Transforming Church

Since it has now been studied, measured and concluded that program sponsored spiritual maturity isn’t happening, obviously there is a scramble to redirect vision. Early assessments to achieve real growth favor moving members into the faith practices that have been offered by Christ and raised up in scripture: pray, worship, study (God’s Word), witness, enable (mentor), serve and give. While this may clearly be a fresh approach for these seeker-vested congregations, it is not new to many churches that have been moving from a member base to disciple base of organization.

Because of how serious the problem is being faced by these program churches, this becomes a window or moment of reflection and reassessment for everyone. It also affords the opportunity to raise up a concern in this venue that can lead these churches to fall into the same pit all over again. Yes, moving in the wrong way into faith practices, with the end game still being participation, is not the answer.

When he realized the mistake at Willow Creek, Bill Hybels said, “What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between services, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.”

I appreciate as much as anyone the value of developing good rituals and habits, but that is not the end game. The end game is to truly be connected to Jesus Christ. Check out again the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisee did not lack for practice, habit or ritual; they even became part of his downfall. With unparalleled clarity Jesus has shown us that these faith practices are not a way for us to make it happen, but a way for God to make it happen with us. If we keep the focus on what we do, still looking at our participation, it turns these practices into the tools of religion, diverting Christianity into a way of life. The real intention of these practices is to be portals to take us into the presence of God Himself.

Any of these faith “practices,” and there is definitely a struggle to find a better noun, can mistakenly be presented and learned in the context of responsibility or obligation owed to God or they can even be seen as ways to become disciples or better disciples. Do that to them and they become just a participation thing all over again. Discipleship is not simply modeling Christ or traveling a path that He suggests for us. It is not just walking with Christ, but walking in Christ. Some try to make these faith practices shape communal faith as a way of wisdom. That also tries to make them our way to make something happen.

In this broken chaordic life, anything left in our hands to make something happen is going to be screwed up. This life will ultimately be meaningless if we are not able to connect with God. To that end, as leaders in the church we are called not just to be prophetic but to be apocalyptic. We will never be able to make the world better and better, but with open minds and hearts, through the portals of these faith practices, God will be able to accomplish His purposes with and beyond us. He does that in the seam between chaos and order. Working that seam is what servanthood and discipleship are all about, being invited and empowered to be part of something huge, God’s mission for the world, something much, much larger than either ourselves or our congregation.

Pinpointed in today’s eye-opener problem for many program churches is another concern that must be addressed. As complex as the world is becoming, not only these program churches now but the entire church, unless we abandon our membership basis of organization and becomes totally immersed in becoming an organic system of discipleship, God will continue His struggle to communicate with us. So whatever you do, do not confuse this to be a “program” of discipleship.

Can what needs to happen be accomplished without the church having to totally shrivel up and become lifeless? Yes it can, but the jury is still out on whether that will happen. One way or the other, in this life or the next, the only answer is through the grave.

Because most of our leadership today is technical leadership, we approach problems from the perspective of fixing them. This means that we take fresh looks, reshape objectives and focus on the change necessary to make whatever work. Wrong. That denies what Jesus has taught us about new life. The key is not to try to fix it; it’s broken and cannot be “fixed.” The key is to spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, ... and physically let go of what presently exists, and let God create something completely new.

In this instance that means that we need to set aside our membership basis of existence for however long it takes, and let the Holy Spirit lead, guide and direct our resurrection into discipleship. For too long discipleship has been only a word. Until a congregation is really ready to allow this, it “ain’t” going to happen. But it needs to happen at the same time that we are leading people, mentoring them through the faith practices into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Hear the warning again; along the way, do not let these faith practices be turned into a technical program.