I received a note from a friend of mine who has served as a missionary in Burkina Faso, West Africa for twenty years. He shared the news that for the very first time in history, the local people who are now believers will be praying for their people. Most of the Koromba people are either animist or Muslim. A small band of about 30 believers in an area of over 100,000 people will be lifting them up in prayer that all may know Jesus and the life He gives.
This is a big deal. It’s taken decades to get to this point. It’s been a challenging, stretching, high-effort, persistent, relational outreach. Little by little fruit is being borne.
When we in the U.S. hear about the growth of Christianity in Africa or Asia, we rejoice, but we also may veer off in two directions.
First, we may think it’s easy. We think the Western cultural barriers don’t lend themselves to a movement of Kingdom expansion. We imagine that our lives are much more complex, fragmented, technical and advanced. People in our culture, we conjecture, aren’t as amenable to the Gospel. But in Asia and Africa--well, life is simpler, more networked and, therefore, “easy pickings” for the spread of the Gospel.
Second, we may miss the point. Instead of marveling at the work of the Holy Spirit in the Southern Hemisphere, we may start to worship the movement. We may become enamored with the numbers and lust after the phenomenon as an idol. Crying out “We want a movement, too!” may be more about possessing success than seeing God succeed in people’s hearts and souls.
Two truths need reinforcement among us in the West. First, the movement of the Gospel in Africa and Asia is hard work. It’s a difficult journey. The blood of many believers cries out from the ground of those nations and forms a foundation for what is happening today. The living Word continues to pound against spiritual and cultural barriers that we can’t even imagine.
Second, a primary weakness in our lives is the production of idols. The book of Deuteronomy opens with a dissection of our souls, making us aware of the fact that we always lean toward idol development and worship. As the Church expands around the world, we need to keep our eye on the ball--the cause of the Gospel, and not lapse into competing for the best world mission movement.
Around the world, every believer in the East, West, South or North has been called by Jesus to deny himself and take up his cross and follow. It’s hard. And it’s all about Jesus, not about us.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Five Challenges for the American Church
In a recent presentation, David Olson, author of “The American Church in Crisis,” highlighted five outreach challenges facing the American church today. Below are the five challenges along with five questions for your planning process as you enter a new season of ministry:
1. The Population challenge - America is the only highly developed country that is seeing population growth. Over the past twenty years, the population grew by over 56 million people. The church's net gain during the same time period was 400,000. How is your church planning to reach the growing population with the Good News?
2. The Regional challenge - In a study of some key Texas Roman Catholic diocese, it was found that only 8.7% of Hispanics attend Mass on a given weekend. If you think Texas’ Community churches gather mass amounts of the population, the fact is that only 10.5% of people attend an Evangelical Church in Texas on a given weekend. The harvest is plentiful. How will you reach the ever-growing number of non-churchgoers and disenfranchised Hispanic Roman Catholics with the Gospel?
3. The Vitality Challenge - On the average, all churches over 40 years of age are declining. The 40-year mark is the break point. The only ways for the church to make progress is to get younger people or plant new churches. When and where will your next church plant be?
4. The Multi-ethnic and class challenge - The American church is becoming more suburban, more affluent, more educated, and more Anglo. The greater the poverty in the community, the worse the church is doing (this seems backwards). Monoethnicity can warp the gospel. The church's ability to really see the Scriptures is impaired when there is not a presence of the many cultural and class voices. What plan do you have for reaching “the least of these” during this new ministry season?
5. The Generational Challenge - Traditional American Christianity is feeling the "quakes" from secularization and new expressions of Christianity. Half of each new generation has the potential to connect with established churches, the other half will need new church plants--new expressions of Christianity. What new expression of Christianity will your new church plant focus on?
What progress can you make in answering these questions as you plan ministry this year and for the next five years?
1. The Population challenge - America is the only highly developed country that is seeing population growth. Over the past twenty years, the population grew by over 56 million people. The church's net gain during the same time period was 400,000. How is your church planning to reach the growing population with the Good News?
2. The Regional challenge - In a study of some key Texas Roman Catholic diocese, it was found that only 8.7% of Hispanics attend Mass on a given weekend. If you think Texas’ Community churches gather mass amounts of the population, the fact is that only 10.5% of people attend an Evangelical Church in Texas on a given weekend. The harvest is plentiful. How will you reach the ever-growing number of non-churchgoers and disenfranchised Hispanic Roman Catholics with the Gospel?
3. The Vitality Challenge - On the average, all churches over 40 years of age are declining. The 40-year mark is the break point. The only ways for the church to make progress is to get younger people or plant new churches. When and where will your next church plant be?
4. The Multi-ethnic and class challenge - The American church is becoming more suburban, more affluent, more educated, and more Anglo. The greater the poverty in the community, the worse the church is doing (this seems backwards). Monoethnicity can warp the gospel. The church's ability to really see the Scriptures is impaired when there is not a presence of the many cultural and class voices. What plan do you have for reaching “the least of these” during this new ministry season?
5. The Generational Challenge - Traditional American Christianity is feeling the "quakes" from secularization and new expressions of Christianity. Half of each new generation has the potential to connect with established churches, the other half will need new church plants--new expressions of Christianity. What new expression of Christianity will your new church plant focus on?
What progress can you make in answering these questions as you plan ministry this year and for the next five years?
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Believers are sons of...
I was reading Matthew 16 this week and noticed how Jesus responded to Peter’s confession. Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven” (vs. 17).
Most attention in Jesus’ response revolves around Simon’s name change to Peter and to Jesus’ proclamation that “on this rock” (“Peter” is related to the Greek word for “rock”) He will build His church.
But, as I read the entire chapter, I noticed that Jesus told the crowd that no sign would be given to the generation except the sign of Jonah (vs. 4). That got me thinking about Jesus’ strategic reference to Peter as a “son of Jonah.”
It appears that Jesus was priming Peter and all believers for God’s mission to reach the world--all nations. Peter, with a newly minted Greek name standing out conspicuously in a Jewish crowd, was a son of Jonah. You know, the guy sent to pagan Ninevah. Yep, that guy who had a very hard time swallowing the fact that he had to proclaim the name of the Lord to a bunch of rotten outsiders who didn’t deserve the time of day let alone the time of God. But after Jonah got swallowed by God’s facts, the reluctant prophet went and spoke up. The result? More than 120,000 people confessed their sin and were saved.
Peter was now in the Jonah family business. As evidenced by the Cornelius episode in Acts 10, Peter finally realized that “God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (vss. 34-35). Peter was a son of Jonah, confessing the Christ to the whole world. The gates of hell would never hold up against that onslaught.
Perhaps we need to remember that we’re all sons of Jonah. Yes, we’re stubborn. Yes, we don’t understand God’s ways and plan. Yes, we rebel and try to foul it up. But, still, we are called. We are sent. We are given the Word of the Lord to voice--even in places and situations and ways we would never design or choose. We are God’s redeemed people meant to be in a mission bigger than we can imagine, sent to bring the light of Jesus into every corner of the culture and society that our abundantly loving God dreams up.
So, you--Jonah’s kid, remember the family business!
Most attention in Jesus’ response revolves around Simon’s name change to Peter and to Jesus’ proclamation that “on this rock” (“Peter” is related to the Greek word for “rock”) He will build His church.
But, as I read the entire chapter, I noticed that Jesus told the crowd that no sign would be given to the generation except the sign of Jonah (vs. 4). That got me thinking about Jesus’ strategic reference to Peter as a “son of Jonah.”
It appears that Jesus was priming Peter and all believers for God’s mission to reach the world--all nations. Peter, with a newly minted Greek name standing out conspicuously in a Jewish crowd, was a son of Jonah. You know, the guy sent to pagan Ninevah. Yep, that guy who had a very hard time swallowing the fact that he had to proclaim the name of the Lord to a bunch of rotten outsiders who didn’t deserve the time of day let alone the time of God. But after Jonah got swallowed by God’s facts, the reluctant prophet went and spoke up. The result? More than 120,000 people confessed their sin and were saved.
Peter was now in the Jonah family business. As evidenced by the Cornelius episode in Acts 10, Peter finally realized that “God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (vss. 34-35). Peter was a son of Jonah, confessing the Christ to the whole world. The gates of hell would never hold up against that onslaught.
Perhaps we need to remember that we’re all sons of Jonah. Yes, we’re stubborn. Yes, we don’t understand God’s ways and plan. Yes, we rebel and try to foul it up. But, still, we are called. We are sent. We are given the Word of the Lord to voice--even in places and situations and ways we would never design or choose. We are God’s redeemed people meant to be in a mission bigger than we can imagine, sent to bring the light of Jesus into every corner of the culture and society that our abundantly loving God dreams up.
So, you--Jonah’s kid, remember the family business!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Reaching the Uncomfortable
What if 80% of the population had claustrophobia? You know, complete fear and discomfort of small spaces.
What if you were head of a WiFi company and decided to build tiny cubicles in which the public could access the WiFi connection it needed in a fast, affordable, and convenient way? But in a very tiny space.
20% of the population would amble into your miniature WiFi cubicles and rejoice. At last! Cheap, affordable and convenient WiFi access, with charging stations for all my gizmos, to boot!
80% of the population would sweat, shuffle, hesitate, think long and hard--and head to a spacious Starbucks. There is no way they would step into that cubicle no matter how pretty it was, no matter how nicely they were invited, and no matter how badly they needed WiFi. It just wouldn’t happen.
The church faces this issue today. 20% of the population is comfortable stepping into church. They feel it is important and they follow through. 80% of the population thinks the roof would cave in on them if they walked through the church doors. They hesitate, sweat, or write off the need for what the church provides. They’re not coming inside.
How do we reach people with the Gospel who have written the church off? How do we communicate the Good News so it looks and sounds like good news to them?
Some churches are going to the uncomfortable. Moving outside of claustrophobic cubicles, believers are thinking creatively about what the church looks like in the community. They are inviting the uncomfortable into the wide and open spaces of serving others in the name of Jesus. They are entering into relationships with the 80% and are praying and watching for Jesus to show up.
Believers need to remember that inviting people to church, while very worthy and important, will only resonate with two out ten people. But inviting people to make a difference in the lives of others, to dedicate their lives to a worthy pursuit, will resonate with nine out of ten people. Statistics show that, while only 20% of the population wakes up in the morning with a desire to attend a church service, 90% of the population wants desperately to make a difference in the world. Isn’t Christ’s Church the biggest difference maker in history?
What if the uncomfortable became gripped with Jesus’ grace while participating in a Gospel act? What if that new blessing led them to worship the One who shows such love?
How are you rethinking your company strategy so that 100% of the people have access to eternal life?
What if you were head of a WiFi company and decided to build tiny cubicles in which the public could access the WiFi connection it needed in a fast, affordable, and convenient way? But in a very tiny space.
20% of the population would amble into your miniature WiFi cubicles and rejoice. At last! Cheap, affordable and convenient WiFi access, with charging stations for all my gizmos, to boot!
80% of the population would sweat, shuffle, hesitate, think long and hard--and head to a spacious Starbucks. There is no way they would step into that cubicle no matter how pretty it was, no matter how nicely they were invited, and no matter how badly they needed WiFi. It just wouldn’t happen.
The church faces this issue today. 20% of the population is comfortable stepping into church. They feel it is important and they follow through. 80% of the population thinks the roof would cave in on them if they walked through the church doors. They hesitate, sweat, or write off the need for what the church provides. They’re not coming inside.
How do we reach people with the Gospel who have written the church off? How do we communicate the Good News so it looks and sounds like good news to them?
Some churches are going to the uncomfortable. Moving outside of claustrophobic cubicles, believers are thinking creatively about what the church looks like in the community. They are inviting the uncomfortable into the wide and open spaces of serving others in the name of Jesus. They are entering into relationships with the 80% and are praying and watching for Jesus to show up.
Believers need to remember that inviting people to church, while very worthy and important, will only resonate with two out ten people. But inviting people to make a difference in the lives of others, to dedicate their lives to a worthy pursuit, will resonate with nine out of ten people. Statistics show that, while only 20% of the population wakes up in the morning with a desire to attend a church service, 90% of the population wants desperately to make a difference in the world. Isn’t Christ’s Church the biggest difference maker in history?
What if the uncomfortable became gripped with Jesus’ grace while participating in a Gospel act? What if that new blessing led them to worship the One who shows such love?
How are you rethinking your company strategy so that 100% of the people have access to eternal life?
Monday, August 8, 2011
Recalibration, Part 3
Resistance vs. Repentance.
“It was very hard for me to see clearly, and though I never spoke about hell or only jokingly so, I woke up one day with the realization that I was living in a very dark place and that the term ‘burnout’ was a convenient psychological translation for a spiritual death” (Henri Nouwen, “In the Name of Jesus,” p. 11).
The Apostle John said, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1:8). But as Henri Nouwen commented above, there are times in life when it is very hard for us to see clearly. Sometimes we work so hard to get good at what we’re doing, to accomplish all the tasks before us, and to justify our existence and worthiness, we do not see where we are faltering. In our efforts to please God, others, and ourselves, we may end up living a life without genuine repentance.
This can happen to me personally when I become so occupied with tending to other people’s lives that I can no longer see myself accurately or confess my own failings with accuracy and sincerity. This can happen to the church when it becomes focused on its own agenda so completely that it never asks the questions, “Of what do we need to repent? How are we failing?”
If we ever think we have everything completely right, we are, in effect, saying we have no sin. That means we’re in serious trouble. The truth is not in us. We have lost the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
This, as Nouwen said, is a very dark place.
When Peter decided to go off on his own and rebuke Jesus for talking about the cross, Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). “Get behind me” means to get in line, to follow behind Jesus (opiso mou). Instead of running on ahead by ourselves with our own twisted GPS, we are called to follow in the steps of the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Instead of resisting the Truth, we submit ourselves to Him and follow where He leads--even if it does not square with our agenda.
In Revelation 11:3, the Church is portrayed as a prophetic body, always wearing the sackcloth of repentance. How do you need to stop and examine your own failings? How can we as a church face in an honest way where we fall short and, instead, follow in the footsteps of Jesus for the answers?
Will we resist the redeeming call of Christ and end up as spiritual wreckage or will we live a life of repentance?
“It was very hard for me to see clearly, and though I never spoke about hell or only jokingly so, I woke up one day with the realization that I was living in a very dark place and that the term ‘burnout’ was a convenient psychological translation for a spiritual death” (Henri Nouwen, “In the Name of Jesus,” p. 11).
The Apostle John said, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1:8). But as Henri Nouwen commented above, there are times in life when it is very hard for us to see clearly. Sometimes we work so hard to get good at what we’re doing, to accomplish all the tasks before us, and to justify our existence and worthiness, we do not see where we are faltering. In our efforts to please God, others, and ourselves, we may end up living a life without genuine repentance.
This can happen to me personally when I become so occupied with tending to other people’s lives that I can no longer see myself accurately or confess my own failings with accuracy and sincerity. This can happen to the church when it becomes focused on its own agenda so completely that it never asks the questions, “Of what do we need to repent? How are we failing?”
If we ever think we have everything completely right, we are, in effect, saying we have no sin. That means we’re in serious trouble. The truth is not in us. We have lost the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
This, as Nouwen said, is a very dark place.
When Peter decided to go off on his own and rebuke Jesus for talking about the cross, Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). “Get behind me” means to get in line, to follow behind Jesus (opiso mou). Instead of running on ahead by ourselves with our own twisted GPS, we are called to follow in the steps of the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Instead of resisting the Truth, we submit ourselves to Him and follow where He leads--even if it does not square with our agenda.
In Revelation 11:3, the Church is portrayed as a prophetic body, always wearing the sackcloth of repentance. How do you need to stop and examine your own failings? How can we as a church face in an honest way where we fall short and, instead, follow in the footsteps of Jesus for the answers?
Will we resist the redeeming call of Christ and end up as spiritual wreckage or will we live a life of repentance?
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Recalibration, Part 2
In his book, “In the Name of Jesus,” Henri Nouwen did some self-assessment as he entered the second half of his life and ministry. One area he highlighted was the tension between coasting and character development. Nouwen commented:
“Everyone was saying that I was doing really well, but something inside was telling me that my own success was putting my own soul in danger. I began to ask myself whether my lack of contemplative prayer, my loneliness, and my constantly changing involvement in what seemed most urgent were signs that the Spirit was gradually being suppressed” (p.10).
Sometimes what everyone says is completely inaccurate. Typically, “everyone” will let you coast. They will not insist on accountability. They will not sharpen you as a servant of God. They will not thoughtfully speak the truth to you with love. It is very difficult to get genuine feedback as you progress in years. If you accept what “everyone” says and coast easily down the path of no recalibration, you may end up in a place where the Spirit is being suppressed.
If you are caught up in the flow of hurried prayer, an isolated life, and constantly shifting urgency, you may need to pause and be attentive to Jesus’ words, “Come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Is there margin in your life for stillness and authentic conversation with God? Do you have someone in your life who can speak hard truths to you? Are you growing into new and fresh learning from God’s Spirit or are you recycling the old standbys of your past?
Summer is a time to recalibrate. Your Savior leads you to paths of living water and soul restoration. Are you coasting or are you positioned for character development? What recalibration needs to happen in your life?
“Everyone was saying that I was doing really well, but something inside was telling me that my own success was putting my own soul in danger. I began to ask myself whether my lack of contemplative prayer, my loneliness, and my constantly changing involvement in what seemed most urgent were signs that the Spirit was gradually being suppressed” (p.10).
Sometimes what everyone says is completely inaccurate. Typically, “everyone” will let you coast. They will not insist on accountability. They will not sharpen you as a servant of God. They will not thoughtfully speak the truth to you with love. It is very difficult to get genuine feedback as you progress in years. If you accept what “everyone” says and coast easily down the path of no recalibration, you may end up in a place where the Spirit is being suppressed.
If you are caught up in the flow of hurried prayer, an isolated life, and constantly shifting urgency, you may need to pause and be attentive to Jesus’ words, “Come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Is there margin in your life for stillness and authentic conversation with God? Do you have someone in your life who can speak hard truths to you? Are you growing into new and fresh learning from God’s Spirit or are you recycling the old standbys of your past?
Summer is a time to recalibrate. Your Savior leads you to paths of living water and soul restoration. Are you coasting or are you positioned for character development? What recalibration needs to happen in your life?
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