Experiences In Christian Living and Leadership

Purpose vs. Custom

I have been spending time lately considering the Confirmation & Commissioning class that I am scheduled to teach this school year.  This has made me run into a question that I find myself debating over and over as I strive to lead a community of faith.  Are the activities and programs that we are doing under the banner of the church done because they have a purpose or are they done because it is our custom? 

I must confess that the first part of my struggle has been to properly form the question.  The word that has given me so much of a problem is the last word in the question.  I settled on the word custom but I must admit that I am not altogether happy with that word.  As I searched for the word to capture what I was truly wanting to communicate, I first placed the word tradition in the question but that generated some interpretations that I didn't like.  The reason is that I do not believe that tradition has to be negative in our faith.  Tradition gives us a historical foundation from which we can grow our faith.  The next word that I tried was practice. Again, I didn't like that word because I think that there is value in practicing our faith, by which I mean, living out and exploring what we believe.  I settled on custom because while there are still values associated with customs, the word conveyed more of a sense of doing things because that is what we have always done.  Again, I am not totally happy with it because I do not perceive customs as having to be a negative but right now it is the best word I can find.

So now that I have settled on the words to my question, maybe some explanation of what has led me to the question might be in order.  You see as I was pondering what to teach and how to teach it this round of confirmation/commissioning, I was forced to ask myself why I felt compelled to invite junior high-aged youth to participate in the class.  As I explored that, I came to discover that it was mainly because it was the custom in all the churches I have been a leader within to offer a class which was to be part of a step toward being a voting member within the congregation.  While it has been a long-standing rite among most churches, I was struggling with the value of the rite. 

Next, I asked myself, if I indeed could justify the continution of such a custom what would I teach.  This led me to consider the material that I presented and worked through with the class in the past.  Are those bits of knowledge shared because that is what I have shared in the past and thought important in the past, or are they shared because they have value to the spiritual growth of the youth?  Do I teach these items out of custom or is there something more to it?

So I decided that I needed to take some time to examine what the purpose of confirmation and commissioning is and what I need to be engaging the youth with to achieve that purpose.  You see, I have become convinced that the one question that is most important for church leadership to continually ask is "What's the purpose?"  While my current application of that question is in regards to confirmation and commissioning, it is a question that should be asked of all that we do under the banner of the church.

It is easy for church leadership to fall into an endless round of customs.  But what we should be truly be concerned with is the purpose behind those customs.  And what I am coming to find is that the practice of asking that question and frequently examining our customs and purposes, helps us to be more attentive to the Spirit and to make the adaptations that the Spirit desires for us.

What do you think?

Life and Death

We have a piece of shrubbery outside the main entrance to our church building.  For reasons unknown, it seems to be dying (or maybe already dead).  It made me ponder the other day if this piece of shrubbery might be a vision for the condition of some churches today.  I also began to think about what it may be communicating to those that are thinking about entering our building.  So I decided to share some of these thoughts with those who read my blog.

In some ways, I believe that all believers are in a similar state as this bush.  Scripture tells us of the need to die to one's self and to become alive in Christ.  We also hear Jesus and Paul speak of being dead to sin and being made alive by the grace-filled action of Jesus.  So this bush could be imagery of this transition that occurs in all those who strive to be followers of the Lord.

Another image that comes to mind is in regards to the life within some churches.  Because churches at times make the conscious, or unconscious, decision to remain in their same mode of behavior, there can be the beginning process of death that occurs.  While some life may continue to exist, eventually there is great likelihood that death will overcome all of the church life and the community of faith may need to be removed.  When, and if, this bush finishes dying, it will need to be removed and potentially replaced.  But there is no absolutes in even this.  For if the bush receives the care needed, adjustments are made, there might be the possibility of rebirth and regrowth.  Many of the churches that I am thinking of, have the same opportunity.

Finally, as I consider the placement of this bush, it causes me to wonder if the Lord is trying to communicate something.  When a person walks up to our door, are they going to experience and see the spiritual life within the congreation as being dead or are they going to experience one of growth and potential.  What is the spiritual well-being of those who worship and serve within the walls of this building?  If there are dead aspects, are we willing to prune them out, remove them, and/or nurture what is living to the point of continued growth and possible rebirth?

I'd be anxious to hear your thoughts.  What do these images bring to your mind?  What do you think about the images that it has brought to mine?

Transitions

Right now we are in a time period of transitions.  We are transitioning from spring to summer. School is beginning summer break for some, others are graduating and beginning a new time in their lives. It makes me stop and ponder life once again.  It seems that life is full of transitions.  Some of these transitions are positive and some are perceived as negative.  Most transitions in our lives are not even directly caused by us.  The key to me is how we respond to the transitions.

During a transition time I think that there are a series of questions that we can ask which might assist us in our response to the transitions:

1)  What benefits can be found in this transition?

2)  How will others benefit in this transition?

3)  Where can growth occur during this transition?

4)  How can I minimize what may be perceived as negative impacts of this transition?

5)  Am I managing this transition period or am I being passive during this transition period?

6)  Where is the Lord in the midst of this transition?

I am sure that there are many other questions that may assist.  I would be very interested in hearing some that you might add to this list. 

I think the key to successful transitions is naming what the transitions are, identifying the positive elements of the transition, and being actively involved in the transition.

Is the Spirit In It?

If you have been around the church very much, you know that it is very easy to become very busy with activity.  Whether you are part of the paid staff of the church, a volunteer, a regular attender, or a member of the congregation, there always seems to be something to do or a meeting to attend.  As I have been pondering the various activities within the church, a question has begun to nag at me:  Is the Spirit in it?  Let me share my thoughts regarding this question.

I think that it is vital for churches and the leadership to regularly take a look at all the components of the ministry in which they are engaged.  This examination needs to include the programs, the outreach, the use of resources (financial, physical, and human), and the activities that occupy the time of those involved.  The difficulty that seems to occur when leaders begin a process of evaluation is what is the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the ministry component.  While I believe that there are various criteria that need to be used, I have come to view one of the most important is the role of the Spirit in the ministry.

I know that the concept may seem way too obvious when we are talking about the Church of Jesus Christ, but the role of the Spirit I fear often gets lost in all the other evaluation tools that are used in the church.  We often concentrate on the financial costs of a ministry.  Sometimes we may also focus on the number of volunteers or the need for staff within the ministry.  But how often do we step back and look at what the Spirit is doing in the midst of the ministry area?  How often do we look to see if the Spirit is actually part of the endeavor to make sure that it is not solely human driven?

I would propose to you that if the Spirit is not in the midst of whatever ministry we are evaluating, then the ministry probably should not be a part of the church at this time.  I realize that may be very radical in nature but I know that there can be evidence found in Scripture for this idea.  If we are considering a new ministry, I believe the leadership of the church must first discern if this is of the Spirit or a human desire.  If we are looking at the current programs, activities, and ministries of the church, I believe that the leadership needs to prayerfully discern if the Spirit is still active in the ministry.  This to me is a vital responsibility of the leadership within the church.

When the discernment of the Spirit's involvement occurs, there should be one of two actions taken by the leadership.  Either the leadership will determine that the Spirit is present in the ministry and will ensure the resources are provided for the ministry; or the leadership will determine that the Spirit is not present in the ministry and then will need to take the appropriate actions.  These appropriate actions will vary depending on the situation but may include one or a combination of any of the following:  communicating with the individual(s) that the leadership has discerned the Spirit is not leading in this direction; creating a plan on how to bring the ministry to a close; searching for alternative ways the ministry may be led according to what has been discerned from the Spirit.  I am sure that some of you may determine other appropriate actions.  The point is that it is vital to follow the Spirit in this. 

I believe that one of the most difficult actions for leadership of a church to take is putting a close to an established ministry component.  There are so many emotions and the investment of time previously by individuals.  However, I feel we do a great disservice to the ministry of Jesus Christ when we do not take this action after discerning the desire of the Spirit.  Above all, grace, listening, and compassion must be a part of the process of closing out a ministry component.  Again, if the Spirit is the force behind this decision, then the Spirit will lead the process in the right way.

The point of all these thoughts is that I think we need to become much more deliberate in looking at the various ministry components in our churches and asking.... "Is the Spirit in it?"

Please let me know what you think.

The Problem

The biggest problem with the church.......... THE CHURCH

Over the last few days I have been giving a lot of thought to a concept that I read in a book called "The Shack".  While this book was a piece of Christian fiction, I found that there were some awesome concepts within its pages.  One of these concepts dealt with the Church.  A main character in the book identified that the Church had become a human institution and because of that had destorted main concepts about God.  The character also asserted that the institution had damaged many lives.

As I have chewed on this some, I have come to agree wholeheartedly.  While I think that what the Church has become is just a part of the natural evolution of human endeavors, I do not believe that we have to be satisfied with it.  I find that most of my frustrations in the role of a leader within the Church is due not to people or the ministry that I am engaged in, the frustrations come from dealing with the institutional aspect of the church.

The only way that I can find to change this course that the Church seems to be on is far from anything innovative.  It is plain and very simple.  We need to take out more of us (humans that seem to think we know what the Church and world needs) and invite more of the Lord to enter.  I am convinced that only the Lord is capable of changing our direction.  The reason that we are not willing to do this is that the process is going to be painful and it will require us to surrender power and authority.  It will require us to sacrafice those things that we view as indispensable.  It will require us to submit to the love of the Lord.

Are we truly ready for this?  I hope so because the alternative looks pretty bleak to me.

Transformed to........

I recently had the privilege of engaging in a conversation with a very close friend.  This friend is someone that I love to talk with and at times I hate to talk with.  He is someone that is very good at listening to me and then helping me to see the depth of my words.  He loves to push back at me when I discuss feelings and concepts and situations.  He helps me to grow so much.

  During our most recent conversation I was telling him about the things going on in my life, my ministry, and the congregation that I serve with.  There were times during the conversation that he would smile.  There were times that he would nod.  There were even times when he would give me a look that told me I needed to revisit what I had just said.  He is a wonderful friend and someone that truly listens.

Then towards the end of our convesation he did it to me once again.  He threw out an idea that I have been chewing on for the last couple of days.  I cannot quote him exactly but it was along the lines of how things were changing in my life.  He indicated that he felt I was changing as a person.  Then he said something similar to this..... "Maybe the transformation in you is not that you are becoming someone different but that you are becoming the real person that you truly are."

This has really begun to resonate with me.  It has me thinking a lot about the reality of this transformation concept that I have been engaged in for the last 4 years or so.  I have been pondering this in light of Scripture.  We are told that the Lord is about realinging us with what he originally intended when we were created.  Maybe the reality of transformation is that we are not changing into someone different but we are allowing the real person we were created to be to come out. 

I am going to continuing to chew on this some more and would love to hear others' thoughts.  One thing that I know with certainty is that there is no turning back.  The person that I am becoming is so much greater than the person I have been.  I can hardly wait to see how the Lord will continue the transformation in me.

Learning About Grief

  One of the realities of change is that there is a letting go of something as you head towards what is new.  Many times when you have to let go of something, that causes some grief to occur.  Now to many of you, this all may seem painfully obvious.  I can say that it does now to me also.  However, I find that sometimes the obvious can escape me.

When we are working with churches that are in the midst of change, we must keep in mind the effect that grief can have on the individuals within the church.  Often when we encounter resistance, we can become frustrated because it appears that nothing we do will appease those causing the resistance.  We fight with ourselves because we are trying to be faithful to where we feel the Spirit is leading but there seems to be an anchor around our necks. 

Have recent experience with this in the congregation that I am leading, it took a church leader to state the obvious to me before I came to realize the problem.  The resistance that we were experiencing was caused not so much by the changes that were taking place but instead by the grief that came from the reality that the church that existed 30 years ago was not going to be the church that exists today.  We were busy trying to treat the symptoms of that grief instead of facing the grief itself. 

Now grief cannot stop us from following where the Lord is leading but it can change how we respond to the resistance we experience.  As many of you know, the most important thing to do when someone is dealing with grief is to be there to listen.  So our first step in dealing with resistance should be to listen with our hearts to what the individuals are sharing.  While listening we also have to acknowledge that they have grief associated with a letting go of the way living out our church life has been as we move toward what the Lord desires our church life to be today.  Validate their feelings as they share.

We are called to walk this journey together.  Sometimes that means walking through grief to get us to the new creation that the Lord intends.  And never underestimate the power of grief.

Keep transforming!!!!

Reconnecting

This week has been an awesome week of reconnecting for me.  Over the last few months I have had a struggle connecting with my purpose in life and my purpose in the Lord's plan.  I have had a period of wandering.  Most of the activities and the approaches that I am accustomed to using when I need to rekindle the connection seemed to fail me over and over.  I definitely was feeling like I was in the wilderness.

This week allowed me to turn that around.  What seemed to make the difference was my coming to a point of no longer fighting where I was in my journey and just accepting it.  I came to the point of accepting that being in the wilderness is where I was and that I needed to enjoy the wilderness for what it was.  I committed myself to live in the moment.

I would lie to you, and to myself, if I told you that I am out of the wilderness.  I think that I am actually just starting to journey toward the next step in my journey.  What tells me that I am once again in movement is that some of the things that I have loved and that has fed my spirit in the past --- reading, writing my blog, spending time in conversation with the Lord --- have begun to feed my spirit again.  Visions and ideas are starting to flow again.  I feel that I have reconnected with the Spirit of the Lord.

I am sure that the Spirit has patiently waited for me to once again connect.  I know that this is something that the Spirit does well when it comes to me.  But I must confess, it feels a lot better to be reconnected with the Spirit.  I now am ready to once again experience the joys and the challenges along the journey of transformation.  I guess I should put out some kind of warning sign at my office door:  "Watch out because I am back on the path of transformation and you don't get to keep me in the box any more!"

I hope that if you are feeling like you are in the wilderness, you might be able to just accept that is where you are at this time and place.  I believe from my own experience if that we can accept where we currently are, we will do a lot better of moving farther on the path of our journey!

A Hard Road

Sometimes when you are in a leadership position, you find yourself wondering why you decided to take the path that you take.  This has been the case for me over last few months.  A majority of the church leadership has been working over the past couple of years on a vision that we have discerned by the guiding of the Spirit.  We have often commented on how bringing the vision to life would come with some difficulties.  Along the way, those difficulties have appeared minor irritations.  All of that moved to a much higher level in the recent months.  I, and others on the leadership team, have encountered the expected (but not sought) resistence that comes with making major changes.

This has led me to often question over the last few months my self, my leadership, my discernment, my timing, the vision that the leadership has set forth, and the ability to acheive that vision.  It has cause me to question if the Lord was truly intending us to take the path or if it was ego that was driving the path.  I have come to discover that the questions that have raised in my mind and been discussed in a variety of settings are a necessary, and I would say vital, part of the whole process.  It reminds me of a refining fire mentioned in Scripture.  Through these difficult, and heated, times, I have been able with the leadership of the congregation to affirm the path that we are on and to gain a clearer perspective.

I am glad to say that I believe that I am personally coming out on the other end of a difficult experience.  While I wish I was not made to walk the path that I have walked in the last few months, I must give thanks to the Lord for the path.  I have sensed over and over the presence of the Lord beside me as I walked the path.  I have been strengthened by the prayers of those who have walked the path with me.  I have a stronger commitment to the path.  I have a more realistic underdstanding of what it will mean to be on this path.  And though I would like to say that this is over and done, I now know that the road will become hard in the future also.  However, now I believe I am better equipped to deal with the difficulties when the road becomes hard once again.

When you are in church leadership, the reality is that you will be led by the Spirit to take paths that you may not choose.  You will be taken on journeys that you do not know the complete destination.  You will be faced with challenges and you will even at times want to give up.  The reality is that the Lord has made a promise that we must never forget - "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of time."  This is what you must cling to when you are walking that hard road.

So stay strong in the power of the Spirit!!!  And continue to walk, even when the road gets hard.

The Driver's Seat

I was involved in a recent discussion that reminded me of the importance of reviewing some of the church's principles from time to time.  The specific one that was invovled in the conversation has to do with making decisions.  We profess in many documents and settings within the church that Jesus Christ is the head of the church.  But how often do we take Christ out of the driver's seat?  How many times do we fail to recall that it is not OUR church, it is not OUR vision, it is not OUR priorities that matter?  If Jesus is truly the head of the Church, then that means Jesus generates the vision and sets the priorities.

So as we continue to go about our work.  We must be mindful that it is important to listen for the voice of Christ and to keep Jesus in the driver's seat!