Missiology
I met with a rad couple today who really get what church is supposed to be about. (Being, not going). I put a press release in the paper and they read it, emailed me to set up a meeting and today we met for coffee and just had a good time talking about church. It was just nice talking to someone that I didn't have to convince of my ideas. In fact, they were saying my thoughts before I could which was a change (seeing I often get too passionate and won't shut up). We talked about the fact that churches often times argue way too much about the how and not the what. For instance, how church is "executed" instead of what the church even exists for.
I believe that when we will get down to the root of figuring out what the church exists for, the how will follow. For far too long I've been a pro at spiritual plastic surgery. I'd get tired with how things were going and give it a facelift, only to find we'd get the same results. And it's hard to see a group of people change if you aren't changing yourself.
It's like a weed. When I was a kid my mom and dad would get me to weed the garden. I absolutely detested weeding! Who cares if it looked like we lived in the hood, it just wasn't my bag. So I'd get out there in the path and pull weeds out just to be a "good son". But I found a secret (or so I thought). If I just pulled the heads of the weeds off, it looked like I had pulled the whole thing out and I'd get done a whole heck of a lot faster. Little did I know, that by not digging down to the root of the weed I was deceiving myself by thinking it was going fast. Because that nasty little spawn of satan would be springing up quicker than I could realize and I'd be out there pulling heads off of weeds before I knew it. (Sense the rage?)
I'm sick and tired of facelifting when the real problem isn't form, it's function. What does the church exist for? We have 3 things that our church will always revolve around. I've seen many organizations with a mission and vision and values and yet don't stick to them. Ours will guide every decision we make. Our mission is our goal (connecting the disconnected to Jesus), our vision will fulfill the mission (becoming contagious whole-life followers of Jesus) and our values will cause us to become what our vision is, in turn fulfilling our mission. (Missional Living, Passionate Spirituality, Intentional Generosity, Authentic Community and Life-Altering Adventure). This is the foundation of our church and I believe that we won't have to do artifical facelifts in order to get a different result. When these are guiding us, how we doing things will change but it won't be a root issue. When the roots of a tree are healthy, it's leaves still go through the seasons and yet it remains strong because it is firmly planted. That's how we will be.
Starting this church does not come out of rebellion. Some may see it that way but I know it doesn't. In reality starting this church is just simple obedience to a dream that God has put in my heart. This isn't my dream. I'm not a rock star nor will I ever be. I have strengths and I have weaknesses. What I understand is that who I am is God's design, not mine. I also understand that even though I have gifts, they are not great enough to start a church. I desperately need God. He HAS GOT to come through or this thing doesn't fly. Period.
So all this to say, if I can continue to meet people like this couple who are willing to jump in our raft, I will be one happy camper. If you are reading this and want to get together for coffee, drop me a line. It's on me.
I believe that when we will get down to the root of figuring out what the church exists for, the how will follow. For far too long I've been a pro at spiritual plastic surgery. I'd get tired with how things were going and give it a facelift, only to find we'd get the same results. And it's hard to see a group of people change if you aren't changing yourself.
It's like a weed. When I was a kid my mom and dad would get me to weed the garden. I absolutely detested weeding! Who cares if it looked like we lived in the hood, it just wasn't my bag. So I'd get out there in the path and pull weeds out just to be a "good son". But I found a secret (or so I thought). If I just pulled the heads of the weeds off, it looked like I had pulled the whole thing out and I'd get done a whole heck of a lot faster. Little did I know, that by not digging down to the root of the weed I was deceiving myself by thinking it was going fast. Because that nasty little spawn of satan would be springing up quicker than I could realize and I'd be out there pulling heads off of weeds before I knew it. (Sense the rage?)
I'm sick and tired of facelifting when the real problem isn't form, it's function. What does the church exist for? We have 3 things that our church will always revolve around. I've seen many organizations with a mission and vision and values and yet don't stick to them. Ours will guide every decision we make. Our mission is our goal (connecting the disconnected to Jesus), our vision will fulfill the mission (becoming contagious whole-life followers of Jesus) and our values will cause us to become what our vision is, in turn fulfilling our mission. (Missional Living, Passionate Spirituality, Intentional Generosity, Authentic Community and Life-Altering Adventure). This is the foundation of our church and I believe that we won't have to do artifical facelifts in order to get a different result. When these are guiding us, how we doing things will change but it won't be a root issue. When the roots of a tree are healthy, it's leaves still go through the seasons and yet it remains strong because it is firmly planted. That's how we will be.
Starting this church does not come out of rebellion. Some may see it that way but I know it doesn't. In reality starting this church is just simple obedience to a dream that God has put in my heart. This isn't my dream. I'm not a rock star nor will I ever be. I have strengths and I have weaknesses. What I understand is that who I am is God's design, not mine. I also understand that even though I have gifts, they are not great enough to start a church. I desperately need God. He HAS GOT to come through or this thing doesn't fly. Period.
So all this to say, if I can continue to meet people like this couple who are willing to jump in our raft, I will be one happy camper. If you are reading this and want to get together for coffee, drop me a line. It's on me.
