One In Jesus

There are circumstances where the elders should not lead a church to exercise the freedom that the church has in Christ. When there’s a choice between love and freedom, love wins.

Most good elders get this. Where we elders tend to err is in forgetting that this is not a permanent solution. Eventually, freedom should triumph in love. That is, while there are times that freedom and love conflict, the conflict should ultimately resolve. I mean, it should be the nature of love that we don’t want to take away someone else’s freedom and so we’ll make the effort needed to resolve the tension. Continue reading →

So let’s try a thought experiment. (Einstein made up the phrase to explain relativity. But this is not relativity. It’s church. Which is much more complicated.)

Elders are called by God as shepherds, leaders, guides, teachers, and instructors in God’s word. Their first task is very likely to protect the church against false teaching, especially legalism.

(Tit. 1:9-11 ESV)  9 [An overseer] must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.  10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.  11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 

Now, most of my readers are Americans. Many of the rest live in other democracies. And for people raised in a democracy, it’s next to impossible to avoid thinking in political terms. We see the members, not as sheep or as students, but as constituents. They are not so much to be taught as made happy. And that’s our great sin as a people. We seek to please men rather than God. And nearly all who’ve ever been an elder are guilty. It’s hard-wired into our American, democratic, capitalist minds. Continue reading →

So if your church is moderate (political), how do you best shepherd the church?

Well, I really don’t know. I’m not sure anyone does. These things usually wind up pretty ugly — and I’ve seen good elders try all sorts of things.

But I’ve learned a few things from my observations.

The first one is: You can’t make everyone happy — whether you change or don’t change or pretend not to have heard the question.

But you can reduce the pain. You can help the members through a difficult transition. Continue reading →

This is not about the church-state issues. It’s about internal church politics. By “politics” I mean doing things to please a constituency rather than because it’s what you think God wants.

Now, nearly all churches are political in that nearly all church leaders sometimes make decisions to do or not do something because of congregational attitudes rather than because it’s what the leaders consider best.

For example, an eldership may decide that they don’t want to appoint deacons any more. The church will freak out if they appoint women — although the early church clearly did and even though Restoration leaders have supported ordaining women consistently for two centuries. Appointing men, the elders fear, will offend women who often have greater responsibilities than some of the deacons have, not to mention offending single and childless men. But is it really worth the fight — and loss of members — to announce the end of the deacon program? Continue reading →

Here’s the rule: You don’t know your flock at all if you only get information reactively — that is, in response to complaints. To know your flock, you have to proactively solicit input from a representative sample. Nothing else works — even when you’re sure that something else works.

It takes hard work and discipline to know your flock.

1. Delegate! The more you involve your members, the more representative of the church the leadership will be.
2. Don’t limit your input-seeking to the staff. They are very important. They are not enough. Also talk to your members.
3. Make a point to talk to the small groups — of all ages. Spend time with young and old, male and female, black and white, old and new, leaders and followers. Don’t wait for people to grab you and complain. Seek members out and talk to them.
4. Don’t ask about musical taste but about spiritual formation. Did the song service draw you closer to Jesus? Do you feel encouraged to live for Jesus for the upcoming week? Would you invite your friends to the service next week if you knew it would be just like this week? Ask the questions that matter — not the consumerist, indulgent question like “Did I pick songs that you like?”
5. Check the numbers. Is the church growing? Is it attracting new members? Are baptisms up? Is the children’s ministry growing? Are the small groups for young couples and singles growing? If not, you’d better change something — because if those signs are going badly, your church is dying. And pleasing us old people isn’t going to make it better if the old people are mainly worried about the old people.

You see, there is nothing more unhealthy than an old person complaining because you aren’t making the old people happy. Continue reading →

The greatest talent that God can give a church may well be the ability to recruit volunteers. If a church has a skilled recruiter, find him or her, take them to lunch, and pepper them with questions. Take notes. Learn from the experts.

I’ve done this. Here is what I learned —

1. Recruit in person or by phone — not by emails, announcements, or sign up lists. Recruitment is, at its heart, a personal thing. People need the chance to ask questions, to have their fears assuaged, to feel recognized and appreciated, to be sold.
2. Sell. In person or by phone. Explain why this is something the recruiter is passionate about so the potential volunteer can be passionate, too. What’s fun about this? Why is this really needed?

Continue reading →

For a while now, there’s been in the back of my mind a feeling that I’d overlooked something really important in this series. Finally, it occurred to me that I’d not directly addressed evangelism. And there’s a reason.

I’m not much of an evangelist. I have some gifts that are useful in church work, but evangelism is very difficult for me.

First, I’m an introvert. INTJ according to Briggs-Myers.

Second, I’m a third-generation Church of Christ member. I live and work in the middle of the Bible Belt. I went to a Christian college. My friends are all Christians.

And I’ve got several more very persuasive excuses. My situation is also pretty typical of church elders. For a man to have the exposure and experience in church leadership to be an elder, he likely is deeply embedded in church life — and so he likely has few friends who aren’t Christians. In fact, most of his friends will be members of his congregation.

Now, this is not wrong — but it’s a problem. It’s especially a problem when an elder advocates for greater emphasis on evangelism. Someone (typically a minister) will say, “I don’t think we can be an evangelistic church unless the elders lead by example.” At that point, the elders change the subject. Continue reading →

In response to yesterday’s post, reader John asks,

What’s up with the failure of multiplying groups? Isn’t the point to keep them small so folks can keep up with each other (or isn’t that what the literature says)?

I’m totally open to new ideas: is the point that small groups can be any size as long as they are meeting a specific need or needs?

Thanks for the question. The short answer is: “Yes.” Let the size be determined by the gifts of the hosts and leaders and group — not theory. Let the groups grow and possibly (but not necessarily) multiply organically. That is, if they want to divide, help them work through the process. But the leadership of the small groups ministry should not impose this from on high.

I base this on my 20 years of experience leading small groups as a group leader, part of the small groups team, or an elder — and because Saddleback agrees and has more people in small groups than they have members.

First, in the business world, management experts tell us that the goal isn’t to make a profit. Except, of course, it is. But if we run our business just to be about profit, we’ll fail because profit doesn’t come from trying to make a profit. It comes from doing something profitable very well. Continue reading →

Churches of Christ, on the whole, have been slow to adopt small groups, although many have done so.

The objections go along these lines:

1. The best time to meet is Sunday night, but we can’t give up Sunday night church.
   (Yes, you can. Or you can give small groups permission to skip Sunday night church to meet. The time for two-worship services on Sunday are past — and that model only appeals to Church of Christ members age 70 or older.)
2. They might teach something unauthorized. (I suggest a camera in each meeting as well as a couple of spies. And maybe some wire taps. Get over your paranoia and learn to trust your fellow Christians.)
3. They aren’t authorized by scripture. (In Acts 2 a single congregation split up into separate houses to study and eat together — while also meeting as one in the Temple courts. Maybe this is a binding example? I can make a better argument that it’s mandated than you can make that it’s prohibited.)

Continue reading →