Craig Gaunt

6/2/08

M-245 Foundations for Church Growth

Final Assignment

I was not surprised that we stressed discipleship as a central tenet for church planting. It is not enough to bring people into the church; we must continue working with people so that they stay. Through staying, people will grow into fruitful followers of Jesus, not simply “lukewarm” Christians. As the class progressed, I had no idea how many different directions and topics could be covered and how many theological concepts discussed.

One very prominent idea that I had only expanded on briefly before was the act of proclaiming. Bruggemann sees this as part of an evangelical paradigm that fits into our lives as Christians. We know the theological conflicts that have been and still take place in our world, but we also know that God is all-powerful and has already conquered everything through Christ. It is this victory that we see and experience everyday that we proclaim to all people and invite them to know the Victor personally. Gruder takes a different approach when he says that it is not the duty of Christians to prove God’s existence. It is simply to proclaim the gospel which is God’s redemption of a rebelling creation, climaxed in Jesus Christ. Gruder says also that this message needs to be proclaimed joyfully because it is rooted in love. Having joy is how the gospel must remain as fresh as the dew that falls every morning or else Christians will only look at it as a job rather than a privilege and celebration. This attitude will also keep us humble as we realize that it is always God who gives the growth and ultimately invites people into the kingdom.

Speaking of which, I had never known how much depth the idea of “the kingdom of God” has in general and within church planting in particular. The kingdom of God, as we have discussed in class, is an alternate reality that we are a part of as Christians that is in contrast to this world. Arias’ book talks about the reign of God extensively. He looks at the way the kingdom is presented in Matthew’s gospel. In our seminary culture, it is easy to look at the idea of the kingdom of God as being a philosophical idea, but that is a greatly incomplete picture. Rather, the kingdom encompasses all areas of the self: body, mind, and spirit. Different people have different gifts that meet the needs in all three of these areas. It reminds me of what Paul said in Col. 3:23. No matter what we do or what we are good at, we need to do it as if we are serving God. In doing our service, we are being living manifestations of God’s kingdom and becoming “incarnational evangelists”.

I had thought with negative connotations about the idea of the “kingdom of God” because the people that had stressed it also believed that it had already come and Jesus was never going to return. However, while we are to live with joy that the reign of God is present, we also need to preach the hope we have that God will bring the completeness of the kingdom. Something Mortimer Arias noted that I had no idea until I read it again was how the Lord’s Prayer emphasizes both present (poor, mourning) and future (will see God, will inherit earth) aspects of the reign of God. This kingdom also has eschatological, historical, and ethical characteristics that its people identify. It is eschatological because it preaches salvation and the reign of God, it is historical because it is based in real time centering on real events of God’s activity, and it is ethical because it calls for morals and values that are different from this world. It also calls its citizens to reach outside neighbors and the marginalized, serving them and telling them of salvation and their need for it. I need to be an evangelist who meets people’s needs so that they will be more receptive and trusting to the message and the Messenger. I never realized this until now but church planting is comparable to setting up “outposts” for the kingdom. We need to have churches who should strive for an ideal of how the kingdom of God will be like when it is fully realized.

It became clear that I had to remember it is not me but God who gives growth in people’s hearts as summed up in our theme verse, 1 Cor. 3:5-9. I burden myself too greatly with trying to ensure everyone I talk to will eventually be saved, but this shows a subconscious lack of faith in God’s power. It is having an attitude centered on “the work of God” that I have grown to realize that it is always in God’s hands and never in mine. However, rather than lead me to become lazy, it helps me to become bolder in proclaiming because I have a constant sense of hope in Christ rather than my many weaknesses. Murray places great stress on Missio Dei, saying that it must be the core foundation for doing any outreach. Gibbs wrote that for the church to serve faithfully in this work, it must influence change from the ground up rather than the top down. Because the church has lost the cultural influence it once held in the West, it needs to stop marketing Christianity like it is just another religious choice among many and start becoming centered on missions. Christians are now in a position that is similar to its beginnings in the Roman Empire. We are on the fringes of society and can influence people with a plain, simple message of God’s love without the political and cultural strings attached. Looking at this idea more theologically, I learned that it involved all three persons of the Trinity, as Gruder affirms and we as a class examined. God the Parent is the primary actor who accomplishes the mission in Christ who is both event and actor, and the church is empowered and credited by the Holy Spirit. Arias adds to this by noting that our sense of mission does not come simply from teachings of our founder like some other religious traditions. Rather it comes from the conviction that God’s very presence dwells among believers as we do the work of the kingdom. I have tried to remember this fact because it is only through a living relationship with Christ that the church will have any power to do missions in the world. Additionally, being in a relationship with Christ calls us to be continually sanctified, never settling for how we are but looking to be transformed.

One characteristic that all churches need is to be blessed with a strong leader.For a leader to influence the congregation in a godly manner, he/she has to realize that they cannot be full of sin but must live holy lives so as to set the example because they will be held to a higher standard. I had no idea that simple characteristics such as physical health played such a large role in spiritual leadership. However, it takes caring for the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs that forms a well-balanced leader. Obviously, the spiritual health is the most important and good spiritual disciplines like a healthy prayer life and regular study of God’s Word enhances this health to peak performance. Once you have credibility, you gamble it to challenge how things are and bring about change.

Besides having personal integrity, a godly leader also must utilize the gifts of others so that they can realize their full potential in church service. Enabling people is more than just passing responsibility off to someone else. It essentially getting others involved and training them so that they can reach a point when you as their leader are no longer needed for them to survive and prosper, similar to the relationship of Moses and Joshua. Gibbs adds weight to this by saying it is not the duty of the leader to dominate but rather influence those around him. This shows the model of servant-leadership that our Lord exemplifies. Taking it a step further, you as their leader must embody the values and goals of your organization. Essentially, the leader has to be a “leading sheep” not necessarily a shepherd but one within the flock. I quickly discovered that coaching is one of the best forms of leadership because the duo defined it as motivating people to do what they don’t want to do so they may accomplish what they do. The most important thing to remember when coaching is to listen genuinely and constantly remind yourself that it is not about you but about the other person.

 Roxburgh’s text was the most prominent work on the subject of change. Change is inevitable and uncontrollable, but it is how we as leaders react to it that determines our effectiveness. It is like the old saying, “It’s not how you act, it’s how you react”. Christians should respond to change maturely but still provide security and assurance of God’s steadfastness. Because we will have pre-modern, modern, and post-modern people present in our congregations, this response is vital. It will show your congregation just how flexible you are and how much you are willing to listen to all sides and all groups. I hold that to deal with change in a godly way, we as Christians must center ourselves on God’s Word and come to it both as individuals and as a community. Secondly, to bring about change and be committed to it, we must educate ourselves on what we are trying to accomplish. Additionally, we discussed the benefits of having short-term goals in an overarching long-term plan. Because the old models of businesses no longer are effective, we must rid ourselves of them and try different approaches that utilize everyone, not just the “higher-ups” of the church.

Surprisingly, Roxburgh used the biblical narrative to illustrate change, how people have dealt with it, and how God has used it. He also notes that this process of change and reincorporation is circular rather than linear. In the beginning, Israel had a stable covenant relationship where they understood God as their true King. Change came when Israel called for a human king, and its elders (including Samuel) resisted forthrightly. This spiraled into upheaval when Israel had to strike treaties with surrounding idolatrous nations in order to survive and obtain peace. Transition finally came when Israel was in exile and discovered that their true identity was rooted in their relationship with God. This led people to reform everything they had ever known as they now had to survive as a Diaspora community. Similarly, although we have changed permanently from pre-modern to modern to post-modern, we are also constantly going through circular changes of always reincorporating ourselves and how we as Christians view God and the world. We need to hear each of the three voices of modernity so that we can tend to their needs not only in the congregations but within the churches we plant. As Gibbs says, though we face a world of ever-present chaos and trepidation, creativity can occur. I echo this sentiment as I have always placed high emphasis on repentance both individual and as a church. This can knock down any barriers to progress because I noticed pride and fear are two main sentiments that cause such obstacles. It can also bring people’s minds into humility and a common vision to serve God better.

Roxburgh says that both emergent and traditionalist leaders need to dialogue with one another. Both have talents to bring to the table as traditional leaders have effectively proven skills in leading people while emergent leaders are more willing to take creative risks. The problem arises when the former tries to hold on to everything familiar and becomes stubborn while the later grows too confrontational in response, and no discussion takes place. Roxburgh says (and I agree with him) we need to heal this rift by reading Scripture with a communitas mindset because within are numerous stories how persons and groups dealt with change but still trusted God. Within this communitas, we need to adapt a mode that Frost & Hirsch advocate: Apostolic Leadership. This model is not hierarchical but egalitarian and stresses every person’s value and gifts to be utilized as a member of the whole body for the work of the kingdom. It short, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

With this healing, a revamping of church and its structure can occur. For far too long, many churches have only viewed the kingdom of God as being within the church walls. This is attractional because the church thinks if it gets people in the pews, God will take care of the rest. Rather, if the church adopts the missional view, it will see God’s redeeming works outside the walls and in the “in-between”, down-and-dirty areas. We must stop thinking that our purpose as Christians is accomplished whenever we are blessed with a full building. F & H lay groundwork that says, if the church as a whole will change, it must start out with its theology so that it will affect practice. The church must become more Christ-like and realize that God’s redemptive work is within all creation and transcends all boundaries, including cultures. However, the gospel takes on characteristics of whatever culture into which it is preached. In this way, salvation is not only universal but also personal. F & H say there are several steps to becoming more Christ-like in the world. Because people have seen so much wickedness and hypocrisy in the church, we need to connect with people better and admit our flaws and shortcomings. I could sense that people who are parts of church plants are those who are disgusted and disillusioned with how the traditional church has conducted itself and wants change and an explanation. Despite having theological differences with Roman Catholicism, I admire the late Pope John Paul’s apology for the sins of the church since its inception. As Martin Luther once illustrated, we need to treat evangelism to others as one beggar helps another beggar find food. This never includes hogging the gift of grace and salvation but sharing in generously and humbly, recognizing it is the same Lord who gives the gift. It is time for us as the church to repent and reconnect with people. One great way is to sponsor cell groups for churches. These settings are more intimate, usually less judgmental, and far more relaxing, allowing people to come in and simply be themselves while at the same time learning about Jesus on a one-to-one level.

To be an ideal “dolphin” evangelist means we meet people’s needs, using such opportunities to lovingly present them with the gospel. I had no idea how successful this technique was until I tried it by handing out gas cards. People were generally very warm and welcoming, appreciating even the simplest acts of kindness. Looking at this practice, in combination with the other workshop I attended by Chris, I realized that this is what target evangelism is all about. I have seen far too many groups try to reach only their target audiences and spend so much time determining who they will target that they accomplish nothing. I am not saying that a general focus is not needed, but I would take the approach of “feeling out” who I connect with among different groups, not excluding any of them but finding out where my niche is.

Reconnecting involves losing the notion that the West is still, in some way, a “Christian” culture. If we look around today, we see church attendance at an all time low. America, as we saw at the conference, is the third largest un-churched nation in the world and suffers sins of pride, rebellion, greed, and so much more. Gruder makes plain the failings of the church especially during the colonial era. My observations throughout college and my historical studies pointed me to one conclusion on this subject: to be a Christian in this era meant you had to be of “the West” in all regards. You had to speak a certain language, dress a certain way, and basically retain no characteristics or qualities of your original culture. Gruder writes that at one time, it was given that you went to church and was a Christian if you lived in America. However, one problem was that Americans came to view the church as the cultural perfection of what living in the kingdom of God is all about. Personally, this is what troubles me greatly about several denominations who will not support missions because they view the kingdom of God is already complete on this earth. This is an arrogant mentality because not only does it seek to claim perfection, it also ignores the cries of those who do not know God. Before progress can be made in evangelism techniques, we as Christians must re-learn how to preach Christ alone. Gruder says that when we simply preach Jesus Christ’s passion, crucifixion, death, and resurrection, and exemplify the kingdom of God in our lives, we essentially say that Jesus, unlike all other religions, did not simply bring the message but is the message. Furthermore, Bruggemann challenges our perception of how we look at those who worship economic practices and bringing them to realize that life is more than a “rat race”.

Church planting in this country needs to be understood differently than it traditionally has. When the common layperson in the church hears the term, he/she could possibly be thinking of a mission to a far away country. Likewise, they do not see that there are prime mission fields in their own backyards. We in the West are under the assumption that, although not everyone is a Christian, they have at least heard about Jesus. I found Murray to be helpful on this subject because he notes that the early Christians focused on people not territories to spread the message of Christ. A denomination may plant a church in an area where there are several unbelievers but the plant is unproductive because it only wanted to fill a denominational quota of being in that area. The cure to this problem is a better sense of mission, which I have noticed the Brethren are finally starting to address. Murray says that churches have only concerned themselves with maintaining numbers and they are not taking risks. He also says that, even going back so far as the Reformation, no sense of mission was ever felt by Christians. Contrary to early believers who could not cease to spread the good news of Jesus Christ through testimony, state religion in post-Constantine Christianity could require moral obligations and observances or be punished by the state. Christians in this time viewed the kingdom of God was already complete and evangelism is no longer needed. Those days are long gone and we as the church need truth and bold witnesses more than ever in a post-modern world. Murray also notes that the church needs to understand that there are other means of evangelism besides planting that need to be done. I know of several including working at shelters, door-to-door Bible teaching, and service projects. Finally, Murray says something that I, being very interested in apocalyptic literature, agree with wholeheartedly. The church need to understand that it is the means to which Christ is preached to the world, but it is in no way the ends. Jesus himself states this is several passages that discuss His return.

One practice that gave me hope in this world was one talked about in Nate Polzin’s workshop about college plants. Many present college students are representing a generation that had no cultural strings attached with Christianity. They are coming to the campus wanting to know more about God in a whole, new way. In this workshop, as we have seen in texts as well as the conference, building relationships is the key. Plus, college students are typically very idealistic, and they will want to put their energies to whatever the cause as long as they are given the opportunity. We need people who will stand up courageously and never tire of doing the kingdom’s work.

However, it is not only the work outside the church that must be addressed in a whole new way but also changing the attitudes within the church. Linn writes that it is not persecution outside the church that threatens it but laziness from within. As our pluralistic culture will show, people are spiritually hungry for anything but certainly are not attracted to sick churches. Looking solely at the Brethren, there were some issues that Chris brought up at the conference. The primary one that caught my attention was he said we need to take spiritual warfare seriously. Although I had read books on the subject, spiritual warfare was something that the Church of the Brethren never discussed in depth. I suppose the reason being we do not wish to involve the word “war” in any form because of our ardent pacifist viewpoints. Regardless, we as Christians are at war with the forces of evil, injustice, and sin, and it is our duty to fight against these with godly ideals and practices. Bruggemann also had input for this topic, and he uses Israel as an example. In my own words, the first lesson is never forgetting where you came from, both as a believer and as a church. When we remember God’s acts of grace and mercy in our lives, worship and the desire to do God’s will remains fresh. Also, we always need to be humble and grateful for what God has done in our lives because the minute we become too secure is the time we are no longer thankful. This will lead to pride because we foolishly think we can do it on our own strength. Rather, we keep remembering who the real Head of the church is and continually ask for blessings and forgiveness. Linn adds to this by saying that churches (specifically their leaders) need Sabbath times so that they can refocus their attention on the Lord rather than our acts. I say this because the churches I have experienced that have practiced these have always had favorable reputations in the community as well as living, vibrant ministries.

Churches such as the ones mentioned above are also the ones training disciples who will go out and not simply convert unbelievers but will make even more disciples. Arias described disciples as those who lay down all things (even their lives) for the sake of Christ and the gospel. A disciple gives witness and testimony to how God has worked in his/her life. Linn says that this is what separates a true disciple of Christ from a false evangelist. A true disciple-filled church will bear witness with integrity while churches playing the numbers game will justify any means (even compromising values and truth) to put people in the pews. I was strengthened by Arias’ (and our class’s discussion) emphasis on the power of testimony as the tool to evangelism. Too often, I try to have all the answers that ever challenged the Christian faith while failing to realize that this post-modern world will generally not regard my answers as being absolutely true. However, if I simply testify how God has worked in my life, then I see people genuinely listening with their hearts. After all, I am realizing that a person can agree mentally with anything but to convict a person’s heart leads to a change of outlook and behavior and this is what discipleship is all about. Arias writes further that this lifestyle requires holy suffering as Christ suffered as well as standing against and condemning forthrightly the powers and immorality of individuals, groups, and nations. It calls for protecting the weak and constantly praying for God’s sanctification. As one can see, this is not easy, but Jesus said that anyone who wants to follow him must deny the self, take up the cross, and follow obediently.