Membership vs. Mission

These words of Reggie MacNeal, quoted yesterday, have a certain resonance with me because the church I go to has just embarked on a membership campaign.

The attractional model of church creates a ‘member culture,’ in which people join a particular church and support that organization with their attendance, their money, their prayers, and their talent. The flow is toward the church, which is always at the center of the action, where the big game is being played.

"Member culture." I like that. This is a new thing at our church. Quite suddenly one Sunday everyone was strongly urged to take an 8-week class, upon which they would be, officially, members. In doing so they were said to be "committing" themselves to the church. They would become "accountable." Their attendance at the class meant that they were making 7 "commitments" (that's the key word in all this), which included tithing and being involved in at least one ministry of the church. On the other hand, if you don't take the class, you are merely an "attender," not a member. You probably suffer from an inability to make commitments, you don't like being accountable, and you may be a shallow church-shopper.

Well, if that doesn't smack of "member culture," nothing does! I will add that the leaders at my church are generally a conscientious bunch, and they try very hard to be both attractional and missional, but it's clear that, as MacNeal says, "The flow is toward the church, which is always at the center of the action, where the big game is being played."

I start with the observation that most people are "maxed out" in every area of their life. They are being pressed, coaxed, and pressured (for time, money, etc.) on all sides. The church should not simply replicate that atmosphere. In fact, it should intentionally offer Christ's relief from all that.

The missional alternative can be helpful because it places the emphasis where it belongs.

The missional church views the church’s position in society very differently. It understands that God has his people—his missionaries—deployed across all domains of culture. After all, since the mission is redemptive and the world is God’s target, doesn’t it make sense that he would take this approach? Otherwise, how would salt be distributed or light puncture the darkness?

Maybe I usher in the church and give my 10% I qualify as a member, but out there between the stop-signs of life I'm not even coming close to representing the living Jesus in my world. The problem is, between the stop-signs is where the important ministry is going on, not in the church. On the other hand, maybe there's a mom with three kids who is "ministering Christ" to her children day by day, but has a hard time making it to church every week. Pity she can't be a member, though she's a temple of the Holy Spirit!

In other words, the measure by which we define membership is of little real significance. The church isn't where the real game is, folks!

When the 8-week course was over, the church had a party. One Sunday morning was set aside to promote the program to those who hadn't signed up for the first round of classes. We heard that everything about it was, of course, wonderful, and how it was an antidote to our commitment-phobic culture. The time normally allotted to preaching was set aside for the promotion of this church program! And then they served cake.

Nix the Silos

Here's a quote from Reggie MecNeal's new book, Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church:

The attractional model of church creates a ‘member culture,’ in which people join a particular church and support that organization with their attendance, their money, their prayers, and their talent. The flow is toward the church, which is always at the center of the action, where the big game is being played.

The missional church is made up of missionaries, who are playing the big game every day. They live their lives with the idea that they are on a mission trip. On mission trips, people focus on the work of God around them, alert to the Spirit’s prompting, usually serving people in very tangible ways, often in way that involve some sacrifice or even discomfort. Life on mission is more intentional and more integrated. While the concerns of life (family, work, leisure) are pursued, they are part of a larger story being played out for the missionary.

The member culture views society as a series of silos: politics, business, education, arts, media, technology, health care, social sector, and so forth. All of them are separate. The church culture has developed its own silo—a parallel culture in many respects—complete with schools, businesses, educational institutions, health care facilities, sports clubs, travel associations, and social agencies. Positioned as one silo among others, the church works to recruit people and resources from the other domains, vying for attention and money….. Its activities serve effectively to take a lamp and put it under a bushel….

The missional church views the church’s position in society very differently. It understands that God has his people—his missionaries—deployed across all domains of culture. After all, since the mission is redemptive and the world is God’s target, doesn’t it make sense that he would take this approach? Otherwise, how would salt be distributed or light puncture the darkness?

I love that quote, which I found over at The Blind Beggar's place.
I think this is about as definitive as you can get concerning what drives the missional church movement. I am more intent than ever before on discovering how to live this out. My thanks to Rick(and many other thoughtful missional bloggers and authors) for helping us to work out what "missional" looks like on the ground.

Just wondering

So I've talked with a few people about my decision to back out of church for a while (as I mentioned here). I have been an usher and a volunteer in the church bookstore for many years, so it was a matter of giving these ministry leaders a couple of months lead time to find a replacement. As of the beginning of June, I'll be playing Sundays by ear.

So here's the thing. Several people have said to me, either, "I know how you feel, and I sometimes wish I could do that too," or, in one case, "My wife feels the same way as you."

This is making me wonder if there aren't a lot of people just enduring church on Sunday mornings, as I have done for some time now. And I just wonder how that helps the cause of Christ. I'm not here to complain about church, and do not wish to use this blog for that purpose. Only I just wonder, that's all. I just wonder. . . .

Doe-See-doe

Chew on this . . .

This is from ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church, by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost:

"To be sure, we do not like gatherings (speaking of church services), of strangers who never meet or know each other outside of Sundays, who sit passively while virtual strangers preach and lead singing, who put up with second rate pseudo-community under the guise of connection with each other, who live different lives from Monday to Saturday than they do on Sunday, whose sole expression of worship is pop-style praise and worship, who rarely laugh together, fight injustice together, eat together, pray together, raise each others Children together, serve the poor together, or share Jesus with those who have not been set free." Pg. 172-173

Just thought I'd share it. Not saying it's a description of my church or anything like that, just something worth chewing on.

Disengaging from Church Stuff

I took steps today to disconnect from a couple of the church "ministries" that I am regularly a part of. This would be the bookstore, and the ushering. I'm aiming at doing neither by the end of May.

These are the two things that keep me coming to church. Disengaging from these, I'll feel easier about staying home from church, which is my plan at least for the summer.

As someone who has seldom missed a Sunday at church for the last 17 years or so, this is a radical move, but it seems right for me just now, since church only makes me grumpy these days.

This means that for a while at least I'm not going to have a church. I don't really imagine this to be a permanent condition, but then it wouldn't disappoint me if my interaction with fellow-believers came in other settings than Sunday morning church.

Brant Hanson has a timely post on this subject. Here's a snip:

If you see "preaching", Biblically, as a sermon delivered each week to roughly the same audience by the same guy in the same building, and you regard this as an essential, or a near sacrament, you are not going to pose the question. And I respect your opinion, even as I don't hold it. (I heard a very popular preacher the other day say, on the radio, "When someone causes you to doubt or question, you get away from them, and get into the House of the Lord. I know I need to do that, because I need a talented man of the pulpit to help me understand, and...")

You may be a person, like this Talented Man of the Pulpit, who really needs, who must have, a Talented Man of the Pulpit. In which case, you've likely stopped reading this blog. You may think his sprawling campus is the House of the Lord, too, in which case, you've likely stopped reading this blog.

I'm kind of expecting people to be worried about me, about my faith, perhaps a few of them even for my immortal soul. Whatever. I think this move will be good for me. I'll keep you posted.

Tennessee Waltz

I wanted to do a third straight Tennessee post, just for Milton. Naturally I thought about The Tennessee Waltz. Every female vocalist worth her salt has recorded this one, not to mention a bunch of male vocalists as well (I seem to recall a Willie Nelson version, and one by Tom Jones!) but Eva Cassidy's rendering is not far from the best.



If you don't know her work, check her out on Youtube. One of the finest singers of our era.

A Proposal

This from Ray Ortlund:

Proposal. A full-page ad in The Tennessean. Section one. Right hand page. Lots of white space. Two simple words in big font at the top: "We apologize." Then, in smaller font just below that, something like this: "We, the undersigned churches of Nashville, apologize to our city. We have not been the witnesses for Christ that he commands. We are neither delighting you nor disturbing you with Christ. This is our failure alone, and we own it before him and before you. God helping us, we pledge to be humbler, clearer, more provocative and more pleasing to you in the future. If we break this pledge, you will have no reason to take us seriously ever again. But we cannot go on as we have been. The time has come for repentance and revival." Below that, the participating churches could be listed, in alphabetical order, in columns. Then everyone involved could go back to their churches and we could get down on our knees and beg the Lord Jesus Christ to change us.

What do we have to lose? Only the status quo.

Hoagy

I've never been to Memphis. I'm guessing the portrait the Hoagy Carmichael paints in this song is more than a little dated. But it's one beautiful song that captures the dream of a place rather than the place itself. Listen.

I need to explain . . .

Some recent personal trends tipping the scales against blogging:

1. I'm spending more time on Facebook.   I'm not proud of it . . . but it's true.  Facebook has been beating blogging hands down.  By the way, wanna be my friend?
2. New job - I really like it, and it keeps me really busy, and there's never down-time.  So I'm checking in on my favorite bloggers a lot less often.
3. I'm writing - well, attempting to write - a novel.  I'm doing it on a wiki, so computer time priority is going to that also.   And it's a lot of fun so far.  Just as soon as it stops being fun, I'm out. 

So there you have it.  The reasons I haven't been blogging lately.  I know I'm not finished blogging, but the content of In  the Clearing may be changing a little.  We'll see.

In the meantime, because it's finally Spring, I just wanted to say . . . 

An Evening of Emerging

Yesterday I attended an evening discussion on the emerging church, put on by a little Baptist Bible college in my neighborhood. It was really helpful to me. The two presenters were a professor from the college (Dave Lambertson) and a local pastor (Angel Silva) who considers himself a part of the emerging church movement (his church is part of the Acts 29 network).

Anyway, one of the memorable lines from Angel: "The beautiful train-wreck that is the church." Sometimes its easy to focus on the train-wreck, but only God can make a train-wreck beautiful. Really it defies the imagination of men, how this thing we call church can work at all, considering how messed up we all are. But beautiful He will make it, and is doing so even now.

Angel also said that the early leaders in the movement recognized the need to overcome "the hyperactivity of late 20th century worship practices." Man, that one hits home for me.

One more: "The Bible is not a databook from which to mine propositions about God, but a narrative in which we the readers are meant to find ourselves."

This brief evening was one of the most informative and interesting I've had in a church in a long time.

Hosanna!

I've been journaling through the Gospel of Mark for some time now. I write out a brief passage in my notebook and then work out my own thoughts about the passage by writing down my impressions. The goal is to see the Gospel in the text and preach it to myself. I do not use commentaries or study bible footnotes for this (though I frequently utilize these resources for other purposes).

One side-effect of this process is to keep you attuned to the context of every passage, and also to help you see the dramatic arc of Mark's account and also it's place in God's overall "plan of salvation."

I'm in chapter 11 just now, with Mark's description of the "triumphal entry." I've always wondered about what was going through Jesus' mind as he road the young donkey along its leaf-strewn path into the city. I have wondered if he considered that nearly all these people who were singing his praises that morning would desert him within the week.

But I don't really think so?

They were giving him glory, calling him their king, and talking about the re-establishment of David's kingdom. But he was out for something greater by far than David's kingdom ever was. What he had in mind, I suspect, was how the events of the coming week would initiate something that, no matter how painful for him, would result in such glory and fame for the Father as to make the terrible suffering of the cross--how terrible no man but Jesus will ever truly understand--all worthwhile.

You think of the glorious words written by the author of Hebrews:

"...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:2.)

What was "the joy set before him?" The answer to that question is, I believe, the same as the answer to my other question, what was on Jesus' mind as he rode into Jerusalem that long ago day?

I suspect there are many facets to the answer, but one of them surely is this: he was thinking about the glory and praise that will come to God because of the lonely and excruciating suffering that he was riding inevitably toward? Yes, a kingdom was coming, but the kingdom of one greater even than David. Jesus would very soon be addressing this very topic, shortly before his death in Jerusalem (Mark 11:35-37):

And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.’

David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

And the point is, hosanna!

Friday Doe-See-Doe

This one is for commenter Brent35, who enjoys good pickin'!

Cross Shaped Living

Here's a brief but very wise post from Tim Chester called A Cross Shaped Culture. This one is timely for me, with its call to ask oneself not What is the fair and just thing to do? but What is the gracious and loving thing to do?

I'm going to apply this in a particular workplace situation of mine, but I have to admit it complicates matters a little. I was going for justice. Now I'm out for love.

Dang.

Blog Alert

As far as I know, there are 2 Christian bloggers in the state of Maine--which of course should not be surprising, since we're part of the least religious region in the U.S. Anyway, the other Christian blogg that I know about is the inestimable Joshua Otte, who helps pastor a church down the road a piece. Josh just started a new blog called Gathered Worship. It looks like something I'm going to need to check out frequently. Take for example his extensive collection of free worship resources. You might also want to read his two posts featuring lengthy quotations from Driscoll and Breshears' Vintage Jesus, What Worship Is Not, and What Worship Is.

How cool is that!

So my son Nate and his buddy Steven opened for the Bacon Brothers last night at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston, and before that they busked in the street outside the small Somerville, Massachusetts, club where U2 played last night.

Thursday Boogie Woogie

Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel! Now touring. I would definitely go out of my way to see these guys together.

Clyde Kilby's Resolutions

I've been reading John Piper's The Pleasures of God, and there I came across the resolutions of Clyde Kilby, the well-knows Lewis scholar. For my post today I just wanted to share a few of those. They're quite marvelous:

3. I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day, or any day, is merely another ambiguous and plodding twenty-four hours, but rather a unique event, filled, if I so wish, with worthy potentialities. I shall not be fool enough to suppose that trouble and pain are wholly evil parentheses in my existence but, just as likely, ladders to be climbed toward moral and spiritual manhood.

5. I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others. I shall stop boring into myself to discover what psychological or social categories I might belong to. Mostly I shall simply forget about myself and do my work.

10. Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life on t he assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the Architect who calls himself Alpha and Omega.

The Book on Facebook.

Facebook. I just wanted to say I really like it, for the most part. I'm hoping to make one Facebook friend who will one day be a true friend. That would make FB especially cool. Right now, well, I'm just enjoying it. And if you want to be my Facebook friend (no strings attached) just ask.

The Apocalyptic Prophecy Rag

If I were ever going to rant about something on this blog, I mean really let 'er rip, I'd rant about the self-proclaimed prophets of our day. I've often thought about doing this, but I always back off because, well, it's not polite to rant.

Well, Michael Spencer has done the job for me. Really, if you care about the church, these contemporary prophets are doing it more harm than all the atheistic best sellers put together. They are false, they are wolves disguised as sheep, serving their own bellies rather than Christ. That's what I think of the general run of prophetic types (none of whom I intend to name or link to, but they're hawking their wares all over the web).

You would think that it would hurt their cause that they are consistently wrong in their prognostications, but that does not seem to be the case. They are under no authority, so they need never confess the harm their false prophecies have done.

Anyway, look, I'm doing what I said I wouldn't do. Ranting! But Michael's rant is a quality example of the form. Plus he gets a lot more interesting comments than I do, so if you're interested in this topic, by all means get yourself over there and read.

What's all this talk about leadership?

I've been meaning to write about leadership. I mean, that seems to be the word--the concept--that no one dare question or gainsay, right? Not in Christian circles, anyhow. Except of course Brant Hansen.

I'm very interested in the missional church movement, but have you noticed that most of its big-name writers and bloggers (dare I say, its "leaders") are always talking about leadership?

I just have to say it: leadership schmeadership!

I mean, some of us are, well, I know it doesn't sound nearly as cool, but, well, we really have no desire to "lead". None. Zilch. We long ago bottomed out on the whole leadership thing. Is that ok?

I've been to leadership conferences. That's where they sell the leadership books--you know, read this book and become the leader you always wanted to be, or God always wanted you to be, or your wife always wanted you to be. Or something. Everybody says, well, what we really mean by leadership is "serving." Which always makes me wonder, why not just call it that then? Ummm, why not just shut up and serve?

Not that I mind other people leading. Pastoring, heading up ministries, etc. Some people seem especially equipped for that sort of thing. Fine. Go for it.

Perhaps much of the promotion of "leadership" in the churches is simply born of the need to have lots of "vibrant and active" ministries, coupled with the simple reality that there are not enough people willing to "serve" in those ministries. Not enough Sunday school teachers. Not enough soup kitchen volunteers. So somewhere along the way this idea comes along: let's not ask people to serve. Let's ask 'em to lead! Let's call them leaders and tell them how God is equipping them for leadership, etc. And let's not ever ask the question that fairly begs to be asked: if everyone is called to leadership, who will the followers be?

My take: it's just a lot of fashionable talk. It doesn't match up well with the Bible. And it won't go away as long as people keep harboring the suspicion that they're just not adequate Christians and need to be prodded to new levels of heroic leadership (or whatever) in order to feel good about themselves (or to believe God feels good about them).

That's what I think. Hope no one's leadership feathers got ruffled by all this. If so, sorry.

[Next up: What's the big deal about U2?]

Saturday

Ah, Saturday.

I love Saturday.

Mornings we walk down to the Q Street Cafe for breakfast, Laurie and I. This morning happens to be sunny and even a little on the warm side (40+F). Some of the local chickadees are starting to feel like it's okay to tweet and twitter.

Then we stop at the library on the way home. The library. Place of many adventures, the wild stories of great imaginers. Plus wifi. You can't beat the library.

After that, I come home to an afternoon of baking bread and doing laundry. The evening is for friends and a movie (we're doing a little Fred Astaire film festival these days, after which we'll get back to our Judy Garland film festival).

That's Saturday. The strong inclination is not to get in the car all day if we can help it. To have fun and hang with friends.

Like I said, I love Saturdays.

BTW, this is my 598th post at In the Clearing. I figure I can't stop blogging before 600 anyway!

Random This and That

So I'm thinking about trying my hand at a novel.

Just for the heck of it.

I have a setting, a few characters, and a "situation," but no real plot to speak of. I fully expect to get a few pages in and then run into a difficult what=happens-next-moment. At which point I'll just call it quits and go read someone else's story rather than attempting to write one myself.

Anyway, wish me luck.

***

I seem to have lost much of my blogging initiative. Maybe it'll come back. Maybe not. Maybe In the Clearing has run its course. I just don't seem to have much to say any more!

***

And on a not unrelated note: I'm starting to feel like the proverbial "loner Christian." Can't say exactly why, but my enthusiasm for church is running thin. And I go to a church where enthusiasm is the coin of the realm!

***

Brant Hansen, in his own inimitable brilliantly amusing way, says people tend to be more attracted to church than to Jesus, which surely ranks up there with the strangest and truest of all strange-but-true statements.

And the thing is, churches--who want nothing more after all than to be "attractive"--respond by giving people what they find most attractive, and shying away from that which they find disturbing.

But that Jesus . . . he was one very disturbing dude.

***

On a personal note: my son Nate is in town with plans to cut a CD before going off to Ireland busking this summer (of course those plans could change a few dozen times between now and then).

Anyway, it reminds me that I totally love having a couple of crazy dreamer kids. It makes me feel really really warm and fuzzy about being their Dad!

Blossom Dearie

I always loved her sort of jazz. When I heard that she'd recently died, I looked her up on YouTube and found this little gem.

Two Things

1.
Holiday at the Sea: Wish I'd thought of that blog title. The blogger is Brent Thomas, and one of his favorite bands of all time is The Housemartins. And you know what, that makes Brent Thomas all right with me.

2. Al Hsu, commenting on the flim called Under the Same Moon, says,

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that if Jesus were preaching here today, he would probably use immigration narratives as the basis of his parables. I can totally imagine him saying, "The kingdom of God is like this: An undocumented worker gave up everything of the life she once knew, to journey to a new land, to gain a better life for her and her family . . ."

Or perhaps: "There once was a son whose mother was in a distant country. He left his home to search for his mother until she was found . . ."

That's worth saying.