Thoughts From Chris

Many people have a lot of different opinions and definitions on leadership.  I have had my share of thoughts over the years as well.  Over the last several years, however, I have landed on a perspective that I believe is consistent with what I read repeatedly in Scripture.  I define leadership as the stewardship of godly influence.  In other words, God has commissioned his followers to influence people toward him (both believers and unbelievers), and we have a responsibility to make an impact in their lives toward God. 

Not only have I landed on this definition, I have also landed on the perspective that God wants all of his followers to be leaders. While some people have specific gifts, skills, and abilities to lead larger groups of people, everyone has been commissioned to lead and influence at least those around them (friends, neighbors, workmates, family members, etc.).

One of the passages I find fascinating on this subject is that Jesus finds some ordinary fisherman who are not only untrained and unschooled in the area of leadership, but who had not even heard the gospel.  Jesus gives them a very basic call to the gospel, “come follow me,” and then issues these potentially new converts a call to a life of leadership – influencing others toward God.   Notice the passage:

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.”Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”At once they left their nets and followed him.  (Mark 1:15-18)

As followers of Jesus we are called to follow him, and we are also called to help others follow him (fisher of men).  Helping others follow him is called leadership.  This kind of leadership does not have much to do about skill and nothing to do about title and position.  The best way to help people follow Jesus is by modeling that life and looking for opportunities to explain why you live that way (from Scripture).  The beauty of this is that everyone can do this.  Therefore, everyone CAN be a leader and is CALLED to be a leader in the world. 

Acts 4:13 emphasizes this as well:

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

People witnessed their character and the power they had in Christ (they had been with Jesus). How are you stewarding this responsibility with those around you?  Are you leading and influencing them by how you live? Are you explaining to both believers and unbelievers why you live and follow Jesus during unique windows of opportunities God gives?

Just some thoughts as you ponder the leadership influence God has given you.  It is certainly humbling as we will all one day give an account of our leadership.

There are two official offices in the church: overseer and deacon.  God also gives the church the use of many different spiritual gifts by those in the body.  Several passages list examples of those kinds of gifts (e.g. gift of helps, administration, healing, faith, mercy, encouragement, etc.). 

Ephesians 4:11 gives a list of equipping gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.  Maybe you know someone who has one of these or another gift.

I Corinthians 12 emphasizes the importance of all the gifts working together and the need for them all to contribute to the whole (i.e. one is not more important than another).  ”Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.” (I Cor. 12:22-23)

However, when you look at the contemporary church today, this doesn’t seem to be the way we operate.  There is one gift in the church that seems to be elevated above all the others. It is the pastoral gift.  We do this in various ways:

• We point across the room and say, “there is THE pastor.”  We never say, “there is the encourager, the apostle, the evangelist, the mercy leader, etc.”
• We talk about a “pastoral staff.” We never talk about a “faith staff, healing staff, prophetic staff, etc.”
• We say, “I would like you to meet Pastor Tom.”  We never say, “I would like you to meet Giver John, Faith Frank, or Diligent governor Tim.”
• We pay “the pastor” but we don’t pay the encourager, the mercy person, the evangelist, etc.
• A newcomer today asks, “who is the pastor of the church?”  Would this question even compute during NT times?  Pastor isn’t a position of authority in the church, it is a gift that some in the body have.
• How many times do we listen to leaders on Sunday morning who are called “pastors’ but clearly do not have the pastoral gift?  Why would they be called by a gift they don’t have?

Why has the contemporary church falsely elevated the pastoral gift above all other gifts (particularly when Scripture says not to do this)?   Why has the church made the pastoral gift an official position/office of authority?

I am not suggesting that some will not exercise their gifts in more public ways than others or that all gifts will have the same level of influence in the church.  Clearly this is not the case.  However, somehow we have taken one of many gifts in Scripture, and over the years, we have made it into something bigger than all the rest. 

Personally, my primary gifts are probably leadership, apostolic, and teaching.  However, I am called to practice all the other gifts (evangelism, pastoring, serving, giving, mercy, faith, etc.)  While I understand culturally when people occasionally call me “Pastor Chris” or someone introduces me as “the pastor” or even “one of the pastors,” I think it is so ingrained in our culture, I don’t know if we can really change it. 

My preference, however, is that the word “pastor” would not precede my name or describe my role in the church because in my mind it is not a position in the church, nor is it even my gift.  All the gifts, including the pastoral gift, are so amazing when people in the body all work together and serve one another with the gifts God has given them. 

If nothing else, perhaps the best and truest title one could give to me would be to refer to me as “Triathlete Chris.”  (now there is something I can live up to!)

A couple weeks ago I challenged the church body where I serve to take more risks in 2010 than they took in 2009.  No, I am not talking about tackling a triathlon this year for the first time in your life (like I did last year), or running the Indy Mini half marathon (like I am planning to do this year for the first time).  Nor am I talking about climbing Mt. Everest, taking risks in the stock market, or placing a lot of money on a bet that the Colts will win the Super Bowl this year  (I was actually at the game during the Jets debacle – great time with friends, thank you Karl – but I was calling for Caldwell’s firing as we left – in not so nice of words). 

Anyway the kind of risk I am talking about is when you make decisions throughout the year to do things because you know it’s God’s desire for you, even though it may cause great discomfort, potential pain, and trouble in this world.

Let me give you some examples:

• You have a friend, co-worker, family member, or acquaintance, and you know that if you share with this person the way God changed your life or somehow suggest that they need to repent in their own life and place their life changing faith in Jesus, it might cause some real discomfort or trouble.  Maybe it will cause a strain in your relationship, maybe this person will be offended, maybe this person will think you  are a little weird or judgmental, or maybe this person will be moved by your words and ultimately by God’s Spirit.  You don’t know which way it will go and so there is risk.
• You have harbored unforgiveness against someone who has hurt you in the past.  Every time you think of this person you have these negative and angry feelings.  For you to completely forgive this person, it will cost you many things.  You will have to be vulnerable, you will have to release the emotional debt you feel they owe you, God may ask you to love this person in some kind of way that you would be unwilling to do today, and so you feel this sense of risk.  It may be painful for you initially to completely forgive, and you aren’t sure how hard it will be and what you will have to give up and risk doing it. 
• As a teenager, you feel prompted in your heart to take a stand on an issue with your friends, but you don’t know what the repercussions will be.   Will you lose some or all of your friends?  Will you be labeled in school in some way?  It would probably be easier and far more comfortable to go with the flow and simply fit in.  Is the risk worth it?

Why is following Jesus so hard at times? Can’t we have our cake and eat it too? Can’t we have eternal life AND have comfort in this world?  Is following Jesus really worth it?  Isn’t Christian mediocrity easier than an uncompromising love for God and others?  If most Christians I know compromise and are mediocre and lukewarm, will anyone  really notice anyway if I just fit in with the church-going masses?

My challenge for myself and for you is take more risks in 2010 to follow God in an uncompromising way.  When it comes to obedience and Jesus-centered love (which is the hardest kind), it will ALWAYS be worth it, even if it costs you greatly in this life.

A couple posts ago I wrote about the point that any truth in the world is God’s truth.  While the Bible is God’s authoritative truth, it is not the only source of truth in the world.  There are all kinds of principles and practices  in the world that are true, and God is the author of them all.

One of the complaints I have heard over the years is that the church is run too much like a business.   I think in some regards this is accurate, but I think in some regards this complaint lacks the understanding that God owns all truth. Let me comment on both.

First, when a church measures success by numbers and finances (like the business world), this is a violation of what God says in his word.  Success in the church is measured by faithfulness, love, and obedience.  This usually leads to numerical growth but not always.  The bottom line for business is money; the bottom line for the church  is obedience and love.

In the business world, leadership is often about position, rank,  authority, and power.  In the church, leadership is about servanthood, love, and influence.

In the business world, decisions are often made based on the desires of the customer.  Businesses offer a product or service tailored to the customer.  Pleasing the customer is one of the highest goals.  In the church, there are no customers. The church is not to look at attenders or potential attenders as customers of goods and services.  The church rather is to shepherd people as children of God.

Based on the above examples (and there are may more), the church can erroneously mirror a business.  This obviously does not please God.  What happens is that churches end up replacing biblical truths with secular and unbiblical principles that have no place in God’s church.

However, the business world does contain many principles that are effective and true (not contained in the Bible) that the church should practice.  Let me give you some examples.

In the business world, you must not allow your expenses to exceed your income.  Many checks and balances are created within the financial arena to prevent this from happening.  In the church, these same principles are true and should be practiced as well.

In the business world, employees must be held accountable to certain job descriptions, ethical standards, and management of time.  When employees compromise these areas of accountability they are often let go.  When a church has paid staff, these same principles must be practiced in order for the leadership to be good stewards of the resources they oversee.  These business practices should be used in the church.

In the business world, leaders often cast vision, establish values, set short term and long term goals, establish teams, develop better communication practices, and make unpopular decisions based on what is best for the future of the company.  All of these principles can enhance the effectiveness of ministry within the church as the body attempts to live out the mandates of Scripture and properly steward every resource he gives each church body. 

The bottom line is that the church can glean many truths from the business world as well as other secular disciplines (e.g. sociology, psychology, finance, accounting, armed forces, engineering, etc.).  Many of these principles and truths developed within these settings are not contained in the Bible.  There is no chapter and verse on how to create a balance sheet and budget, but churches that do not practice these truths can compromise the biblical values of stewardship, frugality, and responsibility.

As we engage in various secular fields and discover helpful principles and truths (that God has created in the world), it becomes imperative that we test these supposed truths in the light of Scripture.  Although God has created an immense amount of truth in the world outside of Scripture, something is never true or from God if it contradicts or compromises Scripture.   Scripture must be our lens as we decipher truth out in the world. 

Almost all secular disciplines in our society practice strands of truth and strands of worldliness.  It is not as simple as positioning God and his word against business or psychology or simply secular society.   That would simply be throwing the baby out with the bathwater as they say.   No, there are strands of extrabiblical truth in most of the disciplines of our society.  It is our job, therefore, to decipher that truth, put it into practice, and thus enhance our ability to live fruitful, effective, and obedient lives to God. 

Be on the lookout for God’s truth whereever you are.  It is all around us.

I heard a couple years ago that there was a doctor in Dayton, Ohio that did Lazik surgery for free for those who work at churches full-time.  I have been wearing glasses, and predominantly contacts, for many years.  I signed up, and they told me it was about a nine month waiting list.  

In January, after nearly a year, I called expecting to hear that I was next.  However, they instead told me that due to the economy, they were canceling this program indefinitely.  I was so disappointed. 

I then received a call in September, and they told me they reinstated the program, and that I was up.  I was shocked because I had basically written them off.  It was a two day process with the pre-op and the post-op.  Kathy, Farrah, and I spent two nights in a hotel there in Dayton about mid-October to have the procedure done.

They ran a bunch of tests the day before.  However, when it came to the surgery, it took about 45 seconds an eye.  It was absolutely incredible.   The smell of flesh burning as the laser cut my cornea was a little interesting, but there was not a hint of pain.  A couple of numbing eye drops is all they gave me, and that was all I needed.  

My eyes were a little uncomfortable the rest of the day, but 24 hours later I was seeing 20/20.  One week later I was seeing 20/15.  I feel very blessed to have had this done – for free!  I went to a high school football game last Friday night and I was commenting to the guys I went with that the game and field seemed so clear and crisp.  I have better eyesight than when I wore glasses or contacts. 

I wonder when I watch the Detroit Lions if I will see the plays more clearly?

 … On second thought, maybe I should have left my eyes alone!

I would like to begin a three part post on the nature of truth.  Many Christians claim that truth is only found in the Bible.  Is this accurate?  There is no doubt in my mind that the Bible is a book written by man and authored by God’s Spirit.  In other words, God’s Spirit guided the authors in such a way that while God used their historical setting, personality, and unique style, the exact words and message were guided perfectly by God.  Because of this, there are no errors, inconsistencies, and the Bible provides God’s unmistakable voice and truth to all generations (2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

However, while it is accurate to say that the Bible is God’s truth to us, it is not the only source of God’s truth in our world. 

I cannot live without water.  Water is a combination of h2O.  This is not found in the Bible, but is true.

The laws of gravity explain why a football that is thrown up into the air (preferably by Peyton Manning intended for Reggie Wayne) will eventually come down.  This law of gravity is not found in the Bible, but it is true.

In math we learn at an early age that two plus two equals four.  This is not found in the Bible, but it is true.

We learn in accounting that when liabilities are higher than assets, a business or organization is working from an indebted position.  We don’t learn this in the Bible, but it is true.

All the above examples are principles in life that are as true as the truth contained in Scripture.  And because they are true, they belong to God.  He is the author of all truth, therefore, anything that is true in the world comes from him. 

The point to be made here is that God’s truth is permeated in so many different ways in the world, and often we fail to acknowledge that it all comes from God. We have a tendency to rejoice only in the truth of the Bible (and certainly we should), but we are missing so much of what God has offered us if we do not rejoice in all the ways God reveals his truth to us in other ways as well. 

Right now I am teaching a class at IPFW called, “Foundations for Success.”  I am teaching life skills such as setting goals, time management, working with teams, self-motivation, self-evaluation, how to prioritize tasks, self-discipline, the power of right decisions, etc.  I have never used a Bible verse in the class, but I am teaching so many principles that are simply true and right.  And if they are true and right, then they have one source, and that source is God. 

It is amazing how vast and broad God’s truth is in our world!

Let’s retain a high view of Scripture, but let’s not overstate a message that says God’s truth is not found outside of Scripture as well. 

During part two I would like to address a common complaint against the contemporary church today which suggest the church is run too much like a business.  I think there is some truth to this statement, but it might not be for the reasons most would give to support this claim.  Those typical arguments usually given I think miss the very point of this post:  all truth is God’s truth (even truth we find in the business world).   Should be an interesting point of discussion.

Look all around you, acknowledge the many different streams of truth that come into your life at your job, in your relationships, in your school studies,  in your recreation, through the Bible, and in many different ways.  Spend time rejoicing in God’s truth, giving him the ultimate glory!

I have been studying the prophet Jeremiah this week.  Now here’s a guy who brings new meaning to the word, “perseverance.”  God calls him to speak on his behalf to the Israelites in the southern kingdom, Judah.  The only problem is that no matter how faithful Jeremiah is to God, it will not matter in the end.  The people will not heed the warning and turn back to God.

There are so many promises in the Bible that tell us that if we are faithful to God, he will bless us, and he will bring fruit to our labor.  This is usually how God works.  Not for Jeremiah, though.  His faithfulness brought ridicule, threats, and a great deal of pain – not to mention, no one ever heeded his warning. 

What do you do when you try to be faithful to God in every way, and yet trouble and heartache seem to be the consequence?  What do you do when you spend years parenting your children in a godly way, and then they grow up not living for God?  What do you do when you try to be the best spouse you can, and it only brings more pain?  What do you do when you pray for someone to believe in Jesus for years and years, pursuing every opportunity, and they only get farther away?  What do you do when you try to be the very best employee possible, and there is never any hint of reward or appreciation?

It is difficult enough to be faithful to God when it brings blessing, but how difficult is it when you see no fruit and no blessing to your effort?  Jeremiah was faithful for over 40 years, and he never saw any fruit.  He knew deep inside that faithfulness will reap a reward eventually, if not in this life, certainly in the life to come, but it was a deep struggle.  He was faithful, but it was not easy.  I wonder what kind of reward he earned when he entered eternity?

We can learn much from Jeremiah.  What is an area of your life where Jeremiah’s story is teaching you right now?

A few months ago I began to post several reflections I had during my sabbatical earlier this year.  One of those reflections, that I have yet to write about, is in the area of leadership succession.  Most people do not engage in succession planning, but when they do, the most conventional approach is to begin developing a succession plan in connection to an exit strategy.   In other words, when I feel my time is drawing to a close in my position (either because I am moving on or because I am nearing retirement), I look for a successor to groom who will eventually take my place. 

What if, however, I was not thinking about an upcoming exit strategy, but yet I began grooming a successor (or several possible successors) anyway?    Would this be unwise or healthy?

Prior to this year, I always assumed I would not begin grooming a successor until there was a “reason” for it.  I feel challenged, however, to believe differently about this (both for myself and as a matter of principle for every leader in the church). 

We see this practice of succession throughout Scripture:  Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Jacob, Jacob to his twelve sons, Moses to Joshua, Saul to David, David to Solomon, Elijah to Elisha, John the Baptist to Jesus, Jesus to the disciples, and so on.  I recently taught on Elijah’s transition to Elisha.  What was interesting to me is that God named Elijah’s successor well before Elijah was nearing retirement (well before he developed an exit strategy).  In fact, Elijah and Elisha spent ten years together as Elijah groomed Elisha.

What if every leader was engaged in grooming a succesor or potential successors on a continual basis?  What would it look like if no one ever stepped down from their position or left it unexpectedly without having someone already waiting in the wings?  What if there was a culture of succession within the DNA of everyone in the church? 

I am sure many people already have this mentality and are living it out, but for me, this is something that has not been on my radar.  I always thought this is something that you think about sometime down the road. 

Jesus spent three years developing the greatest succession plan in history: people like us taking his place and filling his shoes.  Succession was critical to Jesus’ overall strategy for ministry. 

Think about your position of leadership or where you serve.  What if you began grooming possible successor now?  We don’t know how long we will be on this earth, in our position, or able to lead.  One thing we do know, we will all step down from our leadership position at some point.  We are all leading on a temporary basis until we hand our leadership over to someone else.  This may be 10 weeks or 10 years from now.  Regardless of the timing, it seems we will be a little more like Jesus if we are grooming others right now to eventually take our place in the future.

Recently someone shared publicly the impact their mission community was having in the lives of people in and released from jail. I have heard over the past week how impacting that story was for people.  Let me share the highlights for those who may not have heard.

Over the last couple of years people at Grace Gathering have been encouraged to develop community groups (5-10 families) and focus on a specific mission of outreach.  While these groups are reaching out, they will also in the process grow closer in their relationship with God and with one another.

One particular group began to gather together (made up mainly of people who have been at the church for a long time).  At first, it seemed to have a Bible study focus (which is the way most of the participants had experienced small group gatherings).  However, the leadership of the church strongly encouraged these small to mid-size communities to make Bible study/learning only one of  many areas of focus, rather than the dominant focus.  The goal was to have  a more holistic pursuit of community-life with an intentional focus on outreach/the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20.).

At first, this was very uncomfortable for the group.  They rather enjoyed one another’s company, enjoyed sitting around and discussing Bible studies, and preferred a safe and comfortable setting.  God then brought a new couple to the group and the woman was an assistant chaplain in the Allen County Jail.  They started hearing about needs in that arena and many of them began to realize that they had connections to the jail either by extended family, friends, or acquaintances. 

Some of them started serving at the jail in a very simple way (e.g. sorting clothes).  Some began to write letters to inmates. Some started shopping for gift bags for newly released inmates.  They got out of their comfort zone and began to try some things.

A gentleman in the area recently got out of a four year stay in prison.  He came to Jesus while he was in jail.  He called a bunch of churches in the Fort Wayne area when he got out and for some reason was led to attend a service at Grace Gathering.  That first Sunday he attended, he walked from Coliseum Boulevard to the building in New Haven. 

He then heard that Grace is a church made up of a bunch of small to mid-size communities that meet all over the city.  Someone then linked him to the house church that had recently began to focus on helping people in jail or recently released from jail.  He began attending this community, started to meet and get to know people, and also had a passion to help people who had similar backgrounds to him. 

He was staying at an Inn in Fort Wayne with no job, no car, and no money (a place many inmates stay when they are first released from jail).  The people in the house church began to sense a connection to helping people at that Inn.  Instead of simply asking people to come to them, they decided to go to them.  They served a meal at the Inn and welcomed anyone who was interested.  They got to know a few more people there and are now trying to provide them with clothing and some of the bare necessities. 

The individual who started attending this mission community started helping with some maintenance issues at the Inn, on a volunteer basis, and eventually got hired by the Inn.  Those within the community encouraged him to get baptized now that he had given his heart and life to Jesus, and the mentor of that community baptized him in a public service at Grace a week ago. 

This all started with a group of people who decided to move beyond comfort and move into the arena of true mission (caring for people, serving them, and sharing the gospel of Jesus with them). 

There are many other stories like this of communities gathering together for the purpose of loving God, loving each other, and going out and intentionally loving those in the world.  Maybe you are a part of community of people who are pursing God’s mission on the earth. 

I hope you are encouraged by this story.  This mission community feels like they are simply in the beginning stages of some awesome things God wants to do through them and through other ordinary people just like them.  I know this story has been an inspiration to me.

So God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all conversing up in heaven.  God the Father then says, “Listen, I am going to adopt, as my very own children, countless people on the earth (men, women, boys, girls, rich, poor, every ethnicity, etc.).  I am going to become their heavenly dad, and I am going to love them forever.”

God the Son responds by saying, “I love the idea.  I was thinking the same thing myself.”

God the Spirit also follows by saying, “I think this is a great idea also, and I too, was thinking the same thing.”

With a half-smile on his face, God the Father says, “Hey, it’s almost like we are all of the same mind.”  The Father then looks at the Son and says, “In order to make this possible, I need to ask you to come to earth, become a human, and take on my punishment of sin on their behalf.”

Jesus looked at the Father, paused for a moment, and said, “I would love to die for those adopted children.  It would be my honor to take on their punishment for the forgiveness of their sins.”

The Father said, “I knew you would say that. When you go down to earth, I want you to show them what it means to live the life I intended them to live on the earth.  Give them the perfect example of living for me.”

“I will do whatever you ask and show me to do,”  Jesus said. 

Then the Father looked at the Spirit and said, “I want you to fill these people whom I have chosen.  I want you to convict them of sin, bring them to repentance, fill them, encourage them, remind them of truth, lead them, prompt them, equip them, and teach them everything I have in mind for them to do.  I want you to live in them.”

The Spirit said, “I will follow your lead and the Son’s lead, and I will show them the way and give them the power to follow that way. ”  The Spirit then looks at the Son and says, “I will even fill you in your humanity and give you power, showing the people what is possible for them as well by my power.”

The Father, Son, and Spirit were of one mind and were the perfect team together.  They had different roles and they went out and filled their roles powerfully.  What we see on the earth today is the reality of their ministry: sinful people coming to Jesus, being adopted as God’s children, and in the power of the Spirit, following Jesus’ teaching and the Father’s will. 

Now obviously, the above conversation is fictitious.  We have no record in Scripture of any such interchange.   However, we do see in Scripture different roles each member of the Trinity fills, we see interaction and even prayer/conversation between the different members of the Trinity, and we see their perfect unity and oneness.

Doctrinally we need to avoid two extremes or errors:  1) that somehow we serve three gods, or 2) that somehow Jesus and the Spirit are not actually the eternal God and are creations or forces of God. 

God is three in one; a mystery that finite minds will never comprehend.

The point I want to make, however, is that their team unity and community is a model for team unity and community within the church.  One of the reasons that God wants his children working together and partnering together to advance his kingdom on the earth (as opposed to doing it simply individually) is because community and team togetherness is derived from the Godhead himself. 

We all need to be working as a team with other brothers and sisters in Christ.  If we are not a part of a community and team, we are missing something that not only God desires for us but something inherent in who he is. 

Spend a little time and ask yourself, am I partnering with other Jesus-followers to advance his kingdom on the earth?  If you are, you are mimicking the eternal nature of God. 

What an exciting and powerful calling the Triune God has given us!