About a year and a half ago, I realized that my little urban church, marked by decades of decline, assumed that this here charismatic personality and ideas might save them. To disabuse of them if this notion, I started saying on the regular, “God always gets the first verbs. We get all the responsive verbs.”
Since then, we have developed a values statement that articulates this: The Christ in me received the Christ in you; the Christ in me responds to the Christ in you; the Christ in us transforms the world.”
You are hitting the nail on the head in a specific part of this. The belief that the leader will change everything. I see it in a few different parts.
• They are a dynamic personality.
• They are an expert and a known leader.
• They have drive and ambition.
• They appear to have a deep, and performative spirituality.
As someone who falls into at least one of these categories, my own short-comings and the realization/healing through these has been the deepest part of my own spirituality and leadership over the last few years.
I love that values statement. It cannot be said without putting each other inside a spiritual dynamic.
"the Kingdom isn’t a place of control, but of trust."
I feel this deep.
We're in a place where we're too often looking to the horizon and searching for old answers. Leading people into a deeper spirituality (not just one performed by the paid professionals in the church) feels right yet incredibly risky. "When will we actually DO something, though?" is the pushback I hear most often.
Helping the church trust in Mary's right path is difficult when we've (pastors more than any) convinced ourselves of the value of Martha's work ethic.
What I love is the “When will we actually DO something” comment. I feel that for many churches, doing is what makes things happen, but our over-doing is often what got us into an arms race predicament. Plus - adding in the work of Andrew Root on congregational busyness…it can be an exhausting premise.
If I out my developer hat on, historically I see people doing a handful of focused (and Christian) things, measuring them well and lifting up those older efforts of steady evangelism and discipleship, and seeing fruit come from it. That’s the slow, Mary work…the Martha side is chasing our tails convinced that if we are simply working more new things might happen.
I'm also very interested in what you are saying here, since ministry innovation is what I'm called to!
I think that absolutely starts with Jesus.
And I believe technology is actually opening up our experience of the transcendent, and our understanding of the vastness of God's power (so much more vast than any AI, or any technology created by man).
We must discern where God is leading us - and we are being led! - but if we don't use our callings to build *something*, there will not be a church!
I would never use the term co-creator (because I would never put myself as God's equal on anything). But I'm always moved by the fact that Revelation shows us a city in the midst of the Garden.
Human action matters. God calls us to build, as well as to believe. This goes hand in hand.
It's been in the works for nearly 18 months. I paused this one to write two shorter ones last year...
I have an interesting relationship with technology, and I think it is something for local churches to learn from and utilize. The mistakes I often see (when working with 250+ churches) include the belief that all they need to reach new people is money and technology. Our mutual friend Loren got me reading Andrew Root this past year and I see so many churches wanting to enter an arms race to keep up with congregations 10x their size.
And don't get me started talking about Revelation...I am always up for a good time. And yes, we are called to be builders.
About a year and a half ago, I realized that my little urban church, marked by decades of decline, assumed that this here charismatic personality and ideas might save them. To disabuse of them if this notion, I started saying on the regular, “God always gets the first verbs. We get all the responsive verbs.”
Since then, we have developed a values statement that articulates this: The Christ in me received the Christ in you; the Christ in me responds to the Christ in you; the Christ in us transforms the world.”
You are hitting the nail on the head in a specific part of this. The belief that the leader will change everything. I see it in a few different parts.
• They are a dynamic personality.
• They are an expert and a known leader.
• They have drive and ambition.
• They appear to have a deep, and performative spirituality.
As someone who falls into at least one of these categories, my own short-comings and the realization/healing through these has been the deepest part of my own spirituality and leadership over the last few years.
I love that values statement. It cannot be said without putting each other inside a spiritual dynamic.
"the Kingdom isn’t a place of control, but of trust."
I feel this deep.
We're in a place where we're too often looking to the horizon and searching for old answers. Leading people into a deeper spirituality (not just one performed by the paid professionals in the church) feels right yet incredibly risky. "When will we actually DO something, though?" is the pushback I hear most often.
Helping the church trust in Mary's right path is difficult when we've (pastors more than any) convinced ourselves of the value of Martha's work ethic.
Thanks friend.
What I love is the “When will we actually DO something” comment. I feel that for many churches, doing is what makes things happen, but our over-doing is often what got us into an arms race predicament. Plus - adding in the work of Andrew Root on congregational busyness…it can be an exhausting premise.
If I out my developer hat on, historically I see people doing a handful of focused (and Christian) things, measuring them well and lifting up those older efforts of steady evangelism and discipleship, and seeing fruit come from it. That’s the slow, Mary work…the Martha side is chasing our tails convinced that if we are simply working more new things might happen.
I'm so looking forward to your book!
I'm also very interested in what you are saying here, since ministry innovation is what I'm called to!
I think that absolutely starts with Jesus.
And I believe technology is actually opening up our experience of the transcendent, and our understanding of the vastness of God's power (so much more vast than any AI, or any technology created by man).
We must discern where God is leading us - and we are being led! - but if we don't use our callings to build *something*, there will not be a church!
I would never use the term co-creator (because I would never put myself as God's equal on anything). But I'm always moved by the fact that Revelation shows us a city in the midst of the Garden.
Human action matters. God calls us to build, as well as to believe. This goes hand in hand.
It's been in the works for nearly 18 months. I paused this one to write two shorter ones last year...
I have an interesting relationship with technology, and I think it is something for local churches to learn from and utilize. The mistakes I often see (when working with 250+ churches) include the belief that all they need to reach new people is money and technology. Our mutual friend Loren got me reading Andrew Root this past year and I see so many churches wanting to enter an arms race to keep up with congregations 10x their size.
And don't get me started talking about Revelation...I am always up for a good time. And yes, we are called to be builders.
this all makes me want to hear more!