Monthly Archives: October 2009

Fall back

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backwards clock Fall back

Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour Saturday night. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep. I know I will. Just in case you want to know all about this fascinating subject (grin), Wikipedia has an interesting article on Daylight Savings Time here. Or for an interactive map you can go here.

Also, I have noticed that several people have been leaving early on Sundays in order to get the kids in the bed, so we will be moving our time to gather together on Sundays from 6pm to 5pm beginning on November 8.

Internal renewal propels us

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The gospel is not just the answer to your internal sins, struggles, and idols. It is also the answer to your failure to love others, engage the culture, and live missionally. If the gospel is renewing you internally, it will also be propelling you externally.

God’s grace is the driving force of all change. God’s grace has both an inward and an outward movement that mirror each other.

Internally, the grace of God moves me to see my sin, grow in awareness of God’s holiness, respond in repentance and belief, and then begin to be transformed into the image of Jesus.

Externally, the grace of God moves me to see the depravity of mankind, awareness of God’s mission, begin dying to self, and taking up a cross and following Jesus as a sent one.

The diagram below helps to illustrate this.

internal external 1024x344 Internal renewal propels us

Sin of self-containment

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Water Lily Lake Victoria 03 300x220 Sin of self containment For many people it is not the complexity of God’s design in Christ’s body that overwhelms them, rather its simplicity. People clamor for organizational structure because they seek safety. Church leaders comply by structuring it because leadership seeks significance. The body of Christ does need structure, but, when structure leads to institution, and people chose safety over their purposed engagement of the world with the Gospel, and leaders chose institutional significance over the empowerment of Christ’s people into God’s grace design, then, they have both succumbed to sin. Worse, they have cut off the single most important instrument besides the Holy Spirit that God has to engage the world with his message of grace . . . people.

The church used to see the communities that surrounded them as a mission field from which disciples are made. Instead of acting as a guide to challenge and direct the culture, the church is isolated and drifting with the current. This approach forfeits the very influence Christ calls us to have on the world. In a paper presented at the 1966 World Congress on Evangelism held in Berlin, Samuel H. Moffett warned against the “sin of self-containment”:

The church that is turned in upon itself has turned its back on the world to which it was sent by Jesus Christ . . . There may be worse sins than self-containment, but few can more quickly blunt the growing edge of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Bible counts it as the accursed sin. This is no light condemnation, its sign is the barren fig tree (Mark 11:12-14), heavy with leaves for its own self-beautification, but sterile and without fruit. When Jesus saw it, he cursed it.

In short, when the church becomes institutionalized and self-contained, it has abandoned its calling as a missionary.

Dunbar’s Number

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dunbar 300x145 Dunbars Number150—That is the number of people with whom we can maintain a relationship with.

This is known as Dunbar’s number. According to Wikipedia, 150 is “a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person.”

150—“One hundred fifty people in the tribe. After that, we just aren’t cognitively organized to handle and track new people easily. That’s why, without external forces, human tribes tend to split in two after they reach this size” writes Seth Godin on his blog.

The church—ever wonder why there are so many churches that are 75-150. LifeWay Research reports that the median primary worship attendance is 75 and the total resident membership is 147.

Hum?

What if churches viewed 150 as the tipping point. The point at which they must plant a new church? This will be a tough sell in a culture that screams “BIGGER IS BETTER.” But is it? It just seems when churches continue to add people to one centralized place the emphasis shifts from mission to buildings, staff, and maintenance.

In this way, the church becomes a decentralized movement, spreading like ripples in a pond, rather than static brick and mortar.

Isn’t this an anti-church growth philosophy? Not necessarily. These smaller missional communities just plant more churches in new locations. I would argue that an optimum number (75-150) is better than a gigantic one (2000+).

Ten Things Not to Expect

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David Fitch recently wrote, A Warning List For Those Who Would Join a Missional Church Gathering. And, well, it basically describes Matthew’s Table. We have even had people come to one of our gatherings saying they were “fed up with ‘traditional church’.” And then leave because we didn’t do things “like their former church.”

So here are the things you should NOT and should expect from us.

1.) Should not expect to regularly come to church for just one hour, get what you need for your own personal growth and development, and your kid’s needs, and then leave til next Sunday. Expect mission to change your life. Expect however a richer life than you could have ever imagined.

2.) Should not expect that Jesus will fit in with every consumerist capitalist assumption, lifestyle, schedule or accoutrement you may have adopted before coming here. Expect to be freed from a lot of crap you will find out you never needed.

3.) Should not expect to be anonymous, unknown or be able to disappear in this church Body. Expect to be known and loved, supported in a glorious journey.

4.) Should not expect production style excellence all the time on Sunday worship gatherings. Expect organic, simple and authentic beauty.

5.) Should not expect a raucous “lights out” youth program that entertains the teenagers, puts on a show that gets the kids “pumped up,” all without parental involvement. Instead as the years go by, with our children as part of our life, worship and mission (and when the light shows dim and the cool youth pastor with the spiked hair burns out) expect our youth to have an authentic relationship with God thru Christ that carries them through a lifetime of journey with God.

6.) Should not expect to always “feel good,”or ecstatic on Sunday mornings. Expect that there will ALSO be times of confession, lament, self-examination and just plain silence.

7.) Should not expect a lot of sermons that promise you God will prosper you with “the life you’ve always wanted” if you will just believe Him and step out on faith and give some more money for a bigger sanctuary. Expect sustenance for the journey.

8.) Should not expect rapid growth whereby we grow this church from 10 to a thousand in three years. Expect slower organic inefficient growth that engages people’s lives where they are at and sees troubled people who would have nothing to do with the gospel marvelously saved.

9.) Should not expect all the meetings to happen in a church building. Expect a lot of the gatherings will be in homes, or sites of mission [i.e., coffee shops, bars, restaurants, etc].

10.) Should not expect arguments over style of music, color of carpet, or even doctrinal outlier issues like dispensationalism. Expect mission to drive the conversation.

O AND BY THE WAY Should not expect that community comes to you. I am sorry but true community in Christ will take some “effort”and a reshuffling of priorities for both you and your kids. Yes I know you want people to come to you and reach out to you and you are hurting and busy. But assuming you are a follower of Christ (this message is not for strangers to the gospel) you must learn that the answer to all those things is to enter into the practices of “being the Body” in Christ, including sitting, eating, sharing and praying together.

If anyone out there is interested in this kind of place please join us or another missional church gathering somewhere.

Job Description

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We are getting to the  point in the life of Matthew’s Table that we need to create some organisational structures (did I really just type that?). What I mean is that if we are serious about developing leaders to plant churches and engage in God’s global mission, there needs to be some kind of skeleton.

staking vegetables 2 Job DescriptionThe tomato plant lesson  . . .

My wife, Amanda, grew a great garden this summer. We thought the garden would never make it because our backyard flooded right after we planted. We did loose a lot of the plants, but not the tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelons.

A few weeks back, while mowing the yard, I realized that these plants had probably produced all they would for the season. So I stopped the mower and began pulling up the stakes that the tomato plants were attached to.

In case you didn’t know – the main reason for staking and supporting tomato plants is to keep plants and fruit off the ground. This keeps the tomatoes from rotting because it is lying on the soil and to provide shade from the plant foliage.

As I continued to mow that day, it hit me: If we are going to produce fruit (leaders) that will not rot, then we need to drive some stakes into the ground.

Even this organic tomato needed the support of the stakes. Therefore, even this organic expression of a New Testament church needs “stakes.”

However, I do not want the structure to be so rigid that we are not creating space for leaders to emerge from within and leaders to attach themselves to us on our fringes (like the cucumber vines that began growing up some of the tomato stakes).

Nevertheless, I have begun crafting a “job description” for leadership in our community (see below).  I would love and appreciate any feedback you may have.

Job Description

The church must be recreated new in each generation not through procreation, but through baptism.  This means, as a ministry leader, you must embrace the missional nature of the church by becoming an abiding presence in the local culture.

The kind of ministry leader that speaks effectively to a postmodern world is the one that emphasizes primary truths and an authentic embodiment of those truths.  The emerging culture is more interested in broad strokes than in detail, more attracted to an inclusive view of faith than an exclusive view, more open to a dynamic, growing faith than a static, fixed system.  As a ministry leader, you should therefore give life to . . .

  • a view that missions is every Christian being a missionary to their local culture.
  • holding no position of influence but gaining influence by serving the common good.
  • being a radical follower of Jesus who serves His mission in the local culture.
  • a faith that is lived publicly and includes all by practicing hospitality.
  • creating space for people to belong before they believe.
  • serving as a missiologist who equips people as missionaries to the local culture.

In short, ministry leaders today can no longer see themselves as simply “workers” to Christians at their churches.  They must become missionaries to a post-Christian culture.  The fact that ministers are missionaries has been known for a long time in theory, but in this postmodern world it must become the primary definition.  As a leader, you must bleed missionary blood, dream missionary dreams, and pray missionary prayers in order to equip others as missionaries to the local culture.

Believe in the Gospel

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Jesus makes a simple statement: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15, ESV).

Much can and has been said about repentance. In our culture, repentance usually sounds like a bad thing. But far from being bad or unusual, biblical repentance is the norm for a Gospel Centered Life. Becoming more aware of God’s holiness and our sinfulness leads us to repentance. And biblical repentance frees us from our own devices, making way for the power of the Gospel to be transformative in our lives.

Jesus, however, did not stop with repentance. He said that we are not only to repent, but also “believe in the gospel.” So what does it mean to “believe in.” Repentance we can give a concrete definition too. True repentance. . .

. . .is oriented toward God, not me (Ps 51:4)

. . .is motivated by true godly sorrow and not just selfish regret (2 Cor 7:10)

. . .is concerned with the heart, not just external actions (Ps 51:10)

. . .looks to Jesus for deliverance from the penalty and power of sin (Acts 3:19-20)

Belief, however, is a more abstract concept. Here is the definition that the dictionary give to believe.

be⋅lieve  [bi-leev]

–verb (used without object)
1. to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.

–verb (used with object)
2. to have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.); give credence to.
3. to have confidence in the assertions of (a person).
4. to have a conviction that (a person or thing) is, has been, or will be engaged in a given action or involved in a given situation: The fugitive is believed to be headed for the Mexican border.
5. to suppose or assume; understand (usually fol. by a noun clause): I believe that he has left town.

—Verb phrase
6. believe in,
a. to be persuaded of the truth or existence of: to believe in Zoroastrianism; to believe in ghosts.
b. to have faith in the reliability, honesty, benevolence, etc., of: I can help only if you believe in me.

I like this sentence from the definitions above: “Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.”

The definition is: to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.

So can we say: “To “believe in the gospel” is to have confidence in its truth, its reliability, even though we may not have absolute proof, so that we may purposefully live a gospel-centered life.” ?

Would love to here your thoughts on what it means to “believe in the gospel.”

Persons of Peace

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1. LUKE 10:6 – A Person of Receptivity

PERSON of PEACE – A person sovereignly prepared by God to receive the Gospel, before you arrive.

Our mentality has always been “sow, sow, sow, and then harvest”. Jesus teaches and demonstrates that you “harvest first” and then sow (especially in the oikos of the harvested one[s]).

God sovereignly places the “Person of Peace” there. IF they are NOT there, then go to another area. Search until you find His Person of Peace.

So – make careful plans and strategy, but hold these lightly in your hand so that the Spirit of God can be your director.

  • The principle is well illustrated by the conversion of Cornelius.
  • The principle is well illustrated by the conversion of Lydia.
  • The principle is well illustrated by the conversion of the jailer.

These three show that the “harvest” is first and then the sowing within their “household” and beyond. It is ALL of God. There was NO “sowing” first with any of these.

2. A Person of Reputation

They are people of a known reputation, either good or bad.

Mark 5 – Jesus lands at Gadara and is greeted by a demoniac who is violent, naked, in broken chains, and has a horrible reputation, BUT God has sovereignly placed him there – ready for the Gospel. He is not one that we would normally see as a “Person of Peace” but he became that. (Remember – manure makes good soil.)

This man, after release and conversion, begs/entreats Jesus to permit him to go with them.

The town’s people and owners of the swine beg/entreat Jesus to leave the area.

Jesus sends him back to Decapolis to “tell”.

In Mark 7, Jesus returns to Decapolis and now the same people beg/entreat Jesus to stay and touch their sick, paralyzed, etc.

The Demoniac’s “oikos” had seen a changed man. He was now a Godly “Man of Peace” proclaiming Jesus (and notice – he probably had only a few minutes of discipling).

3. A Person of Referral

Ever notice that ALL fish “school”? Scientists call the lead fish that turns first “the fish of reference”.

Ever seen a fish school accident? No collisions or accidents.

The “Person of Peace” becomes the “fish of reference” and he TURNS FIRST in his ethne/group.

Through this ONE, God will “turn” an entire “oikos”.

Take your time and LOOK for the Person of Peace!

Notes from Dr. Thom Wolf

The Downtown Church

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This Sunday we will welcome my friend Rodney Calfee. I met Rodney on the Jet Set Trip to Asia with The Upstream Collective. Rodney is the pastor of The Downtown Church located in Birmingham AL. His church has a HUGE heart for the transformative nature of God’s mission. For this reason they are strategically located in downtown Birmingham when most churches have left for the suburbs.

The following is from there web-site.

We’ve done away with the “missions department” at The Downtown Church. Rather, the entire church should be on mission. Instead of gathering people into a building and recruiting a selection of those who gather to then go into the streets, we’ve moved the entire church outside of the building and are literally planning to hold worship services in various locations across the downtown area. And, we’re planning to canvas the area in house churches, as well. Our goal is:

  • Four worship services in the downtown Birmingham area- all in different locations, all geared to specific areas and specific people groups.
  • 1,000 people involved in house churches- and living as disciples of Jesus.
  • This means there would be a worship gathering in walking distance of anyone in the downtown area.
  • No one hungry within walking distance of our hub- 300 24th Street South, Birmingham, Alabama 35233 (the building where we used to worship that now simply facilitates everything else).
  • No one unsheltered (by their own choice) within walking distance.
  • Access to job development and other life skills to sustain for everyone in the same area.

I think it is safe to say that Rodney and his church “get it.” Check out the innovative ministries they have created: The Downtown Exchange – a place to exchange goods for services – and The Village – a restoration and re-entry program for those recently released from prison.

Mapmaking

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Cultural maps enable us to navigate our worlds. They are in our imagination so we tend not to recognize them as our cultural maps. These maps shape how we make decisions and act, but we take them for granted because they’re so much a part of our lives we don’t actually notice them.

The cultural map that has shaped the contemporary church is known as the era of Christendom. Christendom is the name given to the religious culture that has dominated western society since the fourth century. The maps of Christendom, however, no longer help us to navigate our culture but remain the primary definer of the church’s self-understanding especially in the United States. In other words, for the first few hundred years of our country, the church has enjoyed a privileged position in the center of culture. The upside of Christendom is that many people did attend church. The downside and the overall net effect of Christendom is Christianity moved from being a dynamic, revolutionary, spiritual movement to being a static religious institution.

The point is, we are in a time when the maps we have inherited are no longer sufficient to describe the places where we find ourselves. The rapidity and extent of change create disequilibrium, anxiety, confusion and disorientation among people in North American culture. This means that our maps of need to be re-imagined. Once more the church is required to become mapmakers in order to effectively navigate the world we are seeking to engage with the Gospel.