Why A Church Needs a Team of Pastors and Many Workers

by Reverend Albert Kang

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Romans 11:29

In any organizations, whether secular or religious, they cannot grow without having the capacity to take care of their clients or members. For example, take the food business – one person with two helpers will be able to run a food stall at a food court or hawker center. In many instances, we tend to see more than two helpers working with the stall owner. Now, if one wants to run a restaurant, then it depends upon what kind of restaurant business, the owner wants to do. He can manage a small restaurant where his whole family is involved plus five or six helpers serving as waiters and so on. For a bigger restaurant operation that caters to bigger crowds such as at wedding dinners, then the number of chefs, cooks, servers, waiters and other crews will have to increase.

The question is which one comes first – something like the question of the chicken or the eggs. Customers first or the crews first?

Can a food stall cater to a lunch crowd if it is only a one-man operation? Then of course the question will be how large a lunch crowd is one expecting. My father operated a chicken rice stall at a local coffee shop in Katong, Singapore, for almost 40 years. His little operation needed at least four people to run.

How about if one wants to run a bigger operation? Can a big-time restaurant that caters to wedding crowds operate with only one cook and two helpers? I used to operate three restaurants, one supermarket and one business school. All in all, I had over 75 staffs helping me. In every instance, it was always getting the crews first before the businesses could serve any customers and the school able to receive students.

Some pastors think that maintaining a one-pastor’s church is the most efficient way of fulfilling God’s will in their lives. That conviction is not wrong in itself as long as it comes from God. These pastors may have a couple of volunteers to help them maintain the church ministries but their goal is the keep their operations small enough to be managed by only one pastor.

However, another group of pastors may have a different calling. They believe that in order to provide good ministries for all who attend their churches, they must build a stronger and larger base of leaders and helpers. Whether these are called “lay pastors”, “elders” or “deacons”, they are appointed for the purpose of providing leadership and ministries to the growing congregations. With a strong foundation of trained and competent leaders, these pastors believe that their churches are better equipped to serve more people and train disciples for the kingdom of God. Subsequently, these pastoral leaders are encouraged to launch preaching points, outreaches, mission works and plant churches.

Both the ‘food stall owners’ approach and the ‘restaurant owners’ approach are not wrong. It’s matter of purpose and also the personal capability and capacity of the pastors. Some are called to be pastors of small congregations while others are called to grow large congregations.

The important thing is that one be faithful to the calling of God in one’s life. It’s nothing wrong to begin small but it’s absolutely wrong if the church chooses not to grow to her maximum potential. The parable of the talents reveals that God does not give equally to every one of His stewards. Some He gives more while others He gives lesser. However, the parable also depicts one important principle – whatever God gives to you, you must invest and multiple. Jesus said, “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matthew 25:29).

If one is called to be a ‘stall owner’, then be the very best ‘stall owner’ one can be. If one is called to be a ‘restaurant owner’, then be the very best ‘restaurant owner’ one can be. In similar fashion, if a pastor believes that he is called to run the church with him serving as the only pastor, then he should be the very best pastor he can be. On the other hand, if a pastor believes in running the church with many pastors, then he should appoint, train and facilitate all the other pastors, assisting them be the very best pastors they can be. He, himself, must also learn to be a servant leader so as to become the very best lead or senior pastor he can be.

To whatever station one is called, let us be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ who is our Chief Shepherd, Master and Saviour of us all.

Why A Church Needs a Team of Pastors and Many Workers

by Reverend Albert Kang

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Romans 11:29

In any organizations, whether secular or religious, they cannot grow without having the capacity to take care of their clients or members. For example, take the food business – one person with two helpers will be able to run a food stall at a food court or hawker center. In many instances, we tend to see more than two helpers working with the stall owner. Now, if one wants to run a restaurant, then it depends upon what kind of restaurant business, the owner wants to do. He can manage a small restaurant where his whole family is involved plus five or six helpers serving as waiters and so on. For a bigger restaurant operation that caters to bigger crowds such as at wedding dinners, then the number of chefs, cooks, servers, waiters and other crews will have to increase.

The question is which one comes first – something like the question of the chicken or the eggs. Customers first or the crews first?

Can a food stall cater to a lunch crowd if it is only a one-man operation? Then of course the question will be how large a lunch crowd is one expecting. My father operated a chicken rice stall at a local coffee shop in Katong, Singapore, for almost 40 years. His little operation needed at least four people to run.

How about if one wants to run a bigger operation? Can a big-time restaurant that caters to wedding crowds operate with only one cook and two helpers? I used to operate three restaurants, one supermarket and one business school. All in all, I had over 75 staffs helping me. In every instance, it was always getting the crews first before the businesses could serve any customers and the school able to receive students.

Some pastors think that maintaining a one-pastor’s church is the most efficient way of fulfilling God’s will in their lives. That conviction is not wrong in itself as long as it comes from God. These pastors may have a couple of volunteers to help them maintain the church ministries but their goal is the keep their operations small enough to be managed by only one pastor.

However, another group of pastors may have a different calling. They believe that in order to provide good ministries for all who attend their churches, they must build a stronger and larger base of leaders and helpers. Whether these are called “lay pastors”, “elders” or “deacons”, they are appointed for the purpose of providing leadership and ministries to the growing congregations. With a strong foundation of trained and competent leaders, these pastors believe that their churches are better equipped to serve more people and train disciples for the kingdom of God. Subsequently, these pastoral leaders are encouraged to launch preaching points, outreaches, mission works and plant churches.

Both the ‘food stall owners’ approach and the ‘restaurant owners’ approach are not wrong. It’s matter of purpose and also the personal capability and capacity of the pastors. Some are called to be pastors of small congregations while others are called to grow large congregations.

The important thing is that one be faithful to the calling of God in one’s life. It’s nothing wrong to begin small but it’s absolutely wrong if the church chooses not to grow to her maximum potential. The parable of the talents reveals that God does not give equally to every one of His stewards. Some He gives more while others He gives lesser. However, the parable also depicts one important principle – whatever God gives to you, you must invest and multiple. Jesus said, “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matthew 25:29).

If one is called to be a ‘stall owner’, then be the very best ‘stall owner’ one can be. If one is called to be a ‘restaurant owner’, then be the very best ‘restaurant owner’ one can be. In similar fashion, if a pastor believes that he is called to run the church with him serving as the only pastor, then he should be the very best pastor he can be. On the other hand, if a pastor believes in running the church with many pastors, then he should appoint, train and facilitate all the other pastors, assisting them be the very best pastors they can be. He, himself, must also learn to be a servant leader so as to become the very best lead or senior pastor he can be.

To whatever station one is called, let us be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ who is our Chief Shepherd, Master and Saviour of us all.

Rev Albert Kang

Why You May Not Be Growing As a Church

It’s one of the most pressing questions pastors and church leaders ask themselves:

“Why aren’t we growing?”

To be sure, not every mission’s soil will yield the same fruit. We’re not talking about overall size, but rather the idea that biblically, we can assume that God wants every church that honors His name and proclaims His message in Christ to grow and that He is willing to empower it to that end.

Churches are living things. Living things grow. If you’re not growing – even if just in compensation to what you’ve lost through transition – something is wrong.

Again, it doesn’t have to be by much. Those churches in smaller communities who are growing by five people a year may actually be growing at a higher percentage of the available population than the “mega” churches.

So take heart.

But if you are not growing at all, or declining…well, God isn’t the problem. We are.

Here are ten areas to consider as to “why”:

1. Leadership

It’s been said that everything rises and falls on leadership. Perhaps a more accurate way of putting it would be that no organization will rise above the level of its leadership. If, on a scale of 1-10, the current leadership is around a “4,” then it will be difficult for the church to grow beyond that level in terms of vision, effectiveness, strategy and impact.

Solution: Ensure that people with the spiritual gift of leadership are actually leading, and that they are committed to developing that gift by reading about leadership, getting around other leaders for insight, and exercising their leadership gift in challenging settings.

2. Communication

There are few things more critical to a church’s growth than an effective communicator for weekend teaching. The dilemma is that many who serve as the primary communicators in their church aren’t Spirit-gifted teachers. They like to speak, and the group that gathers around their teaching seems to benefit from it, but the majority of listeners tend to vote with their feet. At the very least, the teaching doesn’t seem to be catalyzing the congregation to invite their friends.

Solution: Make sure that the point communicator has the spiritual gift of teaching and is actively working at developing that gift by listening to other gifted communicators. Don’t be afraid of developing a team-teaching approach to shore up weakness, or to adjust responsibilities so that various roles more accurately reflect gifting. In other words, perhaps someone has been serving as lead communicator when their gifts are better used in another area. This is a difficult maneuver for, as stated above, people who are speaking tend to like to speak and have a (perhaps) distorted view of their effect.

3. Quality of Worship

The quality of the worship experience is more important even than its style. If the service itself seems slapped together, incoherent or unable to be embraced, then it will not provide the traction needed for ongoing growth. To be sure, worship is not about what we get out of it, but what God gets out of it. But the better that service is at helping people connect with God, the more people it will attract. And lest we forget, the weekend service is the “front door” of the church. So it’s where we “win” or “lose” people. Which means part of the “helping people connect” dynamic will include helping those far from God connect to God through what we offer.

Solution: Review the music, presentation, style and quality of the worship experience of your church in light of its ability to optimally serve and engage people. View the services of larger, faster-growing churches that you feel are biblically and theologically sound for benchmarks. If you are continually plagued by forgotten lyrics, missed notes and awkward transitions, consider planning meetings for your services and run-through rehearsals of critical parts. And by all means, look at your service through the eyes of someone far from God and deeply unchurched.

4. Atmosphere

Every church has an atmosphere, but not all have an atmosphere of friendliness and acceptance. Let’s put it bluntly: every church thinks it’s friendly. But what that often means is they are friendly to each other, friendly to people they know, friendly to people they like or friendly to people who are like them.

Solution: If you haven’t already, consider developing an entire ministry around first impressions and the creation of a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. At Meck, we call it “Guest Services,” and it oversees parking lot attendants, greeters, ushers, hospitality and so much more – all geared toward the experience of first impressions and friendliness. It’s one of our largest and most strategic efforts. In fact, one of the leading reasons people return to Meck is our friendliness.

5. Location

The physical location of a church, if you want to grow by inviting people to attend, is decisive. If it is hard to find, hard to get to, too small in size, has insufficient parking, is difficult to enter or exit due to road traffic,

…then you are artificially limiting the size of your church.

In essence, the shoe tells the foot how big it gets.

Solution: Much of solving location problems is logistical in nature. Hire off-duty police to help people enter and exit your services. Increase the number of your services. Develop a capital campaign to help pay for increasing the size of your auditorium or parking. If needed, simply move to a new location. That may seem dramatic, but it’s often critical. Going “multi-site” is also proving to be a helpful strategy for many churches facing location issues.

6. Structure

Most church structures are not “structured” for growth, much less unity. As an organization, you have to be able to seize opportunities, streamline decision-making and unleash the leadership gift. There is so much that could be said on this, so…

Solution: Read my chapter on “Rethinking Structure” in Rethinking the Church. Do away with committees, across-the-board majority rule and endless policies. Read the chapter and you’ll see why.

7. Methods

Values and doctrine are timeless; methods and strategies are not. Think of a method as a very time-bound approach to solving a problem or answering a challenge. A vast number of churches are employing methods that simply aren’t viable. They hold on to them out of an unfounded sense of loyalty, or even worse, a sense of orthodoxy. Methods don’t fall into that camp.

Solution: Go to school on other churches and their methods. Further, make a list of all of your methods that haven’t been evaluated in five years. That’s your “to do” list.

8. Blind Spots

Blind spots are interesting…they are what you do NOT see. Others can, but you can’t. It’s been said that we all have them – actually, many of them. Do you know yours? Do you know where you are weak, outdated, sloppy, understaffed, wrongly staffed, poorly funded...

Solution: Bring in “mystery” worshipers, or outside consultants, to observe you, talk to you, counsel you. Get 20/20 vision on as much as you possibly can.

9. Not Fueling Growth Engines

Every church has one or more “growth engines.” These are the ministries that fuel whatever growth you have. Most will think of their weekend services; and to be sure, that is a powerful growth engine. But many of your sub-ministries offer the same, if not more, of your overall growth power. For example, at Meck our weekend services may be a powerful engine, but we tend to think that MecKidz is even MORE powerful. So we give it what it needs to grow. Right now, it has the largest staff and the most square-footage of building space of any ministry.

Why?

It grows our church.

Solution: Fund your growth engines. Repeat: FUND YOUR GROWTH ENGINES. And look beyond the weekend. The biggest growth engine of all, in most churches, is the children’s ministry.

10. Unity

Jesus made it clear that unity would be THE verifying mark on His message. A unified church is a growing church. Period.

Solution: Do the hard leadership work of confronting division, dissension and disunity. See the chapter titled “No Tolerance” in What They Didn’t Teach You in Seminary (Baker).

One Last Thought

The most important principle I could pass on is this: think like a lost person.

Really.

Think like someone far from God, divorced from church, coming to your church, would think.

Then…

...change things.

Not the message. Heaven forbid. But do change anything and everything that would be a barrier to this person engaging Christ that does not involve altering the message of Christ.

James Emery White




About the Author

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and the ranked adjunctive professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, The Rise of the Nones: Understanding and Reaching the Religiously Unaffiliated, is available on Amazon. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church and Culture blog, visit ChurchAndCulture.org, where you can view past blogs in our archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the world. You can also find out information about the 2016 Church and Culture Conference. Follow Dr. White on twitter @JamesEmeryWhite.

Five Missional Misfires

Every church would say they are in it for the mission. Which is why misfiring on that mission is something to be avoided at all costs. Yet it happens all the time.

Here are five of the most common misfires:

1. Seeing other churches as the competition.

When I started Meck in Charlotte over twenty years ago, there was a large and once-thriving church experiencing stagnation and severe financial struggles. In an interview, the pastor was asked why the church was facing such difficulty, and his response was telling: “When we started, we were the only good Bible-teaching church around. Now there are more to choose from.”

I remember being stunned at the complete orientation toward transfer growth from existing believers, and the complete blindness to the vast numbers of lost/unchurched people.

But even more, I was taken by how strongly so many people involved in local churches view other local churches as the competition, as if it’s McDonald’s against Burger King.

I remember saying to our earliest core group, and have continued to say ever since, “We could have a hundred churches around us, and it wouldn’t matter. We’re not after churched people!” I would often go further and add, “We’re not even primarily after people looking for a church…we’re after the person who, right now, the last thought on their mind is being in a church this weekend.”

Bottom line: If you see other churches as the competition, you are reducing the mission to reaching the reached. That is not the Great Commission. Instead of being fishers of men, you’re just keepers of the aquarium.

2. Criticizing “seeker” churches for being all evangelism and no discipleship.

It used to make me mad, now I just sigh at the ignorance. First, that they would bring out the tired moniker “seeker” when it is so passé, even among those churches that once consciously wore the label. Second, that they insist that if you prioritize the lost or unchurched in your outreach, you are somehow de-prioritizing the existing believers in your community or those who have moved into your area and are in need of a good church home.

Why the insistence on a false dichotomy that it either has to be evangelism, or it has to be discipleship?

The Great Commission makes it clear that we are to do both. Why can’t people see that if a church prioritizes the lost with outreach, as Jesus said we are supposed to, it doesn’t mean they aren’t strengthening existing believers for life in Christ and the cause of Christ? And why insist on taking shots at churches that are oriented toward the unchurched in their outreach as if they don’t care for the believer, or discipleship?

It’s such a straw man.

Bottom line: If you can’t make evangelism and discipleship a “both-and” instead of an “either-or,” you will never fulfill the “both-and” nature of the Great Commission, which was to “make” disciples and then “teach them everything.” And if you insist on this misfire, you will end up dropping the ball with one or the other side of Jesus’ marching orders.

3. Saying you’re after the unchurched, but clearly targeting the already-convinced.

For most churches, this isn’t conscious. They talk about reaching the lost, or going after the unchurched, but when you examine their “front doors” – meaning their weekend services, website, mailings, ads – they are targeting the person actively looking for a church home, or someone already in one. Regardless, it is clear that it is assumed they are a Christ-follower.

“Dynamic preaching!”

“10-week series on James!”

“Communion this weekend!”

“Looking for a good church home?”

“Fifty-voice choir!”

Really, who is attracted to any of this? Only the already convinced, and often already-churched.

If you think touting that your church is bigger, better, more dynamic, has better Bible study or its own worship band with CD’s is going to reach the “nones” that are now the second-largest and fastest-growing religious segment in the country, then you need to get out and meet a few.

Bottom line: If you say you’re after the unchurched, and want to reach the unchurched, then for heaven’s sake (literally), try targeting them.

4. Substituting social justice for evangelism.

In what is arguably a reaction against the previous generation’s emphasis on social morality – namely abortion and same-sex marriage – young Christians (and now older ones as well) are giving renewed emphasis to matters of social justice, including a new interest in public policies that address issues related to peace, health and poverty.

This is all well and good.

The misfire is when the mission of the church is reduced to social justice. In other words, we’ll buy Tom’s Shoes, but not witness to Tom.

Bottom line: Social ministry should not be paired against evangelism. We should extend the Bread of Life as well as bread for the stomach. But we must never begin, and end, with the stomach alone. The scandal of the cross – and humanity’s desperate need for it – doesn’t play as well as the hip work of IJM or supporting Bono in Africa. Yet think how tragic it would be to have compassion for the immediate needs of this life, but not the eternal needs of the life to come.


So yes, buy a pair of Tom’s Shoes.

Just don’t forget Tom.

5. Thinking outreach is offering them what they already have.

A flyer recently arrived in my mailbox from a new church plant, promising me relevant and practical messages; contemporary “urban” music and great coffee. The idea is that if you offer such things, people will come who wouldn’t normally come.

It’s a subtle and enticing temptation. All we have to do is encourage casual dress, offer Starbucks coffee, play rock music, and then deliver a “felt needs” message in a style similar to the popular speakers of the day and we will automatically grow.

And if you want to guarantee your growth comes from a younger demographic, just throw in skinny jeans, designer t-shirts, and a noticeable tattoo. It will instantly turn the most middle-of-age pastor into a Millennial magnet.

Stop.

Think.

People already have those things. They do not need to go to church to find them. If they want Starbucks, they’ll go to Starbucks; if they want to hear contemporary music, they have iTunes and their iPod. They may appreciate those things once they attend, but it is not what will getthem to attend.

This approach may have worked back in the 80’s and 90’s, but that was because the typical unchurched person was a Baby Boomer who had been raised in a church, just starting to have kids. They had the memory and the experience; once they had kids, they actually wanted to find a church. When churches took down the cultural barriers associated with attending (eliminating stuffiness, boredom, irrelevance, empty ritual, outdated music), Boomers were attracted.

And yes, back then, if you built it, they came.

But this is no longer our world, and hasn’t been for quite some time.

As uber-marketer Seth Godin notes, “The portion of the population that haven’t bought from you...is not waiting for a better mousetrap. They’re not busy considering a, b and c and then waiting for d. No, they’re not in the market...As a result, smart marketers don’t market to this audience by saying, ‘hey ours is better than theirs!’”

Bottom line: The foundational way that people divorced from the church and a life in Christ will come to church and find that life in Christ is if a Christ-follower does three things: build a relationship with them, share how Christ has intersected the deepest needs of their life, and then invites them into the community to see, hear, taste and explore.

And actually, that’s pretty much the bottom line for all five.

James Emery White

Editor’s Note

 

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and the ranked adjunctive professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, which he also served as their fourth president.  His newly released bookis The Church in an Age of Crisis: 25 New Realities Facing Christianity (Baker Press).  To enjoy a free subscription to the Church and Culture blog, log-on towww.churchandculture.org, where you can post your comments on this blog, view past blogs in our archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the world.  Follow Dr. White on twitter @JamesEmeryWhite.

30 Reasons Church Leaders Need a Coach

By Scott Thomas

A church planter's life can get pretty lonely. Even the best can unintentionally paint themselves into a corner due to how many new situations they face. This is why the most successful planters need a coach. A good coach can save planting pastors a ton of time and heartache.

Here are 30 reasons why you should consider finding yourself a planting coach:

1. Coaching helps to remind a leader of the Gospel.

2. Coaching exposes a leader's blind spots.

3. All leaders are capable of succumbing to sin's deception.

4. Leaders are models for faithful obedience.

5. Coaching is preventative maintenance for a leader.

6. The stakes for a church leader are high.

7. Coaching models biblical community.

8. Coaching provides a prayer partner for the leader.

9. Leaders can be prideful.

10. Leaders are often lonely.

11. Coaching is a practical means for a leader to pay careful attention to self.

12. Coaching brings encouragement to the leader.

13. Coaching can protect the flock from a leader’s mistakes and bad decisions.

14. Coaching improves a leader's perspective and objectivity. 

15. Coaching facilitates the leader's growth and equipping
 
16. Coaching sharpens a leader's calling.

17. Leaders lead where they have walked themselves.

18. Coaching is a means for intentional accountability and submission.

19. Coaching helps a leader identify and fight arrogance.

20. Ministry is a difficult and complicated task.

21. Leaders in a coaching relationship model discipleship.

22. Shepherds need to be shepherded.

23. Coaching sharpens a leader's skills and abilities.

24. Coaching provides a safe sounding board.

25. Coaching is fun.

26. Coaching encourages friendship.

27. Coaching provides affirmation for a leader's decisions.

28. Coaching enables personal sanctification.

29. Coaching protects family and marital health.

30. Coaching is a means to obtain gospel reflections from a fellow leader.


Scott Thomas is the President of Acts 29 Network and Pastor of Global Church at Mars Hill Church. Scott has been a pastor for 30 years—first as a youth pastor and then as a lead pastor and church planter/church replanter for 16 years.

The Seismic Shift in Outreach

 

The Seismic Shift in Outreach

 

There has been a seismic shift in outreach that few church leaders are understanding, much less pursuing.

 

From the 1950’s to the 1980’s, the vanguard of evangelistic outreach was direct proclamation of the gospel.  Whether the crusades of Billy Graham or the creative approaches of Willow Creek Community Church, presentation led the way.

 

This led to joining a community, and eventually, being discipled into participation with the cause.

 

From the 1990’s thru the 2000’s, community took the lead.  People wanted to belong before they believed.  Skepticism was rampant, and trust had to be earned.  Once enfolded, Christ was often met in the midst of that community.

 

Cause, again, was the last to take hold.

 

From the 2010’s forward, “cause” has become the leading edge of our connection with a lost world, and specifically the “nones” (and it is increasingly best to replace the term “unchurched” with the “nones”).  Consider the recent Passion Conference in Georgia.  What arrested outside media attention was the commitment to eradicate modern-day slavery, not the 60,000 students in attendance much less the messages related to the Christian faith.

 

In a word, “cause.”

 

This made the gathering of 60,000 college students in the Georgia Dome for that cause become attractional.  In other words, then and only then did “community” come into play.  Then, after exploring that community, Christ could be – and was – introduced.

 

Think of this shift in terms of moving people through stages of introduction:

 

1950’s-1980’s:

 

Unchurched >>> Christ >>> Community >>> Cause

 

1990’s-2000’s

 

Unchurched >>> Community >>> Christ >>> Cause

 

2010’s -

 

Nones >>> Cause >>> Community >>> Christ

 

It is important to note how far the message of Christ is from the mind and sentiment of the average “none.”  It’s not that the church should “bury the lead” in terms of putting Christ at the end of the line – remember, we’re talking strategy.  It’s just that leading with Billy Graham’s simple “The Bible says” was a strategy designed for people in a different place spiritually than many are today.

 

The more post-Christian a person is, the more evangelism must embrace not only “event/proclamation”, but “process” and “event/proclamation.”  Earlier models were almost entirely “event/proclamation” oriented, such as revivals, crusades, or door-to-door visitation.  As I’ve written about in other places, this is only effective in an Acts 2, God-fearing Jews of Jerusalem context.

 

“Process” models are needed in Acts 17, Mars Hill, nones/skeptical contexts.

 

Like the one we live in today.

 

The presentation of Christ must remain central to our thinking, to be sure.  That is the only reason we are even talking about strategy; the goal is to present Christ and Him crucified.  But is that where we start?  On Mars Hill, the spiritual illiteracy was so deep that Paul had to begin with cultural touchstones, lead in to creation, and work his way forward.

 

It took him a while to get to Christ.

 

And community?  It matters, but the average person has tastes of that already.  Maybe not functional, but they don’t seem as drawn to it as they used to be.  Perhaps it is because of the lure and illusion of social media, or because they’ve simply given up on it, but it’s not the great “search” it once was.

 

So there has been a great, seismic shift.  Today, it is cause that arrests the attention of the world.

 

Which brings us to the challenge.

 

First, to recognize the seismic shift, and begin to strategize accordingly.

 

Second, to realize how difficult this will be.  If cause is in the lead, and community close behind, the church is at a deficit.  In the minds of many, our causes have been mundane (let’s raise money for a fellowship hall!) or alienating (Moral Majority!).  And the close second of community?  Our reputation for dysfunction in that area is legendary.

 

But there is great irony in the challenge.  Jesus wed mission and message together seamlessly, proclaiming the Kingdom that had come while healing the leper and feeding the hungry.  He mandated concern for the widow and the orphan, the homeless and naked, the imprisoned and hungry, while speaking of the bread of life and a home in heaven.

 

In other words, we should have been nailing this all along.

 

And if community is lurking in the back of the minds of people as a felt need, that should be a calling card as well.  Jesus challenged his followers about the importance of observable love toward one another as the ultimate apologetic for His life and ministry and message.

 

And even if it takes a while to get to Christ, He should be presented raw and unfiltered in all of His scandalous specificity.  As Moltmann proclaimed, “the crucified God.”

 

So as we ponder the rise of “cause” as the cultural bridge over which to walk, perhaps the greater truth is more elemental:

 

Do all three.

 

Imagine a church that had community, cause and the undiluted message of Christ in the vanguard of its efforts.

 

It might just become the church Jesus had in mind all along that would reach the world.

 

James Emery White

 

 

Editor’s Note

 

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and the ranked adjunctive professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, which he also served as their fourth president.  His newly released book is The Church in an Age of Crisis: 25 New Realities Facing Christianity (Baker Press).  To enjoy a free subscription to the Church and Culture blog, log-on to www.churchandculture.org, where you can post your comments on this blog, view past blogs in our archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the world.  Follow Dr. White on twitter @JamesEmeryWhite.

Conversations that Connect

Conversations that Connect 

by Colette Carlson

Conversing naturally is key to your success in the business world. Knowing when to initiate a conversation, keeping it interesting by asking effective questions, sharing your own stories and ending a conversation with kindness is an art. Create connections by following these seven steps:

Step 1: Exude confidence. When you're comfortable in your own skin, you make others comfortable. If you take the attitude that you bring something to the table, you will see that attitude reflected in others. Remember: Enthusiasm is infectious.

Step 2: Show up with something to say. Always be on the lookout for material. Although it may sound contrived, I read The Wall Street Journal looking for interesting, timely information that I can share at my next get-together: a party, association meeting or business affair. Think about keeping a file that you can review before your next event.

Step 3: Begin with a question. Besides showing interest in someone, one simple question can start an entire conversation. Asking something a bit unusual sets you apart from the crowd. Rather than, "What do you do?" ask, "How do you enjoy spending your weekends?"

Step 4: Find common ground. The surest way to build rapport is to find something you have in common and build on that interest. Don't shy away from topics that have nothing to do with business. They often create the perfect connection.

Step 5: Focus on others. Putting your energy and interest in another person marks you as a great conversationalist. Englishman Raymond Mortimer once described the art of conversation in the United States as "not tennis, in which you return the other fellow's serve, but gold, in which you go on hitting your own ball." Keep that back and forth volley going with conversation.

Step 6: Be inclusive. Excluding others in the group is a conversation killer. Make eye contact with everyone in the group, not just the person who asked you a direct question.

Step 7: Close a conversation with class. When a conversation naturally lulls, take advantage and say, "It's been my pleasure talking with you. I hope our paths cross again soon." Before leaving, be certain to thank the hosts.