Advancing Churches

Legacy…
            …Who I am when I am no longer present.

When you read through the definitions of “legacy” they all have to do with giving something of value to a future generation. It raises a lot of questions for me, one of which is, “What value do I add?”

I was first challenged with that question many years ago when I read Bob Buford’s book Halftime. In the book he challenges people at mid-life to move from trying to live a life of success to one of significance. Not long after reading Buford’s book I was in a meeting concerning the future of the association of churches I was leading and a larger regional organization I related to. There was a lot of discussion about what was relevant and what wasn’t. A business leader and member of the regional board stepped in to make a point about the difference between success and significance or “value added” by his words. He asked me, “Wayne, what would you do if this association no longer existed?” I quickly replied, I could always go back and pastor – been there, done that. I will never forget the piercing question that followed, “You mean you add no more value to what you do that you could so easily give it up?” To be honest, I am not sure what happened in the rest of that meeting – my soul had been pierced.

Since then I have gone through a leader development process called Focusing Leaders which helped me develop a personal calling statement and then equipped me to intentionally live it out. That process along with some further effort toward understanding my effective methodologies (what I am best at doing), major role (where I should do what I do) as well as beginning to understand what my ultimate contribution might be give guidance to the direction of my life and work.*

I have been reading through the Gospels with an eye toward how Jesus functioned in his day to day life. He knew what his major role and ultimate contribution was early on. In fact, except for developing the disciples to where they could pick up the work he would leave behind Jesus could have fulfilled this ultimate destiny much sooner.

Ultimately the value or legacy that Jesus left behind was his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. As I read the Gospels though I see how the impact of this ultimate contribution was magnified by how he lived his life day in and day out. The way he showed compassion to the needy, the way he challenged the religious leaders, or the way he didn’t give up on those he had chosen even when they weren’t getting it. Somehow, I imagine, when Jesus left a room those he left were changed – “value added.’

This is the time of year I do a major look at my personal calling statement and evaluate how I have done the past year and then where my focus will be in the next. What I am finding is that I don’t have a problem with moving toward my ultimate contribution but where I get tangled up is in the day in and day out of living life.

This next year as I focus on my contribution and personal call I am going to pay more attention to the day in and day out legacy that I am leaving. I want to ask myself, “When I leave a room what value am I leaving behind?” I want to be more like Jesus when in John 13,

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had
come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took
off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he
poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet…

*Much of the leadership theory behind this comes from J. Robert Clinton’s, The Making of a Leader.

For more information on these and other leadership development processes email me here!

What ever you have to do to “get” someone…
…Is what you have to do to keep them.

Last month I received my monthly cable bill for my TV and internet service – it had gone up by $20. Not necessarily something that you want to see in these economically difficult times. In my opinion, it’s also not something that is necessarily wise for businesses to do in these times either. So I called to find out why.

What I found out was that a year earlier, when the same thing had happened (my how limited my memory is) they had given me a “special deal” aimed at keeping disgruntled customers. When I think back over the past six years that I have had service from this company this has been the pattern. They gave me a “special deal” as a new subscriber and when that special expired they gave me another special and another and another…you get the picture.

If you stop and think about it, this pattern happens throughout life –  in personal relationships, business and yes, even in the church. I cannot tell you the number of conversations I have had with pastors who were trying to work through the “special deals” that search committees had made that never materialized. Or, with church leaders that were dealing with pastors that were not delivering what they had promised.

I think a greater concern is the way churches “get” people today. Even though the presentation might be different (music, style, dress, etc.) churches are still doing what has been done for the last 40 plus years – trying to attract people by providing a “relevant” religious service. This might include a Sunday worship service but it could also be a lot of other types of “religious services.” In and of themselves these things aren’t bad. After all we do want people to get connected to the church because it is through the church that Jesus intends to carry the Gospel to the world. So what’s wrong?

This mindset, though well intentioned, actually perpetuates the problem that most pastors say is their number one issue, getting people to serve – with service usually meaning on Sunday or other times when “religious services” are provided. Think about it, we invite people to come and observe (become a consumer of our religious services) with the hope that they will want to become a Christian (great news!!!) and then get enough of whatever it is they need so that they can invite someone else into the same process. Dr. George Hunsberger writes in Missional Church,

…this producer-consumer model separates its notion of church (a religious firm producing and marketing religious products and services) from its members (potentially and hopefully committed customers consuming those products and services). Members are ultimately distanced in this model from their own communal calling to be a body of people sent on a mission.

I don’t think I know a pastor that would ultimately say that is what they want – but it is the “machine” that has been created and it is perfectly getting the results it was perfectly designed to get.

So, what’s the answer? Let me invite you to consider what Jesus did as He launched a movement that changed the world.

First, he invited the twelve into a relationship. He invited them to be with him in the most intimate and vulnerable times of his life on earth. They saw him at his happiest and at his saddest moments. They were with him when he healed the multitudes and when he confronted the Pharisees. They participated as he fed thousands sitting on a hill side and knew rejection with him as his own home town turned on him. They were with him when he raised Lazarus from the dead and when Judas betrayed him. With sadness and confusion they saw him crucified and with renewed hope and passion they witnessed his resurrection. They saw a leader restored following betrayal as he confronted Peter by the lake. The relationship went so deep that after his ascension back to heaven others recognized that they had been with him. He gathered them through relationship and it was through that relationship that he kept them.

Second, from the very beginning he invited them not to sit and learn until they knew enough, but rather to journey with Him as he taught, modeled and released them to do what they saw him do. It was a “go and send” model – exactly what he meant when he commissioned the Church in Matthew 28:19-20. If you will look at a more literal translation it says something like this…

All authority is given to me in heaven and earth. I am transferring this authority to you so that as you go you too will make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Model for them to live in the same way I have modeled for you. I will continue to be with you, and go with you, as you go and send others and then with them as they go and send others and then with them as they go and send…

Solutions aren’t found in the answers…
…but in the questions!

 So, what question is your church asking? It becomes obvious when you identify where your focus is.

 Go back to part one of this series. Coke-a-Cola was asking the question, “What is our percentage of the soft drink business? Their focus was on selling syrup for soft drinks. In the midst of fierce competition the profit margin was shrinking. They were continuing to battle Pepsi and a growing market of other inexpensive soft drink companies. Then the question was changed. Their new CEO, Roberto C. Goizueta simply looked beyond what had been and changed the question to “What is our market share of the total amount of fluid the average person drinks per day?” The focus changed and with it a new direction – increase the market share of what the average person drinks per day!

 Churches across North America are doing what Coke and Pepsi were doing – trying to increase their “market share” of the same group of people. If you observe the typical church (this includes the more traditional as well as the new “contemporary” church) its primary focus is designed around trying to attract people who might be interested to the Sunday morning service or some other program at “the church.” The focus is on drawing a large crowd.

The problem with this is people not connected to any church (approximately 60 – 70% of the population) aren’t looking for a church to go to. To them the church has become irrelevant. In fact, the fastest growing segment of population when it comes to religion is those people where religion isn’t even a “blip” on their radar. (i.e. Just look at the growing number of non-religious weddings and funerals!) *

Its time for the church to change its focus from inward to outward. For this to happen churches will need to begin asking a different question.

So, what question does your church need to ask? How would that change your focus? What change would that require of your church? Your leadership? How might that change your community and the world?

 * See the “American Religious Identification Survey 2008.”

Solutions aren’t found in the answers…

… but in the questions!

One time or another we have probably all asked the question, “What is the meaning of life?” I think most that ask that question go through life looking for “the answer” and never find it. The problem is they are asking the wrong question.

Every person lives their life in the boundaries of a question. Most of the time that question is around someone’s definition of success. This definition of success many times is defined by things like wealth, power, position, fame, approval, happiness and any number of other self-centered desires. The “rich young man” in Mark 17 certainly was confronted with his ideas of success. Not only was he relying on his wealth for his success but on Jesus’ approval as well. Notice how he runs up to Jesus and addresses him, “Good teacher” and then wants Jesus’ approval of how good he was, “all these [the commandments] I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus was with his disciples one day in “the region of Caesarea Philippi”, and he asks them a couple of questions. The first question was about popular opinion, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Their answer, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Stop and think about it. Their answer would be like a preacher today asking some of his elders who others were saying that he was and their answer was, “John Wesley, Martin Luther, Billy Graham or one of the mega church pastors.” Not bad company to be identified with!)

It was his second question though that was piercing. “’But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” The writer doesn’t indicate one but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a long, maybe uncomfortable pause and then, “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”

When I stop and allow Jesus to ask me that question it begins to shape my life decisions. If I answer with the school of popular opinion, he is only a teacher, prophet, good guy, etc. then I can really put him aside and continue down my chosen path. But if I answer that question as Peter did, “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God” it begins to alter who I am and how I see and respond to the world around me.

Often time leaders try to lead their churches/organizations without first knowing what their personal question is. What happens is confusion within the organization as the leader tries to sort it out personally. In other words if the organization lacks clarity on direction look back to the leader and see if there is personal clarity.

You have probably spent at least 30 minutes of your life watching the TV game show Jeopardy. This is the show where contestants try to name the question that goes with the answer. Think about this…

If someone were to observe your life, would they be able to come up with the
question that you live your life by?

Note: Look for part 3 of “So what’s the question?” where we will deal with questions that churches ask.

Solutions aren’t found in the answers…
…but in the questions!

Many times there can be many answers to a question that don’t actually provide the solution for what is being sought out. Let me illustrate with a story about the top branded company in the world.

In the late 70’s and early 80’s Coca-Cola’s competition was fierce. Coca-Cola had always been about one thing – being the #1 provider of soft drink syrup in the world. With this as the goal, success meant owning more of the market share of soft drink syrup sold around the world than any other company. They had to constantly keep their eyes on what the competition was doing, how they were doing it and if they were in front of or behind them in market shares. Then, in the 1980’s then Coca-Cola Chairman Roberto C. Goizueta changed the question.

Goizueta discovered, through market analysis, that the average person around the world drank about sixty-four ounces of fluid per day. They also found out that soft drink products provided less than 1% of that total. Think about it, Coke and their competitors were fighting over only 1% of the entire fluid consumption of people from around the world.

Then Goizueta changed the question.  Instead of asking “how do we measure up against our competition” he began to ask, “how can we increase our market share of the amount of fluids that people around the world drink per day?” The competition was no longer about the 1% that they other soft drink companies were competing for but rather the other 99% of what the people around the world were drinking.

With this Coke became free to innovate with all kinds of drinks. Their number of drink brands soared and with that so did their profits. According to company reports during Goizueta’s time as CEO he created more wealth for investors than any other CEO in history – simply by changing the question.

Every person and every organization/church lives within the boundaries of a question.

So, what’s the question you live your life in?

What’s the question for your organization/church?

 Note: This is the first part of a three part series – watch for more!!!
Also, though I drink Coke products I still have to pay for them. Don’t take the above article as an endorsement of Coca-Cola Inc. – it’s just a great illustration.

Advancing Churches exists to foster the advancement of the church through the resourcing of Christian leaders and the churches they serve.

For the past thirty plus years I have served the Church through local bodies of believers ranging in size from 50 to 5000; in denominational service as well as for six years with Church Resource Ministries (CRM). Through these varied experiences God has developed in me a deep passion for His Church and the leaders that lead her. I live for the day when Jesus will present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

When you look at the Church these days it doesn’t look very radiant or without stain and it seems very wrinkled and blemished. It’s in the news because of scandal or because of what it is against and sometimes politically for. If you ask people on the street more and more are finding it irrelevant.

I have a small rock that sits by where I pick up my keys every morning that I received while attending my first church planter’s boot camp that is inscribed with I will build my church… Matthew 16:18. As I see it every morning it reminds me that Jesus’ Church is going to flourish – the gates of Hades will not overcome it!

Since the 1^stCentury AD there has always been those whose call and purpose in the Church is to call it back to its founding purpose, to come alongside and equip, empower, and encourage believers to pick the keys back up, to go into all the world and make disciples, to be Jesus’ witnesses, to love God with everything and our neighbors as ourselves, to minister to the poor, needy and disenfranchised. That is what Advancing Churches is about.