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Category: Church (page 24 of 28)

Todd Phillips: A letter to Young Leaders, RightNow 2010

Todd Phillips, pastor of Front Line, a ministry at McLean Bible Church presented at the RightNow Conference 2010. He spoke to young leaders on excelling within the boundaries that God has placed in our lives.

In order to buy into this concept, you’ve got to buy into the concept that God’s in control.

Because we’ve never built a life. Only God has.

3 truths for all leaders to remember:

We are all under authority. Even the senior pastors and elders.
We’re not going to agree with every decision made by those in authority over us.
We have been given a certain breadth of responsibility and authority and no more.

Question:

How do we excel within the boundaries that God has placed in our lives?

Because we all see boundaries as those things that are holding us back from the best God has for us. But God places limits in our lives to limit ours (or others) movement. There is true joy in submitting to the boundaries God has placed in our lives. And when we submit to those boundaries, God can use us to the fullest.

Joshua is the poster child for maximizing the boundaries for his chapter and station in life. Joshua experienced the plagues. Then he experienced the move from Egypt. Then he went in to check out the land, and was ready to lead the people into the land. Then he listened to the nation of Israel complaining, in Numbers 14:1-9.

Joshua had an incredible leaning on God. He knew that He and God were always in the majority. Which is so important to remember, because God has a history of taking us out of our comfort zones, out of our current environments, to teach us to lean on Him. In other words, character-building is God’s plan for us.

3 things we can learn from Joshua’s life:

1. Excel where God has placed you. Remember…Joshua did what was right, and still had to wander in the desert for 40 years. Joshua had to suffer for the poor decisions of others. Have you ever been in a situation like that.

If results were the key, we’d have a right to be upset when things weren’t going well. But the key is what God does with us through the trial/injustice/pain/suffering, often brought on by other people.

Question

God, how do you want to use me right now?

2. Simply refuse to let bitterness take root. Nowhere do we find in Scripture an example of Joshua growing bitter in the desert. He assessed his reality, and began to excel within that.

It’s scary the number of people who have fallen into the habit of badmouthing the people who are over them…instead of learning from them.

Every good decision that the person in authority makes over you is a chance from you to learn what to do…or what not to do. – Max Lucado

It is highly valuable to learn what not to do.

3. Young leaders…when you’re ready to leave, stay just a little bit longer. Never be running from anything. Try to find what God’s teaching you in it. Todd shared the story of his son, who left a football game before the end, because they assumed his team was going to lose. Turns out that they won. And if they’d stayed just a little bit longer, they would’ve experienced the win.

*When you’re most certain you know what God’s calling you to do…seek counsel.

*Seek counsel from people who are older and wiser, not older and dumber.

Are you excelling within your boundaries?

Pete Briscoe, The Mystery of it All, RightNow 2010

November 11, 2010 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

Pete Briscoe opened up the main session at the RightNow Conference 2010, in Dallas, Texas. Pete is the lead pastor of Bent Tree Fellowship in Dallas.

How do you evaluate a good trade? A good trade is what you get is better than what you gave up. A bad trade is getting something worse than what you gave up.

There was a trader in Scripture named Paul, who traded in a Rabbinic lifestyle for Christ.

Referencing Ephesians 3, here are

5 things Paul traded for

1. Christ (v. 1). Paul was Christocentric, because everything in his life revolved around Christ. In fact, he even considered himself a prisoner of Christ. And no matter what his circumstances were, he realized it was for Jesus.

It’s not a matter of trading things in for ministry. It’s about trading them in for Christ.

Leadership is walking with Jesus and taking others along for the ride.

2. Paul traded law for grace (v. 2). God’s unmitigated love for us. Pete shared the story of Jean Val Jean from Les Miserables, who was given grace and encouraged to be a trafficker of grace. Later on in life, he rescued Cosette from the hands of miserable parents, and made her his own daughter.

Grace isn’t something that we simply see and enjoy…we are called to be traffickers of Grace.

3. The mystery (v. 3). Mystery is something that was once hidden. But now it’s available to the whole Church. This mystery referred to is Christ himself. And the fact that Christ indwelling us. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing. But as we rest in Christ, He will bear fruit in us.

We’re called to be Christ-intoxicated people, traffickers of grace, and partakers of the mystery of Christ living in us.

4. The Church (v. 6 ). The Church isn’t perfect, but is a unique group of people. And we take Christ to the world (making it unique).

Parachurch organizations work with, not against the church.

As imperfect as the Church is, never turn your back on her.

5. Ministry (v. 7-8). Paul became a minister of the Gospel because God has given him the gift of ministry. Which means we shouldn’t compare our station in life to others. And the one he’s got you in…that’s God’s gift to you.

There are seasons in ministry:

This rocks!
This works.
This sucks.

But whatever season, this text reminds us that ministry is a gift. We need to be fully engaged in the gracious gift of ministry that God’s called us to.

Matt Carter, Transitioning “small group” to “missional community”

November 10, 2010 / Ben Reed / 3 Comments

Matt Carter is pastor at The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX. He led a main session at the RightNow Conference.

Transitioning “Small Group” to “Missional Community”

The more and more people get on mission, what you have to be careful of is that your people will love their mission more than they love their Savior. Because the more this happens, the more you’ll find Jesus leaving your mission.

Don’t love your calling for Christ Jesus more than you calling to Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 4:11

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers

God gave the saints to do the work of the ministry. What causes the body of Christ to grow?

The American Church is declining exponentially. What causes the body to grow?

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. – Ephesians 4:16

When each part is working properly.

The American church isn’t growing because it’s built off of an attractional model churches: Sunday is the starting point, as opposed to a home based/cell based model, starting church at that level.

We shouldn’t necessarily chuck the attractional model of the church. Because that model still has a place, where these larger attractional churches can do some things that smaller churches can’t do.

But the attractional model alone is incomplete, and isn’t the answer to turning the tide of our church away from lostness in our country.

What prompted Matt to think that the attracional model alone not work?

1. The track record doesn’t show it.

Bob Roberts poses this question:

What if, in an attempt to see the United States come to Christ, that over the next 10 years, we were going to start 1000 megachurches? Would we reach America? No. We could not. Because that’s what we just did over the last 10 years. We in America have launched that many megachurches over the last 10 years.

2. A growing sense of restlessness in the American church. 18-30 year olds aren’t ok sitting on the sidelines of ministry, especially if they’re walking with Jesus. They’re hard-wired to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They want to be a part of world-change. For far too long, the church has placed the burden for mission on clergy, and there’s a growing tension from the everyday person in the pews, wondering why the church in Acts is so different than the American church.

3. Austin Stone is at a crossroads, because they’ve outgrown their current location. They could continue launching more sites and build bigger buildings. But these strategies do not change the city of Austin. What if, instead of taking the extra effort to grow an additional 3,000 people…what if we equipped and trained those additional 3,000 people to go out and live on mission? Everything changes in the city of Austin. Jesus would’ve made a horrible American megachurch pastor, because he purposefully ran people off. He instead took 12 ordinary guys, poured his life into theirs, and released them to go. And these 12 men changed the world.

What do we do from here?

Is it possible to do both? To attract people by the hundreds and thousands…and release them by the hundreds and thousands? Yes.

Through missional communities.

The Transition: 3 ways

1. They changed the definition of success for their small groups. Here’s success now: is the group gathering, having Bible study, meeting each other’s needs…and has the group moved beyond just gathering? Have they found a pocket of lostness in the community, and found a way to engage that lostness? Have they lost community? No, because there’s nothing on earth that fosters community better than mission. When we aimed for “community” alone, we rarely got community. When we aimed at mission, we got mission and community.

2. They changed how they trained their leaders. They began to teach them how to think and live like missionaries.

3. They’ve created a system that encourages people to teach the Bibles themselves. So that they can leave The Austin Stone and, as a group, go to another country, and teach the Word there.

4. They have raised the bar on what these groups can do. The people in your church can do more than you would ever dream they could do. Do you truly believe that?

People are hungry to be used by God.

Challenge them.

Train them.

Release them.

Larry Osborne, Missional Communities, RightNow 2010

November 10, 2010 / Ben Reed / 9 Comments

Missional communities

*Larry Osborne is pastor at North Coast Church. He kicked off the RightNow Conference.

North Coast is strictly a word-of-mouth church. They don’t do marketing. And the principles they used when they were 180 people are the same that they use now. So their growth strategy can work no matter your size. But you have to figure out what God’s calling you to do in your context.

North Coast is believer-targeted and seeker sensitive. 100% of things they do are aimed at Christians, but presented in a way that unbelievers can understand it. In preaching, don’t take so long explaining the back stories of Scripture that Christians tune out, but give enough background that the one who doesn’t know anything about the Bible can follow along.

“Excellent” works in a dechurched environment. And it worked for a long time in the church. Making things HD, pristine, and “perfect” looks great, but what this culture is longing for is authenticity and “the Bono factor.” Their question is, “What are you doing for someone else?”

Real “church” happens in stealth communities (smaller hubs of people on mission), but big events have merit, too. North Coast does these multiple times/year. But this has to be balanced with the consistency in small groups. Only somebody with the gifts of helps or mercy gets motivated in the big missional events. During a 48 hour time period, they had 5500 people doing 92 service projects on 56 sites. The coverage that this got on the news gave legitimacy to those people who had been striving on a personal level to be on mission.

The very first weekend of service, Luke 10:1-20

Before we organize people into large events…or encourage small, “stealth” mission, here are some principles to keep in mind.

Before they went out to serve, Jesus thinned out the herd. If we’re going to meet needs and spread the Truth of the Gospel, the herd may need to be thinned. Not just grab everybody that can help.
They were sent out not just to do good deeds. Heal the sick…and share the Good News. Jesus doesn’t just preach…he helps people’s physical needs, and works to earn the right to be heard.
They were sent out as Jesus’ advance team.
They focused on those who were open to their message. The disciples went to hard places…and stayed in open places. Places that were open to hearing the Gospel. We have to realize that all needs can’t be met. *When the door’s open…stay there!
Poverty, injustice, and disease, as condemnable as they are, and as much as Jesus has come to deliver us from them, are not life’s biggest problem.

Tips to mobilizing small groups to be on mission

What is our purpose, and how will we measure success? We often don’t step back to determine if we’re actually having any success! We need to find a way to measure success.
How can we make this a great experience for everyone? We may teach theology of the body of Christ, but when it comes to practically working it out, we’re not so good at it. We have to understand that the body of Christ really has different people in it, with different callings and gifts, and help them be a better them. We don’t need to make people into someone they’re not. And don’t be afraid helping somebody gracefully step out of a position that’s not a good fit.
How can we institutionalize good intentions? Don’t tell small groups, “Once/year, your group needs to do a service project.” Most people will be all for it, but have no clue where to go. The leadership needs to ask consistently what the group’s service project will be. North Coast puts together a list of events that will be good areas of service. Because good intentions get pushed to the waylaid.
Something to consider is the idea of “going it alone.” When North Coast does the big events with other churches, it often ends up with people not knowing where to go the next Sunday morning. So their answer was to help other churches do this on their own. They train and equip other church leaders to do the work…and so that they can brand it for themselves.
Institute layers of community service. Big events…special events…weekly events.
Don’t rip on the rich. Luke 8:1-3…Jesus and his disciples were supported by a group of rich women. The apostle Paul’s ministry was supported by wealthy individuals. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 – teach them not to be arrogant, not to trust in it, and teach them to be generous. He didn’t tell them to sell it all. The rich aren’t our enemies. And God’s not calling everybody to do and be the same thing.

The Church has left the building.

What do you wear to church on Sundays?

November 4, 2010 / Ben Reed / 17 Comments

(photo by Gail Mooney)

What do you wear to Sunday morning worship?

a) My “Sunday best.” Suit and tie for the guys, dressy dress for the ladies.

b) Business casual. Looking nice, but not necessarily a tie or a dress. Probably khakis and a button-down for the guys…slacks or a skirt for the ladies. It’s all got to be ironed.

c) Casual. T-shirt and jeans for the guys. Maybe even slipping in some flip-flops occasionally. Jeans and a nice shirt for the ladies. Ironed…most of the time.

d) Less-than-casual. Hawaiian shirts and cut-off shorts for the guys. Shorts and a t-shirt for the ladies.

e) WYSIWYG. What You See Is What You Get. Roll out of bed, find something clean. If you can’t find anything clean, then the closest thing on the floor will do. Ironing is out of the question. The only way it seems ironed is because it’s laid at the bottom of the pile of clothes on the floor.

Does the way you dress on Sunday mornings even matter?

Should we be concerned in the least with Sunday morning attire?

The Linchpin

November 4, 2010 / Ben Reed / 7 Comments

My pastor, Ron Edmondson, often says that we as a church staff need to be at the point where, if any of our staff members disappeared tomorrow, we could carry on without missing a beat. I’ve heard him say that a lot, and I almost saw it put into practice in my own life just a few months ago.

I was stuck in London because of a volcano.

I put that sentence in there twice so you would know it wasn’t a typo. I mentioned it in my post HERE, and you can read the Guardian’s article HERE. Welcome to my life.

Based on my original flight schedule, I was planning on being back ~a week earlier than our upcoming small group launch, but this volcano was threatening my on-time arrival. Needless to say, I was a little concerned. About as concerned as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs (as we say in the South).

I was talking back and forth with our staff, updating them on our lack of progress, and beginning to think about the possibility of pushing back our small groups launch. Then Ron dropped this bomb in my lap via email:

I hate that you can’t be there, but we have to be prepared enough that we don’t revolve around one of us being there or not being there. Something could always happen like this and the ministry must go on… There are some things just out of our control.

Basically, what I heard was, “You’re dispensable.” Mark my words: our staff could’ve pulled this event off, and it would’ve been awesome. I have no doubt. But hearing that was difficult. Why?

Not because I want to be important, or need to feel powerful. Or because I’m narcissistic and think that the ministry has to revolve around me, and I have to be in the spotlight. Honestly, I’m not a spotlight guy…I’m content spending my hours in the background. But here’s why it bothered me:

I want to be a linchpin.

A linchpin* is a fastener that secures the add-on at the business end of a tractor. It’s a small piece, but without it, you can’t do much with your tractor, and your tools will continually fall off. It’s an irreplaceable piece of equipment that allows more work to be done more efficiently.

And that’s what I’m working to do in my current position at Grace Community Church.

I want to be doing meaningful, Kingdom-building work in a way that fits my gifting…with all of my might. I want to innovate, create, encourage, and train in such a way that, if I disappeared tomorrow, it would be noticed. And I say that with every ounce of humility I can muster. I want to become indispensable.

I feel that if I’m not working to become indispensable, I’m not serving the Church well. I’m just doing a job, punching the clock, and doing mediocre work. My good friend Matt Harmer rightly warns that

Being average is contagious.

I just can’t see how God is pleased with mediocre, half-hearted work.

And I’m convinced that if you’re not working to become a linchpin, you need to start working differently. Or find a new job.

Ever been caught in the trap of mediocre work?

Is God ever pleased with half-hearted mediocrity?

*I read Seth Godin’s Linchpin when it was released earlier this year, so I don’t claim creative rights to this idea…though the story is most definitely mine.

The new NIV

November 1, 2010 / Ben Reed / 4 Comments

I was never comfortable with the gender-inclusive TNIV (Today’s New International Version), but I’ve been a fan of the original NIV (New International Version) for some time now. I’m eager to get a copy of this new translation. Thought you might enjoy this short video from Doug Moo, chair on the committee of Bible Translation, explaining the heart behind the new translation, the NIV 2011. You can read the press release HERE.

(HT: Denny Burke)

Christian “alternatives”

November 1, 2010 / Ben Reed / 14 Comments

Sue, talking with Reverend Tim Tom: “You know who else hit a rough patch? Jesus. He was dead.”

I recently watched the Halloween episode of ABC’s The Middle. The show’s not my favorite, but I loved this episode. One part made me laugh harder than I’ve laughed in a long time. My favorite quote was from Frankie, played by Patricia Heaton.

Whenever there’s an exciting event for kids, the church offers an…alternative.

The shot moves to a group of teens, standing around an empty room, ringing in the new year…at 8:00 pm.

Ever been a part of a Christian “alternative”?

Like maybe a “Souper Bowl” or a “5th Quarter?” Maybe a New Year’s Eve celebration that included praying in the new year instead of kissing the one you love?

How about an alternative Halloween party? I have.

I remember when I was a kid going to the church gym to do a Halloween alternative. I know that all of the parents involved (including mine) were well-meaning. But…here’s what happened. In one corner, you got to fill out a maze. If you completed it, you got a piece of candy! A fruit-flavored Tootsie Roll. In another corner, you tossed bean bags (imprinted with a cross, no doubt) onto the board, and if you made it in the hole, you got another piece of candy!! In another corner, if you wrote out your testimony, you got two pieces of candy.

Is it healthy for the Church to offer alternatives for these holidays?

Or is it healthier for the Church to equip her people to be salt and light in their community?

I believe that it’s more effective, and God-honoring, to free people up to be a vital part of their community. Church leaders can sometimes get into the mode of thinking that offering more and more options for people to come back to the church building is the best way to control equip people to become growing followers of Christ. This line of thinking forgets that the more and more that people come to the church building, the less and less they can invest in their neighborhood. In effect, the church can tear people out of the communities that God has placed them in.

What’s your best memory from a Christian “alternative”?

Does your church offer alternatives? Is that the best way to reach your community?

Healthy Accountability

October 28, 2010 / Ben Reed / 10 Comments

(graphic by Kyle Key)

Is it healthier to…

1. Be regularly accountable to someone who is like you, who struggles with some of the same things you struggle with, and who knows exactly where you are coming from (because he or she has been, and maybe even still is, there)?

2. Be regularly accountable to someone who is not like you, struggles with things you do not struggle with, and has no issue with the thing(s) that easily entice you?

3. Be regularly accountable to nobody but God and yourself?

Vision Leaks

October 28, 2010 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

I’ve heard Andy Stanley say that vision “leaks.” Here’s what he means:

Vision doesn’t “stick,” so you need to continue to cast the vision of your organization. If you don’t continue to cast that vision, it disappears from the hearts and minds of those in your organization.

And I agree with that.

But let me put a twist on it.

Vision “leaks.” Here’s what I mean:

If you cast your vision well, then everybody in your organization will “leak” that vision on a consistent basis.

You’ll see the effects of clearly communicated mission and vision in all of the different areas of your organization. As people put on the lens of the worldview of your church, every idea that they have and every plan they make will fall in line with the vision you’ve cast. It will leak onto everything they touch.

The goal of casting a vision is that people would not just nod their heads in agreement. You want people who buy in so much that they become marketers and salesmen of the vision themselves, working to persuade others that their vision is too small, too weak, and too bland. In effect, they begin to do the same thing that you do: cast vision.

But the vision has to start “leaking” with you. If you’re not invested to the point that the vision “leaks” out of you in your conversations, ideas, current plans, future plans, and how your corner of the organization impacts the rest…then you need to ask God for a new vision. Because if it’s not leaking out of you, then I can guarantee it’s not leaking out of those you’re leading.

If your vision isn’t “leaking,” maybe you should recast it.

Or get a new vision.

Have you ever seen your vision “leak” in the way I’ve described it, leaking out to others inside and outside the organization?

Ever had to recast that vision because it quit “leaking”?