of people. If they have a spare bedroom and a healthy family life they can host an unwed mother or an international student in their home. If they can read they are equipped for a wide variety of literacy ministries. The primary question is not “who are you equipped to minister to?” Rather, it is, “who do you feel passionate about ministering to?” Those are two very different questions.
There are well over a hundred potential people groups to reach in the U.S.; and there are Christian organizations already positioned to reach 98% of them. Most of these organizations are not only eager to connect church people to the people group that their organization works with; they often will also provide the training necessary to do the ministry. Connecting with people groups is the key to unlocking passion for ministry for most people.
A couple of weeks ago myself and 14 of the Future Leader family went to DayBreak for a week to work at this inner city program which exists to reach the families of Lincoln Heights with the Gospel. I have had the Future Leaders in the class room for three months but in one week they learned more than anything I could teach them. I saw the passion!
Those of us who are Church leaders have been taught to enlist people to join “topic teams” as the primary way of getting them into ministry. Parachurch leaders, on the other hand, have demonstrated for decades that the best way to get people involved in prayer, evangelism and discipleship, is to give them the opportunity to minister to a particular group of people. When people minister to other people prayer, evangelism and discipleship are the results, not the objectives. The key to finding their ministry callings, for most folks, is to figure out what particular people group, not what topic, stirs the most ministry passion within then.
It is true that God has wired some folks to be passionate about topics. All of us have met people, perhaps some of our teachers, who love history, economics, or theology more than they care about people. But most people are more passionate about people than they are about topics.
Fortunately there are Christian organizations specializing in ministry to every conceivable people group in the U.S., and they are eager to connect church people to:
The World’s Brightest and Best Studying in the U.S.: International Students Inc, (ISI).
High School Dropouts: National Association of Street Schools, (NASS).
The Inner City Poor: Local Rescue Missions
The Physically Disabled: Joni and Friends
Athletes: Fellowship of Christian Athletes
People Behind Bars: Prison Fellowship
The Homeless: Habitat For Humanity
A complete list would include several thousand Parachurch organizations.
Still, with all of these great organizations in place, the ministry objectives of the typical church are seldom connected with any of them. It seems obvious to us that these organizations can do the best job of equipping church people for ministry. However, since I have seminary degree, I suspect that a pastor’s approach to training people has a lot to do with the way he or she was trained. Most pastors spend years studying topics in classrooms before they enter their ministry.
The class room is not the best place to equip lay ministers for ministry. Instead of telling people that they need to study certain topics before they get involved in a ministry; we should be telling them that life has already equipped them to minister to a wide variety of people. If they have a spare bedroom and a healthy family life they can host an unwed mother or an international student in their home. If they can read they are equipped for a wide variety of literacy ministries. The primary question is not “who are you equipped to minister to?” Rather, it is, “who do you feel passionate about ministering to?” Those are two very different questions.
There are well over a hundred potential people groups to reach in the U.S.; and there are Christian organizations already positioned to reach 98% of them. Most of these organizations are not only eager to connect church people to the people group that their organization works with; they often will also provide the training necessary to do the ministry. Connecting with people groups is the key to unlocking passion for ministry for most people.
A couple of weeks ago myself and 14 of the Future Leader family went to DayBreak for a week to work at this inner city program which exists to reach the families of Lincoln Heights with the Gospel. I have had the Future Leaders in the class room for three months but in one week they learned more than anything I could teach them. I saw the passion!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Can you feel the heart?
A while back my friend had lunch with Pam and John, a couple who are heavily involved in ministry at the Phoenix Rescue Mission. They were surprised to learn that, during the past couple of decades, Rescue Mission clients have changed from almost exclusively derelict males, to include large numbers of women and children,.
The fact that women and children are filling Rescue Missions is the kind of information that has enormous potential to stir passion in the hearts of the average Christian. But, those of us that were formally trained to be pastors were not trained to capitalize on this kind of information. As a result we pastors often miss opportunities to expose their church to ministry experiences which have the potential to stir people’s hearts.
John and Pam participated in a Back to School Day, sponsored by the Phoenix Rescue Mission, by handing out backpacks and school clothes to hundreds of children. Pam’s voice became emotional as she recalled a little girl who came to the Rescue Mission barefoot on a hot August day. The pavement was burning the girl’s feet, so Pam picked her up and held her until they found her a pair of shoes. As Pam felt the little girl’s heart beat next to her heart, she felt a bond of passion, both for the little girl and for the ministry at the Rescue Mission. This is the type of “equipping” experience that we desperately need in our churches.
Earlier that week I talked to a fellow who ministers regularly in a detention center for female delinquents. Tears welled up in his eyes as he told me about some of the young girls that he was getting to know. Then I spoke to Marsha, a lady who ministers in a Hospice, she shared what it felt like to be rubbing a dying lady’s arm as the lady lingered between life and death. It was the most meaningful ministry experiences of her life.
The fact that women and children are filling Rescue Missions is the kind of information that has enormous potential to stir passion in the hearts of the average Christian. But, those of us that were formally trained to be pastors were not trained to capitalize on this kind of information. As a result we pastors often miss opportunities to expose their church to ministry experiences which have the potential to stir people’s hearts.
John and Pam participated in a Back to School Day, sponsored by the Phoenix Rescue Mission, by handing out backpacks and school clothes to hundreds of children. Pam’s voice became emotional as she recalled a little girl who came to the Rescue Mission barefoot on a hot August day. The pavement was burning the girl’s feet, so Pam picked her up and held her until they found her a pair of shoes. As Pam felt the little girl’s heart beat next to her heart, she felt a bond of passion, both for the little girl and for the ministry at the Rescue Mission. This is the type of “equipping” experience that we desperately need in our churches.
Earlier that week I talked to a fellow who ministers regularly in a detention center for female delinquents. Tears welled up in his eyes as he told me about some of the young girls that he was getting to know. Then I spoke to Marsha, a lady who ministers in a Hospice, she shared what it felt like to be rubbing a dying lady’s arm as the lady lingered between life and death. It was the most meaningful ministry experiences of her life.
Just say I Do...that is not the end!
Knowing Christ as Both Savior and Lord
The commitment that I had made at the Billy Graham Crusade as a teenager was real, but it was only the first step. Now I needed to take the second step, I recommitted my life to Christ, i.e. to actually live for him. I was beginning to understand that it is important for every Christian to ask, “What is it that God wants me to do with my life?” It is the answer to that question that enables us to discover the ministry passion God has planted within us.
Now, thirty years latter, I realize that during those early days of mentoring I was also learning to think differently about the church and its ministry. In the past I was familiar with various churches but I always thought about their ministries in terms of a few programs for church families. But now I was beginning to realize that it really isn’t about doing programs for a few; rather it is about unleashing the passion that God’s people have for the masses.
(How do you learn to think differently? The first place is ask what the whole council of God says, for example my whole life I thought the sin of Sodom and Gomorra was sexual sin, but then you read what Ezekiel says an it makes you think differently.” Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She hand her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” Esekeil16:49.)
I ended up with a seminary degree and serving on the pastoral staffs of churches ranging in size from 300 to my present church where over 10,000 people are in attendance weekly. The more I have learned about my faith and about American churches, the more I appreciate the “unleashing message” that had struck such a deep cord with me years ago.
The commitment that I had made at the Billy Graham Crusade as a teenager was real, but it was only the first step. Now I needed to take the second step, I recommitted my life to Christ, i.e. to actually live for him. I was beginning to understand that it is important for every Christian to ask, “What is it that God wants me to do with my life?” It is the answer to that question that enables us to discover the ministry passion God has planted within us.
Now, thirty years latter, I realize that during those early days of mentoring I was also learning to think differently about the church and its ministry. In the past I was familiar with various churches but I always thought about their ministries in terms of a few programs for church families. But now I was beginning to realize that it really isn’t about doing programs for a few; rather it is about unleashing the passion that God’s people have for the masses.
(How do you learn to think differently? The first place is ask what the whole council of God says, for example my whole life I thought the sin of Sodom and Gomorra was sexual sin, but then you read what Ezekiel says an it makes you think differently.” Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She hand her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” Esekeil16:49.)
I ended up with a seminary degree and serving on the pastoral staffs of churches ranging in size from 300 to my present church where over 10,000 people are in attendance weekly. The more I have learned about my faith and about American churches, the more I appreciate the “unleashing message” that had struck such a deep cord with me years ago.
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About Me
- Rich
- I am a slave to no man or institution. I have worked with Frank Tillapaugh for thirty years and most of the ideas are work we would like to share.
The next generation
God thank you for two amazing young leaders
Looking Forward
Each year I get to spend time with young leaders and the gap is growing between them and my generation, why?
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