Week 11 - you don't make camp on a bridge!

Week 8 and I wonder why people who read words like 'deconstruction' or 'emergent', always seem to attack from the position of they being the only ones who know the Bible. Ever notice that. Ever read the responses to the blogs I've written on new thoughts, new ways of thinking; raising questions about faith, church and life! Ouch folks.

Everybody seems to think they know the Bible, and anyone questioning or bringing any new thoughts seems to have thrown the Bible away and seems to know nothing about it. As for honoring the Word or maybe even believing the Word as God's truth- it seems that anyone with questions or some new thoughts doesn't!

But people need to engage more intelligently and perhaps elegantly with what's happening rather than so emotively. There is a sacredness in questioning (title of a pretty good book!).

Surely the most anti-deconstructionist/"has it all in a nice box Christian" must agree that what Christianity looks like today is very different that 1st or 2nd century Christianity.

Surely.
What wise questioners and/or revisionists are saying is - the building on top is a 19th or 20th century building ...but today is the 21st century - this necessitates change.

11am Sunday services - began in the late 19th and 20th century?
Baptism by immersion .....when did that start?...remembering that 60% of Christians hold to paedobaptism not believers baptism!
Formal church memberships?
The Sunday School movement .....19th century invention!
Church buildings?
Organ music to hymns.?
Dispensationalism - first 18 centuries didn't have that going ...built by a couple of English separatists!

Or, when did we quit the holy kiss?
When did we quit sharing our possessions with everyone else?
What happened that women quit long hair; what happened that we quit ........ ??


Most people are with me to this stage ...hard to argue against history. We have to accept that some of what we believe is more what we prefer ...but to some extent that's OK

But then it gets harder for some people to stay with the debate, but in truth again its historic.

When did the Gospel become individual instead of the communal/corporate theology of the New Testament?
When did it become formulaic ... 'say this prayer and you're saved'; 'learn the 4 steps to peace'; 'do the roman road' ......is all this really true to New Testament teaching?

Surely the New Testament gospel has a solid emphasis on 'following' rather than checking boxes, or raising a hand? One is "built" on top of the Scriptures; one is within Scripture.

We could go on .....but critics need to be honest to history. So much of what revisionists are dialogue-ing on is about stuff that is not in the text ...but our add ons, preferences, cultural expressions/representation.

If liberals cut parts out of the text, many conservatists/fundamentalists have added too much into the text.
Both are wrong.

Both have strong reasons why they've done what they've done - but both are wrong.

Now what would be clearly wrong is for any revisionist to say what we/they are doing is now the only right reading of the text.



But let me pull this blog over. A core quality of a leader is to define reality - even if that reality is on how the historic Scriptures have been mishandled in the 20th century.



Of course - revisionists have to stand on the bridge of 20th century interpretation as they stood on the bridge of 19th century interpretation. It's not a new bridge that's needed, we just need to keep moving along on the bridge.



But that's bridges - we use them to keep moving forward.

You don't make camp on a bridge.

Something extra - from Bart Campolo

I just posted this on my Musings of a Scottish Pastor blog (http://www.scottishpastormusings.blogspot.com/).
Found it just what I needed to read today. Maybe you will as well.
It's an email from my friend Bart Campolo (he's coming to Redeemer's Church on Sunday April 18 to preach at our services - great Sunday). He works in the projects of Cincinnati and he sent out this email today:

Dear Friends,

As much as she doesn’t belong there, I almost left Denise in jail. The $400 it cost to get her out is a lot of money, after all, especially for a woman surviving on food stamps in a $25 per month HUD apartment our fellowship covers to keep her off the street. Then again, we cover it because we know she’s too sick and disabled to work, let alone do jail time.

Of course, as a taxpayer I understand the county’s case against Denise, whose three kids were raised entirely on county funds despite the fact that neither parent ever paid a dollar in child support. I understand why they want the more than $15,000 she still owes, and why they call it contempt of court when she is consistently unable to pay even her $65 monthly minimum. What I don’t understand is why the judge continues her case every few months, even though it’s obvious she’s permanently broke, or how it helps anyone to lock her up for missing one of those countless court dates, like they did last week.

“I can’t do this, Bart!” she wailed into the phone. Just the night before we had celebrated her long-awaited return to our Monday night dinner, after she nearly died of pancreatitis. Now she was worried about having to move too much, and losing sleep, and missing her medications. “I’m gonna die in here,” she cried.

I felt sorry for her, of course, but I also felt frustrated and angry with her. After all the time fellowship folks have spent hustling around for her these past few years, and all the money we’ve spent on her rent and prescriptions and household needs, and all the phone calls and application forms and letters and hospital visits, how could Denise mess everything up by forgetting her court date? Forget becoming an addict and abandoning her kids in the first place; I almost left someone I claim to love in jail for the higher crime of stupidly inconveniencing me once too often.

Or maybe I almost left her there because I couldn’t stand the thought of having to listen to Denise whine and complain and blame everybody but herself for her troubles all the way home. Maybe I’m just up to here with people telling me about how it was the boss’s fault they got fired, or the teacher’s fault they got suspended, or their friend’s fault they got arrested, or their lawyer’s fault they got convicted, or their landlord’s fault they got evicted, or the minister’s fault they quit going to church.

In any case, the next morning I paid the purge order, drove down to the county jail, and gritted my teeth as Denise got into my car. And then it happened.

“Bart,” she said, “As soon as they told me I was getting out, I knew it was y’all that did it. And I’m just so thankful that I have this fellowship family that does so much for me. But all last night I was laying there feeling sorry for myself, and I got to thinking how all of this is my own fault, and how it wasn’t anybody else’s job to remind me of my court dates or take me to them or anything. I know I told you I couldn’t do it, but I was wrong. If I had to stay there for a week or a month, I decided I wasn’t gonna complain or blame anybody, I was just gonna pray to God and hang on. It was me that put me in this situation, not you or nobody else.”

To me, it was a pure miracle. My frustration, my anger, all gone in an instant. That was all I wanted, I suddenly realized. That’s all most of us want, most of the time, Almighty God included. Not perfection. Not even close to perfection. All we really want is for the people in our lives—our friends, our spouses, our children—to just take responsibility when they let us down. We can put up with a lot, we can forgive a lot, and we can help with a lot, and even do it with a smile most of the time, if only the person who blows it is just willing to admit that they are the person who blew it, not us, not somebody else. That, mixed together with a little genuine gratitude…my God, it is the jet fuel of compassion, the wonder drug for an ailing love.

I didn’t drive Denise straight home. I took her out to lunch first.
Sincerely,

Bart

Just stirred me - hope it has you.

Week 7 - because I seem to have lost Week 6!

Week 6 - or have I missed it?
I think maybe I have.
I think this is Week 7.
Where did week 6 go to?

Yep, often I fail on the leadership level because I let days/weeks slip and I can't account for what's happened during that time! I just get busy. On a day to day basis I would say that I worked hard and it was all about serving as a church leader/teacher; I would say it's all about the Kingdom of God; at the end of every day I would say I worked really hard towards the vision of our church and our lives -but then I get to my blog and I've missed a week due to "being busy" and I makes me take a personal audit on was my busy really serving God and intentional in outworking the building and extending of the Kingdom of God.

So - welcome to Week 7.
I'm sitting in Stockton, CA listening to the story of Jeff Kristenson who has led exciting transformation in South Valley Community Church, Lemoore, CA.
As I listen to the classic story of moving an inward focused, politic playing, committee led church existing for itself to an outward focused, church existing for lost people, Kingdom of God extending healthy church.
Brilliant story and brilliant leadership.

But as I sit and listen what excites me is the ongoing vision to see more growth. Jeff is not plateauing. Jeff is not content with the 1000 people they have attending (it was 117 ten years ago when Jeff arrived); Jeff and his team yearn for greater impact for the Kingdom of God.

This is true leadership.
This is exciting.

"The appetite grows with the eating" .....might be a French proverb, but it reflects the heart and reality of effective leaders.
As you eat growth - through all the hard work, sweat, praying, thinking that goes with this - your appetite for more growth only grows. As you eat growth, you desire more.

Jesus beat the French to this proverb. Regularly Jesus spoke about to those who have more more will be asked of - or ....to those who grow their talents - more talents will be given to them, or ....Luke 6 "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap."
Is this not the same.

So, forgive me losing of Week 6. May Week 7 inspire you to eat growth, kingdom, Gospel growth.

Week 5 - a pastors' EDGE.

Sorry folks that I missed week 4 - Africa, no internet and jet-lag.

Week 5 ..... and it revolves around the idea of EDGE.
Jack Welch and Noel Tichy write about this idea.

All leaders possess ideas undergird by values creating energy in people around them -but winning leaders bring EDGE to their leading.
EDGE is defined as "the ability to make tough decisions and the willingness to sacrifice the security of today for the sake of a better future".

EDGE.
Let me talk about our children's global charity called When I Grow Up.
Presently we help four global partnerships with the most developed partnership the one I've just returned from in Nairobi, Kenya called Furaha Community Centre. For the past few years we've helped this centre. We've seen our help grow but in truth it has remained at a fairly doable level - we can remain at this level and not hurt other growth we need to work on within our own church and within our other global partnerships.

But now as I return from another visit, I'm challenged with the reality of EDGE. Am I willing to make the tough decision? A tough decision not to stop helping, but to take our helping to the next level - a level that moves us beyond the comfortable security of what we can afford today for the sake of tomorrow.
This is an EDGE decision.

I guess Welch and Tichy call it EDGE, but Christian leaders call it FAITH!
Can we take the next step - can we take this next step along with every other next step our church and our charity are needing to take.
Growth requires EDGE / FAITH.

Growth always requires more growth. In fact the fuel of growth is more growth.
The challenge of every growth leader is the boldness, the edge, the FAITH to not settle at the level of initial growth, but push deeper beyond settledness.

This is exactly where we are at in Redeemer's Church. 800 attending, front door working, global ministry happening, healthy ministries, healthy financials, good programming. BUT - FAITH says we need to now go to the next level - the next step for our overall vision, the next step in our When I Grow Up charity, the next step in our Growth Engines ....and these three mission critical next steps will require the next step in our financials, our leadership, our strategies. This is EDGE, or better put, this is FAITH.

Do I have it?
Do you have it?
Growth requires it.
The Kingdom of God breathes it.

Week 3 - Leaders do what isn't natural to do

Week 3 - and I'm about to head to Kenya, Africa.

I've been to Kenya several times. We have some incredible partners there who we link with to help a slum that is around half a million people. Our Kenya partners run a feeding program, AIDS clinic, school for over 500 kids, a community centre, a justice program - and all of them weave Jesus through it.

But here's the truth - I've never really fallen in love with Africa.

You read reports of people going and they fall in love with Africa. Whenever they leave to return to the West they say things like "I left a part of my heart/soul there!"

But not me.

I think the guys we work alongside are modern day heroes. I think the face of every child is the face of the most precious child there is. Each of them. I think Christ is with the poor way beyond how He's with us.

But every trip to Kenya doesn't come naturally. Every trip to Kenya takes a lot out of me.

But here's the leadership point - I know that if I don't go and lead the way ...how can I get others to follow us into doing what Christ undoubtedly wants His Church to be doing.

Despite how uneasy it is for me to go, and return and go again ....a leader has to go where he/she wants others to go.

Leadership simply is leading.

That's week 3 .....heading 11,000 uneasy/unnatural miles to help others come as well and catch the vision of God and His amazing Gospel.

Week 2: To deconstruct or not.

Week 2 of 2010 and some thoughts on churches and leadership within such.

Been introducing a group of new leaders within our church to the postmodern/modern debate. For some people the debate and its pro's and con's are old hat, but for many its a new issue.

My group was an eclectic group of differing ages, gender and ethnicity. But here's what was interesting - the idea of "deconstruction" resonated with them all. They all described aspects of the way they had been raised in churches, and/or the emphasis that they had all experienced that they knew needed to be deconstructed.
Now while many of us think the postmodern movement needs time, but only so much time, to deconstruct before they head to construction - what became even clearer to me in leading the conversation was that careful deconstruction is a key component of not only philosophical leadership but all leadership.

Deconstruction is the taking apart of the existing structure not to destroy it or demolish it, but to ensure the right bricks stay in place and the wrong bricks are removed ....to enable the structure to be stronger and have a effective future.

Deconstruction is not to destroy - but to improve.

There was not one person in the group last night who did not value deeply the Church and its mission and purpose. And because of that value they wnated to see the Church be all that the Church could be and needs to be.

Leaders should not fear deconstruction.

The question that we then raised was the question of whether or not a generation from now - removed from any postmodern/modernity debate - would the next generation see what we've built as needing to be deconstructed also?
Or, to put that question in a better way "how do we build something now that does not need deconstructed in the future?"
Is that possible?

The answer we came away with is yes. It is possible if leaders stay fluid, organic, flexible. There is a way to lead that will see what is built last and not need deconstructing. But it will require constant reading, researching, morphing.
Entropy remains a big enemy. We can experience entropy in our theology (we should be reformed and always reforming); entropy in our methods (we veer to comfort and familiar when we need to veer to courage and adventure); entropy in our practices (when we need to adapt and constantly modernise).

If we fail to battle entropy - we will see the next generation deconstruct what we are building, but if we attack entropy ......the next generation will not need to firstly deconstruct before they can build, but they can quickly stand on our shoulders and build even bigger.

Week 1 of 2010

So the new year has begun.

My Musings of a Scottish Pastor blog (http://www.scottishpastormusings.blogspot.com) tells you what I've decided to do with that blog for the next 365 days ......everyday blog on what intentional act that day I have done to help me live as a follower of Jesus Christ.

A daily blog - yikes!

But it got me thinking about my leadership blog and 2010.

Could I blog weekly on what leadership activity and/or learning I've done to lead more effectively in 2010.
52 blogs with 52 learnings or actions in leading a local church in extending the Kingdom of God.

So let's start.

My first learning of 2010: "health in a church is gained slowly but lost quickly."

Its gained slowly. Health often is. I'm not long over 40 - but boy its a slow hard process to keep myself healthy .....hard work, daily effort, constant wise choices - but can be lost with one bad day of eating, or stop working out for a week and boom ....its gone!

In church life - you are constantly battling against values and behaviors that remain self focused. The push to be Kingdom focused and Christ centered is a constant battle. It can take years to break old DNA's and habits.
But slowly and surely with constant teaching, modeling, challenging and coaching movement can happen and safe ground be secured.

But it can all be lost quickly - a foolish decision, a maverick leader, a reckless action, a scandal.

This means that in church leadership we are more marathon runners than sprinters. We are more like artists and poets allowing decisions and actions to perculate slowly and rise over time to maturity than a quick microwave of an idea.

Week 1: health in your church is gained slowly but lost quickly.