Musings: Notes From My Daybook

Well, it's Friday afternoon. We still have a leaky pipe. Except now we have a hole in the ceiling and no shower floor. The shower floor and actually some of the lower part of the tile walls are now in the city dump.

The good news is. . . . well the good news is that when Dave gets finished we should have a new shower floor with a new shower pan, tiled and grouted and firmly set for 30 more years--give or take.

Frankly, after last summer, I've about decided that having a perfect house is clearly over rated! (not that I've ever had a house that is perfect.) I hardly even notice the pail setting on the brand new carpet; however, I do have to look around to where we've moved my easy chair! Sitting in the middle of the room does take some getting used to.

But Dave is working hard and we figure that a few more days everything will be as good as new. Of course, that reminds me of the time when we built a new house and a week later a supply line to an upstairs shower decided to break during dinner one night. Just imagine Niagra Falls in your walls. Like I said, "perfect" and "new" are clearly over rated!

So I am learning to live in a world where things are not always perfect or complete. And it is okay. That is the way life is--living in the middle of a construction zone.

Recently I asked a half-dozen or so colleagues in ministry a rather quickly and inadequately phrased question about what the evangelistic effort of a local church should look like. In spite of my poorly phrased query, these friends have responded wonderfully and I am deeply grateful.

Indeed, as Drew Gaylor and David Mangum noted the personal angst and struggle with thinking missionally, I too sense a loss, especially recently locating to a new city and context. What I have found, as David mentions, is that nearly every week someone shows up at our worship services. For now, those persons are my primary contact with people that are open to what God is up to.

Likewise, I would certainly concur that mission is not a program or a "ministry" that the church has. In fact, I think we have already lost the battle if we think that we should have a personal evangelism ministry or an outreach ministry, like we have a women's ministry or a finance ministry. Rather, I believe that mission is the foundational reason for existence for a local congregation. Bonhoeffer's phrase, "a church for others," rings true for me. Mission, namely announcing the availability and accessibility of God's power, is why we exist.

Carlus Gupton and I recently had a conversation that about some of the structures and forms that are emerging in many north american "evangelical" churches. Carlus may need to correct this but I think what we identified are three broad models.

First, is the traditional church growth model. This is an approach that roots itself the pragmatic agenda of what works in identifying and drawing people into the life of a congregation. Lots of attention is given to the cultural nuances of society and constance attention given to the simple question of "what works."

Second is the emerging church framework. Emerging church are paying attention to culture as well. And they are asking questions about "what works." However, they are doing these things from a position clearly rooted in a postmodern worldview. (Church growth churches can be and sometimes are still viewing the world through "modern" lenses.)

The third model is one that is focused on the theological question of what does it mean to be engaged in the "mission of God." This approach begins with theology, not pragmatics. It starts with God and moves toward practice.

It would be a very interesting exercise to see how the church I serve or you serve relates to one or more than one of these models. Of course, it would be telling to see where are most clearly influenced in our understandings of what church is supposed to look like!

For myself, I am less and less interested in Saddlebacks and Willow Creeks. I am not saying that you can't learn from them. What I am saying is that I am drawn to a way of understanding church that begins with a theological perspective that is rooted in Jesus.

Rick Wood said it well: "I believe that we need a good dose of the mind of Jesus and his ministry and marketplace approach. When our people learn to live the way Jesus lived, and point the way to Jesus, then the world will see and hear. Some will accept and be saved, some will not. Our job is not to save, but to present Jesus. He is the one who draws people to himself."

What Rick is saying is not merely pleasant words. I believe that is missional strategy and should be informing our energies within our churches.

One other thing that I would throw into the mix is a follow-up on what Carlus calls "congregational environment." For some time I have been aware that the witness of the church's life together is a vital aspect of this process. As the local church lives out the ministry and mission of Jesus it is demonstrating in concrete and vital ways, the truthfulness of the claims of the gospel. Thus, our work within our churches is really the same as our work outside of our churches--calling for repentance and obedience to the way of Jesus.

Again, thanks to all of my colleagues and responders!

Making a call this afternoon took me out into Gwinnett County a ways. For some reason I found myself paying attention to church signs. Now I need to be careful here because the church I serve has a sign as well. You know the kind. A white sign with backlighting and removable black letters to put up a brief message.

Now what I found myself thinking as I passed one after another is. . . . "what are we thinking?" Sometimes churches say the dumbest things on this bit of public space. Sometimes the message attempts to be cute, i.e. "I created you and I can take you out. S/ God"

Other times, I think the message is for some intra-mural conflict: "We read the King James Version here."

Yet other times, it seems that the focus is on conveying some divine wisdom to help the lost or struggling soul: "Faith that fails to resolve doubt, will find doubt that desolve faith." (How's that for a massive failure to understand the nature of faith!)

Being cute, airing dirty laundry, or offering poor theology just doesn't seem to make sense to me. In the few brief seconds a commuter passes by a place of worship is a precious time to communicate something that offers hope, creates a chink in the confidence of worldly pursuits, or presents the integrity of the Christian message seems invaluable.

I wonder what is on our sign at church this week!

It is late on a Sunday night and I'm waiting on a dishwasher. I mean a mechanical one. Our plumbing sprung a leak last night and so, in order to keep water off the family room floor, we've had the water turned off most of the day. I will call the plumber tomorrow, but until then we are living with the water turned off most of the time. So the bucket is under the drip and I wait.

Waiting isn't always a bad thing. In fact, waiting may well be a virtue. I don't usually do it well. But tonight I am reflecting over the many good things that I have witnessed. Today I have seen a church respond with enthusiasm and energy to God's call to ministry and mission. I have heard stories of God's faithfulness--past and present. I have seen the joy of people sharing time and food and lives together.

As Northlake moves forward over the next five weeks in a season of time called Together Toward Tomorrow I am waiting. Patiently and with great expection, I believe that God is working toward a marvelous time and spirit in this church's life as it invests in a future characterized by mission and ministry.

I have been asked wonderful questions today. "Can we be fasting?" "When can we launch new ministries?" "Will our new building have a sense of transcendence?" "When can we meet the Ethiopians who are already worshipping in our building?"

Hope in the future is always strong than the best of the past. I am glad tonight, glad in my waiting.