Emergent Brethren

I am reading Reggie McNeal’s book “Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church.” And it is timely in light of the Impact Ministries we want to develop at Community of Joy… where we encourage teams of people to see needs and meet needs as expressions of God’s love and avenues for developing and deepening relationships.

Here are some quotes that support this move…

“In a kingdom oriented worldview, the target of God’s redemptive love is the world, not the church (“For God so loved the WORLD,” Jesus said; not for God so loved the church). This means that God is always at work in the world, not just in the church, prosecuting his redemptive mission. His efforts are not shrink-wrapped down to church activity, nor is he hamstrung in his progress by waiting for the church to join him in what he is doing.”

“A Kingdom oriented approach seeks to leverage the gospel into people’s lives right where they live, work, and play. The church is wherever followers of Jesus are. People don’t go to church, they are the church. They don’t bring people to church, the bring the church to people.” This idea goes right along with our idea that the body of people is the church not the building. The building is our Ministry Center not church!

“When the Church thinks it’s the destination, it also confuses the scorecard. It thinks that if people are hovering around and in the church, the church is winning. The truth is, when that’s the case, the church is really keeping people from where they want to go, form their real destination. That destination is life…. the church is the connector, linking people to the kingdom life that God has for them. Substituting church activity as the preferred life expression is as weird as believing that airports are more interesting than the destination they serve.”

Near the end of his book, Organic Leadership, Neil Cole writes… “We often approach church and ministry with a theology of SAFE.

Self-preservation = our mission
Avoidance of the world and risk = wisdom
Financial security = responsible faith
Education = maturity

Interesting thought!

NOW compare this to Neil’s theology of Death….

“Perhaps it is time we embrace a theology of death.

Dying daily to who we are
Empowering others (not self) as our life
Accepting risk as normative
Theology as not just knowledge but practice
Holding tight to christ and having an open hand with all else that we posess

I have long hated altar calls… since a boy in growing up in church… they seem so manipulative. And frankly, I don’t think they work anymore these days. In fact, let me say that stronger… they DON’T work!

Here’s why I say that so strongly… three weeks ago on Feb 22, I offered an altar call in both of our worship gatherings… NO response. None… Nada… Zip! Then the very next Sunday – March 1, I introduced a response card in each bulletin. I got 7 responses that day from people wanting to commit their lives to Christ, be baptized, and/or join the church. The very next week, I got 3 responses.

Go figure!

I think the day of the altar call in USAmerica is over!

Thoughts?

I am working my way through Organic Leadership by Neil Cole. Neil is the author of several great books… Organic Church and Cultivating a Life for God are two of the ones I have read and appreciated. He is also the founder of Church Multiplication Associates.

Near the end of Organic Ledership, Neil writes about leadership saying, “The greatest leaders are not those who win the most followers. The greatest leaders are the ones who produce other leaders.”

What do you think?

In that same chapter, Neil also says that he finds Jesus articulates three things that are crucial for success…1. Faithfulness, 2. Fruitfulness, and 3. Finishing Well.

What do you think?

Finally Neil draws on the work of J. Robert Clinton and says that these five factors enhance the probability that a leader will finish well.

1. Perspective – “a leader who finshes well has a persepctive that focuses his or her energies on ministry strengths over the course of a lifetime.”

2. Renewal – “a leader who finishes well enjoys repeated times of spiritual renewal.”

3. Discipline – “a leader who finishes well has learned to discipline his or her spiritual formation.”

4. Learning – “a leader who finishes well maintains a learning posture throughout life.”

5. Mentoring – “a leader who finishes well has recognized that such a feat does not come about through going it alone. Leaders who finish well mentor others and are also mentored.”

What do you think?

Here is a link to a growing movement that some might be interested in.