Tag Archives: leadership

Vision to Help Your Church or Ministry to Become More Missional

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Developing a missional vision is crucial for churches and ministries seeking to engage in God’s transformative work in the world. It goes beyond traditional paradigms of church and opens doors to innovative approaches that impact communities with the Gospel. In this blog post, we will explore key principles for developing a missional vision, drawing insights from theology, biblical passages, and the wisdom of missional practitioners. By embracing a missional vision, we can align our churches and ministries with God’s mission, actively participating in His redemptive work and making a difference in the lives of people.

Vision: Embracing God’s Mission and Kingdom Mandate

To develop a missional vision, we must first embrace God’s mission and recognize His Kingdom mandate. As believers, we are called to join God in His redemptive work. This understanding is rooted in Scripture, as Jesus commissions His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). Many Christians (especially Wesleyans) interpret this as a holistic call that encompasses evangelism, discipleship, social justice, and cultural engagement.

Theologically speaking, we recognize the centrality of God’s grace in our missional endeavors. It is through God’s transforming grace that we are empowered to proclaim the Good News and invite others into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. This grace extends to all people, and our missional vision should reflect God’s inclusive love and desire for all to experience His salvation.

“The world is my parish.” – John Wesley

Vision: Cultivating a Discipleship Culture

A missional vision requires cultivating a discipleship culture within the church or ministry. Discipleship is not merely a program but a way of life. As Christians, we should emphasize the transformation of heart and character through the power of the Holy Spirit. A missional vision compels us to nurture disciples who actively participate in God’s mission, equipped to share their faith and embody the love of Christ in their daily lives.

Quoting John Wesley’s emphasis on “holiness of heart and life,” we recognize the importance of personal holiness in missional leadership. It is through our own transformed lives that we become effective witnesses for Christ. As we grow in Christlikeness, we model the transformative power of the Gospel, inspiring others to follow Jesus and experience His love.

“The spirit of a movement calls for leaders who long for God’s guidance themselves and know how to help others find it though deep spiritual conversation. Disciple-making leaders will do the work of spiritual guides by investing in a few at a time. Those few, in turn, become capable of multiplying that investment in the lives of many other…This is the pursuit of mission-shaped discipleship” – Phil Meadows of the Inspire Movement

Vision: Contextualizing Ministry and Engaging the Culture

Developing a missional vision requires an understanding of the cultural context in which we minister. It involves listening to the needs and aspirations of the community and discerning how the Gospel can be communicated effectively. Contextualization does not compromise the truth but enables us to bridge the gap between biblical principles and the lived experiences of people. By engaging the culture, we create spaces for authentic encounters with God.

From theologians and missiologists (as seen in this work by Shawn Behan), we learn the significance of contextualizing ministry. The missional leader recognizes the diversity of contexts and seeks to communicate the unchanging Gospel in ways that resonate with the culture. This requires humility, cultural sensitivity, and a willingness to learn from the people we serve. Through contextualization, we demonstrate God’s relevance and His desire to meet people where they are.

“A Christian congregation is…God’s embassy in a specific place.” – Lesslie Nebigin

Vision: Collaboration and Partnerships

Missional leadership involves fostering collaboration and partnerships with other churches, organizations, and individuals who share a common mission. By working together, we can pool our resources, expertise, and passions to make a greater impact on the world. Collaboration allows us to break down denominational and organizational barriers, recognizing that we are united in the mission of making disciples and advancing God’s Kingdom.

In the spirit of collaboration, we draw inspiration from the early Wesleyan movement, where John Wesley and his colleagues formed societies, classes, and bands to support and hold one another accountable in their mission. This relational aspect of missional leadership emphasizes the importance of building strong partnerships within and beyond our own church or ministry. Through collaboration, we can share resources, ideas, and strategies, maximizing our collective efforts to reach more people with the transformative message of the Gospel.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4.9-12

Conclusion

Drawing from theology, biblical passages, and the insights of theologians, missiologists, and missional practitioners, we have explored the vital role of missional leadership in developing a missional vision. By integrating these principles into our churches and ministries, we can create spaces where people encounter the living Christ, experience authentic discipleship, and become agents of God’s love and transformation in their communities.

Let us commit ourselves to developing a missional vision that reflects God’s heart for the lost, the broken, and the marginalized. May our churches and ministries become beacons of hope, compassion, and transformation in a world that desperately needs the Gospel. Together, let us embrace the call to be missional leaders, proclaiming the Good News and advancing God’s Kingdom for His glory and the flourishing of all people.

Missional Leadership in the Church is Vital

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In the tapestry of the Church, missional leadership weaves together the threads of vision, purpose, and action to propel God’s transformative mission in the world. In this post, we will explore the indispensable role of missional leadership in the life of the church, drawing from pertinent sources.

Understanding Missional Leadership:

This sort of leadership is rooted in the biblical mandate to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). It encompasses shepherding, equipping, and mobilizing the church to engage in God’s mission. As theologian Nels Niemandt states, “The core function of missional leaders is to discern what the Spirit is up to and then to lead the congregation in joining in God’s mission.”

The Biblical Foundation of Missional Leadership:

The biblical narrative is replete with examples of missional leadership. The Apostle Paul, a prominent figure in early Christianity, exemplified missional leadership through his passion for sharing the Gospel with diverse cultures and contexts (Acts 13-28). His life and teachings encourage us to be intentional and bold in proclaiming Christ.

The Missional Leader’s Vision and Discernment:

Missional leadership involves cultivating a vision that aligns with God’s purposes. Like Nehemiah, who envisioned the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls (Nehemiah 2:17), missional leaders have the discernment to identify God’s mission for their specific context and inspire others to participate.

The Call to Transformational Discipleship:

Missional leadership emphasizes transformative discipleship, which extends beyond mere knowledge to a holistic commitment to following Christ, no matter the cost. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer noted, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Missional leaders challenge believers to live out their faith authentically and sacrificially.

Cultivating a Missional Culture:

Missional leadership involves cultivating a culture of missional engagement within the church. It entails equipping and empowering individuals to live out their faith in everyday contexts. The late missiologist Lesslie Newbigin advocated for the church’s missional engagement, stating, “The congregation is the hermeneutic of the Gospel.”

Collaboration and Partnership in Missional Leadership:

This kind of leadership recognizes the value of collaboration and partnership with other churches, organizations, and individuals. As the Apostle Paul highlights in his letters, diverse gifts and perspectives contribute to the overall effectiveness of God’s mission (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Thus, no one leader, one church, or one association of churches has cornered the market on what it means to follow Jesus in our increasingly-complicated world.

Incarnational Presence and Contextualization:

Leaders on mission embody an incarnational presence, immersing themselves in the cultural, social, and spiritual contexts of the communities they serve. They seek to understand and engage with the unique needs, hopes, and challenges of those they minister to, as Jesus did during His earthly ministry. In other words, they do their best to understand their context in order to live and share the gospel well, while inspiring others to do so as well.

Embracing Risk and Adaptability:

Missional leadership requires a willingness to take risks and adapt to changing circumstances. This willingness is grounded in trust and dependence on God’s guidance. As scholar Joe Dongell affirms, “Seeing the church as an evolving, adaptive organism alive with the life of the Spirit and responsive to discerned needs has freed church leaders and theologians to propose and experiment with new forms of organizing, of leading, and of “doing” church.” The safe route of doing things the way we have always done things simply won’t work any longer.

Missional Leadership in Action:

The leadership needed today is not limited to church programs but encompasses a holistic approach to ministry. It involves integrating evangelism, social action, justice, and mercy as interconnected expressions of God’s love. For example, the Early Church provides a compelling model of missional leadership, as they passionately shared the Gospel and met the needs of their communities (Acts 2:42-47).

Missional Leadership in a Pluralistic Society:

In our increasingly pluralistic society, missional leaders are called to engage with people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. They embrace the Wesleyan notion of prevenient grace, recognizing the presence of God’s grace at work in all people’s lives. This approach allows for meaningful dialogue and relationships that can lead to transformative encounters with the Gospel.

The Role of Prayer and Spirituality:

Leadership like this is sustained and guided by a deep connection with God through prayer and spiritual disciplines. John Wesley, a renowned theologian and founder of the Methodist movement, emphasized the importance of personal piety and communal worship as sources of spiritual strength. By nurturing their own spiritual lives, missional leaders inspire and equip others to do the same.

Assessing Missional Impact and Effectiveness:

Effective leaders engage in ongoing assessment and evaluation to ensure that their efforts align with God’s mission. They seek to measure impact not solely in numbers but also in the transformation of lives and communities. This process allows for continual growth, adaptation, and faithful stewardship of the resources entrusted to them.

Conclusion

Therefore, missional leadership is a vital and transformative force within the Church. Grounded in biblical principles, it calls believers to actively participate in God’s mission to reconcile and restore the world. As missional leaders, let us embrace the call to vision, discipleship, cultural engagement, collaboration, adaptability, and prayerful dependence on God. By doing so, we become catalysts for transformative change, bringing the light of Christ to every corner of our communities and the world.

May we embody the leadership needed for today as a profound expression of God’s love and grace, drawing people into a transformative encounter with Jesus Christ.

Collaborative Leadership: New Wine Podcast #024

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I’m kick starting my podcast once again!

Check out my latest addition on collaborative leadership!  You can listen to it on the bottom of this post, on iTunes, or on Stitcher.

If you like it, would you please rate it and even leave a review on iTunes or Stitcher?  That would be super cool!

Also, if you’d like to help support the creative process that helps bring this podcast to life, then please check out my Patreon page (http://patreon.com/JMatthewBarnes).  There are some fun rewards there for folks who pledge support although any level support will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

 

 

Curious?

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“Many leaders are the ‘walking wounded,’ but their followers are the ‘sitting silent.'”  That’s a quote from the book Curious: The Unexpected Power of a Question-Led Life by Tom Hughes, Co-Lead Senior Pastor at Christian Assembly in Eagle Rock, CA (a city right around the corner from where I live).

curious

Curious: The Unexpected Power of a Question-Led Life by Tom Hughes

Linking Being Curious and Leadership

Curious is a great book and I highly recommend it!  There are many reasons why I like it but one of them stands behind the quote with which I started this post: healthy curiosity fuels good leadership.

But Tom also makes the point that a leader that is answer-driven instead of curiosity-driven will ultimately burn out, becoming the, as he calls it, the “walking wounded.”  And what’s the result of this kind of leadership?  Well, it isn’t good, that’s for sure!

The way Tom puts it is perfect: the “sitting silent.”  Leaders who try to answer all the questions will eventually burn out and produce passive followers.

And here’s the really odd thing (and this is my commentary now): Many of these burned out leaders blame their followers for their burned-out status and they blame them for not being a more active part of their business, church, etc.

This isn’t entirely fair.  Had the leader done his/her job from the beginning, namely leading from a place of humble curiosity and relentless authenticity, then he/she wouldn’t have to have every answer and his/her followers would be intrinsically compelled to be more active.

So, leaders, instead of complaining, let’s start leading from a place of curiosity!

 

What do you think?  What role can and should curiosity play for a leader?  And what do you think of the idea of the “walking wounded” producing the “sitting silent”?  Let me know in the comments below!

Paradigm Shift

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The very basic definition of a paradigm shift is when the status quo changes.  And that kind of change is hard and many, if not most, of us fear it.

Think about it, when is the last time you moved from one thing to another rather radically?  When is the last time your perspective on a person or subject was altered greatly?

If you’re anything like me, then that was probably a trying and challenging experience.

And if I’m honest, each time we experience a paradigm shift, there will be difficulty associated with it.

The interesting thing to me is this: a paradigm shift is difficult whether it’s my paradigm that’s getting shifted, the paradigm of someone I love gets shifted, or the paradigm of a group I’m a part of gets shifted, or I’m hoping to help shift the paradigm of someone (or a group of people) I’m connected to.

I really wish this wasn’t the case.  It would be awesome if all of us could face change with sober and hopeful vision.  But instead we tend to look at each potential or real paradigm shift with suspicion, fear, and even hatred.

And this is nothing new.

Jesus and a Paradigm Shift

For the rest of this post we’re going to focus on Jesus as a leader in John 4.  And we’ll see that he faced the same kind of fear and resistance when his disciples faced a paradigm shift.

Here’s the scene: Jesus had to go through Samaria and in so doing met with a woman whom was extremely marginalized.  As a result of his conversation with this woman (whom we un-creatively have named the “Samaritan Woman”), she is transformed from a shamed and forgotten nobody into a role model for what it looks like to follow Jesus in the real world!  And shortly after this interaction, John tells us that Jesus went from going out of his way to minister to a disenfranchised woman to being begged to heal the child of a man of great privilege.

Every single part of this chapter is exciting to me.  I love Jesus’ focus on the woman in great need.  He intends to care for her.  He stretches himself and his schedule to do so.  And I love how Jesus also makes space in his life and ministry for the man of means.  He didn’t center his ministry around people like this official, but he didn’t ignore them either.

But what’s easy to miss is what’s in between these two stories — namely the reaction of the disciples to Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan Woman.

The Disciples’ Reaction

Here’s how John describes what he disciples think of Jesus’ decision to interact with a shamed, un-privileged woman:

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

First, they were surprised.  Why?  Well it’s really pretty simple.  Jesus was their Jewish rabbi and as such he had certain societal expectations to fulfill.  One of those would be to take care to interact only with the “right” kind of people.  And the woman that the disciples see Jesus with was certainly not “right”!  She was (a) a woman, (b) a Samaritan, and (c) morally quite questionable.  She had at least three strikes against her, and by interacting with her as he did, Jesus was adding strikes against himself!  His disciples must have been wondering what in the world he was thinking!  I mean, what if someone saw their rabbi with this woman?  What would people think of Jesus?  And, perhaps more importantly, what would people think of them?

Second, they were afraid.  Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan Woman indicated a paradigm shift.  The old way of only engaging with people who had all their boxes properly checked was finished and Jesus was ushering in a messy new age.  And these disciples weren’t ready for it.  However, they knew enough about Jesus to respect him.  They knew that questioning him was something to be avoided (which as we see in all the Gospels might be the furthest thing from the truth since it appears that the faith Jesus calls for can only come through questioning him!).  So instead of asking their rabbi, their leader about his actions, they stay silent out of fear.

Third, they lost an opportunity to grow.  Their fear and silence prevented them from seeing the bigger picture behind Jesus’ chat with the Samaritan Woman.  They were blinded by social conventions to the truth that Jesus was demonstrating before them.  And that truth, very bluntly put, was that their xenophobic tendencies were wrong and needed to be abandoned for the sake of the gospel.  But a paradigm shift of this magnitude was too much.  The distance between who they were and who they would become on the other side of this change was too great.  It would take time.  So even though they lost this opportunity, they would get it in the future.  And I think it’s worth noting here that Jesus, as their leader, doesn’t shove this paradigm shift down their throats.  He’s wise enough to see they aren’t ready.

Leading a Paradigm Shift

What I find fascinating is how Jesus leads in this passage.  He could have really harangued his disciples for not getting it, not seeing that his kingdom was open to all, especially the marginalized (like the Samaritan Woman).  He could have scolded them for their surprise and fear (both of which are simply side-effects of their prejudice).  He could have rubbed their proverbial noses in their goof up.

But he didn’t.

Instead he led in a different way.  He demonstrated the truth of the gospel by meeting and engaging with the Samaritan Woman.  Then he allowed the truth of her own change begin to change them.

In John 4.28-42 we see how this woman’s life was flipped upside-down by Jesus.  She left her water jar and ran into town to tell people what had happened.  Many believed and went out to meet Jesus for themselves.  They convinced Jesus to stay with them and he did.  So for two days the disciples witnessed the results of the Samaritan Woman’s faith, namely the faith of many from her village.

Jesus knew that the best way to teach his disciples wasn’t to get in their faces about this, but to let this woman’s changed reality run its course.

Unfortunately we don’t get to see the radical transformation of the disciples yet.  That paradigm shift would be slow in the making.  But, instead, we get to see the methods of Jesus.

Here are those methods spelled out a bit more explicitly.  When leading a paradigm shit…

  1. …be patient.  Things like this don’t happen over night.
  2. …lead by example.  People need to see their leaders actually leading the way, not shouting directions from the sidelines.
  3. …let the results speak for themselves.  If, as a leader, you know that a direction change is in order, then find an example of that change, study it, show it to your followers, and celebrate it!
  4. …don’t use brute force.  When there’s a need for a paradigm shift, this isn’t something that can be hoisted onto folks without their consent.  It’s not something that we can shame people into, yell people into, or scare people into.
  5. …take lots of steps.  A big change for an organization or a group of people is totally possible, but it will likely take many small steps instead of a few big ones.  As leaders we need to be okay with this reality, just like Jesus was.

What do you think?  How hard is a paradigm shift?  And how do you lead one?  Let me know in the comments below!

The Ugliness of Envy

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I think we all have that one friend, co-worker, or family member who insists on being annoyed that anyone else has anything good going on for them.  Do you know what I’m talking about?

This condition is called “envy” and it is really pretty unseemly and downright ugly!

But I think if we’re all honest, then we know that we exhibit lots of envy in our lives too.  So that means that our behaviors, words, and attitudes make us pretty ugly to others too.  (Did you see what I did there…”pretty ugly”…get it!?)

Envy

Green with Envy

Envy Invades Us All

Recently my wife and I were having a conversation and I was talking about someone that we both know.  Everything in his life has seemingly just come together without much effort while many things in my life have taken great struggle and persistence.  I went on and on and eventually I veered off into envy territory.  I started saying things like “Well, if I were him…” and “It would be nice if my life were as easy as his…”

My guess is that this story resonates with you.  Envy is real and its reach extends to each one of us.

The Impact of Envy

What’s so bad about envy?  Some people argue that envy doesn’t really hurt anyone, so why would God tell us not to envy what our neighbors have (cf. the 10 commandments)?

Well, I think there are two reasons, at least:

  1. Envy is a sign that we can’t be content with what we have.  Envy is primary side effect of the disease known as “I wish I had that other stuff over there.”  Honestly, envy communicates loudly that our desire for things we don’t have trumps our desire for God and his will in this world.  And I’m pretty convinced that it is envy that drives our desire for more stuff, more stuff, and more stuff.  If someone else has it, then I have to too!
  2. Envy impacts the people around us.  Check out John 4.1-2: “Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John — although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.”  Do you see it?  The envy of the Pharisees about who was more popular led to Jesus leaving Judea and returning to Galilee.  Their envy impacted Jesus’ plans.  The same is true in our worlds — our envy impacts the people around us.

Envy Solution

So what’s the answer to envy?  Well, I don’t think there’s a quick fix.

Honestly, I think we have to start by being totally satisfied with God and God alone.  If we lost it all but still had him, would we be okay?  Would we be happy?  Or are we so tied to our stuff and relationships that we can’t exist without them?

A second area to work on would is being content with what we have (cf. Philippians 4).  Do we really need more shoes, more gadgets, more square footage, and more fame?  Will it ever be enough?

And a third way to combat envy would be to surround ourselves with community, the kind of community that will love us, correct us, encourage us, and hold us accountable.  So when we start exhibiting signs of envy, they can call us on it and help us change.

Lastly, a fourth way would be to pray.  We need to ask God to help us.  We can’t do this on our own — we’ll always default back to envy.  We need the internal power that only God can provide through the indwelling presence of the Spirit.

 

What do you think?  How big of a problem is envy and what can we do about it?  Let me know in the comments below.

Stretching: Learning and Growing

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That’s my son Myron doing one of his favorite things in the world — stretching!

Watching him do this several times each day has got me thinking, what is stretching me?

What’s Stretching Me at the Moment…

Here are a few of the things that are stretching me, causing me to grow and to learn (in no particular order):

  1. School.  I’ve been in school for what seems like forever.  Finishing my PhD has required so much perseverance and patience, the second of which I don’t come by naturally.  If all continues to go well, I should be finished this summer.  *Fingers crossed*
  2. Marriage.  I’ve said it many times that I didn’t know how selfish I was until I got married.  And that statement is as true today as it was in 2002 when I first got married!  The stretching caused by marriage is varied but it is definitely effective!  To me, the hardest part of marriage is choosing each day to put the interests of my wife before my own.  Man, why is it so hard not to be selfish!?
  3. Parenthood.  Since being a dad is so new to me (only one month in!), it feels like the thing that is stretching me the most right now!  I’m learning to live on less sleep, to prioritize differently, and to do things that I hadn’t done often before.  But most of all, fatherhood is teaching me that my capacity for love is much greater than I ever imagined!  When I heard Myron’s first cry, I felt like the Grinch at the end of the book: my heart grew three sizes!
  4. Leadership.  Whether in official capacities or informal ones, being a leader is always a stretching experience!  Not unlike marriage and parenthood, being a good leader means putting the interests and needs of others at the forefront.  This is always unnatural, or at least it is for me!
  5. Spiritual Disciplines.  I’m not a planner.  I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-er.  And with regard to spirituality, spontaneity is not always best!  In my experience, it is best to have some spiritual practices (such as prayer, Bible reading, fasting, etc.) which are a regular part of my life.  For me, the one that creates the most stretching in me is daily, devotional Bible reading.  For me this is a challenge because when I read the Bible I constantly think about it either as an academic, thinking about all the grammatical, historical, and theological issues, or as a teacher, thinking about how to communicate the truths found within to others.  It is a daily struggle for me to find personal, spiritual meaning from the Bible.  This discipline helps me grow!
  6. Work.  I’m about to embark on a new assignment at work and it will be a stretching process!  I’m excited to see how God grows me and my community through this opportunity.  But I’m also quite aware that things will be difficult at times and that I’ll have to find creative ways to move forward or to step aside and let others take the limelight.  I’m looking forward to the challenge.

 

So, what kinds of things are stretching you in your life right now?

Let me know in the comments below!

 

Beginnings Aren’t Sexy

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There is a tribe of human beings who love beginnings.  Are you one of them?

  • Did you play with toys as a child for a day or two and then move on?
  • Did you have a slew of short or shallow dating relationships?
  • Do you find yourself dreaming of what could be even while what is right in front of your face is doing well?
  • Are you kind of good at lots of stuff because you like the rush of getting to know something but the knowing it well part sounds tedious?
  • Would you rather be on a new adventure than sticking with what you know is fun and fulfilling?

If you said yes to any of those things then you might be like me: a person obsessed with beginnings.

There are other ways to describe us — visionaries, entrepreneurs, self-starters, etc.  But those descriptions are too positive, too sexy, and too deceptive.  What people like me really are is this: we’re scared of slow success, we’re impatient, and we can be a terror to lead.

When I was a freshman in college I asked my parents for a guitar for Christmas.  My dad wisely resisted, saying something like this: “Why?  You’ll just put it down and not touch it for two years after you mess around it with it for a week.”

Does this sort of response sound familiar to you?  Well, it did to me then (and still does today!).  But I promised my dad that I wouldn’t quit, that I would stick with it no matter what.  This was going to be different than the skateboard, the remote-controlled car, the yo-yo, etc., etc.

And it was.  For what seemed like the first time in my life I put in effort.  I got past my obsession with beginnings and put in the hard and arduous work of learning to play the guitar as a not-so-musically-talented person.

I spent months learning how to play the G, C, and D chords so that I could play 95% of the worship songs out there.

I took three college classes on guitar and music theory for guitar.

I upgraded my guitar, selling my first one in the process, after months of saving up enough cash.

I practiced religiously for years, eventually upgrading again and helping lead worship for hundreds of people.

I finally got to experience the joy of something besides beginnings…and it was great!

 

Beginnings Aren’t Sexy

Here’s my contention — for some of us we need to be told again and again that beginnings aren’t sexy.  They aren’t all that they seem.  Sure, they’re fun and challenging and full of affirmation.  But their joy is short-lived.  Friends, the things in life that are worth living for can’t be fully enjoyed at just their beginnings.

What sorts of things?

  • Friendship: When you first meet someone that you think you’ll develop a friendship with it can be exhilarating.  But the joy that comes with sharing your innermost thoughts and fears with someone that you can intrinsically trust due to years of proof is too amazing for words.  Sure, there are bumps in the road.  There is difficulty.  There are tears.  But their are smiles, little victories, parties, empathy, vulnerability, and depth too.
  • Marriage: The wedding and the honeymoon are great.  But take it from an old pro (12+ years in the bank as I write this), the long car ride, the impromptu lunch, and the partnership through treacherous life stuff is better.  Way. Better.  If married people stopped at beginnings then there would be fewer epic love stories, fewer weathered rocking chairs on porches, and fewer places of uninhibited personhood.
  • Leadership: Starting out is great.  There’s stuff to learn, people to assess, vision to cast, and execution to look forward to.  But it won’t take long for those things to pass and the real work of serving the people you lead to begin.  That’s where the rubber hits the road.  That’s where people will actually buy into your vision instead of just saying that they will.  If leaders only stay around for beginnings, then they’re not really leading anything — they’re starting things.  Leadership requires patience, presence, and persistence — three things that only begin to make their presence known during beginnings.
  • Following Jesus: I want to end with the most important one.  When we first hear about and internalize the good news of Jesus and his kingdom and agree to follow him, it’s amazing!  We experience the reality of God’s love and the familial support of his people.  Often we are “on fire” and we start telling everyone we care about (and someone people we barely know!) how much God loves us.  But following Jesus isn’t just for the beginnings.  No.  Just like the things above, it is often over the span of many years that how God is calling us comes into clarity.  God takes his time to show us how we fit into his ministry of reconciliation and if we stop at beginnings we’ll miss out on all that he has for us.

So beginnings can be tantalizingly appealing.  But they really aren’t as sexy as they seem.  The real stuff comes with age, with time, and with experience.  The real stuff can’t be discovered overnight.  The real stuff must be teased out and spelled out over years and years if not decades and decades.

So here’s the challenge: Barring something exceptional (like abuse or a clear word for God), stick to the things you feel God has called you to.  Don’t jump around.  Invest in your human relationships.  Lead well for a long time in one place.  And follow Jesus for your whole life.

 

What do you think?  What’s is so enticing about beginnings?  And am I right, is the long haul actually better?

Mission: Make Disciples

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For the last few years I’ve been doing quite a bit of processing.  Specifically I’ve been thinking about mission.  What’s my personal mission?  What’s my family’s mission?  What’s my small community’s mission?  What’s my Sunday School’s mission?  What’s my church’s mission?

What’s the mission of a follower of Jesus?

And, to be honest, for a follower of Jesus the answer to all of these questions is relatively straightforward: to make disciples (Matthew 28.19-20).  The rub, of course, comes with how one defines these things.  What is a disciple?  How is one made?  And what does it mean that our mission as a follower of Jesus is to make disciples?

What would this look like?  How would we get from the places where we find ourselves to the places we think we should be?

Honestly, however, there are a ton of people who have written or spoken about this.  Most, if not all of them, will do a better job than me.  And most, if not all of them, will probably have more experience.

However, I still think there’s some wisdom to be found in simply following the ways of Jesus as we see them in the Scriptures, whether lived out in Jesus’ own life or in the lives of his earliest followers.

 

Mission: What Are We Aiming For?

Zielscheibe target aim

As I was doing some of this self evaluation, I ran into some common denominators.  Here they are:

  1. Comfort — At a really core level I want to aim for things that won’t rock my various boats too much.  I want stability and safety.  And other things I’m involved in appear to be bent toward this end as well.  I mean, really, who wants to intentionally do something that might be uncomfortable?  That’d be crazy, right?
  2. Autonomy — And not only do I want to be all cozy, but I want to have choice in how I make myself cozy.  And if I don’t have choice, I want to at least feel like I have choice!  I want to be the master of my own destiny.  And as I look at the things I’m involved in, the organizations and the people within them all want autonomy too.
  3. Accumulation — Lastly, I will tend to accumulate stuff that I choose to make me comfortable.  I have this gadget and that gadget and the other one too.  Each one supposedly makes my life better, but the gadgets are building up.  And this desire toward hoarding stuff shows up in the programs, buildings, etc., etc. that our churches accumulate.

These are the things that we tend to aim for.  And doing so seems to place us right in line with typical American/Western behavior.  But are these things the things we should be aiming for?  Or are we way off?

 

Mission: Perception vs. Reality?

But before we answer the question of what our mission should be, we have to honestly take stock of what our mission appears to be.  How would we figure this out?

  1. Time — How do I spend my time?  What takes precedence?  It seems to me that I spend an awful lot of time trying to make cool things that will attract people to me or to the communities I’m part of.  If I build it, they’ll come…right?
  2. Money — On what sorts of things do I spend my money?  Where do the material resources I have go?  All too often my money is spent on maintaining my comfort and on stuff that does so.  And all too often the money in our Christian communities goes toward the big gathering on Sunday, programs, salaries, and buildings.
  3. Dreams — What do I dream about?  What kind of vision is cast?  It seems to me that in my life I dream about my immediate future and the happiness and peace that can be had there.  And in communities our dreams tend to be about the glory days that we’re so sure are right in front of us if we just tweak this one thing, have an expert speak into this one area, or focus on a particular market audience.

 

Mission: Jesus’ Way

It’s not my way or the highway…it’s His way is the HIGH way!  And what is Jesus’ way?

  1. The Kingdom of God — Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15).  He did this preaching through the use of his words and by embodying it for the sake of others.  And what is the kingdom of God?  Much ink has been spilled trying to define this phrase.  But I think we’ve overly complicated things a bit.  The kingdom of God is what happens when God is in charge.  So, when God’s in charge people repent from their sins and follow Jesus.  When God’s in charge people begin to live like Jesus did, centering their lives on the kingdom of God too.  When God’s in charge his clear desire to reach out to the most in need will be lived out in the lives of Jesus’ followers.  When God is in charge Christians won’t look, sound, and behave just like their neighbors; they’ll be different.  It will be obvious; it won’t be subtle.
  2. Loving God and Loving Others — Jesus was asked once what it’s all about and he said loving God and loving others (Mark 12.28-31).  So love God by praising him, praying to him, learning about him, spending time with him, obeying him, etc., etc.  No brainer.  And we love others by putting their interests above our own (Philippians 2.3-4).  Hard as all get out; but a no brainer too.  Jesus’ way is all about love!
  3. Being Agents of Reconciliation — Lastly, Jesus’ way is to turn us all into his ambassadors of divine reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5.18-21).  Jesus didn’t take on our sin so that we can be saved but live like we’re not!  He did this for us so that we would be set free to live the lives he made us to live — lives of reconciliation.  This reconciliation, which is just a fancy word for the mending broken relationships, is dual-directional: up toward God and out toward other people.  In other words, it’s our job, all of our jobs!, to help people have their relationships to God mended and to help folks mend their relationships with one another.

 

Mission: Make Disciples

So the summary of what it means to live out the fact that Jesus is Lord can be stated like this: make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples.

  1. But what’s a disciple?  A disciple in the first-century world was a student of a teacher, especially a traveling teacher.  Carried over into our context a disciple is a life-long learner of the ways of Jesus.  A disciple is centered on the kingdom of God.  A disciple loves God and loves others.  And a disciple is an agent or reconciliation.
  2. How is a disciple made?  Well, in the first century a disciple was made by literally walking behind the teacher, imitating what he does, learning from what he says, and emulating his attitude.  Today this process is a bit different since the risen Jesus, though alive and real to us through the inner working of the Spirit, is not tangibly present.  So we have to learn what he does and says in Scripture and imitate it.  And we have to watch as trusted disciples exemplify the ways of Jesus for us and then do what they do.  And we have to help others meet and follow Jesus in the Scriptures and in our lives.  Making disciples can’t easily be accomplished through programs or preaching.  It has to be life on life, apprentice-style.  Think about how a blacksmith trains an apprentice.  He teaches him what to do with his words and actions.  That’s what we need to do.  Person to person, all throughout the body of Christ, teaching one another how to follow Jesus.

 

And that’s it.  Our mission is to make disciples.  As we examine our behaviors and see that our mission appears to be something else, then we must change it to THE mission!  There are no other choices.  There is no getting around this.  This isn’t just for the super-Christians or the paid church staff.

Making disciples is the call on the life of each and every follower of Jesus.  That includes me.  And that includes you.

 

What do you think about the mission of your life as a follower of Jesus?  As a community?  As a church?  Let me know in the comments below!

 

Missional Leadership: Listening

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“You have two ears and one mouth for a reason.  Sit down and listen Matt!”

Sadly I’ve forgotten who exactly said this to me.  I do know, however, that it was a teacher of mine in seventh grade.  As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m uber-talkative.  Especially when I’m sleepy.  And when was I not sleepy as a seventh grader!

But this aphorism from my teacher speaks volumes.  While its reliance on anatomy and physiology is cutesy; the truth behind it is solid.  Listening is important, even more important than talking.

listening

By: Travis Isaacs
Listening is a skill that needs to be developed.

Listening Is a Thing of the Past

Think about this — there are four primary types of communication: 1) writing, 2) reading, 3) speaking, and 4) listening.  Formal education in the West centers almost completely on writing and reading, with a tiny bit of speaking thrown in, such as in a public speaking course here or there.  But there is almost no training for an average student with regard to listening.  Almost none.

Isn’t that crazy?  One of the most important human skills is completely left off the educational menu!  One of my favorite leadership thinkers, Michael Hyatt, says that listening is a lost art, and it appears he is right!

The Impact of Our Lack of Listening

What kind of impact has this oversight had on us, our culture, our leadership skills, and our capacity to be missional?

  • Listening is THE major component of oral communication, thus if we aren’t doing it well then we aren’t communicating well.  And if we aren’t communicating well then our friendships, families, jobs, neighborhoods, churches, etc. are all negatively impacted.
  • Listening is a required skill of anyone who wants to learn about and from a new culture.  Taking on the role of a listener helps us stay humble and explicitly reminds us that we are here to learn.  Moreover, there’s no better way to learn about something then to listen to the people who experience it most keenly!
  • Listening is essential in leadership.  How can we hope to lead people well if we aren’t in position to hear their concerns, hopes, wishes, and desires?  How can we be trusted to take the reins if we aren’t willing to bend our ears toward others?
  • And lastly, our lack of listening is extremely detrimental to our missional efforts.

Missional Listening

So, what are some ways that listening will help us as we seek more and more to be on mission with God, accomplishing his will where we work, live, and play?

  1. Contextualize: We will be able to contextualize the good news of Jesus better if we listen.  One of the first steps that any good missionary should take is listening.  We should intentionally become a learner of culture so that we can see how best we can communicate Jesus and his kingdom wherever we find ourselves.
  2. Empathize: Being in the regular habit of listening will also show others that we care, that we empathize.  I love the word “empathize.”  It means, at its core, to understand, feel, and respond appropriately to the feelings of others.  It necessitates that we learn through listening.  And by listening to others we actively demonstrate that we care.
  3. Humble-ize: Despite how hard it is, being humble is the only way truly to listen.  And if we humbly listen well, then folks will trust us more.  And as people trust us more, the good news of Jesus and his kingdom will become more and more attractive to them.  And as Jesus and his kingdom become more attractive, communities will change for the good.

 

Therefore, friends, we need to become more effective listeners!  What are some ways that you think you can become a better listener?  Let me know in the comments below.