Good Questions

I recently went down to San Diego to hang with some church planters I'm friends with. One of the people within their church emailed me some questions & I thought it would make good food for thought here. 

Thanks for the question, I'll do my best to answer it. 

"It seems to me that the Bible teaches conformity in many ways, in other words, there are only so many leaders and the rest should follow."

Two questions here, first Conformity. The Bible does teach conformity however we have the choice to either obey or do our own thing. The Bible is many things & one of them is "how best to live life." Now WE think we know how to live life, but do we? Do you? I don't. God created humans; I'm learning what it means to be human. I assume He knows best how we should live life in a world which is corrupt by sin. Too, do we actually think we are free from conformity if we don't conform to the Bible? This is foolish. We are mastered by whatever masters us. As I often say, just because you realize your ability to choose doesn't make you mature. I constantly choose the wrong thing. God has never chosen the wrong thing when I've followed his ways. Lastly, here's something I tell people: When I choose to express my "freedom," choosing to do my own thing I discover bondage; when I bind myself to Christ I always find freedom. When conformity always leads to freedom what do we call that? 

Leadership within the church. The irony in this question is that ANYONE can become a leader within the church. That said, most people choose not to take responsibility for anyone other than themselves. Leadership is both a calling & a choice. God calls some to leadership; however God calls everyone to grow up, become like the Father, & take responsibility for the story of redemption ("we are ambassadors in Christ."). Sadly, most people remain infantile in their theology & are solely concerned about their own welfare & not the welfare of others both inside & outside of the church. Anyone can become a leader within the church, including, & hopefully, men of God like you. 

" individual nature of human beings." 

This is an odd cultural assumption we read into the Bible. God himself isn't an individual. The story of mankind has never been about individuals: Adam was given Eve; Noah & his family; Abraham & his family; Joseph & his brothers; Israel being THE main character within the Old Testament; Jesus & the twelve; Paul & his companions; The Trinity. In America we STRESS individualism. Is this right, wrong, or different. I say different; however we have to understand how this effects our theology. Do we have individual nature? Yes. That said, Paul make it plain that Christ is honored above all creation because He gave up His rights for us. Once again, am I most important to me or us? Who am I living for me or us? Is my faithfulness for me or us? Will my life be given so I can feel important or can I see the value in those who will never know me, maybe not appreciate me, but can benefit from me using my individual nature to love what God loves: People. & how does God show his love to people? The people of God living for the purposes of God: CHURCH. Watch the movie: Of Gods & Men. What a privilege we have in being able to be church with each other & the world. Too, we don't lose ourselves in others; we truly find ourselves as we give our life for others like Christ gave His life for us. "Whoever saves his life will lose it, whoever loses their life will find it." Do we believe this? 

Hopefully this answered your questions. If not write me back & ask away. I think God intentioned for us to meet & you are an incredible man of God. 

Blessings, 

Sean 

Now you tell me...

“Pastoral work is slow and tedious. Be patient. It’s not easy or exhilarating. It’s plodding. In some ways its easy. Just stay there and be faithful. Pray. Know the names of the people in your community. Trust them and see them as blossoming saints, even if they don’t act like it.” Eugene Peterson

God, help me learn this lesson for our church in Santa Cruz.

Better Church

"Men are looking for better methods; God is looking for better men." E.M. Bounds

Great thoughts from a local pastor.

My sister-in-law recently graduated from one of the top medical schools in the country. It has achieved that status not by being the biggest, but because of the quality of students it turns out and the number treatment-breakthroughs that are discovered there.

Similarly, our churches (or Bible studies, or worship teams, or whatever other ministry-effort we're leading) should not be evaluated by their size, but on what is happening in the lives of those who are there.

Here are a few other parallels that have crossed my mind:

1. Most med-schools also have hospitals attached. What a great picture of church! Everyone is welcome... nobody is shamed or turned away. However, entrance into the hospital does not guarantee entrance into the attached med-school. At our church, what we're looking for in people who would aspire to ministry leadership are servant-heartedness (my spell-check doesn't know that word), teachability (a desire to learn things that I don't already know), accountability (a desire to be linked up with others in a growth-process), and repentance (an eagerness to have my thinking changed by God).
2. We have more "students" than "doctors" and the learners are the ones doing the hands-on work. While patients at med-school hospitals might prefer to have full-fledged doctors doing the surgeries, often students are involved in the process. At church, it's the same. Our pastoral team and Delta leaders' jobs are not to do the ministry directly, but to mobilize and connect people who are learning how to pray and counsel with those who need it (all of us). Interestingly, studies have shown that (despite patients' nervousness) the care at med-school hospitals is better than at non-teaching hospitals.
3. For patients, healing is the goal. Everybody hopes that a trip the hospital is brief! Some treatments can take time, but every patient should aspire to wholeness. The point of coming to the hospital is to be healed so that we can get on with our lives. Sometimes church can seem like an endless cycle of going into the hospital! Instead, let's all set our sights on fruitful ministry (getting off the sick-bed and into the white gown and stethescope).
4. For students, each day is lived with graduation day in mind. The point of this school is not just to build a bigger and bigger school and hospital... but to SEND out these students into the wide world where they are needed. I am asking God to give me big dreams for those who call our church home... and the wisdom to equip them for what God is asking them to do. And I want to get better at planning a church-program that will love, mend, train, and send people in a period of a few years.

It's helpful to spend time thinking about what we're trying to do with this thing called "church." Without proactive thought, we'll end up just doing stuff out of tradition or routine. Neither will get us to our objective ("Go therefore and make disciples...").

Patrick Lencioni

Interesting on so many levels.

The Greatest Leader, by Patrick Lencioni
March 2008

I have been asked on a number of occasions, by journalists and curious clients, whom I believe to be the greatest leader in America. And I usually respond with my own question. “Are you asking for the name of a famous leader?” This usually leads to a fair amount of confusion, until I explain that the best leader in the world is probably relatively obscure.

You see, I believe that the best leader out there is probably running a small or medium-sized company in a small or medium-sized town. Or maybe they‘re running an elementary school or a church. Moreover, that leader‘s obscurity is not a function of mediocrity, but rather a disdain for unnecessary attention and adulation. He or she would certainly prefer to have a stable home life, motivated employees, and happy customers—in that order—over public recognition.

A skeptic might well respond, “But if this person really were the greatest leader, wouldn‘t his or her company eventually grow in size and stature, and become known for being great?” And the answer to that fine question would be, “Not necessarily.”

A great company should achieve its potential and grow to the size and scale that suits its founders‘ and owners‘ and employees‘ desires, not to mention the potential of its market. It may very well wildly exceed customer expectations and earn a healthy profit by doing so, but not necessarily grow for the sake of growing.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where bigger is often equated with better and where fame and infamy are all too often considered to be one and the same. And so we mistakenly come to believe that if we haven‘t seen a person‘s picture on the cover of BusinessWeek or in a dot-matrixed image in The Wall Street Journal, then they can‘t possibly be the best.

Consider for a moment those high profile leaders we do read about in the newspaper and see on television. Most, but not all, of them share an overwhelming desire and need for attention. You‘ll find them in all kinds of industries, but most prevalently in politics, media, and big business. Look hard enough at them, and there is a decent chance you‘ll discover people who have long aspired to be known as great leaders. These are the same people who also value public recognition over real impact. And based on my experience, you might also find that they‘ll be more highly regarded by strangers and mere acquaintances than by the people who work and live with them most closely.

The truth is, our greatest leaders usually don‘t aspire to positions of great fame or public awareness. They choose instead to lead in places where they can make a tangible, meaningful difference in the lives of the people they are called to serve. The challenges and consequences of their decisions are no less difficult or important than those of higher profile leaders, even if they don‘t quite qualify for a cover story in TIME Magazine.

Francis Chan

Francis Chan leaves his church. So many interesting reactions, questions, responses, & issues brought up.

In another video he says, "I hope this is something bigger for the whole church; getting back to doing what this book (the Bible) says we're to do & be who we're called to be."

I find it interesting because here's a man: Successful; Published; Branded; Speaker, & in many ways embodies what many are aiming for. Yet, he realized what it all amounted to wasn't what he was reading in scripture. It seems odd we would create a church where this would be an issue. I know this is a tension, but for some it really isn't.

Once again I'm intrigued by the idea that our idea & outworking of church caters to the very people who Jesus turned away or weren't willing to follow Him; & then we call it success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p-SYMis0-w

Distance or Speed?

If you want to travel fast...travel alone.
If you want to travel far...travel together.
African Proverb.

Are you built for distance or speed?

Is your life set up for distance or speed?