Category: Leadership

I rarely post actual journal entries on my blog, but i was feeling very Jerry Maguire last night as we drove to a screening of the movie first snow (which, by the way, was so-so). You know the moment when Jerry wakes up in a cold sweat and composes his mission statement [not memo]? I had one of those moments last night. It is very rambling (thus the reason i rarely post journal entries) and hopefully by some miracle you will make it through….Here goes:

Unity. Something I have been seriously testing my heart on lately. Unity within the Church is so hard to come by lately it seems. From internally (my perspective as a PK growing up, and spending collectively seven years in full time vocational ministry)…it is so easy to tear down individual people with whom you work, to get frustrated with a certain department or ministry within the organization.

And externally: gossip, lying, betrayal; the Body of Christ beating up other members without a second thought. Generally speaking, local church congregations are competing instead of partnering to impact the communities in which we all are placed to be the Christ to those around us.

While there is always room for constructive criticism, iron sharpening iron per se, it should be handled with love, and Biblically, face-to-face. Not behind closed doors (or behind backs).

In the area of communication within a local church, something I have been a part of for the last two years, we especially are ever-so-fierce (without intending to be, I’m sure).

I have both been on the giving and receiving end of other church’s communication pieces, being hypercritical of their design and mistakes. I have also been hypercritical of ministries within the congregation where I serve.

What is troubling is the ease of which I have done this, and also have seen it done. When I truly reflect, I feel such conviction about conversations in which I have taken part, grumbling about this person, this ministry, this church…and how desensitized many of us have become.

These rants (subtle or obvious) litter our everyday conversations, blog posts, emails. And if we are so vocally open about them, what is truly the condition of our hearts concerning unity?

What is the condition of mine?

We tear apart the Body, piece-by-piece, oblivious to our actions…or their consequences. Again I quote the great Colson: Unity is the single most effective form of evangelism. I am learning how important this unity is. For the sake of believers…but also for the sake of those who don’t yet believe.

If you search for relgious books containing the word “Church” in the title on Amazon, your results will total somewhere around 69044.

Do you think we analyze too much and act too little?

Read the following familiar passage – the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This is what we studied on today before heading out to do surveys & interviews. Before leaving, we discussed it.

Something illuminated to me as we contemplated was how the Church can be compared to both of the sons. I’m sure this wasn’t the intent, but hey, the Word is a living thing, right? There are churches who represent both sons – the one who wandered away, chased meaningless things, and was left alone in the time of famine. Yet he wised up, humbled himself and came back. His father rejoiced.

The other son could represent the churches who have always been busy about “the Lord’s Work.” They’ve spent tireless hours, blood, sweat and tears and get a little grumpy when they don’t see the joy the father has over a renewed breath of life.

I am praying for a fresh spirit to go through our churches. Those who have knowingly or unknowingly wandered will have their hearts softened to return, and for those who have been around for seemingly all time, to be open to new life and celebrate the bride returning to her bridegroom.

Your thoughts?

And He said, “A man had two sons.

“The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me ‘ So he divided his wealth between them.

And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.

Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.

So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”‘

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate. Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be.

And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.

But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’

And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

I write this post from my newly borrowed 17″ PowerBook. I can honestly say, even on the days I feel fat and bloated (like today), this laptop makes me feel skinny again, as it hangs over a couple of inches on both sides while resting upon my lap.

Lately, it seems as if a frequented discussion in our circle of friends here has been the woman’s role in the church…should they be “over” things, or leading things, or teaching men or insert any vague & biblically unanswerable question to your liking here.

My personal and current belief (as my I am young enough to not have established many solid beliefs, but old enough to know the ones I have established could possibly change) is that if God has gifted you in leadership, you’re going to lead, whether you hold the vocational or volunteer role of leader or not. Jesus speaks incredibly highly of women and it’s obvious women were used all throughout history to play roles men couldn’t have played.

In today’s American church culture, we place such an emphasis on titles, that if a woman doesn’t hold a leadership title, sometimes people get upset because a man who is in a lateral role does get that title, and the American benefits that come with it (pay, notarity, and an office with a window).

Honestly, why should we even care? God is the one gifting you. God is the one directing where you serve. Pastor/Shepherd is by far the strongest “gift” in my gift mix, so does that mean God screwed up by making me a woman? Hardly. I will probably never serve as a pastor of some church (and really, that’s okay with me, I don’t think I should), but he will place people in my life that I can care for by using the gifts He’s given me.

All this to say, I think when people get upset about a woman not being able to go “as far” as a man can go in the church (on staff, or in leadership), it’s terribly ironic. We think the church is limiting what a woman can do; when in fact, we are limiting what women can do by placing it in the context of titles and not the global church.

Your thoughts?

Every year, lists are published for the biggest and baddest churches. The fastest growing. The most innovative. The largest. On one hand, it’s great to see how more and more lives are being changed (assuming that the church growth is not just from church transfer) and to see what’s going on. A little inspiration now and then isn’t bad.

But on the other hand…I wonder, why should we even care who gets on these lists?

I read some Oswald Chambers the other day. He said,

“Don’t rejoice in your successful service for [Christ], but rejoice because of your right relationship with [Christ]. The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service; rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ…it is actually by His mercy that He does not let you know it.“

I realize Oswald is not the gospel, but I think he brings up a good point. So many churches today say this like, “We are so humbled God has chosen to use us” … “We can only attribute our growth and success to God” … I’m sorry, but isn’t that like restating the obvious?

Maybe I’m just being cynical in writing this, but of course God has chosen to use you. It doesn’t take a magazine or a bunch of parachurch organizations to figure that out. What is disconcerting about it all is the feeling of inadequacy many pastors of churches not on these fashionable lists experience. As I researched blogs of pastors and church leaders, I found more dissention than unity, more discouragement than motivation when discussing these lists.

I know there isn’t some gory battlefield where churches duke it out to make it on these lists. These churches didn’t invent the list. They just end up there. After I began writing this post yesterday, a pastor friend of mine emailed me to say “Congrats, I see the church you work at made it on both the Outreach Top 100 Lists.” I didn’t even have a clue. I know we aren’t doing what we do to get our name in black and white on some list. And I realize it’s the same with the other churches.

Maybe the problem isn’t with the churches, but with the society that has to reward everything…Is it just me, or is it sad to discover the culture in which we “do church” has cultivated another one of our famous christian subculture spin-offs.

We have our own little version of The Forbes 100.

A very smart man said, “If you can’t be idealistic in a church, something’s wrong.” Is it too idealistic to hope that pastors who see the apparent “successes” of highly publicized churches could put down their church growth magazines and tune out all the buzz words that annihilate the innocent voice that was the only thing they needed to obey? Is it too idealistic for churches who gain attention to say, “You know what? It’s cool you have a list and all, but I’d rather not be on it. We’re just being obedient.” Is it too idealistic to think that the American church culture could just slow down a bit – and instead of doing church…actually BE the church?

I’m not opposed to learning or being sharpened – but like everything else, it needs to be balanced with obedience, humility, and grace. And please don’t misread this: I’m not proclaiming churches with large crowds are bad – they aren’t. I work at one, and it has been the most amazing thing to see life change happen all the time – to see God move in fresh ways.

BUT…I don’t think any “Top 100” list encourages anything. Then again, I could be wrong.

Oswald finishes his sermon by saying this:

Our tendency today is to put the emphasis on service. Beware of the people who make their request for help on the basis of someone’s usefulness. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure who ever lived. For the saint, direction and guidance come from God Himself, not some measure of that saint’s usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that counts, not what we do for Him. All that our Lord gives His attention to in a person’s life is that person’s relationship with God-something of great value to His Father.

Let’s get back to our relationship with our Creator. Let’s get back to pure, unadulterated obedience.

And let’s stop being useful.

I have never been a fan of the performance review…the employee evaluation…the slow death brought about behind closed doors and over a fake pine desk… Yes, I realize I am being entirely overdramatic. But truth be told, my stomach is a little crampier than normal.

My 90-day review at Lake Pointe is tomorrow.

Fortunately, I work in a great environment & actually felt comfortable emailing my boss and expressing my nervousness. He replied back, “No worries.” I feel better. A little.

Something I have been learning is I am not perfect. I will always have room to improve in some area. I guess it’s something I’m not really learning but rather I’m learning to accept.

I just hate hearing it from someone else.

A Proverb says:

“Healthy correction is good, and if you accept it, you will be wise. You hurt only yourself by rejecting instruction, but it makes good sense to accept it.”

I suppose it’s pride that keeps me from accepting my faults. It’s not that I think I’m perfect; I know I am FAR from it. But if I realize my shortcomings…and you realize my shortcomings…let’s just trust each other enough that I’ll work on improving those areas…must we really discuss them?

We should. And we will. And I will pray for the courage to swallow the bad, ingest it entirely and work on the things I need to work on.

What do you think about employee evaluations? Do you dread them? Love them?

Have you ever been surprised in one – bad or good?

Have a great Friday…

Food for thought…

Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace.

Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjack’s wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices…

Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner…

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship…

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it, a man will gladly go and sell all that he has…it is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift that must be asked for, the door at which one must knock.

Words that could have been written today. But they weren’t. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote them in the 1930’s – when he was in his late twenties. A timeless truth that we should contemplate maybe more now in our commercialized, diagrammed culture.

*What does grace mean to you?

*How do you see the message of grace presented in our world today?

If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you’ll know the tension I feel between how much “business” should be incorporated in our church organization structure. I was reading over on my buddy Los’ blog, and he has this great quote:

Mark Dever, in A Display of God’s Glory, quotes the interaction of a Japanese businessman with a visiting Australian…

“…Whenever I meet a Buddhist leader, I meet a holy man. Whenever I meet a Christian leader, I meet a manager…” (originally from reformissionary)

Please do not read this as a cynical jab at gifted administrators and managers. Biblically, people with those gifts are integral to the Church’s survival. But obviously, the outside world often perceives the church as a machine.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this…

3. Are we too busy worrying about leadership and in doing so, neglecting our call to follow?