Authentic

authentic | involved | eclectic | missional

Authentic [aw-then-tic]

1.	not false or copied; genuine; real

2.	having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence; authenticated; verified

3.	entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy

Source: http://www.dictionary.com/

We at The River seek to be a community of faith that is authentic. But what exactly does that mean? Isn't every church authentic? Well, maybe... and maybe not. But we're not trying to presume the motives of other groups in this discussion. We are simply asking what the shape and priorities of our church should be if we're seeking to be (as in definition number one) "genuine" followers of Jesus in this little corner of the world.

One thing that comes to mind for me is that we need to see people here as loved by God - no matter where they are in their beliefs. There is a huge population of spiritual believers and seekers in the Pacific Northwest. But - here's a shock - not all of them are looking for... or finding their answers in Christ. I don't know if that is the church's fault or not... but I do know that we have kind of settled into a polarized society here: Essentially, the Christians and the non-Christians.

We have a decent (if not statistically low) number of Bible-believing, regularly church-attending folks who make it to worship service each Sunday. And then we have a massive group of people who don't fit into that category... probably because there are so many outdoor activities in (or close to) this little valley. Why mess up a perfectly good chance to go skiing or snowmobiling by going to church?

I don't have a great answer to that last point. Sometimes I wish I could go fishing, or skiing, or hiking, or camping, or river-floating (or whatever) on a weekend without having to go to the modern version of church. But hey, that's the price you pay to be a disciple, isn't it? By now, you may be asking yourself... Does Jeff have a point to make here? Actually, I don't know for certain - but I do know I'm kind of sick of the polarity.

Perhaps it's just the nature of the beast, but why do Christians have to be so different than the rest of society? Why do we have to put up so many walls... blocking the way for people to experience what we have to offer... that is, the person of Jesus in our midst? Why have we positioned ourselves as so different from (i.e., out of touch with) our unbelieving friends and neighbors?

I understand that not everyone wants to know about Jesus... BOY do I understand that! But how many people would demonstrate more interest in the Christian faith if they encountered more authentic Christ followers in their daily lives? What if - instead of taking pride in our separation from the "sinners" among us - we took pride in our integration into the lives of pre-Christians... that is, people who don't yet know (but have a destiny with) Christ?

Okay... a controversial point perhaps... but let's say we agree that we need to be more integrated into our local community... Somehow we need to overcome our collective "holier-than-thou" reputation, and earn a new reputation as authentic, empathetic and completely trustworthy. But how do we go about it? How do we change our reputation? Is it even possible? How do we allow others to see that we're real people... with real problems and concerns? How do we live among the people and tell them the truth... the compelling story of God's relentless pursuit of our salvation... without coming across as jerks and self-seeking manipulators?

Wikipedia says that authenticity "refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions" and "a particular way of dealing with the external world." Wow... If we could stop trying to build a church... (yes, that's what I said). If we could stop trying to win more people to Jesus (don't faint... stay with me). Heck, if we could just somehow, some way resist the overwhelming sense of "us and them" syndrome for just a little while... If we could live our lives before God with "truthfulness of origins; attributions; commitments; sincerity; devotion; and intentions"...

Who knows what God could do with that kind of authenticity from His followers!

So, blog reader... what does authentic Christian discipleship mean to you? I know, I know... online comments are about as popular as a root canal... but just this once, give it a try... There is no right or wrong here (well, unless you're really off the deep end). I'm simply curious what people think when they hear the term "authentic follower of Christ." How does a little, emerging, and (hopefully) out of the box gathering of everyday people live in, and connect with folks on a deep level... and find creative new ways to "deal with the external world?"

How do we spread the good news authentically (that is... with our actions as well as our words)? How do we speak the language of "outsiders" so they hear the relevance of Christ... and positively respond to Him? Just what does it mean to be aw-then-tik?

Hmmmmmm... I'm curious to read what you think.

Daily Word

Ya, I know it's been awhile since I have posted anything at this blog... but trust me, I have been busy! Ever since we have been gathering (at The River) as a small group for the past few weeks, I set up a new blog at the church website with the daily gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary. There are some really good resources that teach about the Lectionary at The Voice. Anyway, I have been providing the Gospel portion of the Scriptures along with an image and short devotional thought. It's a quick read (about 5 minutes), and hopefully worthwhile in the lives of busy, overtaxed disciples of Jesus.

The church website is www.kvriver.com and the devotional reading for each day is on the tab (at the top of the page) called "Daily Word". Unlike this blog, there is not a subscription button for email. However, if you'd like me to add you to (or remove you from) the list, I can send you an email each day as I update the blog.

To all my adoring fans (:-) I'll get back to posting more at this site pretty soon... However, I'm having a lot of fun and getting challenged by writing these short, simple devotional thoughts each day. They are not terribly deep or profound, but nevertheless, the discipline is having a deep, profound impact on me... and so are our small group discussions. Your online comments are welcome and appreciated... assuming you're not trying to sabotage our efforts.

Finally, I'm also writing a weekly devotional thought each week for my previous employer (Children's Ministries) in Kansas City. They are posted at http://cmc.nazarene.org. These short sermonettes have proven to be fun (and challenging) as well.

Gee, all this responsibility is causing me to actually read the Bible once in a while!

Who woulda thunk it?

On This Rock I Will Build My Church

So, I was talking with a friend today (talking with friends always helps me articulate my otherwise random thoughts)... and we got into a discussion about vocational pastoral ministry.

To be honest, I'm pretty confused (but that's okay - so is my friend). On one hand, I track really well with the Emerging Church philosophy and it's desire to "emerge" or rise up out of the paradigm of modernity and it's redefinition of the historic Christian faith. So much of what the church has become in America is rooted in consumerism and individualism and reason (as opposed to communal, kingdom living and tradition). This, in my estimation, has made doing church as much a professional business as it is a lifestyle. And as any fan of Willow Creek or Saddleback can attest (by their endorsement of megachurch)... the bigger the church empire (aka, ministry), the more power and influence it has in the marketplace... and therefore, the more resources it can sell to Christians with an insatiable appetite for finding the newest, best way yet to know and follow God with as little effort as possible.

On the other hand, however, I suppose I'm about as modern as they come in terms of vocational ministry. You see, I wandered my dispassionate way through the wilderness of meaningless jobs for most of my adult life. I was always fairly good at what I did... but I never could put my heart into my job. Let's face it, it's tough to get excited about selling forklifts, or coupon advertising, or office furniture... at least it was for me. But one day, I was talking to an associate pastor (yes, at a big church - I'm full of contradictions) about my thoughts on small groups, and another associate pastor, overhearing our conversation, came up and asked me, "Jeff, do you think God might be calling you into the ministry?" 

Wow... with one simple question, that pastor changed the course of my life forever. Yes, it may have taken me until I was 35, but that day, I finally learned what I want to do with my life when (an if) I grow up! Mind you, it took me another 8 years to prepare (formally, at least) for the ministry - but nevertheless, now I can't even fathom ever doing anything but pastoring a church. I firmly believe God created me to be a pastor... that's it, end of story. (Oh, God... somebody please call a doctor... I'm obviously deranged!)

But do you see my dilemma? The modern church is the perfect environment for a lifetime vocational pastor like me... right? After all, the bigger the church, the more accolades (and book deals?) that can be negotiated, and the higher the salary that can be demanded. [WARNING: Long sentence to follow - try to maintain your train of thought the whole way through!] But these so-called emergents - those house-church kind of folks who actually think spiritual formation and Christian discipleship is more likely to take place in someone's living room or out in the public square, than in a massive auditorium with colorful banners and professional worship music - don't think money should be what drives the heartbeat of the church. In other words, I want to pastor a church that - in theory - wouldn't want to pay a pastor.

Arrrrrgggghhh! To quote the Apostle Paul... WAY out of context in Romans 7:24-25, "I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind..." 

You know, when it comes down to it, I love the idea of a smaller, organic, missional, communal kind of church... a New Testament kind of church. But there's nothing wrong with the concept of God "adding to their numbers daily" either. I think if the church I'm pastoring ever had to deal with the "problem" of exponential numerical growth... the thing I would try to remember is that we are simply called to love God, love our neighbor, and love our brother... not build a church empire. That, in essence, is His job if He so desires. However, God can move mountains with a community of people sold out to His cause, be it a community of 12 (with an unpaid lay-pastor), or a community of 1200 (with a staff of vocational ministers).

Hmmm, someday, I hope to find where I really belong along that continuum. For now though, I'm pretty content with where God has put me (lonely as it may be sometimes)... and I kind of hope He shows me what can happen here in Ellensburg when ordinary people listen and obey the One who came to redeem all of creation and share the good news. Wow, what if this church-plant rose up to one day become a spiritual oak of righteousness??? What if lives were changed... hope was given... bondage was broken... hearts were turned?

Geez... how audacious is that...? Yet, how humbling... how exciting! 

Come, Lord Jesus! We want to see your church grow (deep and wide).

The Keys to Success

Okay, okay... I cry Uncle... really I do. Recently, people have been pretty much telling me the same thing over and over again: (1) They like the way I articulate my thoughts about God and life, and (2) I don't do it very consistently at all. In fact, several times in the past few weeks, I've been encouraged (often with a fair bit of sarcasm) to update my blog more often.

And the truth is, I love to write... especially when I don't have to follow any rules or fear the editor's pen. More often than not, my grammar is likely incorrect, my punctuation is reprehensible, and my believe it or not, I've been known to say (and write) things that occasionally offend people. Yes, I know - big shock. But honestly, I'm not trying to be offensive. I'm just trying to speak my mind about the profoundly easy, and yet profoundly difficult task of following Jesus.

So, after all these weeks away from my blog... here is my incredibly deep thought for today: I am not a very important person anymore.

In the past, I have had big keychains - keys to my car, my wife's car, my house, my work, my church, and even perhaps several other important places (or things) of value and security. But these days I only carry two keys - the one to my car and the one to my rental home. That's it - two lousy keys. No enormous keychain with a dozen keys crowding their way around the metal ring... just two rather simple, rather lonely keys.

You see, as a church planter, I don't have a church door in which to place a key - which is strangely humbling and lonely. When I encounter people and tell them I moved back to Ellensburg recently to plant a new church, the first question most of them ask is, "Where is your church located?" And when I tell them our home is serving as the place for our church - at least for now, most of them get a confused look on their face and say, "Oh, that's interesting." And part of me can't really blame them. After all, a church is a building, right? You know, a steep roof line, stained glass, bad landscaping, well-lit signage, etc. Hmmmm... or is the church more than a physical building after all?

Better question? What is the church? And what are the "keys" to starting a new church (pardon the pun)? In the past, one of the top answers was always rather obvious: secure a physical space that provides adequate room in which to worship as a community of believers. Well, duh! 

But how many well-intentioned church planters have immediately implemented this traditional wisdom in their local context, only to find themselves enslaved to a building (and rent) and everything else that implies, such as preaching to no one in an empty sanctuary. How much better then, to be freed and empowered to: (1) gradually and naturally become part of their community, (2) authentically build and develop relationships with a wide range of folks, (3) show hospitality by inviting strangers into their home, and (4) find creative ways to be missional - that is, to share the love of God in Christ with those who don't yet know of His amazing grace - both individually, and as a (growing) emerging new community of disciples learning to live life together as the "church."

In other words, what if worship were more than gathering together once a week (in our Sunday finest) to sing spiritual songs and articulate pastoral prayers, and acquire sermonic, practical help on how to live our lives better as a Christian believer. Note: I'm not down on church in general... (not completely, anyway)... but I guess I'm convinced that church - according to the teachings of Jesus - was designed to be so much more than what we've reduced it to. For that matter, the divine call to live a holy life was designed to be so much more than what we've reduced it to in 21st century USAmerica... but that's another post I suppose.

Well, anyway... maybe the keys to getting back to the fundamentals of the gospel are not found in a grand new building with a killer sound system, but rather in our collective family rooms and kitchens, armed with nothing more than mutual submission, authentic desire, and a biblical discussion about life... Not by going to church once per week (dutifully), but by learning to live out church 24/7 (passionately). Not by (merely) studying Jesus, but by submitting to, communicating with, and expecting the Holy Spirit to generously incorporate the character of Jesus into our lives - powerfully, mysteriously, and supernaturally.

Ahhhh, but regardless of all that - my ego would feel a lot better if my keychain became a bit more populated! Maybe Starbucks will give a key someday to open up shop at O'Dark 30 (?) Then again, maybe I should just follow the call of Christ, be more comfortable with two keys in my pocket, and try not to worry about how people in our culture define success.

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!

Evangelism

I got myself in trouble with an experienced pastor the other day. Oops, I should probably learn to keep my mouth shut more often! Anyway, we got into a short discussion about my evangelism style, and I told him I don't really have one. After his initial shock, he asked me what I meant, so I told him a story.

When I was in my first year of seminary, I had heard much about the evangelism professor, who was something of a legend in that school and across the denomination... so I immediately enrolled in his Personal Evangelism class. But there was a problem. The more I went to class that semester, the more I became troubled by the whole "evangelism" thing. Great guy... I love the (now retired) professor as a person... but frankly, his methods literally made me ill. His full-court press style of gospel salesmanship was modeled after "Evangelism Explosion, " a massively popular formula for "training disciples" developed by D. James Kennedy in the early 60's. Essentially, this method of sharing the gospel centers around asking two important questions, roughly as follows:

#1 - If you were to die tonight, do you know for sure that you would go to be with God in heaven?

#2 - (if they say yes)... If God were to ask you, "Why should I allow you into My heaven," what would you say?

Then, after managing to get his or her attention (hopefully by scaring the "hell" out of them), you would lead them through a series of pre-selected Bible passages (accompanied by profound illustrations)... all purposefully designed to lead the person through a rational, yet emotionally appealing monologue about God's plan of salvation with humankind. Question, question, Scripture, illustration, Scripture, illustration... etc.

Anyone can do it, my professor insisted, as long as they commit themselves to memorizing the questions, the Bible passages, and the illustrations. That, and an evangelist must diligently maintain the attitude of prayer and "seeing" the lost with Jesus' eyes. If we don't see everyone in desperate need of Christ, then we'll quickly become desensitized, and stop being concerned about people going to hell. Now, tell me, how exactly does a person argue with that?

In those days, I didn't have the words to articulate my building sense of anxiety each time I went to class and had to report on how many times I had shared the gospel with unbelievers the previous week... but with each passing Tuesday night, I came to dread the two and a half hour class more and more. Over and over, the class schedule followed the same basic formula for success: Listen to the professor's highly-charged lecture, take copious notes (or pretend to), watch a home video or two in which he demonstrates every phase of the monologue with unbelievable ease, take a short quiz, turn in a written report, practice our pitch with a partner or small group... and of course, give the class our personal "hit list" of how many people we had gotten to the point of saying the infamous "sinner's prayer" and therefore getting them eternally "saved." We even tracked our overall class hit list per local church throughout the semester with hash marks on a blackboard representing each person won into the kingdom of God! What an impact we were making... and what a migraine I was getting!

Years later, I went to a Brian McLaren conference in Kansas City, and he helped me understand why I had difficulty relating to my legendary professor. For one thing, the two questions were not appropriate for this day and age... (Hmmm, what might a better question be for a postmodern age?)

Anyway, there is good news about the class - I finally got through the semester. The bad news, however? I later realized that the class was a two-semester course. In order to get any credit, I had to take "advanced" evangelism the following semester as well! Oh boy!... More money down the toilet!... More hash marks on the chalkboard!... More sinners saved!... More migraines!

Needless to say, I hated it. Perhaps next time I'll try to explain what my style of evangelism is (yes, I do have one, but it's not nearly as scientific or a "sure-fire" in its ability to bring sinners to their knees)... rather than what it is not. In the meantime, I'd love to learn your take on the whole subject. How you go about sharing your faith in Jesus Christ? What does evangelism mean to you?

Let Down Your Nets

In Luke 5, Jesus told Simon Peter to push his boat out into the deep water and let his nets out for a catch. Simon agreed, but you can hear the serious doubt in his voice. "Master, we've been fishing all night and haven't even caught a minnow. But if you say so..."

Just because Simon doubted his Master's ability, doesn't mean he failed to obey Him when instructed to take action. These last couple of years in seminary have been very important in my relationship with the Master. When I came to KC, I thought I had so many of life's answers, and seminary would teach me how to put my thoughts into action. But to my surprise, that hasn't been the case at all. Somewhere along the way, I discovered that my little, boxed-in god whom my family and I brought with us to the Midwest is much bigger than I ever imagined. My days of listening to radio sermons and reading the latest books on pop-theology didn't really prepare me for what I encountered these past few years as a student. The pragmatic god of self-help and rational, practical answers has transformed Himself into the God of mystery and radical self-revelation. Don't get me wrong... since the time I was born again as an adult, I worshipped God with holy reverence and fear... but as I have read countless books and written countless papers and studied too late and spent all my money (and then some) trying to finish my theological education... something real and tangible has been infused into my understanding of God's holy character. Frankly, I was kind of scared that seminary would take away my fire and passion for Jesus Christ, but ultimately my experience has been quite the contrary... Rather, He has become more real to me than ever before. The more I learn about Him - and the way He chooses to interact with His creation, the more motivated I am to trust that I was made to serve His purposes, not the other way around.

Let down your nets for a catch... - Now that I'm just a few weeks from graduating, and the reality of pastoring a church - that is, being the lead pastor, the visionary, etc. - the doubt of Simon Peter is beginning to surface in my own heart. Lord, I've been fishing for a long time now, and haven't caught anything. I have been an associate pastor at a small church in Kansas City for five long years, and it's still a small... very, very small church. What makes me think I'll have any more success in another place if I haven't experienced much success where I've already been endeavoring to serve You day after day?

Let down your nets for a catch... - The church we're called to pastor has already failed at least once in its desire and attempt to turn the world upside down for Christ. Why should it be any different for us? Though I don't know all the details, surely this church started out with hopes and dreams of being a place of refuge for hurting souls, a place of revelation for those seeking God, and a place of meaning and purpose for those hungry for the presence of God. What makes me think we could do any better? What's so special about us? That's easy... Nothing whatsoever.

Master, I've been fishing all night and haven't even caught a minnow. But if you say so... - Maybe it's not that I have such great gifts or special talents... but because I've come to recognize my weakness and inability to do the impossible. Perhaps being aware of your weaknesses and shortcomings is as important as being aware of your talents and strengths. I don't know why Jesus chose Simon the fisherman to follow Him. Certainly it wasn't because of Simon's great ability to think before he spoke. Certainly it wasn't because of Simon's unwavering faith. Certainly it wasn't because of Simon's unceasing prayer... remember his nap in the Garden of Gethsemane? Perhaps it happened, not because he was bulletproof, but because he was willing... Not because he was perfect, but because he was moldable. Simon failed numerous times, and too often he stuck his foot in his mouth. But one thing he had going for himself... Even when he doubted, he obeyed his Master. He may have been shaking his head when he did it, but he let down his nets when Jesus told him to. And the result was astonishing. This is from The Message: It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Hmmm... Isn't it cool what God can do when He has a humble and willing - even if a little doubtful - servant who decides to obey His will? May we all learn the art of fishing for women and men... from our good friend and fellow disciple, Simon Peter. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.