Disciple or Citizen?

Would you consider yourself a disciple or a citizen of the church?

Our calling is to make disciples, yet at times we seem to be better at making citizens.

I was challenged by this quote in a book I am re-reading, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America.

The churches have become so accommodated to the American way of life that they are now domesticated, and it is no longer obvious what justifies their existence as particular communities. The religious loyalties that churches seem to claim and the social functions that they actually perform are at odds with each other. Discipleship has been absorbed into citizenship.

Here is the difference according to http://www.dictionary.com/:

Citizen - A resident, especially one entitled to vote and enjoy other privileges there.

Disciple - Someone who believes and helps to spread the doctrine of another.

Without realizing it many churches have produced great citizens of their church. They have committed people who attend every week. They know what the church has to offer them and they enjoy taking full advantage of it. This church is only changing in ways that will make its members happier and more comfortable. It has been very cautious in the area of expectations out of fear of losing a 'tithing unit.'

A community that makes disciples in much different. They understand that the church is the people who gather each week. As those people leave the parking lot each weekend, they are still the church. Monday at work...they are the church. Tuesday at baseball practice...they are the church. Friday with the friends...they are the church.

A disciple making community is a risk taking community. It has expectations that are found in the Scripture. Expectations like membership, maturity, and real ministry that engages people where they are.

I am proud of the community of believers I am a part of. I love the mission we share to "Make Disciples: More Disciples and Better Disciples." We certainly have some citizens among us...but they are starting to wake up to the reality they were not called to dwell in one comfortable place, but to go into all the world with a mission of love and a message of hope.

Are you a citizen or disciple? There is a difference.

Expectations

I have been thinking about this word a lot lately. Expectations.

A couple of weeks ago my sister (Angel) called me to share that she is 'expecting' her third child.

Yesterday, my brother (Jimmy) called me to share that his wife (Sarah) is 'expecting' their second child.

Expectations can be exciting! I am so happy for Jimmy & Sarah and Angel & David for their expectation of a new child in their life. They are great parents who love God and their family. They deserve all the best God has for them.

One the other hand, expectations can also bring disappointment. Carrie and I want to be 'expecting' a child of our own.

WARNING: This makes me vulnerable. Please handle with care!

Let's face it...we don't always get what we want. Some times it is that we don't ever get it and other times it just doesn't happen on our timeline.

After a couple of intentional years of trying to have a child, Carrie (who I love more today than I ever have!) and I have had some of our expectations vanish. I'm 33 and I 'expected' to be a dad by now.

So what do we do with that type of reality in our life. The kind that we don't want anyone to know about or even acknowledge. After all, I don't know anyone, Christian or not, that doesn't face that type of reality at some point in their life. We all have expectations that are taken away or not revealed when we want them to be.

When I get wrapped up in thinking about it, I can get down. It upsets me. I realize how weak I am. I sometimes get frustrated and disappointed at the same time.

Here are the standard phrases I have used with others going through their tough 'reality' in the past. "Hang in there." "Keep praying about it." "Praise God anyway." "God is in control." "This will only make you stronger."

Sometimes these can sound so shallow. They are not meant that way, but they can come across that way.

Here is the question that helps me get perspective again. It is what was going through my mind yesterday when I was running on the treadmill at the YMCA.

Do I still love God no matter what?

Yes...and I know he loves me and Carrie no matter what as well. Sometimes that is the only thing you can accept...and that is OK. I may never be able to explain all that is going on around me, but I love God...no matter what.

By the way, we are not giving up on having children. Don't take this that we are in dire circumstances. It is just taking longer than we would like.

And we are extremely excited about my brother and sister. We can't wait to see you guys at Thanksgiving!

BIG problems need BIG solutions

Last month I started getting this magazine in my box at work. I had no idea where it came from. I have to admit...I wasn't too impressed at first because the cover story was about Al Gore and I'm not much of a fan, so I didn't pay much attention to it.

I know, I know...you are not supposed to judge a book, or magazine, by it's cover. Lesson learned.

My friend Jason Cullum (www.TheFissionGroup.com/blog) signed me up for this magazine when he received a free subscription by renewing his. Once I learned who it came from, I knew it had to be a valuable magazine.

Jason is a business guy. He is a student of leadership. He is a great leader himself. He is the type of guy that if he is reading something, I want to read it.

Well, I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I was challenged.

The cover story of the latest issue of Fast Company Magazine is about Adam Werbach. He is an environmentalist who decided to go to work for the ultimate enemy of their movement... Walmart. In doing so, the guy who was the president of the Sierra Club at age 23 was cast out of the inner circle of the environment movement.

While I may not totally agree with all of his points, I was challenged by a quote he made.

He says the company (Walmart) offers him the organizational leverage to make change rapidly and on a scale that the traditional environmental establishment just
can't provide. The movement, he says, "is not willing to suggest solutions that are as big as the problems."

Did you catch that? He decided that being on the outside complaining about the corporate giant was not making an impact, so he took his 'movement' inside the company.

He came up with a solution that was as big as the problem.

Many churches could benefit from this 'big solution' type of thinking. Is our traditional movement having an impact on the huge problems facing society today? No.

The radical solution is not a new one. Jesus said we were to go in to all the world and make disciples. That means we get into the 'problem' where it is dirty and challenging. It is work. It is about people we don't like to be around. People who sin. People who hurt other people. People who just hurt. It may put us in danger at times. It will challenge our stereotypical beliefs on society. It will reveal our prejudices and hypocrisy. It will make us tired. It will make us stronger.

Too many traditional church 'movements' stand on the outside and complain.

They are not willing to suggust solutions that are as big as the problem.

I love my church. It is a great church. But it can be a lazy church. It can be a judgemental church. As a church leader I am often a part of the problem. I fear the backlash of engaging the world on such a level. Adam Werbach suffered great backlash from his traditional peers.

One person said about him,

"For you to believe that you and your little lonesome are changing something with a million-and-a-half employees, $350 billion of sales, well, there's a level of ego there that just is staggering."

One man 'and his little lonesome' is changing a corporate giant.

Imagine what you and God can do.

Self-Evaluation

Have you heard the saying "you are your worst critic?"

Taking an honest look at how we perform certain tasks or the quality we are able to produce is important in our growth process...not easy...but important.

I started this blog with the verse in mind,

"So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step."

1 Corinthians 9:26

What is the purpose of doing such an evaluation?

• to grow in your profession
• to grow spiritually
• to grasp where you honestly are in relation to your goals
• honest analysis

If you walk away from a self-evaluation feeling beat up, you have missed the purpose. Yes, we need to be 'brutally honest' with where we are, but that is for the purpose of charting the next step in your growth process. Too many people get stuck in the 'brutally honest' stage and live there without taking the next step of change.

Remember...to continue to do the same thing over and over and expect different results is the definition of insanity!

Why this post? I video taped our service at Camden County the last Sunday. The church is a great place to be right now. There is excitement and growth, but I wanted to get an honest look at how our services run. I also wanted to hear my sermon.

I have to admit parts of it were rough to see (especially a few spots in my sermon...I didn't know I used my hands so much!) I printed out a few snapshots from the video and showed it to the leadership team. This is a group of leaders that want to grow. They saw the pictures and said what can we do to make this a more comfortable place to worship God. We took it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and take action. It has turned into a great experience!

I Am Christ's Church

This Sunday we start a new series at our church called "I Am Christ's Church." It is one I am very excited about.

Below is a video we created for our members to pass out to share with friends and family about our church.

A Good Book...

I am reading the book Simple Church, by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger.

I would highly recommend it to anyone involved in church ministry...either volunteer or on staff.

Rainer has written many good books on evangelism and church growth. This book is different. It is based on research that revealed the most effective, healthy and growing churches are those that have simplified. He debunks the myth that more programs mean you are reaching more people and being more effective.

"Ironically people are hungry for simple because the world has become much more complex." (page 8). He then lists many companies who have grasped this concept.

• Google - Have you noticed who simple their search page is at http://www.google.com/.


• Apple - The have the entire iMac computer in one unit with the monitor. They started the whole 'plug and play' mantra.


• Southwest Airlines - Simple flights with no hubs (you don't have to fly to Atlanta to get from Dallas to LA!)


• Papa John's Pizza - They chose to just focus on pizza which allowed them to get better ingredients at better prices. They chose one thing and became experts at it.


• Designers - Simple is in. For example, check out http://www.realsimple.com/.

We all have a desire to have our life simplified. Why do we in church sometimes make that difficult with all we offer and expect.

As I have been looking at how to best help our leadership team at our Camden County campus, I have learned that simple is the answer. We want a simple process (this means it moves people along a journey of intentional growth) that allows individuals to connect to Christ, grow in Christ and serve Christ.

The Sunday morning service is our time to connect. Small Groups are how we grow in Christ while building relationships with others. Understand how God SHAPED and volunteering is how we serve him and our community.

Camden County Update

God is doing great things at our Camden County campus. I am excited to be a part of it!

If you don't know, last Sunday (Aug 5) marked the first Sunday of me serving that campus on a weekly basis. Carrie and I will be with them each week through the end of this year. After that we will take time to evaluate what is going on and what the next step is.

This week we had 66 people! Considering they have been formally meeting since Easter this is great! That represents the most they have had in any service yet.

Keep praying for this dedicated group. It can be very tiring working a full time job, having a family, and volunteering countless hours leading a new ministry. I am honored to work with these men and women.

My role at our main campus running youth sports will not be changing. Add in the weekly duties of this new role and a master's level class I am taking, it will be a busy fall. Pray for me to be wise with my time. I know I can fulfill all of my duties with excellence, but it will take a planned effort. Pray that I don't get to wrapped up in other stuff that I put Carrie on the back-burner. I want to be the best husband I can be.

Another Milestone

Today I celebrated another milestone in my process of becoming totally what God wants of me.

There is a process...which I believe is a great one...to being ordained for full time ministry at Christ's Church. This standard was established by the Elders of our church in conjunction with our senior pastor and executive pastor. One of those standards is obtaining a degree from a Christian college/university in religion. With my undergrad in business management I do not, at this time, meet that requirement.

To help non-traditional folks like myself who desire to fulfill their calling to full time ministry, they created a 'commissioning' process. Basically, it is an ordination that is renewed each year by our Elders upon their review of my progress towards goals we established up front. For me that means obtaining my Master's degree.

I am starting that process this month through Cincinnatti Christian Seminary. It is a Master of Arts in Religion and Pastoral Leadership.

All of that said, this morning during our monthly all-staff meeting I was commissioned into fulltime ministry at Christ's Church. The process involved our church leadership team laying their hands on me and the pastor praying for me. While I knew this was in the works, I had know idea it was going to happen today or what it would involve. (Thanks, Cameron, for taking the picture on your camera-phone!)

It may not seem like a big deal, but it is a vote of confidence by my church and a sign of my personal growth. I know I still have a long way to go.

This One Is Tough...Part 2

Last week I shared about Brad Meester's injury in the Jacksonville Jaguars spring training. I left that post with the question of what we do when we pray for something and God answer's it differently than the way we wanted.

We have all been there. It can be a confusing and frustrating time.

Beth Harkins (pictured standing in red shirt giving her testimony after a soccer game in Paraguay this summer) is one of my new friends. She plays in our adult coed flag football and attends our Sunday night service (The Well). Beth is also and assistant coach for Mandarin High School ladies soccer.

This summer she was able to participate in a trip with Athletes in Action. She went to Paraguay to play in a soccer tournament, do soccer clinics, and share God's love with the locals using soccer to build relationships.

In her words, here is a story that shares how God can work...even when we don't understand what he is doing.

“From the beginning in Canada, we experienced some trials that tested our trust in God. The day we were leaving for Paraguay, we had a training session in the morning. With about a minute left our keeper, Jamie, dove left and her knee stayed right. The doctor told Jamie she would not be able to play and that sitting on a plane for 10 hours would not be very comfortable. So Jamie flew home; the rest of us flew to Paraguay unsure of why this happened now and who was going to be our keeper.

On the seventh night is when we began to understand why Jamie, our original goalkeeper, was not on our trip with us. Two of my teammates had shared their testimonies. Then Anna, our goalkeeper from Paraguay, began to tell us through our translator about her story. That night Anna prayed to accept Jesus Christ as her Savior! This was such an amazing night for all of us. It reminded me of the verse in Genesis that says "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

I pray that in every circumstance you will allow God to work in your life. You never know who's life will be changed because of what God is doing in you!