Two free e-books!

"A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Church..."

Churches often find themselves floundering in a sea of busy programs or dying the slow death that accompanies a lack of compelling vision. One simple distinction provides the understanding we need to see how these things happen and how they can change.

Jesus said he would build his church and called us to make disciples.

Often, our drive to build the church (to our own glory) runs us ragged and distracts us from the true mission of the church namely, to make disciples.

"A Funny Thing..." looks at the distinction between building churches and making disciples and how our choic of focus affects the church.


"Membership, Leadership and Discipleship"

Well-defined words are necessary in any organization. Good leaders, then, are the protectors of words. In the church, there are many words worth protecting. Big words like substitution, atonement, redemption and deity need to be protected. And, although they may not seem as critical, we will find that words like membership, leadership and discipleship need protection as well.

How Jesus Made Disciples (from theResurgence)

A great series on discipleship from the folks at the Resurgence:

Posts in this series:

Hospitality

Mission

Emotion

Monologue & Dialogue

Stupid Questions

The Heart

Testing

Object Lessons

Discomfort

Sending & Praying

Pointing to the Father

Pointing to the Spirit

Dying

Jesus Equips

Jesus’ Teaching Methods

Additional Resources
"Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." - A message on Luke 5:1-11.(Discussion Questions)

The Trellis and the Vine - I'll mention it again... it is worth your reading!

Building The Church or Making Disciples
Why We Prefer Church-Building
The Downstream Effects of Church-Building
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 1
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 2
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 3
How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 1
How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 2

"Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men" - Luke series #7

The American church is in a state of crisis. Churches are faltering at a rate of 3500 per year and the hypocrisy of American Christianity is notorious. Why is the church no longer a community where lives are transformed from self-absorbed to God-entranced? ... from sadly narcissistic to joyfully generous?

This message in our series "the red letters" looks for answers in the calling of the first disciples in Luke 5:1-11.


Jesus' example reveals the importance of the right message, the right approach and the right leader.

The right message
Jesus was preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:18-18, 43). Without a resolve to uphold the orthodox Gospel at the root of all teaching, the church quickly abandons Christ for another Gospel (subtle though it may be). This removes the lifeblood of any fruitful, Christ-exalting church.

The right approach
Jesus preached to the crowds and chose a few "that they might be with him and he might send them out" (Mark 3.14). Our minds tell us, that for big impact, we need big programs and events. Jesus, because he cared for the crowds, focused on multiplying his life through a few. Too many churches are busy and, yet, do not know each other enough to truly spur one another on to love and good deeds. "More time with less people equals greater impact."

The right leader
Jesus revealed that he was the authority even where Peter was an expert (fishing). He is the head of the church. The church is to grow up into one head (Eph 4:15), following His example and teaching for His glory. Any confusion on this is disastrous to the church as, inevitably, a faulty personality or idea rises to take Christ's place.

The message examines the state of Summitview in these areas as well as the attitude that should naturally arise (shown in Peter) when these things are held correctly.

Additional Resources
Discussion Questions

How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 2

(continued from 1/13/10)

Pack a lunch
Shelli and I have been together for almost 17 years and I feel like, in some things, we are just getting to know each other. Over the last several years we have lived with various friends for an extended time and, in that time, we are always amazed at what we learn. This is why discipleship takes time.

The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. (Proverbs 20.5)

The purpose in my heart must be patiently pumped out by a man of understanding. That takes time. Once the purpose is exposed, I need help seeing how the Gospel addresses it. That takes even more time. Discipleship is time-consuming. If we are going to do it, we need to pack a lunch and be intentional to provide the time. We aren't going to be able to do everything an American family is expected to do (hobbies, extra activities, entertainment, etc). If we are unwilling to live differently, I'm not sure why we should expect the Gospel to affect us at all.

Let the Scripture set the agenda
For years now the Bible has served this role in my relationships: ask a lot of questions about life and then, when I see any problems, I bring in the Bible as a source for solutions. This acknowledges that the Bible is an inerrant source for solutions but it misses something.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4.12)

The Bible is authoritative. It reveals us, we don't reveal it. More than a resource, the Scripture is a mighty force for the change we seek in discipleship. A church that is making disciples will lean on the Scripture in personal conversations and in teaching because it, and not our wisdom, pierces through our defenses and addresses the heart.

Stick to Good News
No one says it better than Keller:

"For a long time I understood the “gospel” as being just elementary truths, the doctrinal minimum requirement for entering the faith. “Theology,” I thought, was the advanced, meatier, deeper, biblical stuff. How wrong I was! All theol- ogy must be an exposition of the gospel"

If we are going to be transformed, if we are to find life, hope and joy we need to be experts in the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17). It's not the doorway to greater truth, it is the keel on our ship at all times. It is the only thing that promotes goodness and change while excluding boasting. It is the only thing that offers a no-strings motivation for love and forgiveness. All theology and every principle must be shaped by and grounded in the Gospel. Don't move past it. Stick to it.

Resource the Good News
Because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation, we need to be continually refreshed in it. Disciple-making environments are Gospel-soaked environments. We should be continually looking for new ways to bring Christ-exalting, Gospel-rich, biblically-solid resources to the church. Write a blog or something. Think of social networking as a place to resource your friends. Buy books for people. Buy books for yourself. Read them. Read them with others. Listen and watch great messages. Swim. (Here is an example)

Pray. And when you pray...
Because disciple-making is a matter of the heart, the prayers of disciple-makers will be heart-focused. That is what we see of Paul's prayers. They are prayers to realize the greatness of God and the wonders of the Gospel at the level of the heart. (A collection of New Testament Prayers - MS Word)

Leaders, in your doing, think more about training

what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2.2)

There are four generations in this passage. In everything we do, we should be thinking about how to train someone else to do the same thing. In fact, we should seek to train trainers. Do more than delegate. Do things with people with the intent to train. This will leverage your activities, not create new ones.

Help people together. Ask someone you meet with one-on-one to bring someone else on occasion. Bring families together and be willing to be interrupted by parenting. It will bless your kids and create a learning environment for the parents. As a pastor, I'm asking people who need counseling to bring their small group leaders or close friends with them. This increases the involvement of a community and trains people to minister the Gospel to the hurting.

Give up the need to be cool
If you are carrying the Gospel message, you're not going to be a trend setter (at least not for long). I know. I feel it. We are known as the backward ones. The non-thinkers. The hypocrites. The freaks. I know, it's not fair and it would be so great to find some respect out there but it ain't happening.

The drive for cultural acceptance is always attended with a drive to shave off the "unacceptable" parts of the message. When we do that, we sacrifice the very truth that changes us and discipleship stops. Whatever your approach, you'll be despised somewhere. It's o.k. be different "wisdom is justified by all her children" (Luke 7.33–35).

Think small and personal, not big and flashy
Big and flashy takes time and does not address individual needs. We have all grown up believing that big impact comes with big events, big numbers and flashy production. We need to shake that mentality and strategically plan for personal administration of Gospel truth. Jesus taught the crowds but His ministry was for a few. The church in Jerusalem met in people's homes.

From The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne:

"...despite the almost limitless number of contexts in which it might happen, what happens is the same: a Christian brings a truth from God's word to someone else, praying that God would make that word bear fruit through the inward working of his Spirit."

That is disciple-making and it looks small and humble, but it's how people change.

The End
Could it be that the ubiquitous hypocrisy and burn out in the American church might be a result (at least in part) of our focus on building churches over making disciples? Certainly there are reasons to believe there is a connection. Regardless, Jesus' mandate is clear. Our focus is to be life-on-life discipleship (Matt 28:19-20, 2 Tim 2:2). My prayer is that this series will stir a desire for that simple (yet demanding) ministry and that it may generate some creative ideas for change. May this really be just the beginning.

Additional Resources
The Supremacy of Christ and The Gospel in a Post-Modern World - Tim Keller (an absolute must-watch for those interested in evangelism)
"Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." - last Sunday's message on Luke 5:1-11, which addresses many of the things in this series. (Discussion Questions)
The Trellis and the Vine - I'll mention it again... it is worth your reading!

A final summary of this series of posts:
Leadership Fridays: Building The Church or Making Disciples
Leadership Fridays: Why We Prefer Church-Building
Leadership Fridays: The Downstream Effects of Church-Building
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 1
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 2
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 3
How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 1
How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 2

How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"? - Part 1

Ubiquitous. It's a fun word. It describes things that are found everywhere: Starbuck's, thick-rimmed glasses, government spending... you get the idea. Churches who have a few, very busy, burned out or burning out volunteers wondering why people don't change are, unfortunately, ubiquitous. It seems easy to end here.

For the last several weeks, I have been describing what my fellow pastors/leaders have discovered needs to change in our church. Today I'm hoping to lay out some preliminary ideas for that change (also a fun word lately). It is the final post on the series that began with the discovery that Jesus said He would build his church and He called us to make disciples.

Here's a summary of this series of posts:
Leadership Fridays: Building The Church or Making Disciples
Leadership Fridays: Why We Prefer Church-Building
Leadership Fridays: The Downstream Effects of Church-Building
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 1
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 2
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 3

How does a church change from "church-building" to "disciple-making"?
Be ruthless, not reckless
As the distinction between "church-building" and "disciple-making" becomes clear, it is easy to recklessly trim church structure and programs. Make no mistake, in many situations, we need to do more than tweak our existing structures. We are talking about fundamental change and we may need to start from scratch. We must be ruthless about our extra-biblical processes and patterns but ruthless is different than reckless.

We can't be afraid to slaughter sacred cows but we must be careful with people. Many have given their lives (in good faith) volunteering to serve in the structures we are demolishing. Most of them are there because we or other leaders have asked for their help. They have some vision for their ministry and, if it must change, they need to see some vision for that change. Be patient and open to dialogue. Build vision for the new before tearing down the old.

First impressions are critical
Somehow our conscience to evangelize is sharper than our conscience to make disciples (which is much more than evangelism). My sense of obedience is much stronger after "sharing the gospel", than it is after a night of transparent, bible-saturated conversation with friends. This is a problem. Gospel-sharing occurs without any intentions for disciple-making (and that becomes acceptable). I shudder to think of how many times I have sat down and walked through a gospel presentation without the desire or margin to carry on the relationship.

Here is the thing. If this happens, people might still hear the Gospel and, because it is the power of God for salvation, they might trust it and become followers of Christ but they learn something wrong. They learn that we have a sales pitch to make and not a life to share. Out of the gate, the emphasis in the Christian life is on the sale and not on transformation. This produces a climate where the Gospel is received on an intellectual level but does not change us. Our internal lives remain unknown and, consequently, unaddressed by Gospel truth.

But, really, who has time for all this? I might have time for a two-hour conversation/presentation of the Gospel, but I'm already swamped with responsibilities and relationships. I can't add any more.

Yeah, that's a problem as well.

(continued tomorrow)

The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 3

(continued from yesterday)
These four characteristics of a disciple-making church bring us to the end of our (not exhaustive) list. Find the rest of the list here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

8. Hospitality. Whether it is the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42), Cornelius (Acts 10:48), Lydia (Acts 16:15) or the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:34), Luke reveals that hospitality accompanies salvation. In fact, in the New Testament, hospitality is so fundamental to the Christian life that it is a requirement for elders (1 Tim 3:2).
   
   Because church-building results in a focus on programming and events, they become the context for developing relationships. But making disciples is a much more intimate affair and it often happens over a meal and hours of discussion...in a home. In a church where disciples are being made, hospitality is common - even in the land of closed garage doors and foreign neighbors.
   
   
9. Peace. A common Savior (because Christ is central), common goal (because all are commissioned to make disciples) and common humility (because the Gospel is cherished) provide a foundation for unity (Eph 4:1-6).
   
   
10. Reproduction. Structure and personality will eventually be eaten by worms. The perseverance of the Gospel and the Church over 2000 years marked by different cultures, methods, personalities and governments, reveals the strength of the Great Commission. Disciple-making is reproducible in any situation.
    
    
11. An open hand on the results. Life-sucking legalism nips at the heels of every church. It leads to a white-knuckle grip on self-justifying results. Leaders get mad at the folks they lead because they aren't falling in line and validating their leadership. Parents are intense because good kids justify their "godly parenting." The pressure mounts with no rest.
    
    A culture of disciple-making focuses on the perfect righteousness of Christ that comes by faith (1 John 4:7-19). In this culture, actions follow blessing they don't lead to blessing. White-knuckles, competition and comparison are eliminated. We do because Jesus has done it all, not to obligate Him to do more (2 Cor. 5:14-15 and Psalm 4:5).
    
    The Gospel is communicated to neighbors and co-workers as an overflow of love for Christ not as a means of earning a place in the church. Parents parent because they are obeying their Savior, not to get good children. Husbands selflessly lead because they are modeling Christ, not to get perfect affirmation from their wives. Obedience is motivated by love not by earning (1 Cor. 4:7 and Titus 2:11-14) and this motivation is championed (John 14:15 and 1 John 3:24).

Maybe next year's Christmas programs will be more simple, maybe they won’t. In either case, I’m praying that 2010 will be the year that disciple-making takes its proper place over church-building. May God graciously bring these effects in churches all over America.

Additional Resources
A summary of this series of posts:
Leadership Fridays: Building The Church or Making Disciples
Leadership Fridays: Why We Prefer Church-Building
Leadership Fridays: The Downstream Effects of Church-Building
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 1
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 2
The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 3

The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples V. Building Churches - Part 2

(continued from yesterday's post)
The culture of a church committed to making disciples will be distinctive from a culture committed to building a church. These four "downstream effects" continue our New Testament survey of disciple-making cultures.

4. The number of disciples increases. Throughout the book of Acts, Luke recounts seasons of increase in the number of disciples who were obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7, Acts 14:21-22).
   
   If your goal is a crowd and you succeed then you will have a crowd and not necessarily anything else. If your goal is to make disciples then any increase will be with people whose desire is to obey Christ and not simply join a crowd.
   
   
5. Prayer looks more like the prayers of the New Testament. Our Father knows how to give good gifts so we have freedom to ask God for many things (Luke 11:5-13, Hebrews 4:16, James 5:13) but some prayers stand on promises.
   
   The new covenant gives us a better hope than any promise for better circumstances. It is a better hope by which we draw near to God (Hebrews 7:18-19). So prayers for individuals to see God’s glory (John 17:24 and 2 Cor. 4:4-6), love (Ephesians 3:14-20) and our hope (Ephesians 1:15-18 and Col. 1:9-11) are in accordance with the promises of the Gospel.
   
   In a culture of church-building, prayers are often focused on nickels, numbers or the next big event. In a culture of disciple-making, prayer is continual (1 Thes 5:16-18), individual and Gospel-centered.
   
   
6. Leaders are full of grace and power. Because they are disciples before they are leaders, the leaders have shown that their leadership is motivated by a love for Christ above a desire for recognition (Acts 6:3, 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9).
   
   Leaders are not dictatorial when the hearts of individuals are valued above numbers and quality programing. Yet, in their gracious concern for individuals, the leaders are not ineffective at leading. Their example powerfully inspires the church to wholehearted devotion to Christ.
   

   So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5.1–3)

7. People are sanctified. The goal of a disciple is to be like their teacher (Luke 6:40 and Romans 8:29). In a community where the word of God increases and the Gospel is cherished, people have all they need to change (John 17:17 and 2 Peter 1:3-4). Tim Keller provides a great description of this God-enabled, Gospel-empowered change:
   

   “Sanctification is not by ‘works’ but by a continuous re-orienting ourselves to our justification. So sanctification is not moralistic. Yet it takes enormous effort (so it is not quietistic.) When we feed on, remember, and live in accordance with our justification, it mortifies our idols and fills us with an inner joy and desire to please and resemble our Lord through obedience. But the feeding on, remembering, and living in accordance—takes all our effort.”

   In a disciple-making church, relationships are essential to reveal sin and idolatry. They also support repentance and the "enormous effort" of re-orienting ourselves to our justification.
   

(to be concluded tomorrow)

Additional Resources
Preacher Onlys are Not Good Preachers - Tim Keller
The Centrality of the Gospel - How the Gospel shapes the Christian life by Tim Keller (from Galatians 2)
What an Ornament to the Church! - a quote from "The Reformed Pastor" by Richard Baxter
Biblical Eldership - a fantastic book on the call and qualification of elders in the church by Alexander Strauch
The Prayers of New Testament Authors - a collection in a MS Word document

The Downstream Effects of Making Disciples v. Building Churches - Part 1

It was a beautiful service. The set was gorgeous. It was complete with towering Christmas trees decorated to emphasize the main point of the sermon. I would have paid to see the band play. The musicians were excellent performers - comfortable with the crowd and, as they say, tight. The church was packed with the hundreds who had, over the past 5 years, made this burgeoning church their home.

Many of us had the same experience this past Christmas, either as a visitor in the home church of a family member or in our own church. Sure, there were varying degrees of excellence but there was something every Christmas program had in common this year. They all took time and resources. The amount of time was, most likely, dependent on the size of the church. As churches grow, so do the expectations for the special performances. I know of churches whose preparation for the Christmas service begins in July.


The problem with my experience this Christmas was that I know a little something about the church. The church held all the right beliefs, but those beliefs were not working into the lives of the members. The Gospel was not finding its way into conversations about relationships, parenting, work and overcoming sin. With this in the background, it was hard to sit in this multi-million dollar facility during an excellent Christmas Eve service and relax. All I could see was the hours of effort to produce temporary excitement while many members were left alone to apply the Cross to their lives. It was like the 40 minutes of Christmas dinner that took 8 hours to prepare.

Excellent programming and big services are not inherently wrong. There are great examples of churches with excellent programming, growing numbers, building projects and changed lives but they are few. The "big" things too often distract from business of the church - at least as Jesus defined it. My Christmas experience is a great example. I only know because recently I have been broken over similar misplaced priorities.

Four weeks ago I wrote of the simple revelation that broke me and my fellow pastors and leaders. Jesus commanded us to make disciples (Matt. 28:19-20) and he takes responsibility for building the church (Matt. 16:18). Three weeks ago I discussed why it is tempting to pursue church-building over disciple-making. Two weeks ago I looked at the detrimental effects of focusing on church-building. The next three posts will examine 11 downstream effects (according to the New Testament) of committing resources to discipleship as a priority.

1. Christ is central.
   The first one is simple. Real disciples of Christ really put Christ first (Eph 4:15). Jesus freaks will distinctively mark a disciple-making church.
   
   
2. The word of God increases. As Luke recounts the history of the first church, he mentions an interesting indicator of success. He tells us that "the word of God increased" (Acts 6:7 and Acts 12:24).
   
   In the first case, the number of disciples was increasing in response to daily, ceaseless preaching "in the temple and from house to house" that Jesus was the Christ (Acts 5.42). So much was the increase that the shepherds needed to create structure to better minister to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals (Acts 6:2-4).
   
   Think of the situation. The numbers were increasing. Peter spoke and 3000 were "added to their number" in one day (Acts 2:41). It would have been very tempting to start thinking on a large scale, exclusively. My mind would be focused on how to leverage Peter's preaching for greater impact. But, in the explosion, the apostles did not let go of the simple focus on "feeding the sheep" and the word of God increased (Acts 6:7).
   
   In the second case, Luke provides another of his many contrasts. Herod put on his royal robes and gave great oration. His speech led the crowds to proclaim, "this is the voice of a god, not of a man!" (Acts 12:22). Big production. Big response. Big contrast to the increase of the word of God:
   

   Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. But the word of God increased and multiplied. (Acts 12.23–24)

   When a church maintains its focus on making disciples the word of God increases. This is counter intuitive to the natural man. In our natural thinking, the word of God increases with the volume and reach of the delivery... not so with kingdom of God. The word increases when we invest in one another, speak to one another, spur one another, pray with one another, weep with one another and love one another.
   
   When disciples of Jesus are made in the church, the word of God increases in the church. This gives the Holy Spirit a vocabulary that builds by pointing to the promises we have in Christ (Hebrews 6:13-20 and John 14:26).
   
   
3. The Gospel is cherished. Disciple making begins with an assumption: disciples must be made. We all need to change and change begins with honesty about our failures. Being transparent about sin destroys any silly notion that we can achieve a righteousness of our own even by our own standards (Romans 3:21-24 and 1 Timothy 2:3-6). The Gospel is every disciple’s only hope and, when disciple making is the focus of the church, the Gospel is cherished.

to be continued tomorrow...

Additional Resources
Changing Lives - Faithwalkers 2009 - audio from Great Commission's recent Christmas conference.
A message (.mp3) to our leaders regarding the practical effects of this change in paradigm
"The Trellis and The Vine" - by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne

Leadership Fridays: The Downstream Effects of "Church-Building"

This year, God's Christmas gift to the leadership team at Summitview was clarity. We are clear that our approach to ministry has emphasized the wrong things and we need to repent.

So two weeks ago I wrote about how we began to see a clear distinction between making disciples (which Jesus commanded us to do - Matt. 28:19-20) and building the church (which Jesus said he would do Matt. 16:18). Last week I discussed why it is easy to wrongly prefer church building over disciple making.

But what happens when leaders focus on building a church and not making disciples? Are there bad effects? How would we know that this was the focus? My own experience over the last 10 years has revealed some of the downstream effects of a focus on church building.

1) It's all "Top Gun" and no "We Were Soldiers"
An emphasis on building church structure leads to the celebration of the best structure-builders. The crowd-drawing, high-impact leaders become the center of attention. These top gun pilots are seen as the spiritual ones. Obviously, their visible impact verifies the presence of God in their lives... right? Eventually, church leaders aspire to become like the top guns (and not, coincidentally, Jesus). The people willing to quietly commit to making a few disciples of Jesus are unheralded in the "Top Gun" environment but the Great Commission looks a lot more like Hal Moore than it does Maverick.

2) The perpetual search for a silver bullet
If we build the church, then somewhere there must be a plan - a secret that will make it all come together. Our prayers are focused on asking God to reveal the silver bullet. We attend conferences to hear the national top guns explain the latest architectural plan. Our worship services, classes and marketing are planned with this in mind: "What can we do to get more people to come, stay and get plugged in?" I shudder at the hours, energy and focus of my life that have been consumed in the search for a silver bullet.

3) No deep Gospel work
In a church that is being "built" by men, the structure (great teaching, great music, many new attendees, new buildings, etc) is the focus of the conversation. Conspicuously absent in the man-built church are deep transparent relationships. Few are the conversations that help bring the glories of the Gospel to bear on the needs of people. Mom's don't talk about their anger and how it is connected to their insecurity. Men don't really talk about their consistent struggles with lust or laziness. Very few people are helping each other see the root of these problems. Folks may know the Gospel but they don't believe it and that lack of belief leaves them idolatrous, insecure and unsatisfied.

4) New systems of righteousness
As disciples we must "obey the Gospel" (2 Thes. 1:8). Among disciples of Jesus, the Gospel is ever-present in the conversations and the culture. When disciple-making takes a back seat to church building, the Gospel takes a back seat as well. It doesn't take long for the whole culture to then slip into a system of works righteousness.

Motivations are no longer downstream from the Gospel and flowing from a love for Christ. They are upstream from building the church. This kind of thinking prevails:

• We have good families because it attracts the lost.
• We pursue excellence in our programs because excellent programs bring and keep people.
• We serve in the church because, for the church to grow, it needs volunteers.
• We do big evangelistic events (and that's the only "evangelism" going on in our lives) because big events bring people, build the church... you get the idea.

Actions like these that are motivated by results and not by a love for Christ (John 14:15) are anti-Gospel and simply a form of religion.

5) Burn out
It takes a ton of work to build the church (maybe only God can do it). If our ministry 1) comes from the broken cisterns (Jer. 2: 13) of our own effort 2) to build something we were not supposed to build, we will burn out becoming disillusioned and bitter.

The only way Jesus can call us to take up our cross (Matt. 16:24) and give us a easy yoke and a light burden (Matt. 11:29-30) is if our cross-bearing is life-giving and not life-taking. Jesus said his food was to do his Father's will (John 4:34). When we are motivated by love to make disciples, we will enjoy the same food. Though we may be tired, we will not burn out.

6) No neighborhood involvement
The church building approach allows us to compartmentalize our lives. The God-stuff gets done by building the church and neighbors don't fit into the God compartment. In all fairness, church builders (of whom I have been the chief) do intersect neighborhood and God compartments from time to time... when they invite their neighbors to big church events.

7) Spectators
Marshall and Payne say it best in "The Trellis and the Vine"

"This is how we are used to thinking about the involvement of church members in congregational life - in terms of jobs and roles: usher, Bible study leader, Sunday school teacher, treasurer, elder, musician, song leader, money counter, and so on. The implication of this way of thinking for the congregation is clear: if all the jobs and roles are taken, then there's really nothing for me to do in this church. I'm reduced to being a passenger. I'll just wait until I'm asked to 'do something'. The implication for the pastoral staff is similar: getting people involved and active means finding a job for them to do. In fact the church growth gurus say that giving someone a job to do within the first six months of their joining your church is vital for them to feel like they belong."

Additional Resources
A message (.mp3) to our leaders regarding the practical effects of this change in paradigm
"The Trellis and The Vine" - by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne
"How NOT To Be a Missional Church" - a blog series by Jonathan Dodson at theResurgence
"Fight Clubs: Gospel-Centered Discipleship" - by Jonathan Dodson
"How Jesus Made Disciples" - a series of blog posts at theResurgence

Finally, I hate to do this to you but, in all its hyperbole, this video has something to say:

Leadership Fridays: Why We Prefer Church-Building

Yesterday I sat in a room of repentant pastors. We were discussing how we needed to make personal discipleship a priority in our own lives and the life of our churches. It was a humbling realization for all of us. We had considered ourselves sold out to the Great Commission and, yet, in reality, we all felt like we were too busy to see it happen in our own lives. What we discovered was that we had let ourselves become too busy.

After some discussion, it became apparent that each of us had been giving a similar portion of our lives to face-to-face, 2 Timothy 2:2 involvement in our churches. What was remarkable was that each of us came from very different circumstances. For some, administration (finances, facilities, etc) had consumed their time. Others lost time to the events and workings of a multi-staff church. Regardless of our circumstances we were all spending approximately the same amount of time making disciples. This betrayed problems deeper than staff, budget or congregation size. More or less of these things would not help us change. We needed to repent. We chose these priorities and we needed to choose new ones.

Last Friday's Leadership post was dedicated to the difference between making disciples and building churches. Simply stated: "Jesus takes responsibility for building the church and he does not delegate it. What he does delegate is the job of making disciples."

So why do we focus on church building?

1) Church building is less messy.
Disciple making involves sinners. It is a process that takes a railroad grade from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. Along the way mistakes will be made, hard words will be spoken, jealousy and defensiveness will get in the way and misunderstandings will be many. This racks our insecurities and tests our patience. It is a lot easier to develop a sermon outline or an org chart alone with a Caribou Coffee and my favorite playlist. It's easier to plan a small group discussion than it is to open your life over breakfast and the bible.

2) Church building can look more glorious.
Tim Keller once said that America is the most meritorious culture that has ever existed. Here our value is a function of what we build. Pastors size each other by the size of their churches. Small group leaders are valued for their multiplications. Our lack of gospel-identity drives us to build structure that validates our ministry, but Jesus will not share his glory as the head and builder of the church.

3) Church building seems manageable.
I can make flow charts. I can fill calendars. They don't require me to live a life worthy of the gospel. They don't sin. One of the satisfying things about being an engineer was the tangible product at the end of the day. I like that. Making disciples is a process that never sees the finish line and much of it is outside my control.

4) Church building appeals to our religious side.
There is a little bit of the first three in this one. If we build it, they should come and God should bring them. In our religious mind, our hard work, solid planning and good intentions obligate God to respond with a validating blessing. In this system we stay in control and get the glory. It's a dangerous and effective temptation.

Man-made structures glorify man. Lives changed by the work of God's Spirit to apply God's word among God's people glorify God.

Upcoming "Leadership Fridays":
12/18 - "The downstream effects of church building"
1/1/10 - "The downstream effects of disciple making"
1/8/10 - "How we change from church building to disciple making"

Additional Resources
"The Trellis and The Vine" - by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne

"What Col and Tony have described here is exactly what I've been trying to do in my own life and in our congregation for years. According to this book, Christians are to be disciple-making disciples and pastors are to be trainers. Superb! This book sets out a crucial shift that is needed in the mindset of many pastors. The authors have carefully listened to the Bible. And they've worked on this book. The result is a book that is well-written and well-illustrated, but even more, a book that is full of biblical wisdom and practical advice. This is the best book I've read on the nature of church ministry. "
- Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington DC, USA

Leadership Fridays: Building The Church or Making Disciples?

A funny thing happened on the way to church. Somewhere between my reckless, tell-all, "first love", simple devotion to Christ and leading a church of several hundred, I exchanged disciple making with church building.

I picked up the idea that, to be a pastor, I should build an organization that will accommodate a growing number of people. Leadership, excellence and creativity were the tools necessary for that success. My mind was filled with flow charts, graphs and schedules describing a structure that attended to the needs of every "attendee." If I would build it, they would come... and if they came, more were sure to follow. On the way to that church, I lost something significant.

Many pastors will be quick to tell you that the "church" has nothing to do with bricks and mortar but I venture that many, like me, shepherd their structures, programs and meetings before they shepherd the people. This is at best the first signs of the church's end and, at worst, it is blasphemous. The words of Jesus explain why:

"I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16.18)

Jesus takes responsibility for building the church and he does not delegate it. What he does delegate is the job of making disciples:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28.19)

Our responsibility is face-to-face, life-to-life, bible-open, prayerful, spurring one another to love and good deeds in response to the promises of the Gospel. This work is more difficult and more effective than preaching or building structure and it is to be the leader's focus (2 Tim 2:2).

"...I think it an easier matter by far to compose and preach a good sermon, than to deal rightly with an ignorant man for his instruction in the more essential principles of religion. As much as this work is contemned by some, I doubt not it will try the gifts and spirit of ministers, and show you the difference between one man and another, more fully than preaching will do." - Richard Baxter from "The Reformed Pastor"

Without a focus on making disciples, our structures (no matter how beautiful or popular) will hold people for a time and then, in hardship, they will slip through. As a result, many will look back in regret at years of busy "church building" that were absent of a growing affection for- and obedience to Jesus Christ.

The next four "Leadership Fridays" will examine the differences between "church building" and "disciple making." Specifically:
12/11 - "Why we prefer church building"
12/18 - "The downstream effects of church building"
1/1/10 - "The downstream effects of disciple making"
1/8/10 - "How we change from church building to disciple making"

Additional Resources
"Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship" - a free e-book by Winfield Bevins
"How NOT To Be a Missional Church" - a blog series by Jonathan Dodson at theResurgence
"Fight Clubs: Gospel-Centered Discipleship" - by Jonathan Dodson
"How Jesus Made Disciples" - a series of blog posts at theResurgence

Catechism? Really? a clarification from J.I. Packer

A group of aspiring leaders in our church has been reading "The Reformed Pastor" as a basis for challenge and discussion regarding the task of an overseer. The later half of the book emphasizes the need for catechizing the church, where, essentially, pastors systematically teach foundational biblical truths with individuals. We have been considering how that idea fits with our concept of discipleship, small groups and teaching. Today J.I. Packer wrote a piece for Crossway Books describing the important contribution of the ESV Study Bible for restoring this practice. It helped me see the connection between catechizing and what we call discipleship.

The ministry of an adult catechist is something which the early church understood very well. Every church worth its salt had an adult catechist to instruct inquirers. The catechism ministry has fallen very much into disuse in our time. And it is my privilege, I think, first of all to appreciate its importance, and then myself to model it in the writing and the teaching that I do. And then, in this particular project, to contribute to other people entering into the ministry of the adult catechist, with many more people profiting from that ministry on paper. Because that is what the ESV Study Bible really is—a catechizing document. Catechists teach people the truths that Christians live by and teach them how to live by those truths. That is what the material in the ESV Study Bible, taken as a whole, actually does. That’s the benefit that the reader of the Study Bible will get from the articles on Christian doctrine, on Christian ethics, on Christian faith and life, and a Christian stance in relation to any number of errors and alternatives that our time has produced.

What is it that I like most about the Study Bible? I think the simplicity and straightforwardness of its presentation of just about everything. The language that the drafters of the various articles have chosen seems to me to be down-to-earth, everyday language that any reader will find easy to understand. The text that the Bible works with, of course, is the ESV text, which has a straightforwardness, a simplicity, and a crispness which I very much appreciate. I like brisk, economical statements, and the ESV Study Bible is full of them.

Steve Timmis (author of Total Church) on Community Groups Training

Steve Timmis (co-author with Tim Chester of Total Church and the new director of Acts 29 in Western Europe) giving a three-part lecture at Mars Hill Church:







HT: Justin Taylor who tips his hat to: Mike Anderson

New Testament/Old School Dads

Over the course of the last several months a small group of young dads gathered at our church once a month to deepen their understanding of fatherhood.  The goal was to mine out the truths in the many "hints" scattered throughout the New Testament.  For instance, what do passages like this tell us about fatherhood:

I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ,as I teach them (1 Corinthians 4:14-17 ESV)

There is no direct instruction there but there is something, something to research and discuss.  So, without much more than that sense of direction, we set out to find the truth and, hopefully, be transformed by it.  

Here is my encouragement.  If you are looking to grow with other men in Christ-like fatherhood, grab these questions and spend a couple of hours on 5 Saturday mornings discussing them together.   Don't have any one teach.  Pray (a lot) for God's grace to reveal things in the Scripture and to convict your hearts each time and have someone facilitate a discussion.  

New Testament/Old School Fatherhood

Week 1 - Fathers are an example

Week 2 - Fathers set a Christ-centered agenda

Week 3 - Fathers bring discipline to their children

Week 4 - Fathers admonish holy living

Week 5 - Fathers leave and inheritance

Oh and I almost forgot... You're going to want a big whiteboard to make lists and organize your thoughts.

Shepherding a Child's Heart (content from The Resurgence)

Christ-centered, Christ-exalting, heart-oriented, biblical teaching on parenting.  Fantastic!  Get it FREE here.

Death By Love

A fantastic pastoral treatment of the theology of the cross: