from market driven to mission oriented

This post needs to be made soon. It will probably be short, but I need to get back in the habit of this. (I have to wonder how many people who set out to blog and don't do a very good job of it begin posts with those words).

Gibbs opens this chapter with a critique of the market-driven approaches to church that arose in the last half of the 20th century.  He brings up a lot of points on questions that I've been thinking about for years - how does the Church market Jesus? or more importantly, should the Church market Jesus? His answer (and mine) to the second question is - No.

However, this has been the common practice for many churches. Treating Jesus as a product (or idea or person or system or whatever) to be bought and sold is damaging for all sorts of reasons. It makes Jesus out to be someone and something that he never claims to be. And makes us consumers and customers looking for a product that satisfies.

Gibbs points out that a market-driven approach to church turns the gospel into a means for personal fulfillment. Jesus becomes just one more self-help product trying to help us be all that we can be. But the Christian life contains no promises to help us achieve self-actualization. Instead,

Christianity is a going down kind of religion before it is a going up kind of religion.... Unless we are in a position to die to self, we will never be in a position to live for Christ. 

In other words, the call to discipleship doesn't sell very well. Jesus doesn't promise financial security, or whiter teeth, or to help you lose 20 pounds in a week.

Instead, Gibbs says our churches should be "mission-driven" or gospel driven. Our goal is not to get people to be a part of "our thing." We are not inviting people to join our church, we are inviting them to have a relationship with the resurrected Christ.

[Many churches] have reversed the command of the Great Commission, replacing 'going into all the world,' with 'inviting all the world to come to us.'

I have a handful of other thoughts bouncing around about these ideas, but I'll just stop so that I can get this posted. Thanks for your patience.

doing good

Wendell Berry is brilliant. And very quotable. I read this the other day and I thought I'd share it with you.

The ability to do good is not the ability to do nothing. It is not negative or passive. It is the ability to do something well.

from living with the past to engaging the present

Gibbs' first chapter discusses the danger that can arise when people and institutions get older and begin to dwell on the past rather than focusing on the present and planning for the future.  It is an introductory critique of the mentality I mentioned in my previous post in which churches find themselves doing ministry the same way they did 40 years ago. I have a feeling that this situation often doesn't come from stubbornness to change, as much as it does an ignorance (ignore-ance?) to the fact that the techniques and styles which were so effective years ago are a foreign language to many people outside of the church today (and probably to many within the church).

In the chapter he presents a challenge for churches to begin thinking about what it means to begin to understand and speak the language of the current culture. Here are few quotes you might find interesting.

Witness must be self-evidently altruistic among people shaped by a culture that is profoundly suspicious. - p. 30

Everywhere we turn today, someone is trying to sell us something. As a culture, I believe we have become good at sniffing out a sales pitch and either shutting the door or turning the channel in our minds when we sense one coming. If someone approaches me on the street and begins to tell me how their product will make my life so much better and easier, I don't believe that the person actually cares about improving my life. I think, this person is trying to make a buck. The evangelism techniques I was taught when I was younger are basically sales pitches for Jesus. I'm not denying they can be effective, but I believe Gibbs' point is accurate. In our culture, people are increasingly suspicious of being sold something, and this caution will cause them to be less likely to hear the gospel for what it is.

Churches that made a significant appeal to the baby boomer generation did so through applying marketing strategies rather than mission insights. This shortsighted strategy has contributed to shallow discipleship, short-term commitments and compartmentalized living. Tom Beaudoin aptly describes boomer religion as 'religion-as-accessory,' resulting in Gen X children taking the next step to 'religion-as-unnecessary.' - p. 31

The next chapter deals with this market vs. mission mindset. I'm not sure if shallow discipleships, short-commitments and compartmentalized living are unique to this type of ministry or this generation, but I think the accessory to unnecessary move is both true and clever.

He then begins to compare the changes within the present church to many of the changes that are taking place as business moves into the 21st century. Most people who find themselves already established in a church find themselves too busy 'bailing out the boat' to recognize the need for change or to know what to do once they see it. Because of this, most change agents are 'those who are arriving fresh to the task' with 'no congregational history.'  Gibbs quotes Andrew Grove, a former Intel CEO:

I suspect that the people coming in are probably no better managers or leaders than the people they are replacing. They have only one advantage, but it may be crucial: unlike the person who has devoted his entire life to the company and therefore has a history of deep involvement in the sequence of events that led to the present mess, the new managers come unencumbered by such emotional involvement and therefore are capable of applying an impersonal logic to the situation. They can see things much more effectively than their predecessors did. - p. 33.

Here is where I see some difficulties with what Gibbs is proposing. While I understand the importance of a fresh perspective and a fresh voice, I believe healthy change can only happen from within a community. When someone with no 'emotional involvement,' applying 'impersonal logic' is given the final say, a church moves from community to corporation. God is emotional and personal. He acts as One involved. His Church should do the same.

first things first

I feel the need to try to be upfront about where I'm coming from as I start talking about the books that I'm reading. So I'll do my best.

As our culture has moved into the 21st century, many churches have not. I have often said that many of the churches with which I have had experience are doing 1960's or 70's ministry (just for fun, let's call it 'old church'). Among other things, their programs, weekly gatherings, interaction (or lack thereof) with the community, and budgets reflect this reality. This is obviously a problem, and many people within the last decade or so have noted as much. As a result, various reform movements have arisen to bring churches up to date ('today church').

I agree that the task these movements have undertaken is necessary. However, I have a serious problem with the way this has most often played out. As people who find themselves in an 'old church' setting decide they should be doing 'today church' ministry, they usually do one of two things. A: They leave and join a church they think is more in line with what they think should be happening (or start one themselves). Or B: They immediately try to make everyone in their current church understand that they're doing it wrong, and show them how to do it right.

I believe both options show a lack of respect for (and thus to damage to) individuals and the community. The first shows a complete disregard for the community to which one belongs. To pack up and leave because 'they're doing it wrong,' is self-centered. It says, 'I think there might be a better way to do this, but I don't want to put in the time and effort to help you see this better way. You're on your own.'

The second demonstrates an unwillingness to listen to or take into account the concerns of the others. Very few people enjoy being told outright that they are wrong. Most will get defensive. There are most likely dozens of circumstances that have brought a person to the point where they understand the need for a 'today church.' The light bulb may have come on because of a book they read or a conversation they had or a film they saw, but that book, conversation, or film may not have the same effect on others. Being part of a community involves recognizing that another person's journey is not the same as my own. When we find ourselves understanding an issue from different perspectives, it is not my job to force them to see it from my point of view. I need to be patient and humble, knowing that we may never fully agree and I may be the one who is wrong here.

The final option, which I don't know if anyone has done (at least anyone who writes books about these sorts of things - but I guess that's maybe the point), is to remain within the community and engage in a slow and probably painful process of listening, growing, changing, and working together. I believe this is what it means to be part of the Body of Christ. It involves sacrifice and submission and serving from all parties. It won't be flashy. It won't happen overnight. It probably won't give you warm fuzzy feelings. You probably will never 'reach your goal.'

But I bet it will be worth it...

the book study

I think probably the best way for me to keep up with this blog is to regularly post about the things I'm reading. When I first began trying to do this years ago, I would wait until I finished a book and then try to highlight some key areas. That's harder to do, because usually either the book isn't that great and I don't have much to say about it, or the book is really great and I have too much to say about it for one post. So...

I'm going to start with the book Church Next by Eddie Gibbs, and highlight and interact with points from each chapter as I read. Stay tuned...

the feast of gratitude

Monday, Rachel and I threw our third annual feast of gratitude.  This feast has been our tradition since the first year we were married, and when we were at the college coincided with the end of the semester.  We don't live at school anymore, but we decided to keep the date between Thanksgiving and Christmas just because we like those holiday foods which are so available this time of year.  

Each year we invite friends over, roast a turkey, make a few other dishes and let others bring their own.  Then we eat.  It's great.  We're not celebrating anything in particular.  Rather, we're celebrating everything that is good.  So often we do holiday meals with family, and don't always get to celebrate with friends, and this is a great way to do that.  It's great to gather around the table to talk and laugh.  

This year, as we were preparing I was reflecting on Isaiah, which I have been reading lately.  In Isaiah, and really throughout Scripture, a feast is used to describe what life will be like when God acts to redeem his creation.   Pausing like this every year to feast, for me, is like bringing a little bit of heaven to earth now.  

Do you have any traditions with friends or family which aren't a part of the church calendar or national holiday calendar?

not a product

I have this conversation running through my head right now.  It has to do with church and promoting.  First the context: A few years ago we ordered a bunch of blank bulletins which were formatted for us to allow us to present the same format for our announcements, order of service, prayer requests and other various items.  We're out now and so we need to decide what we want to do about ordering more.  During the discussion we talked about the picture on the front of these bulletins.  Currently it's our church building as seen from the street.  Some thought we should make it a picture of people, because after all the church isn't the building, it's the people.  This discussion went back and forth for a while, and I can't remember how it ended, but it came up again today in a conversation I was having with someone about whether or not we should have an order of service at all in our bulletins.  In that, I asked about what is the purpose of a bulletin anyway... and the response given to me was something to the effect - it's about branding.  So people have something to take home to help them identify with where they were.  It gives them information about what sort of place this is that they visit.  

Okay, a lot of context, but here's my problem that I'm trying to put words to.  A bulletin, or whatever you want to call it is a great way to brand yourself, to help people remember a place, or to provide information for what type of church you are.  It is part of the packaging which helps to sell a product.  I started re-reading some posts from John Chandler's blog back in 2004, and it reminded me of a deep truth, which is what I'm going to remind you of now...

The church (Church) is not selling a product.  It's not.  Jesus is not a product.  He cannot be bought or sold.  I think sometimes we think of what we're doing in church and we want it to be good or professional looking or spontaneous or well-planned or whatever, because we want people to buy it.  To come back for more.  To tell their friends.  

Following Jesus is so much bigger than all this.  Church is a group of people pursing this better way to live.  It's about a relationship and relationships.  These things are not for sale.  

How much time do we spend on designing packaging, and improving a product which is our church, rather than asking how we can better pursue Jesus, whether others follow or not?