Entries Tagged 'questions' ↓

Question 1 - What makes church healthy?

Question 2 - Describe any experiences you’ve had at a healthy church?

Question 3 - Is Western Christianity doing its job? If yes, why? If no, what could be done?



I don’t think Western Christianity is doing its job…. I could cite book after book, survey after survey of why the Church is failing. Even in the failure, God continues to use a flawed system to do miraculous things for His Kingdom, but we mustn’t use this excuse to ignore the problem.



Right now we have 3 different era’s alive and contributing to society, the Boomers, Busters and Mosaics… In the next twenty years we are going to see a big drop in Church tithing, as the Boomer are the biggest givers (who have financed most Church growth in the last 50 years). The Buster’s and the Mosaics choose to give their tithes to other sources, namely social and environmental causes. If nothing changes, the Church will lose its funding and therefore lose its ability to present the programs it has built into the “Church Experience” we are witnessing today. Sorry, there is no citations here… but most of this is readily available in George Barna’s book “Revolution;” “The Millennium Matrix” by Rex Miller; “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne; and “Everything Must Change” by Brian McLaren; just to name a few of the authors talking this lingo…

So, what can be done?! It seems that the biggest obstacle of the Church is to transition from program based Church to missional based church. A big challenge when faced with the gap in communication styles between the Boomers and the Mosaics. Only a few pastors I have talked to are in tune with this cultural transition, and there is major dissonance in their opinions on how Church should respond. Some chose to ditch the boomers entirely and focus on missional style church, while others can’t quit the money stream and remain focused on maintaining the status quo, even as the status quo dies off. It is a fascinating time to be in vocational ministry, that is for sure!



My prayer is that the church, in whatever form, chooses to be committed to community and finds a mission to take part in (not only to give money to, but to also get their hands dirty in). The Kingdom of God is here and now and I want to be apart of refocusing minds not on a building of stone and clay, but on proclaiming the foundation of Christ.

Just like community, the church is best when there is a missional focus. This missional attitude is the sticky part of community, it is the glue that holds relationships in place. Everyone needs two things in life to be fulfilled: Affirmation (love) and a sense that they are contributing to something meaningful (being an integral part of the whole). Therefore, it would make sense that a community of believers who have decided to join the work of God in this world, would choose to attach themselves to a mission of sorts whether it is the poor, the homeless, the addicted, or international students, Africa, orphans, special needs, wells for africa, the mocha club, et cetera… The healthiest, churches are ones in which their lives are centered not around themselves but around a greater need.

That is what Jesus has called us to be: Missionaries to the world, no matter where we live, sleep and eat.

Question 1 - What makes church healthy?

Question 2 - Describe any experiences you’ve had at a healthy church?

Okay, this is going to be answered from the perspective of the body of Christ, a community of believers, not the Church as an organization.  The healthiest church has always been one that holds community in high regard, and strives to bring the Kingdom of God to this world (has a mission).  In my life, Church has always been ugly.  In that light, you can see why much of what I say is anti-Church and pro-church…  The following are some specific instances where I have experienced a healthy church:

FCA summer camps (2001-2004) - This was my first taste in community of believers, centered around athletics and Jesus.  It was a with a group of 10-15 counselors that I trained for 3 summers in a row.  Truly an awesome time in my life.  Prayer was daily, Worship was passionate, and Competition was fierce!  We were friends from different Universities, different upbringings and different denominations, but all united around one mission, that was to proclaim the adventure of receiving Christ as Lord through the avenue of athletics.

Kanakuk Colorado (2005-2007) - A truly beautiful experience where a community becomes so close it transforms friendships into family.  I give credit to this place for awakening my desire for Christ and a community to worship Him in.  It was a chapter of my life that is a mix of joy and sorrow - within a close-knit community you share in the joys and sorrows of each member…  We experienced both the celebration of marriage(s) and the grief of premature death within the three years I worked at this place.

Norman Community Church (2004-2006) - During Grad school at OU, I was apart of a Church that did church like I’d never seen before… With the housechurch as the core place of worship, Church was decentralized and the community was empowered to be missional in their approach.  Housechurches were characterized by their unique missional focus, ie: Greek, International, College, Married, Special Needs, Homeless, et cetera… Each housechurch was directed in ministry by the pastor and leadership team. Sunday celebration was held twice a month at a school cafeteria and the other Sunday meetings were held at peoples homes.  Accountability was directed from a paid pastor who met directly with housechurch leaders and had additional accountability through a sister church in OKC.  It was not perfect but it was a joy to be apart of, a very genuine place… as well as a place where people got the opportunity to be church as opposed to just doing Church.

Just a little preface. The following is mostly my opinion, (answers to a friend questions about the health of church) though it is based in scriptures, theological/social/biblical) commentary and experience; it is not absolute. God is moving in many different forms of Church and we can not say that there is one form of church that is perfect, (even though I may say one is better than the rest… it is far from perfection). Also, it depends on who we are ministering to, boomers (1940-1965) and early buster’s (1965-1975) prefer presentation (program based church), while late busters (1975-1985) and mosaics (1985+), prefer more of a convergent, missional church.

Also, many people are fearful of confronting the institution of Church, because they fear being called a heretic for their questioning… but as many wise people have said, it is in questioning and seeking that we find truth! Besides a heretic is only someone who questions Orthodox belief… there was a time when Galileo was a heretic for believing the earth was round (sidenote: flat-earthers still exist)

So with that preface I’ll begin answering a few questions on church health.

What makes church healthy?

A couple of definitions:

Church (capital C) - the institution of religious practice; the local congregation; the denominations; the buildings; mainline and evangelical; basically Western Churchdom.

church (small c) - the bride of Christ; the body of Christ; a community of believers; not relating to a building, sect, or denomination.

I suppose you are asking what makes the Church healthy, being the local congregation or the institution of religion we call Church. If we are looking at the Church in this way, we must first identify the hierarchy of the current system of Church, mainline or evangelical (it is mostly the same). They are formed in the likeness of a corporation, with a CEO (pastor), Board of Directors (staff, deacons and elders) and shareholders (the congregation). This hierarchical system can be a expansive and powerful machine, or a small-time, mom and pop shop. Either way the goal is the same to preach a message that is related to truth, but not too truthful as to upset the shareholders (which provide the operating budget).

This is a tricky proposition, as the CEO has two masters to appease, one of preaching Christ Crucified and the other of paying off the note on the new million dollar sanctuary.

Now I am being a little facetious… as many churches across this great nation are doing great things in the name of the Lord, with flat screen TV’s in the sanctuary, multi-million dollar facilities and smoke machines for the praise band.

It is not necessarily the form of church I prefer, but again God is using it in a mighty way.

Now, the health of these organizations is reflective of the leadership’s capacity. The leader is the lid - and no organization/ministry can grow past the capacities of it’s leader. If a leader empowers his/her people, as a true servant-leader, much can be done in the name of the Lord. But if the leader is unwilling to give up control and leads as a tyrant (yes, even some pastors lead in this way), the church can not do much good.

Now it is true that God used an Ass, but that doesn’t mean we have to be Asses.

So health of a Church is a direct reflection of the leadership. Healthy-humble leadership = healthy-usable Church.

If I am asked, as a purely intellectual question, why I believe in Christianity, I can ony answer, “For the same reason that an intelligent agnostic disbelieves in Christianity.”  I believe in it quite rationally upon the evidence.  But the evidence in my case, as in that of the intelligent agnostic, is not realy in this or that alleged demonstration; it is in a enormous accumulation of small but unanimous facts.

pg. 216, Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

G.K. then goes on for around about 10 pages… giving examples of and arguments against that which an intelligent agnostic would use to disprove God, or in the least to give reasons one could not believe in God.  Which in G.K.’s mind is a decision based on un-true demonstrations or as he puts it chance rationalist arguments.  To begin to follow his line is a exercise of the mind, though it is very logical, it is also very philosophical (meaning: big words and complex sentences).   I encourage anyone to pick up this book and ponder its words… I often recommend Orthodoxy to people with intelligent determination and ambitious doubts as it took me 2 years and many a G2 to sift through the language, thoughts and arguments.

Last week I pulled the pin and dropped a grenade into my comfortable life… In the aftermath many are confused and I am staggering about… not in a daze, but in apprehension. It seems I have a limited time to decide what is next, and in this angst, I am constantly seeking out God’s word for my life.

This morning I found myself reading and meditating on 1 Samuel 3. Samuel’s initial response to God’s voice was to think that Eli was calling him, not realizing it was God who was speaking, Samuel went in and woke Eli up 3 times… before he finally was advised by Eli to say to the Lord, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

I have always had a deep affinity with Samuel, who plays a pivotal role in the transition from Israel being ruled by prophetic Judges to the appointment of a King, and the beginning of the end of the Kingdom of Israel. In such a time of upheaval, the people of Israel show brash arrogance and envy. Wanting to be like the kingdoms that surround them, they give up their submission to a loving and protective God to put their trust in a man, a king. And throughout this turbulent time, Samuel stays his course as a messenger of God… speaking truth while the Israelite’s turn their backs on God best!

And as I sit amid this great upheaval in America, I say the same thing to God, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Just wanted to know your thoughts on this statement.

Agree or disagree???

The greatest adventure in life is not an exotic safari, a booming business success or a love relationship with that perfect someone.  Rather, it’s discovering the purpose for our lives.

Scarcity - In economics, scarcity is the problem of infinite human needs and wants, in a world of finite resources. In other words, society does not have sufficient productive resources to fulfill those wants and needs. (wikipedia)

It is in the mind that we battle the reality of the world. We read about it, hear about it and see it all around us, but it is as if our mind is playing the like monkey figurines found in touristy stores, and airports…
See no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.

Question: In a blind, deaf and dumb world, who is king?

What happens when we turn a blind eye to the signs impending scarcity? When we tune out the cries of scientist’s and environmental advocates as they speak of the damage our excess is causing? Who then is foolish one, the tree hugger or the one who no longer has a tree to hug?

As I sit and contemplate these things, my mind battles on… YOU ARE THE GUILTY ONE! YOU ARE APART OF THE PROBLEM! YOU ARE TO BLAME! and this internal battle is beginning to hurt. It is time to change, time to modify my behavior… They say it takes 90 days to change a behavior/habit. 90 days! That is 3 months of constantly choosing against the feelings of your body and mind, of using some self-control. Like Paul says in the good book, it is hard to make your body your slave… it is against our fleshly desires of greed, want and instant gratification.

Some people are getting it, but unfortunately the citizens of the Midwest are stalwarts and laggards in this green movement. What can I do that actually reduces my carbon footprint (mine is 19.505 tonnes, which is a tad below the US average of 20.4)? I must begin to do the things I have ignored… Can I do reduce and still live in abundance? That depends on my definition of abundance…

An abundance of friends, smiles and food or an abundance of clothes, styles, and stuff.

Abundance in the former is the scarcest of all commodities (something that is useful and/or valuable). We are (forgive the use of this next word) “brainwashed” to be ill content, to compare and to always want more, better and the best. Contentment that is rooted in simplicity and selflessness, is hard to come by in a consumerist world, driven by advertisements the illusion of “lack”. There is a scarcity of common sense, self-control and contentment in this world, it is this problem that must be overcome to provide a solution to the other scarcity problem on this world.

Think about this provocative quote:

If the earth dies, you die. If you die the earth survives. - The Day the Earth Stood Still

Tell me, why is it that life ebbs and flows? Screamingly fast, one second; and excruciatingly slow the next. It is a fact of life, and there is no other explanation than this: God loves to screw with our routines… sorry, mess with our routines (much more God-like lingo).

And as an acquaintance of mine recently said, “It is life that is messy, life that is fast-paced, life that is unpredictable… and we might as well stop fighting it and just go with the flow no matter the clip.” Ok, my acquaintance didn’t say this, I cannot remember exactly what he said… this is my interpretation of the idea he so eloquently stated. No matter how it is stated the take-away is the same: stop relying on yourself, start relying on Jesus. Stop trying to control the frenzy that is life on this spinning piece of rock and clay; start opening your hands, loosen the grip on your dreams, desires, possessions and accomplishments. Take the strengths, talents and abilities God has given you and give them back; to be used for His purpose and calling, and not your own.

This doesn’t mean quit your job, sell your car and become a hobo. It means different things for different people… I cannot tell you what has superseded Christ in your life… you have to take stock of your own lot and let the chaff be burned away… uncovering God’s best for you, the grain/fruit that nourishes others and brings you joy. Cause that is what our gifts, talents and abilities are ultimately for, to lead others to the nourishing waters of Christ. Cool.

This Sunday I am traveling about as far away from Oklahoma as I can… All the way across the globe to Indonesia, with most of our two weeks spent on an island west of Sumatera.  I am going with a great friend of mine, Joe Hall, who lived there for the past 3 years and will be the tour guide for the trip.  From what I know, we are going to be doing some disaster relief with an International NGO, which includes teaching some farming techniques, some ESL, some construction and some repairs.  It is a mixture of traveling for travelings sake while also doing some good.  A mixture I think I am preferring, rather than just traveling for the exotic food and beers…  While in Trinidad last year I helped build an addition to a building, mixing mortar, stacking cinder blocks, carrying cement, and other labor intensive tasks.  It was a way to soak in the culture, be around the locals and do good.

I leave on Sunday, May 11 and will be gone till the 25th.  I don’t think I will have computer access, though I will be journaling and taking mad photos… so be on the look out for a random entry and then a dumping when I get back.  I can honestly say that I am looking forward to the experience and am getting incredibly anxious for the 30 hour travel day… blah.

Question that was posed (here) (copied below in its original form):

I have a question about the definition of “culture”. I think of culture more as a two way street - both reflecting people and molding them at the same time. It seems that the weaker ones are molded more and the stronger are the ones whom it reflects (this is tenative and a huge generalization).

However, the emergent movement seems to follow culture and modern (meaning current) philosophy rather than the Word. It’s like looking at the Bible through the lens of postmodernism, instead of looking at the world and all it entails through the lens of a biblical worldview.

I know exactly what you’re talking about in the review of chp 2 concerning the particular minestry, but one’s faith cannot be dictated by other people. A church building is still filled with sinful people, and this gives us great joy to look forward to the only perfect Church ever - in heaven.

What are your thoughts?

________________________________________

My thoughts:

True, the definition of culture is paramount to how we react to the words of Jesus… but we have to remember that all of our known theology was influenced by the culture of the day, namely the enlightenment, and then modernity.

Even Jesus’ teaching reflected a cultural understanding, or influence. So in that sense we must read the Scriptures with different lenses then our own. And in reading we begin to deconstruct (yes, Derrida), or better defined, we begin to look at the text through the cultural lenses of Jesus and his disciples.

The Enlightenment and Modernity brought with it a dualistic theology - separation of secular and sacred… But Jesus did not live in such a realm, he lived life in the grey, life between the ‘righteous’ and the ’sinner’, the clean and the unclean. In doing this he was always moving within culture(s), though not corrupted by them.

Emerging Christians are most definitely following culture, though not in the sense that you espouse. They are trying to take the message of the gospel, which is to love thy neighbor (enemy) as thyself, just as God has loved you and you love God.

When I was in grad school, we had a project consisting of cultural exegesis. Which basically was a project in observing a particular subculture, interviewing the participants, and constructing a plan to show them the Gospel message. In the 60 different papers that my classmates wrote, there were many different routes to sharing the gospel message of love. In this setting an emergent christian flourishes… looking for ways to integrate faith within the daily lives of non-believers.

Like it or not we live in a Postmodern world… a world vastly different than even 20 years ago. A world that communicates, disseminates, and circulates information in the blink of an eye (a shift in epistemology). In this flat world we cannot be stalwarts clinging on to the particular doctrinal pillars of our local church, rather we must cling on to the words of Christ and his commandments to Love one another, and in doing this we bring the Kingdom of God to the here and now… the perfect church is not something to look forward to, rather it is something to take part in. We are to be a light on a hill, salt to the earth, we are holy and righteously broken. And in this humble state we are to be the body of Christ, the incarnation of his will to the marginalized, the poor, and the fatherless.