If people think God is like your church…

26 01 2008

…is that a good thing? Read recently where one of the most common perceptions of those who visit a church is that they perceive God’s character to be like the people and service they experienced. I don’t know about you, but that worries me. That means everything at the church is important - the look and feel, the music, the demeanor of those serving, the sermon, etc. If it’s boring, they think God’s boring. If it’s irrelevant and useless for their daily life, so is God. If it’s creepy and judgmental, guess what? Yep, they think God is too.

Why that worries me so much is because I think the vast majority of churches are just going through the motions. Everything that happens on Sunday and all the programming is simply a repeat of inherited tradition. It’s like there’s this big pattern book on “How to do Church” and we’re just mindlessly implementing it. It may have been decades since someone’s asked, “Is this effective anymore?”, “How do we know?”, “Is there a steady stream of people flowing into our church and meeting Jesus?” Complacency is probably the #1 crippler of every church. That’s not unique to churches. It’s just our human nature. But, we have to know what’s at stake and that every service, every program and environment has the possibility to be someone’s first experience and form their first impressions about God. I don’t know about you, but the God I know is dynamic, challenging, full of grace, loving discipline, and is more encouraging and uplifting the closer I get to Him. Is that the impression people get at your church and the closer they get to your people?

If the Church is His representative to the world, what are we presenting? If people think God is like your church, is that a good thing?


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Refreshingly Honest

20 01 2008

Been diving back into the book UnChristian (unchristian.com) after it gathered dust for a few weeks. Life’s gotten pretty busy with my wife and I expecting our first child in a few weeks. Anway, finally remembered to take it with me for my time on the bike at the gym. (Thanks to Jeff Henderson at Buckhead Church, blog.buckheadchurch.org, for reminding me of that great reading opportunity, when you can either watch your RPMs and the TV captioning or perhaps exercise your mind as well.) Chapter 3 addresses hypocrisy, which is probably the #1 criticism of people outside the Church. I would argue they’re totally justified in that, but that’s another point for another day.

There’s a letter in the chapter by Margaret Feinberg (margaretfeinberg.blogspot.com), where she shares one of her blog posts on the topic. I love how “real” it is. I can only imagine how many more people could clearly examine the message of Jesus if Christians carried this posture vs. the facade that we have it all together. Here it is (pp. 62-63):

I thought that becoming a follower of Jesus would help me kick the sin habit, providing the inoculation I needed, but in some ways the symptoms just grew worse. I realized how much I was infected and how it was affecting my attitude, my relationships, my life. So the truth is that I’m fighting. I’m fighting sin with everything I’ve got. Some days I fare better than others. Odds are that if you’re calling me a hypocrite, then you caught me on one of my worst days.

I am sorry. I’m sorry that I let you down and disappointed you. But the truth is that I’m not giving up or letting go. I’ve encountered a God who promises that the battle ends in victory- life instead of death. So call me crazy- but I’m holding on to that promise. I’m also trying to uphold the standards God has set. They’re pretty high, and some days I just find myself laying on the ground, staring at the ceiling. But then I feel an urge, an energy, to get up and fight once again.

(Here’s my favorite part) I could use your help. The next time you see me behaving like a hypocrite, pull me aside and gently let me know. I’d really appreciate it.

Man, I love that! I so want to represent Christ well, but I know me, and I know only God can finish the work of perfecting me and that time hasn’t come yet. I fail every day. I’m going to keep trying though. And, I know I’m way more approachable for someone in admitting my common struggles than by standing off with my polished exterior and telling them they need to get right with God.


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What makes you feel most alive in ministry?

13 01 2008

And most importantly, how long has it been since you last felt that way? Are you in a position to experience it frequently?

Too easily in the course of doing our jobs, we get consumed by the tasks or where we are in the process of moving the ball down the field. I think it’s important that we regularly bring to mind the situations and events that make us feel most alive, so that we can evaluate how long it’s been since we’ve been “in the zone” and whether we’re doing anything intentionally or unintentionally to keep us from that.

For me, it’s creating that “aha” or “light-bulb” moment where someone understands for the first time that God is “for” them or is actually on their side, and that trusting in Him brings freedom. Too often, those who don’t know Christ have a perception that believing in God means a lot of things they’re not interested in: 1. the end of all fun and laughter; 2. rote memorization of Bible verses; 3. a lot of dry cleaning to have their suits and dresses ready for Sunday; and, 4. adhering to a list of “dont’s” in order to be good at this religion. Bottom line: The God most people are rejecting is actually not who He is, as much as they’re rejecting the religion mannerisms mankind’s layered on top of Him. That’s okay. We can battle those misperceptions. That’s what makes me feel alive. I love it when I can play a part in helping people see God for who He really is.

What about you? What do you do in ministry where the Spirit within you is just screaming, “Isn’t this awesome? Look at what you’re a part of!” If you haven’t felt that in a long time or aren’t sure if you ever will in the role you’re in, fight for it! Pray for it! There’s too much at stake for this to just be a paycheck or simple career choice for you. Be alive!


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There is no scarcity with God

3 01 2008

Just a brief thought today, but in conversation recently with some guys who are interested in doing a new work in their community, it’s clear that they are dreading having to reveal to their current church employer that they might be leaving. I can understand this somewhat in the private sector, having started in it myself before going on a church staff, but it really saddens me that all too often the reception and repercussions of leaving a position in the church world evoke more ugliness than any other “industry”. Why is that? If you’re in charge at a church, what threatens you about people pursuing something else?

I know that for real leadership to flourish and for people to fully engage the gifts God gave them, there has to be a spirit of openness, mutual respect and a shared understanding that God only deserves our best. If someone can’t give you their best at your church, for whatever reason, by all means support them, give them a blessing and let them go pursue what they’re passionate about. If you’re afraid to lose them, you’ve probably forgotten the fact that God doesn’t need any of us. He’s allowing us to participate with Him. He owns all the resources and is free to move the pieces around as He sees fit.

I’ve seen some great instances where pastors recognized that and they’re only response to someone being called to something else was gratitude and “how can we help you in pursuing that?”. And fruit abounds.

Unfortunately, the inverse is way too prevalent. Come on Church! How big is your God?


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