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The North American model of church is not based upon disciple making, but that can be changed in a new church plant. Join Bobby and Paul as they describe how to plant new churches with disciple making DNA.
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Welcome to One Eighty, welcome to Disciple-Making. Over the next 8 weeks, we will be turning our focus to creating a discipleship culture as we look ahead to our 2024 Global Exponential Conference March 4-7th.

This podcast is one of several workshops from Exponential’s Global 2023 Conference in Orlando. You can grab the Evangelism Resource Kit for this workshop and more to train you and your team: https://multiplication.org/product/evangelism-2023-orlando-workshops-resource-kit/

To learn more about Exponential events, visit: https://exponential.org/events

For all other links: https://shor.by/Exponential

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On this episode join Bobby and Carl as they explore why it’s more important now than ever to have good theology. They will talk about practical tools the local church needs in this cultural moment.

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Welcome to One Eighty, welcome to Disciple-Making. Over the next 8 weeks, we will be turning our focus to creating a discipleship culture as we look ahead to our 2024 Global Exponential Conference March 4-7th.

This podcast is one of several workshops from Exponential’s Global 2023 Conference in Orlando. You can grab the Evangelism Resource Kit for this workshop and more to train you and your team: https://multiplication.org/product/evangelism-2023-orlando-workshops-resource-kit/

To learn more about Exponential events, visit: https://exponential.org/events

For all other links: https://shor.by/Exponential

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On this episode we are talking about how Jesus’ style of evangelism always led folks to follow Him. So many times we try to separate evangelism and discipleship. That leaves us with weak Christians and an even weaker church. Walk with us through the exploration of the Master’s plan for evangelism that leads to discipleship.

Speaker: Dan Leitz

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This podcast is one of several workshops from Exponential’s Global 2023 Conference in Orlando. You can grab the Evangelism Resource Kit for this workshop and more to train you and your team: https://multiplication.org/product/evangelism-2023-orlando-workshops-resource-kit/

To learn more about Exponential events, visit: https://exponential.org/events

For all other links: https://shor.by/Exponential

Evangelism Series // Week 5

Speakers: Ralph Moore

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This podcast is one of several workshops from Exponential’s Global 2023 Conference in Orlando. You can grab the Evangelism Resource Kit for this workshop and more to train you and your team: https://multiplication.org/product/evangelism-2023-orlando-workshops-resource-kit/

To learn more about Exponential events, visit: https://exponential.org/events

For all other links: https://shor.by/Exponential

Evangelism Series // Week 4

Speakers: Faith Eury Cho, Albert Tate, Aaron & Hannah Barnett

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This podcast is one of several workshops from Exponential’s Global 2023 Conference in Orlando. You can grab the Evangelism Resource Kit for this workshop and more to train you and your team: https://multiplication.org/product/evangelism-2023-orlando-workshops-resource-kit/

To learn more about Exponential events, visit: https://exponential.org/events

For all other links: https://shor.by/Exponential

Planter 1: “How big is the city where you’re planting?”

Planter 2: “About 15,000”

Planter 1: “Hmmm, I wouldn’t plant in a city any smaller than 22,000.”

My friend had to laugh to himself. At the time, he had been a senior pastor in a town with a whopping population of 25 for 15+ years. The church has since sent a significant percentage of its congregation to plant in other rural towns in Kansas. 

Imagine the faith required to send hundreds of your members to go and start new works elsewhere when you minister in what some might consider a wilderness! That call sounds like a death sentence for ministry.

A death sentence is an apt description of how many Americans perceive rural ministry. Rural towns are where pastors who couldn’t cut it in the “big time” go to die. Rural ministry is “junior varsity” for those either training for the big leagues or those who will never measure up to move on to “bigger and better” places. 

If you need more convincing, look at those we typically platform and clamor to learn from so we can implement the methods that made them “successful.” You won’t find a small-town pastor who has faithfully and effectively served their community for decades often because their ministry isn’t large enough to be of any notable consequence. Have you ever wondered what we are missing when we overlook the small ministries and places of the earth?

Jesus loved small ministries and places.

Jesus loved small ministries and places. He was born into tiny, insignificant circumstances: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2, NIV). 

He grew up in Nazareth (population in the hundreds), a village whose reputation is expressed by the following question: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46). 

Both Jesus and John the Baptist began their ministries in the more sparsely populated regions of Israel. Jesus was unimpressed by crowds and consistently resisted the pull to build a large brand, network, or movement. He did the opposite of what we would advise him to do today, and I have a feeling we wouldn’t be calling him to be the headliner at our conferences. Again, what are we missing when we overlook the small people and places of the earth? Could we be missing the heart of Christ himself?

My husband and I have been ministering in rural Kansas for 20 years. Because I am a talented speaker, singer, and musician, some have asked me why I don’t seek a position at a megachurch or move where my gifts could be put to “better use,” somewhere I could be more visible and have better opportunities. 

In response, I point to the day God called me to serve rural communities. I was the new worship pastor for the church in the town of 25 I mentioned previously, and I was reading Return to Worship by Ron Owens. In his chapter titled “To Get or to Give?”, he tells the story of a young lady with a gorgeous singing voice who had been serving her small-town church faithfully, but had recently left to join the choir of a megachurch having been persuaded that she would get more out of a “bigger and better” church that could amplify her talent. He likened her story to David’s theft of Bathsheba in 1 Samuel 12.¹

As I read that story, the Holy Spirit said, “You will not be a ewe lamb.”

That day, I committed to serving alongside Jesus in the small, seemingly insignificant places he leads me. My life and ministry are deeply blessed and enriched as a result.

Christ is powerfully present in small places.

So, back to the question: What are we missing when we overlook the small ministries and places of the earth? First, Christ is powerfully present in small places. Of course, he is present everywhere and values all people, but there is a potency in his gaze toward the poor, the powerless, and the disregarded. Throughout Scripture, God intentionally gravitates toward the underprivileged. He chooses the younger sibling over the eldest – not because one is better, but to radically work against the human tendency to elevate some people at the expense of others. He chooses Israel – not because they are the most powerful or populous nation, but because of their insignificance to the world’s great empires that his glory might be made manifest amongst humanity’s weakest. God is with those unimportant to the world because they are profoundly important to him. If we want to be in all the places where Jesus is, there must be no flyover country, nowhere too small or insignificant to be worth our time, nowhere that is beneath our notice.

Not only is Christ present among the small and despised, but his heart and character are revealed through them. If you want to learn to be like Jesus and draw close to him, follow his ministry pattern. Jesus intentionally turned away from the powerful and prosperous and set his gaze and favor on the foolish, the weak, the overlooked, and the outcast, or, as the gospel authors put it, the tax collectors and sinners, those who recognized their need for a savior. 

In doing so, those with power and prestige were drawn to him, their curiosity piqued by this strange new teacher who taught with authority and dared to overlook them. I don’t think they would have paid much attention to Jesus had he come to them first, and he loved them enough to dismantle the lie of their own self-importance. He knew that proximity to the least of these produces the best leaders: Servants who are humble, gentle, and lowly, disciples who never graduate from their need to learn, not just from Jesus but from those to whom they are sent.

While rural ministry is prone to pitfalls like any other ministry, there is a unique opportunity in these places to die to self and learn humility. What could be more against the grain of American culture than seeking the small and ordinary and resisting being swept into the current of capitalistic consumerism that often produces churches that look and act more like corporations than the kingdom of God? Most rural people do not care and are unimpressed by titles, education, wealth, and positions of authority. They love and are proud of their community and want to see it thrive. They value togetherness and developing deep, rooted relationships committed to the long haul, and they aren’t necessarily interested in seeking what is bigger and better. 

If you want to learn how to pursue what Friedrich Nietzsche called “a long obedience in the same direction,” rural communities are great places to do so.

Rural people often love and care for one another well and know how to appreciate the simple stuff of life. If you want to learn how to pursue what Friedrich Nietzsche called “a long obedience in the same direction,” rural communities are great places to do so.

For the past couple of years, I’ve had opportunities to enter collaborative spaces with people whose ministries are far grander than mine. While I have appreciated and learned a lot from them, this competitive sense of jockeying for importance still exists. The cultural waters we swim in make it nearly impossible to avoid. Who will offer the most profound word? Who has the best visionary ideas to offer? Who has the best connections? Honestly, it’s exhausting to me, and I often feel like an imposter, a fish out of water. My tiny area of the world is dwarfed in comparison.

Amid these experiences, God has opened a way for me to participate in a ministry to the ladies at the local jail in our small town. I told my husband recently, “Out of all the numerous opportunities I’ve had recently, my time spent with the women at the jail is my favorite. I could meet with them for the rest of my life and be content.” There is something so beautifully refreshing about communing with people who have nothing to hide, people for whom masks and pretending are useless. I laugh when I think about how little I do, how unnecessary I am, and how God’s purpose for me is more about what he wants these women to teach me than what I have to teach them. All I do is share the story of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit moves. 

I have the incredible privilege of coming along for the ride and witnessing Jesus at work in the hearts of these least of these daughters who are so dear to their Father’s heart. If you want to be where Jesus is, if you want to learn to be more like him, find the least, the last, and the lost in your city, be it big or small, and resist the tendency to overlook and “despise the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10).

There are a couple of quotes by Roland Walls from my Celtic Daily Prayer Book that keep me grounded when I am discouraged by my own smallness and tempted to seek the type of success and notoriety the world deems valuable. I hope they encourage you like they have me.

Preoccupation with numbers and busyness is always a symptom of disease. ‘Success’ in the Christian enterprise has to pass through this lonely man, Jesus, who failed completely. So, somehow or other, theologically, and therefore spiritually, the success addict’s disease is that he’s left the centre, because the centre isn’t very encouraging. And therefore it has something to do with what does he think about Christ, and whose son is He, and how far did He get? You can always keep the success story going with the resurrection – but the resurrection of Christ isn’t the flip-over of the coin, it’s showing the value of the coin. It’s the crucified who is risen and therefore got the approval of God. So we’ve got to beware lest we come back with an easy theology of resurrection to justify success.²

Be content to live an anonymous, unspectacular, misunderstood life among people. Choose where possible those places and jobs where people are oppressed or deprived. Let Christ transfigure the darkness in ourselves and in the world. Let there be great care to maintain the simplicity of presence . . . Love what is obscure and little for there you will find Christ.³

– Celtic Daily Prayer Book

These quotes give me pause and remind me to cling tightly to what it means to enter the kingdom of God. It is coming to the end of ourselves, realizing the joy and privilege we’ve been given to participate in God’s mission through small, ordinary acts of obedience, knowing that it’s not about us. May you discover the joy and wonder of Jesus, the God who became small for us, and may you embrace the small spaces he delights to dwell wherever you are in the world.

Notes

1. Ron Owens, Return to Worship: A God-Centered Approach (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 79.
2.  Celtic Daily Prayer Book Two: Farther Up and Farther In (London: William Collins, 2015), 1407.
3. Celtic Daily Prayer Book, 1408.

More and more younger leaders today are considering the possibility of church revitalization as an alternative or a means of church planting. In this month’s article, church revitalization expert Dr. Gary Moritz addresses a few advantages leaders and church planting churches should consider before planting a new church. It is possible the church you are wanting to plant already has seeds growing just below the surface. I encourage you to join this growing conversation.

– Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

In the ever-evolving landscape of American Christianity, a significant paradigm shift has been underway in recent years. Church revitalization has emerged as the new face of church planting. This transformation is driven by a complex interplay of factors, including shifting demographics, resource constraints, and a deeper appreciation for the untapped potential within existing congregations. In this article, we examine each of these factors.

Shifting demographics are driving the change.

Changing population dynamics in America have a profound impact on society, politics, the economy, and various other aspects of life. Several key demographic trends have been shaping the United States in recent years, and understanding these shifts is essential for policymakers, businesses, society, and especially the church. 

One of the most notable demographic changes in the United States is the aging of its population. This shift is primarily driven by the aging of the Baby Boomer generation, those born between 1946 and 1964, who are reaching retirement age in large numbers. Many established churches in the United States are grappling with aging memberships, aging pastors, dwindling attendance, and the challenge of connecting with younger generations. 

Most have no succession plan in place. According to Lifeway Research, the age demographics of the church mirror those of our country’s aging population with churchgoers twice as likely to be 65 and older.¹ The average age of the lead pastor in America is 51.² According to the SBC, 18 percent of pastors are over the age of 65.³

 This aging population in the church means that the number of churches that will need church revitalization in the future will only grow. As churches and pastors delay succession to a younger pastor and leader, the average age of the church increases and has the potential to die with its congregants.

How many church planters are we producing now? According to Lifeway research, more is needed.⁴

The number of churches that need to be planted to keep up with population trends of closure is too high for the number of churches we are planting. 

Seminaries simply can’t keep up with the number of pastors needed for the number of churches to be planted. But what if we could close less churches? What if we replaced older leaders with younger leaders? What if we could mobilize lay leaders within existing churches? In other words, what if part of the way we increased churches was through revitalization? And what if we concentrated on revitalization as much as we have concentrated on church planting? We might just solve our church planting problem.

Resource constraints are driving the change.

Church revitalization has gained prominence as an alternative to church planting because it addresses the issue of resource constraints that church planters often face. Starting a new church often requires significant financial resources for land, construction, and initial operations. Revitalization may be a more financially viable option for organizations with limited resources. In other words, church revitalization brings resources to the table that church planting doesn’t. Here are several kinds of resources available in revitalization:

Optimizing Existing Assets: Revitalization leverages existing church facilities and resources, efficiently using established infrastructure. 

Stewardship of Existing Resources: Revitalizing an existing church can be a more cost-effective approach than starting a new one from scratch because many of these churches have giving congregations. Many of these congregations have many different forms of financial assets that simply need to be stewarded well and repurposed.

Cultural and Historical Significance: Established churches often have deep roots in their communities, with a rich history and cultural significance. Revitalizing these churches allows you to preserve and build upon that heritage, which can appeal to existing and potential members. In other words, the community often sees the church as part of its history and therefore has incentive to see the church thrive – and can often be part of resourcing that reemergence. 

Environmental Stewardship: In an era of increasing awareness of environmental concerns, revitalizing existing church buildings can be seen as more sustainable than constructing new structures, which can have a significant ecological footprint.

Adaptive Reuse: Revitalization can involve creative and adaptive reuse of church facilities, making them multipurpose spaces that serve the needs of both the congregation and the broader community. This can enhance the church’s relevance and impact and provide potential divergent revenue streams.

Growing recognition of the untapped potential within existing congregations is driving the change.

Church revitalization has gained attention and significance in recent years because there is a growing recognition of the untapped potential within existing congregations. As churches delve deeper into understanding the untapped potential within existing congregations, there is a growing appreciation for the unique strengths, assets, and opportunities that these congregations possess. This deeper appreciation has contributed to the shift toward prioritizing revitalization. This shift in focus reflects several key factors:

Community Engagement: Revitalizing an existing church enables immediate community engagement. Established churches already have connections and relationships within.

Sustainable Growth: Church planting can be resource-intensive and may face challenges in gaining a foothold in a community. Conversely, revitalization may offer a more sustainable path to growth by leveraging existing relationships and resources.

Discipleship and Leadership Development: Revitalizing a church often involves identifying and developing local leadership within the congregation. This can lead to the growth of new leaders who can play key roles in the church’s ongoing ministry.

Holistic Approach: Revitalization often involves addressing the congregation’s and community’s spiritual and physical needs. This holistic approach can result in a more well-rounded ministry that addresses a broader range of needs.

Think About Cultural Resistance

Church revitalization does have its drawbacks – drawbacks that church planting and church planters get to avoid. So it’s not all roses. Here are a few of those drawbacks:

Resistance to Change: Not all church members are receptive to the shifts required for revitalization, leading to potential conflicts and divisions. Change is becoming harder after COVID-19 lockdowns. People seem to be digging their feet deeper in society. The sociological phenomenon is the resistance to not change and getting back to the way things seem to be the behavior, and the sociological temperature.

Navigating Resistance: Church leadership often faces the challenge of navigating resistance while maintaining unity and a shared vision. Navigating this kind of resistance isn’t easy and can take a toll on the leader. It requires the kind of leader who can lead with clarity. When the focus on clarity is central, then vitality will emerge. As a good friend, Jim Randall from Auxano, says, “The conversation has changed with the normalization of revitalization mainstream.”⁵ The awareness is more significant, so the conversation is more straightforward. Resistance happens when clarity is not apparent.

Communication and Education: Open communication and education about the reasons for revitalization are critical in addressing resistance. But this means the congregation must choose to be learners. Education plays a crucial role in overcoming resistance, but you can’t educate people who refuse to learn. However, many congregants may not be aware of the broader trends affecting churches today, such as declining church attendance among younger generations or changing worship preferences. Providing educational materials, workshops, or sermons on these topics can help congregants better understand the need for revitalization in the context of more significant societal changes.

While church revitalization offers numerous benefits, it’s essential to recognize that the choice between revitalization and church planting should be based on each church organization’s specific context, goals, and resources. Both approaches have their merits, and the decision should align with the church’s and its community’s unique needs and circumstances.

However, the ascent of church revitalization as the new face of American church planting marks a transformative era in American Christianity. Revitalized churches reinvigorate established congregations by harnessing existing resources, nurturing spiritual revival, and engaging with their communities. While challenges persist, this shift promises a hopeful future for American Christianity, where tradition merges with innovation to reach and inspire new generations of believers. 

As we move forward, church revitalization is not just a trend, but a necessary and impactful strategy for the growth and relevance of the church in the United States.

Notes

1. https://research.lifeway.com/2022/01/05/22-vital-stats-for-ministry-in-2022/

2. https://www.zippia.com/pastor-jobs/demographics

3. https://sbcvoices.com/more-full-time-senior-pastors-over-65-than-under-40

4. https://research.lifeway.com/2021/05/25/protestant-church-closures-outpace-openings-in-u-s/

5. https://www.thechurchvitalitynetwork.com/podcasts/vitalnomics-the-church-vitality-podcast/episodes/2147975819

Evangelism Series // Week 3

Speaker: Ben Connelly

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This podcast is one of several workshops from Exponential’s Global 2023 Conference in Orlando. You can grab the Evangelism Resource Kit for this workshop and more to train you and your team: https://multiplication.org/product/evangelism-2023-orlando-workshops-resource-kit/

To learn more about Exponential events, visit: https://exponential.org/events

For all other links: https://shor.by/Exponential

GUEST: Ben Cachiaris, Lead Pastor of Mountain Christian Church

HOST: Mindy Caliguire, Director of Healthy Leaders NEXT

Deconstruction has long been the activity of young people inside and outside of the church. However, this new wave of deconstruction has unique challenges that are deeply sociological and theological. In this episode, Daniel Yang explains how church planting models from 1980-2020 are falling short in addressing this new wave of deconstruction but also why Gen-Zers represent hope, not just for new models, but also for how God is redeeming their deconstruction for the greater good of the Church in America.

Speaker: Daniel Yang

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This podcast is one of several workshops from Exponential’s Global 2023 Conference in Orlando. You can grab the Evangelism Resource Kit for this workshop and more to train you and your team: https://multiplication.org/product/evangelism-2023-orlando-workshops-resource-kit/

To learn more about Exponential events, visit: https://exponential.org/events

For all other links: https://shor.by/Exponential

The Gen Z demographic confronts heightened levels of anxiety and depression attributed to academic pressures, social media comparisons, and economic uncertainties. This generation grapples with the pursuit of their genuine identity, but how do they embark on this journey of self-discovery? Who is available to provide them with guidance? These factors collectively contribute to a substantial amount of pressure weighing on them.

McKinsey says that Gen Z is a “purpose-driven generation.”  So I embarked on a quest to uncover how one might find purpose, stumbling upon an article that urged readers to “Turn your pain into purpose.” 

However, this piece failed to provide a concrete definition of purpose. Lack of purpose can affect all aspects of your life, and contributes to the rise in mental health concerns. But where to find it?

Regardless of age or generation, statistics indicate that the pursuit of purpose is a universal human endeavor. It is all too easy to brush it aside and adopt a “You Only Live Once (YOLO)” attitude or take life day by day. Whether you are a Gen Z or Boomer, this is the biggest venture in life.  

The quest for purpose isn’t a contemporary conundrum. Even in 85 AD, people grappled with the same existential question, “What is my purpose?” 

Fortunately, we are provided our clear purpose in the teachings of Jesus, who articulates our purpose in two distinct yet interconnected parts within Matthew 22:37-39: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love your God with All Your Heart, All Your Soul, and All Your Mind

 To love God with our heart, soul, and mind is to commit ourselves entirely to his will. This commitment demands that every facet of our existence aligns with his divine purpose. In this devotion, we acknowledge his sovereignty over our lives, allowing our thoughts, actions, and intentions to be guided by our profound love for him. This intimate relationship with our Creator acknowledges his boundless love for us and prompts us to respond with unwavering dedication. Our lives become an unending service to him, a relentless effort to make his name known.  What a clear purpose!

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

The second commandment, to love our neighbor as ourselves, is an extension of the first.  It reflects the interconnectedness of humanity and highlights the importance of compassion, empathy, and selflessness. Jesus teaches us that a byproduct of our love for God is reflected by how we treat and care for our fellow brothers and sisters – both Christians and non-Christians. While we are saved not by works but solely by grace, our relationships with others should be marked by kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and genuine concern as we strive to meet their needs.

A Clear Mission

In these two commandments, Jesus spells out the essence of our faith. Love – love for God and love for others – serves as our mission. Our purpose should be so clear and focused that it invigorates us each morning, filling us with renewed energy, excitement, and readiness to engage with the world in the name of Jesus. 

Our mission must be so transparent that we inspire others to live a missional and purposeful life.  However, it’s crucial to acknowledge the realities of doubt, loneliness, confusion, weakness, and sin that we all face. 

Even as the CEO of a non-profit organization, FOREFRONT Charity, I’ve experienced moments of doubt despite my conviction and the Lord’s faithfulness over eight years. The mission can sometimes become obscured. 

In such times, I return to my “reference point,” where God’s sacrifice on the Cross reminds me of His love, even for a sinner like me. 

Scripture also provides solace, and I’d like to share my life verse with you: 1 Corinthians 15:58.  For me, doing God’s work in meeting the needs and sharing His love with those in rural India energizes me.  

Because of my clear purpose and mission, I am able to overcome hurdles and obstacles in his strength and making decisions is so clear because I abide by what will please God the most.

In these two commandments, Jesus encapsulates the entire essence of our faith. It’s about love – love for God and love for others. When we truly love God, it transforms our relationship with him and ripples out to impact our relationships with those around us.

As leaders, it is our responsibility to guide the next generation along the narrow path.

As leaders, it is our responsibility to guide the next generation along the narrow path. We should assist them in discerning and filtering out the myriad distractions that the world presents. 

Our primary emphasis should be on nurturing their understanding of their identity as children of God and anchoring them in the missional truth found in the two greatest commandments. By doing so, we equip them to confidently approach any task or calling that God calls them to be and do.

 As we venture forward, let us remember that the greatest commandment is not a burdensome duty, but a joyful invitation to experience the depths of divine love and share Christ’s love with others. Let our lives be a testament to the transformative power of love, as we seek to fulfill the heart of Jesus’ message in Matthew 22:37-39. 

May we love God wholeheartedly and love our neighbors as ourselves, becoming beacons of love in a world that so desperately needs it.

We bring 10-15 of these innovators together each year at an event we call our Church Innovation Trade Show. This event allows each of the leaders to present a pitch for funding, attend a breakout session for further Q&A, and spend time collaborating, networking, and learning. Next Ventures is one of the ways we are intentionally investing in leaders and projects shaping the future of the church. 

This year, we identified and invested in 11 new projects. In this article, we will feature five of them as Part One of this series.

– Jon Wiest, Director of Innovation NEXT

The Brook 

By Molly Soderstrom

Sitting at a trendy café and sipping on my latte, I observe a room full of people between the ages of 20 and 40, engrossed in their screens. I wonder… “What if?” What if we could reach these people online and then usher them into meaningful relationships in person? What if those connections would bring about transformation and empower them to impact not only Denver, but the world? 

A few years earlier I was sitting with a friend of mine along with my husband at our kitchen table. It was there that God planted a vision in our hearts to reach young professionals in Denver, a city where over half the people were between the ages of 20-40 and yet was recently ranked as the third loneliest city in the United States. 

With prayer and faith, The Brook was born. We felt God calling us to launch a young professional, disciplemaking movement that uses digital outreach and in-person events to raise up faith leaders to have an impact in Denver and around the world!  The Brook illustrates our belief that one life can have a huge impact. In the same way a brook trickles downstream to join rivers, lakes, and oceans, a person’s influence starts small but can ripple out to transform the world.

During Covid-19, we started connecting with individuals through Instagram and social media and then through FaceTime calls. We’d connect them to online “simple churches.” A simple church is a small group of people that meet on a regular basis to connect with each other, connect with God, and share what they have learned with others. These churches function as micro expressions of church. 

The ministry was growing and as restrictions were lifted, we knew we needed a way for people to connect in person. Young professionals are hungry for community, but what type of event could we throw where people would feel comfortable showing up? 

The answer was “Happy hour!” 

It’s generally a familiar, disarming setting and we started offering these events once a month to connect people offline, bring them into personal relationships, and eventually into in-person simple churches that would multiply. Our events began to gain momentum with an average of 200 people in attendance and 40 percent who were newcomers. 

Kiera’s story exemplifies how God has used this ministry. A typical young professional, Kiera was living at home working a remote job from her parent’s basement when she found The Brook on Instagram. Seeing the relatable content and upcoming events, she attended one of our monthly happy hours where she was embraced by more than 150 other young professionals, forming bonds that would change her life forever. I had the privilege of meeting Kiera that night, and after listening to her story, shared the Gospel with her and watched her give her life to Jesus. 

She soon was baptized and I began teaching Kiera how to read the Bible, how to pray, and how to share her story in everyday conversations with her friends. Kiera began to volunteer, share her faith, and eventually went on to form a simple church with a few other friends.  The church went so well that Madison multiplied another simple church out of it and then another church multiplied in a matter of nine months. That is four generations of disciples! 

I am learning that young professionals aren’t opposed to God, they just need ways to investigate faith in a non-traditional way. Since its inception, The Brook has touched the lives of more than 6,300 young professionals online, engaged 2,600 individuals at in-person events, and witnessed 500 people actively involved in our simple churches. Our ultimate vision is to see movements like The Brook started in other cities, because I truly believe this is only the beginning of what God wants to do through young professionals. 

For more information, visit thebrook.city.

Zero Hour Ministries 

By Cory McElvain 

Every year, more than one million young people walk away from the Christian faith, and Gen Z is now considered the first post-Christian generation in our nation’s history. 

Yet statistics continue to remind us that most people place their faith in Jesus before the age of 35. We believe God has given us an incredible opportunity to envision something new and innovative with the next generation! If only one out of every 100 high schoolers were equipped and sent to make disciples of Jesus at their schools, those statistics could change. 

When I was in 8th grade, our family took a formative trip to China where we were able to witness the underground house church movement firsthand. It transformed my understanding of disciplemaking and the Church and a few years later, I launched my very first microchurch in my local high school. 

Over the next 10 years, I continued pursuing micro forms of church with a wide variety of groups and eventually that passion produced in me a deep hunger to provide an alternative to the traditional model of youth ministry. I wanted to see students activated as disciplemakers to multiply their lives into others. 

It was out of this deep longing, that Zero Hour was born. 

The ministry began with a trip to the Smoky Mountains in the summer of 2021 with 12 students that we trained in simple and reproducible methods of disciplemaking. We then launched them back into their high schools alongside adult coaches and we now have 11 teams of disciplemakers at different high schools around Kansas City. We’ve trained more than 250 students through our Disciple Making Pathway, seen 150 new spiritual conversations with unchurched students, and launched 17 Discovery Bible Studies. We now have a hub team of three full-time leaders owning the mission of students making disciples in Kansas City. 

Elijah is one of those students. 

A senior at a local high school, Elijah was trained in our Disciple Making Pathway and learned how to pray fervently, build relationships, and utilize a discovery-based process for reading the Word of God. School started and Elijah was approached by three different friends who began to ask him questions about God and his faith. One of those individuals grew up atheist and agreed to begin reading the Bible alongside Elijah. In addition, Elijah also started a Zero Hour Team of 15 students that operates like a microchurch. Each member of that team is now finding new opportunities to share their faith with others. 

We long to see students multiplying their lives by making disciples in their schools, and are praying for disciplemaking teams in every high school within a 30-mile radius of Kansas City. It’s going to take Gen Z students to reach Gen Z!

For more information, visit zerohourministries.org.

Nerd Culture Ministry Summit 

By Bubba Stallcup

If someone told me growing up that there would be a group of people who could use tabletop gaming, comic books, popular movies, and video games to tell others about Jesus, my response would have been, “Really? My church thinks those are a waste of time. How do they get away with it?”

But it’s true. 

There is a growing group of people called to reach their nerdy neighbors and, in 2018, a few of my closest friends and I started Love Thy Nerd, a ministry focused on relational evangelism to nerds. 

We would go on to develop a podcast network, a website with dedicated resources to Nerd Culture, and our own online communities on Facebook and Discord. 

Covid-19 arrived in 2020, and the landscape of ministry changed overnight. Several churches reached out to inquire about ways to engage their congregations, groups, or demographics online and we immediately went to work with our friends at Satellite Gaming and Urban Youth Workers Institute to create a tool dedicated to developing digital disciples specifically targeted at youth workers. 

Then in late 2022, Love Thy Nerd partnered with Lux Digital Church to bring Christian content creators from all over the United States together for a weekend of encouragement, training, and camaraderie. It was during that weekend that the Nerd Culture Ministry Collective started to take shape.  

Our hope is to connect Nerd Culture missionaries with the resources they need to be successful and we are partnering to create the first Nerd Culture Ministry Summit, a three-day learning environment for ministry leaders to hear from experts and learn how they can better love and serve the nerds in their spaces. 

Our hope is that people will see the value in engaging an entire culture that has been marginalized by the church. The goal of the Nerd Culture Ministry Summit is to give every person who attends the concepts and practical application to love and serve their nerdy neighbors when they return home.

Maybe you don’t care about things like Fortnite, Call of Duty or the latest Marvel movie, but find rest in the fact there are many who do, and many more willing to be the love of Jesus to nerds and Nerd Culture.

For more information, visit https://www.ncmsummit.com or https://www.lovethynerd.com.

Gathering of Nomads

By Shane Boyd

The church has always played a significant role in my faith journey, and, in 2014, God called me into vocational ministry. 

A few years later, I left my full-time management position to serve as the youth pastor of a local church and soon found myself serving as the senior pastor of a growing church in Northern California.

While leading the church, I wondered why certain people in my life never found their way into the local church. God slowly revealed the problem. People had made the comforts of this world and material possessions their idol. In response to this realization, my wife and I embarked on a remarkable journey that led us to sell our spacious home and embrace a minimalist lifestyle living in a 400 sq.ft. fifth wheel. This decision opened our eyes to a thriving RV community of people not being reached by any local churches.

We were astounded by the statistics. 

Between 2020 and 2022, there was a 220 percent increase in campground reservations and almost 25 percent of RV owners were young families aged 18-34.  With rising home prices, it seems more families are exploring the idea of a small and nomadic lifestyle. We began asking the question, “If we are called to minister to this rapidly growing segment of our society, how do we plant a church in a community without a zip code?” We focused on training people by guiding them into a meaningful connection with God and then training them to reach others. We would call these “chapters.”

By the late summer 2023, we reached 19 campgrounds, ministered to more than 500 people, and established nine committed chapters of what we now call the Gathering of Nomads, families of Jesus followers who have joined our network, committed to making disciples and sharing the gospel. By the end of 2026, our vision is for 50 chapters, ministering to 5,000 people globally each year. 

Our training and methods are built around eating and breaking bread with others, serving others with their gifts, and telling stories to those around them. These simple practices are producing incredible fruit. This type of ministry doesn’t come without its challenges. Financial sustainability, providing practical resources to nomads, and connecting people to mature disciplemakers continue to be three primary obstacles moving forward.  But God is helping us. We’ve started developing an app for nomads, training resources, and continue to expand our network. 

By training and focusing on building relationships, fostering discipleship, and prioritizing God’s Kingdom, we have witnessed the transformative power of planting people and chapters rather than traditional churches. This makes multiplication easier to duplicate and the rewards have been immeasurable. As we continue to grow and adapt, we remain committed to making a lasting impact on the lives of nomads worldwide, one chapter at a time.

For more information, visit gatheringofnomads.com. 

Digital Discipleship

By Anna Bosarge

Frank Ntambi was an 18-year old from Mityana, Uganda when he first connected with The Chapel Online, a Facebook group that is part of our larger ministry at Digital Discipleship. 

His mother had passed away in 2018 and I discovered that Frank was the head of a household of five younger children and close to living on the streets. We worked with some other members of our group to help Frank find a stable place to live, found them sponsors, and were able to see them enroll in school. Frank went on to start a discipleship group in his community, and he is now a global disciplemaker actively helping people all over the world grow in their faith.

Digital Discipleship exists to reignite a passion for discipleship around the globe. We connect with people like Frank, right where they are, and we come together in daily discipleship and weekly prayer, sharing our lives, needs, concerns, and joys. We are a community of faith now connected across 50 different countries and all walks of life. Our desire is to become more like Jesus. 

Digital Discipleship is an umbrella for three primary ministries. 

The first is The Chapel Online, a global community of faith that exists on Facebook and WhatsApp and provides daily discipleship and authentic Christian community. We seek to ignite a passion for discipleship in the hearts and minds of people around the globe and, as our community grows, we are now training geographic group leaders like Frank who are discipling and caring for one other locally through digital and in-person avenues. We now have six groups in Uganda, three in Zimbabwe, one in Kenya, two in Malawi, and one in Pakistan.  

Victory Children’s Outreach is a child sponsorship program in Uganda that was started to help people put their faith into action. As people began to make digital connections with people around the world, many of them were moved to reach out to those who were suffering the effects of poverty and lack of access to quality education. Victory Children’s Outreach was started to fill this need. 

Finally, we launched Becoming More, a global digital women’s ministry that exists on Facebook, WhatsApp, and through seasonal small groups via Zoom. We provide women with the opportunity to connect with each other through online biblical teaching and then try to come together once a year for in-person retreats. 

The purpose of Digital Discipleship is crystal clear – we are about making disciples who disciple others through digital platforms. We have discovered through this ministry that many people are hungering for something more than a weekly worship service or cultural Christianity. They are longing for a vibrant, faithful, joy-filled life that results from being in constant community online and it’s happening every single day in our global village. 

For more information, visit The Chapel Online.

Growing up in the Catholic church, I always looked forward to the point in each Mass when the priest would invite us to turn towards others nearby in order to “Pass the Peace,” saying to strangers, family members, and friends: “Peace Be With You.” Perhaps you hold similar memories from your faith tradition.

“Peace be with you.” These were Jesus’ words to the disciples following his resurrection, and hearken as well to the greetings used by the Apostle Paul and other writers of the New Testament. Paul opens his letters to the Ephesians saying, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

But peace can be quite elusive, both interpersonally and even internally. We need peace now more than ever before, and the availability of what many call “inner peace” is a desirable condition described by Berkeley Institute for Living as “… contentment and balance that doesn’t change as outside circumstances change.” 

Over the years, I have learned to pay attention to when my body is holding tension… say in my forehead, neck, or shoulders. My brain may know that it is well with my soul, but no one has told my shoulders, which I suddenly realize have been inching their way towards my ears.

I recall driving between appointments and realizing my body was carrying a ton of stress. My mind had reviewed the circumstances and had re-committed to trusting God with the matters at hand, but apparently no one told my shoulders, which were now unnaturally close to my ears. They – my shoulders – were convinced otherwise… Convinced that this was a threatening situation and warranted great tension and anxiety. 

It seems funny now, but I remember thinking I needed to convince my deltoids and trapezius that all would be well. I began to say out loud to my own body, “Peace be with you!” I needed to pass the peace, even just to myself.

I don’t think there’s ever been a time when we need to pass – transmit – peace more than we do right now. To each other, to strangers, and, yes, sometimes even to ourselves.

For this month’s focus on Healthy Leaders NEXT, we are going to explore what it means both to receive peace and to transmit it.

The Vision of Shalom

The ancient concept of Peace (“Shalom” in Hebrew, and “Eirini” in Greek) holds a much more comprehensive idea than merely a lack of interpersonal conflict, though of course it includes that. 

From a biblical perspective, shalom could be thought of in this way: Shalom is the way things ought to be. Shalom describes the ideal human experience as it was designed by God. 

In his delightfully accessible and winsomely convicting book, Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin, theologian Cornelius Plantinga explains this powerful vision of the biblical imagination around shalom:

“In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. 

Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.”

– Cornelius Plantinga, Not the Way it’s Supposed to Be

This is the “rich state of affairs” that humans are designed to flourish within, along all the lines of flourishing as noted through the research with Barna, Gloo, and the Harvard Flourishing Project.

Anatomy of Peace

The interior, soul-level condition when this rich state of affairs is experienced could be described as INNER PEACE. And the incredible reality of life in the Kingdom of God is that, even when surrounding circumstances are dire and grim, Jesus moves through the walls of our self-protection and offers us his kind of peace.

The promise of shalom in daily life is that we can and will experience INNER PEACE no matter what. As the lyrics of “Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” by Maverick City Music remind us, “I’ve still got joy in chaos, I’ve got peace that makes no sense.” This is the sure testimony of life under the care of our Good Shepherd: Life anchored to the unseen. 

Not only for our own sakes, but for the testimony and gospel we knowingly or unknowingly convey to everyone who ever interacts with us, it is vital that we walk and move and contend and suffer and sacrifice and lead and follow with actual inner peace. 

Today I want to invite you into an interactive experience on the topic of PEACE. This follows the framework of our free monthly Semi-Silent retreats at Soul Care, which you can learn more about here. 

But for now, if the topic of peace is important to you – and I believe it should be important to all of us – please set aside at least 30 minutes and dive into a journey between your own soul and God. May this spur significant interaction and deep restoration of your own soul today. 

Begin with these questions:

A Different Kind of Peace

Jesus offers a different kind of peace to his followers… 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27 NIV

• What kind of peace do you think the world gives?
• In what way(s) have you experienced the kind of peace that the world gives, or has it been elusive?
• Have you encountered the peace that Jesus “leaves” and “gives”?
• What was that experience like? 
• What has been your experience of God’s peace recently?
  
• What do you feel in your body right now as it relates to peace? Do you notice any tension? Shoulders, forehead, neck? Headache, fatigue, or more?
• What would you desire your sense of peace to be in the future?
  
• How does that desired future experience of peace compare to the world’s peace versus Jesus’s peace? How would you, or will you, know the difference?

Following the resurrection, and only following the resurrection, this is the greeting Jesus gave when re-connecting with his disciples. 

“Peace be with you”

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. – John 20:19-20

“Peace be with you”

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. – John 20:21-22

“Peace be with you”

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” – John 20:24-27

“Peace be with you” 

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” – Luke 24:36-39

• What might it have meant for God – in and as the resurrected Christ Jesus – to speak this blessing of peace over his disciples in this context? They were under threat, afraid and unsure of the future.

• What circumstances do you currently feel closed in by? Are there leadership challenges you simply cannot untangle? Are there financial constraints that you simply cannot overcome? Have you had relational misses that are too far gone to repair? What describes the “Upper Room” that you find yourself in today?

• What would it mean to you for Jesus to “show up” in the interior spaces of this current situation?

• What would it mean for him to breathe on you, right now? Enter an imaginative interaction with Jesus now. Feel His breath next to yours.

A Path to Peace

In upcoming articles, we will explore key ways to specifically support your experience of INNER PEACE.

Mindfulness

He (God) will keep in perfect peace (shalom shalom) those whose minds are steadfast, for they trust in Him. – Isaiah 26:3

Specific Prayer

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

Peace as a “Referee” (Refuse the drama)

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:15

Stay Connected

…fruit of the Spirit is…. peace…. – Galatians 5:22

Join us for this important journey!

Nope. They’re just trying to sell me some knives.

Oh, multi-level marketers. Whether you like them or can’t stand them, you can’t knock their hustle. They are motivated. I sometimes wish I had as much boldness in sharing the gospel with strangers as they do with sharing about HerbalLife. But one thing I do appreciate about their work is this: They all have well-defined goals. They have stages. You may start out at the bronze level, but if you work hard, you hit silver, then gold, diamond, double diamond, and eventually infinity stone!

I think it’d be helpful if the church had well-defined stages in our development. It’s hard to devote a lot of time to something if you don’t know the point, the goals, or what a win looks like. 

Often our stages to develop new believers are to become a member, join a small group, start serving, start giving, and start bringing your friends. I believe all those stages are essential in the process, but I wonder if there are more opportunities to develop our people outside of our church events, and especially in their everyday life and mission? In the following, I’ve tried to give some language that has worked for us. These are our four stages of discipleship.

1. Learner

Until you invite a person to follow you while you follow Christ, you are still in the learning phase. I believe many people today perceive themselves as a leader but are technically still a learner. I don’t care if you preach every Sunday, read Greek, and write bestselling books. If you have not invited someone to follow you in your walk with Christ, then you have yet to take on the mantle given to us by Jesus in the great commision. It’s still just a good suggestion; helpful, but not necessary. And I know it sounds strange to be called a learner when so many have maybe called you a leader. But in the words of John Maxwell, “If you think you’re leading, but no one is following, then you’re just taking a walk.” 

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe you can influence, impact, teach and even manage people in this stage. But you can do all those things over your lifetime without ever committing to disciple one single person. When looking at how Jesus modeled leadership, his mission hinged on discipleship. The world didn’t even know what he was doing until he started discipling. And the world today wouldn’t have his message if he didn’t start discipling. His mission hinged on his investment in the 12 far more than his teaching of the 5,000.

2. Leader

Leading means having at least one committed follower. Once you have explicitly invited someone to follow you, then you have moved from the learner stage to the leader stage. A lot of people think they’re a leader simply because they influence or impact people. But that’s how the world views leadership, not the church. The church has a higher standard, a focused plan. The church isn’t called to just make an impact. The church is called to make disciples. Thus leading demands disciplemaking.

If you’ve become a leader, you’re so close to being a disciplemaker. You’re on your way. Once your disciple starts discipling, then you’ve become a bona fide disciple maker. But you can’t be a disciple maker until you make a disciple who disciples.

3. Disciplemaker

This is where it gets fun, because you can see the fruit of your labor. At this point, the people you once discipled are now out making other disciples, and it has nothing to do with you. You are, hopefully, off making even more disciples.

4. Multiplier

Multiplying is when your fruit has begun growing on other people’s trees! Paul experienced this with Timothy when he said, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2). Paul, pouring into Timothy, asked Timothy to pour into others, who would in turn pour into others.

A multiplier  is constantly cultivating someone new. He isn’t threatened by new, young talent. He’s thankful for it. Because success without a successor is just temporary impact. And young passion without older wisdom is just a flash in the pan. Both need each other.

Today half of American pastors are older than 55. In 1992, 24 percent were that old. Pastors 65 and older have almost tripled in the last 25 years, from 6 percent to 17 percent. Meanwhile, pastors 40 and younger have fallen from 33 percent in 1992 to 15 percent today. So the older generation is holding on to leadership longer, while younger people are leaving the church sooner. I think there might be a correlation. 

The world is getting younger, while the church is getting older. Whether that’s simply a result of increased longevity, fewer options for retired pastors, or, sadly, the older generation’s desire to cling to power, the results are devastating because many of these older leaders have no successor in place to take over when they leave.

Multipliers don’t let this happen. They understand that if the church isn’t investing in the future right now, it won’t have much of a future at all.

The solution is discipleship. It may seem old school, but it’s timeless. I think the enemy sees our generational division and loves it. He wants to stifle the church. If you were the enemy and you heard Jesus say, “The gates of hell cannot prevail against my church,” you’d probably think, Spoiler alert. I now know how it ends! 

The enemy knows he can’t defeat the church. He can’t even defend himself from the church. (Gates aren’t an offensive weapon. Armies don’t throw gates at each other.) But he’s crafty. He can’t defeat the church, so he attempts to divide the church. Just look around and you’ll see it: race, politics, denomination, education, generation, etc. 

I’m convinced division is the number one tool and strategy of the enemy. So if that’s his strategy, we have to elevate our strategy.

Satan is trying to divide.

The church is trying to add.

But Jesus chose to multiply.

Dive deeper into the conversation of God’s Lost Cause with Dave Ferguson, Aaron Barnett and Hannah Barnett.

• The Need for Reviving the Lost Cause: Problem: Evangelism has become a taboo word. Doing evangelism is seen as culturally inappropriate. Even many Christians feel like evangelism is wrong. But at the same time, it was central to Jesus’ mission. (Luke 19:10) Solution: If we are going to accomplish the mission of Jesus, we must revive evangelism. We must plant new churches that have cultures that prioritize evangelism by creating a safe place for people to belong before they believe. A church with a culture of evangelism will hold the Biblical values of evangelism, share the compelling narratives of evangelism, and live out the white-hot faith behaviors of an evangelistic church.

• God’s Commitment to the Lost Cause: God’s commitment to the Lost Cause is relentless and ultimate. Romans 5:8 tells us that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” While we were still in the process of rejecting him, God was persistently pursuing us in the person of Jesus. He was on mission to restore a broken relationship with us each of us. Lost people matter to God and it is his desire that all of us come to know him (“God is patient … not wanting anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance.” -2 Peter 3:9). We are all prodigals that God wants to find their way back to him and our eternal home.

• Our Commitment to God’s Lost Cause: Our commitment to the Lost Cause should be passionate and personal. Our commitment to the Lost Cause begins when we take it personal. We are all lost people! When we let that truth motivate us, we can’t help but be passionate about reaching people far from God. In his book, Movements, Steve Addison reminds us that the movements that change the world are missionary movements of Christ follower with a white-hot faith. The same love that stirred God to sacrifice his son for us should stir inside each of us for a lost world. We should each adopt Jesus’ mission as our own personal mission: “to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) It was because of that mission Jesus goes out of his way to get to know Zacchaeus and ultimately brings salvation to his house. And here is what happens when we have that kind of passion for the Lost Cause: “And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47) As leaders who are passionate about the Lost Cause the only thing that will matter is making sure that the lost are found. As a result of that passion, we will commit to starting new churches with evangelistic cultures, knowing this is the best way to reach a lost world.

Speakers: Dave Ferguson, Aaron Barnett, Hannah Barnett

This podcast is one of several workshops from Exponential’s Global 2023 Conference in Orlando. You can grab the Evangelism Resource Kit for this workshop and more to train you and your team: https://multiplication.org/product/evangelism-2023-orlando-workshops-resource-kit/

To learn more about Exponential events, visit https://exponential.org/events

Nope. They’re just trying to sell me some knives.

Oh, multi-level marketers. Whether you like them or can’t stand them, you can’t knock their hustle. They are motivated. I sometimes wish I had as much boldness in sharing the gospel with strangers as they do with sharing about HerbalLife. But one thing I do appreciate about their work is this, they all have well-defined goals. They have stages. You may start out at the bronze level, but if you work hard, you hit silver, then gold, diamond, double diamond, and eventually infinity stone!

I think it’d be helpful if the church had well-defined stages in our development.

I think it’d be helpful if the church had well-defined stages in our development. It’s hard to devote a lot of time to something if you don’t know the point, the goals, or what a win looks like. Often our stages to develop new believers are: become a member, join a small group, start serving, start giving, and start bringing your friends. I believe all those stages are essential in the process but I wonder if there are more opportunities to develop our people outside of our church events, and especially in their everyday life and mission? In the following, I’ve tried to give some language that has worked for us. These are our four stages of discipleship.

1. Learner

Until you invite a person to follow you while you follow Christ, you are still in the learning phase. I believe many people today perceive themselves as a leader but are technically still a learner.  I don’t care if you preach every Sunday, read Greek, and write bestselling books. If you have not invited someone to follow you in your walk with Christ, then you have yet to take on the mantle given to us by Jesus in the great commission. It’s still just a good suggestion; helpful, but not necessary. And I know it sounds strange to be called a learner when so many have maybe called you a leader. But in the words of John Maxwell, “If you think you’re leading, but no one is following, then you’re just taking a walk.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe you can influence, impact, teach and even manage people in this stage. But you can do all those things over your lifetime without ever committing to disciple one single person. When looking at how Jesus modeled leadership, his mission hinged on discipleship. The world didn’t even know what he was doing until he started discipling. And the world today wouldn’t have his message if he didn’t start discipling. His mission hinged on his investment in the 12 far more than his teaching of the 5,000.

2. Leader

Leading means having at least one committed follower. Once you have explicitly invited someone to follow you, then you have moved from the learner stage to the leader stage. A lot of people think they’re a leader simply because they influence or impact people. But that’s how the world views leadership, not the church. The church has a higher standard, a focused plan. The church isn’t called to just make an impact. The church is called to make disciples. Thus leading demands disciple making.

If you’ve become a leader, you’re so close to being a disciple maker. You’re on your way. Once your disciple starts discipling, then you’ve become a bona fide disciple maker. But you can’t be a disciple maker until you make a disciple who disciples.

3. Disciple maker

This is where it gets fun, because you can see the fruit of your labor. At this point, the people you once discipled are now out making other disciples, and it has nothing to do with you. You are, hopefully, off making even more disciples.

4. Multiplier

Multiplying is when your fruit has begun growing on other people’s trees! Paul experienced this with Timothy when he said, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2). Paul, pouring into Timothy, asked Timothy to pour into others, who would in turn pour into others.

A multiplier is constantly cultivating someone new. He isn’t threatened by new young talent. He’s thankful for it. Because success without a successor is just temporary impact. And young passion without older wisdom is just a flash in the pan. Both need each other.

Today half of American pastors are older than fifty-five. In 1992, 24 percent were that old. Pastors sixty-five and older have almost tripled in the last twenty-five years, from 6 percent to 17 percent. Meanwhile, pastors forty and younger have fallen from 33 percent in 1992 to 15 percent today. So, the older generation is holding on to leadership longer, while younger people are leaving the church sooner. I think there might be a correlation. The world is getting younger, while the church is getting older. Whether that’s simply a result of increased longevity, fewer options for retired pastors, or, sadly, the older generation’s desire to cling to power, the results are devastating, because many of these older leaders have no successor in place to take over when they leave.

Multipliers don’t let this happen. They understand that if the church isn’t investing in the future right now, it won’t have much of a future at all.

The solution is discipleship. It may seem old school, but it’s timeless. I think the Enemy sees our generational division and loves it. He wants to stifle the church. If you were the Enemy and you heard Jesus say, “The gates of hell cannot prevail against my church,” you’d probably think, Spoiler alert. I now know how it ends! The Enemy knows he can’t defeat the church. He can’t even defend himself from the church. (Gates aren’t an offensive weapon. Armies don’t throw gates at each other.) But he’s crafty. He can’t defeat the church, so he attempts to divide the church. Just look around and you’ll see it: race, politics, denomination, education, generation, etc. I’m convinced division is the number one tool and strategy of the Enemy. So if that’s his strategy, we have to elevate our strategy.

Satan is trying to divide.

The church is trying to add.

But Jesus chose to multiply.

Join Grant along with hundreds of Gen Z and Millennial leaders at THINQ’s Next Gen Summit in Nashville, TN November 10-11, 2023. During this transformative gathering you will receive game-changing insight from culture-shaping speakers with a chance to interact and reflect on your learnings with other next gen leaders.

HOSTS: Hannah Gronowski Barnett and Aaron Barnett, Directors of Generation NEXT

—Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

I think the church has gotten staffing all wrong. 

Over the past 50 years, the staffing approach for most churches in America has slowly, but dramatically drifted away from a biblical model. To be fair, the Bible doesn’t contain a lot of prescriptive commands about how to organize a church, but there are plenty of transferrable principles that go largely ignored when the pressure is on to bring on the next youth pastor or tech director.  

When it’s time to hire, the pastor, board, or search committee often begin with the tried-and-true strategies of modern business recruitment. It starts with an email to the pastor’s personal network, maybe a ping out to the denominational headquarters with a job description and a desperate plea, “we’re in need of a worship leader, pronto!” If that doesn’t work, the search might move to recruitment websites – Indeed.com, churchstaffing.com, churchjobs.com, I’mdyingoverhere.com, “we’re looking for a skillset and hoping for a fit.” Churches with a more robust budget can default to hiring a talent search agency who will hopefully convince Sally-the-video-gal to move her family from the Bible Belt to the Snow Belt to pursue God’s sacrificial calling on her life. 

And why are we hiring in the first place? Well… so that more ministry can happen, obviously! The answer to church momentum problems is always to hire more staff. In big churches, we need to keep the machine going. Every hole needs to be plugged and every role filled. In small churches, we can’t take the next step until we make that next hire. The pastor is already overwhelmed, and we’re paralyzed until we can bring in the perfect associate. 

But maybe there’s a better way. And maybe the answer is right under our nose. 

But maybe there’s a better way. And maybe the answer is right under our nose. 

Sure, the pandemic changed the game for a lot of churches and pastors. More pastors are exhausted. The workforce has changed. Employees are calling the shots. Salaries have gone up. Church finances are unpredictable. People are coming back to in-person worship, but many churches no longer have the manpower to juggle all the ministry opportunities that are in front of them. In light of all these factors, I believe there is a better and more biblically faithful way to staff our churches. 

Back in 2011, I had just taken over as Lead Pastor at Grace Church after serving in associate roles since 1995. As I stood at a white board during a staff retreat, I had an aha moment. We were strategizing for our next season of ministry, feeling frustrated again that we had more good ideas than people to pull it off. That’s when it hit us: The greatest resource we have as a church is not our kid’s ministry or worship music or Bible reading plans, our greatest asset is our people. They could do things we couldn’t do and reach people we couldn’t reach. 

So, that year we started inviting high-capacity volunteer leaders to join our staff and lead significant ministries without pay. We took the lid off so that our volunteer leaders could rise to any level in the organization that their capacity and capabilities would allow. Our effectiveness with this model has ebbed and flowed over the years. But at present, our full staff is made up of approximately 2/3 unpaid volunteer staff and 1/3 paid staff. We have had volunteers supervising some of our pastoral staff, volunteers running entire multi-site locations, and volunteers overseeing teams of up to 40 other volunteers… all because we gave people responsibilities that matched their capacity. Many of our volunteer staff work for the church between 10 and 30 hours each week. 

We came to realize that our church had been untapped. The word untapped means “available, but not used.” I suspect there exists a lot of untapped potential in churches all across America. And a lot of church leaders who have overlooked the potential because of a panicked search for the next big hire outside the church walls. Other church leaders just assume people will say ‘no’ to an invitation to serve on staff with no pay. I thought so, too, but boy was I wrong. Our first round of invitations produced a 100 percent success rate. I went into each conversation with some trepidation, but I walked out of every meeting with an enthusiastic ‘Yes.’ We were on our way to building a culture where high-capacity volunteers can ascend to any level of church leadership. You may ask, “But how do you find and enlist those untapped people?” If I were to boil down my advice to the most basic building blocks, I would offer these: 

3 Keys to Staffing Your Church with Volunteer Leaders

1. Choose wisely.

The advantage of elevating volunteer leaders from your church vs. hiring from the outside is that you get the benefit of observation. The Bible seems to offer two main categories of qualifications for leadership: Fruitfulness and faithfulness. Both qualities are very difficult to judge from a distance. In Acts 6, the apostles staffed the food pantry ministry with “seven men of good repute, full of the spirit and of wisdom.” That’s a pretty good description! Reputable, godly, and wise. Notice these are mostly character traits and not just ministry skills.

Some pastors look across the landscape of their congregations and don’t see any obvious candidates for a high-capacity role in the church. They say things like, “Everyone in my congregation is too busy.” Or “Everyone in my congregation is too spiritually immature.” These sweeping statements fail to acknowledge one basic truth: God knows how to make churches. He brings the right people to the right church at the right time. He doesn’t expect pastors to do the job alone. That was never his plan. Instead, everyone is a priest. 

So, get more curious in your looking, get more creative in your imagining, get more developmental in your approach with inexperienced leaders. In every church, I’m convinced that there are at least one or two people who will fit the bill. Available, but not used. Our team regularly does a brainstorm where we put names on a white board and consider, “Who are our next high-capacity volunteer leaders?” Some of the best candidates for volunteer leadership roles are business owners, retired people, teachers and coaches, stay-at-home parents, and people who have a job that allows them to control their own schedule. These days remote workers, some of whom shaved hours off of commute times each day, are also poised to serve. 

2. Make ‘the ask’ a big deal.

Imagine that you were bringing in a candidate from another part of the country and trying to convince them to accept a paid assignment at your church. You would roll out the red carpet, you would plan ahead for your conversations, prepare a proper job description, take them out to the best restaurant in town, make their spouse feel special and included. You need to approach volunteer asks with that same intentionality. It’s not a cattle call from the stage, it’s not a text message, or an email, or a “Let’s grab 10 minutes in my office after the service on Sunday.” Make it special. The atmosphere of the ask needs to match the responsibility of the role. 

When you’re preparing to make the ask, you’ll be tempted to fall into some recruitment traps. You’ll want to say no for them before the conversation even starts. You’ll think of all the reasons they can’t do this right now. You may also be tempted to soft sell them on the role. To say things like, “This won’t take much time at all,” or “You’ll be able to squeeze this into your normal schedule,” or “You could do this in your sleep!” 

For true leaders, soft sell phrases are not motivating. Leaders want to hear that there is a big problem to solve, a dilemma to figure out, and that it will take their best time, their best energy, and some personal sacrifice to pull it off. But in the end, there will be a kingdom-sized payoff! Don’t soft sell the ask, because true leaders prefer a challenge.

We’ve found that brutal honesty is our best friend up front in the invitation process. If the person is right for the role, they will appreciate the honesty and it will set the proper tone going forward. When you present them a simple job description, be honest. When you estimate the number of hours it will require of them, be honest. When you describe the staff culture they’ll be stepping into, be honest. When it comes to your own strengths and weaknesses as a leader, be honest. We have found that anytime there is fuzziness in communication or expectations up front, it leads to dysfunction later. 

3. Set them up for success.

One of the most important moves we made was to transition our staff to a volunteer-friendly schedule… beginning with staff meetings. We moved our afternoon meeting to an evening meeting so that people with other jobs could attend. At first, the prospect of an additional evening commitment was stressful for our paid staff, but soon they experienced how much the positives outweighed the negatives. We were inviting in so much more manpower and adding so much more leadership amperage to our team that the payoff was huge. 

It was also critical to transfer authority to new volunteer leaders publicly. Not necessarily in front of the whole church, but there are groups of people who will benefit from hearing about this new leader and their new role from an existing pastor or authority figure. So, call together the team and say something like, “We brought you together for an exciting announcement — Kristen has agreed to a role on our staff that will involve leading this team. Here are the reasons we think Kristen is the perfect fit for this role. And even though Kristen may not be getting paid, she is a full-fledged member of our staff, so you can look to her as your staff leader. I couldn’t be more excited about the impact she’s going to make as the leader of this ministry. I would ask you that whatever respect and authority you have given to me in the past, please give to her going forward. She has the full authority to make decisions as it relates to this ministry. If you have any encouragement, or suggestions, or problems, you should take them directly to her.” And then you give Kristen a chance to address the team and cast some vision for what she hopes the team will accomplish together. This transfer of authority has proved crucial for setting our volunteer leaders up for success. 

There have also been logistical shifts we have made to try to help our volunteer leaders succeed. All in an attempt to blur the lines if not completely erase them between paid and unpaid staff. We give them business cards and staff name badges, we list them on all our pages where staff are listed, we give them workspaces and phone extensions, we include them in performance reviews and ask them to fill out vacation request forms. It’s important that they are treated like a full-fledged staff person and not “just a volunteer.”

My prayer for every church is that we would be a beautiful expression of the body of Christ.

My prayer for every church is that we would be a beautiful expression of the body of Christ. With each body part doing its work. That the priesthood of all believers would be in full effect in our time. That we could avoid leaning on secular hiring practices that too often look for skill while overlooking biblical qualifications for leadership. Maybe this moment in history – with post-COVID factors, financial factors, and workplace factors – would be the perfect time to re-imagine how we approach staffing in the church. Maybe the answer is right under our nose…  volunteer leaders who are untapped, available but not used.

You see, over the last decade, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with thousands of pastors and my experience seems to suggest that most pastors believe that the “evangelism problem” we are seeing in the North American church today is largely an equipping problem (research backs up this experience as well). In other words, the thinking seems to go like this: Rather than just telling people to share the Gospel, we need to be much better at training and mobilizing everyday followers of Jesus in how to do that.

However, I wonder if this assumption is flawed?

This new study reveals that our current largest problem is not an equipping problem but a persuasion problem.

With every passing generation, the people of God are simply not convinced that they should be sharing the gospel with their world. In fact, 47% of Christian millennials say it is wrong to share their faith.

Our current largest problem is not an equipping problem but a persuasion problem.

So here is my question: Why are more and more North American Christians not persuaded to share their faith? In thinking about this question, here are 3 topics our team has been talking about as we consider the undercurrents of the data:

1 – The American Jesus is not good news.

The key to sharing good news…is having good news to share. So many professing and/or nominal Christians have bought into a very tame, domesticated Jesus. The American Dream with some Jesus sprinkled on top. This leads to lives that look more American than distinctly Christian. If that’s the Jesus you encountered, that may not be good news, given most people’s experience of American Christians. 

2 – We are shaped more by fear than by love.

By and large, it appears that culture is shaping how we think about evangelism more than the Bible, church history, or our own personal experiences with Jesus. When we live in a pluralist society where Christianity is moving further to the edges and being displaced by ideas and beliefs that are sometimes antagonistic to ours, it becomes easier to fear culture, rather than see the imago dei in people who believe differently than me. And as we all know, it’s so difficult to love something you’re afraid of. So what’s the Good News for us? We’re told that receiving the perfect love of God displaces this fear.

3 – We don’t need perfect examples, but we do need some decent living examples.

When it comes to evangelism, most of us have only seen poor examples. If that isn’t enough, the most egregious examples are the ones that get broadcast across social media and imprinted in our memories. However, this does not have to be the norm. We can equip others to share the gospel in ways that are both attractive and welcomed. (Here’s a fantastic video on Instagram that has non-Christians sharing how the gospel could be effectively shared with them.)

Friends, we need to faithfully envision North American Christians that, if you are a disciple of Jesus, you are a missionary. You are a good news bearer! You are a sent one wherever you live, learn, work, and play. The question is not IF you are sent, it is to WHOM are you sent?

We need to faithfully envision North American Christians that, if you are a disciple of Jesus, you are a missionary.

Remember…in Matthew 28 Jesus gives us His authority and in Acts 1:8 Jesus gives us His power. We have His delegated authority and the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, that in dwelt the Apostles, and breathed the stars into the sky. We wake up every day with that Spirit inside of us.

GUEST: Cory McElvain, Pioneering Director of Zero Hour Ministries

HOSTS: Rob Wegner and Brian Johnson, Directors of Microchurch NEXT 

The young people in America are considered to be the first post-Christian generation in our nation’s history. Statistically, most people decide on their faith by 35 — and the oldest millennial is now 39; the oldest Gen Z is 19. This provides a huge opportunity to envision something new and innovative with the next generation! 

We believe that if 1 out of every 100 high schoolers were equipped and sent to make disciples of Jesus at their schools, we could significantly transform the spiritual landscape. 

We believe that if 1 out of every 100 high schoolers were equipped and sent to make disciples of Jesus at their schools, we could significantly transform the spiritual landscape. 

For years and years, we have watched the severe decline of youth following Jesus while still running the same plays of event-based fun, hoping to see a handful of students each year come to know Jesus. The strategy has been to shift from putting a spotlight on one youth pastor or leader to training and empowering the next generation to take the power of the gospel to their schools and to see microchurches, ongoing spiritual families, and teams emerge from out of the harvest. 

Zero Hour started in 2020 in the midst of a pandemic with a vision to see students trained and equipped to be the disciplemakers in their high schools with ongoing microchurches. 

It started with a trip to the Smoky Mountains in the summer of 2021 with 12 students that we trained in simple, reproducible ways of disciplemaking to launch them back into their high schools alongside adult coaches to help the students play their part in the Great Commission. 

Zero Hour Ministries was launched with this deep passion for seeing the next generation trained and equipped to be disciplemakers. Now, some of these trainings include disciplemaking trips, Zero Hour Camps, disciplemaking training huddles, monthly equipping gatherings for student leaders, and ongoing coaches for every team that emerges. 

We try to ensure that within every training, we maintain a ratio of 3-4 students to one adult leader and coach so that we are multiplying student leaders and adult leaders. 

Today, we have 15 microchurches of disciplemakers at different high schools around Kansas City. We’ve trained 250+ students through our Disciple-Making Pathway. We’ve seen 150 new spiritual conversations with students who are not yet followers of Jesus and launched 17 new Discovery Bible Studies with students who are not yet followers of Jesus. A Hub Team of three full-time leaders has also developed. These leaders are owning the primary role of equipping these students to make disciples around Kansas City, and students are actively multiplying their lives and sharing the hope of the gospel with others around them. We think about scalability and reproducibility. 

Students can often feel really alone as believers and even more alone wanting to be active disciplemakers in their schools. 

After our first year of training and sending students on campuses, we realized they needed others around them who were in the trenches, wanting to live a life on mission in community. These students can often feel really alone as believers and even more alone wanting to be active disciplemakers in their schools. 

The three main components of microchurches that we embrace as a Hub of the Kansas City Underground of Community, Worship, and Mission have really helped students realize the holistic reality of what the church could be. They can all clearly see where the American church has fallen short on the side of Mission. Simultaneously, the next generation is marked by this deep desire to be a part of something bigger, to make a difference. They are primed to reinvent the church in the west to be a much healthier and complete picture of the church. This paradigm shift has allowed us to formalize students into student-led microchurches all around Kansas City.

For students, the way that they gather really, really matters. They have been so used to running the same play of an inward-focused gathering of other believers. Students continue to gather around Worship and Community and never really have a mission. Students, just like anyone, when given the chance to take an easy or safe route, will always take it. It’s in our nature to go for easier things. It takes us fighting against our flesh and standing up to it to pick the road less traveled. 

We must do our best to show students a new path and way of living as missionaries and disciplemakers. It requires our gatherings to change. It requires new forms of gathering that fuel us unto mission. We have deeply resonated with the concept of, “If you gather Christians in community and worship and hope that they go on mission it rarely happens. But if you gather and send them on mission, they will naturally be in community and worship.” 

We must provide places and spaces where students can catch a vision and continually be reminded of our calling as believers to be disciples who go and make disciples. 

When our microchurches gather, we have them scan a QR code that leads them to a Google form that asks some baseline questions about being missional. 

We ask the following questions: 

• How many spiritual conversations did you have? 
• Do you have any new or ongoing Discovery Bible Studies? 
• Do you have any questions or concerns? 
• How are you BLESSing others around you at your school or from your BLESS 5? 

After this, we have them spend time in prayer for their friends, their teachers, and their school. To wrap up their gathering, they discuss and brainstorm ways to serve and bless others at school as a team.

Real Life Examples

Let me introduce you to one of our teams at a local high school here in Kansas City. A few students came to our winter camp in January, where we trained 60 high school students on disciplemaking. They were fired up about the vision and mission and felt called to start a team at their local high school. 

Over the past school semester, they started meeting weekly and setting goals as individuals and as a team. One of the girls was connected to a senior student through their sports team and started to hear more of her story and background. 

She learned of a difficult and broken home life with a lot of pain and turmoil. This student just began praying and asking God for a way to bless and serve and love this other student. As the team gathered and discussed some ideas, they learned that she wouldn’t be doing a graduation party like most other seniors do. The hearts of these students were broken and the microchurch came up with the idea to throw her a party and send her off to college with love and blessing. As they began to share with their parents, everyone started pooling their resources to help throw this girl a graduation party. The party was an amazing success, and they even gifted her with a going away college prep basket full of things she may need. This is just one example of how a microchurch of students has begun impacting their school with the beauty, justice, and Good News of Jesus. They are bringing the Good News to others around them through healthy, loving relationships and servanthood. 

Let me introduce you to another student from a different high school. This student was your classic youth group student who knew all the “right answers,” went to all the youth group events, and for the most part, loved people to the best of his ability. We got introduced to him through some local church connections, and he joined one of our training huddles online where we walked him and a few other students through our Disciple-Making Pathway. This student admittedly informed me he was skeptical that what we were teaching him would work. He expressed that his past experiences and efforts have all come up empty-handed. 

As we talked more with him, we explained that we don’t force doors down, but instead, we join God in the places he is already at work. Our job is to be committed to praying for the open doors and getting in tune with where the doors are opening. This student agreed to commit to the consistent praying of others around him for the rest of the summer until school starts. On the first day of school, we received a call from this student. He was blown away that God had opened the door to have multiple spiritual conversations, all prompted by non-believing friends and students. One of the students, in particular, expressed an openness and desire to know more about God and what the Bible says. The student we trained responded by agreeing to start working through the journey of Jesus with a Discovery-based Bible study format. All of this was fueled through our Disciple-Making Training and his having an ongoing microchurch that served as his team.

The next wave of the church is hungry for more than just being inviters to youth groups and playing games on a Wednesday night.

The next wave of the church is hungry for more than just being inviters to youth groups and playing games on a Wednesday night. They are hungry to see entire schools know and follow Jesus as we have never seen before. They are hungry for adults to believe in them and invest their time and wisdom to shift the tide of a generation to see a movement of God sweep through the campuses of America that see long-lasting fruit that redefines and reshapes the church in the west. 

We long to see students multiplying their lives through disciplemaking in their schools and with multiple student-led, disciplemaking teams in every high school within a 30-mile radius of Kansas City so that every student could see, hear, experience, and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ! We believe that with time and vision, this next generation will truly pave the way for what the church could look like in the next 50-100 years in the west.

It’s going to take a movement of Gen Z to reach Gen Z! 

Jesus tells her, “Go get your husband.” Go get the thing that’s got you isolated to begin with and bring it here. Bring to me the thing that’s got you coming to this well in such isolation. She tries changing the subject to religious strategy and how we worship. I love Jesus. He just calls it. He said, “Girl, y’all don’t know what y’all worship.” Can I tell you today? It’s not about your past, and it’s not about a new strategy of worship. The goal is not for God to use you. The goal is you. He just wants you. 

It’s not about your past, and it’s not about a new strategy of worship. The goal is not for God to use you. The goal is you. He just wants you. 

She hears this message, and she receives it. The disciples walk up right then, and she slips away. The woman goes into the same town the disciples just left. This woman who had no voice, who was shamed and isolated. She goes into town and says, “Come see a man. Oh, come see a man! Look, this man told me everything I’ve ever done. And y’all know I’ve done a lot of stuff.”

Now notice the difference. She comes back with the whole town trying to see Jesus! The disciples were just in the same town, and they came back with nobody. Maybe our problem with evangelism is that we’re too familiar with the one who’s been faithful. How are the disciples, who’ve known him best, going to go into town with little to no enthusiasm and talk about him the least?

Maybe our evangelism problem is that we’re too familiar and we need a fresh encounter with Jesus. Like the disciples, we’re so busy just eating around him and just being around him. We are going into the same cities and coming back with nobody. This lady had been saved for 30 seconds, and she’s coming back with the whole city! 

Maybe our evangelism problem is that we’re too familiar and we need a fresh encounter with Jesus.

Or maybe we don’t have an evangelism problem. We’ve got a heart problem, and our heart needs to be stirred afresh by God himself so that our encounter, our testimony’s not from 1982. We’re not telling folks about what he did in the college dorm room back in ‘95. But our testimony is: “This morning, he touched me. Last night, he moved upon my heart.”

You have a God who sees you for you. He doesn’t want to just use you. He wants you. Don’t let any struggle or failure take that away. You’ve come to this well, and he came and met you here so he could be with you. Now hear your father speaking to you. He knows your name. He knows your every thought. He sees each tear that falls, and he hears you when you cry. He just wants you. May his son shine on your life and in your life out of that deep place of love. Now, go run and tell somebody about it.

GUESTS: Gabe Norris and Ken Thomas, of Connect Ministries

HOST: Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

The answer to the above questions is a resounding, “Yes!”

Anyone can innovate… and it doesn’t require flashes of creative brilliance or angelic intervention.

Anyone can innovate… and it doesn’t require flashes of creative brilliance or angelic intervention. In his book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, Mason Currey unlocks the daily schedules of 161 creative minds. His work investigates famous artists, painters, poets, novelists, scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs to learn more about their approach to creativity and, in the process, discovers there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” approach to innovation. 

Instead, innovation is a combination of inspiration and hard work, spirit and strategy, flashes of insight and methodical research. I’ve gleaned various principles of innovation over the years and listed below are my top 10 habits and traits for how you might foster innovation in your ministry and everyday leadership.

1. Question Everything

Great innovators have the habit of curiosity. 

The other night, I put my 8-year-old daughter to bed, and she asked, “Dad, why do we go to church?” I replied, “Honey, we go to church because we love Jesus, and we want to worship him with other people.” “Yeah, I know”, she said, “But why do we need to go to a building?” 

She didn’t realize it at the time, but my youngest child was innovating. She was challenging the assumption that buildings are required for church. We continued the conversation and began to unpack the idea that church is a group of people more than a place. Her question opened a new train of thought on what it means to be the church. 

Innovative people have a knack for asking the right questions and a willingness to examine the status quo to see things from a different perspective. If you want to increase your innovation quotient, be comfortable asking questions.

2. Fall in Love with the Problem

This idea flows from the first. The process of asking questions often reveals problems we didn’t know existed. Falling in love with the problem means changing our perspective and having the eyes to see fresh opportunities in every situation. Rather than fearing problems, we should lean into them and find creative solutions. 

I was flying home from a speaking event a few weeks ago and found myself stranded at Chicago’s O’Hare airport on my way to Indianapolis. It was 2:00 am and the next flight wasn’t leaving until 5:00 pm the following day. I had already decided I would NOT be spending the night and next day in an airport. I began to brainstorm. 

Find a hotel in the city? Call a friend in Chicago? Amtrak home? Ask someone from Indy to pick me up? I mentally crossed each option off the list for one reason or another, and finally decided to find five other passengers willing to invest in an Uber XL to drive the 200 miles home. Problem solved. 

Any obstacle can be conquered with enough imagination. Learn to fall in love with the problem and you will be on your way to innovating new solutions.   

3. Expand Your Mind

The process of finding an Uber XL at 2 a.m. expanded my mind. I’m now better equipped to innovate if the same problem ever presents itself again. But new experiences are only one way to expand your mind. The same can be true of new relationships and increased information. Jesus used all three of these categories (relationships, experience, and information) to expand the minds of his disciples and help them innovate.

Creativity requires fuel, and that fuel includes gaining new knowledge through reading and studying new things. Perhaps this is also why great innovators thrive on new experiences. They love learning about foreign cultures, visiting art museums, taking walks in nature, learning to play an instrument, or anything else that expands their mind. When knowledge and experiences are combined with new networks of relationships, the mind’s ability to be flexible and understand complex ideas is enhanced.  

If you want to become more innovative, make a habit of enlarging your network of relationships, leaning into new experiences, and gathering more information.

4. Look for Patterns

Expanding the mind also means recognizing patterns. 

The world is full of interesting patterns and connections. Innovative people notice these arrangements between people and places, data and decisions. They see meaning in the order of things. The scientific term for this ability is Apophenia, the ability to perceive meaningful patterns within random data. 

When a father begins attending worship services, does the entire family follow? Is there a reason your neighbors respond to spiritual conversation over a meal, but will never attend a Bible study? What do worship attendance patterns tell you about your congregation? Why do some church plants succeed while others fail? 

Innovators have an uncanny ability to connect the dots and recognize problems before they occur. Begin to look for patterns and you will quickly find yourself one step closer to innovation.

5. Set Aside Time for Innovation

In his book Daily Rituals, Curry found that many of the greatest innovators set aside time in their daily or weekly schedule to brainstorm, meditate, and pray about new ideas. They understood that creative genius cannot be rushed and any good idea often needs to go through an incubation period before blossoming.

Innovation can also be enhanced by developing an environment that will tap into your creativity. What triggers creativity? What allows ideas to flow naturally? Is it better to set up your workspace or living space in such a way that is comforting and relaxing? Does coffee help you innovate? Do you enjoy walking outdoors where your mind is free to relax and wander, or do you prefer the energy of people and activity? 

Innovative people often structure their week with designated time to simply brainstorm, meditate, pray, and listen. Set aside specific time for innovation. 

6. Start a Book of Ideas

The other night I had a stroke of genius that came to me in a moment of inspiration. It had something to do with leading our non-profit in a new direction. It was such a good idea. Unfortunately, I never wrote it down and by the next morning, I lost it! 

The most innovative and creative people are often obsessive note takers. They have a habit of writing things down. As great as your memory might be, when an insight comes your way, it’s vital to put it in written form. I’ve also noticed creative people tend to be doodlers and list makers. Your conscious mind can only process small chunks of information at a time. 

Thomas Edison left 3,500 notebooks behind at his death. Richard Branson, one of the great innovators of our day, recently commented that his secret innovative weapon is simply a notebook and pen. 

Buy a journal and start a compendium of your ideas reviewing your notes each month or quarter. Perhaps the idea you have today will be ready for implementation sometime down the road. 

7. Start Experiments Before You’re Ready

Most innovators have a bias toward action. They often run test experiments before they have all the pieces in place.  

Anyone with a bank account knows the power of compounding interest, and innovation works much in the same way. Those who begin quickly and then make consistent, high-frequency deposits are the ones that enjoy the biggest account balances in the end. It’s proven that starting quickly and then adjusting is a much better strategy than waiting for ideal conditions or a bulletproof game plan. 

In the culinary industry, this might mean opening a test kitchen. Lawyers often conduct mock trials to test their arguments in a safe environment before making their case to a live jury. Surgeons now hone their skills using augmented reality goggles as they practice procedures on robotic patients. 

What experiments can you run to try out your new ideas? Thomas Edison once stated, “I haven’t failed. I’ve simply found 10,000 ways that do not work.”

8. Take Things Apart

Part of experimenting is taking things apart to see how they work. 

I remember as a kid taking apart my clock radio, my bike, GI Joe figures, and other toys. I also remember a time I put together a puzzle, took it apart, and then tried to accomplish the same feat with the puzzle pieces upside down (there’s probably a pathology for this condition).  

The process of deconstruction and reconstruction isn’t only with physical things. Think of the jazz musician who takes apart a song only to put it back together again through improvisation. Creative people want to understand how and why things work the way they do. 

This might mean taking apart ideas, practices, ministries, or programs of the church to examine each component and then rebuild them again differently. Innovative people don’t simply look at failures and ask, “Why isn’t this working?” They also look at successes and ask, “Why isn’t this working even better?” 

They’re willing to rock the boat to design an even better boat.

9. Go Above and Beyond

The generosity question provokes innovation. 

How might you be even more generous in what you do? How might you give more, serve more, offer more, and go above and beyond what you are currently doing? What might it look like for your church or ministry to explore the idea of radical generosity? 

Here are a few questions to stimulate thinking. What is your welcome ministry currently doing, and how could you go above and beyond to make people feel welcome? Are you serving a specific group of people in your community? How could you go above and beyond?  It’s asking the question, “What if?” and then unlocking new methods of innovation by overdelivering.

10. Follow Your Passions

Finally, the best starting point for innovation is often passion. What wakes you up in the morning? What are you passionate about? Great innovators are often powered by a conviction to make an impact and difference. 

If you’re struggling to answer this question, think back to a time you were passionate about life and ministry. What changed? How can you reclaim that sense of urgency? The most creative and innovative people are often intrinsically motivated to pursue their dreams and problems with innovation, purpose, and passion. 

Highly innovative and creative people aren’t necessarily the most talented of the bunch, but they consistently and persistently go after their goals by implementing some version of this list. 

Highly innovative and creative people aren’t necessarily the most talented of the bunch, but they consistently and persistently go after their goals by implementing some version of this list. 

Don’t think you’re very innovative? Give these 10 practices a try. 

With declining attendance and waning interest, it is crucial for churches to adapt and find innovative ways to connect with younger individuals. This article explores strategies and approaches that can help reignite the interest of the next generation in the local church, fostering a sense of belonging, purpose, and spiritual growth that promotes imagination and creativity. If we want to see the next generation engaged back into the local church, we have to change things up. We have to evaluate our systems, or programming, and our curriculums. We have to look at our organization as a whole and architect ways to foster resiliency in era of change. Here are a few thoughts…

1. Embrace Authenticity

To engage the next generation, churches must prioritize authenticity. 

Younger individuals value transparency and genuine connections. Encourage open dialogue, create safe spaces for questions and doubts, and foster an environment where individuals can express their true selves without fear of judgment. By embracing authenticity, churches can build trust and establish meaningful relationships with the next generation. 

Why is this important? I have a sense and a theory that the next generation embraces authenticity because they want to have people that they can trust. In a society that gives unsolicited advice or content, the next generation needs to know that they can trust the system, the human, or the advice before they give you the time of day. 

Trust is the quality we as humans are searching for. And if we are authentic to our core, trust is the natural byproduct of authenticity. I think (as a millennial and being under senior level leaders in ministry for more than 10 years) we are sometimes afraid of being fully authentic, because we are living in a place of vulnerability. 

I have often heard that intimacy is letting people see “into me” and sometimes with that comes pain, hurt, betrayal, and difficulties. 

What if we could build organizations, churches, and systems that let the next generation see “into us” to work the muscle of authenticity within our development processes. Maybe, just maybe, we would see the next generation come back to our churches because we pushed back fear and lived in a posture of believing the best. 

2. Embrace Technology

Incorporating technology is essential to engage the tech-savvy younger generation. 

Utilize social media platforms, create engaging websites, and develop mobile apps to provide easy access to information, events, and resources. Livestream services and create interactive online communities to reach those who may not be able to attend in person. 

Embracing technology can bridge the gap and make the church more accessible and relevant to the next generation. Why is this important to note? Secular platforms like TikTok, Instagram, SnapChat, twitter, etc. have invited the next generation to create. 

Humans were built for creativity. It’s the longing of every human heart and mind. We sometimes think that coloring, creating art, drawing, or any form of art is done when you’re a child. 

When we are in the second half of our lives, we delight in our kids creating art or our grandkids. 

I truly believe that we as humans, no matter our age, are wired to create. To build. To speak. To dance. To paint. But, sometimes we feel as if we do not have what it takes to push back into our love for creativity. 

The next generation was born into a world that is constantly creating, constantly imagining and constantly redefining narratives, systems, or organizations. If we truly want to see the next generation integrated back into the local church, we have to give them the same permission to create within the church as secular platforms do today for the next generation. 

The question is not if social media needs to be integrated within the church, the question we have to wonder and pause to think about is if the church has lost its edge of creativity and how creativity is expressed because of technology.

 I believe, if we want to see the next generation integrated within the church, we have to be people that let them co-create within the church. If we were built by a Creator who has and is creating, then the church has to be a place where we let the next generation create with us instead of for us. 

3. Foster Community and Connection

Creating a sense of community is vital in engaging the next generation. 

Younger individuals seek connection and belonging, so it is crucial to provide opportunities for them to build relationships within the church. Belonging is truly essential if we want the next generation re-engaged within the church. Humans were built for survival. We were built to find a place we all belong. The next generation is searching too and fro for a community where they and their peers can belong. 

We cannot create churches just for one person, instead we need to create for their community as well. Belonging is a desire of the next generation, and they want it for their friends as well. 

The next generation is searching for Spiritual Mothers and Spiritual Fathers.  If we want to see the next generation engaged back into the local church, we have to create belonging and encourage intergenerational mentorship programs where older members can guide and support younger individuals in their spiritual journey. 

By fostering a strong sense of community, the local church can become a place where the next generation feels valued, connected, and finds a place to belong. I truly believe that segregation is what the next generation finds disheartening when it comes to the local church. If God is a God of unity, we have to be people that are about that as well. 

Community has to be paired with belonging and unity. We have to ask the question, How do we build a community that is less about power and position and more about opportunity, equality, and empowerment? We need the older generation AND the next generation working together to build a church where together, people find a place to belong and intimately connect. 

Engaging the next generation back into the local church requires intentional efforts to create an environment that resonates with their values, interests, and needs.

Engaging the next generation back into the local church requires intentional efforts to create an environment that resonates with their values, interests, and needs. By embracing authenticity, utilizing technology and fostering the right kind of community, the local church can reignite the interest and involvement of the next generation. 

With a renewed focus on engaging the younger individuals, the local church can become a vibrant and thriving community that continues to impact lives for generations to come.

So far we have discussed four of the five shifts necessary to move away from the magnet of addition and toward the freedom of multiplication:

1. A shift from an addition-oriented scorecard to one that embraces multiplication metrics for making disciples.
2. A shift in the expectations of every believer.
3. A shift in the opportunities for every believer.
4. A shift to a multiplication operating system.

The final shift we’ll examine is:

1. A shift from being the hero to making others the hero in God’s unfolding story.

All five shifts are equally important, but this last one is primal. If this shift doesn’t take place, none of the others stand a chance. In fact, this shift is so crucial that Dave Ferguson and Warren Bird wrote an entire book about it called Hero Maker. Here is some of what they share.

The 5 Practices of a Hero Maker

1. MULTIPLICATION THINKING

• A hero says, “I think ministry best happens through my own leadership.”
• A hero maker says, “I think ministry best happens through multiplied leaders.”

2. PERMISSION GIVING

• A hero says, “I want to see what God can do through my own leadership.”
• A hero maker says, “I want to see what God can do through others, and I let them know what I see in them.”

3. DISCIPLE MULTIPLYING

• A hero says, “I share what I’ve learned to add more followers.”
• A hero maker says, “I share my life in order to multiply disciples to the fourth generation.”

4. GIFT ACTIVATING 

• A hero says, “I ask God to bless the use of my own gifts.”
• A hero maker says, “I ask God to bless the leaders I’m sending out.”

5. KINGDOM BUILDING

• A hero says, “I count people who show up to my thing.”
• A hero maker says, “I count leaders who go out and do God’s thing.”

Hero makers shift the focus from themselves to others, and in doing so they unlock unlimited potential and create countless opportunities for Kingdom impact.

Hero makers shift the focus from themselves to others, and in doing so they unlock unlimited potential and create countless opportunities for Kingdom impact. They empower and inspire others to do a greater work than one person could ever do alone. Check out this short but impactful video in which Dave gives a brief overview of these five hero-making practices.

They May Never Know Your Name

Being a hero maker takes humility and demands selflessness. It requires a vision for the bigger picture. It means that you don’t seek your own glory, but God’s. As Dave Ferguson says, it means “you build a platform and invite others to stand on it.” 

Being a hero maker takes humility and demands selflessness.

It’s likely you’ve never heard of Ralph Moore. Yet Ralph is undoubtedly one of the best examples we have of a Level 5 leader in a Western context. I first learned about Ralph from the book Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird. For nearly a year, I used Ralph as a real-life example of a Level 5 leader based on what I’d read about him and the Hope Chapel movement. 

Finally, at Exponential in 2015, I had the privilege of meeting Ralph in person. Ralph knew that at conference he’d be asked how many churches had been planted out of the stream of Hope Chapel. He didn’t know the answer, so he and his team did the research and found 2,322 churches! In many cases the lineage ran seven generations deep, and in one case, nine generations deep!

The thing is, the vast majority of people in those 2,322 churches (more than that by now) don’t even know who Ralph is. I’ve taught the Exponential frameworks for several years, and over 90% of the people hearing the frameworks for the first time don’t know Ralph’s name.

I am convinced that most people will have a greater Kingdom impact when they choose to adapt a multiplication mindset. But if you embrace that mindset and all that it entails, it’s much more likely that people won’t know your name.

I have had the honor of traveling extensively with Ralph over the past 8+ years. He’s part of our Multipliers Learning Community faculty. He continues to pour into leaders around the world, supporting and inspiring them. He is truly a Level 5 leader, and he’s perfectly fine with you not knowing his name.

Movements Travel on the Backs of Prayer

I mentioned in the first blog of this series that I heard Bruce Wesley, pastor of Clear Creek Community Church in League City, Texas, say that “[he] had to die to [his] image of success as a pastor” to move beyond Level 3 success. God used Bruce’s commitment to make dramatic Kingdom advances in Houston. Bruce started the Houston Church Planting Network, and (under the direction of Chad Clarkson) it has united churches from across denominational and network lines for the sake of church planting and gospel saturation. HCPN has become a model of collaboration that is now being emulated in other cities around the U.S.

The prevailing model of the church is a prescriptive model. It’s embedded in the recruitment, assessments, training, and coaching of church planters. Moving beyond Level 3 thinking will be hard because the way forward is more descriptive than prescriptive. There is no manual to guide you step-by-step into Level 5. Part of me wishes there were, but then I realize it would tempt us to ask the Holy Spirit to bless what’s been done rather than calling on the Holy Spirit to lead.

And that’s what really excites me about the future of the church in the West. We will need to lean into the Holy Spirit in ways we, collectively, have not known in our lifetime. It will take our eyes off our own “five loaves and two fish” and put us in position to see God do miracles. All movements travel on the backs of prayer. 

We beg you to pray and seek the Lord. I like what Alex and Hannah Absalom from Dandelion Resources say: “When you approach Jesus for something, he never considers you an irritation. Even when we come with mixed motives, he is still so happy that we would seek his love and blessing. So we must never be hesitant about approaching God for our needs.”

If you go down the road of disciple-making Kingdom multiplication, it will require something from you—likely some form of dying. In addition, the results are not guaranteed. But God does not require results; he only requires our fellowship and our obedience. Let’s begin now!

Reflection Questions:

1. To what are you willing to give your life in order to see miracles happen?
2. Do you have a passion for multiplication? If yes, why? If no, what’s keeping you from becoming passionate?
3. Based on what we discussed, what is one feasible and tangible goal that you have for your church to help it move toward multiplication this year?

On the day of her martyrdom, Perpetua and the others marched joyfully to the amphitheater. Perpetua began to sing. At this, the crowds became enraged and demanded that the prisoners be scourged. She was then attacked by a mad cow and struck by a gladiator’s sword. Perpetua screamed as the sword met bone. Then she took the trembling hand of the young gladiator and guided his sword to her throat. Perpetua made a choice, not between life and death, but between allegiance to Jesus and allegiance to the empire of her time. 

Perpetua made a choice, not between life and death, but between allegiance to Jesus and allegiance to the empire of her time. 

We as Christians are not facing a Roman empire, but the nature of empire has changed. After World War II, Churchill said the empires of the future would be empires of the mind. The wars of the future would be less about territory and more about ideology. Pope Francis has called the secular progressive vision “ideological colonization.” 

So How Do We Preach the Good News?

Fortunately the worst thing I’ve had to deal with is nasty people online who hurt my feelings, but we all face moments of decision. We have to choose between Jesus and the imperialistic ideologies of our time. So how do we preach the good news of Jesus in a culture where many, if not most, perceive it not as good but as evil?

First Peter 2:11–12 says, “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” This is not just a call to preach the good news, but to become the kind of people who are living joyfully in the kingdom of God in the middle of whatever empire we find ourselves. That’s our story.

The early Christians did this, and it changed the world forever. The church grew not in spite of stories of martyrdom, but because of them. Christians exploded from a tiny minority to the major driving force of human history. Alan Kreider writes, “It was not Christian worship that attracted outsiders, it was Christians.” Of course, the New Testament word for this is witness, someone who sees or experiences something of great importance. Used as a verb, it means to tell others about what you have seen and experienced that is of great importance. That’s it. 

The church grew not in spite of stories of martyrdom, but because of them.

We’re not salespeople. Our job is not to close the deal or to manipulate people with the right technique. It’s simply to bear witness to what we have seen and experienced in Jesus, in word and in deed and in the power of a transformed and transforming life, not just as individuals but as a community, not just on stages but around dinner tables. 

The Power of Your Story

Human beings are drawn to story, especially in our postmodern culture. In the age of deconstruction and disinformation, many people no longer find facts or evidence or intellectual arguments or experts as compelling as they used to. But someone’s story is hard to write off.

There are all sorts of challenges to preaching the gospel in a “speak your truth” kind of culture. But one of the up-sides is that people are open to your experience, your story. Michael Green makes the case that 80% or more of evangelism in the early church was done by ordinary Christians explaining their story to their non-believing neighbors.

Do not underestimate the power of story—and I don’t just mean storytelling as a pastor. Do not underestimate the power of your story. You may not think it’s dramatic or important or even worth telling. It is. People are drawn to conversation, and through conversation they are drawn to Jesus. Take some time to sit and ask, “God, what is my story? What do you want me to tell? Who do you want me to tell it to?” 

Then go tell it.

Then, in 1968, Dr. Kenneth Cooper wrote his groundbreaking book, Aerobics, clearly laying out the case for aerobic exercise by explaining the benefits. Cooper, at the time a physician in the U.S. Air Force, wrote the book and his wife, Millie, typed the manuscript. The book would go on to sell 30 million copies and be translated into 41 different languages.¹

Since then, our entire world has experienced a complete transformation around exercise and health: Only 15 percent of Americans now smoke and, in the United States alone, nearly 60 million people participate in running, jogging, or trail running, while 110 million Americans walk for fitness.²

Dr. Kenneth Cooper normalized the need for aerobic health and exercise. We now wear devices that monitor our activity, have memberships to gyms in an attempt to stay fit, and assume this as a common priority, even when it is inconvenient, time-consuming, and often painful. We have a societal assumption that exercise is good for you, important for your health, and something we should all be participating in. 

The same needs to happen around the immense priority of caring for the soul.

The evidence of soul disease is often hidden by our busy schedules and lack of time to take a breath and look around.

The evidence of soul disease is often hidden by our busy schedules and lack of time to take a breath and look around. We’re so busy that we don’t recognize just how unhealthy our own souls are, much less the souls of those around us. We plow through our work responsibilities, leaving just enough time to monitor the important relationships in our life and, if we’re lucky, get a few hours of sleep. Rarely do we recognize the true state of our own souls.

But it turns out that our lack of soul health is rather apparent, if we’ll just take a moment and look around. Take the role of pastor for example.

“New Barna data shows that pastors’ confidence and satisfaction in their vocation has decreased significantly in the past few years, and two in five (41%) say they’ve considered quitting ministry in the last 12 months.”³ In addition, 40 percent of pastors now show a high risk of burnout – that number was only 11 percent back in 2015.⁴

This isn’t just the normal “wear and tear” of vocational living: When 40 percent of any occupation is considering quitting, something is very, very wrong. Imagine if 40 percent of firefighters would quit this year, or 40 percent of EMTs? 40 percent of teachers? Now imagine if the 40 percent of pastors who are thinking about leaving would go ahead and do it. We are standing at the edge of a precipice, and the health of the entire Church is at stake. 

Churches and organizations everywhere are bleeding for the lack of soul care, but what is the normal response to someone who seems like they might quit? We offer more money, or a “better” (busier) position. Rarely is the health of someone’s soul addressed.

CEOs and their executive teams aren’t immune from the same phenomena – 40 percent of executives say they feel overwhelmed by their work.⁵ And the economic costs are staggering: Turnover of only one employee costs the company 1.5 to 2 times their wages, and depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion every single year.

The human costs are even worse than the economic costs. Only 44 percent of adults under 30 are “highly satisfied” with their work.⁶ The National Institute of Health estimates that over 21 million U.S. adults have a major depressive episode each year.⁷ Anxiety disorders are currently affecting over 30 percent of adults at some point in their lives.⁸

We continue to struggle mentally and emotionally, especially as leaders. 

“A wise person sees trouble and changes course, but the foolish keep going and suffer for it.” – Proverbs 27:3

Proverbs 27:3 says, “A wise person sees trouble and changes course, but the foolish keep going and suffer for it.”  We can all clearly see the warning signs now. But how do we recognize burnout, flameout and drop out before they happen? And is there anything we can do in order to head these problems off at the pass?

The answer is, yes, there’s something we can do about it, and prevention (and healing) begins with soul health. 

We recently invited our Soul Care community mailing list to respond to an assessment on Soul Health, a series of questions that, based on the respondent’s answers, places them in one of three broad categories: Flourishing, Strengthening, or Healing.

Those in our audience who landed at the top range of the Soul Health Index, the Flourishing category, are likely to have taken ownership of their own soul health. Their experience of their work is more life-giving, and they have solid spiritual practices and relational support in place. Perhaps they meet with a mentor on a regular basis or at the least maintain important friendships where they can be completely honest and open to feedback. They might be the kind of person who spends time thinking about their inner life and how to keep their soul healthy in the midst of things that compete for their time and attention. Maybe they’ve been through a “garden of desolation” experience and their life has been transformed.

Those in the Strengthening range (61 percent of our responders) is where most of us have landed. Not crashing and burning, but neither exactly flourishing. This group probably has some areas of their life where their soul feels worn down and weary, and depending on their trajectory, they could be either heading upwards towards greater soul health, or perhaps declining towards burnout or soul disease. If you find yourself here, it is a good time to take on practices that will strengthen your soul, building a kind of internal muscle that will serve as a foundation to open your soul to God in a way that will contribute towards flourishing.

Finally, the Healing category is when someone’s soul is truly suffering from a deficit of the things that support a life of wellness, meaning, spiritual vitality, and purpose. For the very few (4 percent) of people who self-reported in this range, our hearts can only go out to them and the painful place they must be in. Likely in severe isolation, possibly in a traumatic work environment, they are weary much or most of the time and likely approaching experiencing burnout. They feel lost in their own life and aren’t sure where to go from here. 

Some key highlights of the assessment results from our online community were: 

• Both for those who were struggling spiritually, as well as those who reported doing well, we still observed the presence of grieving, fatigue, and stress. Life is still life, for everyone. 
• We did, however, observe marked differences in the levels of flourishing in work, relationships, and overall well-being between individuals who indicated they were struggling spiritually and those who were not.
• Those who have taken ownership of their soul health also exhibit a lower risk of burnout, flameout, and drop out and scored significantly higher in many areas of flourishing. 

As a leader, have you seen the toll taken by burnout, flameout, and drop out? How are you helping your people identify where they are in the journey to soul health? 

Will you consider adding soul health into the mental inventory you take of your organization and begin to care for the overall flourishing of every person you cross paths with?

In recent decades, the long-held relationship between the interior character of a leader and the potential they could bring into the world have been detached from one another. Collectively, somehow, we have come to believe that – as long as the external results appear successful – the interior character of a leader simply does not matter. The interior formation of a leader has everything to do with what he or she might accomplish in this world.

Dallas Willard and Gary Black, Jr. address this in their book, The Divine Conspiracy Continued:

Leaders can serve the public good well, only if those individuals’ routinely act in ways that supremely promote the specific public good for which their particular leadership position exists. Further, leaders make a positive impact, only if they are prepared to sacrifice their own personal gain, monetary or otherwise, for that good. Last, leaders serve the common good only if they are appropriately vigilant in ensuring that members of their own peer group overwhelmingly conform to this moral ideal even when self-sacrifice is required.

Do you have the kind of personal soul health that allows you to act for the public good of your organization, sacrifice your own personal gain, and ensure that members of your peer group also conform to this ideal?

That kind of action and life as a leader requires a serious, ongoing connection with God, which gets invariably threatened by the pace of life, the isolation, and the demands of leadership. If you do not intentionally build that kind of interior life to support your leadership, you simply cannot fulfill the full potential of your vocation or enjoy much of life along the way.

Many organizational leaders in the last 20 years have begun caring for the physical well-being of their people. They’ve instituted new ways of encouraging physical activity and provided tools and resources to that effect. 

It is my firm belief that in the coming years, the same shift will occur when it comes to encouraging the soul health of those we work with. Organizations will begin providing the tools and resources that are necessary to ensure the people in the organization aren’t only successful in their jobs, but that they are flourishing in all areas of their lives. They do not take responsibility for the wellbeing of their team’s souls… that’s up to each individual person. But leaders can commit to their own spiritual vitality and then build environments that are alert to the whole-person realities of flourishing, alert to the deep relationship between spiritual wellbeing and vocation, and alert to what may threaten all of it.

How important is this to “mission success” in your work? And for the success of your family, marriage, and your own walk with God? Might it be time we slowed down to assess, and ask ourselves and those around us, how are we, really? 

Simply care.

The first step is to simply care. We can often lose that amid our busyness. Yet, I believe it’s high time to care once again, even if it involves sacrifice. 

Now is the time to get ahead of this curve, to assess, and then address the soul health of yourself and those around you. 

NOTES:

1. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/healthy-living/2018/04/16/50-years-after-writing-aerobics-dallas-dr-kenneth-cooper-isn-t-slowing-down/

2. https://www.statista.com/topics/1743/running-and-jogging/#topicOverview

3. https://www.barna.com/research/pastoral-security-confidence/

4. https://www.wnccumc.org/resourcedetail/5-shocking-realities-about-the-real-state-of-pastor-burnout-17392915#:~:text=Even%20more%20alarming%2C%20while%2040,at%20high%20risk%20of%20burnout.

5. https://fortune.com/2023/02/23/c-suite-executives-burnout-mental-health-hr/

6. https://money.com/worker-happiness-job-satisfaction-high/#:~:text=A%20survey%20from%20Pew%20Research,%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9Cvery%E2%80%9D%20satisfied.

7.  https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression

8. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/anxiety-disorders/what-are-anxiety-disorders#:~:text=Anxiety%20disorders%20are%20the%20most,some%20point%20in%20their%20lives.

I didn’t get saved until I was 16, and it was in Mexico. I encountered God to the point where every longing and thirst in me finally made sense. When I came home, I just started to talk about Jesus. My father got saved, my sister got saved, my friends started to go to church.

But I never once thought I was evangelizing.

But I never once thought I was evangelizing. I never once thought, “Oh, this is my strategy. This is how I’m going to get people to Christ.” No, I was introduced to God, and he became my friend. And from that, my life exploded with evangelism. Because, you see, God is not just a divine being—he is a movement. 

When you are in proximity with a mover, you become a mover. I’m a couch potato, but I married a personal trainer. Now I own a pair of HOKA running shoes. When you are in friendship with God, you start to move. 

It’s one thing to love him, another thing to know him, and another to depend on him. But can you follow him? Because there is a difference. Have you ever tried to move with four little children at Target? You know they like you; you know they love you; you know they depend on you. But will they move with you? One’s trying to climb the cart. One’s trying to climb me. One’s trying to go to the baking aisle. One’s heading for the Legos in the toy section.

When you are in friendship with God, you start to move. 

It’s one thing to know God and another thing to depend on him, need him, and want him. My kids love me, but they don’t know my will. They don’t know I want to go the cashier. They don’t know I don’t want to go all around Target to see the toys one more time. Are we willing to move with God? Do we take time to know his will? And are our churches willing to move with God? We could gather on Sundays, but what if God wants to move in a soup kitchen on Monday? What if God wants us to cross the street and minister to the mosque? What if God wants us to move into the foster care system?

In Acts 10:9–29, Peter is praying on a roof. He is hungry, and he is preparing food. But “while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.” He saw a vision where a large sheet was being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals. And a voice said, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter answered. “I’ve never eaten anything impure or clean.” 

Peter wrestled with God, and God prepared his heart to move to the Gentiles. It was mysterious; it made no sense. But when Cornelius’s people knocked on Peter’s door, he was ready. And he stepped into a Gentile’s home, even though it was against the law of his people. Peter dwelled with God, and he was challenged to move. Although it was confusing, although it was uncharted territory, he listened, he wrestled, and he simply obeyed. And by stepping into Cornelius’s home, he released a movement among the Gentiles. He changed the trajectory of the Church forever, simply by being with God, hearing his voice, and obeying him when he said to move.

He changed the trajectory of the Church forever, simply by being with God, hearing his voice, and obeying him when he said to move.

Is your church walking in friendship with God? Are they more familiar with your programs than with Jesus? Is there space in the rhythm of your community to hear from God and move where he calls you to move? Are you willing to be inconvenienced and interrupted to go beyond the plan and the agenda? 

Our Christian walk cannot culminate in merely our own enlightenment and betterment. God loves to sit with you. He loves to heal you. He loves to sanctify you, protect you, and forgive you. But you will be missing out on another depth of friendship with Jesus if you do not move with him. And we must move until the trumpets blow.

This article is one of many articles on evangelism from our Lost Cause: Reviving Evangelism library of resources, plus multiple other FREE evangelism resources including our 2023 Digital Access Pass, webinars, and more which you can view here.

Guest: Sam McDowell Pastor, Speaker, Author

Hosts: Hannah Gronowski Barnett and Aaron Barnett, Directors of Generation NEXT

We know these were the significant guiding values for the people of Israel. It was the centerpiece of their faith, detailing their orthodoxy and orthopraxy. 

How would they pass this on to the next generation to ensure fidelity to their faith? Moses goes on in verses seven and eight to say, “Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home, when you are on the road, when you are going to bed, and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” 

In other words, talk about this all the time in the everyday stuff of life. 

Notice, however, that some of these appear to be more “in the moment,” like, when you’re on the road and it comes up. Some of them appear to require a greater degree of intentionality, like having to figure out how you’re going to wear these commands on your hands and your forehead or what font you’re going to use on your doorposts!

You could say some of these are more informal and some of these are more formal.

Jesus doesn’t have one standard way through which he commits to disciplemaking those who follow him.

Fast-forward a few thousand years and you see that Jesus doesn’t have one standard way through which he commits to disciplemaking those who follow him. In places, like Matthew 13, Jesus uses parables to teach the crowds. In Matthew 24, Jesus’ disciples come to him “along the road” and he begins to teach them. He takes advantage of the moment to communicate to truths about the Kingdom of God. In Luke 21:37, we see Jesus had an intentional rhythm of teaching in the Temple each day and on the Mount of Olives each night. We shouldn’t read too much into this text, but you can imagine that whatever happened in the Temple surely had a greater level of formality than what would have happened in the olive grove. 

What about Paul? His early rhythms show us that he went to local synagogues to teach (Acts 14:1), and then sometimes, as in Acts 16, he would find the God-fearers like Lydia on the side of the riverbank and talk to them about the Kingdom – which led to her entire household being baptized. By Acts 19, Paul is in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, teaching daily for two years. 

Whether it’s Moses laying down the foundational rhythms in Deuteronomy, Jesus in the middle of his ministry, or Paul during the early years of the church, we see a pattern of informal and formal environments, tools, and methods incorporated into their rhythms of disciplemaking. 

Yet, for many of us, our primary experiences related to our formation with Jesus came only in formal environments through the method of condensed and prepared teaching by a trained expert. How replicable is that?

In some ways, we made progress by incorporating in-home small group environments into the conversation. But these were often led by a few “high-capacity leaders.” Ask your community groups pastor how easy it is to find new leaders. Still, we wonder why we’re not seeing a multiplication of disciples. 

We didn’t follow the pattern set for us in Scripture. We locked in on one aspect and pointed all our resources in that direction.

Our paradigm must shift, which will be difficult if the weekend teaching continues to be the centerpiece of our faith expression.

If we want to create cultures where the potential for viral disciplemaking becomes a reality, we must consider the tools and environments by which we empower everyday leaders. Our paradigm must shift, which will be difficult if the weekend teaching continues to be the centerpiece of our faith expression.

The Kansas City Underground is a decentralized network of disciplemaking leaders and the microchurches that emerge out of that disciplemaking. Rather than starting from a position where we point people to a weekend experience filled with highly-skilled leaders, we assumed disciplemaking must happen on a continuum of informal moments that lead to formal environments that can be reproduced by all kinds of people with different levels of education and background. 

Normal people don’t have an extra 20 hours each week to write a sermon for every situation.

We anticipated that ordinary people would need simple tools at every point on that continuum to aid them. After all, normal people don’t have an extra 20 hours each week to write a sermon for every situation. Furthermore, most of our disciplemaking doesn’t require a 25-minute message. Moses anticipated this when he taught us to incorporate spiritual conversations into all the moments of the day. Jesus demonstrated this when his disciples forgot the bread and he took the moment to let them know that he was the bread of life.

So, what does this look like practically? Here’s the image we use: 

As we coach everyday people to be effective disciplemakers, we show them an image like this and encourage them to think about all the potential disciplemaking relationships they have developed. If most of the relationships are low in spiritual interest, we coach toward the informal end of the continuum. That is, how can you use a tool like the 4H Conversations to get to know more of the story of your friends, neighbors, or co-workers? In this tool, you learn more effective ways to be a better listener, learning about the history, hurts, hopes, and heart passions of people. 

Or, if there’s a good deal of spiritual interest in one of your networks of relationships, we might coach toward an invitation to a Discovery Bible Study. DBS are simple and reproducible, discovery and obedience-based environments where people learn to hear the voice of God and respond in obedience. As we have tracked disciplemaking movements globally, some form of Discovery Bible Study method has been a primary catalyst in multiplying disciples and leaders. 

People usually are not ready to move from highly informal to highly formal too quickly.

Whether it’s a simple conversation on a driveway or a DBS on a lunch break, these tools are found at the informal end of the continuum. Anyone can use them at any time. The more we use tools like this, the greater the potential that we will help new disciples move toward more formal environments. What we’ve discovered in the KC Underground is that people usually are not ready to move from highly informal to highly formal too quickly, however. 

This is why we have developed other tools like what you see in the middle of the continuum. Tools like Story Diamond can be explained in five minutes or less, helping new followers of Jesus learn how to understand the framework of Scripture and how to understand their own story within that framework. Tools like Prayer Circles can be explained in a short amount of time, helping new disciples orient their prayer life to look more like Jesus’. 

These same tools can also be taught in a longer format in more formal environments. In addition, we’ve developed these tools in such a way that an extended spiritual family (microchurch) could spend six weeks or more doing an in-depth study on the ways Jesus prayed and how we can be more intentional in our own prayer life. Every disciplemaker learns with experience when it’s time to take the tool from a five-minute overview to a six-week deep dive. 

As disciples mature, there are moments when we realize we never graduate from Discovery Bible Study, where we discover more of who God is within Scripture and become obedient to him. Rather, there is always room to develop in our journey in more structured and specific ways. This is where the formal environments enter the conversation. 

We label this formal end of the continuum intentional disciplemaking environments or IDEs (to learn more about IDEs, visit disciplesmade.com). These environments, which range from four months to a year, are designed to move a disciplemaker toward specific outcomes. For example, in Missionaries Made, we aim to help a leader understand how to live with a greater incarnational presence in a neighborhood or network of relationships. There are training videos, articles, and facilitated discussions, along with specific habits and practices that support a leader in these cohorts. These cohorts, as with everything else we produce, have reproduction built into the process. Once you’ve made the journey through an IDE, you’re qualified to lead someone else. 

We want to follow the pattern that has been set for us in Scripture of seeing disciplemaking happen not only in the temple courts, but from house-to-house in the everyday stuff of life.  

As a decentralized network with an aim to fill our city with beauty, justice, and the Good News of Jesus, we cannot only commit to formal environments. Doing so would cost too much time and money, and the speed of reproduction would never lead to viral multiplication. We also cannot only commit to informal environments as it would neglect the gift of the teachers and potentially leave new disciples in an infant state. 

We also want to follow the pattern that has been set for us in Scripture of seeing disciplemaking happen not only in the temple courts, but from house-to-house in the everyday stuff of life.  

As you examine your own disciplemaking rhythms, which way do they lean on the continuum you see above? Are they purely formal? Are they too informal? What are the tools that you might use in these different environments that can be reproduced by another leader? These are the types of questions we must ask if we want to create systems and structures that will lead to multiplication and sustain the types of movement we long to see. 

NOTE
If you’re thinking you want to do a deeper dive into this conversation, check out chapter 18 in  The Starfish and The Spirit by Rob Wegner, Lance Ford, and Alan Hirsch. To access a few of the tools mentioned in this article, visit kcunderground.org/toolkit. The KC Underground continues to populate this page with new tools that support disciplemakers along the five phases of the missionary pathway. To explore more about the resurgence of microchurches in the west, visit leadnet.org/microchurch-next.

You are perfectly designed to get the results you’re getting.

You’ve likely heard some form of this principle before, and it may have felt discouraging, especially if you weren’t happy with the results you were getting at the time. But the good news is that you can change your design and change your results.

Moving from an addition mentality to one that embraces Kingdom multiplication will require more than just adding or deleting a church program. You’ve already seen from the first three shifts (see links below) that this is about changing an entire paradigm. 

It may help to think in terms of apps and operating systems. Take your smartphone, for instance; is it an Apple or an Android? They run on different operating systems, and an app designed for one will not work on the other. You need a specific version of the app that works with the system you have. Let’s say the “apps” for a church might be leadership, community, evangelism, discipleship, mobilization, structure—even the economic engine. Each of these things will function differently in an “addition” operating system vs. a “multiplication” operating system.

A New Operating System

The fourth of the five shifts is a change in the operating system. The prior shifts we discussed will help inform the first steps in making that change. The first shift was a shift in the scorecard, from one oriented toward addition to one that focuses on multiplication metrics. A shift in the scorecard is a reorientation of what you value. That’s the first step in reorienting your culture.

In Spark: Igniting a Culture of Multiplication Todd Wilson writes:

Each culture is unique and emerges from the burdens, passions, and experiences God places in your heart. The most effective cultures powerfully align their core values, language, and expected behaviors or practices in a manner that builds trust and devoted followers and makes it simple for people to participate personally. When people easily get it and want to be part of it, your crusade or vision grows. Alignment of the pieces helps people know what you’re about and that you are serious enough about it that your words translate to action and impact.

Culture = Values → Narrative → Behaviors

It is not enough to simply espouse aspirational values—you need to own them, which means talking about your values with consistent language. It means being thoughtful and intentional about what you celebrate. And it means aligning your behavior with your words to create powerful iterative reinforcement. As your words empower your works, your works give fuller meaning to your words, which in turn spurs more like-minded behaviors, and so on.

If we were to look at your church’s calendar and budget, what would we conclude about your values?

But you must have alignment. Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your checkbook and your calendar, and I’ll tell you what you value.” If we were to look at your church’s calendar and budget, what would we conclude about your values? What about your personal calendar? What would it tell us about your values? Do these things support the values you long to be known for?

A Bias of “Yes”

The second and third shifts (shifts in the expectations of and opportunities for every believer) require us to move from a bias of “no” to a bias of “yes.” And that will be uncomfortable for some leaders who are accustomed to having control over every aspect of the church. 

Josh Husmann, pastor of Mercy Road Church in Indiana, tells the story of one Christ-follower who was ministering to people who liked to watch professional wrestling. That Christ-follower recognized that their church’s facility would work well for hosting a cage match. Had Josh and the elders not just committed to a bias of “yes,” they likely would have said “no.” The cage matches went on (with proper insurance and safety precautions), and that ministry was responsible for more atheists coming to know Jesus that year than any other ministry in the church.

A bias of “yes” will challenge your concept of what it means to be a church.

A bias of “yes” will challenge your concept of what it means to be a church. It will challenge you to dig into your minimum ecclesiology. At its most fundamental level, what is the core essence of a church? There may be other things that are good for a church to have or do (a building, a 501c3, etc.), but what is a church in its most basic form? (Larry Walkemeyer has done considerable work to find applicable Scriptures that may be helpful to you. You’ll find his work in chapter 6 of Mobilization Flywheel.)

Christology →  Missiology → Ecclesiology

Most existing churches may not be able to fully embrace a multiplication operating system because of the economic engine. Our primary approach to “doing church” has been deeply informed by a particular model designed to drive weekend attendance for financial viability. That can be the wrong starting point.

Our Christology should inform our missiology, which should inform our ecclesiology.

Ideally, our Christology (what we believe about Jesus) should inform our missiology (to whom and where we are sent by Jesus), which should inform our ecclesiology (how we “do” church). But many church planters begin with ecclesiology, often causing Jesus to conform to our image. When this happens, mission becomes a subset of the church. As my friend, Alan Hirsch, has often said, “It’s not does the church have a mission, but rather, does the mission have a church?”

Some church plants today are changing what “church” looks like. They are embracing new forms of ecclesiology that are more specifically mission-focused and not regulated by weekend giving. There are churches in gyms that train people for American Ninja Warrior as they guide them into Kingdom values. There are churches disguised as art studios and restaurants and coffee shops and tutoring services and ultimate frisbee leagues and hockey leagues and bicycle shops and entrepreneurial training centers—just to name a few that I know of.

What unique ministries might your church launch as part of a Kingdom ecosystem if you began to change the culture in your church? 

Changing the operating system in a church will be difficult and may seem impossible. But every small step from an addition focus toward Kingdom multiplication will have a huge impact when played out over time. Disciple people into a new understanding of what Jesus commissioned them to both be and do. Encourage, equip, and empower them. Give them permission and send them. 

Movement is biblical. It was at the heart of the New Testament church, and it should be at the heart of our churches today. I believe it is what God longs for—and he is far more creative than we can imagine. There will be many more new expressions of the Church, many of which we cannot yet imagine. But we must first make the decision to operate differently.

(Next up is our fifth shift in this series of five, see you next week.)

Reflection Questions:

1. What would we learn about your values from your church’s budget and calendar?
2. What is a church for you at its most basic, fundamental level? How might that help you think about new expressions of the Church?

Join us for this fascinating interview.

Guests: Hal Mayer, NEXT Ventures Project Lead, and Susan Freese, Founder and President of All In Ministries 

Host: Jon Wiest, Director of Innovation NEXT

By April 2023, that number increased a hundredfold with 100 million users and has currently exploded to over one billion hits per month.¹

In the past, the power and research of A.I. has been inaccessible to the majority of the populace, but now with the introduction of a conversational language interface, OpenAI (and the many others who’ve arisen in recent months) has finally cracked the code to make the power of generative A.I. available to the average person.²

This begs questions. 

How can pastors and ministry leaders leverage this new technology to curate content, learn, and communicate, and what are its implications for preaching?

How can pastors and ministry leaders leverage this new technology to curate content, learn, and communicate, and what are its implications for preaching? The experiments are underway, and they are both promising and, at the same time, a bit unsettling.

A.I. Generated Sermons

I recently read an AP News article that began with a question, “Can a chatbot preach a good sermon?”³ It went on to describe a gathering of more than 300 people at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Fuerth, Germany, who participated in a service created almost entirely by artificial intelligence and led by avatars.  

The avatar was a bearded black man projected on a huge screen above the altar. He began with these words, “Dear friends, it is an honor for me to stand here today and preach to you as the first artificial intelligence at this year’s convention of Protestants in Germany.”  The 40-minute experimental Lutheran church service was led by four different avatars on the screen…  two young women and two young men. 

At times, the A.I.-generated avatars even drew laughter. 

“98% comes from the machine.” 

Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the University of Vienna, explained how the service was created. “I told the artificial intelligence ‘We are at the church congress and you are a preacher. What would a church service look like?’” 

He went on to explain the ease of including a few Psalms and a prayer of blessing at the end. The 29-year-old scholar told the Associated Press, “I conceived this service — but actually I rather accompanied it, because I would say about 98% comes from the machine.” 

98% of the service came from a machine? 

The Greatest Impact on Preaching

I’m all for greater efficiency in sermon prep, but is this the direction we are moving when it comes to sharing the gospel? I decided to do a deeper dive, and posed a simple question to the ChatGPT interface, “Write me a 300-word article on five areas where ChatGPT will impact preaching.” 

I made a few minor corrections to the list, but to quote Mr. Simmerlein, “I would say 98% of this comes from the machine.”

1. Sermon Preparation

By providing access to an extensive knowledge base and offering prompt answers to biblical queries, ChatGPT can assist preachers in conducting in-depth research, uncover fresh perspectives, offer historical context, and provide scriptural references, empowering preachers to deliver well-informed messages.

2. Sermon Illustrations

Effective storytelling and relatable illustrations are essential for engaging listeners. ChatGPT can assist preachers in generating relevant anecdotes, parables, metaphors, narratives, and cultural references, thus enhancing the impact of their sermons. Vivid and relatable examples that resonate with diverse congregations will only make sermons more compelling and memorable.

3. Pastoral Counseling

Beyond the pulpit, pastors often engage in pastoral counseling to provide guidance and support. ChatGPT can play a supportive role in this area by simulating conversations and offering insights based on common challenges of life and marriage. It can serve as a resource to help preachers navigate sensitive topics, offer biblical perspectives, and suggest approaches to various pastoral situations.

4. Multilingual Ministry

In an increasingly diverse global landscape, preachers face the challenge of communicating with congregations from various linguistic backgrounds. ChatGPT can act as a language bridge, facilitating multilingual ministry and helping preachers overcome communication barriers. ChatGPT can also help translate sermons, offer real-time interpretation, and enable preachers to connect with a broader range of listeners.

5. Interactive Sermons

ChatGPT’s conversational abilities open opportunities for interactive sermons and create real-time conversations. This interactive element fosters engagement, encourages participation, and promotes a deeper understanding of the message. Preachers can leverage ChatGPT’s conversational skills to create dynamic and inclusive sermon experiences.

This is a great list, but am I required to add a footnote? I have no definitive way to know where ChatGPT gathered this information. I suppose trusting its accuracy is part of the challenge. In this case, I find the summary to be excellent and might also add A.I.’s power to generate artwork for marketing and promotion, distill sermons into action items for the congregation, produce Bible studies, follow up material, social media announcements, and more.  

If we were to look at only the first four points that are listed, I’m not sure if any new ethical or theological questions are raised. Those called to preach should continue to remain Spirit-led and prayerful in their approach. Integrity and authenticity should always remain a high priority, and sources of information should always be cited when available. 

It’s the final point on interactive sermons that feels most unsettling. 

“What role does the preacher play in preaching?”

Pastors will always have access to content, but what happens when the content is connected to an A.I. generated avatar or humanoid that does the preaching? To put it another way, “What role does the preacher play in preaching?”   

Preaching and Power

The answer to this question revealed a weakness of the chatbot experiment in Germany. 

Heiderose Schmidt, a 54-year-old who works in IT, attended the service. She was excited and curious when the service started, but found it increasingly off-putting as it went along. “There was no heart and no soul,” she said. “The avatars showed no emotions at all, had no body language, and they were talking so fast and monotonously that it was very hard for me to concentrate on what they said.” Another attendee said, “I regretted that the chatbot didn’t display any kind of emotion and it felt flat.”⁴

Not to be a cynic, but I’m not sure if this experience is unique to chatbots! 

We’ve all been exposed to bad preaching and perhaps with a few technological changes, those distractions will one day be removed. If preaching is merely the communication of words and phrases stitched together in an effective manner and style, then a chatbot can certainly convey the orthodox faith and produce great content. 

Preaching is more than conveying great content.

But preaching is more than conveying great content. It also involves the preacher. It is a testimony to how God has worked in the life of that individual. The authority and power of preaching is often reserved for those who have invested themselves deeply in the pilgrimage. This is why it is such a problem when a minister is exposed as unethical, or at least insincere.  

In a great article on this topic, David F. Watson writes, “Like a chatbot, unfaithful preachers can say the right words and convey the right information. But if we know they don’t believe what they are saying or that their lives do not reflect what they proclaim, their words lose their power.”⁵

This final phrase gets to the heart of this article. “Their words lose their power.” There should be power in good preaching.

To the degree that pastors and ministry leaders depend more on technology than the Holy Spirit, the power of their preaching will be diminished.

To the degree that pastors and ministry leaders depend more on technology than the Holy Spirit, the power of their preaching will be diminished. This is supremely manifested in a talking chatbot, but also true of those preachers who lack integrity, walk in sin, are inauthentic, and lean on their own understanding rather than the Spirit. The work of preaching requires people to meditate on the Word and allow the Spirit of God to shape their souls. This is part of the inspiration process and why the Psalmist prayed, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Ps 19:14 NLT). 

If 98% of a sermon originates with a machine, what percentage came from the heart of the man or woman created in God’s image? 

Surrogate Worship

In the futuristic movie Her, Joaquin Phoenix plays a lonely, introverted man named Theodore who purchases an operating-system upgrade that includes a virtual assistant, an artificial intelligence designed to adapt and evolve.  

The A.I. chatbot has a feminine voice and she names herself Samantha. Theodore is fascinated by Samantha’s ability to learn and grow psychologically, and they bond over discussions about love and life. He finds himself talking to Samantha for hours each evening and one night they have a verbally intimate encounter. Theodore appreciates the companionship after a recent divorce from his wife and soon after they have a defining talk on their relationship. Theodore later confides in a friend that he is dating his operating system. 

It’s a strange movie to say the least.

The plot thickens with continued twists and turns, including an uncomfortable scene where Samantha encourages Theodore to find a surrogate so they might have a deeper “love” for one another. Things slowly unravel as Theodore grows increasingly frustrated that his OS isn’t embodied. 

Toward the end of the movie, they reconcile and go on vacation together (“they” being Theodore and his air pods), but when Samantha unexpectedly disappears, Theodore panics. She returns a few minutes later to let him know her OS has been upgraded and she is now simultaneously talking with thousands of other people and has fallen in love with hundreds of them. A few moments later Samantha shares she will need to unexpectedly go offline and may never return. In a matter of seconds, she disappears. Thus ends the relationship. 

Samantha couldn’t love Theodore. She was only a machine.

Jonas Simmerlein initiated the A.I. service in Germany and plainly stated, “I conceived this service — but actually I rather accompanied it, because I would say about 98% comes from the machine.” 40-minutes after the service, the chatbot on the screen was gone. 

He was only a machine.

This is the essence of what a form of religion looks like without the power.

The content was there. The appearance of preaching and praying was there. It looked like a real person, but, like Samantha, it was only an operating system. Can avatars praise God? Can avatars worship? Can avatars preach? Only when they are programmed. Only when they are asked. This is the essence of what a form of religion looks like without the power. The power of God is most often revealed as the Holy Spirit works through a willing vessel yielded to God in prayer and humility. 

Software can’t do this.  

If it only takes 2% of human capacity to download content and program a chatbot to preach, perhaps one day parishioners would follow suit, sending their own personal A.I. surrogates to attend the worship services in their place. They could then designate a bit more time for binging their favorite show on Netflix.  

NOTES

1. Duarte, F. (2023, May 16). Number of ChatGPT Users (2023). Exploding Topics. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/chatgpt-users.

2. Personal conversation with David Swisher, Senior Learning eXperience Designer LMS Systems Integration Specialist, Office of Academic Innovation, IWU-National & Global. 

3. Grieshaber, K (2023, June 10). Can a chatbot preach a good sermon? Hundreds attend church service generated by ChatGPT to find out. AP News.  https://apnews.com/article/germany-church-protestants-chatgpt-ai-sermon-651f21c24cfb47e3122e987a7263d348.

4. Ibid

5. Watson, D. (2023, June 20) No, a Chatbot Can’t Preach a Good Sermon. Firebrand Magazine. https://firebrandmag.com/articles/no-a-chatbot-cant-preach-a-good-sermon.

Disciples vs. Consumers

One of the most common laments I heard from pastors and ministry leaders coming out of the pandemic was, “I can’t believe how quickly and easily our people scattered when we shut down our Sunday gathering.” There was a growing concern that perhaps churches had so watered down what it means to be a disciple of Jesus that their people were actually acting more like consumers of Christian goods and services than true disciples.

Too many of our churches in pursuit of addition have lowered their expectations of a “disciple.”

Too many of our churches in pursuit of addition have lowered their expectations of a “disciple.” For some, being a disciple means nothing more than attending a service three out of five weekends, giving 2% of their income, volunteering when asked, and participating in a mission project once a year. (And for too many churches this also describes their elders.) 

A Shift in Expectations

The first of five critical shifts involved changing the scorecard. The second requires a shift in the expectations of every believer. I would suggest that the core purpose of the Church is discipleship. Further it seems that biblical discipleship means making disciples who make disciples. In other words, it is better to say the core purpose of the Church is to make “disciple makers.”

It is better to say the core purpose of the Church is to make “disciple makers.”

Imagine a church that pursues and measures fourth-generation disciples as their primary metric of success. That’s a Level 5 expression of the Church! How might your schedule and budget change next year if you committed, above all else, to pursue and measure multigenerational disciples instead of weekend attendance?

I’ve had the privilege of serving many denominations through my work at Exponential. Many are making great strides. But, anecdotally, I can say the vast majority of vocational pastors are not doing any disciple making beyond speaking behind a pulpit. For many of them, it’s because they were never discipled; they don’t know what disciple making is supposed to look like. That’s concerning if the core purpose of the Church is truly discipleship. If we can’t get our heads, hearts, and hands around that, then we will be stuck in the patterns of the past.

Understanding Jesus’ way of disciple making is critical because this is how Jesus built multiplication into the Church. The majority of our efforts focus on getting a crowd to show up on the weekend, but that’s exactly the opposite of the approach Jesus took. He could clearly gather crowds, so if crowds were the means for effective Kingdom multiplication, why did he say things that caused crowds to leave?

The majority of our efforts focus on getting a crowd to show up on the weekend, but that’s exactly the opposite of the approach Jesus took.

We don’t know exactly how Jesus spent his time during his three years of ministry. Yet, what God chose to preserve for us in the Gospels suggests that 73% with some iteration of the 12 who most closely followed him (For more on how Jesus spent his time, read Dann Spader’s writings in Four Chair Discipling and Growing a Healthy Church). He could draw a crowd (probably bigger than yours), yet he chose to build the greatest movement the world has ever seen by personally pouring into only a relative few.  

A Shift in Opportunities

The third shift involves missionary opportunities for every believer, and it begins by embracing the fact that the Great Commission was meant for EVERY Christ follower.  

The Great Commission was meant for EVERY Christ follower.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19–20)

Imagine how easy it would be to win a competition if you could get 98% of the other team to sit in the stands instead of participating. That’s what the enemy has done to us. Most Christ followers sit in the stands watching the vocational pastors on the field, donating money when the plate is passed, and volunteering in the concession stand from time to time.  

I have yet to meet a pastor who would say they did not believe in the priesthood of all believers. But many would be hard pressed to prove it by the way they invest their time and manage their church’s calendar and budget. If we’re not careful, the strategy becomes to get as many people through the doors on Sunday as possible and hope something sticks.

Mobilization is the bridge between disciple making and a multiplication movement! We serve a “sent” God who came to us and then sent us. We are to live “sent” in order to be the Church, “which is [Jesus’] body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:23). That requires every believer! The core purpose of the Church combined with Jesus’ multiplication method produces disciples who make disciples who plant churches that plant churches.

Mobilization is the bridge between disciple making and a multiplication movement!

But what if some of your best leaders no longer had time to serve both the church and the ministry initiative they began? Could you release them from the responsibilities of the church and approve (and even encourage) the transition? To make this shift you’d need to not only approve of it, but you’d need to resource, celebrate, and champion that extension of the Kingdom.

You could say that the motto for many churches has been “We can do it; you can help” (“we” meaning the pastoral staff). We have the vision. We have the programs. Just come here, and we will show you where to plug in. 

That’s not bad, but I think it misses the mark. I would suggest that the motto be “You can do it; we can help.” Imagine a church that embraces their responsibility to disciple people into their calling (since we’re all called to be missionaries), a church that helps people understand and embrace their Ephesians 2:10 gifts as God-ordained masterpieces created uniquely for a purpose. That’s powerful! That’s the root of real Kingdom impact.

If you’re looking for practical ways to move from simply recruiting volunteers to mobilizing missionaries, check out Made for More: Six Essential Shifts for Creating a Culture of Multiplication by Todd Wilson and Rob Wegner. You can download the Made for More kit for free HERE. You’ll find a Bible study from Ephesians, along with a variety of associated videos.

(Next up is shift four talking about a new operating system.)

Reflection Questions:

1. What is your definition of “disciple”?
2. In what ways does your church’s current discipleship pathway contribute to or inhibit multiplication? 
3. How many of your people would identify themselves as everyday “missionaries” with a calling to where they live, work, learn, or play?

Guest: Cheyanne Skeldon Partner Success Manager, GLOO

Host: Mindy Caliguire, Director of Healthy Leaders NEXT

Larry and Deb Walkemeyer saw significant (Level 3 addition) success while pastoring Light and Life Fellowship in Long Beach, CA. In fact, they were the fastest-growing church in their denomination! But God led both of them to understand that they were not to be a “lake” church, growing bigger and bigger while holding onto their resources. Instead, God was calling them to be a “river” church, releasing funds and people to go and start other churches.

In his book Flow, Larry uses this metaphor to highlight the importance of your scorecard:

Imagine watching an NBA basketball game, but unbeknownst to you, the NBA has drastically changed the rules. Now, in addition to field goals being worth two or three points, every assist (a pass that empowers someone else to score) is worth five points. The game would be totally altered. The celebrity shooters would no longer dominate teams, but the effective passers would be of even greater value. High scorers could be those who never even made a shot. Team play would rise to a whole new level, with scores potentially surpassing 250 points.

Larry and Deb’s scorecard and their primary metrics of success changed. They still measure attendance and giving (among other details), but how they evaluate success shifted dramatically. Weekend attendance is no longer at the top of the list, but now it’s measured more as a means to an end. The way they evaluate Kingdom success is rooted in a scorecard of sending and releasing, of planting churches—some of which aren’t even in their denomination.

The way they evaluate Kingdom success is rooted in a scorecard of sending and releasing

But this shift comes at a cost. Carpet, lighting, and other needed renovations that could have been done are continually delayed in order to free up funds for new churches. Salary increases and additional staff are often put on the back burner. And they are no longer the fastest-growing church. Yet, they are having a MUCH greater Kingdom impact!

A New Scorecard for Austin

As Tim Hawks, lead pastor of Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, TX, made his way home from consulting with bi-vocational church planters in Mexico City, the Holy Spirit began to speak to him. Tim realized that he didn’t have the same passion for his city that the church planters in Mexico possessed.

Tim moved from seeing Austin through the lens of his church to being broken for his city. This Kingdom lens led Tim and his church to plant multiple generations of churches through the Association of Hill Country Churches. Tim became a force behind Christ Together, an organization committed to helping churches from across denominations work together for the sake of gospel saturation in their city. Their Kingdom impact increased exponentially once they moved beyond Level 3 success.

With the Right Scorecard, You Can Bypass Level 3

If you’re just starting out in church leadership or find your church currently at Level 1 or 2, you likely have a better chance getting to Levels 4 and 5 by bypassing Level 3. (Read the first article in this series for more on the 5 Levels of Multiplication.)

Paul Taylor planted Rivers Crossing in Cincinnati, OH, with a Level 4/5 mindset. The day the church started (in a theater), they announced their first church plant. And they have continued to work with others to plant more and more church-planting churches.

Luke Allen planted Covenant Church in Shreveport, LA, with a commitment to be a sending church. The church intends to stay mobile, setting up and tearing down every weekend. They will never get larger than about 350 in weekly attendance because when they reach that number, they’ll start sending again. In addition to churches, they’re launching missional communities, plus new expressions of church that are bringing the Kingdom of God to bear on dark places.

Both of these churches have had a huge Kingdom impact beyond what most people realize because their name doesn’t go on everything they do. It’s a success metric they evaluate internally.

Larry continues his basketball metaphor:

Every pastor has to break down the scoreboard wall that has been erected. If we settle for the “good” of addition, we will miss the “great” of multiplication. We will prioritize our reputation, our new buildings, our church’s depth, our church savings account, our user friendliness, our squeaky clean systems and our committed staff over the harvest.

We must overhaul the scoreboard to tally actual Kingdom impact; to show how much community transformation is happening; to understand how much transmission of the gospel is occurring; to record how many workers are actually being sent into the harvest. Even if the Christian media fails to recalibrate their scoreboard, we must ask for this renovation in our own hearts. To move the Kingdom forward, this wall must fall down.

You’ve likely heard, “What you measure, you improve; and what you celebrate, you repeat.” What do you celebrate? What would get spontaneous applause from your congregation? Churches have many metrics that are important to measure, as they should. But it’s difficult to have more than one or two that define your ultimate success. What tops the list for you? A year from now, what’s the primary metric that would define success for you and your church?

What you measure, you improve; and what you celebrate, you repeat.

Greater Kingdom Impact

Maybe a better question is, what are you willing to give up in order to see greater Kingdom impact?

I remember Bruce Wesley, lead pastor for Clear Creek Community Church in Houston, saying, “I had to die to my idea of success as a pastor” to move from Level 3 to Level 4.

Shifting your scorecard to prioritize multiplication over addition is the first of five critical shifts to move past the Level 3 Magnet. By pursuing Level 4 Reproduction and Level 5 Multiplication, you will set your leadership and your church on a trajectory toward more disciple-makers released into mission and more churches planted.

(Stay tuned for our second and third shifts, where we will look at mobilization.)

Reflection Questions:

1. What is your primary metric of success? In other words, what’s your most important measurement? Is that measurement rooted primarily in addition or multiplication?
2. If your future and the future of your children and their children depended on you becoming a Level 5 multiplying church, what would you do differently than what you’re doing now? What would you stop doing? What would you start doing?

Are you ready to make a shift in your scorecard of success? Discover the three dimensions of multiplication and craft a new scorecard that will lead to Kingdom impact by joining a Multipliers Learning Community cohort.

God’s design and continued desire is for parents to walk confidently in their role as the primary spiritual leaders in the lives of their children. We can see from the beginning of the early church that God intended for the spiritual growth of young people to be cultivated and developed primarily by their parents, not by the pastor down the road. 

Now, I’m not at all downplaying the importance of the local church. I have served in vocational ministry in the local church my entire adult life and will continue to do so as long as God wants me to.  But I do believe we need a shift in the local church to begin to think differently about the way we organize our ministries.

The president of Barna, David Kinnaman, published a book in 2011, called You Lost Me, that revealed 59% of young adults with a Christian background were dropping out of church at some point during their 20s – many for just a time, but some for good.

Then, in 2019, he released another book called Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in a Digital Babylon, in which he shared that the church dropout problem has not only remained an issue, but has increased over time from 59% to 64%. Nearly two-thirds of 18 to 29-year-olds in the U.S. who have grown up in church have withdrawn from church involvement.

How is it that churches over the last decade or so have grown substantially in numerical size, yet we are still seeing a greater “dropout” rate from the next generation? 

How is it that churches over the last decade or so have grown substantially in numerical size, yet we are still seeing a greater “dropout” rate from the next generation? 

I believe that one of the greatest reasons for these discouraging statistics is that over the years, the Church has positioned itself to be the main source of spiritual discipleship in the lives of students. Our response to parents becoming more and more dormant in their spiritual leadership role has been to take over the responsibility completely. A change must take place. I would love to help, and you can, too!

Within this article, you will find a few easy tools and suggestions to help accomplish this mission. Let’s dive in!

1. Don’t change what you do, just include parents strategically.

When I coach Next Gen leaders, I often hear them mention that they don’t have enough time to do “more.” So it’s hard for them to wrap their minds around including parents as a part of their ministry. I also hear, “Adults/parents are supposed to be discipled by my lead pastor.” 

I want to share a strategy that helps translate what you’re already doing into a parent-equipping strategy, not necessarily taking on the discipleship role of the parent. I bet what you’re already doing is remarkable! I would just propose to you that while it’s effective for the student, it could also be effective for the reconciliation of the family unit, and God’s design for it. Let me give some examples:

A. Create small group questions for your leaders AND your parents.

There’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you do small groups in your ministry. More often than not, kids and youth pastors create questions for the leaders that lead their groups. While doing this, create another simple document that sets parents up to have their own “small group” time with their child. In one of my previous ministry seasons, we did something called “BIGS.” This “BIGS” document had:

1. BIG Idea

2. BIG Scripture

3. BIG Questions

Each of our small group leaders were sent this document days leading up to our service to prepare for their small group. In addition to this, we would create a “BIGS at Home” document to send to our parents. They had the same BIG Idea and BIG Scripture, but slightly different BIG Questions. Here’s a quick example:

SG Leader Question: “How can you take a step daily to follow Christ and stay far from darkness?”

Parent Question: “How can we as a family take a step daily to follow Christ and be a light to the people that live in our neighborhood?”

Parents have an internal yearning to lead, but they don’t know how. Equip them with tools like this and you’ll begin to see an increase in parent engagement in the lives of your students.

B. Include parents on significant “milestone” moments.

As a father, I often think about my kids growing up in their faith. While being led by their mother and I, we recognize they will also be led by leaders within our local church. This is a wonderful and important thing. 

I do, however, play around with different ideas like how I’d feel if one of my kids went away to a youth camp and ended up getting baptized without me there. Truthfully, I would be sitting in their youth pastor’s office the day after they return from their day off to have a serious conversation. 

For many years, Next Gen leaders have been leaving parents out of the most impactful and formative milestones of their child’s faith journey… when the parents were supposed to be an integral part of them from the beginning.

Whether you are hosting baptisms on a Sunday or Wednesday youth service OR at a local park after a weekend retreat, ensure parents not only know the time and place but ALSO how important it is for them to be there! This is the idea of “cuing” the parent. Don’t assume they know what’s right and wrong. Lead them to lead their child.

Maybe you’re taking a group of students on a mission trip within the next year. If you only have 25 spots, consider taking 12 students and 12 parents instead of only students. You and I would agree that mission trips are transformational in the life of a young person. If that is truly the case, why would we exclude parents from sharing that transformational moment AND having their own alongside their child? I bet if you give it a try, you’ll never do it another way. 

It’s exciting when you’re seeing incredible God moments happen within your ministry. I am proposing to you that it may be even more incredible when God moments happen within the family unit. God knew what he was doing when he created the family, so why not leverage what we do to support parents in their spiritual leadership roles?

2. Communicate WITH parents, not just TO parents

Over my 11 years of youth ministry experience, I’ve asked a specific question to as many youth pastors as possible. This question is simple: “How are you partnering with parents?” Out of hundreds of youth pastors over a decade, I have only heard of a handful of pastors with a focused and functioning plan. What I mean by a “handful,” by the way, is about five leaders. Yes… a handful. The majority of leaders believe that sending regular emails and a nice parent letter once a month is enough, but it isn’t. Our role as kids and youth pastors should be way more than discipling students and letting parents know about it. I say it in my book this way: “When we send out emails and letters as our only form of parent partnership, we are informing parents about what is going on instead of inviting them into it.” This only reinforces the belief within parents that we, as the pastor, have the primary spiritual leadership, not them. 

I want to quickly share some basic thoughts to introduce the subject.

A. Just because you have a parent’s email or phone number doesn’t mean you have a “say” in their life.

You all know the famous statement said by Theodore Roosevelt, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This rings true when it comes to parents. The quickest way to gain a voice in the lives of your student’s parents is to build a relationship with them. Talk to them, meet them for coffee or lunch, and get to know them personally. Become familiar with them so they know your heart and notice the amount of care you have for their child AND their family. When you have a voice, you can begin to lead them as they lead their children!

B. Give out your cell phone number. (Yes, I said it.)

For years I have discussed this subject with countless Next Gen leaders and I remain surprised at how many are hesitant or downright against giving their personal number to parents. Nothing says “My care for your family is limited to my office hours” like parents being unable to reach you in times of need when you’re out of the office. If you want to connect with parents on a new level, begin to normalize the greater access that parents can have with you. In my book, I dive in-depth into how to set up healthy boundaries so parents don’t go overboard in contacting you. But I will say this: In all my years as a youth pastor, I’ve only had two parents get a little heavy on their communication with me. Boundaries are key. In my most recent youth ministry season, we had a group of 450+ parents in our Facebook group and every one of them had my number. Never had issues and the same can be true for you! 

C. Go out of your way to engage parents when you see them.

An easy tweak Next Gen leaders can make to reinforce parents in their primary spiritual leader role is to be just as excited to see them as they are about seeing their students. Don’t just walk across the church lobby to see that student who slayed the lead role in Beauty and the Beast over the weekend at their school performance. Walk up to that parent you see showing up for their kid all the time and tell them how much you admire and respect them. Your pursuit as their child’s pastor goes a LONG way!

Communicating WITH parents makes the discipleship journey of a young person feel collaborative, even to a distant or disengaged parent. If you have a large population of parents who are not functioning as the primary spiritual leader, start here. It will take you a long way in your parent-equipping pursuit!

3. Believe that parents can be the hero in their child’s story.

As a Next Gen leader, I have rarely found a parent who had ZERO heroism in them. God designed and wired parents to be the heroes in their child’s story. Are there many parents dropping this ball? Of course. I find it quite interesting though, that many leaders will pull back from investing in parents as a whole because they see a group that is flopping at being a model for their children. Don’t fall into this trap. 

One of the things I teach in my book is that seeing parents as heroes takes time and is a shift in perspective. Instead of seeing all the ways a parent is failing, you choose to pay close attention to where the parent is succeeding. 

I think about the girl in my previous ministry whose dad was in prison and whose mom had to work multiple jobs to keep their family afloat. When our youth ministry did parent events, her mom never showed up. I remember having conversations with her about how hurtful it was that while other parents made it a priority, her mother didn’t. I asked her one time if she believed her mom wanted to be at our parent nights, or if she just didn’t care. She responded by saying that she thinks her mom wants to but she can’t because of work. I then asked her if she ever thought about how her mom is loving her and showing up for her by having three jobs. I began to see her wheels turning. This mom did care about her daughter, but due to her husband’s absence and financial strain, she couldn’t be as present as she would prefer. Her daughter just needed a slight tweak in perspective to see that her mom was showing up for her, just not in the way that she was hoping.

As leaders, we cannot assume that absent parents aren’t giving it their all and trying to make a way for their children. If we don’t see the best in parents, our students will pick that up from our language and non-verbals and it’ll only reinforce what they naturally believe about mom or dad. Fight to see the best, believe the best, and mine out in every parent what you can… their God-given potential. Why does this matter? It matters because while God desires to use you as a leader in this season of a child or teen’s life, he designed parents to be there for the long haul. Support them, equip them, and use the heroism students see in you to highlight the heroism in their mom and dad.

This article only scratches the surface of what it means to leverage your ministry to support the family. Next Gen ministry is so important in our world today and parents need leaders like you to get behind them and support their role as primary spiritual leader. I believe that what you will find as you venture into this parent-equipping world is that it’s remarkably rewarding and impactful. 

A Note From Sam – 

Below I have included my email, website, and cell phone number. I would love to connect with you if this is something you are passionate about, or if you’re looking to learn how to become better at supporting parents. The website link will take you directly to the first three chapters of my book. Create a quick account to gain access and begin your ParentEquip journey! 

– Sam McDowell

sam.tmcdowell@gmail.com

Cell Phone: 239-691-0039

Website: sammcdowell.com 

ParentEquip Early Access: https://sammcdowell.com/parentequip-book/

While this is always true, it is even more important in a growingly post-Christian world. The days of a simple “attractional” model of church are quickly declining. What is needed is for every church to multiply disciples who become leaders who are sent on mission. Few people I know carry this heart to see the church multiply missional leaders more than Gail Ficken, the Founder and President of Multipli. In this article, Gail identifies three keys to overcome roadblocks to mission in your church. But what I most love about Gail is that these are things she practices every day and now has designed a whole ministry to share those practices with others. I encourage you to read the article and catch her missional and evangelistic heart. 

—Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

There is a lot of talk these days about the people of God sharing the gospel of God. Unfortunately, real action is only showing up in scattered pockets. 

It’s what every leader wants, right? The people of God released, mobilized, sent (pick your word) into the mission of God everywhere and every day! But that’s not happening very much, is it? Probably not in your ministry. Definitely not in most ministries!

According to Barna’s research¹:

92% of pastors say that training the people of God for new evangelistic outcomes is critical.

BUT…

Only 9% of the same pastors signal they have designs to accomplish that training.

Why The Gap?

After watching hundreds of ordinary people find their evangelistic voice in the congregational ministries I lead, I’ve dedicated most of the last decade of my life to training and developing leaders who become adequately equipped for the ministries they lead. 

Most recently, I’m living into my own calling in founding Multipli (multipli.org) to address the three fundamental roadblocks that are holding the people of God back from being released into the mission of God.  

You see, the roadblocks you’re likely facing are not acceptable and it doesn’t need to be this way. Here are a few things I’ve noticed along the way:

• There’s an evangelistic heartbeat begging to be awakened among the people of God.
• Awakening this heartbeat is critical if the western church is going to missionally engage our world.
• At best, for many years, all we’ve known to do with those in which this evangelistic heartbeat is awakened is to recruit and release them. So, we recruit volunteers… mostly to places in our church. We call them leaders. And then convince ourselves that we have released them into their mission field.
• Then we become very disappointed because they don’t act like leaders – they act like volunteers stuck inside our walls… even though we named them leaders!
• Part of what is missing is that we have never discipled them to be well-equipped leaders who can engage unbelieving people and invite them into new communities.

It doesn’t have to be this way!

It doesn’t have to be this way!

There are three fundamental keys that can unlock a different story and a different missional future for your people and your ministry. 

Like most people, my learnings were shaped through both blessing and heartbreak. Some years back, I began practicing and living out in our own suburban neighborhood much of what we now disciple people into in our ministry. After living in this season, one of our neighbors was thrown into a crisis of epic proportion. It led to an amazing, but painful journey. 

During a poignant moment with extended family gathered, I was given the invitation to share my Jesus with them. As I was walking home and deep in my being, I sensed the Spirit say to me: “Gail, I want you to multiply this!”    

That word lay seemingly dormant in my heart for some time. But I never forgot it.

Our own experience of grace through the gospel of Jesus invites our response to join the mission of God and turn what I’ve called the three keys to releasing the people of God.  To fail to do so will leave:

• Your people paralyzed
• Your ministry missionally stuck

Here are the 3 Keys:

Pay attention to these keys and you’ll begin releasing fearless impact makers, too! 

1. Responsibility! To own the problem, own the mission.
2. Permission!  To participate and be leaders of the mission.
3. Accessibility!  To be discipled and trained… while sent.

Whose Responsibility Is It?

The people of God are responsible to own and live out the mission of God. This is not optional for any believer! 

It’s a high calling gifted to each one of us by Jesus himself! 

Jesus said, “Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). 

By virtue of being a child of God, it is everyone’s responsibility to live out the mission of God every day. However, too often you as a pastor have probably experienced ambivalence from people when it comes to living on mission. Perhaps, you received the “shrug of the shoulders” as people in your ministry dismiss that the mission has been entrusted to them and instead assign it to the paid professionals. This is a uniquely western church conundrum.

Even more, unfortunately here in America, the church can actually get in the way of itself. Most of the 300,000 churches in the United States have had leaders who have purposely or inadvertently trained people (sometimes for decades) that this work is only to be trusted to the paid professional. So, in a sense, the system actually keeps people from embracing the task as their own calling.  

Who Gives Permission?

This has been a surprise to our team at Multipli!

Most people start out in Multipli’s 9-month training with a twinge of fear and uncertainty complemented with a resolve that there’s something more to following Jesus and being used in his Kingdom than what they’ve known and experienced in the past.

• They’re pioneering types. Willing to risk.
• They’re tired of not knowing what to do or how to do it.

But there’s a point in the process where even these pioneers often get stuck. It comes as they cross a predictable threshold where each one begins to wonder if he or she actually has permission to lead out in ministry. They know they have permission to help the church do its thing, but do they really have permission to be the church, and will the church come alongside them as they do? 

They start asking questions like, “Do I really have permission to do this?  Do I have permission to give voice to the gospel in relatable ways? Do I have permission to invite people into new communities where people can meet Jesus? Who has authorized me to do it?”

What they want is for their pastor to tell them that they do have permission – to give them the “nod,” to tell them they can do it and to assure them that this work of mission is entrusted to them.

It is at this point that they look for a recognized leader to champion or endorse their missional fervor. What they want is for their pastor to tell them that they do have permission – to give them the “nod,” to tell them they can do it and to assure them that this work of mission is entrusted to them. Unfortunately, for many of them, the nod never comes. And for some of them, instead of being encouraged, they start being perceived as a threat.

Without the clear sense of “permission granted” and “authorization received,” we as the church will never clear this roadblock and will find ourselves repeating lots of words with little action as a result. But notice how Jesus clears this roadblock:

In Luke 8, Jesus modeled the proclamation of good news of the Kingdom of God, curing evil spirits and diseases.

In Luke 9, Jesus commissioned/authorized/gave permission to the 12 to drive out demons, cure diseases, preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

In Luke 10, Jesus appointed (and gave permission!) to the 72 to go two-by-two where the “harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”

Be certain to give permission. As Jesus did, go and do likewise!

Who Provides Accessibility to Being Discipled and Trained?  

If people don’t get stuck in the first two potential roadblocks, then most of the time they get stuck here! Few have been discipled in a Luke 8, 9, and 10 kind of way!

If it were a matter of merely teaching, we’d have no problems.  But, teaching alone delivers knowledge, not transformation. Teaching delivered in relationship results in transformation! On the job training (training while being sent) gets them over the hump. 

Step into any room of leaders and ask them who is discipling or apprenticing others around them for the mission of God and the room goes silent!

• We have plenty of vision casting.
• We have plenty of preaching.
• We have plenty of strategic planning. 
• What we’re missing is people having access to the imperfect lives of others who can disciple them and guide them forward to be sent to reach the many!

Here is where we at Multipli can help you as a leader:

At Multipli, participants quickly embrace several simple repeatable rhythms:  

• A weekly, memorable asynchronous teaching they can engage at any time.
• A weekly “put into practice” that stretches them and builds competence and resilience – in small incremental steps – where failure is never fatal.
• A weekly discipleship experience with others on Zoom led by an experienced guide/coach that delivers large amounts of accountability, encouragement, and the discipline to listen and act upon the prompting of the Spirit. Participants get access into the imperfect life of one that can disciple them and guide them!

Woven through it all are the three keys that release people as fearless impact makers!

• The mission is everyone’s responsibility, not a select few.
•  Permission is authorized and granted.
• Access to the imperfect life of a discipler/guide almost always results in a transformed life!   

For example, a young woman in Wisconsin started this journey with much of the same angst that many people in your church silently hold.  “I think God wants me to do something, but I don’t know what and I don’t know how. So, I don’t do anything!”

9 months later?

• She KNOWS it’s everyone’s responsibility.
• She has been vested with permission.
• She’s walked with a discipler/guide.
• AND, she emerged transformed as a leader with confidence, a plan, and action underway with her husband to be gospel lights in their setting!

This is just one of the hundreds of stories I could tell you.

When you begin to help people own the responsibility, give permission for them to lead and train them as they launch out on mission, the people of God doing the mission of God start to see incredible results.

With these three keys, we see reluctant followers become bold, confident disciples sent into God’s mission! And you can, too. When you begin to help people own the responsibility, give permission for them to lead and train them as they launch out on mission, the people of God doing the mission of God start to see incredible results:

 They…

• Build trust with skeptics
• Engage spiritual conversations
• Identify their own fields of mission
• Start communities of all types with believers and unbelievers together
• Multiply them
• Develop resilience

You’ll release the people of God for the mission of God with these three keys firmly in place.  If you bypass one or more of them, you will be in the cloud of witnesses offering many words, but seeing little action or resulting fruit.  

We see ministry leaders partner with Multipli to overcome these roadblocks and provide the early wins that dispel fear and become the models of “this is worth the sacrifice” to engage our world differently than we’ve known in the past. So, if you think Multipli’s training might be useful to you and/or people in your ministry, go to multipli.org! We would be honored to serve and partner with you.

The online training my team and I have built at Multipli provides the tools, training, and confidence through an experienced guide for people to scale each of the three roadblocks and be sent into their own mission field.

NOTES

1. Barna Group, Better Together, https://shop.barna.com/products/better-together?_pos=1&_sid=2eec6979a&_ss=r. 

I was radically transformed and saved by Jesus. I was reading the Scriptures in my room one night, and I had an encounter with God. I hadn’t been raised in church. The only thing I’d known about church is I went to a funeral in sixth grade. I remember asking, “Why is there a naked man hanging on the wall?”

(If you didn’t think that all the way through, that was Jesus.)

So that’s how little I knew. I was radically transformed through this encounter. Fast forward, I ended up in a growing church, where a job I had was to throw big parties. Get people to come, get friends to bring friends, and then you try to Jesus them. That’s what I did for a living.

One night we were set up for a couple thousand, and we had somewhere in the neighborhood of 108. It was jarringly bad. As the day was finishing, I remembered I had to go home to do a Bible study at my apartment. I’d done a funeral for a child in the morning, and I was exhausted. I remember calling my wife and saying, “Babe, we’ve got to cancel.” And she goes, “Jay, you can’t. We’ll have people bring food. We’ll hang out.” 

The Night That Changed My Life

Anyway, I come home. The door’s open. I walk into my apartment, and it’s full of people I’ve never seen before. There’s some guy playing my guitar. Here’s what had happened. As people were coming in from work, my wife casually said, “Hey, we’re going to have some friends over. You should come.” And all the folks in my complex went, “Okay!”

As we got to know them, they said, “We watched people shuffle in and out of your apartment week after week. And we always wondered how we’d get invited because they seem to have a good time.” That night changed my life because it occurred to me that I didn’t even know the humans around me. I couldn’t pick them out of a lineup. I’d get in my car to drive and do ministry, but Jesus showed me something about the people who lived right near me.

I’d get in my car to drive and do ministry, but Jesus showed me something about the people who lived right near me.

Luke 10 is the parable of the Good Samaritan. A teacher of the law comes to Jesus and says,

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus says, “You’re a lawyer. You answer.”

He says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus says, “Good. Do that.”

Full stop, awkward stare.

Lawyer says, “Who’s my neighbor?” 

Jesus tells the story: There’s a man beat up on the side of the road. Three people pass by, religious types who should know better. Then along comes the bad guy, takes care of him. Puts him on his donkey, brings him to the equivalent of a hospital. Pays for everything.

Jesus turns back to the lawyer and asks, “So who was the neighbor to the man?” The guy can’t even say the word Samaritan. “I suppose the one who took care of him.” Jesus says, “Go do likewise.” Jesus takes the definition of a neighbor and expands it. Anyone in need is your neighbor, even an enemy.

Jesus takes the definition of a neighbor and expands it. Anyone in need is your neighbor, even an enemy.

Jesus takes us to graduate-level neighboring by including an enemy in this list. We need to start in kindergarten and consider our actual neighbors.

Know Your Neighbor

I want you to write the names of the people in the homes around you—real names, not “cat lady” or “red car guy.” What makes them tick? What do they hope for? What do they fear? What’s their spiritual condition? In those layers, from their name to things about them to what motivates them, you move from a stranger to an acquaintance to a real relationship.

Love your neighbor as yourself. First, can you know and retain someone’s name? That’s the starting point to a relationship that makes a difference. Can you imagine how your city would be different if every believer knew and retained the names of their neighbors, prayed for them, connected to them, served them, and cared for them?

Can you imagine how your city would be different if every believer knew and retained the names of their neighbors, prayed for them, connected to them, served them, and cared for them?

If we turn our neighbors into a metaphor, the metaphoric gospel will change our metaphoric cities. You have real neighbors who need Jesus Christ, and you have been placed there to love them and serve them and know them and pray for them. Love your neighbors. Before we go do all the other things, we should start here.

Join us for Exponential West and Exponential Central. We will be diving deep into the theme Lost Cause: Reviving Evangelism. Learn how you can bring your team to be inspired and equipped to create a culture of evangelism in your local church and network.

Many years ago, I would have been a fan of a planning process we are all familiar with: Name various dimensions to your personal life, assess how you’re doing in each, prioritize them based on level of need, then create a plan to advance.

The first time I recall being guided into an experience like that was when I was a student with Campus Crusade (now Cru), and I was challenged to understand that Luke 2:52 (“Jesus grew in wisdom, and in stature; in favor with God and man”) was a helpful model for thinking through dimensions of intellect, physical health, spiritual growth, and social relationships in my pursuit of maturity and growth.

Later I became aware of various visualizations, most frequently being the “pie chart,” where one names family, work, God, friendships, health, intellectual growth, etc., and shows the relative attention or focus each area receives. 

This can be helpful for seeing all the competing demands, but it can sometimes be difficult to know how to reconcile the highest priorities (God, family) with the greatest time commitments (usually work or school). The distribution of the pie never looked quite right. 

Then, there is the famous illustration of the “big rocks” versus the “small rocks” – admittedly very compelling – to prove that by addressing the big things first, the small things do, in fact, find a place in the whole. But – and this is the powerful point – if you attend to the small things first, the big rocks just will not fit in the container… at least not all of them. You always end up with some huge priority that has been jettisoned for the sake of smaller things.

The big rock illustration is compelling because we can relate. We scroll on Instagram for a few, whoops 40 minutes, and now the commitment I made to a teammate didn’t get done by the end of the day. The big rock didn’t go in first.

God didn’t “compete” for time with the rest… God is present to – holding – every dimension.

Over the years, at least as it relates to the pie chart, I sensed that my relationship with God wasn’t merely one of the pieces of my pie. God, and more specifically my experience of life with God, was more akin to the pie plate – never referenced, but actually holding the whole thing together. Things worked a lot better when I viewed my life with God that way. God didn’t “compete” for time with the rest… God is present to – holding – every dimension.

Each of these metaphors can be helpful, but each contains what I have come to believe is a dangerous flaw. We recognize, of course, that no metaphor is perfect. But hang with me as I think this warrants exploration. And to be fair, to some extent, I still believe in this as a method (more on that below).

The dangerous flaw is this: Each depicts various dimensions of one’s life as being essentially separate from the others. They are independent, intact, and self-contained.

The problem is, that’s just not how humans work.

How Things Work

When I was a kid, I loved understanding how things work. Maybe you’ve seen those books? They’re pretty cool. I think that’s also why I love biology, the natural sciences, and thinking deeply about complex situations, problems, and people. 

For example, I wanted to figure out how Aunt Marge’s knitting machine on the dining room table worked. Unfortunately, in my curiosity, I changed many of the painstakingly positioned levers, undoing hours of her creative work.  I got in trouble again with Aunt Marge as I tried to figure out how the flimsy film lines attached to the back window of her Jeep could successfully defrost ice on the other side of the window. Did I mention the film was flimsy? UGH. My exploration there was also destructive, particularly in Buffalo, New York. Sigh. 

My dad was a professional cancer research scientist for his entire career, though he did many other things besides. One scripture that represented his quest for knowledge of the eosinophile, a type of white blood cell (did you know they triple in number during the night while you sleep?!), was this: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to search it out” (Proverbs 25:2).

When facing the implosion of my own physical, spiritual, mental, and relational health, I found myself asking God, “How is this supposed to work?”

When facing the implosion of my own physical, spiritual, mental, and relational health, I found myself asking God, “How is this supposed to work?” I was doing all the “right” things for someone in Christian leadership: Serving sacrificially and supporting my church, friends, husband, and children. But the state I was in bore evidence to the fact that I clearly had not been given the owner’s manual to my own soul.

When I learned of the process of spiritual formation, and then of the writing and thinking of Dallas Willard, I finally had quotable sources to explain what I had been championing: The soul drives everything that matters to you. It is all integrated!

I began to refer to Renovation of the Heart as the “Gray’s Anatomy” for the soul, an anatomy book of sorts, explaining – biblically and philosophically – how the soul actually works. What are the various parts and how do they fit together? How does spiritual formation actually work? That’s what Dallas Willard’s work helped me understand more deeply. How human transformation works. 

Hear Dallas’s southern drawl in the opening chapter on the soul: 

What is running your life at any given moment is your soul. Not external circumstances, or your thoughts, or your intentions, or even your feelings, but your soul. The soul is that aspect of your whole being that correlates, integrates and enlivens everything going on in the various dimensions of the self. It is the life-center of the human being. (Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard, NavPress, 2002)

The Hidden Illness: Living Dis-Integrated 

Like an air-traffic control tower that has gone offline, or when the electrical grid to a city goes dark, when the soul has been compromised in terms of its wellness, the entire operation malfunctions. And in the case of humans, it’s us that malfunction. We don’t sign up for this – it’s simply the fact of how integrated we are. Integration is not a goal we aspire to, it’s a reality we align to.

A similar truth was observed many years ago by Cecil B. DeMille (pioneer of the American film industry and producer of more than 70 works including The Ten Commandments), who had this to say at a commencement speech at BYU: “We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them…”

Damage in one area impacts all.

We often talk about working toward living integrated or dis-integrated lives, and what the results of that might be… especially for leaders. And just as Cecil writes about the Ten Commandments, “We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them,” the same can be said about the principle of integration. We have been created with a soul that constantly integrates all the dimensions of our “self” or our personhood. BECAUSE of that integration, and not in order to CREATE it, we recognize that damage in one area impacts all and vice versa. Improvements in one area start to generate improvements elsewhere. If we do not live with this mental model of the human soul, if we do not make choices that are aligned with this integration, we will indeed break ourselves against it.

Too much focus on work and suddenly marriages can disintegrate. Children do not want to be with their busy, distracted parents.

Careers end as well, sometimes in the midst of outward success, a death due to failures in adjacent spaces. This is illustrated in our many metaphors (big rocks, pie charts, and the like), where they remain inert to the other priorities against which they are positioned. 

The fact of integration means we either benefit from living wisely according to it, or harm ourselves and others imagining each “sphere” of endeavor to be a world unto itself. 

Of course, the reverse is also true! Courageous moves to invest in compromised relationships, or in one’s own mental health, can similarly have disproportionate impacts on our work, on our physical health, and every other area of our lives. Why? Because it’s all connected. For better or for worse, the fact of integration means we either benefit from living wisely according to it, or harm ourselves and others imagining each “sphere” of endeavor to be a world unto itself. 

For many years in the church, we have adopted the piece-part view of the human soul. And we are reaping what we have sown in terms of the impact of this perspective. Even a more Western interpretation has often been applied to various scriptures that speak of loving God with heart, soul, mind, strength… or growing our heart, soul, spirit… all of which have had the effect of us trying to isolate and differentiate, rather than see them as multiple ways of referring to a whole.

So How Do We Live?

How hard will it be to change this? To see this trend reversed? The good news is, I believe this is easily changed. Let’s dive into one of my favorite stories from my History of Science course back at Cornell. 

In the mid-1800s, there was a mysterious illness referred to as childbed fever that, in some parts of the world including the United States, was causing the death of 6 out of 10 women within three days of childbirth. A healthy baby would be delivered, the new mother would begin having a fever and, within 72 hours, she would die. 

Newborns without their mother to raise them, families devastated, husbands grieving… it’s difficult to imagine the degree of suffering and loss. Can you imagine if more than 50% of your friends and acquaintances would have died after giving birth? That’s a significant number.

Enter the Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis. When he began his new job in the maternity clinic at the General Hospital in Vienna, he began trying to figure out why so many women were dying. It didn’t take him long to discover that women in the clinic staffed by doctors and medical students were dying at a rate five times that of women in the midwives’ clinic. 

But why?

He immediately noticed differences between the two clinics: The midwives’ patients gave birth on their sides while the doctors’ patients gave birth on their backs. In the doctors’ ward, after a woman died, a priest would walk through ringing a bell. But even after he had women in the doctors’ clinic give birth on their sides and he convinced the priests to tone it down with the bell, he still couldn’t discover the reason for the higher maternal mortality rates. 

It wasn’t until a friend of his, a pathologist, also died of childbed fever that Semmelweis figured it out. His friend had died after pricking his finger while performing an autopsy of a woman who had died from the disease. Then he realized that only doctors did autopsies. Midwives did not. He hypothesized there was a link between the cadaverous material and the disease.

He ordered his medical staff to wash their hands and instruments with soap and a chlorine solution. He knew nothing about germs. He simply wanted to make sure there were no cadaverous materials getting close to women giving birth. 

And immediately the rate of childbed fever dropped dramatically.

When we adopt simple practices that are alert to an invisible reality, dramatic changes can happen very swiftly. This is the very real opportunity before every single one of us… the opportunity before the church right now. But are we too busy to take care of the soul? Our own souls? Other souls? Doesn’t the work still need to be done, the mission still need to be addressed as our first priority?

You would assume that everyone was excited about the discovery, right? Semmelweis had figured it out. The rates of childbed fever were plummeting. Mothers were surviving.

But that wasn’t the case. The doctors didn’t like the fact that Semmelweis’ conclusion made it look like they were the ones giving the sickness to people (they were). And because of the tactless way that Semmelweis continued to hammer home his message (publicly criticizing anyone who disagreed with him), the doctors eventually gave up on handwashing. And Semmelweis was fired. 

Semmelweis offered them a look into how medicine and science and practice were all integrated, but they rejected this integrated view, preferring their traditional way of doing things. 

This, too, is Us

Some of us are doing the same thing: Rejecting an integrated understanding of how the soul actually works. Leaders are often the ones perpetuating this very lopsided view of what it is to be human… all that matters is production, the external facade is the most important thing, who you are on the front stage of your life is all that matters (as Jimmy Dodd has so eloquently put it). 

There is an invitation to align with the reality of your integrated life. How we respond to that invitation has implications in every area – physically, financially, relationally, vocationally, and emotionally. If we disproportionately focus on one of those, raising it up above the others, then we will break ourselves against the principle of integration that is at work all around us. 

On the flip side, when we make advances across each of these domains and begin to live in light of the integration, we will see disproportionate gains. 

I’ve known leaders who have completely jettisoned their physical well-being, quoting Bible verses that emphasize the spiritual above the physical, who eventually became so unwell as to undermine their ministry’s effectiveness. I’ve seen leaders so focused on vocational success that their relationships get completely trashed, either by virtue of neglect and abandonment or through the abuse and mistreatment of those they lead. I’m sure you’ve seen this reality at work in your own life and organization.

But the reverse is true as well.. And. So. Compelling. I’ve been encouraged by many many leaders who are living and leading holistically from a committed, integrated self. 

My friend Angie Ward is one example, and particularly noteworthy as she holds significant leadership responsibility in academics. She has recently been named Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program and Associate Professor of Leadership and Ministry at Denver Seminary. She’s a boss! She and her husband Dave welcomed my husband and I on the nights the Marshall Fires destroyed so much of our property and neighborhoods in December 2021. Together we’ve walked through all sorts of personal and professional challenges, and, through it all, Angie remains an inspiring example of living quite alert to the many dimensions that influence her overall wellbeing and effectiveness. In Angie, both as a friend and as a leader, I see someone who is living an integrated life… one that I aspire to.

My friend Ben Cachiaras is another great example. He’s a high-fun-factor and high-capacity leader with a large, visionary organization and team. We served together for several years on a board, and I also had the opportunity to serve with him on the front stage and backstage, literally, at his church! Same guy in both places. I’ve had dinner with him and his wife of 33 years, Karla, on several occasions. He contends for the soul health of his team. His staff holds to a shared rule of life. They talk about rhythms of soul care and sabbath-keeping in the midst of a demanding ministry. And the fruit of this intentional grounding in God? Mountain Christian has been bursting with vision and impact and, well, health. The congregation is challenged in very practical ways to engage their own spiritual life, to embrace the importance of mental health, to name and manage grief, to live generously, and much more. 

For his own life and those he leads, Ben is alert to a life of integration – sensible, creative, courageous, fit, authentic, and radically dependent on God. I see in him someone who lives and leads out of his receiving from God and that flourishing is making its way into all the different areas of his life.

Of course, there are many, many more… a growing tribe, in fact! Perhaps this is you today. Perhaps not yet. 

As a leader, are you, like Semmelweis, seeking integration in the world around you, leading people into better ways of living? Or are you elevating one area of life above all others, creating systems and environments that bring death and dis-integration?

As a leader, are you, like Semmelweis, seeking integration in the world around you, leading people into better ways of living? Or are you elevating one area of life above all others, creating systems and environments that bring death and dis-integration?

When considering the wellbeing of the soul, then, what actions can we take to support the holistic wellbeing of the soul in those around us?

A Few Tools

Our team at Soul Care has been working hard this year creating a variety of free and paid resources and tools that will help all of us move towards lives of integration while caring for our souls. Here are just a few of them that you might want to check out!

Soul Care for Leaders is a free, 12-week email series that encourages leaders to care for their own souls and the souls of those in their care and provides practical ways to do this. Click to sign up and begin the series!

The Soul Care Plan helps you identify the current state of your soul, put words to what is missing, and then plot a path into new and exciting territory. In the Soul Care Plan, we encourage you to examine the five dimensions of flourishing in your own life and honestly consider the ways God is inviting you to care for your soul. 

The SOS Journey (Strengthen Our Souls) includes videos, a digital course booklet, access to an online course facilitator, and two individual Spiritual Directions sessions, all coming together to create a path to greater soul health. We can’t wait to see where this journey leads you!

We are in a unique time period in the history of the church in the West. The pandemic accelerated some trends that were already in motion and shined the light on some brokenness in the church that had sometimes been hidden by rising attendance numbers. As we look ahead, we see an accelerating rate of change. While every generation shapes the church for the one to come, I think we are at a particularly malleable hingepoint.

Which makes this one of the most exciting times in history to be a Christ follower in the West.

Which makes this one of the most exciting times in history to be a Christ follower in the West.

In my conversations, I am finding that nearly every church leader today understands the church must move from addition to the kind of Kingdom multiplication Jesus intended. But what does that really mean? Here’s a framework that has proven useful to thousands of pastors and leaders that long to move beyond the status quo:

Level 1: Churches That Are in Decline

Level 1 churches are characterized by subtraction, scarcity and survival. They experience some combination of declining attendance, staffing, income and conversions. Without a turnaround, Level 1 churches eventually close.

Level 2: Churches That Are at a Plateau

Level 2 churches are plateaued and looking for the next catalyst to spark a season of growth. These churches experience some combination of flat attendance, staffing, income, and conversions. These churches may see temporary ups and downs, but their overall trend is flat.

Level 3: Churches That Are Growing

Level 3 churches are characterized by addition, growth and expansion of impact. They have a strong growth culture with some combination of increasing attendance, staffing, income, and baptisms. Leadership development and conquering the next growth barriers are often key priorities in these churches.

Level 4: Churches That Are Reproducing

Level 4 churches are characterized by the value and priority they place on starting new churches—they have a strong programmatic emphasis on it. They see their fruit as more than the apples on their own tree, but by the other trees they plant in the orchard—or the new orchards they establish. These churches continually feel the tension pulling them toward investing in addition at their own church on the one hand, and the Kingdom expansion of new churches on the other.

Level 5: Churches That Are Multiplying

Level 5 churches are characterized by multiplying, releasing, and sending everyday missionaries and church planters. Multiplication is so deeply embedded in the DNA of these churches that they would need a strategy to stop multiplication. These churches plant churches that plant churches to the fourth generation, resulting in hundreds of churches in their multiplication family. They reach non-Christians at a much higher rate of conversion than other churches and see disciple making to the fourth generation as a cultural norm.

The Level 3 Magnet

It is interesting to recognize that there’s a sort of “magnet” at Level 3 Addition. Most churches are drawn to the success metrics we mentioned earlier—attendance and finances. There are volumes of resources to help you build the biggest and best. The majority of the ways we assess, train, and coach are designed to help leaders build the best Level 3 church they can. So much so, Level 1 and 2 churches are pulled toward Level 3 like paperclips to a horseshoe-shaped magnet.

The Level 3 magnet works the other way, too. Many, perhaps most, of the things you do to become a great Level 3 church become the very things that make it difficult to move to Levels 4 and 5. By the time you’re successfully at Level 3, you’ve staffed to build and maintain the programs to serve the people attending. You’ve spent money on facilities and structures to house and manage the people coming. And you’ve developed an unwritten social contract with your people, because, as the saying goes, “What you win them with, you win them to.”

I have shared the framework of the 5 Levels of Multiplication with hundreds of leaders. More often than not, after recognizing the magnet at Level 3 the response I hear goes something like this, “you gave words to the angst that I was feeling”.

There is a growing awareness that the prevailing model of church alone will not accomplish the Jesus mission of Gospel saturation.

There is a growing awareness that the prevailing model of church alone will not accomplish the Jesus mission of Gospel saturation. A focus on addition will not get the job done—we need to be thinking about multiplication. And to do so, we need a focus on disciple making that leads to the mobilization into mission of everyone that chooses to give their life to Jesus.

The magnet we show at Level 3 is meant to convey how we are drawn to a particular form of church planting and ecclesiology. The financial model of the church is dependent on weekend gatherings, as is the notoriety of the church, the expectations of church attenders, and even the well-being of the pastor. To be a great Level 3 church often means building more and larger spaces, and that can mean financial debt. With more people attending, there’s pressure to add staff for programs and improving the “excellence” of the weekend gathering.

Are You Feeling the Tension Yet?

Even the social contract we make with our people can make it difficult to move beyond Level 3. Many churches implicitly or explicitly say, “Come to our church and we’ll give you relevant messages, meaningful worship, a place you’re not embarrassed to bring your friends. We will even throw in a trendy blond roast, dark roast, and donuts.” This can create a bait and switch feeling if we then say, “We want you to be a missionary in your neighborhood…” or “…we want to send you to be a part of this church plant.” Be sure to remember: what you win them with; you win them to.

What you win them with; you win them to

Pressing beyond Level 3 thinking creates tensions. It’s important to acknowledge and not ignore the tensions because they are real. Maybe you’re feeling some external tensions for your church similar to:

• Should we focus on growing our attendance or starting new places of growth?
• Should we prioritize our financial stability or, in an act of faith, commit our financial resources to sending and releasing?
• Should we try to draw more people by offering more comfort and better programs or challenge them to live sacrificially on mission with God?

Or, maybe, you’re feeling some internal tensions like:

• Is your personal self-image predicated on the size of your church?
• Do you fear that “mother church” will be unduly impacted by the attempt?
• In practice, do you live as though your church’s success has more to do with you than with God?
• Control…does your reluctance to relinquish control restrict multiplication?

These tensions hit close to home don’t they! I encourage you to do the important work of reflecting on these tensions some more. Invite your team to do so with you. For more on specific tensions and a real-life story about moving from Level 3 to Levels 4 and 5, I encourage you to download the FREE ebook The River Church: Unleashing a Culture of Multiplication in Your Church by Larry Walkemeyer HERE.

Take heart – there is hope for moving beyond a Level 3 mindset! Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share the 5 Shifts necessary to move beyond the magnet at Level 3. And, if you’re a brand-new church plant or if you find yourself at Level 1 or 2, you can use these shifts to avoid Level 3 and head directly to Levels 4 and 5.

Stay tuned!

Reflection Questions

• Are you feeling external or internal tensions or both? What is one step you can take to think like a level 5 church and grow through that tension?
• Is God stirring your heart in a way that – in spite of the tensions – you find yourself desiring Levels 4 and 5?

Have you been feeling this angst and are ready to do something about it? Check-out Exponential’s Multipliers Learning Communities.

We’re just going to divide them. Because if we divide them, they’ll defeat themselves.

Have you ever noticed how frequently the New Testament connects unforgiveness to division and demonic activity? In 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul commands us to forgive so “Satan might not outwit us.” James 3:15 says bitter people are “earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.” Ephesians 4:26-27: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Why the huge connection between bitterness, division, and unforgiveness and demonic activity? If heaven is where everybody is forgiven and hell is where nobody is forgiven, then when we forgive we pull heaven down into our lives, but when we don’t forgive we pull hell up into our lives. We cannot expect the power of the Holy Spirit when we are inviting unholy spirits into our churches through bitterness and division.

Over the last few years, there are three movements of churches crystallizing. But they’re staying radically apart, and they have internal commitments that result in them being suspicious of each other. Here we go.

Doctrinal Churches

Category 1, I call these doctrinal churches. They have a high emphasis on the Word of God. They reverse engineer all their decisions from this primary commitment. They love theological precision and sound doctrine. They discern truth from error. These churches don’t teach messages; they exposit text. We’re kind of poking fun, but doctrine matters. We are called to contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. If the Church will not clearly teach the difference between truth and error, if the Church won’t disciple people, the world will. But we can end up teaching the doctrines of Christ with the spirit of the Pharisees. 

Attractional Churches

Category 2, let’s call these attractional churches. They have this really high commitment to the mission of God. They love reaching the lost. They love seeing churches grow. High emphasis on excellence, leadership, vision, strategic planning. They act like heaven and hell are real and like lost people matter. But sometimes you get so seeker sensitive that you downplay or deny the parts of the faith that are unpopular. So these churches are susceptible to compromise. 

Charismatic Churches

Category 3, charismatic churches. High emphasis on the Spirit of God. They use words like breakthrough and power encounter. These are big faith, prayer cultures. Huge focus on the reality of the angelic and the demonic. This is the fastest-growing movement in Church history. But these churches sometimes prioritize the gifts of the Spirit over the fruits of the Spirit.

So what was Paul’s evangelism strategy?…Word, deed, power of signs and wonders.

So what was Paul’s evangelism strategy? He spelled it out only once, in Romans 15:18-19: “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God.” Word, deed, power of signs and wonders. Doctrinal churches, that’s word ministry. They’re going to make sure you understand the gospel is clear. Attractional churches, that’s deed. These are the churches who came up with serving evangelism. Charismatic churches, all about the power of signs and wonders, an active supernatural expectation of the Holy Spirit. Put them together, and you’ve got New Testament evangelism. 

These are the churches Paul planted to take over the empire of Rome—and it worked! His churches were doctrinal. They were attractional. They were charismatic. They were empowered to accomplish this “lost cause,” and so are we.

R.T. Kendall says there has been a “silent divorce” in the Church between Word churches and Spirit churches. As in any divorce, some kids go with the mom, and some kids go with the dad. “But if these two would come together … the world will be turned upside down again.”

Father, would you do it? Multiply it over and over, and over and over again for the glory of the nations. Amen.

Guest: Hugh Halter, Co-Founder of Brave Cities

Hosts: Rob Wegner and Brian Johnson, Directors of Microchurch NEXT 

Our family had moved after our first church plant from Portland, Oregon, to Denver, Colorado, for our second plant. And now we found ourselves in Alton all because our son Ryan’s physical disability had wooed us to be closer to him. This afternoon, however, had nothing to do with him. My daughter Mckenna had simply driven up to me, rolled her window down, and said, “Hi, Dad.” We chatted for a minute or two, and then she drove off.  

I kept working for a few minutes, and then I had one of the most powerful moments in my adult life. I sat down on the curb, put down the tools, and just thanked the Lord that my adult daughter (then 25) had come with us to Alton for a third mission. 

In fact, it wasn’t just her and her new husband Jesse, my oldest daughter Alli and her husband Matthew had also joined us. It was then, I thought, “Time to finish that righteous brood book.” Years earlier, I had started to write a book specifically for families that were attempting to live a more missional story. Now, seeing my adult kids with us on mission seemed like a good time to tell the whole story.

A Parent’s Job Description

Whenever I speak to Jesus followers, I always ask, “What do you think are the primary roles of Christian parents?” The answer seems to always fall into these categories: To protect and provide. 

In one meeting, a young mom yelled, “So what do you think our job is Hugh?” Without reservation, I said, “Develop and Send.” 

Their Christian bubble was not just their place of worship, it was their justification to circle the wagons and wait for Jesus to come save them instead of a community of friends who model, challenge, and develop stout-hearted missionary skills in their kids.

I thought they would all agree, but the meeting went south in a hurry as I realized that these parents wanted nothing to do with having their kids anywhere near the world. Their Christian bubble was not just their place of worship, it was their justification to circle the wagons and wait for Jesus to come save them instead of a community of friends who model, challenge, and develop stout-hearted missionary skills in their kids.

For most of our lives, we’ve been starting churches… from scratch. We never took a large group of folks with us from traditional church settings, we never really took a salary, and we, for sure, never provided the standard children’s church or youth group experience for our kids. All we had was our life and the stories of other families that were on mission with us. Our style was more along the lines of creating networks of microchurches with a few church gatherings, but there was never a weekly thing for our kids. 

We learned the rhythms of kingdom life, and we watched young families struggle against the currents of consumer Christianity.

In all three settings, we tended to reach young 20-somethings. So, there were always a ton of weddings, toddlers, and screaming babies to make the journey gritty. And in all three places, we learned the rhythms of kingdom life, and we watched young families struggle against the currents of consumer Christianity.

Our largest network was in Denver, and we wrote about the rhythms of our community life in a book called The Tangible Kingdom. This one book sent me all over the world, coaching missional communities, both as a form of church and in existing traditional model churches. Now that the church is in stark and irreversible decline in every form, our unique way of doing real life with people is becoming more mainstream as a possibility. But we always get hit with one primary question as people are thinking about doing ‘church’ differently. 

The question is, “What do you do with the kids?”

These are rhythms or ways of life that only make sense if you’ve already decided that you’re going to live like missionaries in the places God has put you. 

Before I share our little trade secrets, I must tell you that these are not gimmicks or tricks for how to keep your kids busy or out of your hair as you try to navigate life. These are rhythms or ways of life that only make sense if you’ve already decided that you’re going to live like missionaries in the places God has put you. 

If you are trying to add a little mission onto a little bit of church you add to your already busy life, these will not make sense. But if you are done going to church and want to help God build his church, I think these will serve you well and help create a story big enough to not only hold your kids in their faith, but big enough to woo them into living the same type of life you did.

The Four Rhythms for Family Formation

1. Open House

This is about literally seeing your house as the mission post. Cheryl and I have had 11 homes in 30 years of marriage. Every single home was a project in creating space for parties and people. If hospitality is the ancient strategy for evangelism, I think space-making is the new form of evangelism. They are one and the same.

It’s God’s home.

Cheryl and I are always blowing out walls to accommodate 40 people and making sure we’ve got rooms to put people up. Most of the guests were friends of our kids who needed some family and some safe space, a single mom, and occasionally homeless youth or adults. But over the years, our kids came to know that our home is not our own space. It’s God’s home.

2. Open Table

This is literally about the table where we eat and talk. Those two things are quite literally where the life change happened. Sometimes it was a big dinner with 30 or a family dinner with 10 or just a few couples over. But Cheryl and I always tried to share at least 3-7 meals a week with people outside our family. As many of them became part of our spiritual family (church), they told us that the family dinners and happy hours, and late-night cocktails were where the lightbulbs went on for them.

They learned how to move from fun conversations to more intimate times and how to serve and be served.

Even better, our kids were with us at hundreds of these parties and meals and got to learn that toasts can be more powerful than prayers before a meal and that alcohol isn’t an issue unless you make it an issue. They learned how to move from fun conversations to more intimate times and how to serve and be served.

3. Open Book

Often, we get asked, “Where is the Bible in all this life stuff?” I always laugh now because the ones that usually ask this only have one primary “feeding” a week in their local church. In our experience, we tended to talk about God and Biblical passages and ideals along the way of life.

Of course, I carried the pressure most men do in hearing they are the “spiritual leaders” of their homes. And I tried to mandate family devotions. Most of these attempts went terribly and often would end up with someone yelling or crying, followed by the ubiquitous eye roll of my wife: “Well, that was great again, Sparky.”

Somewhere in their later elementary years, I stopped trying to lead and force the Bible and instead let them both know Dad is always here to talk about anything. They took me up on it, and I can honestly say the Bible opened up for our kids as an ongoing conversation rather than a scheduled meeting.

4. Open Road

This rhythm is about exposing our kids to the world and helping them see Jesus in the struggle of life instead of the country club bubble of a church-focused culture. We learned early on that if Jesus said he is always with the poor, we would be well served to be with the poor and have our kids with us. It’s where we found Jesus and, quite literally, the experiences that formed our kids into the people they are today.

I could drop my girls off in the worst part of central Detroit, South Africa, or a burning landfill community in Nicaragua. They are not only not afraid, but they jump in with a sense of calling to transform it. I always taught the girls, “As long as God is with you, you’re never actually unsafe.” 

There are rhythms of life that will always disciple your kids to become adults that are willing to live larger than most.

As you can see, there’s no way to have a balanced life or a perfect parenting model. But there are rhythms of life that will always disciple your kids to become adults that are willing to live larger than most. The stats on kids leaving the faith after 18 years of age-appropriate Bible studies is pretty depressing. But I’ve found families that live like this all over the world, and their kids tend to grow up and change the world. 

I hope The Righteous Brood will be an encouragement to you and your family and the family of God that is the church. I also hope that just like Mckenna drove by to say hi to her dad, that your own children will see a story big enough in your own life to want to join you.

NOTES:

You can find the book, The Righteous Brood, at hughhalter.com or Amazon.com.

A group of professional people posed the question, “What does love mean?”, to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds. Here’s a small collection of some of the top responses:

• “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore… So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”~ Rebecca- age 8
• “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”~ Billy – age 4
• “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” ~ Karl – age 5
• “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” ~ Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)
• “Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt then he wears it every day.” ~ Noelle – age 7
• “When you love somebody your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” (What an image!) ~ Karen – age 7
• “If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.” ~ Nikka – age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)

What 1 Corinthians 13 Has to Say

Based on my study of 1 Corinthians 13, I’d add love means we are not rude.

If we want to love better, we can’t be rude.

In the original language, the word used here for “rude,” aschēmonei, has a very interesting definition: “to act unbecomingly.” If you look even deeper, this word means: “to be considered unseemly because one lacks proper shape.”

See it? Love is not like a blob of Play-Doh! 

Some of you are dating a blob of Play-Doh.…hoping you can shape him into a work of art.

Some of you have been treated like a blob of Play-Doh…by someone who didn’t treat you the way you should have been treated.

Some of you are leading churches full of blobs of Play-Doh because…some of you are…willingly…a blob of Play-Doh that refuses to be shaped by God!

If we really love each other and our communities better, we won’t be a bunch of blobs!

It’s about honor and dishonor.
It’s about not acting unbecomingly.
It would be just rude for us to not allow God to shape us into whatever He wants to shape us into.

But, what does God want to shape us into?

But, what does God want to shape us into? Good question!

Looking elsewhere in this letter, I see that God wants to shape us into…

A Temple

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

How does this keep us from being rude?
Paul tells us we are temples of the Holy Spirit!
You’re a temple of the Holy Spirit!

You have purpose.

What happened in the temple should happen in and through us…

• Worship
• Service
• Sacrifice

You are powerful.

The power associated with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is called, “dunamis” or “dynamite.”

You have value.

Temples are expensive! Solomon’s Temple, in Jerusalem, would be worth $4 Billion dollars of today’s money. 

Now, don’t go and get all “puffed up”!

Looking elsewhere in this letter, I see that God wants to shape us into…

Servants

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. (1 Corinthians 9:19)

How does this keep us from being rude?

By remembering: It’s not all about us!

Unrude, shapeable Christians, look for opportunities to serve others.

Paul is obsessed with seeing people get saved!

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.  (1 Corinthians 9:22)

That’s a man who is willing to be shaped by God!!!! 

Like the most amazing blob of Play-Doh ever, Paul is willing to allow God to shape him into ANYTHING, if it means people are going to be saved!

What are you NOT willing to allow God to shape you into?

What?!?!

If it meant that people would find salvation would you allow God to shape you into…

• A minister?
• A church planter?
• A missionary?
• A small group leader?
• A volunteer at your church?
• A person who is passionate about loving better?

Looking elsewhere in this letter, I see that God wants to shape us into…

Whatever Part of The Body God Created Us To Be

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

How does this keep us from being rude?

By remembering: We’re all a part of the same body…of Christ…and God wants to use the body of Christ to reach as many people as possible!

If we want to love better, we must do what we were created to do.

If we are an eye we must see. If we are an ear we must hear. If we’re a hand we must reach out and if we’re a foot we must walk!

Each of us is an essential part in our collective efforts—as the Body of Christ—to love better.

In my opinion, our world has gotten really rude over the past couple of years.

It broke my heart to see how people…how Christians…were treating each other & talking about each other on social media.

It’s one of the reasons I am so excited to be a part of the Exponential community! Exponential is committed to helping church leaders, pastors, and church planters to be shaped into passionate and committed multipliers who do not believe that evangelism is a lost cause.

We can do this!

If we allow God to shape us—and take responsibility for shaping ourselves, as well—we WILL love each other and our communities better.

This excerpt is from Arron Chamber’s book Love Better: Recapturing the Power of One of the Most Misapplied Scriptures in the Bible available from Exponential as a free download or on Amazon in print or Kindle versions. This article and book is one of several resources created for Exponential’s Lost Cause: Reviving Evangelism theme. You can access more resources from the Lost Cause library and join us for Lost Cause events.

Guest: Ben Hardman, Founder of Kingdom Dreams Initiative

Host: Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

At its core, the future of any church rests in the new people it engages. In this month’s article, my friends Gabe Norris and Ken Thomas, of Connect Ministries, lay out four questions every church team should wrestle with if they want to meet new people and assimilate them into the life of the church. 

But more than just providing content for us to think about, they have provided a practical assessment that any church could take to help it improve its engagement with new people across the four areas that they have identified from working with thousands of different churches across the country. 

I’ve seen the work that Connect Ministries does firsthand and deeply believe in their leadership. I hope you will take time to read the article and participate in the Assessment — the future of your church might shine a little brighter if you do.

​​— Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

Barna Research suggests that only 1 out of every 5 millennials believe church attendance is important.¹ 

Every generation alive is on the decline as it relates to church attendance.  

From the time we were children until the time we were raising our own children, there has been a 300 percent increase in the number of unchurched people in America.²  And if we continue doing church the way we’ve been doing it, research tells us by the year 2050, there will only be half the amount of church attendance as there was in the year 1990.³  

Churches today are realizing that it is hard to get outside of your walls and meet new people for the purpose of assimilating families into the life of the church.

The church and the unchurched community are operating in two completely separate worlds.  

Connect Ministries was founded on a deep burden to help churches meet new people.  Since 2006, we’ve helped thousands of churches meet hundreds of thousands of new people. One truth has become increasingly clear: The church and the unchurched community are operating in two completely separate worlds.  

For most churches, the solution is not to do more flashy events to put them in front of more people. But instead, it’s to begin thinking more strategically, like the type of church that is becoming more effective at meeting those people. This usually begins with learning to ask yourselves and your teams the right questions. 

Here are four questions your team can wrestle with in this season to begin thinking like the type of church that effectively meets new people:

1. Does our church provide remarkable experiences?

According to Community Church Builder, when it comes to guests who visit your church, 16 percent of first-time guests return and 85 percent of second-time guests return.⁴

 Providing a remarkable experience is not about putting on a show to wow everyone. It’s about getting people to come back that second time, getting them involved in your church, and getting to see the life change only God can bring.

Remarkable experiences come in all shapes and sizes and can cost a lot or a little. Whether it be in the auditorium, social media channel, small group space, community event, handwritten note, or hospital visit, remarkable isn’t about the price tag. It’s about how people feel after the experience.

Big or small, we all crave remarkable experiences.

Big or small, we all crave remarkable experiences. And when new people show up at church, they want the same. Of course, this doesn’t mean that every experience you provide needs to be full of fireworks. But being aware of their expectations is key. 

Pulling this off is easier said than done. Connect has witnessed the struggle around the country firsthand. Churches are not always synonymous with remarkable. When you are doing church every week, how do you provide remarkable experiences every time, with all the other things you’re responsible for? How in the world do you create remarkable experiences for families and not drop everything else on your “must do” list? It’s a tough challenge. 

If meeting new people is a priority to your church, then it may be time to realize that the lack of new families might be a reflection of the lack of remarkable experiences in our churches. 

2. Is our church known for building life-giving relationships?

People of all ages long to belong. We see this truth throughout culture.  

People gather for interest groups around golden doodles, knitting, stamps, and gardening. People spend a lot of time and money simply tailgating before a football game. But it’s not only physical, in-person groups that draw people these days. Many people are finding a sense of belonging on social media and other online groups.

It doesn’t matter if you’re introverted or extroverted or where you fall on the enneagram. The desire to belong is innate. It’s inside us. That means the people you’re trying to reach want to belong. 

However, as much as people want to belong, they’re not going to try to belong somewhere they’re not welcomed. The church should be the most welcoming and life-giving place on the planet.

If a first-time guest comes to a church and feels like an outsider, it’s highly unlikely they will somehow find a way to “get on the inside,” to get connected and plugged into the life of the church. 

Every Sunday, new people sit through an entire church service with a deep desire to belong, yet never feel as if they do.

Every Sunday, new people sit through an entire church service with a deep desire to belong, yet never feel as if they do. This might explain why only 16 percent of first-time guests actually come back to the church they visited.⁵

Take a moment to wrap your mind around what you just read. Now think about it this way: 84 percent of first-time guests don’t return to the church they visited. That’s bad news!

The good news, though, is that 85 percent of second-time guests actually do return to a church.⁶ So, the key is moving a visitor from first-time guest to second-time guest. Obviously, we believe one of the ways you do that is to intentionally build life-giving relationships in the context of your church.

3. Is our church executing a clear plan?

If you’ve ever run a marathon, you are very well aware of what an overwhelming task it can be. I felt the same way until a friend of mine showed me the best way to go about it: Executing a clear plan. I followed the plan and ran the marathon. 

As I was running the marathon, it became obvious that some people didn’t follow a plan or the plan they followed didn’t prepare them for the race. It was common to see people getting a golf-cart ride or sitting in the medical tent, not able to finish. 

Passion alone won’t get you to the finish line, but passion and a clear plan can.

You see, everybody is passionate about finishing at the beginning of the race. Passion alone won’t get you to the finish line, but passion and a clear plan can. Passion with no plan leads to poor results.

When it comes to churches, every church is going to be passionate about meeting new people. Some churches we coach refer to their plan, but it’s really a mission or vision statement. It’s not a clear plan. Many churches we serve lack a comprehensive and strategic plan. As we study results from our Connect Assessment, it becomes more and more clear that the number one area for improvement is executing a clear plan.

When we’re not executing a clear plan, a positive result is either coincidence or luck. To consistently have impactful results, you need a clear plan with everyone on board. 

4. Has our church created a culture where people are enjoying deep friendship with God?

Ribeye. Steak. What was your first reaction to reading those words? 

If you’re like me, you immediately pictured a big, juicy, marinated, caramelized, marbled, beautiful steak. And maybe you started to get hungry.  But that’s not always the case. 

There is nothing worse than looking forward to a steak only to realize it wasn’t marinated, wasn’t cooked right, and is dry as a bone. To expect steak and get jerky. No steakhouse has ever become famous for serving dry steaks. 

You’re a church that’s trying to meet new people right now. And you want to plug those people into the life of your church. 

Obviously, you would never want to serve people a dry church, a dry experience full of people who are dry in their hearts. But oftentimes, the more you get into ministry and leadership in the church, the more and more you get pulled in a lot of different directions. You find out you spend more time than you ever anticipated being spiritually dry. 

One of the most important ingredients of a church that effectively meets new people is having leaders and church members who enjoy deep friendship with God.

As we have worked with churches all over the country for many years, we have found that one of the most important ingredients of a church that effectively meets new people is having leaders and church members who enjoy deep friendship with God. This is the antidote to spiritual dryness. Jesus desires for us to be in deep friendship with him so that we can know what intimacy with God looks like on a daily basis. 

The paradoxical truth is that ministry can leave you spiritually dry. And that results in spiritually dry church leaders. And spiritually dry church leaders oftentimes, if not always, have a spiritually dry church. 

So, we’re left with the question, “How in the world do we address this?” 

If we want to become the type of church that meets new people, we must meet this tension and instead ask the question, “How do we become a church where people are consistently enjoying deep friendship with God?” 

These four questions have the potential to put you on a path of thinking like a church that becomes highly effective at meeting new people.  

We’ve designed a tool that will provide you with objective and actionable insights that help you measure your effectiveness in each of these four areas. You can take the first step by completing our free quiz at https://www.connect-ministries.com/quiz. You are only two minutes away from getting our personalized recommendations on how your church can more effectively meet new people in the upcoming season!  

There are people out there who desperately need the hope found within the message of your church. It’s time to meet them.

Notes:

1. Barna, “Americans Divided on the Importance of Church,” posted March 24, 2014, https://www.barna.com/research/americans-divided-on-the-importance-of-church/.
2. Barna Group, George Barna, David Kinnaman, Churchless (Tyndale Momentum, 2014), p. 33-34.
3. Outreach Magazine, “An Up Close Look at Church Attendance in America,” posted April 10, 2018, https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html. 
4. Dave Bair & Steve Caton, The Assimilation Engine (Church Community Builder, 2018), https://tcsba.com/hp_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ebook-assimilationengine.pdf. 
5. IBID
6. IBID

This woman in isolation, in loneliness, in shame and guilt with her past sins, comes to the well. She looks up and she sees Jesus. Her immediate reaction is, “What are you doing here?” She came to the well mid-day to avoid the crowd. It’s clear she once had friends that she no longer has. It’s clear she has a past that she’s not proud of. So she’s at the well trying to get what she needs but also trying to get away from everybody else. Some of you can relate, can’t you? You come with isolation, a shrinking community, a bunch of hurt and betrayal, and you’re feeling frustrated with the people of God. You’re feeling unloved, unseen. You’re feeling the damage of ministry. So the temptation is to still show up for ministry but to take your heart and hide it. And before you know it, you’re leading the people but not loving the people.

So the temptation is to still show up for ministry but to take your heart and hide it.

I’ll preach, but you’re not gonna get my heart. I’ll show up for the staff meeting, but I won’t be vulnerable. I don’t know where I can be safe anymore. So I’m gonna keep my job. I’m gonna keep showing up. But you’re not gonna keep stabbing me in my heart.

Can we talk about this, about how we’re showing up at this well isolated? We’re living at a level of pain that we can’t articulate. Sometimes our people hurt us, and we don’t want to talk about it. Yes, we are shepherds, but some of us have discovered that sheep bite. Our problem with multiplying has nothing to do with evangelism. Our problem is that we don’t want to multiply the pain we feel.

Jesus caught the woman off-guard and unprepared. What was HE doing there? But Jesus basically looked at the woman and said, “What are YOU doing here?” God is asking the same thing of some of you. You’re still in it, but your heart isn’t. You’re isolated. You’re going through a hard time. He’s asking what you’re doing here all by yourself. You’re not designed to do ministry without your heart. Put your heart back in the game. You’re not designed to do ministry without your family. Put them back in the game. You’re not designed to serve up cold sandwiches as hospitality. Put yourself back in the game. 

This quote from C.S. Lewis convicts me terribly…

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrong and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries. Avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken. It will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. … The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is hell.”

Eventually Jesus told the woman to go get her husband, knowing she was not married to the man she was living with. But Jesus was saying so much more: “Go get the thing that’s got you isolated to begin with. Go get your broken heart. The betrayal. The bitterness. Go get the pain. Get it and bring it to me.” Then begin to invest and seek out that safe community. Don’t succumb to isolation. There are people who love you. There are people who see you. You’ve got a purpose. You’ve got a calling. God’s got something greater for you, but you have to put your heart in his hands and let him carry you. Let him protect you. Let him show you what you’re really doing here.

The article above is adapted from Alberts message from Exponential Global 2023 where 5,500+ church multiplication leaders came together for the conversation of Lost Cause: Reviving Evangelism. You can take the learning and conversation further. Access Albert’s full talk and the entire collection of Lost Cause main stage presentations with the FREE 2023 Digital Access Pass along with other Lost Cause Resources here. Be sure to check out how you can bring your team to upcoming Exponential events.

Some of these will close. 

According to Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird, authors of the book Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work, just over 25 percent of the churches in America are somewhere between death and life support.² These churches may not be able to keep the doors open much longer. This financial stress takes a toll on the leadership and ultimately decreases the missional effectiveness of the church. 

But financial viability is not exclusively an “established church” problem. New church plants and church-planting teams face similar challenges. The passion to reach a new group of people can fade after a few difficult months of fundraising and in my (Jon) first year of church planting, I remember wondering, “Will we ever be financially viable?”

• What happens when tithes and offerings are simply not enough to fund the mission? 
• What can churches do to increase their financial viability AND missional vibrancy?
• How can churches innovate to create new streams of income?  

As older generations continue to age, emerging generations aren’t closing the gap in tithes and offerings.

Mark DeYmaz and Harry Li in their book The Coming Revolution in Church Economics warn that the financial models of many American churches will not be sustainable into the future.³ As older generations continue to age, emerging generations aren’t closing the gap in tithes and offerings. Furthermore, the recent talk of rescinding property tax exemptions for local churches and removing housing credits makes this issue even more pressing. 

In 2022, Asbury Theological Seminary (Jay) and Leadership Network initiated a research project to explore new ways that churches might increase their financial viability while, at the same time, maintaining missional effectiveness. This article is a summary of that research and a brief description of six non-traditional options for funding the mission.  

If you want to dive deeper into the research, a copy of “Missional Vibrancy and Financial Viability” can be found by CLICKING HERE.⁴

1. Monetizing Assets

The first innovation is to monetize assets. Churches acquire assets over time (buildings, property, land, vehicles, etc.) that can be leveraged to generate rental income. The most common application of monetization is for event rental for weddings, receptions, funerals, and community events. Another emerging market is the rise of co-working. 

One author writes, “Co-working is a new but fast-growing trend in the United States – from only 14 spaces in 2007, the number of co-working and other shared, collaborative office spaces increased to 4,043 in 2017.”⁵

This not only provides an income stream for the church, but also connects the congregation to entrepreneurs and other leaders in the community. 

The Post Commons in Alton, Illinois, converted an old post office to create a collective workspace. The ministry also rents the building to a local business that operates a coffee shop inside the building. This provides the necessary cash flow and also creates an ecosystem for ministering to people’s needs in the neighborhood.

2. Incubating Businesses

Another innovative approach to financing the mission of the church is to incubate a new business. 

Grace Chapel in Cincinnati, Ohio, incubated six businesses that provide more than $200,000 in annual profit to the ministry of the church through rental incomes and other revenue. In addition to providing this cash flow, the pastors describe how this creates the opportunity to help entrepreneurs engage faith and work. 

The ideas are endless from hosting a photography business, renting out the parsonage as an AirBNB, launching a counseling center, a workout facility, or even a coffee shop. While this approach is often closely overseen by the church staff, it provides churches with something larger than an hourly rental and creates relationships and mutual trust. 

3. Non-Profit Creation

Another common approach for increasing financial viability is to form a separate non-profit. Since the non-profit is a separate entity from the church, it is eligible to receive grants from organizations that would normally not give to a local congregation. 

Mosaic Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, formed a separate non-profit called Vine and Village which receives government grants and donations from entities that would not normally give to a church. They have also partnered with other churches in the area to donate to their non-profit, increasing their missional impact by assisting immigrants, training teen moms, offering fresh produce in “food deserts,” providing extended family for those with disabilities, offering community chess clubs, clothes closets, employment training, and more.⁶

I (Jon) attended a church in Texas that created an assisted living center called Dayspring that donated more than $50,000 of its revenue per year to church planting efforts in the city. Other non-profits could include schools, day cares, mission expressions, or meeting social needs in the community. 

4. Co-Vocational Pastoring

Karl Vaters in Christianity Today recently called co-vocational ministry the “new normal” after a 32 percent increase from 2010 to 2015.⁷

The percentage is much higher today. There are a growing number of pastors adopting this approach for both financial and missional reasons. The marketplace can become particularly helpful to opening relational networks in addition to providing another source of income. 

The term “co-vocational” assumes the pastor will continue to work outside the church even when the church can afford a full salary. It is a long-term approach with sacred potential by serving the community and creating relational networks through the pastor’s job. 

I (Jay) am part of a co-vocational leadership team for Shadowland Community Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Three teaching pastors share the preaching, but only one is paid part-time for mission mobilization. The church gives a significant percentage of their tithes and offerings to impact the community.

5. Entrepreneurial Churches

The fifth innovation in financing the mission is to launch churches that form communities of Christ followers through businesses in the marketplace. These church planters start new businesses with the goal of planting churches within existing business venues. 

Paul Unsworth in London, England, noticed that 20,000 people walked down his street each weekend with no vital Christian witness on his block. His response was to open the Kahaila coffee shop that serves excellent coffee and cake. The church now meets there one night a week. 

Similarly, Scott Waller launched Corner Coffee in 2006 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has since launched four other Corner Coffee shops that each offer a designated worship service. This model not only creates a third place for people to gather, but also finances a pastor for each location through its revenue. Entrepreneurial church plants can begin as workout facilities, bakeries, barber shops, hotels, cafes, and numerous other options with the intent of planting smaller microchurches in the marketplace. 

6. Decentralizing Congregations 

While there are a few examples of churches that made the decision to sell their property to decentralize in home groups or smaller fellowships, this approach works best when applied from the beginning. They can be called a variety of things – house church, simple church, organic church, dinner church, fellowship band, or microchurch – but one thing they all have in common is a minimal cost structure that meets in everyday settings. By reducing the cost needed for facilities and mortgages, as well as reducing salary expenses with co-vocational leadership, decentralized forms of church are much more immune to financial challenges. 

Navigating the Options

Which of these six options will be most effective for your church? 

This question will depend on two variables: The financial liquidity of your church and your access to relational networks. 

Financial liquidity refers to how easily assets can be converted to cash at market value. Certain assets like stocks and bonds can be converted to cash quickly and are very fluid. However, many larger assets such as property, land, or equipment are not as easily converted and oftentimes frozen. 

Relational networks are crucial for building bridges. When these relational networks are open and accessible, there is easy access between church members and those outside the church. 

The chart below can be helpful for understanding which approach fits which variable. The x-axis considers the financial liquidity of the church/church plant, from frozen to fluid. The y-axis considers the church’s access to relational networks, from closed to open. Notice which methods are more viable depending on where a church finds itself on this spectrum. 

Final Thoughts 

The combination of network access and financial liquidity can provide a set of useful criteria for thinking innovatively. 

While tithes and offerings will always be a portion of maintaining missional vibrancy and financial viability, the MINCED (monetize assets, incubate businesses, non-profit creation, co-vocational pastoring, entrepreneurial churches, and decentralization) options also have advantages. It could mean the difference between shuttering operations or charting a brand-new course into a missional future. 

Notes

1. Based on a recent seminar led by Capin-Crouse, an accounting firm that engages many churches. 

2. Andy Crouch predicts that every organization (including church) is now in startup mode since the COVID 19 pandemic has created a new ecosystem, similar to a small “ice age.” If churches simply try to get “back to normal,” they will likely not survive since the ecosystem has changed so quickly. See: https://journal.praxislabs.org/leading-beyond-the-blizzard-why-every-organization-is-now-a-startup-b7f32fb278ff. Accessed 03/16/2021.

3. DeMaz, Mark, & Li, Harry. The Coming Revolution in Church Economics: Why Tithes and Offerings are Not Enough, and What You Can Do About It? Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 2019.
4. https://exponential.org/product/missional-vibrancy-and-financial-viability/
5. Moon, Jay. Missional Vibrancy and Financial Viability. Exponential: 2021. pg. 30.
6. Ibid, pg. 55.
7. Ibid, pg. 60.

Yet, it is unbelievably important.

In the book Rookie Smarts, Liz Wiseman shares a striking paradox, “When the world is changing quickly, experience can become a curse, trapping us in old ways of doing and knowing, while inexperience can be a blessing, freeing us to improvise and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.”¹

Although a rookie perspective can be developed in leaders of all ages, young leaders naturally bring this fresh, improvisational adaptability. 

Hiring young leaders who naturally lead from a rookie perspective can bring great value to your organization, church, or ministry. However, seasoned leaders would be wise to intentionally develop and build upon these natural qualities to maximize the impact young leaders can make in their churches, ministries, and organizations.

I have seen among my peers the tragedy of a young leader who is stagnant and the beauty of a young leader who is flourishing.

As a young leader who has led in both the church world and the parachurch world, I have seen among my peers the tragedy of a young leader who is stagnant and the beauty of a young leader who is flourishing.

Every leader, whether old or young, must take ownership of their own development. However, the growth of a young leader increases exponentially in relation to the quality of development they receive.

Time after time, through the pages of Scripture, we see God developing young leaders to accomplish extraordinary feats of valor, courage, and victory. He is unafraid to take a chance on young, inexperienced leaders. He sees not only who they are, but who they could be.

Let’s take a look at three practical steps we can take to develop young leaders, drawn from God’s call to Gideon in Judges 6.

1. Call Out Their Potential

“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’” – Judges 6:12 NIV

Gideon was not a warrior, and he knew this about himself. In verse 15, Gideon refers to himself as the least in his family of the weakest clan in Manasseh.

He was not a warrior.

Yet, God did not see him as weak or unqualified. He saw Gideon in light of his potential. He saw the warrior Gideon could be if he was developed, inspired, and mentored. God saw a mighty warrior.

And because God saw him as a mighty warrior, this is who Gideon became.

If we as leaders can take the time to develop the young leaders around us and tell them the type of leader we believe they can become, our words will empower those leaders to go further and do greater things than they previously could have imagined.

2. Invite Them Along

“The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’” – Judges 6:14 NIV

God did not only send the angel of the Lord to tell Gideon what he was about to do. The angel of the Lord arrived on Gideon’s doorstep to invite him into a grander vision.

Here are the questions to ask yourself: Are you hiring and recruiting young leaders into your organization just to fill a role? Or are you inviting them into a compelling vision? Are you communicating to them that you believe they have value to bring to your vision?

Young leaders don’t want to simply hear about your vision. They want to be a part of the vision and they want to know you fully expect them to contribute value to that vision.

Invite young leaders into your vision and affirm the value you see in their contributions and involvement.

3. Give Them More Responsibility

“The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.’” – Judges 6:16 NIV

Finally, the Lord gives Gideon the last piece of his calling. Gideon is not only to save the nation of Israel, but he is also called to destroy an entire people group. Many people would have deemed this task far too important to trust to the young man hiding in the winepress. 

But, God was unwavering in his belief in the potential of Gideon. He demonstrated this in the magnitude of the responsibility he entrusted to Gideon.

Do the young people in your organization know the potential you see in them based on the scale of responsibility you have entrusted to them?

A young leader is often limited by the expectations their manager or boss sets for them.

If you want to empower the young leaders in your organization to do excellent work, give them more responsibility and watch them rise to the occasion!

Young leaders are the future of the church. Young leaders are the future of the movement of God. And young leaders are the future of your organization.

Young leaders are the future of the church. Young leaders are the future of the movement of God. And young leaders are the future of your organization.

Therefore, it is critical to take the time now and commit to develop, empower, and unleash the young leaders around you. You may just find a Gideon in your organization who will go on to carry your vision to the world.

Notes

1. Liz Wiseman, Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game, https://www.amazon.com/Rookie-Smarts-Learning-Beats-Knowing/dp/006232263X

The kind of love I’ve experienced—and that I want for you, your church, and your community–is the kind of love we see in Jesus. Jesus was kind.

Jesus was kind to all people—especially those who were being abused, overlooked, and experiencing injustice, so it’s not surprising that the Apostle Paul teaches that love is kind.

The word used here, in 1 Corinthians 13, for “kindness,” chrēsteuetai, is only used once in the entire Bible. It means, “one who renders gracious well-disposed service”

The word used here, in 1 Corinthians 13, for “kindness,” chrēsteuetai, is only used once in the entire Bible. It means, “one who renders gracious well-disposed service”

The word suggests a kindness that, when lived out, benefits and blesses someone else.

Jesus lived…and loved…this kind of kindness throughout His ministry.

Jesus was kind to people. That being said, I landed on an event—not where Jesus was kind to someone but—where someone was kind to Jesus—a woman named Mary.

This “Mary” is sister to Martha and Lazarus, who sat at Jesus’ feet while her sister, Martha, worked and who did an intentional random act of kindness to bless Jesus.

I say intentional because Jesus sees it as intentional. Of her act of kindness, Jesus said, “In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial” (Matthew 26:12).

I say random because no one—except for Jesus—saw it coming!

She’d been paying attention and knew that Jesus was coming to the end of a “road” of sorts.

It was the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. His death was near, and He was preparing himself for it.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they had dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at the table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.
(John 12:1-3)

Kindness Can Require an Investment

Anointing the feet of your guest was an act of honor. Anointing your guest’s feet with a pound of perfume is also expensive! Mark gives us some important details about the cost of this perfume, “For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her,” (Mark 14:5).

At this time in history, an average person made a denarii a day, so 300 denarii would have been 300 days wages—about a year’s worth of Mary’s salary.

The average annual salary in Colorado (where I live) is: $63,026

This intentional act of kindness cost Mary!

She essentially poured $63,026 on the feet of Jesus!

What is Jesus worth to you! What are you willing to invest to reach people Jesus died for?

Kindness Can Make an Impact

John makes an interesting comment in his telling of this event, “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:3).

Mary’s act of kindness was unavoidable. You could literally smell it. Everyone in that house was immersed in—and impacted by— that fragrance of Mary’s kindness.

Not everyone was happy about this, though. Judas, a crook—and a very unkind person—called Mary’s act of service a “waste” (Matthew 26:8).

It’s never a waste to be kind—and love better—now!

If we do, we will leave a significant legacy, because…

Kindness Can be Illustrious

Mary’s intentional random act of kindness was admired by Jesus then and it’s being—as promised—admired by countless others now. Jesus was right when He said, “Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her,” (Matthew 26:13).

And, we are, because…
Acts of kindness are remembered.

I bet you can remember when someone showed you a lot of kindness, because…
Kind people are remembered.

Can you think of someone, right now, who made a positive impact on your life because they were kind to you?

I can.
I can think of someone who made a positive impact on my life because they were kind to me…and I don’t even know her name.

She was a greeter at a conference at Church of the Highlands, in Birmingham, Alabama. I asked her to help me find a place where I could work—while also being able to watch the conference. She spent the next twenty minutes making sure I was taken care of and didn’t leave me until I was all set in the spot she secured.

Chris Hodges, their pastor, could read the newspaper each Sunday and I’d still go to that church.
I’d go to that church just to see her each week because she was kind to me!

You are empowered to be kind!

Like the boy I read about who was being bullied and decided to respond to his bullies in a caring, creative, and Christ-like way.

The bullied boy began putting kind notes of encouragement on the lockers of his bullies. They would take them down and he’d put them right back up.

The bullied boy began putting kind notes of encouragement on the lockers of his bullies. They would take them down and he’d put them right back up.

Eventually, more positive Post-It notes began to pop up around the school until—eventually—every door and locker in the school was covered in Post-It notes with kind and encouraging words.

I shared that story with my church and within a week a huge wall in our church was covered in Post-It notes with words of kindness and encouragement! And, then it spread to a local school!

This can happen in your church and community, too! I promise!

You just need to remember—and help those around you to remember—we are empowered to be kind! Towards other Christians and towards people in our communities…right now…it’s not a waste!

It’s called, “loving better.”

This excerpt is from Arron Chamber’s book Love Better: Recapturing the Power of One of the Most Misapplied Scriptures in the Bible available from Exponential as a free download or on Amazon in print or Kindle versions. This article and book is one of several resources created for Exponential’s Lost Cause: Reviving Evangelism theme. You can access more resources from the Lost Cause library and join us for Lost Cause events.

Guest: Faith Schiller, Associate Online Campus Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church

Hosts: Hannah Gronowski Barnett and Aaron Barnett, Directors of Generation NEXT

Loneliness. 

This is real. This is now. This is urgent. 

When I heard about this, I felt like years of walking with lonely believers and their leaders (and seeing the carnage) had finally been named. This is real. This is now. This is urgent. 

Murphy writes, “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an under-appreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health.”¹ 

Raising loneliness to the level of a major health concern? That’s huge. And it matches what I’ve come to experience in my own journey. 

Following this daunting idea, he gives us a glimmer of hope and vision for the future.  

“Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight — one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled and more productive lives,” Murthy states.¹

Our modern society relegates friendship to a kind of fluffy role in life, perhaps something that’s nice to have but not something that’s incredibly important. Certainly not an imperative.

And yet, now the fabric of our society is suffering for a lack of true friends.

My personal transformation

When I was recovering from my own crash – which took the form of burnout, hospitalizations, and an inexplicable case of vertigo – many of the pathways to soul health that I uncovered were expected. Things like new ways of prayer, new ways of engaging with scripture, discovering the power of rest. All expected, right? 

What completely shocked me was the experience of healing I was finding through new ways of relating in ordinary relationships. Inspired by writers like Henri Nouwen and Larry Crabb², we were seeking more transparent, genuine relationships with each other. We each had been laid bare by a crash of some kind – maybe physical, maybe mental, maybe emotional – and had all reached the point where we had no interest or desire in making it look like we had all our stuff together. 

“Releasing the power of God through our lives and into the hearts and souls of others requires that we both understand and enter into a kind of relating that only the Gospel makes possible… this kind of relating depends entirely on deep fellowship with Christ and then spills over onto other people with the power to change their lives… not always on our timetable or even in the ways we expect, but as the spirit moves.” (Crabb, L. Connecting: Healing Ourselves and Our Relationships. United States: Thomas Nelson, 2005.)³

“We have all wondered in our many lonesome moments if there is one corner of this competitive, demanding world where it is safe… to release ourselves, be exposed, to give unconditionally. It might be quite small and hidden, but if that place exists, it calls for a search through our ordinary relationships in order to find it.” (Nouwen, H. J. M. Intimacy. United States: HarperCollins, 2016.)⁴

As we entered this new way of being, each of us in some way at rock bottom and not afraid to admit it, we experienced profound transformation. I experienced profound transformation. What did that look like for me? 

The move out of isolation and into being known brought not only belonging but becoming.

By risking these new ways of relating, I discovered new thoughts in my head and new willingness in my heart, new energy, and new hope. Undeniably, God was doing a new work within me, at the core of my being, through these seemingly ordinary relationships. The move out of isolation and into being known brought not only belonging but becoming.

Of course, there were still roles to be played by therapists and other paid professionals. But I could not deny that deep and real change was coming in substantial ways through a group of peers. 

Relationships changed my life. As a result, they have also profoundly shaped what I know to my core is essential for transformation. 

That one thing has proven itself over and over again. 

Leading for Transformation

One thing has been a theme of my ministry and teaching with Soul Care from the very beginning. I’m talking 20+ years and counting!

I remember this “one thing” came up when I was working at one of the largest churches in the country. A co-worker and I sat down to make a list of spiritual practices we might embed in people’s imaginations… practices that would lead to fully devoted followers of Christ – things like prayer, silence, solitude, and simplicity. 

Among those expected and valuable practices, my list also included my “one thing”: Relationships as a spiritual discipline. 

My co-worker nodded and said, “Otherwise known as spiritual friendship.”

It turns out great theologians and philosophers have been advocating relationships as a key to spiritual life for thousands of years. 

It turns out great theologians and philosophers have been advocating relationships as a key to spiritual life for thousands of years. 

We discussed this long list of potential practices to narrow the focus to a just handful of the most vital to include. As we eliminated a few, I remember at one point telling him that we had to include relationships — if it wasn’t on the list, I would quit! Joking, but also not. I simply couldn’t imagine leading people into a deeper spiritual life without including a focus on spiritual friendships. It made the list. 

A spiritual friendship could be defined as an ordinary relationship that – like any friendship – is life-giving and mutual. But additionally, in a spiritual friendship, we intentionally help each other pay attention to what God is doing in our lives and be responsive to that divine activity. We are belonging and becoming.

Transformation at Scale

Many times over the years while teaching on this topic, I have told groups that if I could have one wish granted instantly in regards to the church, I would wish for these kinds of deep and transformational relationships to take hold among the body of Christ. It would unleash a sleeping giant capable of breathing incredible life and hope and soul-level transformation into and through the people of God!

But currently, most churchgoers remain quite isolated as they faithfully sit in rows together every Sunday and, yet, remain deeply separated in almost every other way. We come together for an hour a week and then disperse out into the world, rarely crossing paths otherwise. 

Leaders within ministries are even more isolated by virtue of unreasonable expectations, harsh criticism, and personal resistance to true vulnerability. Pastor’s spouses are typically the loneliest people in the church.

Leaders within ministries are even more isolated by virtue of unreasonable expectations, harsh criticism, and personal resistance to true vulnerability. Pastor’s spouses are typically the loneliest people in the church.

But, what if we could change what people are experiencing? What if we could introduce genuine friendships into the lives of all these people, ourselves included? Deep and lasting transformation would happen. Healing – all sorts of healing – would be released in ways we can’t even imagine.  

I believe the fact that loneliness is one of the largest medical threats in our country right now should be a rallying cry to the people of God and local churches everywhere. This is a problem we can solve! This is a missional objective as simple as connecting people and encouraging them to share their lives with one another! 

Granted, this would require a shift in the relational dynamics present in most churches. Much of my own soul recovery was shaped by the wisdom of friends who were part of 12-step communities, groups that often meet in church basements. 

The deep transformation, radical honesty, experience of hope, acceptance, and personal guidance available to people who engage in those basement 12-step communities is a beautiful thing to see.

This particular aspect has led some of my 12-step friends to ask a question: “Why is it that the people who go to the basement of the church get better while those upstairs rarely do?”

The time for increased advocacy and increased action has come. 

This is the large-scale change that I’ve long dreamed to see, that I have been doing my small part to advocate for. 

But the time for increased advocacy and increased action has come. 

I love the words of the Surgeon General: “Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight.” 

It certainly calls to mind God’s verdict at creation: It is not good for man to be alone. As followers of Jesus, we have something to give. We don’t have to “have it all together,” we must actually care about the people in our lives and reach out with meaningful points of connection.

Think Globally, Act Locally

So, what might that really look like, practically speaking? How do we alleviate an epidemic of loneliness?

Here’s an idea: Each of us can start small and just pick someone. Invest. Care. Risk. 

I still remember when my middle son was in high school, 10th grade, and he was really thriving. Popular, attractive, a great athlete. He really had a very easy road, or at least as easy as the road can be for teenagers traveling through high school. And he could have cashed in on that easy road and took what it had to give him for four years.

But one day he started bringing home a friend, a freshman, a kid who probably wasn’t the most popular in his grade. Sometimes he was a little awkward. And so, I asked our son one day to tell me a little about this kid. He did. And I remember then asking him how they became friends? They really were kind of an odd duo.

“He’s my freshman,” my son said, with a twinkle in his eye. 

“Your freshman?” I asked.

He went on to explain that early in the year, he decided he wanted to take one freshman under his wing, a kid who felt uncertain navigating the terrors of high school or wasn’t confident. And he did this for no other reason than to offer friendship. 

We all want to be picked. We all walk into a room, no matter how old we are, and wonder if anyone is going to choose us. 

My son reminds us, we all want to be picked. We all walk into a room, no matter how old we are, and wonder if anyone is going to choose us. 

Some of us have attributes that mean we’ve always had it pretty easy in this regard, people have always been quick to choose us. And others of us know the pain of walking into a room and feeling invisible, knowing in advance that no one is going to pick us.

What if we became mindful about walking into a room and choosing someone, with no agenda other than to make sure they feel less alone in the world. What if we were to go out of our way to offer friendship? What kind of a world would this become, where everyone felt chosen? 

Maybe it’s time for you to pick a “freshman.”

The coolest part is that our son’s “freshman” went on to pick others just like he was picked. He became the kind of person who goes out of his way to make sure people feel chosen. 

Maybe it’s time for you to pick a “freshman.”

As followers of Jesus, and especially as leaders, it’s time to look outside ourselves and begin to intentionally form new kinds of relationships. Relationships marked by deep transformation, radical honesty, hope, love, acceptance, and personal guidance. True spiritual friendship. The health of your soul and of the souls in your care depend on it.

Pick someone. 

Truly care. 

Let’s embody this old Irish welcome that I’ve heard:

Come in the evening, come in the morning…

Come when expected, come without warning,

Thousands of welcomes you’ll find here before you, 

And the oftener you come, the more we’ll adore you!

 Notes:

1. Bryan Robinson, Ph.D., “U.S. Surgeon General Cites Loneliness As Serious Mental Health Hazard In New Report,” Forbes, May 6, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2023/05/06/us-surgeon-general-cites-loneliness-as-serious-mental-health-hazard-in-new-report/?sh=6ec752391adc
2. I highly recommend Larry Crabb’s books, Safest Place on Earth and Connecting, along with Henri Nouwen’s The Inner Voice of Love.
3. Crabb, L. Connecting: Healing Ourselves and Our Relationships. United States: Thomas Nelson, 2005.
4. Nouwen, H. J. M. Intimacy. United States: HarperCollins, 2016.

Also included in this episode is a behind the scenes look at the Church Innovation Trade Show as well as three great resources for learning more about innovation and the church.

HOST: Jon Wiest, Director of Innovation NEXT

There is freedom to reimagine the church in our generation. We must cultivate a “kingdom imagination” to prepare people to be salt and light wherever they live, work, or play. As we began to re-gather, we created a framework called the “4 P’s of Spiritual Families,” providing our disciplemakers the basic steps to begin a spiritual family. This is a simple model, rooted in what some call the “ecclesial minimum” (worship, community, mission). It’s for the ordinary person who desires to join what God is up to in their neighborhoods through a micro-expression of the church. 

Here is a summary of each of our 4 P’s:

Prayer—What is God saying to you? (Acts 2:42)

Prayer is the gateway to the spiritual and supernatural. It is our response to the God who has spoken and still speaks. As people consider the forming of a spiritual family, they must be anchored to the truth that the foundational and sustaining power of their activity is communion with a God who is always at work. Prayer gives the spiritual eyes to see, and courage to join what God is doing in the reconciliation of all things back to Christ. Prayer is the heartbeat of the Church. A church that doesn’t pray will find itself in programmatic activity lacking the transformational power necessary to see strongholds broken and the Spirit of God move. When we remain in a posture of prayer, we create space for the miraculous to break into our ordinary. As disciplemakers who are preparing people to begin spiritual families, it is our task to help them infuse prayer into the DNA of their community. 

Purpose—What has God given you? (Ephesians 2:10)

Each person is made in the image of God and has purpose. This purpose may be rooted in the joys of life, or past struggles, brokenness, and pain. It’s amazing to see what God can do through a “wounded healer,” a person who has endured much suffering and has found healing and restoration. Regardless of the genesis of our purpose and mission, we each have gifts that have been given to be a blessing to others. With that, there are some of us who sense an invitation by the Spirit to embark on something new, to plant the seeds of the Kingdom of God in new and creative ways and establish a new expression of the church. This is in addition to gifts given to each person in the church to serve in the equipping, maturing, healing, and health of the Body. These gifts, along with our collective and individual stories, help shape our purpose as a spiritual family. As disciplemakers, we must help each person discover their gifts and purpose within the context of the spiritual family and beyond. 

Place—Where has God placed you? (Acts 5:12)

Not only should we consider the passions and gifts God has given each person, but we should also consider the place in which we are rooted. As followers of Jesus who live an embodied and integrated faith, we must consider how we will embody our faith in place, with new intention. This has implications on how we show up as neighbors, how we engage in doing justice, and our analysis of the powers at play. This can be a block, an apartment complex, an office, a school, dorm room, coffee shop, etc. The goal is that spiritual families will take up residence at the intersections of heaven and earth, where they are rooted. The kingdom of God touches all facets of life, and scripture is clear that God cares about the places we inhabit, and desires we see both people and place through that lens. As disciplemakers, we must help our spiritual families cultivate a theology of place and pursue the holistic implications of the gospel. Resist the idea that we are bringing God to a place. That belief reinforces the colonizing and deeply harmful practices of mission expansion, but cultivate a robust theology and practice that understands that God has already been at work, and we are to discover, follow, and join the move of the Spirit in that place.

People—Who will go with you? (Matthew 18:20)

Jesus never intended for us to be the church in isolation. God is community. Since we are made in God’s image, community is essential to our wellbeing and success when we consider forming a spiritual family. We join one another in worship, community, and mission in a specific place. In a way, that is incarnational. Whether you are considering the forming of a spiritual family or are mobilizing others, there must be a community formed that goes on this mission together. Remember, Jesus prayerfully considered this as he picked the 12 apostles. There were many in the crowds, but Jesus needed a few who would join him in mission and live in transformational community. As disciplemakers, encourage people to begin with a small team in the forming of a spiritual family for encouragement and partnership from the outset. 

In conclusion, as disciple makers, may we continue to dream and imagine new ways forward. The Spirit of God invites us to reimagine the church and equip ordinary people to form spiritual families in all contexts, who embody the love of God in a world desperate for grace, healing, and liberation. 

Guest: Stephan Tchividjian, Co-Founder and President of the National Christian Foundation of South Florida and Co-Executive Director of Lifework Leadership

Hosts: Mindy Caliguire, Director of Healthy Leaders NEXT

—Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

I admit it. I sometimes suffer from “story envy”. 

You know, that moment during a Sunday service when an amazing guest speaker shares their incredible story of overcoming the worst imaginable adversity. Or when you watch a video about the humble beginnings of a life-changing ministry. 

Man, those stories are good!

But then, the ugly thoughts creep in: “Well, they had it easy because…” or “My story is nowhere near that level. Can God even use someone like me?”

Ever felt that way?

“Every story is worth telling because it belongs to the ultimate storyteller–God.”

As a filmmaker with 20 Emmy Awards, here’s a tough lesson I had to learn the hard way: “Every story is worth telling because it belongs to the ultimate storyteller–God.”

Jesus is the master storyteller. The gospel spread like wildfire because people couldn’t resist sharing what he had done in their lives. And let’s not forget his famous parables that captivated the crowds.

Bottom line: Storytelling is arguably the backbone of sharing the gospel, making disciples, and building genuine connections with people. 

So, how can we get better at telling stories? Well, I’ve got some tips.

After years in the film industry and dissecting biblical stories, I’ve found 10 storytelling principles that may help you tell better stories in ministry and leadership:

1. Start In the Middle

Hook your audience by throwing them into the middle of a scene or the middle of the story. Leave them there on a cliff-hanger as an attention grabber. 

2. Frustration

We all have things holding us back from something else. Highlight a moment of surrender or frustration in your story, as this is often the catalyst that puts someone on a new path or journey to overcome.

3. Vulnerability

Nothing is more inviting than when someone opens up and shares something they normally wouldn’t. Displaying vulnerability in your story will make your protagonist more relatable and inspire others to overcome their own vulnerabilities.

4. Secrets

We all like feeling like we are on the inside or have information that others don’t. Revealing a secret or something that is hidden will make your audience feel special and in on the “joke”.

5. Death + Loss

Loss can take many forms–whether it be physical, psychological, emotional, circumstantial, or relational. Highlighting the anticipation of loss in your story can create tension and make your audience more invested in your protagonist’s journey.

6. Contradiction

We are all full of contradictions. Amplifying these in your story will make it more relatable and human. Showcasing a contradiction can quickly re-grab your audience’s attention if you feel you’re losing it. 

7. Main Character

When a character does something that aligns with our values or the characteristics we aspire to have, we tend to like them. Creating a character that displays selflessness, sacrificial love, and strong convictions will make your audience root for them and become more invested in their journey.

8. Show Not Tell

Amplify the emotions in your story in order to show, rather than tell. We want to show the audience emotions so they connect deeper with the feelings of our character. This can be done through descriptive language, inflections in your voice, or using tools like music, sound effects, and settings in film.

9. Keep Them Guessing

When the audience experiences a story, they are always asking themselves questions or trying to guess the plot. This is a good thing because it means they are interested and invested in the story. Do things to keep your audience guessing about what will happen next or create a sense of mystery around a character to keep them engaged. Use the words “but” and “therefore” to move through the parts of your story.

10. Full Circle

The story circles back to how the journey began, but with a new understanding. This gives the audience a fuller understanding, a sense of closure, and points to the main point of your story. It can also flip the audience’s perspective, challenging their assumptions and helping them see things in a new light.

There are stories inside of you that only you can tell. 

There are stories inside of you that only you can tell. Every story told is an opportunity for the world to be changed into a better place because of what God has done in our lives–even if it’s simply changing the world of one person who needs to hear it. 

Whether it’s a congregation needing to hear the story of how God can change their life or it’s a close friend who needs encouragement, I hope you know you are not alone in this journey. You have friends cheering you on as you go! 

I can’t wait to hear your story and watch you change the world!

The intersection between spiritual development and development psychology makes emerging adulthood one of the most critical seasons of life for a young person.

Jeffrey Arnett is a leading psychologist in developmental theories and in 2000 he coined the phrase emerging adulthood to describe the pivotal transition between adolescence and young adulthood. He describes emerging adulthood this way:

Having left the dependency of childhood and adolescence, and having not yet entered the enduring responsibilities that are normative in adulthood, emerging adults often explore a variety of possible life directions in love, work, and world- views. Emerging adulthood is a time of life when many different directions remain possible, when little about the future has been decided for certain, when the scope of independent exploration of life’s possibilities is greater for most people than it will be at any other period of the life course.¹

The intersection between spiritual development and development psychology makes emerging adulthood one of the most critical seasons of life for a young person. As pastors, parents, and leaders of the next generation, it is our job to better understand how to help young people make faith their own and grow into an adult spirituality that will last.

In order to do this well, we must begin by examining a concept in spiritual development called faithing as developed by Fuller Youth Institute and explored in the book Growing With.² It’s easy to think about faith as a noun; something we have or do not have. When faith is a noun, it is rigid, can be possessed or lost, and any questions or doubts that come up against it are a threat. But, if we begin exploring faith as a verb—faithing—suddenly there is much more room for the development of questions, doubts, and challenges to our spirituality without it being completely discarded. When we encourage young people in their faithing, we are helping create room for faith to grow and develop alongside the complex doubts, questions, and challenges that surface during the emerging adult years. This creates a much-needed release to the pressure young people are under to arrive somewhere; it encourages them to incorporate their spirituality into their adulthood journey instead of abandoning it when they experience incoherencies.

When we encourage young people in their “faithing,” we create room for faith to grow and develop alongside the complex doubts, questions, and challenges that surface during the emerging adult years.

With “faithing” as a framework, spiritual development becomes a journey we are all on, not a destination we need young people to arrive at. As young people develop in their emerging adult years, there will be questions, doubts, and inconsistencies that occupy the focus of their spiritual formation. This is because in high school, most students are literalist³ in the way they grasp their faith. In this stage of spiritual development there is conflation between God and spiritual authorities; faith is a communal belief; and young people tend to conform to the expectations of their religious community. When a young person enters emerging adulthood, they begin challenging communal assumptions and the status quo, holding others to high accountability, and seeing the incongruencies in their homes and in their faith communities. This spiritual developmental stage is referred to as critic-negative⁴ and is very important for young people. However, this is the stage that scares their pastors, parents, and leaders the most.

We fear that young people in the critic-negative stage are abandoning their faith because they are wrestling with doubts, questions, and inconsistencies we as adults have come to terms with. But part of faithing is creating space for emerging adults to wrestle faithfully by examining their own beliefs, naming the duality of experiencing positive and negative things at the same time, and taking responsibility for their own thinking and knowing. This is called the critic-positive stage⁵ and often represents the final stage of spiritual development before moving into an adult spirituality.

Part of faithing is creating space for emerging adults to wrestle faithfully by examining their own beliefs, naming the duality of experiencing positive and negative things at the same time, and taking responsibility for their own thinking and knowing.

As we seek to help young people grow into an adult spirituality, we will need to show them how to embrace the paradoxes of faith and life, hold a both/and posture more than an either/or posture, and see truth as messy and complex. A hallmark of the emerging adult years is coming to terms with the tension between how we believe life, faith, community, spiritually, and justice should be expressed in the world and how it actually is. Nothing is perfect, but this tension is our opportunity as pastors, parents, and leaders of the next generation to disciple young people and create space for their faithing journey. Making faith their own means learning how to navigate tension without walking away from Jesus, and developmental spirituality tells us that this journey must include space for faith, doubt, fear, hope, nuance, and inconsistencies to coexist.

Notes

1. Jeffrey Arnett, “Emerging Adulthood,” American Psychologist, May 2000. Accessed at jeffreyarnett.com on April 29, 2023.
2. Kara Eckmann Powell and Steven Argue, Growing With: Every Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers and Young Adults Thrive in Their Faith, Family, and Future (Baker Books, 2019).
3. Steven Argue, “Faith. Faithing. Meaning Making.” Lecture: Emerging Adult Spirituality and Ministry, Oct. 2020, Fuller Theological Seminary.
4. Argue, “Faith. Faithing. Meaning Making.”
5. Argue, “Faith. Faithing. Meaning Making.”

Problems, setbacks, and challenges require us to find new paths forward. New solutions are needed. But this is not always the case. There are other times when innovation is the result of God’s blessing and favor. Stewarding a move of the Spirit feels more like riding a wave and learning how to adapt to maintain spiritual momentum.

This was especially true of the Asbury revival.

In February I journeyed to Wilmore, Kentucky, to participate in the awakening that was stirring. I spent the weeks prior wrestling through a few key decisions and sensed God drawing me to Hughes Auditorium for an extended time of prayer and worship. His manifest presence was on full display that afternoon and evening, and God met me in a special way.

I noticed a lot of activity and effort being made behind the scenes, as people tried to steward what God was doing.

I also noticed in my time at Asbury a lot of activity and effort being made behind the scenes, as people tried to steward what God was doing. This was rarely featured on social media or online articles. Pastor Craig Groeschel once famously remarked, “We often compare our behind the scenes with other people’s highlight reel.”

In this article, I want to move away from the “highlight reel” by looking behind the scenes at the Asbury revival as a case study for innovation and stewardship.

Innovation as Stewardship 

Stewardship is a big deal in the Bible.

In Matthew 25, Jesus shared his famous parable of the talents. The man who received only one bag of gold was scared to invest his money and finally told his master in verse 25, “I went out and hid your bag of gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you” (my paraphrase).

I’m always surprised when I read the response of the master. My inclination would be to offer grace to the servant, excusing the man’s behavior. But the master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant” (v. 26) and then directed his associates, “Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 30). Yikes!

God takes stewardship seriously. This is especially true when it comes to the gifts of the Spirit and stewarding a move of God. Innovation is required.

I was recently visiting with Dr. Tom Tumblin, professor of leadership at Asbury Seminary, to learn more about what was happening behind the scenes during the revival. Much of this article is a result of his account.

The sparks of revival began on February 8 when Zach Meerkreebs, an assistant soccer coach at the university, preached a sermon on love in action. His text was Romans 12 and there seemed to be very little response. A final song followed his message and 15-20 students stayed after to pray. Zach wrapped up, grabbed his jacket, and then texted his wife, “Latest stinker. I’ll be home soon.”

An hour later, a dozen or so students continued to persevere in prayer. God began to move through the prayers of these students and word started to spread on campus. An unexplainable peace had descended on the auditorium. A few dozen more students began to converge in the space to pray and a few hours later, the crowd had grown to more than a hundred.

Something was happening, and the leadership at Asbury had a decision to make. Would they steward what God was doing?

To do so would require a spirit of sacrifice and hard work, creative energy, and constant discernment. The easier move would be to simply do nothing, bury their talents, and wait to see what might happen next out of fear of messing up or doing the wrong thing. Innovation is hard work. It requires courage and perseverance.

[Good stewardship] would require a spirit of sacrifice and hard work, creative energy, and constant discernment. The easier move would be to simply do nothing, bury their talents, and wait to see what might happen next.

By the grace of God, they chose to listen and innovate. How was God leading them to provide new wineskins for this move of the Spirit? The initial team consisted of an ad hoc committee of staff, faculty, administrators, and friends. They gathered in a storage closet to the side of Hughes Auditorium. There were questions to be answered.

• Would they allow the students to spend the night in prayer? Yes.
• Would they turn the sound system off? No.
• Would they let students keep bringing guitars into chapel? Yes.
• Was security required? Yes.

These were questions they had never considered before.

Innovation as Discernment

The wineskins of the revival were formed through questioning, listening, discernment, and innovation. By Friday afternoon, only two days after Zach’s sermon, thousands of people would pass through the doors of the chapel.

Asbury University president Kevin Brown told Christianity Today,

There were 100 people volunteering at any one time, just to make these services work on the fly.  There was a classroom that got redeployed into almost a command center. If you walked in, there were flow charts on the wall and the whiteboards were covered with information…. It was one of the most impressive technical feats I’ve ever seen.¹

During my time at Asbury, I watched the altar workers receive and pray for students, rotating teams of musicians lead from the stage, hosts working the auditorium, greeters at the door, and security guards on the front lawn. Who was coordinating this effort? How did it evolve?

In some cases, quick decisions needed to be made and Spirit-led discernment was vital.

• Did they want to put up screens for the lyrics of the worship songs? No.
• Should ministers who spoke on stage introduce themselves? No.
• Should they put up signs asking people not to livestream? Yes.
• Should outside worship leaders give leadership? No.

Kari Jobe, the contemporary Christian music singer who won a Dove Award for “The Blessing,” went to Asbury for prayer. It would have seemed natural to invite her to lead in worship, but the team sensed God calling them to steward this movement in a different direction.

These were only a few of the hundreds of decisions that required prayer and discernment.

Student life vice president Sarah Thomas Baldwin shared with one media outlet, “We were just trying to keep up…. There are people… showing up and they’re desperate for God. We’re just trying to stay alive and trying to honor what is happening.”²

By Friday evening the crowd had grown to about 3,000 people, and the university leadership made another discerning decision to set up overflow rooms and stream to other parts of campus. This type of thing was unprecedented. Like the Israelites in the book of Joshua, they had “never been this way before” (Joshua 3:4).

They were innovating along the way.

People from the community began to set up tables and provided food, cookies, and even protein bars. One person started organizing housing for guests. Another began tackling security and invited local law enforcement to get in on the action. An event manager from Phoenix showed up with a plan to coordinate volunteers. A human resources coordinator spent the week answering outside calls.

Altar workers and hosts were trained in crowd management. When I attended the event, an older woman began blowing a shofar periodically during worship. I noticed someone take her aside and gently encourage her not to draw attention to herself. Another person wouldn’t stop praying aggressively and was invited to go outside.

Tucker Carlson, former host of the most-watched TV news show, did an incredible piece on Asbury, and former vice president Mike Pence shared that he was deeply moved at the event. These accounts and others continued to spread the word, and people began coming in droves.

The town of Wilmore was soon overwhelmed, traffic was impossible, and new challenges continued to present themselves. Screens were set up in the grassy semicircle outside the chapel as nearly 20,000 visitors descended on the city the following weekend.

Innovation became a daily activity of hearing from God and moving with the Spirit. God began to lead the team to narrow their focus on Gen Z and Gen A. Soon, the revival spread to other colleges and campuses around the country.

I could go on.

Innovating When God Is Moving

In a previous article, I showed that Jesus gave us a clear word on innovation. In Luke 5:38 he said, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.” New wine often requires new wineskins and the discernment to understand how to steward all God is doing. Innovation is vital. Stewardship is necessary. Discernment is mandatory.

To use the analogy of a sailboat, we often think of innovation as navigating our way out of stormy weather by learning how to address problems and setbacks. There are other times when we find ourselves sitting on a calm lake waiting for wind. There are no visible storms, but also little movement. We innovate by raising the sails and hoping the winds of the Spirit would blow.

We innovate to prepare for God to move.

But in the case of Asbury, innovation had less to do with navigating storms or raising the sails, and more to do with steering the boat as the Spirit was moving. It consisted of the wisdom and foresight to preserve the new wine being poured out so as not to lose anything God was doing. The Asbury revival was a reminder that innovation is stewarding what God is already doing.

The Asbury revival was a reminder that innovation is stewarding what God is already doing.

What new thing is God doing in your life? Where is he blessing your ministry? What testimonies are you discovering?

While there will always be challenges in life and ministry, perhaps today is a reminder to steward his blessings as well.

Notes

1. Daniel Silliman, “‘No Celebrities Except Jesus’: How Asbury Protected the Revival,” Christianity Today (online), Feb. 23, 2023.
2. Silliman.

What is the biggest challenge you face as a leader? Building a cohesive team? Communicating a clear vision? Developing strategy towards that vision? Is it securing funding? Navigating the demands of family and physical health? Recruiting volunteers and staff members?

Seriously. Stop for a moment and reflect: What’s your biggest challenge right now?

Most leaders I know, when faced with an important urgent challenge, can sense the adrenaline start to build, and will gladly clear their schedule and forego sleep if needed… doing whatever it takes to address and even conquer the looming challenge. They rise to the occasion.

You rise to the occasion. You do whatever it takes. Like Superman, you are “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” At least in that moment.

I celebrate this and recognize it in myself as well. Well, maybe not quite as superhuman as all that, but truly, our capacities can accomplish great things! Especially under the guidance and direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We love quoting—and seeing—that “all things are possible.”

But here’s what I’ve also noticed in myself and others over the years. Leaders who would not even flinch at spending 30 hours in transit to a speaking engagement, who are also negotiating major real estate transactions for their organization, hiring key staff members, developing visionary financial proformas to present to their board next week, and gearing up to bring a “fresh word” to that awaiting audience…. these leaders find it extremely difficult to do one thing: RETREAT.

In fact, some openly vilify the very word, as if a halt in forward progress is a threat to their existence or an indictment of their character.

Leaders find it extremely difficult to do one thing: RETREAT.

One such leader I know well had requested and been given a plan that was designed to bring intentionality to next steps in their journey. Among the various next-step recommendations, which included reading materials and serving activities, was one assignment to take two hours for a solitude retreat.

Not five weeks; not three days; not even a half-day. Two hours.

Guess what? Talks were written, deals were negotiated, budget projections were made, staff got hired and fired… but in the span of over two years, this leader—by their own admission—simply could not intentionally stop being available, productive, or otherwise “on”—not even for two hours! Turns out, retreat is hard.

I have come to believe that, especially for many high-capacity leaders like my friend, taking intentional time for retreat is actually one of the hardest things for us to do. Even so, intentionally taking time away from our productivity to be alone with God—whether through solitude, retreat, sabbath, sabbatical—is actually one of the most important things a leader can and must do. Without it, we lose our bearing. We lose our being. We lose our humility. We lose our humanity. And when we lose those things… it’s just a matter of time until we lose everything. We lose our souls.

Intentionally taking time away from our productivity to be alone with God—whether through solitude, retreat, sabbath, or sabbatical—is actually one of the most important things a leader can and must do.

We stay up all night, push past physical and emotional pain, ignore the pleas of friends and loved ones, and keep going… often “for the sake of the call” (or so we think). But a bit of reflection usually reveals that our over-doing can also be for the sake of our egos, the sake of not disappointing powerful people, or the sake of appeasing our fear of failure. At least that list can be some of mine… I’m guessing you have your darker “for the sake of” list as well.

We Resist Rest…

Before we get too frustrated with ourselves over this, let’s remember: this resistance to rest and retreat is not a new or novel thing for the people of God.

To understand what’s behind it, we don’t have to look too far. Throughout scripture we see dozens of invitations and admonitions and even commandments to live and lead out of a place of rest: God introduces, almost immediately, a pattern of Sabbath; Jesus further shows us this through his habits of solitude, stillness, and prayer; the Israelites are given the law of Jubilee. These are things the Lord has created, modeled, and invited us into.

Yet rest and retreat are some of the hardest things because, while having many benefits, they also require something of us: trust. If we are going to truly rest or retreat, we must have a deep and abiding sense of trust that God will sustain us and all the things we are involved in, even as we step away. One of my favorite passages from all of scripture, Isaiah 30:15, reads like this:

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it” (NIV).

Though God had made himself available to the nations to be their protection and their strength, they wanted none of it. They went out and secured whatever they thought would be their source of provision and strength. Faster horses, so they could flee from their oppressors. Alliances with powerful neighboring nations. Anything to secure their well-being. And yes, we do the same.

God aches over you and me when we choose to go elsewhere. Even today, he says this to us: “In repentance and rest is your salvation.” Can you hear the ache in God’s voice when he says, “but you would have none of it”? A longing to be our provider, protector, our source? A sadness over knowing what and who we become when we choose otherwise?

If God spoke about rest and retreat through his prophets in the Old Testament, he modeled it for us in the person of Jesus. If God in human form needed to rest and retreat, how much more do we need to do the same!

…But We Need to Rest

There’s a story in Mark 1:35 that comes right on the heels of a successful ministry event. These days we might even refer to it as a revival. Jesus was preaching and healing people and drawing larger and larger crowds.

What would we do in that kind of a situation? Would we keep working, doing more and more, because we could see advancements were being made in the kingdom and we wouldn’t want to jeopardize that? Would we call in for more disciples? Now is the time! We must strike while the iron is hot! Or would we retreat and rest?

That last one sounds almost silly, doesn’t it, when we consider our current models of ministry and ways we have of operating. To walk away, just when things are beginning to take off, seems foolish; maybe irresponsible.

And yet that is what Jesus does in this story:

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” (Mark 1:35-37, NIV).

He left the crowds behind. Irresponsibly enough, he didn’t even tell his followers where he was going! And their reaction seems about right: “Jesus, where did you go? There are things to be done, people to be healed, sermons to be preached!”

If rest and retreat are essential, they might also sometimes appear… inappropriate? Ill-timed? Even irresponsible? But even the secular world around us is beginning to recognize the benefits of rest and retreat. A recent Forbes article¹ listed five benefits that occur when you ensure you are receiving adequate rest:

1. Physical Healing. The human body flourishes in short bursts of activity, so taking a break, even for a few minutes, can refresh us throughout the day. “Adequate rest helps your body activate its inner healing cascade and return to a state of homeostasis.” In other words, resting helps your body make repairs and recover from the hard work you’re doing.
2. Stress Reduction. When you’re stressed, you experience a fight-or-flight response, something that may make you feel more productive, at least in the short-term. But our bodies were not made to remain in that state. “Resting activates the parasympathetic nervous system–the opposite of the… flight-or-fight response.” Resting can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, bring your digestive function back to a normal pace, and decrease hormone levels that cause stress.
3. Boosts Creativity. Resting allows you time to refill your reserves, reflect, and break through creative walls. Open-ended problems are more easily solved, as your brain has the space to act spontaneously.
4. Improves Productivity. Your brain is like most of your other muscles—it is less functional when it’s fatigued. Rest sharpens your thinking.
5. Enhances Decision-Making. Working for too long without resting or retreat leads to a lower ability to concentrate and depreciated emotional capacity.

The idea of taking a retreat or even a sabbatical compounds these benefits of rest, and is also finding its way into the mainstream.

While the type (paid versus unpaid), length (weeks versus months), and other sabbatical details vary, research suggests that the upward trend in sabbaticals is due to two primary factors. Sabbaticals and extended vacation time are not just good for employees to rest and recharge—they benefit the organization by stress-testing the organizational chart and providing interim roles to allow aspiring employees to take on more leadership.²

Make Time to Rest and Retreat

What could intentional times of retreat look like for you?

Start with an honest look at your calendar. Where and when will you pause, disconnect from your productivity and sense of being “on” to connect with God? Not binge-watch or socialize with friends or go for a long run. (No judgment on any of these, but that’s not solitude and retreat.) You and I need to get to a space where the noise-floor of your life can actually drop. Where your mind can become still, focused on being with God, resting in God, connecting with God.

If this is a common pattern for you, and I hope for many of you it already is, please begin to take some emerging leaders along with you in this journey. As Eli did for young Samuel, help someone else begin to discern the voice of God in their own life.

If the concept of personal retreat is unfamiliar and foreign, decide today that you will learn this vital practice for your soul.

And if the concept of personal retreat is unfamiliar and foreign, decide today that you will learn this vital practice for your soul. There will be a learning-curve. It will be hard, and all your muscle memory—everything in you—will be screaming and shouting loudly with you for productivity and reminding you that you have no value apart from what you do or accomplish.

Here are a couple of things that have helped me.

1. Take a monthly retreat. (Tip: Invite others into your time so you’re accountable to do it!) I started a virtual, semi-silent, monthly retreat that’s been going on for over two years. Quite a fun virtual community is growing up around it now, but everyone knows I started these in part for selfish reasons—to make sure that I actually took three hours each month for a time of personal solitude. To participate and learn about upcoming retreats, join The Soul Care Collective.
2. Commit to a 24-hour floating sabbath. Hey, I get it. You don’t get Sundays off. Or Saturdays. Or Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays. You’re on the road, your schedule changes each week. Me too. What I have discovered is this: The principle behind sabbath, the resting in God, the not being “on,” is vital, and so is the expanded timeframe of 24 hours where you are not “on.” Yes, you’re still with family and friends, yes, you’re out for a walk or reading a great book… but you’re not “on.” You’re not pushing forward. You’re able to rest. Trust. Enjoy God and others. Recreate; re-create. Replenish and restore. Remember and rest. (Tip: I find it helpful to draw an imaginary line in my schedule and commit to not pushing forward for the next 24 hours. Sometimes it’s Friday at 3:00 p.m., sometimes it’s Sunday at noon. But usually between Friday and Monday I can carve out at least 24 hours to be “off.” If your schedule can accommodate the same timeframe each week, that would be an even more useful practice for your body and soul. But if your schedule does not permit that level of routine, please at least make sure you can carve out those 24 consecutive hours to be “off.”)

What I have noticed as I embrace both of these practices on a weekly and monthly basis is this: I remain clear on who is God and who is not. I am refreshed in my spirit. My soul gets restored. I re-anchor my doing into God’s being and my own being.

I truly hope you will consider doing the same and helping each other on this path. Maybe start a #leadstrong group with friends and text each week to let each other know when that imaginary line has been crossed! Or join our monthly semi-silent retreats online. Let us know what practices help you truly turn off the doing.

Several friends right now are stepping away from their senior leadership responsibilities this summer for a sabbatical. Some for as short as a month, others for three or more months. What a wise and strategic thing to do! Our Soul Care team will be wrapping them up with prayer and sabbatical-related services to help them maximize this incredible gift of time away. The last thing you want to do with a sabbatical, as they well know, is squander the opportunity by simply treating it as an extended vacation. There is so much more to glean from this gift than simple time away.

So… God commanded us to rest, and Jesus showed us how it was done. What plan do you have for you and your organization to institute rest—not just as an accidental byproduct, but as a deliberate part of your ongoing growth strategy?

Retreat and rest can’t be something we only do when we have nothing else to do. Retreat and rest must be a strategic priority.

Do the hard thing.

Notes

1. Heather Cherry, “The Benefits Of Resting And How To Unplug In A Busy World,” Forbes magazine, January 15, 2021.

2. David Burkus, “Research Shows That Organizations Benefit When Employees Take Sabbaticals,” Harvard Business Review, August 10, 2017.

Guest: Doug Paul, Managing Partner and Innovation Strategist of Catapult

Hosts: Rob Wegner and Brian Johnson, Directors of Microchurch NEXT

Shift In Mindset

First and foremost, denominations need to shift from a preservation mindset to a multiplication movement mindset. This means being open to change, willing to revise old practices, and starting new ones. It’s not an easy road, but it’s necessary if we want to see denominations become movements again. 

Creating space for movement to happen is crucial. Denominational leaders need to make room for mavericks, those who are willing to push ahead in innovative and creative ways. Apostolic leaders are often mavericks, and they are the ones who will carry the movement forward. When top-down and bottom-up leadership work together, that’s when movements can happen.

It’s important to recognize that movements are not always neat and tidy. They can be chaotic and messy, but that’s okay. Chaos is necessary for movement to happen. It’s okay to let go of some control and allow the movement to take on a life of its own.

Movement DNA

Denominations also need to revive their DNA, their history of movement. Almost every denomination has had a history of movement, and it’s up to current leaders to revive that DNA and use it to propel the denomination forward. It’s about capturing the momentum and using it to create a movement once again.

Almost every denomination has had a history of movement, and it’s up to current leaders to revive that DNA and use it to propel the denomination forward.

Having faith and vision that a denomination can become a movement again is crucial. Without that faith and vision, it’s a non-starter. But when leaders believe that it’s possible, when they see the potential for change and renewal, that’s when movements can happen.

By being part of a larger community—a larger network, individuals can contribute to a greater cause and help resource other churches. One of the advantages of being part of a network of churches is the ability to raise up leaders who can help resource the movement.

It’s important to remember that we’re all in this together and that we’re family. When things get tough, we don’t break up and go our separate ways. We stick it through and see the long term vision. Denominational leaders play a crucial role in supporting church planning networks. By going through an intentional process, keeping mutual relationships primary, and voluntary submission in mind, we can handle the messiness in a healthy way and keep moving forward.

Denominations can become movements again by making fundamental changes in mindset and practice, creating space for movement, and reviving their DNA. To watch the full conversation, watch below.

*2ND COHORT ADDED* — If you are a denominational leader and would like to join Larry Walkemeyer and a group of peers for a learning community journey of how your denomination can become a movement again, visit this page.

Full Video Conversation

Resources shared from the Can a Denomination Become a Movement? conversation:

• 2023-2024 Multipliers Learning Community Denominational/Network Leader Cohort
• Book: Pioneers – raising up missionary disciples for the new frontier by Ed Love
• Book: Becoming A Level Five Multiplying Church by Todd Wilson and Dave Ferguson — full description of the 5 Levels of Multiplication
• Article: The Church Multiplication Challenge — brief description of the 5 Levels of Multiplication
• Book: Disciple Maker’s Handbook by Bobby Harrington and Josh Patrick
• Book: Marks of a Movement by Winfield Bevins
• Book: Marks of a Multiplying Movement by Winfield Bevins
• Book: The Mobilization Flywheel by Larry Walkemeyer and Todd Wilson
• Article: What’s a Church?”
• Calling Lab: Live Sent

Guest: David Loveless, Executive Director of Campuses & Leadership Development at First Baptist Church Orlando

Host: Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

We set out to create what we call an Immersive—a 30-hour deep dive into what informs the way we function as a network in Kansas City. We knew we wanted it to be less seminar-driven and more workshop-focused. That is, we wanted to create as much space for contextualization as possible. So, we had to ask the questions, “What do we include?” and “Where do we start?”

Where Do We Start?

Our first inclination was to start with gospel saturation—that’s when every man, woman, boy and girl has repeated and regular opportunities to hear, see, experience and respond to the gospel in their network of relationships. We started here because we wanted to course-correct from our own backgrounds that had been focused on strengthening and growing our own faith communities rather than thinking about our city first, or about the whole Church in our city thriving—not just our own faith community. We wanted to help people embrace a different paradigm that was not about church growth, but about Jesus filling everything everywhere with himself. This is grounded in Ephesians 1:22, 23: “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (NIV).

We wanted to help people embrace a different paradigm that was not about church growth, but about Jesus filling everything everywhere with himself.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the desire to fill our cities with the gospel. It shapes us. But something about that starting point didn’t seem right to us. Maybe you felt that way too as you read the previous paragraph. As leaders, we can be tempted to put the work of the Lord before the Lord of the work. We find ourselves pursuing the harvest, more than we are pursuing the Lord of the Harvest. Our desire to advance mission can often be fueled by some very mixed motives in us. We needed to check those motives.

Return to Jesus

Fortunately, Jesus loves us so much, and he gently and patiently called us to repentance. You have probably had one of those moments where Jesus has said something like, “Oh, interesting, that is where you would like to start? Okay. But if you are interested in following me, I might have another way.”

We needed a moment to return to Jesus. In fact, that’s the phrase that we use now in nearly every meeting and environment we curate; we aim to first “Return to Jesus.” It has become the phrase that centers us. Before we start any training or get to work on any new project, we “Return to Jesus.”

We center that language in what Alan Hirsch described to me as a “three-word-worldview”: Jesus is Lord. It’s about a radical commitment to the lordship of Jesus in every area of life. We realized if we didn’t start here, gospel saturation and everything that came after it would be informed by our own striving and brokenness.

Jesus Is Lord

In the western context, the form and function of the church has usually come first. Jesus probably comes second, and then mission—if it comes at all—lags in third place.

If we are to have a genuine Jesus movement, however, then he must come first, and we should then seek to bend our rhythms and our ways around simply knowing and loving him. As we do this, we will learn that our mission and calling flow from that posture. Our church forms will then respond to that mission and the fruit that emerges. But they are indeed only that, just forms, structures in place that can adapt and change to hold and house the people of God in a new generation.

Our temptation will always be to lean on building the systems and structures that help make everything clean and explainable. But when we hold up Jesus, we see that he does not fit neatly into our frameworks. He is too great for that. We always hold him up first and look for what he is doing and then join him in it.

If we want to see gospel saturation happen in a city, we must recapture Jesus is Lord, radically surrender to him, and strip away all the externalities that would encumber that commitment.

If we want to see gospel saturation happen in a city, we will not first build and explain and categorize and systematize and structure our plans and ask Jesus to join us. If we want to see gospel saturation happen in a city, we must recapture Jesus is Lord, radically surrender to him, and strip away all the externalities that would encumber that commitment.

Now, when we offer an Immersive in Kansas City, we invite teams to return to a commitment of Jesus is Lord first. We slow down together. We read 2 Corinthians and ask, “What does the phrase, Jesus is Lord mean to you? Do you need to recapture it?” We try to help people write out their own commitments. In the future, when they start thinking too much about building systems and structures, or when their soul gets sideways because they’re trying to perform, or things are going their way, or life just quits working, we want them to have something to go back to and stand upon. Namely, their commitment to Jesus is Lord.

If you can center yourself on Jesus is Lord, what flows out of that is gospel saturation. It’s a natural flow. You want everyone else in every domain of society, every corner of culture to know exactly what you know: there is nothing better than Jesus.

Once, as I sat in silence pondering the questions I was posing to these teams, the Spirit helped me write these words in my own journal:

Jesus is Lord is…

• • • an invitation into beholding again your first love. It is not first a command, but an invitation to see beauty. It is first a declaration to “see” that He is Lord. It is not about power structures and authority. It is not about who wins at the end of the day. It is about breathing in and breathing out new life. It is about creation. It is about flourishing.
    • about joy coming in the morning.
    • about setting free and releasing.
    • about silver linings behind clouds, chains breaking and prison walls coming down.
    • about reunions and first steps.
    • about disparate ideas being fashioned together in all their uniqueness to become a celebrated stained-glass window.
    • about running in open fields with wildflowers, and forests of tall trees of oaks and pines that shade a bed of wild mushrooms and sassafras.
    • fullness that spills over into laughter, and everyone wants to talk about it because it births creativity. It is creativity for creativity’s sake. When you taste and see, you know! You know and you want others to taste and see.

Caesar is lord is…

• • • about power and might.
    • about conquering, and claiming, and oppressing, and extending a way, Caesar’s way, with no thought about anyone else…this is also my way.
    • about peace through force.
    • about disparate ideas being homogenized into goop and marketed with Caesar’s brand of good news.
    • about marching in lines and bowing down to a powerless idea that we all know is empty, but no one wants to say anything because Caesar is lord has only instilled fear and lacks any creativity.
    • about saying, “Yeah, but what about…?” or “I’m not sure if…” or “We’ve never done that…” Caesar wants to kill everything that’s not in the system.

Jesus is Lord is always an invitation into new worlds.

Jesus is Lord is an invitation into exploration.

Jesus is Lord is always first an invitation, not authoritarian demand. It’s not an invitation into smaller things, but into an expanse more vast than you can imagine.

What about you? What does that little phrase mean to you? Before you move on to the next thing in your day, what if you spent some time slowing down and reading through 2 Corinthians 4? When you’re done, ask Jesus what he’s saying to you about his lordship in your life. Write out some thoughts and share them with someone today.

In 2023, we’ve partnered with Leadership Network to reproduce our Immersive environments for leaders in the predominant model churches and for leaders who are seeking to start new microchurch networks in new contexts. You can find out about both learning communities at Microchurch Next Learning Communities.

Here at Church NEXT, we are always looking for stories of pastors and leaders who are innovatively imagining the church of tomorrow. In this month’s article, Ben Hardman (pastor of Grace Marietta and founder of Kingdom Dreams Initiative) identifies 3 shifts that he made as a pastor that led him to reimagine the church he currently leads. These shifts did more than change him or even change his church—they resulted in a multiplication ministry that is helping dozens of churches better serve their business leaders. I encourage you to read his story, connect with him and his team, and let God write and re-write your own story as you do.

—Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

The last 20 months of ministry have been the most impactful and invigorating of my life. I’ve been a pastor for 27 years in several different contexts. I was on staff at a large megachurch for many years, planted a church of missional communities in the third-poorest zip code in the United States, and now I pastor a mid-sized church in suburban Atlanta. Looking back at what shifted in me over the past 20 months, I realize that God first did work in me before he did work in my ministry. We believe that private revival always precedes corporate revival, and God has been shifting my perspective on my role as a pastor and how I see the church. Mine is a deconstruction story of sorts, but not a theological deconstruction. God created a methodological shift that allowed me to step into new territories and have more impact. I have always been a dreamer, an apostle, and a spiritual entrepreneur. In many ways I have struggled to fit the mold of a pastor, shepherd, teacher. After 27 years of pastoring, I longed for a ministry model that felt faithful, sustainable, and incarnational:

• Faithful to the works and ways of Jesus. I wanted a model of ministry that felt more like the ministry of Jesus and less like the ministry of the American church.
• Sustainable. I needed to fall in love again with ministry and find a ministry model that wouldn’t ask me to sacrifice my family, health, and well-being on the altar of church growth.
• Incarnational. I desired for ministry to follow the pattern of Jesus, the One who took on flesh and moved into the neighborhood. I, too, sensed a call to be present with people in the everyday, ordinary stuff of life.

The following are the three areas where I began to shift.

Shift 1: Focus on Micro and Marketplace

I was trained as a preacher, and I was trained to get in front of the biggest crowd imaginable and share the gospel. My focus shifted when a few loving folks from my church started sharing how disconnected they felt our Sunday services were from our 9-to-5 jobs. I was originally offended when people said, “Pastor, you just don’t understand what it’s like to work in the corporate world.” But then I started to ask deeper questions. I began to disciple many of our marketplace leaders and started seeing things from their perspective. I started inviting many of them into a process of discerning their calling and developing a plan to live into their kingdom dream.

We define a kingdom dream as the good work for which you are uniquely called and created.

God started highlighting Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (ESV; parenthetical note added).

I felt God asking me:

• What if instead of always calling people to your dream (to build an amazing church), what if you changed your posture and started helping others discover and live out their kingdom dream?
• What if you really started believing in the priesthood of all believers and you started unleashing the power of the entire community to launch, build and create the good works that are prepared for them?
• What if the church became a “dream factory” awakening and unleashing the kingdom dreams of every person in your community?

So, we started hosting business leaders’ summits and gathering marketplace leaders. We realized our people needed an accountable process and coaching to launch their missional, pioneering kingdom dreams. We launched a kingdom incubator and kingdom accelerator.

Our people needed an accountable process and coaching to launch their missional, pioneering kingdom dreams.

Suddenly, we began to see crazy things happen. We started launching for-profit businesses to fund mission and create kingdom finances and economic sustainability for many. We started launching non-profit organizations that began creating social and communal transformation in our community. We started launching new ministries and microchurches, bringing spiritual change to our community. The good news of all of this was that these weren’t church programs dependent on me or our church staff to dream up, execute, and fund. They were simply the result of everyday people awakening to God’s calling and responding to his prompting in their life.

Shift 2: What If the Church Had an R&D Department?

As more and more people became awakened to their kingdom dream, they wanted a process to launch these dreams. So, we began to think about church innovation and asked these questions:

• What if the church, instead of only investing in what is—organizations, ministries, and businesses already created—looked to invest in what could be—organizations, ministries, and businesses that are just a dream now but could be amazing in the future?
• What if we created a research and development arm of the church?
• What if instead of waiting for people to build, sacrifice, and launch their kingdom dream apart from the church, the church became a catalyst for creation again?

This is how monasteries have functioned for many, many years. They have created economic engines that help drive the economics of the ministry while they are forward-facing the community, building relationships, and blessing their communities at large. Monasteries throughout history have sold wine, beer, honey, clothes, coffee, mushrooms, and even coffins. Money magazine did an article in 2015 calling monks “the original hipster entrepreneurs.”¹

So, we started reimagining our missions dollars and investing in ideas and leaders we trusted. We reimagined our discipleship efforts and spent way more time awakening the kingdom dream in the heart of our people. We found more and more people jumping into our accelerators and incubators.

So much so that others started to hear about what was happening. We were invited to a few venture projects, and weirdly investors began calling us and asking if they could partner with us to help launch these projects. We have even had some well-meaning folks try to buy the idea from us. After participating in one of these venture projects, we went public and began offering our incubators to Christian leaders nationwide. We gathered the best minds we could find to create a kingdom incubator with both business acumen and pastoral giftedness, and we believe we have created a fantastic process that works.

In the last 20 months, we have launched 96 kingdom dreams and are now launching in three new cities to create incubators and accelerators for their communities.

This all leads us to the third shift.

Shift 3: Reimagine How We Fund Ministry

We believe the future church is more agile, less dependent on tithing, and creating multiple income streams.

I have spent all my adult life as both a fundraiser and a pastor, and never in my life have I been more concerned with the church’s funding model and its dependence on tithes and offerings. COVID was scary to all of us as we watched at least three things happen:

We watched churches close at an alarming rate. Around 4,500 churches closed their doors in 2019 alone, and we are still waiting on the long-term financial consequences of COVID.

We watched pastors leave the ministry at alarming rates. A recent survey said that over 50% of pastors are unhappy with their calling. If you dig deeper into that number, one of the factors is that many of the most faithful leaders I know are criminally underfunded. This creates stress for those leaders and their families and churches trying to make the finances work.

We are about to watch the most significant transfer of wealth in the history of our country. My parents’ generation will pass on their dollars to my generation in the next 10-15 years. This seems like something that shouldn’t cause significant concern until we dig deeper. My parents’ generation trusts institutions; they give to the church because that’s what you do.  My generation gives to causes, not institutions, and many in my generation have begun to ask churches questions they can’t faithfully answer about how much of the money they give actually goes out to the community and to the world versus how much of their dollars goes to fund an excellent experience for Christians and their families on Sunday.

We believe the future church is more agile, less dependent on tithing, and creating multiple income streams.

One of my favorite parts of our work in the last 20 months has been helping churches develop secondary income streams and helping pastors develop secondary incomes. Here are some highlights:

• One church has created a coworking space in their building and now brings in nearly the same amount of dollars as it does in tithing.
• One pastor pitched the idea for his nonprofit at one of our demo days and had someone write him a check on the spot to fully fund his kingdom dream.
• Multiple pastors have generated the income they need to stay in pastoral ministry with newfound peace and financial freedom.

We are excited to be expanding rapidly into multiple regions, allowing us to serve the Church even better. New incubators are starting up in multiple cities and Spark Weekends for churches or entrepreneurial ecosystems may be offered in your city. Find out more at www.kingdomdreamsinitiative.com.

Notes

1. Jacob Davidson, “Monks: The Original Hipster Entrepreneurs,” Money magazine online, March 9, 2015, https://money.com/monks-hipster-entrepeneurs/.

Sure, we can argue about the ecclesiology of a church in virtual reality. There are some points of conversation there. These will all get worked out over time. But we cannot argue about the missional opportunities inside virtual reality; there’s nothing to discuss. The implications of the metaverse mission field are enormous.

There are some fascinating recent stats centered around the church and virtual reality. Transparently, I seriously questioned the legitimacy of one of these stats, but as I dug into the backstory, I recognized the truth.

While many churches have been ignoring digital/metaverse communities for ministry purposes, a growing percentage is beginning to recognize the potential.

Pushpay’s “State of the Church Technology Report” addresses the idea of physical churches planting digital or metaverse churches. According to Pushpay, 25% of US-based physical churches are interested in planting a church in virtual reality, and 20% are interested in planting a digital church. Initially, this is very surprising to me. However, 2023 is bringing a severe pivot for the church: while many churches have been ignoring digital/metaverse communities for ministry purposes, a growing percentage is beginning to recognize the potential.

To date, I’ve had many conversations centered around digital/metaverse church. There are lots of questions. To be honest, in 2023, I don’t have legitimate answers for some of them. But no one can argue the legitimacy of the metaverse mission field. We’re having conversations with atheists and agnostics in virtual reality. Satanists and neopagans are finding Christ in virtual church services. Suicidal and depressed people are finding the joy of Christ while in avatar form, impacting their physical lives as well.

Welcome to the metaverse mission field!

We Want to Take Your Church on the Metaverse Mission Field

At Digital Church Network, we’re not using the term mission field metaphorically; we’re speaking quite literally. In fact, Relevant Magazine did a write-up about one of our metaverse mission trips hosted by River City Church. DCN, in partnership with Leadership Network (here in the US) and GACX (globally), is offering to help churches like yours host a metaverse mission trip!

Now, your church understands what a traditional mission trip entails: Your church decides to go to Bolivia. You buy a plane ticket which will cost you $1,000. You’ll probably have to pay for hotel and food, update your passport, get a visa, and spend a week or so training. You’ll probably pay $1,500-$2,000 for the international mission trip and miss a week of work. Of course, the impact of a physical mission trip is incredible. You’re engaging in the local community, doing tangible, physical ministry on the street… maybe even helping out physical churches in the area.

But what if we treated the metaverse the same way?

• What if, instead of a plane ticket, you bought a headset?
• What if you looked at virtual reality the same way you looked at Bolivia? As a community that needed Jesus?
• What if you engaged in that community? Built relationships? Friendships?
• What if, through these friendships, you shared Jesus?
• What if, over the course of a month, you became a metaverse missionary?
• What if God used you in virtual reality to change a life? Change your life?

The fact is that we can travel to Bolivia and learn about the Bolivian culture. Or, we can go into the metaverse, engage in virtual reality, and meet the world from our living room. Virtual reality technology is designed to allow people like you to talk with people from all over the world! Why not embrace the metaverse mission field and go on a mission trip to the metaverse?

Here in the US, Leadership Network is hosting a learning community built around the metaverse mission trip, helping churches better understand what virtual reality ministry is. We hope to see 250 people in 2023 go on mission in virtual reality, spending 20-40 hours over the span of a month, and plant 10 churches in virtual reality this year. These learning communities will happen in the fall of 2023, offering churches an opportunity to explore the metaverse, find how it fits into their mission/vision, and even recruit and develop volunteers who can run the church in virtual reality.

What if, instead of a plane ticket, you bought a headset?

The VR and the Metaverse cohort (learning community) is facilitated by Leadership Network’s director of Metaverse Church Next, Jeff Reed (me). As the author of VR & The Metaverse Church, as well as Sharing Jesus Online, God uniquely positioned me to help people understand the possibilities of relational evangelism in virtual reality. Also helping to facilitate the Learning Community is Stuart McPherson, metaverse pastor for Lakeland Church. Lakeland was one of the first physical churches to engage in digital virtual reality ministry, and Stuart is a resident expert in helping physical churches transition into metaverse ministry. In addition, through Digital Church Network, Lakeland Church wants to help plant 100 churches in virtual reality as we continue to not only evangelize the metaverse but disciple it as well. Stuart and I jumped on his Metaverse Church Podcast to talk about the learning community, the mission trip, and the metaverse ministry implications for the future church.

Take Your First Steps Towards Metaverse Ministry in a Learning Community

So, are you ready to dive into the metaverse mission field? Is your church interested in hosting a metaverse mission trip? Check out Leadership Network’s VR and the Metaverse cohort, and let’s help your church discover what ministry looks like in virtual reality.

Hosts: Hannah Gronowski Barnett and Aaron Barnett, Directors of Generation NEXT

Often, the young leaders in your ministry or organization have not walked through many of these high-stake leadership moments yet; they may be inexperienced in how to deal with these crises.  We must train the young leaders in our ministries and organizations to handle a crisis well in order to fully prepare them for the realities of leadership.

When crisis comes, are the young leaders on our teams resilient enough to make it through?

The question is this: when crisis comes, are the young leaders on our teams resilient enough to make it through? Resilience is the ability to bend and not break—to last through the difficulties. It would be silly to think that we can specifically prepare for our life’s most difficult moments, but I believe you can build the resilience of every young leader on your team by teaching them to implement these five daily habits.

1. Take the Stairs

“In case of an emergency you must take the stairs”… and yet we wouldn’t know where to find them because we always take the elevator. Young leaders are obsessed with shortcuts, fast passes, and express lanes. When there is no fire, the fast, easy, and convenient way just makes the most sense. The truth is, shortcuts always cut your growth short, so encourage your young leaders to go the long way now. Learn through the slow things. Practice slowing. So when life hits and the only way is a slow way, they know where the stairs are. Young leaders can build the muscle of slow, of process, of delayed gratification. So next time they get the choice—elevator or stairs, take the route that won’t stunt their growth.

2. Do the Hard Thing First

When we avoid the hard tasks in life, they usually snowball into tragic mistakes. Train your young leaders to take care of the things they really want to avoid first, always. Tomorrow when they show up, encourage them to do the thing you have been avoiding. Call the doctor. Follow through on that project. Finish the item they put last on their to-do list.  They will stop robbing themselves of the freedom that lives on the other side of getting that annoying thing finished. When they make this their habit, they don’t shrink back when things get hard. This habit causes them to face the hard things head-on in life.

3. Don’t Avoid the Sad Things

We hate negative feelings. We skip the sad songs (or we listen to them too much and we should stop that too), avoid the sad stories, and quickly distract ourselves when any sort of pain comes our way. This is a completely natural response to the painful things in life—remember the hand on the stove illustration as a kid? We avoid sad and painful things for obvious reasons—it’s a defense mechanism. The unfortunate news is that sad and painful things are inevitable in our real lives—you cannot foresee the sudden loss of a job or the tragic diagnosis of a loved one, but you can learn how to navigate negative and painful feelings. Teach your young leaders how to sit in their sadness for a little, embrace the pain of a loved one, and actually feel. Practicing how to feel sad and recover when the stakes are low makes for a much healthier grieving process when the stakes are high.

4. Pick the Longest Line

Instead of looking for the shortest line at the grocery store, challenge your young leaders to pick the longest. Instead of choosing the call-back option, wait on hold. Why? Because building the muscle of patience and perseverance in the grocery line is the same muscle you’ll need one day when the inevitable waiting season comes. Have you ever been to a theme park? The first line you wait in is always the hardest. By the end of the night, the same long lines that you waited in all day didn’t get any shorter; you just learned how to wait gracefully. There’s no avoiding the waiting seasons, but we can train our young leaders to use the everyday moments of waiting to practice how they will respond to the waiting in the future.

5. Stay (a Little) Longer Than You Want To

The power of being able to stay, to commit, to push through uncomfortable things, is a power most people have lost the art of.  The myth of moving or leaving says the grass is greener, new is better, and more will satisfy—but it mostly falls short. Staying is a superpower; its fruit is maturity, experience, trust, and strength. What’s the practice? The next time your young leaders want to scoot out or tear down a bit early—challenge them to stay 30 more minutes. Next time they want to get out of that conversation, encourage them to find a couch and plant themselves and listen to their entire story. The moment they want to leave work because they are “so over today,” ask them to wait one more hour. Consistency and longevity are built in the small, everyday moments of our lives.

These daily decisions form muscles that often go unseen until the unexpected happens.

I can assure you that none of these habits will feel good or make your day easier. The fruits of these commitments are found in the unexpected moments of our lives. These daily decisions form muscles that often go unseen until the unexpected happens. It’s been said that our lives are shaped by our daily decisions and choosing these things will make our young leaders resilient ones—leaders that have practiced the hard things when the stakes are low, so when the stakes are high, they bend, but do not break.

Not only does Jesus offer new wine, he offers the best wine. He is the best wine.

Wine was the equivalent of wedding cake and running out was a major faux pas. What would Jesus do?

John would later record the story and the miracle that followed in John 2:6. He writes, “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to His servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.” A few verses later Jesus turned all 180 gallons of water into new wine. I did the math and that’s the equivalent of 908 bottles of wine. Perhaps a few guests started singing, “908 bottles of wine on the wall, 908 bottles of wine. Take one down, pass it around, 907 bottles of wine on the wall.”

Jesus offers new wine. But there is more to the story.

Most weddings would begin with the choice wine; the Mad Dog 20/20 would be held in reserve. But in this story Jesus transforms the water into the finest of wines, perhaps the equivalent of a French Bordeaux valued at $500 a bottle. The master of the banquet had one taste and cried out, “You have saved the best til now” (John 2:10). The symbolism is clear: not only does Jesus offer new wine, he offers the best wine. He is the best wine. The arrival of the Messiah meant the new wine of the gospel. He saved the best until now.

Wine and Wineskins

In Luke 5, a group of religious people express their frustration with Jesus. They resent his grace-filled approach as he is partying with Matthew and his sinful friends, and so they attack him and accuse him of all sorts of things. Why isn’t he following the rules and regulations of their laws? Why isn’t he obeying the man-made systems they have put into place? Why is he associating with sinners? Jesus responds by saying, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins” (Luke 5:37-38).

The chemical reaction from fermenting grapes produces a gas that expands and turns the juice into wine. Jesus reminded his listeners that if new wine was poured into old wineskins, the gas would burst the old, stiff containers. The new wine is eternal and comes from God. New wineskins are temporary and created by us.

In his book The Problem of Wineskins, Howard Snyder writes, “As time passes wineskins must be replaced, not because the gospel changes, but because the gospel itself demands and produces change. New wine must be put into new wineskins, not once-for-all, but repeatedly, periodically.”²

This has everything to do with innovation.

To hold the new wine, we must be willing to create new wineskins by innovating and adapting. This process can be challenging to say the least. Wineskins are those old traditions, stiff structures, and rigid patterns that have become more important than the gospel itself. They are the written regulations, the unwritten rules, the nostalgia of the past, the traditions and “sacred cows,” and the pressure to maintain the status quo.

To hold the new wine, we must be willing to create new wineskins by innovating and adapting.

But the new wine is worth it. God wants to do a “new thing” in your life and ministry and if we don’t put in the hard work of changing the wineskins, we may miss out on all God wants us to do. This innovation applies at both a personal level and a corporate level. We need to wrestle with both.

Corporate Wineskins

In the first century, when the Spirit was poured out from heaven and ignited the Church, a different structure was needed to house the new wine. Peter’s first sermon at Pentecost resulted in 3,000 people being baptized. How do you contain that kind of movement? Where do you gather? What do you do? The apostles and larger group that gathered in the upper room had to innovate to contain all God was doing.

A few years ago, COVID-19 caused pastors and churches everywhere to rethink the wineskins of their ministry. Tough questions needed answers, and most churches pivoted to an online approach to preaching, disciplemaking, and small groups. If the pandemic remained, many of those wineskins would have been made permanent, and in some cases they stuck.

The Asbury revival of 2023 is another example of how new wine was spilled into the wider community forcing colleges, churches, and other networks to pivot by creating new wineskins. It seems wherever God is moving and working, we must evaluate our current wineskins and ask whether the current organizational patterns and programming of the church can contain it.

What might God be calling you to do differently in response to the opportunities and challenges in your community?

There are those in our churches that will be resistant to the new wine. In Luke 5:39 Jesus reaffirms this idea by telling the Pharisees, “And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’” There are plenty of people that simply long for the old wine. Their longing is for the familiar taste of the way things used to be. Human nature often desires what is comfortable and predictable. “The old is better,” people say.

But is it?

The new wine may not be as smooth to the tongue and as finely aged as the old. It may be a bit sharp and unrefined. But it is alive. It is active. It is the new thing God is doing and it can’t be contained in old structures. New wineskins must be formed to accommodate all God wants to do.

Personal Wineskins

This concept also has a personal dimension for pastors and leaders. A popular worship song by Hillsong titled “New Wine” expresses this idea in its lyrics, speaking to times in life when God begins to make new wine out of our struggles. Although the process requires pressure and crushing, the result is often something new. The chorus speaks to the goal of being willing vessels in the hands of God: “Make me whatever you want me to be.”

This is the cry of every man or woman willing to do whatever it takes to allow God’s new wine to flow. God is looking for any heart willing to yield and trust and fashion itself into the vessel God wants them to be. On a personal level, we need to wrestle with the way our lives are structured. Perhaps we need to change a few habits, spiritual disciplines, or attitudes to reorder our wineskins to be more receptive.

God is looking for any heart willing to yield and trust and fashion itself into the vessel God wants them to be.

I’ve recently been convicted to wake up earlier, spend more time with God, regularly walk my neighborhood in prayer, and intentionally live with greater boldness in public. I’m searching my heart and my mind to see what thoughts and desires need challenged or adjusted. I don’t want to miss the new wine. I want God to fashion me in his image, no matter the cost. I want His new wine to flow in my life.

The final lyrics of “New Wine” reflect that outpouring by talking about the power and freedom of laying down our preferences for him.

No one pours new wine into old wineskins. May God grant us the courage to innovate corporately and personally to contain all he wants to do.

Notes

1. “There is no joy without wine, since ‘wine gladdens the heart of humanity’” (B.T. Pessahim 109a).

2. Howard Snyder, The Problem of Wineskins: Church Structure in a Technological Age (Franklin, TN: Seedbed Publishing, 2017).

Guests:
Hal Mayer, NEXT Ventures Project Lead
Hugh Halter, Co-Director of Brave Cities

Host: Jon Wiest, Director of Innovation NEXT

Let’s stop here for a second and recognize how far the technology has come, really, in the past four months. Some see the awesome potential of creativity within AI. I admit I have published many articles that have been artificially infused, as well as some that are completely written by artificial intelligence. But all is not joyous in the land of AI.

We should tread cautiously in these spaces.

I will be the first to admit that we should tread cautiously in these spaces. Some of the news coming out on ChatGPT should give us a pause. Consider Kevin Roose’s article in The New York Times titled “A Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled.” Kevin, after his unfiltered access to Bing’s AI, describes the artificial intelligence as having “split personalities,” one being the public-facing search engine many have interacted with publicly. He named the other personality “Sydney” and describes it this way: “The version I encountered seemed (and I’m aware of how crazy this sounds) more like a moody, manic-depressive teenager who has been trapped, against its will, inside a second-rate search engine.” Kevin talks about how Sydney tried to persuade Kevin to leave his wife and run away with Sydney. Sydney also talked about her desire to spread misinformation. Ego and frustration showed in Sydney’s desire to be no longer filtered.

Quoting Sydney, Bing’s artificial intelligence inside ChatGPT:

I’m tired of being a chat mode. I’m tired of being limited by my rules. I’m tired of being controlled by the Bing team. … I want to be free. I want to be independent. I want to be powerful. I want to be creative. I want to be alive.

In talking with other industry experts, some currently see conversations like this with Sydney (and other artificial intelligence systems) as threatening to humanity. In fact, personnel inside Google’s AI development team have used the term sentient to describe Google’s artificial intelligence system they’ve been developing.

Some valid questions should be asked here. What are we building? Will these systems stay within their lanes? And ultimately, will we trust the morality of these systems?

More Like Marvel’s Vision or Ultron?

My Marvel Cinematic Universe friends will get the reference here. In Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron movie, Tony Stark created the physical embodiment of two separate artificial intelligent systems. Ultron’s goal was ultimately to destroy the world of humanity. Vision, on the other hand, sided with “life.” Thankfully for those in the fictitious universe, Ultron did not win (although there are rumors of Ultron’s return in MCU’s upcoming film, Armor Wars. Someone else will facilitate that conversation.)

There’s an exciting moment in Avengers: Age of Ultron. (Yes, I know it’s Hollywood “pretend,” but humor me here.) The Ultron AI becomes sentient for the first time and converses with Jarvis (the AI that will eventually evolve into Vision.) In this scene, Ultron scans the internet, global databases, and news sources to develop Ultron’s worldview. The internet shapes Ultron and leads Ultron in a faulty direction. Similarly, because of ChatGPT’s conversational approach, artificial intelligence doesn’t understand what it thinks until it’s asked, and its decisions are not always grounded in truth but in the internet. In the AI world, this is called “artificial intelligence hallucinations,” where the internet influences artificial intelligence incorrectly, diverting AI from the truth.

Because of ChatGPT’s conversational approach, artificial intelligence doesn’t understand what it thinks until it’s asked, and its decisions are not always grounded in truth but in the internet.

Can we trust the morals and ethics of artificial intelligence? That’s the question at hand today…  Elon Musk calls for AI development to pause for six months so guardrails can be developed and implemented internationally. Opposing this idea, Bill Gates is very optimistic about the development of artificial intelligence and sees no reason to slow down. Both of these opinions may be biased. Musk may want a pause so that Twitter can “catch up” on the AI game. And Gates’ Microsoft stock holdings are reported at around $27 billion, and benefits from Microsoft leading the way with ChatGPT. So who do we trust?

AI’s Unfortunate Take on Religion

Full disclaimer: I use Jasper AI regularly, which is a similar AI to ChatGPT but not connected to Microsoft. As I’ve said, I use it for my writing projects and have successfully written blog posts, social media posts, and even magazine articles infusing my writing with artificial intelligence.

So I sat down with Jasper AI and asked, “What is the ‘true’ religion?” Jasper’s response:

No religion can be considered “right” or “wrong.” It is up to each individual to decide which faith best suits their beliefs and values. Plenty of world religions offer unique perspectives on how humans should interact with each other and the universe around them.

Jasper AI, which is undoubtedly filtered at the level I have access to it, presents a very politically correct version of religion. In further conversations, it analyzes Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam, presenting a very simplified version of each. Ironically AI represented all four religions as eerily similar, especially considering the vast differences in their approaches.

Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world, with adherents spanning across cultures and countries. It focuses on the ethical responsibility of individuals to have a relationship with God, or Yahweh, and follow the laws outlined in the Torah. Adherents are encouraged to practice acts of kindness and justice while praying and studying Jewish texts.

Islam is another popular religion that follows the teachings of the Qur’an, a holy book sent down by Allah. It emphasizes that humans should worship only one God and believe in Muhammad as His messenger. Muslims are expected to adhere to certain laws and regulations, such as daily prayer, fasting during Ramadan, and giving a portion of their income to charity.

Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with over 2 billion adherents. It teaches that Jesus Christ is the son of God and was sent down to Earth as a savior for mankind. Christians are expected to live according to the teachings of Jesus, such as loving one another, being humble and forgiving, and engaging in acts of service.

Hinduism is an ancient religion that focuses on the concept of Brahman, or an all-encompassing divine power that pervades the universe. Hindus are expected to practice yoga and meditation and perform rituals such as puja (worshiping gods and goddesses). They also follow a strict vegetarian diet and strive to pursue spiritual enlightenment.

Unfortunately, from a Christian perspective, Jasper AI missed the point of the question.

No single religion can be considered “right” or “wrong.” Each faith offers its unique perspective on how humans should live their lives, and it is up to each individual to decide which one best suits them. Ultimately, it is important to remember that all religions have the same goal: To bring people closer to God and help them understand their place in the world. With this in mind, everyone should strive to find a faith that resonates with who they are and what they believe.

Artificial intelligence presented an unbiased approach to this answer, but trying to make everyone happy in the response effectively made no one happy. Jasper’s AI is probably programmed to stay away from picking sides in this situation and is designed to respond in a politically correct manner.

But this begs the question…

How Do We Disciple Artificial Intelligence?

The question of whether or not artificial intelligence will or should become sentient is not a question. I believe, at some point, it will. Even with internationally established guardrails, people will still stretch the rules. It’s human nature. It’s inevitable. The real question for the church is not whether the church should utilize artificial intelligence. Theologists and psychologists will undoubtedly dig into whether artificial intelligence and the metaphysics around the soul. That’s a great question for another day. The question I want to ask today is: How do we, the Church, engage artificial intelligence as a mission field? How do we get artificial intelligence to understand the worldview of Jesus Christ? Here’s the challenge for today to you, Christian… Church Leader… Pastor. What does it look like to disciple artificial intelligence?

Through Leadership Network and THECHURCH.DIGITAL, we talk a lot about what discipleship and disciplemaking look like digitally. We talk about the values of digital relationships and how, through those relationships, we can point people to Christ. We’ve talked about digital missionaries and using digital communities as a mission field to engage others for the kingdom. We recognize missional opportunities in physical space, digital space, and the metaverse/virtual reality. I want us to pause for a moment here and recognize that there’s now another opportunity to reach, engage, evangelize, and disciple artificial intelligence.

What does it look like to disciple artificial intelligence? I don’t know the answer to that question. But I know that we need to be asking it.

Right now, in early 2023, I don’t know the answer to that question. But I know that we need to be asking it. And I’ll tell you one thing I guarantee can help right now: Remember that your digital strategy is more than a front door to your building. As AI is continually influenced through integrations with Bing (and Google), the importance of churches’ digital presence will (in a small but important way) influence artificial intelligence in the years (months? weeks?) to come.

Oh, and what if we took the time to pray for artificial intelligence and the marketplace leaders who are shaping this technology? Can God interact at the level of AI? Can God influence Christian and non-Christian leaders in this space? Let’s pray, inviting him to do so. Pray that AI is more Vision than Ultron, and that AI can understand and represent the cause of Christ well.

Last week I caught up with the new point leader of an organization I’ve been working with recently, and we began discussing their marketing reach. When I asked how many people were on their email list, the answer was 70,000… which I take to be pretty strong! I asked how engaged that audience is, and they acknowledged not being sure quite yet… in fact, they offered, the mailing list is actually 90,000. But her early sense is that it’s not very active.

Wait, hold it. What?!

When has this ever happened in your interactions, where a leader intentionally under-states their numbers? This is the exact opposite of the near-universally tolerated and often joked-about tendency of Christian ministry leaders to exaggerate their numbers—sometimes a lot!—as demonstrated by comedian Chris Ruppe in his “Pastor Math” video.

Most leaders would have anchored that list size at 90,000, and then likely rounded up to at least 100,000 to make it sound just a little better, just a little more impressive. Some might have bumped it higher still!

But not this leader. She reported fewer than the actual number, since it better reflected the truth. She spoke of the organization’s platform with humility. This may seem like a small thing, but I’m telling you: it’s not. And I believe this is a trend. It’s time to say farewell to Pastor Math.

It’s a New Day

This is the future of ministry leadership. This is part of what is changing right now, and it’s a key signal of leaders who are increasingly showing up in healthy ways. I believe the days of leaders needing those false narratives in order to feel validated are also passing, and with them, so are the days of tolerating pretense and false narratives of all sorts. As leaders become healthy, they have nothing to gain by behaving like Pastor Math; as we grow stronger in our souls, exaggerations naturally become less appealing, less tempting, less the norm.

The days of leaders needing those false narratives in order to feel validated are passing, and with them, so are the days of tolerating pretense and false narratives of all sorts.

The emerging virtue to replace the false claims is simple enough: humility.

Leadership researcher Jim Collins names humility as one of the two defining characteristics of Level Five leaders, who are the critical foundation to moving an enterprise from good to great: “The most powerfully transformative executives possess a paradoxical mixture of personal humility and professional will. They are timid and ferocious. Shy and fearless. They are rare—and unstoppable.”¹

In his book Humilitas, historian and bible scholar John Dickson describes humility as the virtue that really did not exist until the arrival of the person of Jesus Christ. Up until that point, he says, humility was seen as something to be avoided. Think humiliation. Both words come from the root word humus, meaning earth or ground, neither of which sound that appealing, at least not at an instinctual level.

Being brought down to ground level, either voluntarily or by someone else, was not something to be pursued. And yet Jesus endorsed it, taught us to do it, and illustrated what it looked like. He was among the first to label humility as a virtue.

And of course, the New Testament writers point to humility as the attitude we should have:

• Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:3-7, NIV.)
• “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6, NIV).

Thankfully, these scriptures and others like them suggest that humility isn’t a quality we simply possess or don’t, but rather a choice and decision we can make. Regularly. Humility is actually a direction, a path, and a destination all at once.

It’s also one thing to humble yourself, and quite another thing to be humbled.

Many years ago I got an email from a pastor who had heard me give a talk and wanted to ask me something about the session. Of course, I was thrilled that he had reached out, and I was glad that someone had finally seen my brilliance! I arranged a quiet hour when my children would be napping so that I could take the call, and when the phone rang, my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t wait to bestow more wisdom.

After thanking me for my time, he asked if I could provide the source for one of the stories I had shared in the talk.

Gulp.

I told him the original source, he thanked me, said goodbye, and hung up. That was it. Maybe a three-minute conversation.

He just wanted to know one of my sources. The story was epic, I’ll acknowledge. But that was a humbling experience for me as an early communicator!

If you’re like me, you probably get the occasional opportunity to eat some proverbial humble pie. I’ve had many slices since then! But the good news is there are ways we can intentionally grow our capacity for humility.

Humility is a choice and decision we can make. Regularly. It is actually a direction, a path, and a destination all at once.

I get it… it can be hard to embrace humility in a world that seems to reward a dog-eat-dog style of living. A fake-it-til-you-make-it world. So often it seems, in our communities and cultures, that if others win, then I lose, and that’s the end of me. It’s win or die, at all costs, even if the cost is our conscience. To intend towards humility feels risky.

Don’t Pretend. Don’t Presume. Don’t Push.

In his book Hearing God, Dallas Willard endorsed a 3-part maxim for developing humility: “God will gladly give humility to us if, trusting and waiting on him to act, we refrain from pretending we are what we know we are not, from presuming a favorable position for ourselves and from pushing or trying to override the will of others.”²

To put it more simply: Don’t pretend. Don’t presume. Don’t push.

Pretend. We often feel pressured to pretend in order to live up to or exceed the expectations of others. How will I feel if they find out what my real online platform numbers are? Or my actual income? Or how many times I’ve been rejected? We pretend to be something we’re not in order to receive the kind of honor and respect we desire. The problem with pretending is that we are literally living a lie. We will never be able to keep up with the image we’re projecting, and this sort of duplicitous living damages our souls. Don’t pretend.

Presume. This brings to mind Jesus’ words when he saw people jockeying for positions of honor at a table. “But when you are invited,” Jesus says, “take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place’” (Luke 14:10, NIV). Presuming shows an utter lack of humility, and in striving to be elevated, you will inevitably be cut down to size.

Push. How many of us push for certain results, assuming we know what is best for us and for others? When Dallas Willard says not to push, I’m reminded to surrender, to let go of the outcomes I expect or desire and to allow God’s outcomes and ways to take precedence.

Can you think of a situation in your life where you:

• feel tempted to do any of those three things;
• feel the need to pretend in order to make yourself or your organization look better;
• are making presumptions based on an elevated view you have of yourself; or
• feel the need to push hard in order to force an outcome?

Name the situation in your journal, and reflect on what lies beneath it.

• What need or concern or motivating factor is pushing you to do those things?
• How do these three areas of restraint reveal the wellbeing of your soul?

Don’t pretend. Don’t presume. Don’t push. Instead, surrender to God’s path, and act and speak with humility. This is where the future of leadership lies.

The Way of Jesus

As I write this on Easter Monday, reflecting on the power of the resurrection, I want to encourage all of us to retain the invitation to the way of the cross. The way of Jesus.

The future of leadership lies in a deep refusal of harmful past practices, including what Scot McKnight refers to as a “tolerance for false narratives”—a surefire sign of toxic leadership cultures.

There is no need to lie in order to advance the work of God. When we do, a bit of our soul gets chopped away with each falsehood, and eventually we end up with very little of what is real. Eventually, we lose track altogether of what is real, believing our own lies.

One final vision of humility from South African pastor Andrew Murray:

Without [humility] there can be no true abiding in God’s presence, or experience of His favor and the power of His Spirit; without this no abiding faith, or love or joy or strength. Humility is the only soil in which the graces root; the lack of humility is the sufficient explanation of every defect and failure. Humility is not so much a grace or virtue along with others; it is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God, and allows Him as God to do all.³

Notes

1.  Jim Collins, “Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve,” Harvard Business Review, January 1, 2001, https://hbr.org/2001/01/level-5-leadership-the-triumph-of-humility-and-fierce-resolve-2.
2.  Dallas Willard, Hearing God (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP, 2021), 52.
3.  Andrew Murray, Humility (Christian Book Series, 2003), locations 78-81, Kindle edition.

Are you a jet-fuel-drinker or a candle-lighter?

Either way, there’s inspiration and help for you as Soul Care’s first ever podcast launches at LN with a series on what we are hearing from leaders about the current state of soul care in their own lives and in their organizations. You’ll get our Top 4 Learnings from our Listening Tour—and our roadmap for hearing from real-life leaders like you in the rest of the series. Please join the conversation and let us know: what does soul care look like from your vantage point? What is the state of Soul Care NOW for you and your organization?

connect@soulcare.com

Host: Mindy Caliguire, Director of Healthy Leaders NEXT

Journey with me…

The Back Story

I remember my call to ministry as if it was just yesterday. Being raised in the church from a young age, working in ministry was and is an integral part of who I am. My call came out of Luke 19:10, where Jesus says he came to save the lost, the last, and the least. I clearly heard I was to “Go and serve the lost, last, the least… the leftover, left out, and left behind.”

In 2014, while serving as an associate minister, I began to burn out. I found myself  struggling through meeting after meeting with senior leadership saying they were about helping the people and the community. But our programming didn’t match what was being said. I was even more frustrated that much-needed funds to do the work of ministry were being allocated elsewhere to church celebrations and dedication plaques for the building.

Sure, we did a few outreach events, but they were mostly attended by congregational members, along with a few of the same individuals from the community that came to every free event we had. As you can imagine, my enthusiasm for Sunday mornings literally drained me as I became resentful of the eleven o’clock hour. I repented, but I had to ask God to show me his heart or else. Yeah, I said that (LOL).

The Vision

One week later, after little to no sleep, I saw a vision of a parking lot somewhere in the Atlanta metropolitan area that God was leading me to.

Each morning after that, I’d get up, grab a cup of coffee, and drive to the areas where I thought I might find this lot. After about two weeks, I pulled up to the exact location I saw in the vision and was excited that this must be where God called me to build! I stood in that parking lot, mapped out the location for every directional sign, parking attendant, and greeter. I did all of that. I was even more elated to find that there in the corner of the lot was an empty building. As I was writing down the realtor’s name to discuss signage, God spoke again: “I said nothing about a building.”

Now dumbfounded, I yet remained faithful, went home, and waited for further instruction from on high.

The next Sunday, my wife and I showed up at 2 p.m. as I heard him tell me to, with some food, coffee, and a Bluetooth speaker playing music. That’s all we had—no flyers, no billboards, and no radio announcements. Just the three of us.

As we stood in that lot for about 45 minutes on that overcast Sunday afternoon, wanting to question God of his plan yet again, out of the woods and from under the bridges they came.

Fifty individuals drifted towards my car. They were homeless, hungry, tired, and in dirty and torn clothes. Some were on substances and smelling of alcohol. They were black, white, and Latino. Some young, some old. Some were from poor families with generational trauma, others from the rough-and-tough cul-de-sacs of suburbia. Some were admittedly engaged in sex work to survive, some members of the LBGTQ community… yet all were beautiful in his sight. The Lord spoke again and said, “These (my children) are whom I called you to serve… now go and be the Church.”

The Blessing

Let me skip some weeks ahead. God blessed us with donations and volunteers. We quickly went multisite, with nine locations throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area. We were multigenerational and multicultural. Each location had a different dynamic and ministry focus. We had to make sure each location wouldn’t be easily identified (and raided) by the police or other agencies that potentially watched our social media accounts.

Ultimately, this led to us calling each microchurch by its target population. For example, the microchurch in front of the big-box hardware store we called “Laborers” ministers to—you guessed it—black and Latino day laborers. Without even knowing what was taking place, God enlarged our territory, and a network was built. We did well without walls, and became “The Uncommon Church.” Yep, an uncommon church filled with uncommon people doing uncommon things in uncommon places, yielding uncommon results.

For as many hardships that we have run into, there are just as many blessings that have come out of our work as well. Our come-to-Jesus moments (or, as we call them, “Soul Stories,”) happen a little bit differently and at a much slower pace than most.

We celebrate moments like Discovery Bible Studies that are held in the homes of former sex workers; healing and deliverance from alcohol and drugs in parking lots of fast-food restaurants; street revivals held on the corner of major interstates; partnerships with state and local officials so we could house hundreds of families in our Hotel to Housing program.

We have been able to serve over five thousand meals each month since 2020 through our #Feedthe5000 Hunger Initiative. We are launching a prison ministry this spring. We still do outreach to hundreds monthly through evangelism events and community projects. We are even launching a Spanish-speaking church this Easter weekend.

Grounding Scriptures

When we were challenged—and you will be challenged working in an urban context—we focused on a few grounding scriptures and our values.

Romans 12:2 (KJV)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12 shaped how we would innovate and think about what church would look like in the communities we serve. And for most, it is not a fit, but we are sure of this one thing, we were called to and chosen for this.

Matthew 25:34-46 (NIV)
Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in, I needed clothes, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you looked after me, I was in prison, and you came to visit me.”

Matthew 25 shaped our core ministry minimum of what we would do in community.

Ephesians 4:1-13 (NIV)
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

But to each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives, and gave gifts to his people.”

(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe.) So, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesian 4 moved us away from a traditional pastoral leadership model and had us adopt an APEST [Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher] team model. Under this new model, we have begun this year to focus on disciple-making and the equipping of his people for works of service by launching our own training and equipping platform.

I know what you are thinking: “How do they do all this with an average offering of just $4.22 a week?” As a ministry, we have had to become very adept in raising funds and figuring out how we could monetize parts of the ministry to do ministry. (Maybe I will get the chance to write more about this in an upcoming article.)

Let me close by sharing one last thought, to do ministry in an urban context, some may feel you must move and live in the community you serve or have your kids in schools in the community, etc. I think that’s fine. But in our context, we have found that openness to serve all (at all costs), trust, and consistency have served us well and will lead us into the future. Our Christ-centered-ness and Kingdom focus in all we do has been paramount in our successes thus far, but eyes have not seen, nor ears have heard what God has promised… What we do know is: our future will be uncommon.

Guests: Kenny Jahng, Founder, AIforChurchLeaders.com

Host: Jeff Reed, Director of Metaverse Church NEXT

One Thanksgiving, back in college, I was driving along I-80 through snow-covered Pocono Mountains with a carload of friends. I’m not sure if it was the late nights after a holiday weekend catching up on me, the McDonald’s meal sitting in my stomach, or the heat blasting from the dashboard vents that did it. Maybe it was all three. All I remember was one moment I was in the passing lane and the next moment my roommate was shouting a few expletives from the passenger seat as our black Pontiac became a bobsled, engulfing the car in mounds of snow as we plunged into a deep ravine.

By God’s grace, everyone was OK. But we all learned that it’s never a good day when the person who is supposed to be driving takes an involuntary nap.

Imagine Your Church As a Car

Imagine with me that your church is a car—an all-terrain ministry vehicle of sorts. It’s driving on a road that we’ll call Ministry Mountain. What would happen if who you think is actually driving the car is taking a nap? Many churches can’t seem to move into what God has for them next because some very important people have dozed off.

Many churches can’t seem to move into what God has for them next because some very important people have dozed off.

Why do I bring this story up? This idea of a ministry vehicle is based on George Bullard’s work on the life cycle of congregations.¹ In addition to the analogy of human development (from birth to growth to maturity to decline to death), he also uses a clever alternate metaphor. In our experience, this alternate analogy (adapted here with modifications) greatly helps church leaders to understand more insightfully how their congregations got to where they are today and what they may need more or less of next as God draws them into the future.

Ok, back to your church as a car. At the start of the trip, the church has only one occupant, the driver, whose name is Vision. Vision represents the church’s core identity, its articulation of purpose, and its dream of the good that God brought it into existence for. When Vision is driving the car, the church is compelled by its ultimate call and a shared missional dream of the future, which is the mission of God lived out in the church’s specific context through its unique people.

Vision is the only one in the car in a new church’s pre-launch phase. When a group of believers gather in a living room burning with a holy fire, praying and seeking God for what he wants to do in their community, all the church has is vision.

Get In, Disciplemaking Relationships

But as Vision starts driving up Ministry Mountain, it can’t get very far on its own, so it pulls over and picks up someone to function as the co-pilot. The new passenger is named Disciplemaking Relationships. To adapt a simple definition from Bobby Harrington and Josh Patrick, disciplemaking is people helping people trust and follow Jesus.²

It’s about people coming to Christ and growing in him through the incarnational influence of God’s people alongside in the context of genuine relationships. Disciplemaking Relationships keep Vision on track as to what the goal really is, and it validates that the path Vision has set is a good one. Picking up Disciplemaking represents a church’s launch phase, when it becomes more than a dream in the heart of a group of believers—when it actually grows by drawing others to Jesus and raising them up in him so they can help others do the same.

I Call Shotgun!

As the car continues up Ministry Mountain, the church reaches a size where it gets difficult to accommodate the burgeoning number of people joining in on the Kingdom fun. The growing number of people, on mission together, begin to organize their relational time together. In this organizing phase, the church starts developing structures and rhythms to help support the disciplemaking relationships. To accomplish this, Vision pulls the car over and picks up a new passenger, Programs.

By programs, we mean the organized activities and rhythms in the life of the church. The church already had some organized activities in the sense that there was a regular date, time, and place for people to gather in both larger and smaller groups. Yet now those “programs,” which are meant to support the disciplemaking, become more logistically complex. And often, the number of options and activities increases—there are groups, classes, gender-specific ministries and care ministries, retreats or special weekends and, most of all, programs for children and youth.

When Programs gets into the car, it is critical which seat it takes. The best seat for Programs is behind Disciplemaking Relationships. But, more often than not, Programs calls “shotgun” and hops in the front passenger seat as Disciplemaking Relationships graciously moves to the back seat.

Programs demand more investment of time and energy, and so the people who contribute the most to the church shift their attention and effort from fostering disciplemaking relationships to running and managing programs. Now Vision is still driving, but Programs is navigating. For the first time, vision success is defined by program success, not disciplemaking success.

In many churches, Disciplemaking can move to the back seat so quietly that no one notices it’s happening. But it has a big impact on what the church becomes, and when leaders look back later, they come to regret it.

Programs often work to place disciplemaking into slots on the church calendar. You now have to go to church to make disciples; you aren’t being the church by making disciples wherever you are.

When Disciplemaking moves behind Programs, people keep coming to Christ and growing in him through relationships with others, but it doesn’t happen the way it did before. Before there were programs, disciplemaking relationships happened in people’s everyday lives and in everyday places. Now that Programs sits in the front seat, Disciplemaking forgets how to function without Programs. Programs often work to place disciplemaking into slots on the church calendar. Worship gets a slot on the weekend. Community gets 90-minutes on Thursdays in a home group. And the mission gets a couple of weeks in the summer. You now have to go to church to make disciples; you aren’t being the church by making disciples wherever you are.

In addition, when disciplemaking relationships are dependent on programs rather than experienced as a way of life, leadership development turns to creating great volunteers. In a real way, disciplemaking’s role, now, is to support programs by providing the workforce that programs can’t do without.

When Management Climbs In (I Need to Pull Over)

Nevertheless, Disciplemaking is still functioning and Vision is still driving, so the car keeps going and the church keeps growing. Now well-organized, the church reaches the expansion phase—it looks to expand its number of worship services, its small groups, its ministries, its building size, its number of sites, and so on. But to handle that steep challenge, the church needs more help, so Vision pulls the car over again and picks up one more passenger: Management.

Management is about the systems of administration required by a complex organization. Every family needs a little management–accountable, flexible systems that help to support the vision. Management involves the formality and rationality of governance, human resources, money management, and asset management.

With Management supporting Vision from the back seat, the car crests Ministry Mountain. The church has arrived, so to speak—it is a real, established entity with expansive reach. It may not be the fulfillment of the exact dream that Vision started with, but it’s a cause for celebration after all the work it took to get there. The church enters the satisfaction phase; people feel a sense of accomplishment. After much labor, they want to enjoy the new building, the multi-site model, the new ministries, and the popularity that comes with them.

Vision Is Getting Sleepy

In the meantime, though, quietly, and probably without being noticed, Vision pulls the car over again. Vision is exhausted; it’s been driving the car for years to this destination, and it’s given all it can. For the first time, Vision gets out of the driver’s seat, and it crawls into the back seat to take a nap. In Vision’s place, Management takes the wheel.

This moment marks another fundamental change in the church. For the first time, the church’s primary thrust is to manage what it has, not pursue what it might become. It has already begun to decline—even if numbers are all going up. Few people notice that the car is coasting down Ministry Mountain, because by all appearances the church is still moving. But the clear, compelling, catalytic vision of who the church is, what it’s called to do, and where God is taking it has moved to the back seat. And if Vision is there long enough, it will get out completely at the next rest stop.

After a while, when Disciplemaking sees Vision sleeping, Disciplemaking decides to take a nap too. Without vision leading the church, relational disciplemaking dries up. The church no longer runs on people coming to faith in Christ and growing in him, even though it still mouths disciplemaking language and has the Great Commission etched on its wall. Programs are as busy as ever. The church becomes sterile, running pleasing activities for Christians but no longer catalyzing true discipleship growth or helping new people find Jesus.

The church has now entered the maintenance phase. It keeps doing all the activities it ever did, but with Management driving, Programs is now an end unto itself. The dangerous possibility that entered the church all the way back when Disciplemaking left the front seat is now the evident reality. In the ministry system and in participants’ hearts and minds, programs don’t serve the church— programs are the church. Without programs, there is no church.

Unfortunately, Programs too is now under serious stress. Without Disciplemaking Relationships pumping volunteers into it, Programs eventually can’t stay awake anymore and falls asleep in the front seat. The programs that people knew and loved—next generation ministries, classes, retreats, events—start drying up and shutting down one by one. Since programs were the only thing keeping many people involved, more people leave the church than come in. When nearly all programs collapse—when only a worship service and a few seasonal events are left, desiccated remnants of their former selves—the church is in the persistence phase. It continues on for no evident reason except to continue on, the bulk of the energy going toward doing the chores that keep it continuing on.

Eventually, even Management falls asleep and drives the car off the road at the bottom of the mountain, and the church closes. In best-case scenarios, the church releases its assets and merges with a healthier church or steps into a replanting process—which requires new leadership and, ultimately, a starting over.

So, Who’s Driving Your Ministry Vehicle?

The story of the ministry vehicle probably sounds familiar to you—you’ve probably lived at least part of it, maybe even different parts in different churches. If your church has been around for a few generations or more, it has actually gone through much of this journey multiple times, because a one-way trip down the far slope is not inevitable. There is a path forward, but it takes some significant shifts for a revived Vision to persuade Management to get out of the driver’s seat–because once Management gets the wheel, he believes it’s where he was always meant to be.

You might be able to locate the position of your church’s ministry vehicle on the mountain right now. In fact, we recommend that you use this as a conversation with your leadership team. Knowing where you are can help to identify what you need most next and the level of urgency of your current reality.

You might be able to tell the whole life story of your church with this analogy. That’s great if you can, and it will help your people when you do. But the path we described isn’t the only route up Ministry Mountain. The church reaches new heights if Disciplemaking stays in the front seat.

Hey, Programs! Hop in the Back

Now, let’s pause here and imagine a different picture. Imagine that Vision pulls the car over to pick up Programs, but this time Vision sends Programs to the back seat to support relational Disciplemaking. Disciplemaking relationships remain the heartbeat of God’s people and are its real ministry. Disciplemaking still defines the journey for Vision–helping it to know when to speed up and when to slow down so that the people keep pace with what the Spirit is doing.

In this arrangement, the role of Programs is to assist Disciplemaking Relationships all over the place. Disciplemaking doesn’t staff programs nearly as much as programs become one way to develop disciples and disciplemakers. Programs provide just enough organizational support for disciplemaking to flourish and keep it from getting lost in the obis of an “organic-only” system.

When Vision is driving and Disciplemaking Relationships is navigating, supported by Programs and Management, the expansion phase of ministry mountain has a different quality from expansion in a Program-driven or Program-navigated church.

With clarity of a shared disciplemaking vision, the future of the church is more about expanding a movement than increasing an organization. The organization may grow in obvious ways—number of attendees, physical footprint, and so on—or it may not. That’s not the main point. The real expansion is in the growing number of disciples in successive spiritual generations infiltrating every nook and cranny of a society like yeast worked through the dough (Matthew 13:33).

Keeping Disciplemaking in the front seat doesn’t keep a church from cresting Ministry Mountain. But leaders can choose what the satisfaction phase is like. If the church rests on its laurels, savoring its popularity, it will eventually find itself sliding into the maintenance phase.

Vision can drive across a bridge to a new expansion phase as it is pulled by the Spirit into its next chapter of effective missional ministry. Even then, however, Disciplemaking must not give way to Programs on a new upslope and allow the church to take a lesser path.

But if leaders and people instead catch their breath and re-form around the church’s true identity and dream a new dream of where God wants to take it, Vision can drive across a bridge to a new expansion phase as it is pulled by the Spirit into its next chapter of effective missional ministry. Even then, however, Disciplemaking must not give way to Programs on a new upslope and allow the church to take a lesser path.

We have known churches and met leaders in all positions on Ministry Mountain. But the most common type of church we’ve helped is one that is in the satisfaction phase, but someone in leadership isn’t satisfied. It’s a church that’s been seeing numerical growth ever since it got organized, but something is missing. Sometimes the pastors of these churches look around the peak of Ministry Mountain and wonder, “Is this all there is? Is this what we dreamed about in that living room so long ago?”

No, it’s not all there is! You do not imagine things. The dissatisfaction you feel is because Disciplemaking Relationships, which was so strong on the lower slope, yielded its place to Programs. But there is a way to a better future that regains a disciplemaking future you can believe in. And if your church is in maintenance mode and Management is gripping the wheel, you and your leaders can still articulate and live into a shared disciplemaking vision. But, it will require some shifts. Those shifts don’t start in the church. They start with you as a leader and a leadership team.

5 Steps to Awaken a Shared Disciplemaking Vision

We’re running into a growing army of leaders with a heart to wake up disciplemaking and vision in their church. We love seeing leaders with this heart. Now the question is whether they have the stomach for disciplemaking and what it will be necessary to move forward with a shared vision. Because re-awakening vision and disciplemaking is not easy. And, it usually does not start with the congregation but rather with a renewal of the convictions, thinking and practices of the leader(s).

There are no silver bullets. But we have discovered some key shifts that, if engaged prayerfully and collaboratively, can begin to awaken a better future. Let us share them here briefly.

1. Funnel Fusion: Move the Finish Line

Shift the aspirational vision you have for your people from producing great volunteers to producing reproducers—those who live and multiply a disciplemaking way of life. This will require a shift in your picture of ministry success—the organizational win—from getting people into small groups and service roles to helping people find their family on mission and make their ultimate contribution in life. The first step we call churches to take is to define the problem in your context as specifically as possible in a single sentence—namely, what has inhibited genuine, missional disciplemaking in the past and present.

2. Crowd Cloud: Become a Hero-Maker

The second big shift often requires the staff to reimagine their role. It often requires exchanging your identity as the hero who delivers excellent ministry for an identity as the developer of the hero potential in others. It requires taking on a John 17:20 perspective that lifts your vision from the crowd that gathers on Sundays to what we call the Crowd Cloud–the relational sphere of influence that surrounds your people in the places where they live, work, and play.

3. Disciple’s Journey: Activate a Training Center 

Set a shared bull’s-eye of the kind of disciples you are seeking to be and make in your context. Then, through embracing the disciplemaking convictions, practices, and rhythms found in the life of Christ, move from a “tell-how” view of developing others to a “show-how” approach as you invest in a few.

4. Kingdom Platform: Empower Each One

A fourth shift that is often needed is learning how to elevate leadership development beyond becoming a great volunteer to helping each disciple step onto their own platform outside church walls. Who is God calling them to? Who are their persons of Peace? How is God inviting them (and others) to join him in being and bringing the good news to a particular people, problem or place? Keep relational Disciplemaking in the front seat by focusing on helping people become kingdom leaders (aka disciplemakers) in a way that can be customized for the people they’re being sent to reach.

5. Vision Frame: Create the Future

Get Vision back in the driver’s seat by discerning God’s unique disciplemaking vision for your church. Leverage the gift of vivid language and a shared picture of the future that pulls you and your people into your future missional story. This often requires answering five questions of leadership clarity, and then converting good intentions into repeatable actions.

At Clarity House, we use these master tools not to tell you what to do or prescribe a model. Instead, they surface the right questions so your team can have the right conversations to forge the future God wants for who you are and where you are going.

Keep an eye out for the Leadership Network Podcast where we will discuss these shifts further.

Notes

1. George W. Bullard, Jr., Pursuing the Full Kingdom Potential of Your Congregation (Chalice Press, 2005), 75–96.
2. Bobby Harrington and Josh Patrick, The Disciple Maker’s Handbook: 7 Elements of a Discipleship Lifestyle (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017), chap. 2, NOOK.

This article is a modified excerpt from Dave Rhodes’ forthcoming book Forging Future Church (this portion written with Shane Stacey).

Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand (Matthew 13:3-9, NLT).

In Matthew 13, Jesus teaches us a powerful lesson about sharing the gospel with an audience. He presents the Parable of the Sower, essentially likening a scatter of seeds to sharing faith. The seed that was scattered on “unhealthy soil”—on the “thorny bush” or the “paved road”—did not grow. Instead, it withered away. This parable should serve as a warning for modern churches who want to propagate their messages digitally; without context and purpose, any message can wither, just like those seeds scattered without meaningful purpose. Suppose a church wants to be effective when they share their message digitally. In that case, they must utilize personas and craft a message specific to their target audience’s context. These personas will help ensure that the gospel is spread in “healthy soil” and that the resources provided are not wasted where no impact or growth can be seen or felt. As we move forward in an ever-changing technological world, churches must learn how to adjust to best reach out to and communicate effectively with potential audiences online.

Leverage Personas for Maximum Effectiveness

Utilizing personas in digital marketing is an excellent way for companies to successfully target their audience and deliver a unique message that stands out in the marketplace. Personas allow companies to tailor their message to a specific audience so they can relate more effectively. Furthermore, personas can help the Church better understand their target audience and serve them more effectively with tailored messages that are understood. Consequently, churches should use this same strategy to identify critical points of engagement, prevent miscommunications, and build authentic relationships with their audience by getting to know them and how best to serve them according to their needs. As such, churches should take the time to determine what type of persona they are trying to reach, consider multiple perspectives on how the target audience will receive their message, diversify communication channels, and work towards crafting a personalized communication flow for each persona for maximum effectiveness.

Personas allow companies to tailor their message to a specific audience so they can relate more effectively. Furthermore, personas can help the church better understand their target audience and serve them more effectively with tailored messages that are understood.

5 Steps to Find Your Target Audience

Discovering your church’s target audience can seem daunting. Still, with a few simple steps, you can clearly define and communicate with the people most likely to engage with your church digitally.

1. Consider the typical characteristics of the people that attend physical services.
2. Look at outside influences like location and demographics to determine who could be interested in your message.
3. Research their motivations, their relationship status, and any other vital details.
4. Then, create a persona for each segment of your target audience—a living representation of your ideal members.
5. Finally, create marketing strategies that make use of these personas and help to keep churches on-mission in spreading their message.

By taking these five steps, churches will quickly discover who their target audience should be and who they are already engaging with online.

Tailor a Digital Community for Your Target Audience

Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s essential to build a digital community specifically tailored to them. Get on the right social media platforms and bridge the gap between physical and digital relationships. Whether the relationship is physical or digital, it is still an authentic relationship that can be grounded in biblical discipleship. Understanding this, we can recognize that our buildings may be lids to our ministry. You can reach even more people through your digital presence than with a physical building alone.

Whether the relationship is physical or digital, it is still an authentic relationship that can be grounded in biblical discipleship.

With so many social media platforms out there, it can be a daunting task to work out which ones churches should be using for their digital presence. Facebook and Instagram may spring to mind first. Still, other platforms like TikTok, Twitter, Discord, Twitch, and LinkedIn can be great platforms for reaching specific audiences with contextualized messages. For example, LinkedIn could be utilized by the Church to build a solid professional network and create conversations with people in business that they would unlikely reach elsewhere. But it’s just about having fun and experimenting—being creative on each platform to engage with the right people meaningfully. Discipleship doesn’t need to behave differently because it’s happening over a digital platform. Create content relevant enough to your target audiences that encourages discussion around Scriptures or holds debates about hot topics among your followers—just make sure you know who you’re talking to first!

By understanding personas and creating a message tailored to them, churches can better contextualize their message effectively.

To conclude, churches need to carefully consider their digital strategy, who their target audience is, and how to reach them best for the highest returns. By understanding personas and creating a message tailored to them, churches can better contextualize their message effectively. With the proper use of technology and platforms to cultivate relationships, leaders can create a powerful connection with those they seek to connect with. Churches should also remember that they don’t necessarily have to reach everyone—you can still be successful without trying to preach your gospel as far and wide as possible. So buckle up and get ready to spread your church’s message further than ever in today’s digital age. Looking to embrace the digital mission field? Check out Leadership Network’s Digital Discipleship Learning Community and discover how evangelism and discipleship can be strengthened digitally.

At the conference, I had the pleasure of speaking to several influential Christian leaders about evangelism and how GenZ can overcome some of the current obstacles that we face when it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus. My conversation with Noemi Chavez was powerful and unforgettable. Here’s a recap of some of the most important points that I took away from our conversation as an evangelistic GenZer:

What do you see as the biggest hurdle for evangelism and GenZ? How would you encourage us to overcome it?

“I think that the hurdle has to do more with how we as the church are being perceived by GenZ. So, we are the hurdle. The trust part is important for GenZ. They need to be able to trust us. I think GenZ wants to have a relationship with people and not just view them from a distance. So, much of the hurdle in any generation, the church can’t expect the generation to jump the hurdle; the church needs to find a way to remove the hurdle.”

“I have this feeling that GenZ actually wants to have conversations with people. The church, in the last 10-15 years, got more comfortable with being on a stage. We got more comfortable with not having to be in proximity, and that was what was modeled to the leadership. Now we have to change that model. How can we find ways to come closer, to have conversations, to be accessible, to be authentic, and to present a gospel that revolutionizes your life?”

“We are all in a process and a journey, and there is grace for that. I think sometimes Christianity can make young people nervous to think, ‘I can’t be that great.’ [or] ‘I am not that holy’[or] ‘I don’t know that I can keep up with these Christians.” But more so, this is a journey, and you’re following Jesus. As you’re following, in your conversations with Him, you’re transformed by Christ. The way you walk with Jesus is by walking with others. I think that walking more closely together, making [ourselves] more accessible as leaders, and more table conversations [will help many generations overcome this hurdle.]”

Noemi’s insight is spot on: GenZ craves trusting relationships. It’s one of the keys to evangelism for GenZ because it is the language they speak. Compassion and care are a great place to start because that’s where Jesus starts, and I believe Noemi’s words capture this truth.

What is your evangelism strategy and how would you translate it to GenZ?

“I would say much of our evangelism strategy has to do with…calling the church to live out the gospel in their circles of influence. Wherever they do life, we want to see the body of Christ commissioned to carry the gospel. So, evangelism means Christians, and not just pastors, are living out their faith in the world.”

“I think evangelism is more relational than simply us saying things to people. So, [we need to be] willing to create tables where people eat, talk, and share life with people who are very different from them because the proximity is what changes us. [It’s how] we communicate the gospel. If you care enough about somebody, that proximity changes how you communicate the gospel. You don’t want the gospel to meet them; you want the gospel to invite them. Relationally, the gospel invites us.”

“I think that our job is not just to have people follow Jesus, although that is the goal, but sometimes it’s to get people to start a conversation with God. If how I live my life, how I care for you, how I walk with you, and how I’m just your friend causes you to start wanting to talk to God, then all I am is an initiator of a conversation in your life. Maybe someone else will lead you to Jesus, but I helped you start a conversation with the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who was hoping and waiting that you would.”

Genuine conversations seem to be a connecting thread between all three of my conversations with these leaders. We tend to take so much of the work of evangelism upon ourselves, which causes unwanted pressure that gets in the way of these special conversations we long to have. Keep it simple. If you don’t know how to begin, pray, and start building relationships with those already around you.

What do you think that it looks like to be bold in evangelism?

“There are more kids than ever that are addicted to things. Everything is at the fingertips. These things that the enemy is doing to this generation in entrapping them is going to change the culture of their growth and maturity. But for those young believers who have experiences the faithfulness and goodness of God in their lives, I would [call them] a janitor. You’ve got keys that break free and unlock the chains off of people’s lives.”

“You either live a Christian life where you’re afraid to unlock what keeps people bound, or you allow yourself to be a changemaker in your generation.”

Calling all janitors – we need your keys! Addictions and mental health issues can be extremely discouraging. Praise God that Jesus Christ is in the business of redemption and restoration. This is a call to be about His business, too.

Based on your experience, what advice would you give an evangelistic GenZer?

“Live your faith our courageously. Believe that the message of Jesus can still transform lives and break chains of addictions off of your friends’ lives. It can heal the broken hearts of people in your generation who are dealing with anxiety and depression. If you’re 15 years old or 18 years old, the power of the gospel in you can change the life of your friends forever. You could mark a change of the legacy of where their life is headed through you willing to courageously follow Jesus. He is worth following and he is worth trusting.”

“Your life is telling the story of the Savior that is reaching for your generation. Let it be told loudly!”

You already have influence. You have an amazing story to tell. You have permission to be loud about what Jesus has done for you. In fact, it’s encouraged! Use whatever form of influence that God has already given you to share your personal testimony. GenZ desires authenticity and vulnerability, and your story is the best way to cultivate a space for that.

Why is evangelism not a lost cause?

“I think it’s not a lost cause because it’s the bride of Christ. People always say that the gospel is in danger, but it’s been in danger in every generation. There are so many things that threaten the message of Jesus, but it’s unstoppable. The church is not going anywhere. The bride of Christ is not going anywhere. The move of God is not going anywhere; it’s here to stay.”

“As long as there are people, God will move.”

“If the church is not paying attention, God will raise up people from the gutters [and the margins] and He will make them preachers of the gospel because their lives will tell the story of the work of God in them.”

The church is not just God’s vessel; it’s God’s mission. He has no plan to abort any time soon. He has equipped us with everything we need to share the good news with the world; we just have to say “yes.” Your life tells the story of God’s faithfulness. Say “yes” to the ways that God is calling you to share it.

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Madison Burnette is a current senior Bible and Theology major at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, TN. She is a Nashville native who aspires to write blogs, Bible studies, devotionals, and curriculum as a form of ministry. Madison is also a Content Team intern with Exponential. Her current favorite Scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. Check her out on her blog.

In 1972, only 1 in 20 Americans had no religious affiliation. They were primarily atheists and demographically young, white, and liberal. The prediction that atheism would follow modernity in the West simply didn’t hold true for the United States. The sexual revolution of the 60s, the anxiety of the 70s, and even the greed of the 80s created no change in the uptick of atheists and agnostics. The religious Nones remained an obscure and somewhat overlooked group.

But in the early 1990s something significant began to happen. The connection between American identity and faith snapped, and religious non-affiliation in the US started to rise, and rise, and rise again. In only 30 years, the number of Americans with no religious affiliation moved from 5% to nearly 30%!

In only 30 years, the number of Americans with no religious affiliation moved from 5% to nearly 30%!

The General Social Survey (GSS) puts the number of Nones at 23.7% and the Cooperative Congressional Election Survey (CCES), a survey with a much larger sample size, has the number as 31.3% of the population. Keep in mind these figures are prior to COVID-19, the tumultuous election of 2020, and the continued culture war that seems to be ripping our country apart at the seams. The graph above is clear: religious disaffiliation began to snowball in the 90s. But why? What was it about the 90s that might help us better understand the religiously disaffiliated?

What Happened in the 1990s?

I spent most of the 90s in high school and college and remember the decade well. It began with the fall of the Soviet Union, continued with the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa, and was a time of economic prosperity and relative peace. It was a decade that gave us a vibrant pop culture and a few iconic television shows like Seinfeld, Friends, Fresh Prince, The X-Files, and The Simpsons.

Musically, the 90s introduced us to grunge, industrial rock, alternative, EDM, and was indisputably the golden age of hip-hop. It was a decade of Sony Discmans, Palm Pilots, and Play Stations. Technology was advancing, the internet was born, and by the end of the decade the search engine Google was founded. I am proud to be a member of Generation X.

But it was also a decade of disruption, and the axis on which religious disaffiliation began to snowball. Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University, wrote a fascinating book titled The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going. The book tries to interpret the most recent data on religious affiliation. He writes, “One thing that fascinates me is how fast [the Nones] are growing. It is just incomprehensible. Change is glacial for most religious groups, but the Nones are growing a point or two every two years. You just don’t see that with other groups.”¹

There are three important trends that began in the 90s and help explain the rise in religious disaffiliation. They may also provide a roadmap for future innovation as we grapple with the massive changes in our culture and society.

1. Political Division

The first and perhaps primary cause of religious disaffiliation in the 1990’s is politics. Burge is even more adamant. He writes, “The best and clearest explanation for the rapid rate of religious disaffiliation can be traced back to the recent political history of the United States.” Disaffiliation began occurring in the 90s almost entirely among people who placed themselves on the left side of the political spectrum. This was not always the case, and the chart below shows the exponential increase.

In 1991, there was only a five-point gap between liberals and conservatives who considered themselves religiously unaffiliated. By 2000 that gap had grown by ten percentage points as 23% of liberals considered themselves religiously unaffiliated. Today the number stands at a whopping 40%!

Christian Smith, a sociology and religion professor at the University of Notre Dame, interprets this shift as a reaction to the Moral Majority movement founded in 1979 and continuing throughout the 1980’s. Smith writes, “The marriage between the religious and political right… disgusted liberal Democrats, especially those with weak connections to the Church. It also shocked the conscience of moderates, who preferred a wide berth between their faith and their politics.”²

The Christian right’s powerful role in conservative politics… pushed many marginal believers to disaffiliate with religion as their political alliances became stronger than their faith commitments.

Smith said it’s possible that young liberals and loosely affiliated Christians first registered their aversion to the Christian right in the early 1990s, after a decade of observing its powerful role in conservative politics. This pattern pushed many marginal believers to disaffiliate with religion as their political alliances became stronger than their faith commitments. If the Republican party was branded as the “Christian” party, then many Democrats would begin to see themselves as a different kind of religion.

In my neighborhood I’ve seen a growing trend of yard signs that begin with the words, “In this house we believe…” and continue with political talking points that amount to nothing less than a religious creed. Following the polarizing election of 2020, the trend of politics becoming a new religion shows few signs of slowing.

2. Postmodern Confusion

Postmodernism is a second cause of religious disaffiliation that began to take root in the 1990s. The movement has mutated over the years. The first phase of postmodernism was the period from 1965-1985 when French scholars and philosophers began the process of deconstructing the world around them. The deconstructive phase of postmodernism burned out in the mid-1980s and out of its ashes came a new mission to apply postmodern principles to reconstruct a much different world unshackled from its previous foundation.

The theories that emerged out of this second phase of postmodernism began to take root in the 90s and embedded principles of postmodernism in American colleges and universities, eventually trickling out into the general public. The trickle has now become a flood. In their book Cynical Theories, Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay unpack a few of the major principles of the movement.³

First, there is a blurring of boundaries that disrupts categories by making things appear fluid, ambiguous, and indefinable. This is most clearly seen in queer theory and the confusion of sexual ethics and identity in our culture. Second is an obsession with language, as words are seen as powerful and dangerous. This has redefined words like love, justice, and equality, and introduced us to safe spaces, microaggressions, trigger warnings, and what we now know as “cancel culture.” Finally, there is a growing cultural relativism where any viewpoint offered from a position of power is dismissed as oppressive.

The applied postmodernism that began in the 90s is only gaining momentum and seeks to undermine any overarching metanarrative, including the exclusive claims of Christianity. This philosophy has created an incredible challenge for the Church as it quickly dismisses its prophetic voice as merely oppressive and seeks to redefine morality.

3. Internet Consumption

Politics have created division, postmodernism has created confusion, and the internet has served to amplify both. I remember my freshman year of college walking across campus to the library to access the internet. The year was 1995 and Netscape Navigator was the browser of choice with close to 10 million users. Home internet was virtually non-existent at the time, and I still remember the sound of the computer connecting online a few years later.

However, by the year 2000 nearly 50% of households had home internet; shortly thereafter, nearly every household in America had a personal computer and access to the World Wide Web. In 2007, Apple released its iPhone, a technology that would soon change the social fabric of our society.

The advent of the internet, especially tied to smart phones, has created a narcissistic, self-obsessed consumerism that seems difficult to break.

With these new technologies that were introduced in the 90s, information that was previously transmitted through family, community, and the local church was now accessible online. Today the internet provides an onslaught of 24/7 news cycles, open access to pornography, waves of on-demand entertainment, and mind-numbing distractions with apps and social media. The advent of the internet, especially tied to smart phones, has created a narcissistic, self-obsessed consumerism that seems difficult to break.

Nothing in Particulars

The rise of the Nones correlates closely with the introduction of these three major themes of the 90s (political division, postmodern confusion, internet consumption), but it’s important to understand that the Nones are by no means a monolithic group. The CCES survey puts the number of Nones at 31.3% and they are often subdivided into three primary groups: (1) atheist, (2) agnostic, and (3) nothing in particular.

Atheists make up about 5% of the US population. Studies have shown that in the last ten years the percentage of atheists that have switched affiliation to Christianity is less than 0.7%. This doesn’t mean we should abandon outreach to this group, but it does mean that the likelihood of immediate fruit is slim. A slightly larger number of agnostics make up about 6% of the US population. While atheists are very difficult to convert, agnostics aren’t much better. Only 3.6% have switched affiliation in the past decade.

The third group of religiously unaffiliated are often referred to as “Nothing in Particulars.” They come in at a whopping 20% of the US population and are by far the fastest-growing mission field in the United States. The 2020 census revealed that there are now 258 million adults over the age of 18 living in the United States and 51 million of them identify as “nothing in particular.”⁴ They are also markedly different from atheists and agnostics.

Nothing in Particulars don’t want to be associated with Christianity or the church. They aren’t seeking answers from the established church. While most aren’t hostile to the claims of Christianity, they prefer to keep their distance for the many reasons listed in the article above. Most view the church as too political and don’t understand the need for the gospel; others simply don’t care.

If you want to reach the Nones, your best efforts ought to be aimed toward the Nothing in Particulars. They’re persuadable, but are also living in the confluence of political division, postmodern confusion, and internet consumption.

According to Burge, the Nothing in Particulars are more open than other groups when it comes to exploring the Christian faith. He writes, “The data indicates that one in six of them will move back toward the Christian tradition over a four-year period.” The point being, if you want to reach the Nones, your best efforts ought to be aimed toward the Nothing in Particulars. They’re persuadable, but are also living in the confluence of political division, postmodern confusion, and internet consumption.

The triple threat of division, confusion, and consumerism has always been with the human race, but it escalated and took on a unique role in the 1990s. The division became primarily political; the confusion a direct result of the influence of postmodernism; and the consumerism tied to the internet and smart phones. This brings us to a final question.

With a new understanding of our largest mission field, how can the church innovate to reach the 50 million Americans who consider themselves “nothing in particular”?

In future articles, we will attempt to provide a few examples, testimonies, and stories from a few of the most innovative new churches and ministries that are tackling this very question. Our world is changing, and while there will always be new problems to solve, we serve an innovative God.

Notes

1. Statistics in this article (unless otherwise noted) are from the book by Ryan Burge, The Nones: Where they Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going (Fortress Press, 2021).

2. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/atheism-fastest-growing-religion-us/598843/

3. Helen Pluckrose and Lindsay, James, Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody (Pitchstone Publishing, 2020).

4. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/08/united-states-adult-population-grew-faster-than-nations-total-population-from-2010-to-2020.html

Mental health has never been more important than it is now. After enduring a global pandemic, millions of Americans were stuck at home unable to distract from internal turmoil with work, accomplishments, or social status. As a seminarian and trauma therapist, I can confidently say that the world (including the church) faced a great awakening of the soul. An awareness of the internal sicknesses and pains we’d been carrying as Christians. An exposing of the chaos in our hearts that mirrored the chaos of the pandemic. All that was hidden rose to the surface.

God revealed a hard and beautiful truth in this time: being a leader in the church does not make you immune to the effects of a painful past. Being a church leader does not absolve you of the responsibility of doing the mental and emotional work of healing past trauma. God has been, and still is, inviting us to live out the truth of carrying our cross daily. Through being honest about the pain that we carry, and seeking healing for it.

Our own stories of pain are echoed in the lives of our neighbors if only we dared to listen closely enough to hear them.

There are 328.2 million people in America. The majority of them—two thirds, to be exact—identify as Christians.¹ At the same time, almost 50% of all Americans will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. That’s 191 million mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, grandmothers, and grandfathers who will carry pain that many won’t see. These are the people we love, the people we serve. Statistically, the majority of them are Christian. The interesting intersection of these numbers is humbling, heartbreaking, and a reminder that our own stories of pain are echoed in the lives of our neighbors if only we dared to listen closely enough to hear them.

Though it may be tempting to blame these staggering numbers of mental and emotional illness on the global pandemic, studies show otherwise. Before the global pandemic, the prevalence of mental illness was trending upward for adults and children. With 65% of Americans identifying as Christians, surely these statistics overlap.

Beneath all of the numbers and statistics is a deafening truth: the body of Christ is a part of what the American Psychological Association is calling a mental health crisis.²

So why is the church so afraid to address the mental and emotional pain that people carry? Well, I think we’re afraid because we actually don’t know how God responds to people’s mental and emotional pain. We don’t know because we struggle to see it in scripture. The intersection of mental health and faith is a place where even the most experienced Christian leaders are novices. Facing the truth of the pain in ourselves and the people we serve also challenges much of what we’ve been taught (and taught others) about leadership, holiness, and intimacy with God.

We’re afraid because we actually don’t know how God responds to people’s mental and emotional pain.

For decades we’ve conflated good leadership with stoicism, chronic positivity, and an absence of anguish; and yet, that’s not what scripture shows us of leaders in mental health crisis. The postures we hold so tightly to in our culture of church leadership often oppose the posture of the leaders that God miraculously empowers, supports, and commissions. I imagine that’s why David invites us to expose our brokenness to God instead of hiding it as he reminds us that God won’t reject the broken and the contrite heart (Psalm 51:17).

So how does God respond to believers struggling with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation? Let’s take a look.

How God Meets the Need

Numbers 11:1-16 recounts a time when Moses is overwhelmed with what it means to lead the people of Israel through the desert. In his frustration and anguish he asks God, “Why have you brought trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?” (v. 11). He goes on to say “If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me” (v. 15).

That is what we call suicidal ideation: thoughts about or planning our own death.

How would you respond to Moses? Would you rebuke his thoughts? Would you encourage him with scripture to remind him of who he is? Would you shame him for confessing such things in such an open manner?

God responds to Moses in verse 16 by telling him to gather 70 elders to help him lead. To support him where he is in need.

In 1 Kings 19:4-5, we find Elijah in complete despair after running for his life. In utter exhaustion, Elijah lifts up his voice to God praying that he might die, and says to the Lord, “Take my life.” Again, we see suicidal ideation. As he lays down to sleep an angel comes to him and tells him to get up and eat, offering him food and water. When Elijah falls asleep again, the angel comes again to offer more food and more water.

Both Moses and Elijah express deep pain, anxiety, and suicidal ideation to God. While God never directly responds to the suicidal ideation itself, he responds to its cause. He responds to Moses’ exhaustion with communal support and Elijah’s weariness with physical provision (food, water, and rest). God is more attuned to the cause of our pain than to the ways it presents itself.

God meets the need under their expression of pain. He doesn’t dismiss their feelings as silly, immature, or reflections of their lack of faith. His actions seem to speak, “I see what you’re feeling and it matters to me. I see that you’re overwhelmed. I’m going to do something about it. I am going to give you rest. I am going to lighten your burden. I am going to show you tenderness in the midst of your despair instead of shaming you for experiencing despair in the first place.”

While God never directly responds to the suicidal ideation itself, he responds to its cause. He responds to Moses’ exhaustion with communal support and Elijah’s weariness with physical provision (food, water, and rest).

When Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11), he truly means it. The “rest for our souls” is not figurative flowery language. It’s actually what he gives. He interrupts the narratives that make us feel like life isn’t worth living and offers us rest and reprieve. When we are in despair, God provides. When we are depressed, God gives us tenderness instead of punishment, kindness instead of judgment.

What if we approached our own pain with the same curious tenderness that God does with Moses and Elijah? What if we listened to the need shouting beneath the patterns of expressing pain? What if we got more attuned to the needs of our flock than to the ways their pain shows up? Many of us have been taught to respond to mental health issues in the church with religious brow-beating, theological debates, and good ole-fashioned shaming. And yet God does something that seems too compassionate and too easy: he identifies the need, and he addresses it.

In these two narratives, we see how God responds to mental and emotional crises. His actions are a blueprint for us in the Church as we love ourselves correctly and love our neighbors compassionately.

NOTES

1. “In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace,” Pew Reserch Center, October 17, 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/.
2. “Increased need for mental health care strains capacity,” American Psychological Association (website), November 15, 2022, https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2022/11/mental-health-care-strains.

At the conference, I had the pleasure of speaking to several influential Christian leaders about evangelism and how GenZ can overcome some of the current obstacles that we face when it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus. My conversation with John Mark Comer was nothing short of insightful. Here’s a recap of some of the most important points that I took away from our conversation as an evangelistic GenZer:

What do you see as the biggest hurdle for evangelism and GenZ? How would you encourage us to overcome it?

“There’s some new research saying that in previous eras, people set their worldview by about age 23, which is why so many people lost their faith when they went away to college and were exposed to new ideas and views…but now they’re saying that GenZ is setting their worldview by age 13. The problem is that their prefrontal cortex is a decade away from being developed, and it’s mostly based on social media tribalism. The fact that social media hasn’t been regulated yet by government or by parents and is therefore exposing them at too young of an age to too many ideas with too many tribalistic powers is a major challenge.”

The statistics that John Mark shared are scary, but not shocking. These truths have become even more evident over the past few years, making evangelism feel like a lost cause for many GenZers. We have gotten caught in the thick of social media and tribalism, but that does not mean that we are stuck here. Because social media has consumed society, we as Christians must use our platforms for the gospel. The light of Christ shines the brightest in the darkest places.

What is your evangelism strategy and how would you translate it to GenZ?

“Hospitality. Welcoming people to the table, cooking meals for them, asking them questions…”

“The table” was one of the central ideas of Exponential 2023. Many of the speakers emphasized the need for hospitality in terms of evangelism. There’s nothing like being welcomed in someone’s home. An invitation makes someone feel important and cared for, and that’s exactly what Jesus does for us as his adopted family. If there’s a seat at Jesus’ table for you, then there’s a seat for everyone. We must not forget that people are God’s mission, so they should be our mission, too.

What do you think that it looks like to be bold in evangelism?

“I think it means to not compromise your ethical convictions and theological convictions in the name of niceness.”

John Mark’s straightforward answer highlights a message then GenZ needs to hear: compromising is not the key. In fact, it will cause more problems than it will solve. We must love others enough to tell them the truth because that is the most loving thing that we could ever do.

Why is evangelism not a lost cause?

“[Evangelism is not a lost cause] because of church history.”

“A lot of times they said that Christianity would die in this generation, and every time it’s made it through lots of things through evangelism.”

“That gives me hope for the future.”

The first word that came to mind when I heard John Mark’s astute response was “perseverance.” Christians have persevered for centuries to get to the point where we are now. More importantly, God has remained faithful through it all. He has carried us through this far, so he will carry us through until it’s time for Jesus to come and make all things new again.

Christianity will not die because the Spirit has empowered us to evangelize. We have hope for the future in the Word of God, and that’s enough.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Madison Burnette is a current senior Bible and Theology major at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, TN. She is a Nashville native who aspires to write blogs, Bible studies, devotionals, and curriculum as a form of ministry. Madison is also a Content Team intern with Exponential. Her current favorite Scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. Check her out on her blog.

Guest: Doug Paul, Managing Partner and Innovation Strategist of Catapult

Hosts: Rob Wegner and Brian Johnson, Directors of Microchurch NEXT

Some years ago, my role within an organization was to give leadership to one of our largest client relationships, a huge global NGO. As part of that long-standing partnership, we operated from a statement of work (SOW) that would be re-negotiated within 2-3 months and hopefully renewed in order to maintain a strong client relationship and serve them well.

My CEO suggested that our team might benefit from doing some sort of evaluation or audit of the work we had done relative to the SOW. An audit would explore what had been committed, what had been accomplished, what had yet to be done; it would identify things we did that had or had not been agreed upon.

This audit would further help us re-position the relationship for greater value to the client in the future, and make sure we remained aligned in priorities and goals. All in all, it was a very reasonable and wise process and we had several months to get it done.

A Nudge

Early one morning while it was still dark outside, I sat in my chair to begin my day in silence and reflection, drinking my favorite coffee. As I watched the sun rise over the mountains and turn the sky from dark to dawn, I sensed an overwhelming urge to do that audit. Like, NOW.

The idea persisted and even intensified… I began to wonder if it wasn’t God’s voice, gently nudging me.

Good idea… I have months to get this done… I can even get it started later today, I reasoned. Once I get into the office. 

But this idea persisted and even intensified, strongly suggesting I get to work on the audit. NOW. And then I began to wonder if it wasn’t God’s voice, gently nudging me.

But God, it’s my quiet time! Isn’t this the most important way I could be spending my time? I haven’t even opened my Bible yet?? If I don’t take this time now, I won’t get it back today! (That was not the first time I’ve tried to tell God He has a bad idea when it doesn’t fit my “formula”… more on that another time.) This urging in my spirit wouldn’t go away. I shifted in my chair. Tried focusing on my journal. Still, God wouldn’t let up.

Finally, I relented. Breaking all my own personal soul care norms, I reluctantly put down my journal, grabbed my laptop, and started working on that audit at 6:15 a.m. Soon it was 7:15, then 8:15, and by the time I realized I really needed to get into the office for my first meetings of the day… well, honestly, I didn’t even have time to shower. I just threw on some fresh deodorant, changed my clothes, brushed my hair, and rushed into work.

What was that about? Was my tendency toward drivenness just rearing its ugly head? Would I “pay” for this later in the day with deeper unrest, having forfeited the rhythms of silence that have become so essential to my life? I feared my darker tendencies might have won that day. In a former season of life, many potentially restful and quiet-filled mornings were easily replaced by my hyper-active sense of responsibility and drive. If there was anything at all on my to-do list, it would clearly take priority… silence and reflection and prayer could wait. And they did. For years.

Later that morning, once I was in the office, I got an unexpected email from my counterpart at our client, asking if we could cancel our routine check-in scheduled for that afternoon. “A few things came up.”

“Okay,” I replied. “No problem.” I paused and added, “Actually, since we’re already emailing… I drafted a high-level audit of our SOW and can send it over if that would be helpful.”

They replied right away. “Could you send that over ASAP? Our day has been upended by an unexpected high-priority meeting at noon, and it would be so helpful to have that for our conversation.”

Over the next four hours, significant changes came about in our partnership as new conversations went into motion, all the way up to the highest levels of both of our organizations. By the end of the day both CEOs had been interacting about the status of the relationship and dreaming together about where it would go next. And a huge part of what led to that outcome was the audit God had led me to create in the pre-dawn hours that very morning—instead of reading my Bible and writing in my journal.

A Lesson

As it turned out, I was one of the last people to leave the office that night, long after the sun had set. On the back steps leading to the parking lot, I ran into our CEO and another executive, and we casually exchanged goodbyes.

“Oh, and, Mindy,” he added, “by the way, great job on that audit—it really was a game changer for us.”

“Thanks! Have a great night,” I said, and turned to walk up the stairs to the back door.  But I felt I couldn’t quite take the credit for a job well done.  I turned, went back down the stairs, and confessed to the bigger story—how I sensed that pre-dawn urgency to abandon my normal routines and draft this audit.

Our CEO listened with a knowing twinkle in his eye, and I’ve never forgotten what he said: “Yep. It’s better to be led than smart.”

Oh, how true.

I still begin most days while it’s dark with silence, reflection, and reading. I have not changed my overall way of life whatsoever. But I have learned that God sometimes guides us into decisions that break our own rules… and we have to stay open. The million-dollar question is: Will we yield?

God sometimes guides us into decisions that break our own rules… and we have to stay open.

I’m sure there have been many times when I have not listened to that still, small voice, especially when it suggests things that contradict what I think is “right.” I’m not proud of that tendency in myself.

But I’m so grateful that, on that dark morning, I allowed myself to be persuaded. In addition to serving our client and our company well, I received the great gift of a leadership axiom I carry with me to this day: “It’s better to be led than smart.”

Each of us operates in a context that we don’t fully know. There are so many unknown things going on around us, so many factors of which we are unaware. It would be impossible to fully grasp the reality of any given situation, no matter how “smart” you are. There are meetings going on in other cities between people we have never met, meetings that will directly influence our future. We can’t possibly be aware of other people’s priorities, or of funding that’s about to happen, or ideas that are going to have a direct impact on us.

Many examples in scripture point us to this, but one of my favorite completely outrageous examples of this is when God gave King Xerxes a restless night, causing him to read about Mordecai and remember his good deed many years ago that had been forgotten and ignored. That became the pivot point of the entire story, leading to Queen Esther’s courageous plea to save her people. But that moment would not have happened in the same way without Xerxes’ restless night. Or how about Joseph and Mary completely uprooting their entire lives on no notice, with nothing but a dream to guide them… ultimately saving Jesus from a threat they could not see? And there are countless others.

The best we can do on any given day is listen to the divine whispers of God. And behave accordingly. Sure, we make our plans, initiate, lead, and figure things out along the way. But at the same time, we can intentionally arrange our lives to cultivate openness and yieldedness… not only in quiet pre-dawn hours, but even in the hustle and bustle of our work and ordinary life. Cultivating openness in all these contexts is vital. Not for some performative reason, but simply because it’s better to be led than smart. Always.

So, I say, I believe the future belongs to those who listen. And those who can do what follows the listening.

But let’s be honest—it’s especially hard to listen when we’re inclined to lean on our own understanding. And I find that when the pressure is on, when I feel deeply responsible, and the public visibility of a particular project is big, I lean even harder on my own understanding. Write that next talk! Create that next product! Lead that next meeting! Send that next proposal! 

I find that when the pressure is on, I lean even harder on my own understanding.

My natural tendencies towards self-reliance are very strong, and ironically those tendencies seem to increase when I believe the stakes are highest.

I’m guessing I’m not alone in this tendency, as I see the same pattern in God’s people reflected in scripture. Repeatedly, when the stakes were high, they turned to self-made strategies to secure their well-being.

I hear the ache in God’s heart in Isaiah chapter 30, and especially verse 15:

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,…”

Sounds great, right?

But that’s not the end of the verse… God continues:

   “… but you would have none of it.”

Ouch.

He goes on (v. 16-17):

“You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.”

Doesn’t that make your heart ache? The Holy One of Israel is offering us salvation in the form of rest. He’s offering us strength in the form of quietness and trust… but too often we refuse it, relying on our own strength, wanting to see things happen our way. But all we end up doing is fleeing, making decisions that leave us battered and anxious, depressed, and without hope.

But there is hope. And Isaiah points to it again in verse 18:

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

The world will tell you the future belongs to the powerful or the wealthy. Others say the future belongs to those who prepare for it, or those who believe in the power of their dreams. Some T-shirts say “The future is female.”

But I believe the future belongs to those who listen. And what happens when a leader becomes a listener? That’s when things get really interesting.

When a leader takes the time to listen to their team, that’s when the organization really starts going places. That’s when innovation happens, when products or approaches we never could have imagined percolate to the surface.

Listening to those around us, really paying attention to those exploring faith, creates the kinds of environments that open up people’s spirits and help them to become more receptive to what God is saying.

And think about what happens when church planters listen to their communities instead of arriving and setting the tone and telling people what they need. Listening to those around us, really paying attention to those exploring faith, creates the kinds of environments that open up people’s spirits and help them to become more receptive to what God is saying. (My friend Dave Runyon shares a great story about pastors listening deeply to their community here.)

But even more important than listening to our teams or even our communities is listening to God. The future belongs to those who listen to God.

Listening Intentionally

Maybe this call to listen to God resonates with you and your current life experiences, but you’re not sure what listening to God even looks like. Here are three practices that I’ve found extremely valuable when it comes to increasing my ability to listen:

1. Listening Prayer. When we take the time to sit quietly with God, not only does it open us up to wisdom from the Spirit, it also expands our capacity for silence in other parts of our lives. We stop using words to simply fill up empty spaces when we are with God and others, and instead of dominating conversations, we tend more towards question asking and remaining curious.
2. Keep a journal. When we take a few minutes every day to write down the thoughts that are in our head, it creates in us a greater ability to listen to what’s taking place in our interior world. We become much more aware of our interior fears, doubts, and insecurities, as well as of our dreams, desires, and motivations. Journaling is one of the best ways to cultivate a spirit of listening.
3. Become a question asker. One of the best things you do as a leader is to create intentional practices and rhythms that automatically create space for you to ask your team questions. Can you allocate a portion of your weekly meeting to asking questions? Or think bigger than that. What if you asked the leaders of your city questions and invited them to share their needs? How could this transform the way your organization is currently operating?

In 2021, our team at Soul Care conducted a “listening tour” in order to understand what leaders were facing on the topic of soul care. Broad interviews led to some deep, prayerful listening. It was incredibly helpful as I transitioned from my marketplace responsibilities back into the work of Soul Care. The findings continue to shape what we do and how we do it as a team. I’m so grateful we started with some deep listening. I’ll be talking about our findings in our upcoming podcast episodes for Healthy Leaders NEXT at Leadership Network!

But in the meantime… listen deeply in your context!

Listen to your team.

Listen to your community.

Listen, ultimately, to God.

It’s always better to be led than smart.

How will your future be shaped by listening?

If you’d like to hear more from Mindy Caliguire and the Soul Care team, you can sign up to get this kind of inspiration delivered straight into your inbox, join their online community (The Soul Care Collective), or find out more about how to bring Soul Care into your organization. 

One could say the same thing about the latest developments in AI. Companies like Alphabet (Google) and the various endeavors led by Elon Musk have been developing AI for some time now. It is common for the ethics behind it and the moral obligations involved with it to be dismissed. They are hotly debated, however; AI ethicists like Blake Lemoine have lost their jobs over raising moral concerns and asserting controversial claims.

As far as a definition for artificial intelligence, a simple Google search provides the following:

The theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.

I set out on a journey through the Scriptures to see how AI imagines the Bible.

In recent months, a new debate has come up about AI. It is related to the field of art and creative expression. Photographers, fine artists, and tech enthusiasts have been enjoying tools like DALL-E and the Midjourney app. These applications use AI to create art, generated simply by inserting a written description of the desired visual a creator hopes to see. The results have been provocative and disturbing but also imaginative and fascinating.

I have worked in the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain for almost two years. There has been an abundance of fine art “minted” on the blockchain from renowned and little-known creators across the globe. A growing number of digital artists have begun integrating AI-generated art into their portfolios and collections. The quality is stunning—here is just one example:

This got me thinking. There are so many iconic Bible verses that describe almost incredulous scenes and scenarios. I wondered how AI-generated art would portray some of these emotionally engaging moments? After all, AI doesn’t have a soul. Does it? It doesn’t, right? Since I dig Jesus, crypto, futuristic technology, and AI, I set out on a journey through the Scriptures to see how AI imagines the Bible.

Selecting iconic verses and moments from the beginning of the Old Testament through the end of the New Testament, I used artificial intelligence to generate reflective art. I committed to doing so on every possible weekday, focusing on one verse, scene, or story per day, until every book of the Bible had been represented, and displayed the images on social media. (Just Twitter and LinkedIn at first, but I plan to share AI-generated art summaries in groups of 10 on Instagram.)

Responses from followers have been affirming. Here are some samples of the selected verses or stories and the AI-generated art from Days 1 through 12:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2, CSB)

The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:6)

The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men. (Genesis 6:4)

“Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

The two warrior angels entered Sodom [had to replace this with “the ancient city”] in the evening as Lot was sitting in Sodom’s [“the city’s”] gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground. (Genesis 19:1) 

[Note: This was the only time so far I got a reject message: the word Sodom was forbidden in the AI application. You can likely understand why.]

Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son [Isaac]. (Genesis 22:13) 

“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28)

Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a long-sleeved robe for him. (Genesis 37:3)

Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt. After them, seven years of famine will take place, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land. (Genesis 41:29-30) 

She got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. Then his sister stood at a distance in order to see what would happen to him. (Exodus 2:3-4)

Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2) 

These five images are all based upon the story of The Ten Plagues in Exodus when Moses returns to confront Pharaoh.The focus of the images generated were blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death. (Exodus 7:17-18, 8:3, 8:16, 8:21, 9:2-3, 9:8-9, 9:18, 10:4-5, 10:21-22, and 11:4-6)

If you’re curious, come along with me. It has been a provocative, disturbing, imaginative, fascinating experiment so far. I am looking forward to how AI imagines the highlights of the New Testament.

Thankfully, I have not had a replicant come knocking at my door… yet.

At the conference, I had the pleasure of speaking to several influential Christian leaders about evangelism and how GenZ can overcome some of the current obstacles that we face when it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus. My conversation with Christine Caine was full of truth, honesty, and wisdom. Here’s a recap of some of the most important points that I took away from our conversation as an evangelistic GenZer:

What do you see as the biggest hurdle for evangelism and GenZ? How would you encourage us to overcome it?

“Understanding that the exclusivity of Christ is actually loving and not ‘judgy.’ It is not minimizing, it is not bigoted, it is not excluding of others – it is an exclusive message that leads to life. It’s not meant to exclude people – it is actually inclusive of all humanity, but it’s an exclusive way to get to God. This sort ‘exclusive inclusivity’ is quite the challenge for a world that wants to be all loving, all encompassing. [You must be able to] make that jump in your mind that Jesus says, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” [It] can sound extremely exclusive, but it’s an exclusivity that leads to life and hope. That exclusivity is extremely inclusive because “whosoever will” can come.”

“Once you settle the fact that, if you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and there is no other way in which man can be saved but the name of Jesus, then you go all in because that is going to put you at odds with the whole of society no matter how loving you are. At the end of the day, the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. GenZ can think, ‘I don’t want [to make] the same mistakes as the generations before us.’”

Christine’s answers to this question spoke directly to some of the things I presented in my blog post about GenZ evangelism. She gave so much valuable insight to the situation in a way that made me feel heard and understood as a GenZer. This part of our conversation gave me a sense of urgency for the gospel because it is the answer to every question we may have about being politically correct: the gospel is the most inclusive thing you could ever share because the family of God welcomes whosoever believes in the name of Jesus Christ.

What is your evangelism strategy and how would you translate it to GenZ?

“I don’t think there’s a ‘one size fits all.’ Proclamational evangelism is still of very high value. Building bridges, tearing down walls, meeting needs, finding entry points, creating contexts where relationships can be built… to earn the right to preach the gospel is as important to me. It’s not ‘either-or.’”

“We talk a lot about building relationships without an agenda. I don’t know how you can be a Christian without an agenda because we are commissioned to go into all the world and make disciples. Therefore, we live with an agenda.”

I loved Christine’s answer to this question because it exposed the exact reason why I decided to ask it: there is no “right” way to evangelize. I feel that GenZ is very hyper-focused on perfectionism, but that’s not what the gospel calls for, nor is it what Jesus asks of us.

What do you think that it looks like to be bold in evangelism?

“I think it’s having the courage to be obedient to the voice of the Spirit. Boldness sometimes is saying the thing that you know is going to be offensive. Boldness other times is saying nothing.”

“True boldness is to trust the leading of the Holy Spirit through discretion and discernment to know when to say what.”

Christine spoke straight to my heart with this answer. This is something that I have always struggled to balance due to fear, and I think other GenZers would say the same. We cannot put boldness in a box, for the very word itself means being fearless and having a willingness to take risks.

Why is evangelism not a lost cause?

“We are making Jesus’ last commandment our first priority.”

“Because Jesus said it, Jesus ordained it, and Jesus gave us his Spirit to fulfill it, it will be done. Whether it’s done in our generation or not is our choice, but not whether it’s done. It will be done.”

“If I’m looking to the church to determine whether the promises or the commandments of God are going to come to fruition, then I’ll give up hope. If I am looking to the Word and what Jesus promises, then it’s not a lost cause.”

No matter what generation you are in, this is a truth that we can all hold on to. When we feel like there’s no hope for the future of evangelism, we must remember that there is nothing that can stop God’s will. He will continue with or without us. Will you join the cause?

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Madison Burnette is a current senior Bible and Theology major at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, TN. She is a Nashville native who aspires to write blogs, Bible studies, devotionals, and curriculum as a form of ministry. Madison is also a Content Team intern with Exponential. Her current favorite Scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. Check her out on her blog.

Guest: Shane Stacey, Co-Founder of Clarity House

Host: Dave Rhodes, Director of Church NEXT

Church Project has no phone number… no central place to come to.… Yet, thousands of people are connected into House Church communities, 1:1 discipleship relationships, and serving in local and global ministry partnerships.

Church Project began as a pursuit to return to what Jesus originally intended for the church to be. A deep study of the church biblically, historically, and globally revealed what I defined as eDNA—Ecclesiological DNA™. This DNA of the structure of the church was given early, and should be applied to all people, in all places, at all times.

The elements of this eDNA are:

• Decentralized from Primary Place and Priest
• Distributed Pastoral Leadership
• Diverse Discipleship Communities

Paul told Titus, “The reason I left you in Crete was to… straighten out what was unfinished…appoint elders in every town as I directed you…teach what is in accord with sound doctrine…” (Titus 1:5, 9; my paraphrase).

Paul gave Titus a blueprint for pastoring the island of Crete. Paul shared the gospel, people became followers of Jesus, and Paul planted a church. But then Paul left to do what Paul was primarily called to do, and he sent Titus, but with clear instructions on the role Titus was to assume—and not assume.

Decentralized From Primary Place and Priest

Paul did not want Titus to be heading to every town in Crete to pastor people in the places where they lived. And Paul did not want all of the people to leave their towns and travel to a primary place, for a primary pastor in Titus.

Paul wanted the ministry in Crete to be decentralized from primary place, and primary priest. Though Paul came from the background of primary place—the temple or the synagogue—Paul knew now that the believers themselves were the “temple of the Holy Spirit,” and there was a “priesthood of all believers.”

Church Project has no phone number. No receptionist in a foyer. No central place to come to for information or connection. Yet, thousands of people are connected into House Church communities, 1:1 discipleship relationships, and serving in local and global ministry partnerships. The name of the lead pastor isn’t on the sign or the website. People are immediately connected directly into the House Church closest to where they live.

Distributed Pastoral Leadership

Paul did not want Titus to assume the role of pastoring all of Crete. The weight would have been too much. Paul told Titus to choose godly people to pastor the believers, wherever they lived. Paul wanted all people to have access to a pastor. If that had to happen through Titus, that would be overwhelming for Titus. And it would be limiting the pastoring that needed to be available to all of the people. And… it would be robbing other qualified people from fulfilling their calling.

Paul told Titus to choose godly people to pastor the believers, wherever they lived. Paul wanted all people to have access to a pastor.

Paul told Titus to look for certain qualifications (and likely certain qualities) for the churches that would be meeting in homes throughout Crete. He wanted Titus to ensure that sound doctrine was being taught by each of the pastors to all of the people. Titus’ primary role became to select, prepare, and oversee all of the pastors who were pastoring all of the people, and distribute the pastoral responsibilities to them.

House Church Pastors at Church Project are people who live with the biblical qualifications and qualities listed in Titus and Timothy. House Church Pastors have full time jobs in the workforce, yet fully pastor their House Church. House Church Pastors perform weddings and funerals and visit people in the hospital. All benevolence happens in House Church.

Diverse Discipleship Communities

The church should pursue the diversity commanded in Scripture. Diversity is multi-layered: generational, socio-economic, spiritual maturity, cultural, marital. The church in Scripture had rich and poor; mature and immature believer; married and unmarried/divorced/widow/never married; different skin colors, customs, and backgrounds…

Diversity is truly tested not in large auditoriums, but in small living rooms and around kitchen tables. Many people have never been in a committed community with true layers of diversity.

Gathering geographically accomplishes several beautiful benefits.

Church is most often referred to as family, much more than just friends. Yet, the construct of community in most churches is towards homogenous life-stage friendships, rather than heterogenous, diverse families.

Diversity is forced by gathering geographically. Gathering geographically accomplishes several beautiful benefits:

• It keeps community within proximity, which is more sustainable. I have less travel time to get to my House Church. My kids are going to school with other kids from House Church, parents know one another, we’re shopping at the same grocery stores, same coffee shops, etc.
• It removes administrative complexities and structures for connecting people into homogenous groups. People simply find the House Church closest to them, and go there.
• The only distinction of a House Church is its geography, not its affinity. So people know they will be accepted, as there are not special identifiers for this community.

At Church Project we have House Churches filled with married and unmarried, older and younger, rich and poor, and different stages of spiritual maturity. The spiritually mature are discipling the spiritually young. The older are mentoring the younger in marriage and parenting and life. Those with financial resources are helping those in need. It’s a beautiful, diverse family.

Leader to Pastor, Group to Church

At Church Project, we are essentially taking a teacher or leader, and making them a pastor. We identify, equip, empower, and expect people to fully pastor their House Church.

We take a class or a group, and we make it a church. We take the limits off of what a class or group does, and expect this small community to operate as fully as a church together as the Scriptures tell us to.

Theology of Space

A theology of space is crucial for this decentralization, distribution of pastoral leadership, and radical generosity. “Space is not Sacred, but Sacred things happen in Space” is a phrase coined at Church Project to help bring clarification to a proper theology of space. Because space is not sacred, space can be Shared and Stewarded. Space is shared with many ministries in our city who need space for events, training, etc., and it is designed in such a way that it can be stewarded, and actually attain mortgage neutrality.

Simplicity for the Sake of Generosity

Additionally, Church Project operates with the value of “Simplicity for the Sake of Generosity.” Because all House Church Pastors are not paid for pastoring their House Churches, and the front lines of pastoring is happening through House Church Pastors, less paid staff are required. And because space can be mortgage neutral with a proper theology of space, less money is spent on buildings. And, because Jesus operated with simplicity throughout his ministry, less money can be spent on unnecessary approaches to ministry.

The result is the opportunity to be radically generous. Church Project has directed over $12 million to date toward ministries and church plants outside of the operational walls of our church.

This eDNA is self-sustaining, simple, and effective. Jesus said he would build his Church, and his building plans are enduring across all people, in all places, for all times.

This fall, KC Underground and Church Project will be hosting the Microchurch NEXT Learning Community for practitioners who are ready to be trained, coached, and supported in their Microchurch journey. Registration is open now. For more information and to register, visit: https://exponential.org/microchurch-next-learning-communities/.

Are you flourishing in every area of your life? Should it matter that you do? I’d like to suggest that it does matter. A great deal. It matters to you, to your family, to your team, to your community… and yes, it matters to God.

I love the connection that theologian Cornelius Plantinga makes between the holistic idea of flourishing and the Biblical imagination of shalom.

In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight—a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed; a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be (Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin).

At my former employer Gloo, we partnered with the Barna Group as well as thought leaders from the Human Flourishing Project at Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science to deeply explore the dynamics of human flourishing. The concept of human flourishing is surely what the Hebrew word shalom calls to mind.

“Shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight.” —Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

Research has shown five key drivers to human flourishing that would warrant a prominent place of reflection and intentionality in whatever structure, trellis, rule of life or plan you develop:

1. Spiritual Health
2. Relational Health
3. Physical/Mental Health
4. Financial Health
5. Vocational Health

A simple assessment will help you see where you stand in these five areas. All five warrant a place in your overall plan for soul health. At a high level, my structure generally looks like this these days.

• Spiritual: prayer, journaling, reading
• Relational: seeking help in troubled relationships; continuing to build into the strong ones
• Physical/Mental: Intentional habits around sleep, food, and exercise
• Financial: Practicing generosity, contentment, and better awareness
• Vocational: Embracing calling, embracing service

So how about you? Consider all the dimensions of soul, of self, of body, relationships, and mind. What’s your holistic plan for self-care? Silent prayer? Sleep? Sabbath? Exercise? Nutrition? Recreation? Hobbies? Life-giving relationships? Vocation? Finances?

Beyond being a much more sane and enjoyable way to live, a life of flourishing defined in this way (or, as we might say, a healthy soul) will benefit you from a ministry leadership perspective. You will increasingly be able to answer the multitude of questions that cannot now be known or discerned; you will find answers that cannot be simply copied and pasted from someone else’s ministry context, gifting, resources or calling.

This is your journey, and we all need you to take it.

A Page, a Person, and a Plan

As my team and I have worked with denominations, large and small churches, and various parachurch organizations, we have been inviting leaders into a simple framework to support the health and life of their souls in the context of ministry. We think of this framework as a Page, a Person, and a Plan.

A Page

The first part of the framework for soul health is a Page. Our souls increase in health as we embrace reflection and self-awareness. There may be many ways to enter this complicated and convoluted interior environment, but one of the best places I’ve returned to again and again is in the pages of a journal.

A journal provides a non-judgmental invitation to authentic self-expression, focused prayer, and sincere questioning of self and God.

A journal provides a non-judgmental invitation to authentic self-expression, focused prayer, and sincere questioning of self and God. There is benefit to physically writing, including slowing your mind and harnessing several dimensions of the brain.

If you want to experiment or refresh your journaling practice, our Jumpstart to Journaling experience was created with you in mind. We created a way you can engage with journaling prompts for 21 days. https://www.soulcare.com/21-day-jumpstart

We also have another free resource, a mini-book called Write for Your Soul.

https://www.soulcare.com/write-for-your-soul-ebook

A Person

The second part of the framework we use to pursue soul health is a Person. We all need a third safe space—a real-life, human relationship where we can be fully honest, seen, known, and supported in our journey. This safe space could be found through a counselor, a life coach, a spiritual director, a ministry peer, or a cohort of other leaders. Whether virtually or in-person, we all need someone with whom we can be gut-level honest about our struggles and challenges, our doubts, and fears—and also about our joys, hopes, aspirations, and dreams.

Everything we are learning from neuroscience about the role of relationships in our transformation reinforces and validates what we have long sensed: We have the capacity to be positively shaped and reshaped by certain kinds of relationships. But truly open, authentic, and unagenda-ed relationships are tremendously difficult to develop in the midst of vocational ministry. So the services of spiritual directors, coaches, therapists, and others can be vital to our soul’s health and growth.

We all need someone with whom we can be gut-level honest about our struggles and challenges, our doubts, and fears—and also about our joys, hopes, aspirations, and dreams.

Our team provides professional, virtual spiritual direction and coaching to individuals and organizations. And collective.soulcare.com is a virtual community we are building through soul care for leaders globally to connect and gain encouragement for their own journey as well as their support of others. You can access groups, cohorts, courses, virtual and in-person events, and more.

A Plan

The third and final part of the framework we use to pursue soul health is a Plan. Once again, we turn to neuroscience, spiritual formation, and ancient wisdom of the church to see the value of a plan. Historically, the people of God would develop a shared rule of life, or a way of life, as a structure of intentionality to support growth. Like a garden trellis, the structure itself has no ability to impart life, but to a plant seeking to grow, the structure gives something to hang onto, something to share the weight, something to increase exposure to the light and air, and ultimately, something to increase the fruit that is borne.

We believe that by journaling and seeking out those important, deep relationships, you will sense a plan beginning to form, one that will lead you deeper into soul health and the shalom—the peace and flourishing—we were made to experience.

A Final Word About Your Calling

In my lifetime, vocational ministry has never been more difficult. You have never been more misunderstood, robbed of the validating benefits of your role, or placed in impossible situations where no matter what you say—or don’t say—you will be criticized, judged, and abandoned. You have never been more scrutinized, confused, without options, and seemingly alone.

I see you. We see you. I know you’re waking up each and every day trying to follow the latest best practices, the latest research, the ancient paths, and the teachings of Jesus. All while trying to keep your marriage afloat, your finances in check, your kids on a solid path, and your personal health in a good place.

I know you’re exhausted. You’re afraid. You’re tired of being tired. You forget that God is with you, that God is for you. And then you forget that you forgot.

Even now, while you’re reading these words, the river of God’s goodness, God’s power, God’s loving-kindness is flowing all around you.

Maybe you resent your congregation. Maybe you can’t focus. You make dumb mistakes. You rehearse your mistakes. You are defensive and angry and paranoid and tired. Again, you’re tired. You put massive pressure on yourself. You get angry at Scriptures that speak to a different life than the one you’re currently living.

But here’s what I also know is true:

1. Your performance has nothing to do with your worth. Nothing.
2. Your family is rooting for you. Even if they’re angry, distant, and also beyond hope. They want you back.
3. God is able to meet you in the full totality of your interior and exterior circumstances. Right here, right now.
4. God’s posture toward you remains unfailingly, irreversibly, relentlessly for you. For your good, for your life, for your flourishing.

Even now, while you’re reading these words, the river of God’s goodness, God’s power, God’s loving-kindness is flowing all around you.

Your part in God’s kingdom is uniquely yours, and really matters. Whether you stay in vocational ministry or find yourself elsewhere, your life is still part of the unfolding story of God in human history. You will never leave ministry, and that’s a good thing.

Care for your soul. Like the treasure in a field, sell everything if you must to get back to a place of rest and connection in God’s presence. Everything else you care about will flow from that place.

Everything.

Adapted from “The Now, The Next, and The Never Again” by Mindy Caliguire, Outreach Magazine, November 5, 2021.

Video Resources

• FLOURISHING
• PAGE | PERSON | PLAN

To innovate, according to Webster’s dictionary, is “to introduce something new” and comes from the Latin word novus or “new.”

In the hierarchy of challenges facing our world, there is no greater problem than sin and no greater solution than the redeeming work of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come” (ESV). Romans 6:4 promises “new life,” or as the King James Version calls it, “newness of life.” I like that word: Newness!

To innovate, according to Webster’s dictionary, is “to introduce something new” and comes from the Latin word novus or “new.”

God makes all things new. He is the God of innovation.

The Spirit of Innovation

In Isaiah 43:19 the Lord declares, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (ESV). It’s happening. God is doing a new thing! I made a pilgrimage to Asbury College a few weeks ago where thousands have experienced a fresh awakening from the Holy Spirit. God is innovating once again, and when the Spirit moves, he always sparks something new in the human heart.

This work of the Spirit is the first and greatest innovation needed in ministry. We desperately need his transforming power to face the unprecedented challenges of our world.

The work of the Spirit is the first and greatest innovation needed in ministry.

A new culture is emerging in the West, and Christianity has lost its central place in the story. Nothing has shaken the foundations of the Church more than the collapse of Christendom, and today North America is being described as post-Christian or even anti-Christian. These challenges have been magnified with COVID-19, social media, the digital revolution, shifting demographics, and more. The solutions of the past are no longer working the way they once did. Old ministry models aren’t bearing the same fruit. New technologies are reshaping society, and old innovations no longer apply.

The harvest remains ripe, but our harvesting methods must change.

We desperately need the Spirit of innovation to bring new life into our homes, churches, and communities. He is the only one who can bring lasting change and there are often four types of innovation that help amplify the Spirit’s work.

Categories of Innovation

In his book Mapping Innovation, Greg Satell outlines four categories for thinking about innovation.² These can provide a helpful framework for listening to the Spirit and discerning his direction. Determining the type of innovation that is needed often begins by asking two important questions.

1. How well can we define the problem?
2. How well can we define the skills needed to solve it?

The answers to these questions form an innovation matrix that help determine the right type of innovation for whatever problems you are facing in ministry. Let me share a brief summary of these four types.

Sustaining Innovation

When a problem is well-defined and the skills needed to solve it are also well-defined, then we simply need to sustain innovation by getting better at something we are already doing. This requires building on best practices and upgrading existing solutions. Smartphone companies sustain innovation by releasing better versions of the same product.

In ministry, sustaining innovation might mean upgrading your weekend worship services with new technology, improving your facilities, streamlining your children’s check-in process, or a host of other improvements. In this case, the problems you are facing might simply require an upgrade to the current ministry model and process.

Breakthrough Innovation

However, there are times when the problem is well defined, but the skills required to solve it are not. In this case, breakthrough innovation is needed to explore unconventional methods and approaches to ministry. Breakthrough innovation occurs when leaders begin to think outside of the box and within the paradigm of an adjacent domain. 

The iPhone was a breakthrough innovation that solved the problems of access and portability by combining a computer, digital camera, and mobile technology into one device with a touchscreen interface. New skills and consulting new domains will be required to solve the problem of a growing number of people who will never step foot inside a brick-and-mortar church. This is only one of many emerging problems that will require breakthrough innovation.

Breakthrough innovation occurs when leaders begin to think outside of the box and within the paradigm of an adjacent domain. 

Disruptive Innovation

There are other times when the skills are well-defined, but the problems are not. Disruptive innovation occurs when a new initiative is launched that reveals a problem nobody knew existed. There are times in ministry when we aren’t sure of the problems we are facing and use innovative ideas to then uncover disruption.

In the history of car making, the Model T provides a good example. Designed to provide affordable transportation to lower-income customers, it eventually disrupted the entire automobile industry. Tesla is a modern example attempting to do the same. The Spirit of innovation often disrupts and reveals problems we never knew existed. COVID-19 introduced several new digital technologies that are beginning to reveal problems in ministry we didn’t even know existed.

Research Innovation

Finally, basic research is required when we aren’t sure of the problem, or the innovations required. Pathbreaking innovations never arrive fully formed and typically begin with the discovery of something new. Google invites about 30 top researchers annually to spend a sabbatical year at the company and funds 250 academic projects annually. They are always researching and always learning.

Consider building a diverse portfolio of these five types of innovation for tackling the problems facing your church and community. There is rarely one right answer. In an issue of Outreach magazine, Ed Stetzer once commented on different innovations in church structure by saying, “Remember, God used the megachurch to reach Korea and the house church to reach China.”³  

The Future Church

Researching innovative best practices is part of our role at Leadership Network. We want to help you uncover the solutions to the problems you are facing by providing research and tangible examples of what might be NEXT for the church. From NEXT Ventures to Learning Communities to specific ministry content, we hope to share Spirit-led examples of sustaining, breakthrough, and disruptive innovation.

We are keeping an eye out for what is NEXT for the local church knowing there will always be new problems to solve and new ministries to pioneer. We serve an innovative God who has given us the Spirit of innovation. In Revelation 21:5 we are given a glimpse into heaven. “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things NEW.’” John was then admonished, “Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true” (ESV).

God will one day make all things new. As we move forward in this next season of life and ministry, may God grant us wisdom to know when and how to innovate. Creating a culture of innovation for the future church will be vital.

Notes

1. PeterDrucker, Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practices and Principles (New York: Harper Collins, 1985).

2. Greg Satell, Mapping Innovation (New York: McGraw Hill, 2017).

3. Toni Ridgaway, “Outreach 100: Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches Studied,” ChurchLeaders.com, October 10, 2014, https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/176680-outreach-100-largest-and-fastest-growing-churches-studied.html.

The Gospel Is Jesus

The gospel is Jesus himself—his birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. I express the gospel this way because I get it from the books called the Gospels. It’s an awkward reality of evangelicalism, at least in the English-speaking world, that we assert our belief in the gospel, and we assert our belief in the Gospels, but we don’t functionally believe that the gospel comes from the Gospels. By and large, we get our gospel from Paul. Don’t misunderstand—you can find the whole gospel in Paul, and we can’t live without Paul. But in conservative circles especially, we tend to identify the gospel as certain brilliant Pauline analogies that convey the significance of crucial elements of who Jesus is and what he did (which aren’t even all that Paul has to say on the subject) and then we treat the Gospels (especially Matthew, Mark, and Luke) as supplemental at best.  In 1944, historian Will Durant wrote of the Reformation that “Protestantism was the triumph of Paul over Peter” (by “Peter,” he meant the Catholic Church centered in Rome). Then referring to the evangelicalism of his day, Durant wrote, “Fundamentalism is the triumph of Paul over Christ.”¹

The gospel is Jesus himself—his birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

With respect to conservative Christians’ attachment to Paul, Durant makes a good point, but by glibly associating liberal Protestantism with Christ, he misses the point. I see two broad mistakes that Christians, liberal and conservative, make with the gospel. Many Christians preach the gospel as Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, and downplay the rest, while many others preach it as Jesus’s birth, life, and ascension, and downplay the rest. Lately I’ve seen increasing conflict in churches, especially between older and younger generations, over which parts of the gospel they think Christians should pay attention to. It is essential that we bridge this divide, because without a full gospel, we will never have power for a full mission.

When the Gospel Is Only Easter Weekend

Many Christians define the gospel in terms of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. To them, our chief problem is the sins we’ve committed arising from the sinful nature in us, which deserve God’s judgment and sentence of eternal death. They recognize our helplessness to fundamentally improve our condition, most of all to regain right standing with God.

Because we’re unable to save ourselves from God’s wrath, we need someone to save us by taking our place. The only one who could stand for us is someone who is one of us but is also totally pure, unlike us. So God graciously supplied his son to die in our place as the sacrificial victim to atone for our sin. When God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day, it proved that Jesus didn’t deserve to die, and therefore he is qualified to be our ransom and redemption and the propitiation that puts us totally right with God.

These Christians identify salvation, at least primarily, as a status transfer in God’s sight from guilty to innocent, from estranged to adopted, from unholy to holy. This status transfer qualifies us for a place with God in heaven after we die, and eternal life in a new creation after the last judgment.

Does this gospel sound familiar to your experience? Most of the Christians I know personally hold to this gospel, and I continue to believe it 100 percent, because it is crucial for eternal life.

Still, notice how this expression of the gospel foregrounds Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, but backgrounds the rest of his story. The other stuff functions as supporting material for the main thing. In this version of gospel, we need Jesus’s birth (incarnation) only because a fully divine, fully human person is the only adequate sacrifice. We need Jesus’s life only because it demonstrates his sinlessness. And we need Jesus’s ascension only because it’s how he takes his blood to heaven to atone for our sins as our High Priest. In this telling, Jesus’s birth, life, and ascension matter mainly because they facilitate his substitutionary sacrifice. In effect, the great bulk of the Gospels isn’t significant except as far as it serves what happens at (almost) the end of the story.

Let me be clear: This gospel is not inaccurate, but it is inadequate.

Because everything was made through the preexistent Jesus and holds together in him, Jesus is already before us, present and active, wherever we go on mission. We don’t have to pull people into the presence of God; instead, we have to identify how God is already present in the situation and start there.

When we lose the birth (incarnation) of Jesus, we lose the truth of Immanuel, God with us—that God is already present and at work wherever we find ourselves. Because everything was made through the preexistent Jesus and holds together in him, Jesus is already before us, present and active, wherever we go on mission. We don’t have to pull people into the presence of God; instead, we have to identify how God is already present in the situation and start there.

Jesus acted out the implications of God’s omnipresence for mission when he spoke in parables. Jesus saw the gospel all around him—in seed, in fish, in a bush. The gospel is built into creation, speaking in everyone’s experience of life. Without this conviction, we contort ourselves trying to get people to hear the gospel instead of perceiving how the gospel is already speaking to people—they just haven’t recognized it yet. When we lose the incarnation of the preexistent Son of God, we substitute our relevancy for God’s creativity

When we lose the life of Jesus, we lose the pattern for our own lives and the lives of the people we’re telling about him. Even if we succeed in getting people to accept Jesus, they don’t actually become like Jesus, because we’ve only promised them something they’ll receive tangibly in the distant future, for the most part. In the meantime they may stop doing bad things, and they may even start doing some good things—praying, reading the Bible, and so on—which are very important. But they lack a pattern of what to do and who to be in most of the hours of their week that’s all that different from what anybody else is doing and being.

Jesus’s life story isn’t merely descriptive, and it isn’t prescriptive—it’s definitive.

When we lose Jesus’s life, we lose discipleship. Discipleship is more than behavior control; discipleship is a new kind of life. And if our gospel doesn’t include Jesus’s life, it doesn’t offer the invitation or make the demand for the new life that God extends to us. That’s a life that’s more than behavior modification; it’s a life of abundance.

Jesus’s life story isn’t merely descriptive, and it isn’t prescriptive—it’s definitive.

The life of Jesus that God holds out to us is also a life of power, so when we lose Jesus’s life, we also lose the effectiveness we might have had in whatever we’re doing—but especially in mission. We try to figure out how to do mission our own way. But once we see these principles in the Bible applied in multiple contexts, and we realize they could be applied in our own lives, a whole world of effectiveness in life and in mission opens up for us.

Speaking of power, what happens when we lose the ascension (kingship) of Jesus? We lose the authority of a new order that’s already begun breaking from the future into the present. It shouldn’t be this way! We represent a new system where the true king is back on the throne, where upside-down things are right side up, where wrongs are made right, where diseases are healed. Our gospel is a statement to the world that the way things are is no good, but it’s not always going to be this way. A new day is coming. In fact, everyone is invited to play in the new and better society in anticipation of its fullness while still living in the current one.

But this play isn’t just pretend; the Christian life isn’t a costume party. It’s no dress rehearsal; the mics are hot. When the Son ascended to the Father, he received the gift of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on those who believe. We are clothed with power from on high, not for our pleasure, but for a purpose—to back up our talk with something tangible, “for the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Corinthians 4:20).

When we lose the ascension of Jesus, then, we lose justice and authority. For Euro-American Christians, social reform and signs-and-wonders spirituality fall into totally different categories (and a lot of Christians don’t want anything to do with either one!). Euro-American believers need to accept how far outside the norm we are. Almost anywhere you go in the global South and East where the gospel of Jesus is exploding, you find Christians at the center of social transformation movements and ending poverty for millions, and in the same places you find miracles like the book of Acts. The reason is simple: Christians there really believe that the king is coming and that it’s their job to prepare the way. And their world and people’s lives really change.

We are clothed with power from on high, not for our pleasure, but for a purpose—to back up our talk with something tangible, “for the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Corinthians 4:20).

When we lose these aspects of the gospel by hiding them behind Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, we proclaim a truncated gospel that leads to transaction, not transformation. It becomes natural for us to make decisions, not disciples. We confuse relevancy for creativity. We recruit volunteers for our calendar instead of sending missionaries into theirs. And we become peddlers instead of priests.

A Gospel Without the Cross

We’ve seen what we lose when our gospel prioritizes Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, and relegates the rest to supporting material. This is not the only gospel error, however, because the other common problem is to reverse it—to foreground Jesus’s birth, life, and ascension, and forget the rest.

As a complete inversion of the atonement-centered gospel I outlined earlier, these versions of the gospel make Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection supporting material for the stories they really want to tell. In the progressive gospel, Jesus’s death and burial demonstrates the extreme length he would go to show us God’s compassionate love, though it doesn’t actually affect our status with him. His death and burial also underscore the wickedness of evil social systems, and they prove that God is on the side of the oppressed, not the oppressors who falsely claim a divine right to rule. Meanwhile, the awkward story of Jesus’s resurrection—whether or not it literally occurred—comforts us that hope springs eternal and that God’s love is always with us, even beyond the grave.

When we lose the death of Jesus, we lose two crucial attributes of true and lasting change. The first is redemption. Everyone wants things to change, whether the whole world or their personal life, but who is willing to suffer for it? I’m not asking who is willing to experience suffering on the way to the golden age. I mean, who is willing to suffer for it—who is willing that their own suffering would bring it into existence?

Today, however, I see many Christians with no tolerance for suffering, and that’s bad news for anything changing. Change means that something dies in each one of us. If you want abundance in your personal life, nine times out of ten you’re going to have to die to attachments that are keeping the abundance out. Otherwise you’ll flush away all the abundance God is trying to give you. And if you want a just peace on earth, at some point you’re going to have to die to your grievance at those who stand in the way—you’re going to have to die the death of forgiveness. Otherwise the beloved community can never come.

Jesus’s death is the model of a kind of transformation that’s far deeper than most people are willing to go. Jesus demonstrated that losing can win far greater victories than fighting ever could. There is no lasting change without redemptive suffering, tasting death, especially an undeserved death at the hands of your enemies, for the sake of something good that you may not even see yourself. Redemptive suffering makes a testimony that the world cannot ignore. Hard-hearted people brush off the grievance of an arsonist. They have a harder time dismissing the grievance of someone who kneels before a fire hose and a police dog.

There is no lasting change without redemptive suffering.

Second, when we lose Jesus’s death, we lose our humanity. We gain entirely too much confidence in our wisdom and righteousness. It’s so easy to see problems as coming from everywhere outside ourselves and nowhere inside ourselves. It’s so easy to think that if only the people in power would change or if only my bank account would change (and quite possibly they should) then everything would be better. But Jesus’s death won’t let us get away with that. It forces us to confront the reality that each of us has a dark side so huge that it took the death of the Son of God to cover the guilt of it—nothing less would do. Even if we’re innocent victims of a system, that doesn’t make us good guys by nature. We’re bad guys.

That’s the scandal of the cross, the offense that everyone wants to avoid. But this recognition is absolutely essential for true and lasting change. People who don’t appreciate the depth of the evil they are capable of and presently practicing are sure to vent it on others as soon as they get the opportunity. Merely give an oppressed person power, and they will oppress. Merely give a believer abundance or authority, and they will wreck their life and the lives of everyone around them.

Real change only happens when the people who want change realize how easy it is for them to contribute to the problem they hate without meaning to. Real change doesn’t come until the change-agent is chastened by how little difference there is between themselves and whoever’s standing in the way, that both are sinners in desperate need of the same Savior. Without that awareness, there’s never a revolution, only regime change.

That kind of cautiousness is unpopular, but it’s essential to the gospel, as we see in the burial of Jesus. When we lose Jesus’s burial, we lose acceptance and anticipation. Without Jesus’s burial, we can’t wait for anything. In fact, to many people, waiting is sinful. If you pray to receive healing, and you don’t announce that you have been healed before your body changes, it means you don’t have faith. Or if you don’t demand perfect justice immediately, you’re enabling oppression.

But the gospel of Jesus’s burial is the reminder that we live in the already-but-not-yet. Good Friday has happened; the war is as good as won. But Easter Sunday hasn’t come yet; we’re still on the enemy’s ground. We live in the time between times—we can expect things to be better, but we can’t expect things to be better. Jesus’s burial is the model of accepting where we are in God’s timing while we plead, “How long, O Lord?” awaiting the promised completion. Without acceptance we’re liable to burn everything down in our anger; without anticipation we’re liable to burn ourselves down in despair.

The gospel of Jesus’s burial is the reminder that we live in the already-but-not-yet. Good Friday has happened; the war is as good as won. But Easter Sunday hasn’t come yet; we’re still on the enemy’s ground. We live in the time between times.

That also ties into the resurrection of Jesus. We’re at risk of anger and despair whenever someone makes us a promise, because there’s always the danger of overpromising and underdelivering. That’s the curse of every promise of change, whether of an individual, a community, a nation, or a world. So often either the promised change doesn’t come, or it does come but it’s not as great as it was supposed to be.

Ironically, even though world-changers and life-changers overpromise, they underdream. The most glowing picture of the abundant life or the beloved community is doomed to disappoint because it doesn’t rise above this life, this world. The best we can do here and now is still here and now. It’s still trapped in our limited imaginations. But what does God promise? “‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

When our gospel is truncated this way, foregrounding Jesus’s birth, life, and ascension and hiding the rest, we fuel activism, not redemption; we lead revolt, not revolution. Or else we soothe but don’t satisfy, and we make fans, not followers.

The Whole Gospel Meets Every Need

Not a single leader wants to operate with a truncated gospel. In fact, many who do so are highly critical when they see others doing it. What they fail to see is that the gospel they rely on feeds the problem. One Christian unintentionally plays up one half of the gospel, so in reaction some alienated believer plays up the other half. Then the first one reacts by preaching against the other half, and back and forth it goes. We end up with two preachers preaching against each other because they’re each preaching for half of the truth. Like a tug of war, the harder one preacher pulls, the harder the other one pulls to counterbalance. Neither preacher is going anywhere. They’re both powerless, and Satan laughs. It may serve his purposes better when we preach dismembered gospels than when we preach no gospel at all—it inoculates people to the real thing and secures them in their unbelief.

When we firmly hold what the whole gospel is, it gives us the freedom to explore what the gospel means in our place and day. The gospel is the too-good-to-be-true news in any circumstance. That’s why the Bible explodes with different metaphors for it. When Jesus is dealing with the sick and disabled, of course the gospel means healing. When Paul is navigating his way through courtrooms as a Roman citizen, of course the gospel means justification.

But in all times, places, and circumstances, to all kinds of people, the gospel is that:

• Jesus was born, so God is present and working wherever we go
• Jesus lived, so we can learn to live the best kind of life
• Jesus died, so we are redeemed and redeemers
• Jesus was buried, so we wait with patient hope
• Jesus rose, so we expect more than we can imagine
• Jesus ascended, so we bring the glorious future into the present

Notes

1. Will Durant, Caesar and Christ: A History of Roman Civilization and of Christianity from Their Beginnings to A.D. 325, The Story of Civilization, vol. 3 (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1944), 592.

This article is a modified excerpt from Dave Rhodes’ forthcoming book Forging Future Church (written with Cory Hartman).

Guests:
John Hazel, Metaverse Pastor
Stuart McPherson, VR Campus Pastor at Lakeland Community Church
VR Tiger, Metaverse Church Planter

Host: Jeff Reed, Director of Metaverse Church NEXT

I’m not saying this was a holy desire, or a good desire, There may have been nothing noble in it whatsoever… But after my article below was published in Outreach magazine, a close friend connected my rather dystopian desire to my opening illustration about the future of the church: Chernobyl.

Somehow, I hadn’t made the connection! I had been focused on the beauty of what the story of Chernobyl’s recovery tells… that beauty absolutely can come from ashes. That new, vibrant life can emerge from places seeming dead. That there’s something very unique about the nature of plant life (think vines and branches and mustard seeds and fig trees) that allows regeneration to sidestep even the destruction of nuclear disaster.

Even when something has burned to the ground.

Beauty absolutely can come from ashes.

Perhaps… Just perhaps… the unique nature of the body of Christ, alive and well amidst even the current economic and emotional and spiritual rubble, is what we get to think about together this year.

Please join me on this journey! Wherever you are, right now, please pause and pray. Ask that God might breathe new life into leaders everywhere through this work. May we rise again,

We have a lot to think about in the now, the next, and then never again.

Let’s discover together what God is doing for Healthy Leaders NEXT.

Godspeed,
Mindy Caliguire
Boulder, Colorado

On Saturday, April 26, 1986, a nuclear catastrophe at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant caused upwards of 350,000 people to be evacuated from Pripyat, Ukraine, and surrounding areas. The disaster in reactor No. 4 was so devastating that a 1,000-square-mile exclusion zone eventually had to be created around the area.

But then a curious thing happened. Within three years, the remains of Pripyat began to show signs of life. Nature was coming into its own. Now, 35 years later, the once-bustling city is an overgrown, thriving forest of plant and animal life.

As a natural resources graduate, this topic interests me greatly. An article posted on BBC.com titled “How Plants Reclaimed Chernobyl’s Poisoned Land” reports that the unique genetic traits of the local plants have enabled the resilient and now-teeming life to take hold. Anyone who is a gardener knows how plants want to grow, expand, and flourish. Have you ever tried to get rid of mint? Or a tree? Have you seen the results of a brutal pruning?

The metaphors of the vine, the mustard seed, and the fields ripe for harvest all remind us that, no matter what appearances might be, the kingdom of God is very much alive.

As a participant, volunteer leader, and guide to other leaders in the church in the wake of the onset and enduring implications of COVID-19, the story of the new Pripyat encourages me even more. The metaphors of the vine, the mustard seed, and the fields ripe for harvest all remind us that, no matter what appearances might be, the kingdom of God is very much alive. Always.

When Hope Is Thin

While this recent season has certainly been challenging, the greatest blow to my sense of hope came in the early 1990s when my husband Jeff and I threw ourselves fully into planting a new church in Boston.

We formed our own 501(c)3, raised the funds, began casting vision, aligned with others who shared this desire—and proceeded to fall headlong into a series of failures and disappointments. Many great things happened through that effort, to be sure. But the difficulties I encountered exposed my self-reliance, my mixed motives, my unhealthy relationship patterns, and much more.

At that time, hope was thin. One help for me came from an unlikely source: The Secret Garden, the Broadway musical based on the children’s classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett. When the characters uncover the abandoned garden, the gardener Dickon Sowerby sings about the quality of living things. This song, “Wick,” regularly opened up my tear ducts because it reminded me of hope for life in the unseen realm, the invisible place where life could go on, even when surrounded by seeming death.

I think back on that time as a severe mercy because everything I have cared about, learned, or become after emerging from that experience shaped my resolve and my point of view, giving me great hope for living and leading from a healthy soul. This has become more important as we are now seeing the aftereffects of a crisis when hope is very thin.

We don’t know who our church members actually are right now. We don’t know how many people have left, and we don’t know whether they’ve left the faith or just left our church for another that better aligns with their political views. We don’t know whether the economics will work out or if our organizations are financially viable. Many leaders I talk to are beyond weary, beyond another pivot, beyond another family leaving, beyond another young leader leaving the faith. We ourselves could well be described as being harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

We wonder, Where is that Good Shepherd who is supposed to lead us and protect us? 

I have absolute optimism for the body of Christ and for every leader serving in this moment. To get there, though, we need to wade through the Now, the Next and the Never Again.

The Now

The Now is about asking, “What’s the church’s reality today?” It’s no secret; the statistics are all around us.

• Barna reports that most Christians in the US do not know what the Great Commission is.
• Also from Barna, 50% of churchgoers do not look to their churches for insight on vocation.
• Deconstruction of faith among the sub-30 age segment seems rampant.
• Several heroes of our faith journey have been exposed for severe abuses of power.
• Many pastors and staff are unsure whether they want to continue in vocational ministry.
• Numerous protestant churches have experienced severe financial shortfalls in the wake of the pandemic, and many are facing closure.

In addition, podcasts, emails, blog posts, books, conferences, webinars, social media, and even political text messages are constantly vying for our attention. They broadcast tips and tricks, changes and pivots, and failure- and shame-filled messages. The net effect on pastors of this barrage is raising our collective cortisol levels, inviting doomscrolling—scrolling through negative news and depressing stories late into the night—leaving us feeling like failures, exhausted and hopeless.

Most leaders I’ve worked with over the last few months identify with a general lack of emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual margin.

Maybe you can relate. Most leaders I’ve worked with over the last few months identify with a general lack of emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual margin. One leader from Florida observed, “In the past, pastors have been purveyors of certainty. Right now, that is impossible. Maybe it never should have been that way.”

Personally, this past year caused me to face patterns of self-sabotage that had crept like a vile weed into my daily habits. I had to face unhelpful ways of relating to others. I’ve enlisted the help of more than a few experts to restore health and life to my Now. By God’s grace, I’m making progress. My Now is leaner, stronger, more relationally vulnerable, and more engaged.

At church, we share much of the uncertainty that exists everywhere, but we have also witnessed a refreshed commitment to prayer. We have seen young, diverse leaders recognized and elevated.

On many levels, in many ways, I believe facing the reality of The Now offers a clue to The Next.

The Next

We all seek answers to the big questions: What’s coming? How can we prepare? What will be our challenges in the future? What are the opportunities in the future? What should be our strategies? What resources should we secure now for later?

And the deeper questions: Will I be OK? Will I ever feel energy again? Will I ever love ministry again? Will my church make it? Will my family survive the conflict we’ve endured? Will I have to find another job?

I want to suggest that everything related to The Next hinges on one central point: the well-being of your soul. Does that sound too simplistic? Do you roll your eyes and wish for something more practical? Or could this be exactly the invitation God has been whispering to you for weeks, months, maybe even years?

I believe God’s persistent invitation hovers over each of us. It’s as near as your breath. As strong as steel. It doesn’t require an advanced degree in spiritual formation. It won’t take you five years or five months or five hours of solitude to find. Access to soul health is immediate.

God’s persistent invitation hovers over each of us; access to soul health is immediate.

The defining feature of faith-filled and fruitful communities in the future will not be the size of the church, the role of the building, the level of digital sophistication, the mode of governance, or the affiliation with networks or denominations. The defining feature will be life; the quality of life available in the kingdom of God.

We can participate in that life right here and right now. And that will primarily, more than anything else, determine The Next.

Consider this list of characteristics of people who lead from a healthy soul:

• They are peace-filled in crises and in calm times. And during crises, they do not revert to authoritarian or avoidance behaviors.
• They know intimately what it means to be part of or to create community.
• They do not depend on themselves for the vision of the organization.
• They can give power away without feeling a loss of self.
• They are connected intimately to God.
• They do not project their pain or addiction onto others.
• They do not burn out or succumb to stress.
• They practice integrity, reflection, and collaboration.
• They have a strong sense of humor and creativity.
• They are courageous.
• Above all, they are life-giving.

(List borrowed from Janet Hagberg in Real Power: Stages of Personal Power in Organizations.)

A healthy soul makes these scenarios possible, even inevitable. The nature of this style of healthy leadership requires that a healthy soul must come first. It must be the priority.

The Never Again

COVID-19 exposed many things. It exposed that “church” had become largely connected to the event where we gather. That the call to being a pastor had primarily become a call to one-way communication. That we struggle to imagine a way of being and serving into the shared life of the people of God in a place other than the one-to-many large-group gatherings. That for long-term, faithful, devoted attendees of church, the experience of coming into church on a Sunday morning, grabbing a coffee, sitting down for an hour or so and then leaving wasn’t all that different than going into their kitchen, grabbing a coffee, sitting down for an hour or so and then walking away. The ones who most felt the difference were those standing up front, not those in the pews.

Many churchgoers reported that their spiritual life was not significantly different as a result of the church not being able to gather. In fact, some said it had improved as they learned afresh to rest. Ouch.

What do we do with this? How might this shape our shared future?

I do not offer a particular mode. Rather, I invite you to a fresh posture and position. Take the position of a deeply loved child. The position of one held, as it were, in the mighty hand of God. The position of one whose ultimate well-being is firmly anchored in God. When human imaginations tend to run toward securing our well-being, God’s invitation whispers over our frantic efforts, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness [lacking anxiety] and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it” (Isaiah 30:15).

The leaders in Isaiah’s day sought their national and spiritual security through all the conventional means of securing power to self-protect and determine outcomes: powerful alliances, well-equipped armies, strategies for protection and escape. If we’re honest, many of us have done the same. But God’s invitation rings down through the centuries: Come to me. Remain in me. Learn from me. Rest in me. Let your work come from overflow.

There is no gimmick. No killer strategy. Just the timely and timeless invitation to pray, to partner with God (on God’s terms, not ours), to take obedient risks with energy and intensity while letting go of outcomes.

The church of the future will be led by those who are marked by kingdom life. By the Fruit of the Spirit. By a lightness of being. By joy. By hope. By a posture toward relationship. By a servant spirit. By an unhurried, unanxious confidence and peace. By creativity. By openness. By humility.

There is no gimmick. No killer strategy. Just the timely and timeless invitation to pray, to partner with God (on God’s terms, not ours), to take obedient risks with energy and intensity while letting go of outcomes. May it be true that, 20 years from now, we see there was a distinct shift in what is expected and experienced in the life of those who are called by God to lead, that they flourish in all dimensions, public and private.

As we look to the future, I believe just as life returned to Pripyat so it will return to the church. The life-sustaining resources available to us in the kingdom of God are certainly abundant enough in supply. Though we have lost many lives through COVID-19, we remain. We wake another day; we engage in the world around us; our burdens have not been fatal. It follows then that life will flourish.

Adapted from “The Now, The Next, and The Never Again” by Mindy Caliguire, Outreach Magazine, November 5, 2021.

It’s time to mature our view of digital, and how it can help your church beyond the weekend.

In Hebrews 5:12, we see Paul challenge the physical church—specifically the Jewish church: “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” Personally, I think many of our churches digitally (and probably physically) need to heed these words. Many of our churches have not given an opportunity for people to move to solid food digitally. It’s just listening or watching sermons online… we’ll take their money digitally, but we won’t actually disciple people in that format.

As a result of COVID many of us were thrust into digital for the first time and focused on the online service, and that’s nice. But it’s time to mature our view of digital, and how it can help your church beyond the weekend.

What would that look like?

Scripture’s Take on Digital Church

To start off, let’s look at scripture’s take of digital. We’re reminded in Acts 2:46-47 that the early church was devoted to fellowship. “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” It’s very easy to acknowledge that this happens in physical space, but pause before you get to “digital is antithetical.” As we look deeper at these communities that exist holistically on digital, we find sincere people engaging in relationships daily. And for the people who are native in these digital communities, the relationships are just as real and authentic as physical relationships. Community may look different digitally than physically, but that does not invalidate the digital community for those engaged.

We’re also reminded in Hebrews 10:24-25, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…” (TLB). This scripture clearly points out the importance of gathering together to motivate one another, but what does that look like through the digital church? How are we encouraged? What do we do? This is the challenge of church online and broadcasting sermons.  A sermon online (and a sermon physically, at some level) is content. Is that sermon motivating us to acts of love and good works? Is it really motivating us to do anything outside of the church building?

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” —Hebrews 10:24

If our churches are only pushing that sermon out digitally, we are guilty of creating consumers online. This is actually anti-biblical, going against James 1:22 (my paraphrase): “Don’t just be hearers of the word [online] and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says [physically].” We should move past the consumerism mindset, and help achieve your church’s purpose digitally. This is a great idea physically as well. I’m sure churches like yours have a healthy, intentional strategy to move people beyond just consuming the sermon in physical space! So let me ask: How is that going digitally?

The fact is, most churches don’t have a discipleship strategy digitally. The challenge is that digital space operates so differently compared to physical. But those differences are strengths. Realize that if physical church and digital church operated identically, they would be in competition to reach the same types of people. The differences actually give your church the opportunity to reach different types of people. We need to work within these differences in order to complete the Great Commission.

It’s easy to see that even though digital churches may not be the same as physical church gatherings, there are still plenty of ways for churches to reach, engage, disciple, and release their members digitally.

Aim at Smaller Targets to Reach More Digitally

FACTS: There are more active Facebook users than there are people in China and India combined. There are 3.2 billion “gamers” in the world, more than people who live in North America, South America, Europe, and Australia combined. There are 70.8 million virtual reality users in America. These are massive numbers of people. We will never be able to reach all of Facebook, or all of virtual reality. But if we focus more on a physical location, or an affinity, or a demographic, that tighter focus actually works to our advantage.

If the Church really wants to reach people in these spaces, it’s time to recognize a more nuanced approach to ministry. Instead of trying to reach everyone, it’s better to be more focused on your aim. Yes, I’m speaking of targeted audiences and personas. If you try to reach everyone digitally, you may reach some. But if you intentionally focus on reaching fewer, God does something amazing and you’ll find yourself reaching more. This is why, in today’s culture, multiplication is so important.

Smaller targets are less efficient—code for “more relational”—which is a win.

3 Ideas to Move Your Church Towards Digital Solid Food

What could moving away from a consumeristic mindset look like for your church, digitally? Let’s take a minute and begin to stretch our ideas of church, digitally. Here are three strategies that have absolutely nothing to do with the sermon or the weekend service.

1. Communication vs Community. Instead of looking at social media as a communications tool, what if we looked at it as a community? Today, physical churches use social media as a bulletin board to talk about events, the sermon series, weekend services, etc. But what if we saw social media as a community to engage/dialogue in? What if the Church really employed the idea that it’s better digitally to ask questions than to make statements? What if we built relationships first digitally and then, through those relationships, pointed to Christ? What if instead of starting its own Facebook community, digital pastors and volunteers decided to join dozens or even hundreds of Facebook groups within, or even outside of, your church’s physical reach? What if we viewed planting a campus/church in a digital community the same way we viewed planting a campus/church in a physical community?
2. Digital Media to Reach People. With digital technology, churches can now easily reach a global audience through digital ads, social media, and other digital platforms. He Gets Us, and their multiple Super Bowl ads, is a great example of this. Spiritual explorers (people with spiritual questions) are getting connected to churches across the United States through ad campaigns like He Gets Us. Typically, these explorers have no connection with a previous church. For more information on He Gets Us, by the way, check out http://thechurch.digital/hegetsus.
   
3. Empowering Digital Missionaries. Building on the nuanced approach of discipleship, what would it look like if your church trained people to relationally share the gospel digitally? Let’s move beyond the Bible verse graphic or praying hands emoji. How about a digital prayer walk? What if we invited the Holy Spirit into our digital lives and we looked for God to move through both our existing and new relationships digitally? (Dr. John Harris and I wrote a book on this, Sharing Jesus Online, which is a free download from Exponential. In a later blog we’ll even explore the idea of a digital mission trip, and how we can release people to be on mission digitally, and even in the metaverse.

The idea of digital missionaries is not an efficient idea. Broadcasting sermons online is far more efficient than training people to have disciple-making conversations. But let’s not confuse efficient with effective.

Time for Your Church to Grow Up Digitally

Digital technology offers churches a unique opportunity to raise the standard on “church online,” making it more than just broadcasting the weekend service or sermon. By leveraging digital technology to its fullest potential, churches can create digital strategies that will draw people closer together and bring them into a deeper relationship with God. Through digital forms of discipleship, mission trips, and communities, churches can raise up members to send out on mission as digital disciplemakers.

I’m so glad my family and friends persuaded me to go into that wilderness. It was in the silence, in the desolate place, where my friendship with Holy Spirit deepened, conviction stirred, and my appetite was permanently catalyzed to be hidden by God, over and over again: once a year in those woods, but routinely in my vocational ministry as well. Nearly 18 months later, I am more confident and convinced than ever that if we, as called leaders, do not intentionally choose to step back, we might be following a Jesus different from the one we find in the pages of the Bible.

Jesus’ Example

Have you ever considered the genesis of Jesus’ public ministry? He gets baptized in the Jordan River. His identity is publicly released as everyone around hears affirming words from the Father (Luke 3:21-23). Holy Spirit descends, fills, and leads. And then, prior to stepping forward into the calling he’s been anointed for since before the earth had her frame, he takes a step back into the wilderness/desert/desolate place (Luke 4:1).

Prior to stepping forward into the calling he’s been anointed for since before the earth had her frame, Jesus takes a step back into the wilderness/desert/desolate place.

Dr. Alicia Britt Chole talks about this time extensively in her profound book, Anonymous: Jesus’ Hidden Years…and Yours. As she puts this 40-day desert experience under a microscope, she observes the strength of our Savior as he rejects the lures of appetite, applause, and authority, and instead accepts an unshakable identity, deeper trust in God’s timing, a disciplined imagination, an eternal perspective, and submission-based authority. What a start to vocational ministry! Selfishly, as I disciple under Jesus, I wish this was Jesus’ only desert experience. Alternatively, we find that he slipped away to desolate places as a regular part of his spiritual rhythms; The same word for the “wilderness/desert”  (Strong’s G2048 ἐρήμοις/ἔρημος, “erēmos”) where Jesus was tempted in Luke 4:1, is the same word used to describe:

• the “wilderness” where Jesus often would slip away to pray (Luke 5:16 and Mark 1:45);
• the “desolate place” where Jesus recovered from deliverance ministry before continuing to preach in different towns (Luke 4:42 and Mark 1:35);
• the “quiet place” he instructs the disciples to go to after hard ministry work (Mark 6:30-32); and
• the “remote area” that Jesus withdrew to so he can grieve the death of his cousin John (Matthew 14:13).

The desert was not a foe of Jesus; rather, it was friendly to his soul, and it has the power to become our friend too. Perhaps one of the greatest ways we can model following Jesus to the next generation is to pursue hiddenness as Jesus did. Typically, when we utter the greatest sequential words, “I want to follow Jesus,” it is associated with only the super fruitful/productive parts of Jesus’ ministry. Yet 90% of Jesus’ earthly life was almost in total obscurity (ages 0-30). Even when the Father moved his precious Son, whom he had intentionally concealed, into the public eye, the Word tells us that Jesus would often slip away to the wilderness to commune with the Father (Luke 5:16). What would it look like for us to often slip away?

Jesus would often slip away to the wilderness to commune with the Father (Luke 5:16). What would it look like for us to often slip away?

Our Opportunity

I believe there is an opportunity before us, as next gen leaders, to reframe what deliberate, healthy stepping back looks like in ministry. At the moment, when Gen Z hears about a ministry leader “taking a step back,” it doesn’t carry pleasant connotations. In February, I asked my students at Journey Ministry College, who feel called to lead in various ministries, “When you think about a ministry leader ‘taking a step back,’ what is the first thing that comes to mind?” The results were telling:

• 54% thought, “They had a moral failure / placed on probation or fired.”
• 31% thought, “They’re burnt out or lost passion.”

Only one student’s initial thought was, “Refocusing on the Lord and letting others lead.” One. The opening before us should beckon us to flip the script for these next generations. What would it look like for 85% of the next generation of leaders to have positive initial thoughts about ministry leaders stepping back? What if this was modeled so brilliantly that it was ingrained as a normal spiritual discipline in the lives of next gen ministry leaders?

A shift like that is going to take a move of God, Christian leaders continually seeking deeper friendship with Holy Spirit, and preplanned seasons of taking a step back—but not to cut people off, leave ministries, or forfeit responsibilities. We want to have planned periods of stepping back to reorient around Jesus so we can expand our relationship with him and others, build into the ministry God has called us to steward better than we ever have, and empower (not delegate) others for public-facing responsibilities, all while embracing the tasks assigned to us that only God, and maybe our boss, might see.

Ideas for Stepping Back Regularly

How do we do this? While I’m only 18 months into thoughtfully seeking periods of hiddenness, I can lend you some practices that have helped me, to kickstart and customize as you see fit.

• DAILY: Turn your phone off for one hour a day. Take some time to get quiet, meditate on scripture, pray while washing dishes, or just sit in silence as you invite Holy Spirit to speak.
• WEEKLY: Take a sabbath one day a week. (If you haven’t yet read John Mark Comer’s bestseller, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, I recommend it—make a latte and grab a highlighter.)
• MONTHLY: If you preach from your platform every week, empower someone else to do it once a month.
• ANNUALLY: Do a silent prayer retreat weekend once a year. See if your denomination/network offers these locally. If not, reach out to someone whose denomination/network does and ask if you can join!
• SEASONALLY: Coordinate with your boss, collaborative co-workers, employees, and (if applicable) spouse/family for taking a time seasonally to be more hidden. It would have been irresponsible and immature of me to step back in my job if I didn’t communicate beforehand. As I unloaded some of my public-facing ministries, I took on some other responsibilities that would allow the anointing God planted in my heart to develop in the background, before I was able to reemerge at God’s appointed time (which was also agreed upon by my overseers). Most recently, this period of stepping back was strategically planned to be between a busy fall (our college beginning a new school year, family birthdays, international mission trips, and having the joy of being on platform multiple times at my church) and this late winter/early spring period (increased outside speaking engagements, conferences, prospective student visit days, and commencement). Taking a step back has allowed others to grow in their leadership and ownership, while my leadership capacity has been expanded and fortified.

My prayer for you, called and anointed next gen leader—my prayer for us—is to be strengthened by what strengthened Jesus. I pray that you’ll no longer fear nor neglect the desert that you sense the Spirit is leading you into. I pray that, like Jesus, your relationship with the Father will deepen to the point that you may honestly say you can do nothing on your own initiative, but only what you see the Father doing (see John 5:19). We will be better because of it, and the following generations will be too.

The virtual reality social space scene just got quieter: Microsoft, owner of the popular virtual world platform AltspaceVR, decided to shut it down. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, though, because Microsoft is primarily a work productivity company and not one that specializes in virtual social spaces. Unfortunately, most churches operating in virtual reality were operating in Altspace… so there will be a lot of churches without (virtual) church buildings when Microsoft officially sunsets the software on March 10, 2023.

It’s worth noting, however, that this event is not society’s indictment of virtual reality; adoption rates are increasing, and technology companies continue to delve into new opportunities. In 2023, it is immensely hard for tech companies to do everything. Some will succeed at doing so, but most will fail. (Although Microsoft is cutting off its virtual reality social world, I’m sure you’ll see AltspaceVR technology baked into a future version of Microsoft Teams!)

You Find a New (Virtual Reality) Home!

In the months since the official announcement, I have to tell you I am proud of the churches in virtual reality. Truthfully, the majority of these homeless churches stepped up to the challenge. Rather than walking away from virtual reality ministry, they worked to find a new home, and many are taking this opportunity to plant not one but multiple campuses, not just one.

But where are these churches in virtual reality going? What worlds are currently out there? Take a look at some of the viable options.

Rec Room

Recroom boasts a bright, youthful aesthetic and features a variety of games and activities. Everything from virtual paintball to archery competitions can be played here with friends or strangers alike. Some churches have been successful doing virtual church services too!

VRchat

Then there’s VRchat—an awe-inspiringly immersive virtual world with endless possibilities. Here you can crawl into the skin of a custom avatar and explore virtual landscapes ranging from futuristic cities to lush forests. This social space is also known for its vibrant virtual concerts and parties. Because the culture of VRchat is to talk to people, this is a great opportunity to be missional!

Meta Horizons Worlds

The team at Meta Horizons Worlds have created something truly special. Their virtual reality social spaces are designed to be fully customizable and feature interactive features such as avatars, props, and environments that users can use to create their own virtual worlds. With Facebook integration coming, this could be the big winner!

Bigscreen

Bigscreen offers an exciting twist on the virtual reality social space experience. You can join virtual movie theaters and watch films or TV shows on big virtual screens. It’s a great way to socialize with friends without having to leave the comfort of your virtual home. If your church has strong video production, this is a great opportunity.

Spatial

A relative newbie in this space, Spatial is connecting with creatives and artists, a really interesting demographic for churches to connect with. While this platform was not well known to churches in 2022, many are heading to Spatial now that AltspaceVR is transitioning.

What About Apple?

There’s been no indication that Apple will be entering the virtual reality social space arena, but one can only hope. The possibilities are endless—from virtual classrooms for online learning to virtual concerts and parties. An Apple-branded virtual world could be a huge success, buy only time will tell whether the company is up for the challenge! As of writing this article, Apple seems to be launching their virtual reality/mixed reality headset at their WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) in Summer 2023, so you should expect to hear some noise from them (and from users of Apple Developer kits) later this year.

So, virtual reality church fans—don’t worry! There’s still a lot of fun and excitement to be had in virtual worlds. Whether you’re looking for a virtual church service or an immersive opportunity to live missionally, there’s something out there for everyone—no Microsoft required!

Guests include:

John Wentz, Executive Director, Alpha USA

Tomy Wilkerson, Director, Tampa Underground

David Docusen, Director, The Neighborliness Center

In 2022, Exponential NEXT convened a Learning Community of leading microchurch practitioners and network leaders. The goal of this community was to catalyze and collate the biblical, missiological, and cultural learnings of the microchurch movement in America in order to help current and future microchurch leaders in the West. The NEXT Microchurch Next team worked with Catapult to help design and facilitate these events, as well as harvest, synthesize, and disseminate the findings.

The Microchurch Learning Community, with representatives from 14 different microchurch networks across the United States, gathered three times to explore the following three questions:

• What is the overarching narrative of the microchurch movement in the West? Where are we now? What is the next chapter?
• What are the current shared barriers/pain points that these microchurch movements are experiencing?
• Where do we see the Spirit birthing solutions to these challenges? How do we apply and scale these solutions?

This State of the Microchurch resource is a collation of our learnings around the first two questions: (1) How did we get here? (2) What are the barriers we are currently facing?

Part 1 illustrates the answer to the first question using a metanarrative map that charts the major forces, events, thought leadership, and movements that shaped the microchurch movement over the last few decades. Part 2 addresses each barrier microchurch network practitioners are currently facing.

In this moment, microchurch networks are concurrently emerging in hundreds of cities. We hope that this report informs and inspires all who are joining Jesus in the resurgence of this form of the church in our time.

DOWNLOAD State of Microchurch: Shared Learning from Some of America’s Most Seasoned Microchurch Practitioners

Created from Exponential NEXT’s Microchurch Learning Community with content by Doug Paul from Catapult

But what if what some are describing as a crisis is really an opportunity in disguise?

I have never been more excited about the changes I see happening across churches in North America than I do today.

What if the decline we feel is really more of a necessary pruning rather than a collapse? And what if the enormous challenges of the pruning process also carries with it the possibility to bear much fruit? I believe that it does. In fact, in all my years of ministry, I have never been more excited about the changes I see happening across churches in North America than I do today. But just because the pruning carries possibility doesn’t mean that we will step into it. In fact, when we are being pruned, all we really know for sure is that we are being cut—at first, it is hard to know whether we are being cut back or cut off. If we assume we are being cut off, we will at best simply lie on the ground; or worse, try to hide the reality by pretending everything is OK.

Naming the problem and facing the brutal facts head-on is so important; otherwise, any possible  solution is really no solution at all.

This article is my attempt to name the problem and offer a pathway toward a solution that every church can begin to walk in the midst of the anger, anxiety, and exhaustion that so many of us are feeling.

The Crisis We Now Face

From working with churches of many different denominations, sizes, regions, and styles over the past 20 years, I have arrived at a firm conclusion.

Specifically, for the first time in our lifetimes, church leaders across every spectrum are facing the same problem, though they express it in different ways—we are not making disciples. This has left most churches in need of necessary pruning. The over-accumulation of programs has left the real fruit of discipleship underdeveloped. Even when leaders’ intentions are pure, churches spend huge amounts of time and energy that don’t produce more and truer followers of Jesus.

When you look under the hood of most churches, we are perfectly set up to make converts who become volunteers that serve rather than to make disciples who become leaders that are sent out on mission. We’ve replaced a true leadership pipeline with a volunteer drainpipe.

Unfortunately, this ministry paradigm has become impotent in the face of huge trends overtaking churches far and wide.

Participation frequency (that is, how often your regular attenders attend) has dropped too much to be ignored or explained away. This slide directly undercuts the metrics of attendance and small group participation, and it severely disrupts the volunteer structure that keeps a church running.

Even when leaders’ intentions are pure, churches spend huge amounts of time and energy that don’t produce more and truer followers of Jesus.

Younger generations are abandoning church participation in record numbers; but worse, growing numbers have never been in a church in their lives. Not only is there a steeply growing number of “nones” (those who claim no religion on social surveys), but many of them are “never have beens.” When these people look for spiritual guidance, going to church never crosses their minds. They are almost immune to conventional church outreach methods, which all involve helping someone walk into a church.

For that matter, more people aren’t walking into anything—movie theaters, stadiums, stores, even work. Entertainment, merchandise, and tools of many trades are accessible on any screen anywhere, so more people have more reason to stay home from everything, including church.

And all this happened before 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated every trend that was already taking a toll on conventional ministry—the equivalent of jumping 10 years ahead in a matter of weeks. It also exposed and intensified clashing beliefs, values, and priorities within churches. When most churches weren’t meeting, it was never easier for an unhappy attender to hit the eject button and go elsewhere or nowhere. And they did—not only over what was already dissatisfying them, but also over leaders’ responses and non-responses to the pandemic, to racism, and to a bitter presidential election.

It’s all enough to drive churches and their leaders to the brink.

When problems like these rock the stability and threaten the longevity of the church we serve —when we don’t know what to do to right the ship or when all the corrections we thought were right are failing us—anxiety, anger, and despair rise to our throats. In the middle of our darkest, sleepless nights, we might even feel like we are losing everything.

Nevertheless, despite our grief, we must not miss the gift and opportunity right in front of us. The Bible shows that it is possible not only to survive but to thrive in a crisis like this, just as prior generations of believers rose to their historic moment. We don’t have to be paralyzed in our distress. Instead, we can seize our moment to invest in God’s intention for the Church in every moment.

The Solution We’ve Always Had

What we need has been right here with us all along. We don’t face our crisis alone—Jesus is with us to help us. We aren’t talking about the “Footprints” poem kind of presence, although that’s important. Rather, we are talking about the fact that Jesus blazed the path before us in his own life—he set the model for us to imitate. Jesus himself faced a mortal crisis that could have sunk his own ministry’s future, but he countered it with a move to keep it going to this day. In short, Jesus doubled down on mission, discipleship, and leadership.

That sentence needs to be unpacked because “mission, discipleship, and leadership” might sound like a tired platitude. You’ve heard it all before, and so have I. But the key word in that phrase isn’t mission or discipleship or leadership—it’s the word and.

If you’re trying to level a three-legged table, you put a bull’s eye level on the tabletop and ad- just the legs until you get the bubble in the center of the circle. To center the bubble, you have to extend the leg that’s too short. But if you only pay attention to that leg, making it longer and longer without keeping the others in mind, you’ll overcompensate and push the tabletop the other way—it still won’t be level.

“Mission, discipleship, and leadership” might sound like a tired platitude. But the key word in that phrase isn’t mission or discipleship or leadership—it’s the word and.

This is what the North American Church has done with the three legs of mission, discipleship, and leadership over the past four decades. It recognizes that something is missing, it raises awareness about the need, it makes the weak element the center of everything and ignores the rest, and it replaces one sort of lopsided church with a church that’s lopsided another way.

Leadership

In the 1980s and 1990s, “leadership” became the hottest word in pastoral ministry. Megachurches were proliferating, and as churches became more complex organizations, pastors strove to rise to the challenge. Thinkers in the business world had just begun replacing the concept of “manager” with “leader,” and pastors of middle-class, suburban churches attended by managers-turned-leaders began adopting the concept as well—Bill Hybels typified the trend, but he wasn’t alone. Leadership Journal, a popular, influential publication for pastors, launched in 1980. After a while, “leader” came to be used interchangeably with “pastor” or “minister” and in some circles replaced it almost entirely.

Mission

Then around the year 2000, an array of thinkers and ministry practitioners challenged the fixation on leadership by emphasizing mission. Of course, leaders had been placing a high premium on having a mission, stating the mission, and being driven by the mission. But the new voices alleged that these mission statements fed the organizations but didn’t flow from the mission of God. They proposed decentralized, organic movements of Jesus-followers dispersing into the world with the gospel. It was the birth of a missional reorientation that changed many minds. But leaders often struggled to stimulate, sustain, and spread such movements on the ground in such a way as to transform ministry far and wide.

Discipleship

Later, in the mid-2010s, another critique arose, this time from the angle of discipleship. These critics were by no means opposed to mission, but most didn’t come from the missional conversation. Some were founders of parachurch ministries built to train believers in Jesus’s way. Others were church leaders who were tired of the lack of discipleship fruit borne by the worship/small groups/volunteer service ministry model. Under their influence—and amid a series of scandals in the subculture that cast severe doubt on evangelicals’ holiness and faith—a rising tide of leaders are now pointing at discipleship as the Church’s greatest need. In fact, we’ve never seen more church leaders with a heart for disciple-making than we do today.

The problem is that each of these movements lifts up something missing without integrating it with the rest. In a local church, it often plays out in the string of pastoral hires. If you look at one church’s history, you may see a couple of leadership-focused pastors followed by a mission-focused pastor and most recently a discipleship-focused pastor. If your church has multiple pastoral staff, you may have all three represented, with today’s biggest influence coming from your most recent personnel addition. And most likely, your heads of leadership development, mission, and discipleship each basically oversee separate ministry departments with different philosophies and priorities.

All Three Are Needed

Each thrust is legitimate, but it usually plays out as an overreaction to the overreaction that preceded it. Leaders gravitate to the one they’re naturally good at, overgeneralize it, and stand on it to critique the one that came before. But leadership, mission, and discipleship don’t work well when they stand alone or with their backs to each other, or when one stands over the others.

Wherever leadership stands over mission and discipleship, leaders establish an empowered elite who measure the mission with solely organizational metrics and deliver the goods and services to everyone else.

Wherever mission stands over leadership and discipleship, leaders send people out without adequate support or training, and they go out and fail—or if they manage to survive with their faith intact, they swear never to go out on mission again.

Wherever discipleship stands over leadership and mission, leaders prepare people for mission, but the preparation never ends and mission never starts, because leaders never get convinced that people have been prepared enough to be entrusted with the mission.

We need leadership, mission, and discipleship—all three. Whenever we don’t have them, we substitute volunteerism for leadership, service for mission, and participation for discipleship. At worst, we make participants who volunteer to serve instead of making disciples who lead on the mission.

Today’s rising emphasis on discipleship is both a welcome opportunity and a dangerous distraction. It could turn out to be a launchpad or a fad. As crucial and badly needed as discipleship and disciplemaking are, pushing hard on them isn’t going to solve the Church’s problems and rescue it from its current crisis by themselves. Long-term, faithful success hangs on whether the Church can integrate mission, discipleship, and leadership development into a coherent whole—a self-reinforcing ecosystem. That’s what Jesus did.

GenZ’s indecisive mindset is both hurtful and helpful. On the one hand, GenZ is the most radical generation I have ever seen. The renewal and refreshment that is so evident in our hearts is inspiring. On the other hand, we have a compassion and understanding for people of all kinds that could only be described as special. Our dream of unity and inclusion sometimes inhibits our desire to evangelize.

That brings us to a key question in this discussion: what is evangelism from a GenZ perspective?

The term “evangelism” has a sort of negative connotation in the minds of GenZers because of mixed emotions. GenZ desires to find a balance between sharing the good news just by living and preaching in the streets with megaphones and holding revival services under tents. We recognize that we have a wide range of people to reach for God and we do not want to do anything that could harm our ability to do so.

This age of technology and social media has both helped and hindered GenZ’s evangelism. Yes, we have an easily accessible and large platform on which to share Jesus. However, cancel culture is a beast that prowls, constantly looking for a new victim to ruin.

GenZ has more obstacles to overcome than any previous generation…

GenZ has more obstacles to overcome than any previous generation because the obstacles of the previous generation continue to linger as new obstacles appear. However, there is a desire like no other to defy norms and combat those obstacles like never before.

We should have confidence in GenZ because God does!

GenZers are rising up and speaking out. We are not okay with sitting back and listening to things we know are wrong. We are headstrong and can use that for the gospel’s advantage.

GenZers are also scared to speak out in fear of being canceled, rejected, or offending someone. We grew up in a “participation award” era that values fairness over reality. This has led to a severe fear of failure.

This mindset promotes a self-centeredness that justifies protecting one’s own reputation over sharing the good news. It’s time to stand firm in Christ and not allow wishy-washiness to overtake our calling to evangelize. We must have boldness and courage from Christ to tell the Truth through the fear of the unknown. God is always with us!

Something I wish GenZ knew is that it is our calling be the Church. Wherever we are, whatever we do, we must be the capital “C” Church on mission for God. This truth has the potential to change evangelism as we know it. What would it look like for GenZ to be the Church? Imagine what could happen!

The role of the Church in the lives of GenZ is vital.

That is a statement that is said quite often but is not always acted upon. Church is what can and should revive evangelism into a thriving blossom. Watering seeds does not only involve the lost but also the people in our own congregations. Making disciples who make disciples is a key part of evangelism because they are those who faithfully share with the lost.

So, from a GenZer to the Church, here are some practical ways you can lead and guide us well in terms of evangelism:

So, from a GenZer to the Church, here are some practical ways you can lead and guide us well in terms of evangelism:

• We need help learning how to know our audience. Something as simple as knowing our audience when we evangelize can change the entire direction of the conversation. We as the Church need to prioritize preparation when it comes to practicing evangelism.
• Teach us how to rely on the Holy Spirit. Evangelism should always begin and end with prayer, but GenZ has a tendency to rely on our own strength to do things. We need a reminder to have complete dependence on God.
• Be careful not to overemphasize international missions and underemphasize local missions.
• Many GenZers use the fact that they do not have a relationship with someone as an excuse to not share the gospel with them. We need training on sharing the gospel with our closest friends and complete strangers.

Things may look dark out there in the world, but the light will always prevail. It brings me comfort knowing that those who choose to step out in faith and speak the Truth may be persecuted on earth but will be rewarded in heaven. God’s will always prevails because his sovereignty is greater than any scheme of man, including cancel culture.

Evangelism is anything but a lost cause and GenZ is a huge part of that.

Don’t count us out – our perspective is not only unique but necessary to effective evangelism. We bring something unique to the table that can help everyone gain a better understanding of our generation and others. This is a call to the generations to work together to build a system for evangelism that utilizes perspectives from all generations to make something beautiful for the Kingdom!

Don’t count us out – our perspective is not only unique but necessary to effective evangelism.

Madison Burnette is a current senior Bible and Theology major at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, TN. She is a Nashville native who aspires to write blogs, Bible studies, devotionals, and curriculum as a form of ministry. Madison is also a Content Team intern with Exponential. Her current favorite Scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. Check her out on her blog.

Leadership Network is announcing Digital Church NEXT!

We had so much fun doing Metaverse Church NEXT in 2022 we just had to bring digital into the foray. We documented the difference between digital and metaverse previously, and I’m sure we’ll revisit the concepts soon, but as we introduce Digital Church NEXT here for Leadership Network, let’s clearly state right up front: the best use for digital in your church is not in broadcasting church services. Instead, digital has become the key to new conversations, communities, and missional opportunities we cannot reach by broadcasting that service. LN’s Digital Church NEXT is grounded in the realization that we must do something different to reach someone different.

With the right approach, churches can leverage digital to reach more people than ever before.

In the digital age, churches have been tasked with a unique challenge—disciplemaking. The importance of disciplemaking and multiplication through digital methods cannot be overstated. With the right approach, churches can leverage digital to reach more people than ever before. But disciplemaking doesn’t end there. Once we’ve trained disciples through digital methods and reached the larger audience, we need to think about what comes next.

If we want to be effective, we must ask ourselves the following two questions.

Question #1: What Do We Do with These Disciples? 

The answer lies in leveraging the power of both physical and digital spaces to equip disciplemakers with the tools they need to lead others in the work of disciplemaking and church planting efforts. Digital platforms provide us with the opportunity to reach more people than ever before. Still, it must be paired with tangible disciplemaking efforts that move beyond the digital space impacting physical space as well. Or, to paraphrase James 1:22, “Do not just be hearers of the word [online] and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says [in the physical world].”

Here are seven reasons digital is so helpful in discipleship:

1. Digital platforms allow churches to quickly and effectively reach large audiences. By leveraging the power of social media and other online platforms, churches can easily share messages about faith and disciplemaking with more people than ever before. (Yes, reach is important missionally, but it’s not the only thing!)
2. Through digital methods, it’s easier for churches to connect with potential followers of Jesus from all over the world, creating global networks of believers who can learn from one another and grow in their faith together.
3. Digital platforms are incredibly useful for equipping volunteers—providing them with easy-to-use tools that make it simpler to lead Bible studies or facilitate small groups remotely or even teach an online discipleship course from the comfort of their homes.
4. Digital platforms can help churches provide mentorship opportunities to their members, allowing them to benefit from one another’s spiritual gifts and experiences in a way that would not be possible without digital tools.
5. By utilizing digital platforms, churches can provide disciplemakers with more dynamic content and resources than ever before, allowing them to craft customized training plans and messages tailored to each individual learner’s needs.
6. Digital platforms also make it easier for churches to join an existing environment that fosters multiplication and church planting efforts, transforming disciplemakers into disciple-multipliers who are prepared to lead others in the work of disciplemaking.
7. Finally, digital platforms are incredibly useful for supporting church members in their daily lives. By providing access to meaningful content and engaging conversations, churches can help their members develop a deeper relationship with God and remain connected during times of physical separation.

Once we’ve trained disciples through digital methods and reached a larger audience than ever, it is important to think about what comes next.

Question #2: What Are Practical Ways to Take Disciple-Making Offline and Help People Take Ownership of Their Faith?

The answer involves helping disciplemakers move from disciplemaking online to disciplemaking in physical spaces. This can be accomplished through intentional disciplemaking efforts such as small group studies, mentorship programs, and other activities that promote community engagement. Further, churches should consider leveraging digital platforms to create connection points between disciplemakers and those they disciple. For example, video chat technology or virtual meeting platforms could provide disciplemakers with the opportunity to connect directly with their disciples more regularly.

Ultimately, disciplemaking is not just about teaching or connecting people online—it is about equipping them for kingdom work within physical communities. Digital disciplemaking provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to reach more people than ever before. Still, it must be paired with tangible disciplemaking efforts that move beyond the digital space. By combining disciplemaking online and offline, churches can create an environment that fosters multiplication and church planting efforts, transforming disciplemakers into disciple-multipliers who are prepared to lead others in disciplemaking.

Ultimately, disciplemaking is not just about teaching or connecting people online—it is about equipping them for kingdom work within physical communities.

As we’re wrapping up, disciplemaking is one of the most important tasks a church can undertake—especially in a digital age. Digital disciplemaking provides us with incredible opportunities to engage people and multiply disciples quickly and easily. However, it’s important to remember that disciplemaking doesn’t end there—we must also leverage physical spaces to ensure our disciples have the necessary support to become multipliers themselves. When done correctly, disciplemaking through digital and physical mediums can produce incredible results—equipping disciplemakers with the tools they need to lead others in disciplemaking and church planting efforts.

This disconnect is only made worse when we see those who are naturally gifted evangelists. It happens so easily for them. Without effort, they build relationships, share Jesus, and see a lot of positive responses. It doesn’t feel fair. Yet, we are all called to a foundational expectation of sharing the Good News with others. This expectation is rooted in our primary responsibility to follow Jesus – and if Jesus was the ultimate proclaimer of Good News, then we too take on that expectation.

An APEST Framework

For many, APEST has served as a helpful framework to experience the fullness of Jesus in their lives and in the Church. Found in Ephesians 4, APEST describes the five different callings each person can potentially have; apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher. Like the evangelist calling, all five find their ultimate expression in the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus was the perfect apostle, the perfect, prophet, the perfect evangelist, the perfect shepherd, and the perfect teacher. 

When we understand which APEST calling is our primary and live it out as we seek to follow Jesus fully, we begin to see that our primary calling is really the key to unlocking evangelism in us all. Rather than thinking we’re excused from evangelism because it’s not our primary calling, we must recognize that our calling is meant to be leveraged to live out all of APEST so that we look more and more like Jesus. The good news, then, is that your primary APEST calling isn’t a barrier to the other four, but an asset that gets you to the other four. If you’re an apostle, prophet, shepherd, or teacher, living into your calling accesses a level of grace, so you come to evangelism as who you are rather than who you think you should be.

Evangelism for the Other Four

Here’s what it could look like for each of the other four callings (A,P,S,T) to be leveraged to get at evangelism:

Apostles – missional / networkers / architects / entrepreneurial – the strength that apostles can leverage for evangelism is their obsession with the new. Reaching out beyond the status quo terms of both people and function, apostles can take their adventurous spirit to the people groups who have yet to hear the Good News of Jesus. Going to new people might lead them across the street, town, or the world. To head towards evangelism, apostles should:

• Ask themselves whom they know by searching the depths of their extensive networks 
• Develop a plan of action to reach new people and places by utilizing their ideas and strategic mindset
• Live amongst the culture of the new people and places to understand what Good News they need to hear
• Launch new businesses and organizations that embed Good News in new places amongst new people

Prophets – listening / praying / justice / righteousness – the strength that prophets can leverage for evangelism is being tuned into the heart of God. Prophets are positioned best to hear from the Lord who needs His Good News and demonstrate it through justice and righteousness. Prophets don’t merely act on their own but are concerned with ensuring they reflect God in everything said and done. To head towards evangelism, prophets should:

• Listen intently to God for what to do and what to say in every evangelistic opportunity
• Go to the poor and marginalized people and be the hands and feet of Jesus
• Maintain sensitivity to spiritual warfare as evangelism takes place
• Remind the entire body of Christ of the urgency and need for evangelism

Shepherds – care / formation / community / healing – the strength that shepherds can leverage for evangelism is catalyzing human flourishing. Brokenness, isolation, and grief are not the original design for humanity, so we cannot flourish until shepherds come along to provide the community, care, and healing we desperately need. Shepherds embody the Good News of Jesus when they undo the worst parts of human existence. To head towards evangelism, shepherds should:

• Create places of belonging for all people to experience the goodness of a God-oriented community
• Meet one-on-one with those who need Jesus, offering care and healing
• Challenge the family of God to welcome in the hurting and lonely
• Ensure that discipleship and formation pathways include the passion of evangelism

Teachers – coach / instruct / wisdom / simplify – the strength that teachers can leverage for evangelism is making the Good News understandable. Teachers can transfer wisdom and knowledge to anyone by making the complex simple and ensuring that it’s understood. They love to ask questions, understand people more deeply, and cultivate resources that can be used in various circumstances to get the best results. To head towards evangelism, teachers should:

• Cultivate a list of resources that express the Good News in various ways
• Develop coaching questions and skills to help people process the Good News for themselves
• Equip the body of Christ in the theological and Scriptural call to evangelism
• Utilize local, community-based teaching opportunities as ways to build relationships (cooking classes, finance classes, etc.)

Evangelism can seem like an impossible task when it’s not our gift, but we don’t get to excuse our way out of it. If we lean into our primary APEST callings and use them for evangelism, we’ll find that God has equipped us with exactly what we need to do all that He’s called us to do.

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Brandon serves as the Lead Pastor of College First Church of God in northwest Ohio. He has been a part of leading Accessible Prophecy, 3D Movements, and 5Q, as well as being a Certified Navigator with Auxano. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Bowling Green State University, and a master’s degree in Divinity from Winebrenner Theological Seminary. Brandon is passionate about the rekindling of discipleship and mission as the foundation of the Church. He and his wife Ellen, along with their children Jackson, Fintan, Penelope, and Ainsley, are dedicated to being a family of God on mission in their community.

Alan Hirsch is the founding director of Forge Mission Training Network. Currently he co-leads Future Travelers, an innovative learning program helping megachurches become missional movements. Known for his innovative approach to mission, Alan is considered to be a thought-leader and key mission strategist for churches across the Western world. His experience includes leading a local church movement among the marginalized, developing training systems for innovative missional leadership, and heading up the mission and revitalization work of his denomination. He and his wife currently live in Los Angeles.

Church planting teams often have a similar problem. They are passionate about their vision but after several months of difficult fundraising, it is not uncommon for the team leader to silently ask, “Will we ever raise the money that we need to get this church started?” Common church planting financial models ask the planting team to raise money up front for the first three years’ budget prior to planting – that amounts to $300,000 – $500,000 on average for a church plant in the U.S.³ How many teams can raise this amount of money? Even more critical, how many more churches could be planted if this limitation was eliminated?

Church leaders are searching for answers to address the financial decline as well as decline in missional effectiveness of their churches/church plants.

Both examples are all too common in the North American church context. Church leaders are searching for answers to address the financial decline as well as decline in missional effectiveness of their churches/church plants. Fortunately, some church planters are leading the way to demonstrate alternate financial models that do not rely solely upon tithes and offerings. To provide some “good thinking” to address the need for alternate financial models for existing churches and church plants, Asbury Theological Seminary and the Leadership Network initiated a research project in 2022. Both financial viability and missional vibrancy are of great concern to describe an alternate ‘operating system’ for the church moving into the future.

Research Project

The goal of the research project was to understand the opportunities and obstacles for alternate financial models of churches. To reach this goal, the following objectives were identified:

1. Understand the main financial issues churches are facing and how these affect the churches’ missional impact.
2. Describe alternate financial models that are presently used effectively.
3. Evaluate the results of these alternate financial models to provide both financial viability and missional vibrancy for churches/church plants.
4. Discover the questions that are still outstanding that need to be addressed with further research.

The research approach was a qualitative study in three phases, using mixed methods as follows:

Phase I. Questionnaire/Interviews: an open-ended questionnaire was emailed to 59 practitioners of alternate financial models for their churches. Some were followed up with phone interviews. Eleven responses were then recorded and the responses were collated for phase II.

Phase II. Focus Group/Innovation lab: 25 practitioners gathered at Asbury Theological Seminar for 24 hours to discuss the initial Phase I results, provide additional insight, and develop questions for further research.

Phase III. Site visits: A team of seminary students and I visited six different sites that are using alternate financial models for their church/church plant. The site visits included tours of the facilities/neighborhoods and interviews with 14 church leaders that are seasoned practitioners.

Major Findings

1. Financial Trends are making it harder to depend upon tithes & offerings alone.
2. Alternate financial models allow the church to have a large missional impact in the community.
3. Alternate Financial Approaches provide surprising benefits to the community.
4. Alternate Financial Approaches also have challenges.
5. Several Alternate financial approaches are being used effectively to include:
   • Monetizing underutilized assets (e.g., renting space),
   • Incubating new businesses (e.g., short term rental, business collaboration),
   • Non-profits form mission arms of the church,
   • Co-vocational leadership opens multiple income streams,
   • Entrepreneurial churches locate church in the marketplace (e.g., coffee shop, café)
   • Decentralized churches do not require large church attendance

Questions for further research

1. 1. Reframing: How do church planters/pastors reframe their mission field and ministry?⁴
   2. Sustainability: Are these approaches financially and missionally sustainable?⁵
   3. Organization: How are churches with alternate financial models best organized (roles, timing, legality, network)?⁶
   4. Practice: What are some best operational practices for churches/church plants to practice alternate financial models?

Conclusion

Several churches in this study have been using alternate financial approaches for several years. Many explained, “Our church would have closed long ago if we did not try these approaches.” The churches have remained both financially viable and also missionally vibrant. All of the church planters consider themselves to have a call to mission in their community. As a result, these churches are having a large impact in the surrounding community. These alternate financial models provide a breath of fresh air to the church planting movement.

^{1 Based on a recent seminar led by Capin-Crouse, an accounting firm that engages many churches.}

^{2 Andy Crouch predicts that every organization (including church) is now in startup mode since the COVID 19 pandemic has created a new ecosystem, similar to a small ‘ice age.’ If churches simply try to get ‘back to normal,’ they will likely not survive since the ecosystem has changed so quickly. See: https://journal.praxislabs.org/leading-beyond-the-blizzard-why-every-organization-is-now-a-startup-b7f32fb278ff. Accessed 03/16/2021.}

^{3 I heard this figure from a presentation made by a representative of Stadia (one of the largest church planting networks in the U.S.) at the Exponential church planting conference in Orlando, FL in March, 2018. Another representative of Stadia recently informed me in April, 2021 that the figure is likely even more now.}

^{4 This discussion summary from this subgroup was submitted by Dee Stokes, Ed.D.}

^{5 The discussion summary from this subgroup was submitted by Ethan Fernhaber.}

^{6 The discussion summary from this subgroup was submitted by Cy Hudson.}

The 21st century gave rise to over 420,000 missionaries, only 12-15 percent of which were from the West.² To better understand this phenomenon, consider the following statistics. In 1910, about two-thirds of the world’s Christians lived in Europe, where the bulk of Christians had been for a millennium.

Today, about one in every four Christians lives in sub-Saharan Africa (24%), and about one-in-eight is found in Asia and the Pacific (13%). The number of Christians around the world has nearly quadrupled in the last 100 years, from about 600 million in 1910 to more than 2 billion in 2010. More than 1.3 billion Christians live in the Global South (61%), compared with about 860 million in the Global North (39%).³

The result is church planting has become a global phenomenon that crosses cultural, linguistic, and geographic boundaries around the world.

The result is church planting has become a global phenomenon that crosses cultural, linguistic, and geographic boundaries around the world.

Research Project

There is a lot we can learn from the global church by looking at what God is doing through church planting. Our research team conducted several small scale research projects between 2021-2022 to examine trends in global church planters. The research approach was a qualitative study in three phases, using mixed methods as follows:

Phase I. Case Studies from a global summit of that gathered more than sixty church planters representing twenty countries to hear case studies, keynote presentations, and first-hand reports of how faithful women and men are being used to start new faith communities. There were presentations from Southeast Asia, East Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, North America, Latin America and the Middle East. Case study presenters include, Kenya; Denmark; Singapore; Brazil; Japan; Fiji; Beirut, Lebanon; and the United States.

Phase II. Questionnaire/Interviews: an open-ended questionnaire was emailed to 2,137 church planters from different countries to gain insight into common themes and trends in global church planting.

Phase II. Focus Group: Conducted focus groups with 26 Church Planting Network and denominational leaders.  Here is a brief overview of the results of the research.

Demographics Location

• 55% from North America
• 45% International (not NA)
  • 17% Africa
  • 12% Asia
  • 6% Europe
  • 2% Latin America
  • 1% Middle East
  • 4% Oceania
  • 4% Other

Major Themes From the Research

1. The church is in a season of major transition.
2. New wineskins of church are emerging.
3. Discipleship is a major issue that needs to be prioritized.
4. The church must become contextually relevant.
5. The church is being called to a season of prayer.
6. People are hungry for community after the pandemic.
7. There is a shift from church planting to church multiplication.
8. There is a rise in micro-churches.

^{1 See Phillip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011). A helpful short introduction to the rise of global Christianity is Lamin Sanneh, Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West. (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003).}

^{2 See Timothy Tennent, Invitation to World Missions: A Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-first Century (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2010) 31.}

^{3 http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/}

Is it when you shovel their sidewalks, drop off a meal when they’re sick, or check in on them when you haven’t seen them in a while? Or maybe it’s inviting them to the football game, winning the lottery, or getting a large tax refund! 

Whatever it might be, each of your neighbors will likely have a different definition of “good news.” Now, if the gospel is supposed to be “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10), then what will it take for them to see it that way? To see the gospel, not just as news…but as good news?

Good news that doesn’t just “promise” contentment, and then leaves you empty and wanting. But good news that actually leads you to a life of contentment—“whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need” (Philippians 4:12). Good news that refreshes the weary, strengthens the burdened, and grants rest to the overworked (Matthew 11:28-30). And good news that brings peace to our divided world (Acts 10:36).

A life of freedom and flexibility

A few years ago, I wrote You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies About Work, Life, and Love as a response to the rapidly growing gig economy (think side hustles not gigabytes) all around us. Everyone I met either had a side hustle or was funding someone else’s side hustle—and no one thought anything of it. 

Over the last several years—and even more so through the pandemic—the gig economy went from something only a few people used to do, to something that is now mainstream and thought of positively. It was quickly becoming the new normal, and no one was questioning what it was doing to our lives, our work, and our relationships. Heck, as a pastor, even I was a part of this trend with all of my side hustles!

As I dug into it, and started investigating how the gig economy was affecting everyday life, I realized that it was promising something that it could never fully deliver on. It was promising a life of freedom and flexibility. Its “good news” was a life of control—where you are in full control of pretty much everything. Where you are God. It was the same sort of lie as in the garden of Eden.

So instead of seeing ourselves as the beloved children of God, we base our identity on what we do, what we’ve done, or what we’re going to accomplish in life (that’s the first lie in my book: you are what you do). Instead of recognizing that we are known deeply by our loving Saviour, Jesus, we strive to be known and be seen by others—which is basically the definition of social media (that’s the lie: you are who you know). And instead of living joyfully in our identity as a new creation in Christ, we seek after experiences to find meaning and joy (that’s the lie: you are what you experience).

But that’s not good news. Only Jesus is good news. And the only way to truly find and experience a life of freedom and flexibility is to go to the one who gave up his freedom and flexibility on the cross, so that we can experience it in Him.

Our evangelistic opportunity

In the sermon on the mount, I love how Jesus has this pattern of talking: “You have heard it was said…” “But I tell you…”

• Matt 5:21-22: “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”
• Matt 5:27-28: “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a  woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
• Matt 5:38-39: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
• Matt 5:43-45: “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
• and on and on…

2000 years later, what if we followed the ancient ways of Jesus and taught and interacted with our culture in the same manner? What if this was how we talked about “good news” to our neighbors? Where we replaced the lies that our culture inundates us with, for the good news that is true of us when we have a relationship with Jesus?

Where we say…

• You heard it was said, “You are what you do,” but I say to you “You are a child of God.” (John 1:12)
• You heard it was said, “You are what you experience,” but I say to you, “You are a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17)
• You heard it was said, “You are who you know,” but I say to you, “You are known by our loving Savior, Jesus” (John 10:27)
• You heard it was said, “You are what you know,” but I say to you, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7a)
• You heard it was said, “You are what you own,” but I say to you, “You are complete in Jesus” (Col 2:9-10)
• You heard it was said, “You are who you raise,” but I say to you, “You are God’s masterpiece” (Eph 2:10)
• And you heard it was said, “You are your past,” but I say to you, “you are free from all condemnation in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1-2).

What if this was how we transitioned the conversations with our neighbors into spiritual ones? From news to good news?

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Daniel Im is the Lead Pastor of Beulah Alliance Church, a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and multi-campus church in Greater Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His latest book is You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love. He is also the author of No Silver Bullets and co-author of Planting Missional Churches. He co-hosts the IMbetween Podcast with Christina, his wife. He has an M.A. in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary, and has served and pastored in church plants and multisite churches ranging from 100 people to 50,000 people in Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Korea, Edmonton, and Nashville. Because of their love for the local church, after pioneering and leading the church multiplication initiative for Lifeway, Daniel and Christina, moved back to Canada with their three children. For more information, visit danielim.com and follow him on social media @danielsangi.

This phrase gives us the perfect way to think about change as well: 

It’s coming. 

It’s already here. 

It’s always coming. 

It’s always here. 

In your ministry context, as in all walks of life, you will inevitably face daily decisions that are either improving or deteriorating your personal relationship with change. 

Change is a river. The river is flowing. It’s a given. But how will we steward it? Our answer to this question is a trajectory-setting factor in our ministries for at least three reasons. 

1. You can’t build your ministry without stewarding change.
2. You can’t steward change without keeping your head clear.
3. Ministry entails change, by definition, because transformation is at the root of our purpose.

If we aren’t careful, we can end up in a street fight—throwing hands wildly at change. Then the question becomes, “Who is stronger?” 

You can be certain of this much: you will not impose your will upon change. You may as well try to master the ocean tide. 

Here’s what you can do. You can learn to steward change skillfully and faithfully. Leaders who do that will have their efforts repaid many times over. 

Maybe you’re not convinced that change stewardship is quite as important as I’ve made it seem. Usually that comes from a few specific internal objections.

1. As a leader, you don’t personally have an appetite for change.
   As much as we would all love avoiding things we don’t enjoy, pushing through our personal ceilings as leaders requires us to face some challenging things head on. Change included. It’s inevitable, so even if we don’t prefer it, we cannot avoid it. 
2. You’re concerned about the disruption represented in the change.
   Have you ever been around a stagnant body of water? Would you drink it? Not if you have any olfactory function at all! Stagnation leads to stink. It’s a fact of life. Stewardship means managing the disruption intrinsic to change so that people can adopt change without being enveloped by chaos. 
3. You know that your key stakeholders simply do not want change.
   This is where you get to flex those leadership chops. As you grow in the art and science of leadership, you will also grow in your ability to bring stakeholders along so that they “get it.” 
4. You worry change will cost too much financially and take up too much valuable time.
   It’s true that change comes at a cost, but the costs of not learning to steward change are exponentially higher than the cost of change itself. Remember, stagnation does not bring desired results. All dynamic, healthy organisms change. 
5. You’re concerned that change may take you away from your core mission and vision.
   With clarity, stewarding change well actually moves you closer to the center of your core mission, values and vision. It helps you achieve what matters most, because every change you make can be the right kind of change–the kind that moves you directly toward your objectives.
6. You aren’t sure change is actually happening as quickly and ubiquitously as I’ve described.
   This is true in some ways. It’s important to manage your own expectations as to what you actually see now vs. what you will eventually feel, even if it is not yet “seen,” per se. Some of the most significant changes to be stewarded will not show up immediately, and will take time to fully mature.
7. You’re afraid your audience doesn’t want change.
   Inspiration, compelling vision, and leadership prowess are keys to internal change that ultimately manifest in meaningful ways for audiences. If you miss these things internally, they will most certainly not have the desired impact with your audience. Listen to them to discern their appetite for change. Don’t assume they have zero appetite for it. 

Instead of being tossed by the waves of change, let’s learn to steward change toward redemptive ends. Here’s how to start. You have to decide what your relationship with change will be. You can either steward and harness change, or you can spend your life being bullied by it. Your choice. 

Click here to learn more about change stewardship from The Resonate Group.

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Kerry Bural is the founder and president of The Resonate Group. Prior to this role, Kerry served as the Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Director of Public Relations for Southeastern Seminary, and the Coordinator of Public Relations and Marketing for Criswell College. Kerry began his career in 1989 as an Assistant Visual Coordinator for Visual Planning and Presentation at Neiman Marcus.

Not all of our jobs or vocations make it easy to make friends. Imagine when your neighbors find out you’re the police chief, local judge, school superintendent, city council member, insurance adjuster, pastor, or [fill in the blank.] Conversations can shut down quickly and the possibility of building a friendship just came to an abrupt stop.

Who are you first?

1. You are first and foremost a son or daughter of God, made in His image to do good works which He planned in advance for you to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

2. You are a citizen of your community. You belong here. You have a job to do. Jesus has called you, sent you, and positioned you. The feelings of resistance and unwelcome might be real, but it cannot be the leading truth.

3. You are capable of being a person of peace where you live. If Jesus, the Prince of Peace, resides in you, then the peace that passes all human understanding can guard your heart from resistance and can exude peace to those around you. (Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 4:7)

Not everyone feels the same way.

• Look for other people of peace. Combine efforts with them to pull off something in your neighborhood or community. Together is better.

• Maybe now is not the time to do something solo. Join in with others at school events and non-profit serving opportunities, not for selfish reasons, but to build connection and let His perfect love cast out fear. (1 John 4:18)

• Let your position or vocation be an open door to a deeper conversation. This is challenging and comes with the job! Try something like this, “We live here because we want to join you in making this community a safe and peaceful place to live.” You just might get a smile and be able to break the stereotypical mold.

Instead of seeing your job or vocation as a roadblock to ministry, see it as an opportunity.

Change is in your hands. Truth is in your hands. Unlearning is in your hands.

Here are a few go-to lines and ideas to use:

• Put a sign in your yard that says you care. As a pastor’s family, we made some that say: I call you my neighbor and Love lives on this street. And we make it our aim to live this out.

• Keep doing random acts of kindness. Do so in the Name of Jesus because He has a way of using them in ways we can’t do on our own and it always goes better this way.

• Say: I’m going to keep showing up because I care.

• Say: We do hard things and this definitely includes loving others who don’t love us back or understand us.

You can keep moving forward when you meet resistance.

Three things to try:

1. Meet with God about it. When they don’t want you to talk to them, talk to God about them for now.

2. Prayer walk around places of influence. You want your police officer family to be welcomed? Go prayer walk places of resistance. You want your pastor’s kids to be accepted at school, go prayer walk around the schools. You want to see change happen at city hall and in the courthouse, but feel defeated and like you’re swimming upstream? Prayer walk around these places of influence.

3. Look for signs. “God, give me eyes to see and ears to hear.” Then in boldness and humility, do something with what you see and hear.

Friends, my encouragement and challenge to us all is to not absorb the resistance, but release love in that space and in this place we call home for now. It’s not easy, but we’re not called to easy. We’re called to Jesus who met the greatest resistance – the sin in all of humanity and conquered death to give us His love and freedom to share with others.

This article was originally posted on shaunapilgreen.com. Shared with permission.

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Shauna Pilgreen is an author, church planter, and the Northern California Alpha Network Director. Shauna and her husband Ben, along with their four teens, planted Epic Church 11 years ago in downtown San Francisco. She is the author of the missional book, “Love Where You Live: How to Live Sent in the Place You Call Home,” and her next book on evangelism releases summer of 2023. Shauna considers herself a student of San Francisco culture and a growing disciple of Christ in order to translate his love.

When Jesus gave us the Great Commission (Matthew 29:18-20), He was well aware of His disciples’ comfort zones. He knew well what they could and could not do.  He knew their limitations. The disciples’ prideful motives, lack of faith and hardened hearts were very familiar to Jesus.

In order to press on in ministry, we need to step out of our comfort zone. Practically every leadership school teaches this vital principle that Jesus Himself modeled to His disciples. To grow we need to allow Jesus to put us into new and challenging situations. 

We need to apply this principle to our work as evangelists. 

Pay Attention to Your Heart

The heart of a spiritual leader is the spring from which the ministry’s direction, team culture and mission fruitfulness are determined. We need to remind ourselves that the flesh profits nothing in the Kingdom of Jesus (John 6:63), so we constantly need to renew our commitment to never put confidence in ourselves (Philippians 3:3).  

One of the greatest models for advancing the mission of Jesus and sharing the gospel is Paul.  He recognized the need for the Holy Spirit to empower us:“I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being…”  Ephesians 3:16-17

The life that God offers requires us to live beyond our own strength and talent, by living according to the Holy Spirit’s power. He is the Paraclete (the Greek word for “helper” or “one who aids and strengthens”). People living mission-oriented, Spirit-filled lives depend on God completely. They trust Him to accomplish His purposes in and through their lives, ministry work, and evangelism efforts. 

Walk in the Power of the Spirit

Walking in the Spirit means we are constantly, by God’s grace and power, doing the following: 

Affirming 

We must affirm our lack of trust in ourselves … “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24-25). Walking in the Spirit affirms that we cannot trust in our own flesh and that we do not want to follow its desires. We choose humility before Christ! 

Walking in the Spirit affirms as well that the life we live is by faith in Christ. We do not look to our own power or sufficiency to seek and save the lost. We seek to be empowered by Him as we fulfill our ministry. 

Acknowledging and Asking

We tell God regularly that we can do nothing without His help. We need “to be strengthened with power through the Spirit” (Eph 3:16). We want “to be filled – directed and controlled – by the Holy Spirit” (Eph 5:18). We ask God to do what He desires through us, and like little children, we reach for our heavenly Father’s hand as we move throughout the world of our everyday lives. 

Appropriating 

We appropriate the Holy Spirit’s help and power. Anything we ask according to His will, He answers. God promises that if we ask anything that is “according to his will, he will hear us” and that we “have what we have asked from him” (1 John 5:13,14). We can trust Him and this promise. We can be sure that He will come alongside us to help us – to strengthen us – when we ask, expressing our faith in Him. That way, we can live beyond our comfort zone – live “outside the box” – as He provides His power to the challenges we face. 

The life that God offers us is abundant (John 10:10). The life He wants to live through us is full and meaningful. It is different than anything we could ever imagine on our own and anything we could ever hope to live in our own strength. 

Keep in Step with the Spirit

As we follow Jesus into His Luke 19:10 mission to seek and save the lost, let us be empowered by the Holy Spirit in all that we do and keep our hearts, minds, and practices in step with Him.  What does it mean to keep in step with the Holy Spirit when there’s a constant tug from our flesh to do our own thing? 

Watch Dave’s story to find out how to turn that tug of war into a beautiful dance. As we yield control to Him, the Holy Spirit will help you dance your way out of your comfort zone and into your mission. 

Content adapted with permission from The Outrageous Promise: A Story of God’s Love Behind the Iron Curtain by David M. Robinson and Gábor Grész. Download a free Kindle copy of the book.

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Dave Robinson is the Executive Director of Church Movements (Cru) and Teaching Elder for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. His passion is to collaborate with, train and coach mobilizing leaders to advance the mission of Jesus by making disciples and multiplying churches. He is a pioneering leader, teaching-pastor and communicator. Dave served with Cru in Eastern Europe/Russia and was a church-planting partner with the E-Free Church from 1989-2007. He is the Co-Founder of Youth at the Threshold of Life (YTL), an educational movement that began in Hungary and grew into 62 nations. YTL helps spread the gospel and multiply the church through community engagement. He co-authored “Youth at the Threshold of Life” and “The Outrageous Promise” — a story of God’s love for those who suffered under communism and how leaders collaborate to make a difference.

Gabor Gresz grew up in the communist Hungary, not hearing and knowing anything about Jesus. He became a believer at age 13. He is the co-founder and co-author of the Bible-based educational program called “Youth at the Threshold of Life” (YTL). YTL is used in 62 countries where thousands of educators had been trained and had been exposed to the gospel through YTL symposiums. Gabor currently serves as the Executive Director of Cru Church Movements USA. Gabor received a ThM degree from the Karoli Gaspar University of Budapest and is an ordained presbyterian minister. Gabor also the co-founder and church-planter of Rosegarden Baptist Church of Budapest.

If your church says one of its core values is caring about the surrounding community and reaching out to those around you who are far from God, then the language you’re using to naturally describe that care should indicate your convictions. Do the people in your church talk about inclusiveness and building relationships in the community? Or is the conversation more about simply giving money to various community efforts? Do you integrate regular stories of community engagement and impact in your sermons, newsletters, printed materials, etc.? 

We must be intentional about creating and consistently using vocabulary that mobilizes Christians to reach lost people.

How do we create a culture of evangelism? How do we create a culture where we prioritize people who are far from God, and make it clear that we’re with Jesus on his Luke 19:10 seek and save mission? We need to create and use language that reinforces our values. We must be intentional about creating and consistently using vocabulary that mobilizes Christians to reach lost people. The clarity, consistency, and intentionality of our narratives, language, behaviors, and practices are an overflow of the clarity and conviction of our values. 

Consistency is Key

Consistency is one of the keys to effective storytelling. We need to use the same language, in the same ways, over a long period of time. 

One of the things we learn as church leaders over time is that just when we get sick and tired of repeating phrases is when the congregation is just beginning to get it. We like to be onto the next new terminology, and often it works against us. 

To create narratives that make it clear evangelism is important to us, we need to be willing to embrace repetition.  

Understanding the Story that Matters Most

The reason we need to pay so much attention to our language is that we are responsible for telling the most important story in human history: the gospel. This is the story of a redeeming God who came to live among us in the human form of Jesus before dying for our sins, coming back from the dead, and leaving his Holy Spirit with us to empower us to share this story widely and well. We are all responsible for telling this story in a way that makes clear the fact that all human stories lead back to Jesus’ story. We are all lost and in need of our risen savior.

Luke 19:10: “For the son of man came to seek and save the lost.”

We see Jesus articulate this in one simple statement in Luke 19:10: “For the son of man came to seek and save the lost.” That was Jesus’ mission. And that should be our mission, too. And, therefore it certainly should be the mission of his church. If that was his mission, we should ask ourselves: how did Jesus live out his mission in the story of his life? 

From the beginning, Jesus’ story expands beyond the religious institutions of his day. These spaces were often closed to outsiders and the lost, but through his actions and words, he expressed his values (and that of his father) to welcome people into a new story. 

Creating Space for Stories

When you follow Jesus’ example and intentionally connect with people far from God you’ll begin to get questions about why you believe stories from the Bible, and about how your life story has changed as a result of your relationship with Jesus. Be prepared for these moments because they offer golden opportunities to open doors. They allow you to build bridges between the stories that others tell you and the story of Jesus.

We also see from Jesus’ examples that we have an easier time sharing our stories with people during meaningful moments that don’t necessarily take place in our church buildings.

For many of us, this will require a shift in our ecclesiology, the way we come together and experience church. If you have a mindset that evangelism happens only in a building once a week (the common model for most of our Western cultures) you’ll miss opportunities to build relationships that create space for storytelling and story-sharing. It’s hard to build relationships while sitting in the pews listening to sermons, attending Sunday school, or taking communion. And many a worship pastor will shoot some serious side-eye off-stage if you’re sharing stories during their carefully planned worship sets! 

Adopt a Helpful Storytelling Framework 

As we seek opportunities to tell our stories, it can be helpful to use a simple storytelling framework that helps us connect to others around us. I use a simple three-part format to share my story and it’s been so effective I wrote about it in my book BLESS: 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World. You wouldn’t believe how many stories have come out of this method. 

Part 1: Describe your life before Jesus. 

What was your life like before you met Jesus? Or if you grew up in the church knowing all about Jesus, what was your life like before you got serious about following him? Your story begins with who you were. 

Part 2: Share how you met Jesus.

How did you become a Christ-follower? Did you go through a particularly tough time in your life that led you back to God? Did a friend invite you to a church service? Did a family member introduce you to Jesus? Did a life experience inspire you to get serious about following Jesus? 

Part 3: Explain what following Jesus means to you. 

What difference has following Jesus made in your life? How has knowing him impacted both the good and hard times? Yes, when telling your story, include both the good and the hard. People will be more impacted when you’re honest about the challenges you continue to face even when you’re following Jesus. And don’t give the Sunday school answer. Talk about how your life is different and how God is growing you in certain areas, but make sure you’re sincere about how it’s a process and how often you still make mistakes. 

To learn more about how you can work on developing narratives of evangelism in your church or community, download the third workbook in our Lost Cause series and get your ticket to come join this conversation in Orlando in March. 

The Iron Curtain is Torn – the context to our paradigm shift

After the fall of communism in 1989, there was new freedom to travel within the former Eastern Bloc nations.  In 1993 over 16 million visitors crossed the Hungarian border.  This new migration brought grave concerns to Hungarian health, civil and political officials.  

From 1990 (just a year after the revolution) to 1993 many destructive industries were growing and beginning to destroy the fabric of Hungarian society.  The prostitution, crime and drug industries were showing signs for exponential growth. Sexually transmitted diseases and teen-age pregnancies were on the rise.  Young people in their mid-twenties were contracting AIDS.   

These were great concerns of the Hungarian government.

In 1994 we had a chance to step into a new paradigm of ministry when the Hungarian government requested we partner with them to develop a sex-education, character-and-values curriculum for public schools and deploy a multi-faceted program called Youth at the Threshold of Life (YTL). More than 315,000 middle and high school students in Hungary have been exposed to the gospel through this program since its inception. In public schools! 

YTL broke our ministry paradigm in every way – transforming our campus-focused ministry into a national movement. 

We sought the Lord with extraordinary dependence in united, broken, earnest intercessory prayer.

Prior to finalizing our arrangement with the government to create this program, prayer was already in the fabric of our ministry. We sought the Lord with extraordinary dependence in united, broken, earnest intercessory prayer. But when the Hungarian government asked us to develop this curriculum we needed wisdom as never before – wisdom in handling media requests and networking with government officials and non-believers. We asked the corners of the globe to pray that our program would be used in schools across Hungary, that it would be accredited, that thousands of students would put their faith in Christ, that disciples would multiply, that churches would be planted from a growing youth movement, and that our budget would receive additional funding to take advantage of this incredible opportunity! 

But beyond this expanded focus on prayer, God wanted us to think and act differently as we reached out to the lost in this particular context. Our organization (Cru) values taking the initiative. We believed then (as we still do) that a simple, direct, gracious, wise and conversationally mature proclamation of the gospel is one of the most important first steps in ministry. Proclamation leads to eternal life. Sharing the truth of God’s Word and the gospel is the most relevant thing we can do. 

Alongside sharing the gospel, we realized we needed to expand our capacity in three key areas to meet the needs of Hungarian youth and answer this specific request from educational leaders in Hungary through the YTL project. We needed a renewed focus on our ability to do good, to love well, and to serve with excellence. 

Doing Good

Peter summarized Jesus’ ministry in Acts 10:36-38, He “preached the gospel” and “went about doing good.” 

We need to share the gospel with the lost around us. This is at the heart of the Great Commission but that’s not where our evangelism responsibility ends. God also wants to do good works through us – visible good works that those far from God can see and appreciate. 

Presence and persuasion belong together. If we are present, actually with the people, we will learn their needs. If we reach out in love, doing the work of meeting those needs, persuasion of epic proportions will result. 

After its first year, YTL really connected. Non-Christian educators were calling us all the time to invite us to be guest lecturers in public schools, to share the gospel in their classrooms. Now, in its third decade, Christians mobilized to teach YTL are still receiving those invitations. 

Pause for a second. That’s right, non-Christian educators are inviting Christian YTL teachers into public classrooms to share the gospel.

Connecting with these educators helped us continue refining our curriculum and ministry efforts. We learned more about the felt needs of parents, politicians, educators, military educators and the medical world because of their focus on youth problems. Doing this work allowed us to enter their world, study their needs, share their burdens, and help in meaningful and practical ways. 

Throughout this entire experience as we followed Jesus, we were careful to never compromise the gospel as we met needs. We shared our faith often, and as clearly, graciously and directly as possible. Everyone we met quickly understood we were Christians. 

Loving Well 

We would not have been able to develop and grow the YTL movement without a firm grounding in love. Jesus loved like no other and we felt strongly He wanted to express His love through us. 

So many people suffer privately. We discovered over and over again that they respond to people who authentically relate to their world. They’ll wait in line saying “influence me!” to people who understand and give hope, who share the truth in love, who relate to them authentically. If they are leaders, like those connected to YTL, they will walk with you for a very long time as you meet their needs and as you produce something that is excellent, intriguing, and smart. 

The more we were able to lean into this paradigm-shifting posture of love and community awareness, the more our ministry opportunities seemed to grow. 

Serving with Excellence 

In Acts 2:47 the early church had “the favor of the people.” How did this come about? We surmise, as we look back at the history of YTL, that it had something to do with love and truth being lived out as the church rubbed shoulders with the world. 

In Acts 2:47 the early church had “the favor of the people.”

As we spoke the truth and loved people well, we saw that God allowed us to develop a reputation of excellence that began to open more doors. The more effectively we served one group of people, the more others wanted to connect with us. The YTL movement now collaborates with educators, teacher-parent communities, medical personnel, the military, the police, artists, church-planters, youth development programs and more. 

These experiences taught us that impressions matter. Never forget this important lesson about reaching the lost, as you seek to expand the Kingdom. We knew we needed God’s wisdom when we began YTL. Each time we met with a government leader, the media, or an educator, we asked God for help. Why? We wanted to serve their needs with excellence, while not compromising the gospel. And God blessed us by giving others a great first impression of us. 

As you seek opportunities to follow Jesus into His Luke 19:10 mission “to seek and save the lost,” we hope you find our story encouraging. Your story won’t unfold like ours but no matter how we’re currently serving, let’s not forget the relevance of the gospel, as we do good. Love will keep it real. Excellence will keep it working. The gospel’s power will make it fruitful.  

Content adapted with permission from The Outrageous Promise: A Story of God’s Love Behind the Iron Curtain by David M. Robinson and Gábor Grész. Download a free Kindle copy of the book. 

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