Gazelle Church

I picked up a book a while back... not a very great looking book, mind you, but hey, it was fifty cents so what do you expect? Every year, my denominational publishing house has a book sale, and every year, I buy even the dumbest looking books there is the slightest chance I might read someday, just because they are super cheap... it doesn't make any sense, really. But you'd be surprised to see how many people head to the ever-popular "dock sale" to buy books they have no real intention of ever reading... that, and ratty little stuffed animals and other assorted trinkets which didn't sell at full price either.

Anyway, this book I purchased... I kinda sorta had church planting in mind when I thumbed through it, and decided what the heck... surely it's got two quarters worth of material in it, right?

Yes, actually. Maybe even a dollar's worth! It's a big fat textbook I have no intention of reading all of it. However, I was interested in the chapters on marketing, so I decided to sit down during lunch and read the first few pages to get a taste of whether this book was super boring, or only moderately boring. But page two really got my attention. This is what I read (keep in mind, I'm thinking church-planting, not business enterprise):

"Entrepreneurs have seldom received the attention and respect shown to the executives of extremely large corporations" (see, this already parallels the church "enterprise" very nicely).

But it goes on... "Entrepreneurs who are willing to take risks have been the leaders that have produced our recent economic growth... Without the drive, energies, and dedication of entrepreneurs, new business formation would never take place... Entrepreneurs have proven over and over again to be the pioneers who convert ideas into products; dreams into reality. Entrepreneurs blend creativity, innovation, and risk taking with hard work to form and nurture new ventures."

And here is my favorite quote: "J. B. Say coined the term entrepreneur around 1800 in his discussions of the entrepreneur as a person who shifts economic resources out of an area of lower productivity and into an area of higher productivity and higher yield. He postulated that the major role of the entrepreneur was to exploit change, not by doing things better but by doing something different. He viewed the entrepreneur as someone in society who upsets and disorganizes the status quo."

Wow, change out 'entrepreneur' with 'church planter' and the productivity terms with spiritual terms... and you have a pretty good definition of the emerging church: Small, risk-taking, more flexible, willing to do things differently... shifting resources out of lower spirituality into higher spirituality, exploiting change, not by doing things better, but doing things differently! In essence, rejecting the status-quo (just because 'we've always done it that way').

Finally, the interesting, yet rather wordy intro had one more thing to say that I found very appropriate to church planting. Quoting David Birch, the author divides economic companies into three classes: Elephants, Mice and Gazelles. The Elephants are the very big, slow growth companies that are unresponsive to the economy. Mice are the small, self-employment, no-growth 'Mom and Pop' companies. And Gazelles are the new ventures that grow rapidly, tend to locate in select 'feeding places,' and are significantly innovative.

Hmmmm... I don't necessarily want to equate numerical growth of a church with financial growth of a business (though I must admit, there is an inherent connection)... but I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I want the church I serve in to be as fast and graceful in the kingdom as a gazelle in the grasslands. I want to take risks... I want to live dangerously (knowing there are predators about)... I want to analyze my new community and ask God, "What needs to happen in this place so that people who are hostile or ambivalent toward God can powerfully experience the reality of Christ?" I hope people show up in droves, of course... people hungry for something new (yet ancient), something refreshing, something, powerful, something very, very good. However, if only a handful come and want to be a part of this innovative, risk-taking, status-quo busting ministry venture in Ellensburg... then I need to be OK with that as well.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I'm excited... very, extremely, passionately excited to go 'home' again... take some risks, love people in ways they've perhaps not experienced by the Church before... and be a witness to what God intends to do in us and through us. Some Christians may be offended by our desire to be innovative, and some may even be inspired to join us in our spiritual adventure (which would be wonderful)... but frankly, our 'target audience' is not Christians... It's a highly eclectic mix of sinners who may have real concerns about church... but nevertheless hunger for the encouraging, forgiving and empowering love of Jesus the Christ. As my friend Jeff put it recently (since Ellensburg has a unique blend of cultures and personalities)... we should put a sign out front that reads, "Cowboys, Hippies & Co-Eds welcome!"

Amen, Jeff. That definitely sounds kind of weird, but very Gazelle-like to me!

Hungry

Well, it's been an up and down kind of week, mostly down to be honest. 10 days to go, and we're all feeling the heat. Last night, I wrote a long, pretty negative blog which detailed our fears and concerns about this whole church-planting adventure. But I decided not to post it. Frankly, it was just too blunt and full of fear. Suffice to say things are not going real wonderful at the moment, but regardless of how things may look circumstantially, I continue to believe that everything will work out in the end. Moving issues, building issues, no-place-to-live issues, no-place-to-store-our-stuff issues... you know, everyday stuff (smile)!

I've been thinking about my recent post on personal evangelism, and I want to try to articulate my "method." I must admit though, it's not very structured... in fact, it's rather loose and flabby. There's probably a lot of overlap in my definitions below, but what can I say? Truth to me is not systematic and rationalistic, but inter-relational and organic.

First, I think it's important to become fully saturated with the love of God. It's not my pre-rehearsed speech that will convince someone to enter the kingdom of God, but the authentic love of God overflowing from my heart. So, in my mind, evangelism is rooted in a deeply dependent relationship to, with, and in Jesus Christ. This involves the basic Christian spiritual disciplines such as private and corporate prayer, and passionate consumption (and communal interpretation) of the Word of God. The Bible is read, not to receive "how to tips on evangelism from Jesus and friend," but rather to enter the story of God and allow His Word to shape my character from the inside out. The more I read... and give the Spirit of God permission to saturate my soul through the narrative and propositional truths... the more my heart, soul, mind and strength become mysteriously shaped into the image of Jesus Christ. It's not about principles for living... rather, more like revelation for transformation.

Secondly, I believe it is imperative to become thoroughly immersed in the local community in which I live... where I socialize, go to school/work, shop, eat/drink, play, run errands, worship, and dwell. The light of Christ was meant to be given away to others who are living in darkness, but I cannot shine if I do not engage and intentionally nurture relationships wherever I go and live. I don't need to carry the attitude that I must "get everyone in the world saved." No, I must carry the attitude that God is at work in my community, and I must seek to join Him where He is. As far as I can tell, that "place" is not predictable or measurable or containable. The task of reconciliation is the Lord's alone to carry out, and all He asks of me is to make myself attuned to His will, available to be His presence in the world, and eager to share the story of His resurrection power to forgive and transform with anyone who genuinely seeks Him.

Third, I believe evangelism extends to more than just a one-time conversation or crisis at the altar... into something much bigger and more effective in the context of eternity. Yet it is also messier and less controllable. Incarnational presence goes beyond getting someone to say the sinner's prayer... Incarnational presence is a continual acting out of God's personal touch to those who hunger to grow in their knowledge and experience of His grace. It is reaching out to the powerless. It is giving to the poor and needy. It is spending time to pray for the oppressed and afflicted. It is listening to those who need to spew venom or vent pain that has been welling up in their heart. It's doing what Jesus did when He came to this dark place... It's giving people a better alternative... and empowering them to believe in something (someone) outside of themselves... it's costly... it's self-emptying... it's God-focused and it's powerful.

Fourth, I believe evangelism has to erupt from our best intentions and motivations. I am not on a mission to grow a church, or get another notch in my gun (gunslinger talk)... or even satisfy my own ego to "get someone saved." No, the motive of my evangelistic style must not originate from my modern desire to build a powerful empire... it must originate in the all-powerful, pure, interdependent, ever-continuous love of the Triune God. I'm not here to do God any favors... frankly, He doesn't need me to save the world, or even one person within it. But He does delight in utilizing the overflow of my heart to touch people who yearn for something greater than what their experience has offered up to that point in their lives. I am not a self-automated power-tool, finding people who are broken and taking it upon myself to fix them... I am a hand-tool, placed in the hands of Almighty God, ready to go wherever He call me, and do whatever He bids me to do. I don't have to worry about anyone's eternal destiny... I just have to love people wherever I go, and trust that He knows what He is doing with my life.

Evangelism is not what we tell people, unless what we tell is totally consistent with who we are. It is who we are that is going to make the difference. If we do not truly enjoy our faith, nobody is going to catch the fire of enjoyment from us. If our lives are not totally centered on Christ, we will not be Christ-bearers for others, no matter how pious our words.
--Madeleine L'Engle

Two Weeks

(Deep breath)...

In 13 days, we'll be heading out on the biggest journey of faith that we've ever taken before. And lately I've been reminiscing about our journey here. Looking back, I guess you could say we stepped out in faith when we sold our home, packed up our stuff and moved to Kansas City six years ago so I could attend seminary. And yes, it was a serious step of faith for us... but it didn't really seem like it at the time... we didn't know anyone in the Midwest, had no place to live, no jobs, very little money... In fact, all we had was a 26 foot U-Haul truck full of stuff and lots of faith that God had called us there.

And indeed He did call us to Kansas City. Not just for a rich, holistic, life-changing master's education and the opportunity to learn new things about God... but also for the practical life experiences and the opportunity to learn new things about ourselves! One lesson we certainly learned (sometimes the hard way) is that yes, indeed, God was there to take care of us every step of the way... even when it seemed like times were very dark and our marriage might fall apart. Things simply fell into place... and we learned to depend on each other in ways that could have not come from our own wisdom or strength... it was truly the Master's hand guiding us. Strange, interesting, and thoroughly unpredictable events unfolded right before our eyes... all in all, those first few months were hard but very special to me and my family. All doubts about whether or not God had orchestrated our move (and our calling) - not us - were erased early on. I often struggle with knowing whether I'm following God's will or Jeff's will. The latter is not pretty... and I have many years apart from God to prove it!

Then, right at twelve months into our new life in Misery... uh, that is, Missouri, after the honeymoon period had worn off a bit and the finances were getting extremely tight... one of the biggest miracles of all took place... God called us to serve in a small church in the southern part of the city. The pastor and church board were looking for a seminary student who would simply be willing to serve part-time in exchange for living in their parsonage... a parsonage mind you, with four bedrooms, a full basement, and in a wonderful older neighborhood. Duh... It took me about three seconds to ponder the benefits of that deal! So, I paid them a visit that same day!

But, here we are, five years from that point, and two weeks from moving back to Washington State... and this revelation is really hitting me hard: I'm not going to miss the house one bit (and it has been a great place to live and raise our kids). Frankly, it's the people we're sad about leaving behind, not the building. Since we have the ever-hectic VBS planned for the last week of our time in the big city, the congregation threw us a big farewell party last night and laid hands on us to carry on the Christian tradition of sending us to our next assignment. The whole night was simply wonderful... and yet, it was terrible. I cried like a baby, and my wife cried even harder... and my nine year old daughter cried even harder than that! My 13 year old son didn't cry as much, but he didn't really say much either... he was too overwhelmed and choked up to speak. Good heavens, it was like an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition... I don't know about you, but I can't make it to the end of that show without tears flowing... Nor can I say goodbye to the people who have been our friends, adopted family members, and our biggest supporters without feeling like my heart is being ripped in two.

It's funny, but I've been waiting for this moment for a very, very long time. I've watched many fellow students, a few fellow associate pastors as they left us for greener pastures, never to return... and oh how I longed for the day when it would be us leaving for a new ministry adventure. And now that it is literally upon us, I'm excited of course... but surprisingly I'm not joyful. There's a whole stew of emotions flooding my soul right now - sorrow about leaving some of the best people in the world behind... fear and trembling about what we're getting ourselves into in Ellensburg (more to come on that topic later)... joy that it's finally "our time" to be heading out into the wild blue yonder... and (this is a paradox)... even a bit of mourning that I'm not in school anymore. I never considered myself a natural student... I have a pastor's heart, and only came to seminary to learn how to think theologically (NOT to learn how to become a pastor)! Even though I hated reading all those books (the boring ones), and dreaded writing all those papers (the difficult ones)... I am mystified to say that there is a part of me that misses the challenge to engage my brain in the marketplace of ideas... and consider how that translates into pastoral ministry in the 21st century.

My God, I've been institutionalized! It's a good thing I'm leaving town, or I might someday get the crazy notion to work toward a D.Min. degree... Nah, I'm not that warped!

Nevertheless... God is calling us, of all things, to come home. The vision has been cast, the deal has been set, the call has been made, and plans have been executed... we are now officially past the point of no return. I know this is the right thing to do, but why doesn't He make it easier to leave one place as we prepare ourselves for whatever he has planned where we're going? Oh well... our old church will move on and we will move on... but not completely. Though time and distance may separate us... the love of God in Christ will bond us to those wonderful folks for all eternity.

Thank you for all generosity, patience, love and grace you have shown me and my family these past five years, Summit View Church of the Nazarene! We are profoundly grateful for what you've done to shape us and prepare us to serve in His kingdom.