Asking for your opinion...

A friend of mine just sent me this video...I like it (to a point)...I still think that to use the word, "church" is a bit confusing for people who have been steeped in a traditional sense of what the institutional church is all about...but the video does explain the concept of missional simply...watch it and post what you think!

Great cartoon! Look @ it - think about it - then laugh (or cry)

Attractional @ it's best! Just reshuffling the deck!

Great quote from Henri Nouwen...success vs. fruitfulness

No doubt about it - there are many people who are concerned with "success"...in our heart of hearts, we all are! As I told a dear friend the other day, "we all look at numbers as ONE indicator of faithfulness"...but as I also told him, there is a BIG difference between numerical success and fruitfulness. That's why I like this quote - Henri Nouwen writes in a devotional titled “fruits that grow in vulnerability”:

“there is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. success comes from strength, control and respectability. a successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over it’s development and make it available in large quantities. success brings many rewards and often fame. fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. and fruits are unique. a child is conceived in vulnerability. community is the fruit born through shared brokenness. and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one an others wounds. let’s remind one another that what brings us joy is not success, but fruitfulness.”

Our little piece of the Kingdom pie...

Our little piece of the Kingdom pie...we live in the Treasure Valley of Idaho. God has called us and equipped us and invested in our lives through His Spirit. We are doing our best to be faithful to His calling. Here's a summary about what we are attempting to do:

It has been over six months since the Friendship Celebration Lutheran Church unanimously decided to support a Project to renew our identity in Jesus as well as collectively commit to exploring ways of living that will impact the Kingdom of God. In many ways, the Project isn’t anything new to the life of the church…it would be fair to say that these ways are FORGOTTEN WAYS…in other words, we need to be reminded who we are in Christ – that He has called us to GO and be disciples who disciple others. So, in an effort to provide more and more clarity, below is a list of objectives that are foundational to our Project. Clarity helps me…I hope it helps you as well!

FAITH COMMUNITY PROJECT – WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO

DISCIPLERS - We are Disciples Discipling Disciplers.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDERS - We are Building Relationships – through these relationships in our neighborhoods, workplaces, etc., we are able to reach people with love of Jesus.

ENGINEERS OF REDEMPTION - We are building Faith “Communities” –a Community is that which is based upon the words of Jesus, “where two or more are gathered in my name” (Matthew 18:20) – so these “communities” can pop up anywhere - these are essentially NOT communities in the strict sense of small groups…rather they are Redemptive Relationships.

SHAPERS - We are shaping “Mission-Als” and “Mission-Alices”. We are trying to teach that every follower of Jesus is ON a mission every day. We are attempting to train every person who calls FCLC his or her spiritual home.

TRAINERS - We are attempting to train every person who calls FCLC their spiritual home. We are attempting to create a movement of people in our congregation who think and act in faithful ways in regards to lifestyle and mission

EQUIPPERS - We are intentionally Training and Equipping – Ephesians 4:12 (“equipping the saints for the work of service”). We are also attempting to re-shape the mission of the Nurture Groups (2010) and influence the vision of discipleship for student ministry.

PIONEERS - We are a Pilot project of the LC-MS and the Northwest District of the LC-MS as they attempt to try new ministry ‘styles’ and paradigms to reach out to the people of the 21st century. We are also building cooperative partnerships and learning environments in with others in the Treasure Valley and the Pacific Northwest (through the Northwest District).

INSPIRERS – We are deliberately committing to living a lifestyle of intentional discipleship and faithfulness that is inspirational to other followers of Jesus as well as models of Jesus for people to witness.

I'm in Japan - reflecting and writing on what I see...here are some "take aways"

Dear friends, I've been in Japan for about five days...a friend of mine at Friendship Celebration has been going to Japan twice yearly to work on a building that was built 20 years ago to "house" a major Christian ministry movement near the city of Nagano. My purpose in coming to Japan was two-fold - I was invited graciously and secondly, I felt the tug of the Spirit saying to me, "go and listen and learn". That's what I've done. I've been here for five days and I've been involved in a number of home gatherings and worship experiences...if you want to check out my blog for a day to day "journal" of my experiences, you can read them by clicking HERE.

But for now, here are some observations of the Christian movement that I've been "visiting" and spending some time with...like I said, I came to listen and learn. The following remarks I copied from my blog because I thought it might benefit YOUR journey as a spiritual leader:

"My time with Mr. and Mrs. Beck (the original missionary from Germany who was used by God to initiate this movement) was powerful. It is hard to describe being in a room with someone who truly has the gift of apostleship. Currently, there are over 40 Sunday worship locations and over 100 house meetings throughout Japan. If you let that roll around in your heart for a while...they got off a boat in Japan 57 years ago and this is the fruit of their spiritual labor. Let me remind you of something that many of us in Idaho have discussed through our Faith Communities Project - the numbers aren’t the issue...this is a very organic movement of people who love God sharing their faith and passion for Jesus with the friends and family. The truth is Mr. and Mrs. Beck are ministers “TO” the people who call this fellowship their spiritual home...they are NOT ministers “FOR” the people...in other words, they really do see their ministry as equipping the followers of Jesus for THEM TO DO THE WORK OF MINISTRY. That’s the difference - we’ve hired pastors and leaders to do the ministry FOR us...so our system of structure has actually pulled the plug on the average follower of Jesus taking full responsibility for what occurs in our sphere of influence.

Another thing - I sat in awe as the Becks told me, in response to my question about the amazing hospitality that we have experienced since we arrived in Japan, “the gift of hospitality you are experiencing only comes from the Lord”. So, I asked him point blank - “do you mean that the Japanese people are not inherently hospitable?” He said to me, “the Japanese are courteous but the loving hospitality you are experiencing is the result of what happens in each heart when the Holy Spirit transforms their life.” In other words, read Acts 2

Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

Acts 2:44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
Acts 2:45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
Acts 2:46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
Acts 2:47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

People were transformed by the Spirit into loving community - the sense of community was a powerful testimony to the world at large of the power of Jesus. I wonder - are people “moved” or in awe about how we as followers of Jesus love one another? In light of all the inner church “bickering”...church splits...brokenness within the Body of Christ, ask yourself, “is there any difference in our fellowship together that would be the result of the transforming power of the Spirit?” Are people in the culture SEEING a difference or being moved by the incredible love we have for each other? Significant question, huh?

As promised, here are a few of the unique characteristics of this movement in Japan - it’s called Kichijoji Christian Fellowship - pronounced “key-chee-joe-jee”:

1. There is NO pastor - the most important thing is the Word of God and the Lord Jesus - people who are part of the fellowship (from a variety of professions and backgrounds) voluntarily take and share the responsibilities of the “movement” without any pressure or obligation (note - I hesitate using the word, “church” because of the fact that most of us still think of what church as become than what the “ekklesia” is supposed to be). There are certainly spiritual leaders in the movement (obviously Mr. Beck would be in that camp) but their role in the fellowship is to equip, disciple and support the people of the fellowship in their own ministry. I’m not saying that casually either - most pastors I know would say their job is to “equip the body”...but the reality is most pastors do the work of ministry while the congregation watches and judges.
2. There are no boards, councils, annual meetings, or church regulations...the most important thing is that everyone gets together to adore and worship the Lord with repentance and joy.
3. There is no formal membership in the movement...there is no list of members...being a part of the movement is the decision of the individual follower of Jesus and each person is completely free to “come and go”.
4. There is no obligation to support the movement financially - the offerings are voluntary and and NOT recorded.
5. Worship on Sunday: has no printed bulletin; has two parts - (1) worship/singing and bible readings, communion; (2) evangelistic teaching/message that lasts for 50 minutes; all the services are broadcast on the internet for people to hear
6. The distinctive aspect of their ministry are their home meetings - there are currently over 100 throughout the country. House meetings are held regularly and weekly with 50 to 200 people attending each one. Messages and testimonies and meals are shared at each. This is the FRONT LINE of ministry for this movement...people are challenged, urged, even “called on the carpet” to bring their friends and family to these meetings...they are very serious about making sure that there are new people every week in the home meetings.
7. Camps - the movement has a building in Myota (this is the facility that my friend, Merlyn has worked on for over 20 years) which accommodates 1000 people and can house 300 or more people for weekend camps during the summer. Food, fellowship, teaching, testimonies, singing...all are part of the camps...many families bring their friends to these camps.

So, there you go...I’m not going to editorialize here...I guess you can tell that this has been a moving experience for me to see...it is very rare to see a missional movement happening right before your eyes...I also need to warn you - this has happened over 50 years...another thing, the numbers aren’t the significant issue for this movement - the numbers are rather a “sign” of the movement’s blessing and anointing by the Lord. If we lived this way, would we see the same and bear similar fruit? Can I be bold enough to say, “you decide”? I guess I just was bold enough...more tomorrow!

You might not like the question but the challenge is good!

Patti Magoria pointed this post out to me today - it is worth a look:

by John Ortberg

I talked not long ago to a man who spends his life working with churches on stewardship. i asked him what the number one characteristic of generous churches is, and the rapidity of his answer startled me: “They have generous senior pastors.” He didn’t cite programs or teaching or systems. Just a person.

It struck me how deeply this is true of the whole area of spiritual formation. Sometimes a person will want to become a ’spiritual formation champion’ in a church. They may know a fair amount about techniques like lectio devina, they may read good writers and be able to articulate substantial ideas. But the biggest question remains: When people look at this person, do they say ‘I want to be like him or her?’

When it comes to transformation, the single most helpful gift we offer is the life we lead ourselves. If I’m leading the wrong life, if I’m becoming the wrong person, no amount of information or teaching skill can speak louder than the volume of my actual life. The foundational question around transformation is always the ancient Biblical question (found in an obscure variant text):

Am I smoking what I’m selling?

Organic Systems and Missional Living

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed...(Matthew 13)." Farming has changed over the centuries...what used to be much more organic has yielded to methods that are structured and mechanistic. In essence, that is what has occurred in much of our journey and praxis as followers of Jesus. We have yielded to formulas and specific, "proven" ministry/life strategies and have become less dependent upon the Spirit's leadership and spontaniety. I don't want to bore you with a long post...but sometimes these things are necessary to get us all thinking and praying in a new direction.

You may not know how to be able to interpret these thoughts...that’s completely acceptable because of the fact that this type of material is not often included in what we would classify as “church-material”. Even so, understanding how groups/systems/relationships work effectively, organically and transformationally can provide a critical intellectually underpinning for our lives and community practices. So, hold on tightly…and consider this:

Background – In order to begin to understand how important this is – you have to have a bit of a historical review:

Modernity/Enlightenment – brought us an analysis, understanding and articulation of reality that is:

• Linear
• Based on Cause/Effect
• Stability/Solidarity
• Mechanistic
• Based on Newtonian Physics

Postmodernity – is turning our analysis, understanding and articulation of reality upside down:

• Reality is random
• Cause/Effect not iron clad – “B” seems to be caused by “C” or “D” or maybe “X” or “Y”
• Unpredictability
• Living and Breathing and Changing – Chaos
• Based on Quantum Physics and Chaos Theory

Now, let's move on to Systems thinking - briefly, Systems analysis is a theory of analyzing human behavior (in conjunction with organizations, groups, and institutions) that views entities as a unit and uses “systems thinking” to describe the complex interactions in the unit.

Systems thinking can be defined (as an approach to problem solving) as viewing "problems" as parts of an overall system, rather than reacting to present outcomes or events and potentially contributing to further development of the undesired issue or problem. Systems thinking is a framework/paradigm that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system can best be understood in the context of relationships with each other and with other systems, rather than in isolation. The only way to fully understand why a problem or element occurs and persists is to understand the part in relation to the whole. Organic Systems thinking stands in contrast to Descartes’ scientific reductionism and philosophical analysis (i.e. mechanistic systems) it proposes to view systems in a holistic, living manner.

Organic Systems are OPEN Systems – they do not have central intelligence because the intelligence is spread throughout the system. Organic Systems are also Decentralized Systems. Take a peak at the difference between the two systems below:

Now, follow me here...our lives as followers of Jesus is essentially an organic “Movement “.

• Jesus calls us to be committed to building a movement of disciples/Christ-followers that are difference makers in their world to God’s glory.
• Jesus invited us to join him, organically, in the reproduction of life.
• His action in the world can be best said to be a living, thriving, reproducing organism (Mark 4) that allows life-in-the-Spirit to spread viraly from one disciple to the next.
• His ekklesia/church is alive as illustrated by a seed (Mark 4) that brings forth 30, 60, or 100-fold reproduction.
• The life of Jesus in me is passed on to the life of another (2-fold) which is passed to the life of another (4-fold) which is passed to the life of another (8-fold), etc. That is the way of organic/viral life and this is what the kingdom IS. This is ultimately what Jesus invited us to become part of: discipling viral disciplers.
• Kingdom life is viral, organic, and, by nature, a movement.
• That is why we need to be “careful” about defining the “end game” (what “success” looks like in ministry). Ministries (in whatever paradigm we could choose to use) do not naturally reproduce nor become movements. In fact, every “model” has a shelf life. They may serve a purpose for a season, but when that season ends (and it will) the “movement” is over.
• This explains why Jesus did not ask us to go and “make gatherings or churches or home groups or…” He did not ask us to go and “make house churches.” He said, “go and make disciples.”
• Discipling viral disciplers is the end game. This places YOU and ME squarely in the midst of reproductive life that the kingdom is intrinsically about. We become movement-starters not church-starters. We release disciples who will influence the world throughout their lifetime and beyond.

There is a difference in Organic Systems in this regard:

• When we start “churches, communities, meetings, etc.”, our focus tends to be on the communal gathering—what to do, how to do it, what it looks like, etc. We may say to ourselves that we are learning to “be” the church but often our priority remains on developing the structure/form/institution.
• When following Jesus and inviting others to follow him becomes our focus (discipling viral disciples), we have to shift from the “gathering” mentality to the “lifestyle-going” mentality. This shift will propel us from being church-starters to movement starters (where churches and gatherings spring up along the way).

Christmastide - Paradigm for Kingdom living?

Living for the Kingdom...living in the flow of the grace and mercy of God...living a life that is obedient and passionate to the call of Jesus - for each of us who follow the Lord God, these are challenges that we humbly embrace. Interestingly enough, we have a tendency to make this challenge and lifestyle complex and unattainable through lofty goals and unrealistic expectations. The reason I say that is simple - I've placed those demands on my own heart and life - there have been times that I have interpreted Kingdom living in such demanding terms that I have actually demotivated and discouraged myself before I took the first step. I've had the scriptural reading goals that have actually pulled the plug on my desire to read the bible...I've had the prayer goals that have brought me more guilt than intimacy with God...I've had the relational goals that have actually transformed the relationships I do have and enjoy into obligations. Don't take this wrong - there's nothing wrong with objectives. I abide by them in most every aspect of my life. What I am saying is why not look at this issue from a different perspective...one of freedom that enhances our opportunities for faithfulness instead of poisoning it.

Put it this way - aren't we close to completing the Christmastide journey? We are on the verge the the 12th day of Christmas - the celebration of Ephipany (if you don't understand Ephipany, click here). Now, for the last 12 days (or more) haven't you been a bit more hospitable? Haven't you been a bit more sensitive to the joys of this time of year? Haven't you been more apt to greet people with love and anticipation of relationship? Haven't you been more giving? More understanding? Patient? In the "churchworld", haven't you prepared specifically for people to hear the story of God's love in the new way and fresh way? In fact, you've probably struggled with the story because it is a familiar one - "how do we communicate the story of Jesus in a manner that someone far from God or confused about life/spiritual matters can hear it and respond?". You know what this time of year has done to you...heres a big but obvious question, maybe more of an insight - shouldn't Christmastide be a paradigm for all of our lives in the new year? Instead of laying new demands upon ourselves, why not just continue what we've done and how we've lived into the coming days? Makes sense, doesn't it? More to come...