Final Episode: Growing Part III
As I stated in my last post, Rick says the question that we need to ask is "What are we doing that is preventing us from growing?". Just as a reminder, the Independent Christian churches have grown by 18% in the last 10 to 15 years, while the churches of Christ have lost 4%. There was only one group that was growing faster than the Christian churches..........you guessed it, the Mormons. And they were at 19%. So, of all the fellowships that have a restoration heritage, the Christian churches are growing by FAR faster than any other group. And again, we are talking about numerical growth........not other types of growth that are also important.
Ok, here is the difference Rick and others see in the two groups, Christian churches and churches of Christ. One word: Leadership. Being more specific: Elders or Shepherds. If they both have male leadership, then what is the difference?
Being even MORE specific: One group has a goal to EMPOWER it's members and staff.......the other group has a goal to set policy and keep the peace. Guess which is which?!?!? See if you think this is a fair description. Many of our Shepherds are full time professionals that work 50 and 60 hours a week. What is the LAST thing they want at an elder's meeting? Conflict. How do you avoid conflict?
You make sure everybody is happy, and therefore you keep the peace. Guess what that means? Your goal is basically to maintain the status quo. It has been observed by many that our present way of Shepherding allows Shepherds to stay in control....keep everything somewhat peaceful....if they keep the congregation at around 1,000 members or so. After that, it's really difficult to keep the status quo. Have you noticed how many congregations we have at around 1,000 and then they just seem to plateau? To "Plateau" is a common denominator in our fellowship. Maybe in your area it is more than a thousand, or maybe a little less. But with that as the goal of the leadership, there is SOME number that fits. Keeping the peace and status quo is NOT the goal of the leadership in Christian churches.....evidently. They let the minister and staff lead, and the Elders are in a SUPPORT mode......not control mode. They empower the members to dream big, and then give them the support to go after those dreams! And I doubt if it is always peaceful. Like I heard Randy Harris say once, everybody is happy to see a 16 year old come in as a stranger to the congregation......until it is one that comes in looking like he just fell into a tackle box! Right? That can upset some apple carts! One question that was asked of us in these classes at Pepperdine was this: "What is your church praying for that you KNOW the only way it is going to happen is if GOD does it?" That is a powerful question, would you agree? And an even more powerful prayer. What kind of leader was Jesus? Think about it.
Ok, when all is said and done, none of us can play the victim in all of this and therefore pass on the accountability that needs to be addressed. Until I look at the guy in the mirror and ask him what he has done to help spread the Gospel to the 190,000,000 in the USA that don't believe, then I don't need to be pointing any fingers at any Shepherds or anybody else! The fact of the matter is, I haven't done diddly squat. Oh sure, I have given contribution, and that is important! And I have prayed, which is VERY important. But other than those two things, I really haven't taken the Great Commission personal. That is my confession to my blogging community. So before all 3 or 4 of you, I want you to hear me saying that I am repenting! Here and now! I want to be about the same kind of work Jesus was all about...."seeking and saving the lost." How many unbelievers am I attracting with my blog post? DUH! How about NONE! Maybe I should spend a little more time with that as my motivation. Reckon?
I am excited about something I have committed to in regards to evangelism. I don't have the time, nor do you WANT to hear me tell you all the details as to how God has worked amongst the student body here. But, there has been a revival amongst several groups of sports teams on campus. A group of Bison football players are meeting every Wed. night in a Bible Professor's home, and I met with them once this Spring before they got out of school. What a BLESSING it was to be with them and see them interacting with each other on a spiritual plane! I requested that next fall I wanted them to identify some members of the football team that are not believers so that I might try and get to be their friend, and let God impact their life thru me. I am excited about that, and I want this community to hold me accountable in my efforts. That's one thing community does, right? From time to time next fall email me and ask me how that is going. I need your encouragement!
God bless our leaders to have vision, and to have the wisdom to lead by empowering. God bless each of us to be light and salt to a dark and lost world. On my BEST day all I have is 5 loaves and 2 fish, and He has shown us already what He can do with that amount. My guess is many of you have way more than that! Give them to Him and see how He uses them.......and you.
"With God, all things are possible".
7 Comments:
David, I am sending my elders a copy of your recent blogs; not that they need a corrective blast, but to encourage them that their recent style changes are the right ones. We have wonderful elders here... which may be why we have such a large congregation in the north where such things can't happen! Unless the staff is empowered and the elders directed as you have written, our churches are poor copies of corporations. And who wants to turn our churches into merely Wal-Mart with hymns?
Your confession hit me right between the eyes. What am I doing??/ I will keep asking the question of myself until there is an answer!!
This is good stuff--I might have heard some of it before at RH--but still very good! I love the question: "What is your church praying for that you KNOW the only way it is going to happen is if GOD does it?"
I am so excited about your "calling" to the football players! I will be praying for you. Please keep us posted. God does powerful things when we commit such desires to be used by him to him! Blessings! JB
David,
Good thoughts...keep them coming.
I wonder to what degree leaders and the led resemble each other, too. Do the shepherds smell too much like sheep? Do we, as members of the flock, end up with shepherds who reflect what we want rather than what the Chief Shepherd wants of us and for us?
Robbing other flocks is not an option for growth. You're right about how it takes place and Who makes it happen:
We bring in goats into the fold.
We let Him turn them into sheep.
David, I've been thinking about this (Christian Church leadership vs. Church of Christ leadership) a little more. While you were sitting in Rick Atchley and Dave Stone's class, I was listening to Jack Reese talk about "Why Our Children Are Leaving the Churches of Christ and Why We Should Care." While Reese didn't make this the thrust of his argument (I think he only briefly mentioned it), he did mention that many people today simply are not tolerating and will not tolerate "bad arguments."
Transfer Reese's thoughts to this discussion. Do we really (really?) believe it's always wrong to use instruments in worship? Do we really think it's wrong for women to use their gifts in a public setting? Do we really think it's wrong to _____? (insert COC dogma here) Perhaps those flocking to the Christian churches see no duplicity or inconsistency in their leaders arguments & decisions; after all, it's a lot easier to invite your unchurched friends to church if you're not forced to stumble all over yourself apologizing for the ill-thought and indefensible positions your church takes.
Outreach, evangelism and other similar terms have all but fanished from our vocablulary in recent years. Much of what we have done in the past has been "program based" and done by only a hand full. Could it be that the key to growth has more to do with what we "are" to the lost rather than the programs we use to reach them. Jesus said we are to be salt and light to the world. This requires penatration, involvement with to be effective. For the most part the church today lives in isolation from the world-just check our list of close friends and associates.
Our elders have given their blessing to a new training class that is designed to reach our world through relationships. Here is our objective statement:
OBJECTIVE: To motivate and encourage members of the Body to BE Christ to their immediate
world through becoming a servant like Christ to neighbors, friends, relatives, co-workers and others.
Resulting friendships and relationships will provide a non-threatening context to share Christ with them.
Jesus will be our model. His singular purpose, He did not come to be served. He came to serve, Mark 10:44-45. His way of seeing others. He saw peoples “need” first, and was others centered in His walk, Mark 1:21-24. His second mile way of Living. He did the unexpected, the unusually costly or thoughtful thing, Mark 5:39-41.
Emphasis will also be placed on communication that is not condescending, nor designed to steer conversations to some predetermined salvation pitch. The objective is not trying to make something happen, but trying to be a part of what is happening, without controlling or manipulating the relationship. Relationships developed should allow for others to be able to relax with us, to learn that they can trust us, that we are interested in them as people first, and that we don’t see them as just another notch in our belt.
I commend you decision, and wish you God's speed!
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