The Role of Church Leadership

Part of our traditional vision of church leadership goes something like this. Leader(or leaders) casts a vision and tries to get people to buy into it. Leaders develop structures to implement the vision and work on ways to get people involved in implementing the vision and filling out the structure or organization. Churches have traditonally been managed from a central authority or body that oversees what the church does and often controls the system.

In a conversation with one of our pastors this week, I affirmed his church's leadership efforts. His leadership team was simply trying to respond to what was happening among the membership on the outer edges of the congregation. Members were engaging in ministry. The leaders were simply trying to keep up with what the members were doing in response to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I see this as a good thing. People are listening to the Spirit and are engaging in ministry. The leaders are not busy trying to get the people to do something, they are encouraging and facilitating the ministry that is taking place.

This conversation led to my stating two key convictions: Our existing church system or structures cannot contain an outpouring of God's Spirit, a spiritual awakening, or a great revival. In fact, I am convinced that these structures often inhibit the movement of the Holy Spirit. When our thinking is confined to our systems, where is the room for the Spirit to act or lead? We have done such a thorough job of acclimating church members to our system, that many cannot think or act for themselves. They have to wait on a word of instruction from one of the "leaders." These leaders expend all their energy trying to get people to work in the church system in order to make the system work. Our mistaken belief is that if the church system is working well, then we are doing what God wants us to do.
Jesus made it clear if we will just listen: You cannot put new wine (outpouring of the Spirit) into old wineskins (church structures and systems).

The second conviction is that if genuine spiritual awakening occurs, no one of us can describe what it will look like. The mistake church and denominational leadership have so often made is to call for spiritual awakening and then define how that would look, i.e. specifically in terms of the existing church or denominational structure. I can say two things about the spiritual awakening for which we pray. First, it will be in keeping with the character of God as revealed in scripture, and second, the movement will be in keeping with Holy Scripture. I think if we say more than that, we are restricting and hindering.


What if leadership took a responsive position over a restrictive one? What difference would that make? Isn't that what the Jerusalem church did toward the outpouring at Antioch? They sent Paul and Barnabas to see what was happening and responded to the need for spiritual development among the new converts.

Maybe it's time to rethink church leadership!

All Activity and Little Reflection

I can't believe that is has been almost TWO MONTHS since I posted anything on this blog! That's how busy summer has been. It is usually that way during the summer month. This is not a slack time in associational work. The month of May is fairly light, but June is budget preparation time, and during June and July we are working on nominating committee stuff, getting ready for Executive Board meetings in July and September. Then we have our church Key Leader Conference in August and this year we tried something really different. It was a success based on early comments we have received, but the preparation was more intense and detailed than it has ever been. Add to that a short vacation in the mountains in July and a trip to our annual 5 day reunion in Mississippi and you see why there was little time for reflection. Add to this the preparations for our daughter's wedding in September at the beach and our son's wedding in November in Tennessee, and it leaves little wonder why I have not posted on this site.
Reflection on life is an important part of living, so let me back up and reflect on a couple of experiences that strengthened my relationship with a couple of our churches. I mentioned in the previous post that I spoke at homecoming for one of our smaller churches. I also had the opportunity to go back for five weeks and lead a Christian money management seminar. It was good to get to know those folk at a more personal level. I feel like I have made some new friends. In another situation, one of our pastor's had to have bypass surgery and my associate and I filled the pulpit for three consecutive Sundays. That was a positive experience, particularly since the pastor was able to be there the final week I preached.
These are just two opportunities but they teach a very important lesson about relationships. It's hard to build strong relationships without significant "face time." Relationships take commitment. Nothing can take the place of being there with people. I hope that is a lesson I never forget.

Are We in Denial?

Part of my "job" includes interacting with pastors and church leaders. It is a part of the work that I really enjoy. Sometimes I have opportunity to present information in a seminar form or maybe good books for them to read. It's always fun to give people things!

Those who know me well know that I am a positive outlook person. I am generally an optimist, looking for a positive outcome. Yet in my position as a mission strategist, I must also present the realities as I see them. And one big reality I see, is that the evangelical church in general, and Southern Baptist churches in particular, are declining in influence and in inpact on our culture.

Yet, most church leaders just keep on doing what they have been doing, hoping for things to get better. On pastor said he didn't finish a book I gave him because he disagreed with the author. Another said it made him angry at first, but he knew the author was correct in his assessment. The first pastor, and many of his colleagues with him, is in denial. We make excuses for why things are not improving, often blaming those we are trying to reach without acknowledging that we are simply trying to get them to do something for us that they are not particularly interested in doing, that is, come to our church. That denial represents a refusal to see the reality, the facts, the current trends, and all that goes with them. Most church leaders are doing the best they can to sustain their church system. They are busy with all the ongoing responsibilities of day to day and week to week church operations that they literally "don't have time" to do creative thinking and develop new insights. I long to give them "permission," or to get their churches to "give them permission" to stop doing a lot of things that have not significant Kingdom impact, so they can begin to explore new ways of seeking the Kingdom. That can only begin when we get over our denial.

Following a passion

Sunday I spoke at homecoming in one of our churches. It's a small church with a lot of older members. Their music style is southern gospel. What is unique about this church is a ministry they have been doing for years. Each Sunday, the pastor holds services at a truck stop in Montgomery. Some days, nobody shows up. On other days there might be five or six. Regardless, he shows up every Sunday to share the gospel with those who are willing to come. Occasionally, a member accompanies him there. What I like about this is that the church is willing to do something to engage people outside the church building. None of those who participate in the service at the truck stop is likely to ever attend or join this church. Nevertheless, the ministry goes forward, and the focus is outward on the Kingdom of God, not inward on the church members or the church organization. Are there other things this church could do. Sure, and I hope they will discover some new venues that may enhance the vitality of their congergation. Now, however, I celebrate what they are doing and thank God for their effort.

Where is the wisdom?

Well, it has been so long since I blogged, some of you were wondering if my mind took a big vacation. I confess, it did. I wrote for our newsletter, but I haven't written lately for this blog. I guess I just haven't felt very creative, and I have been busy with lots of meetings.

Last week I got to participate in a men's golf retreat with my church. The weather was superb, the course was great, and my golf, for the most part, stunk up the place. Just like many of us presume upon God, I presumed that I could resume golf after a 9 month layoff and not feel any negative effects. That's not entirely true, because I knew I would not be very good, I just did not think I would be this bad.

One thing impressed me about this group of 24 who participated. I heard a lot of personal comments about individuals following God's direction in their lives. This was really encouraging. I heard about one who led his brother-in-law to Christ, and another who was seeking his next ministry after the current one plays out. Those are the kinds of stories I needed to hear. Even though I often look at churches that don't seem to "get it," I realize all around are individuals living out their personal calling from God faithfully. That is something I am thankful for.

Here is Part Three

Seeking First the Kingdom – Part Three

In the first article of the series, I talked about Matthew 6:33 and its personal application. The second article dealt with making application for the local church setting. In this third and final of the series, I want to address current threats to the church and how our obedience to this command of Jesus can address those threats.
Did you see the recent article noting the increased percentages of people who claim no religious preference? This survey affirms my long held belief that we are becoming more and more secular. Any general cultural “preference” for religion, and particularly in our regions, Protestant expressions of Christianity, has diminished greatly. Persons in these past surveys, even though they might not have been Christ followers, or church members, generally expressed a preference for the term “evangelical” or “Christian.” That is no longer true for larger and larger numbers of people.
Is this a bad thing? Obviously it weakens the “perception” of strength of evangelical Christianity, but maybe it is time for us to stop taking adherence to our common “Christian” values for granted. We all knew those who expressed a preference for calling themselves “Christians” or “Evangelicals” did not express a true faith in Jesus Christ. The church of Jesus Christ is not better off because people identify themselves in a survey as “Christian”. The church is better off when people are expressing their personal faith in Christ by being obedient to His commands and allowing Him to direct their lives.
It is also obvious that in these days that churches face some serious economic threats. Shortfalls in giving threaten our missions programs, our church program activities, our staffing, our buildings, and our way of doing church. But let me ask this question. Even if our church can no longer exist in its present form, are we not better off to seek the Kingdom first? Jesus answered that with his life. He laid down his life for his sheep. Did he not call on us to die to self? Does that command not also apply to the church? Maybe our churches are not dying to self because our leadership (I am starting with me) has not modeled their obedience to this command of Jesus. Stewardship of life and life’s resources (both are gifts from God), is one of the critical issues we face in the 21st Century.
Obviously I cannot address all the threats to the church in such a short article, but one other serious threat is holding a consumer attitude toward church and faith. This mentality picks and chooses what one wants; much like a shopper picks and chooses among merchandise in a store or from menu items in a restaurant. We need to be reminded that Biblical faith is not a matter of choosing what we want to obey or do. Christ followers are called to lives of faithfulness and sacrifice. No one would choose this life for himself. We are called into this life through faith in Jesus Christ. Bonhoffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die…” not to pick and choose, but to live obediently under His Lordship.
I am praying for your life in Christ to be fruitful for the Kingdom’s sake.

Seeking First the Kingdom - Part Two

In the last post, I looked at how an individual applies the truth of Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” In this portion, part two of a three part series; I want to apply those truths mentioned in the last article to the local church situation. We often are quick to make personal or individual application of the truths of scripture, but we are much slower at applying the truths of scripture in the corporate context. Perhaps it is because we live in such an individualistic culture. While our Western culture has stressed the individual for centuries, the scriptures were written with a tribal, village or family/group context. I am convinced that practically every scripture that we have individualized probably also needs to be interpreted and applied in the corporate focus of the congregation of God’s people.
So, to put this gospel truth into congregational context, I might ask the local church, “What are you worried about?” Or, as I learned in Healthy Congregations training, “What raises the anxiety level of the local congregation?
What are we worried about in our churches? I would say the two most likely answers would be “money” and “people,”--- “money” to meet the budget (i.e. keep the utilities open and pay the staff) and “people” to keep the church system running (teachers for classes, deacons to serve, people to attend). When we are worried or obsessed with these issues, we are not focusing on the Kingdom of God, we are focusing on us. This is just like those people in Matthew 6 focusing on what they had to eat or to wear.
When have you seen a church obsessed with ministry in the community in Jesus name? When have you see a church obsessed with evangelistic fervor, dying to reach the people in their community? I dare say you have not seen these. Yet, ministering to the community in Jesus name and reaching the lost in our community are Kingdom issues. Paying the bills and keeping the church system running are not. A key part of our mistake has been equating church activities with Kingdom work, and sadly to say, they are not the same. When our focus is turned inward, we worry about our programs and our buildings. We worry about our staff and about our ability to sustain our level of activities. Yet Jesus commanded us to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. I am convinced that when we do that as the first order of business, He will take care of the other things. And, I am not so sure that we wouldn’t be better off without so many of our busy activities of church life that wear people out without providing spiritual sustenance they need to be Kingdom citizens. Yet, who will give us permission to stop doing all these things. Guess what. I hereby grant you permission to reorder your church life to focus on the things that really matter (not that my permissions is necessary) and make a Kingdom difference.