isaacdowning.com

So, I listened to this NPR podcast today

and it has me been asking myself this question: in all of our marketing efforts, church growth strategies and leadership seminars… are we actually doing anything to grow the church?

It came up from NPR’s Planet Money. They had a completely unrelated broadcast that asked the question, “How do politicians create jobs?”

The short answer they arrived at is that they don’t. They simply work to “create a climate” conducive to job growth. In fact, in the case of Wisconsin’s governor, Scott Walker, the evidence actually suggests that the policies he is putting in place are almost immeasurably small with regard to their impact on job creation. A significant number of jobs in Wisconsin have come from him coaxing businesses to leave one state (often Illinois) in favor of Wisconsin. And the vast majority of jobs that are legitimately being created are due to the fact that we’re in an economic recovery - so those jobs would be created regardless of his tax incentives. And yet, they create more and more policies and spend millions on new programs to create growth.

An important note: I have zero desire to debate the economics of Wisconsin or Governor Walker’s policies. Please do not bemoan the liberalism of NPR or whether they present an accurate picture of WI’s economic state…

What I am concerned about are the frighteningly close parallels between the current strategy of the church and our political system in general. While worshiping together in community, teaching the word, and practicing the ordinances of baptism and communion are all crucial to our faith in Christ, I can’t help but think that we have seriously missed the mark on how we bring new people in and what we do with them once they’re here.

I’m convinced life change happens as a result of someone pouring into a friend, brother, sister or neighbor (aka, discipleship). Everyone in the world seems to get this - everyone, that is, except the church.

Is there anyone who
Ever remembers changing their mind from
The paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who really recalls
Ever breaking rank at all
For something someone yelled real loud one time…

(Belief by John Mayer)

This is more complex than simply saying marketing is wrong discipleship is the only thing that’s right (as evidence: I just dropped off 2,500 postcards to a mass-mailer for an outreach event next weekend). It’s not about marketing, it’s about priorities.

The church at-large seems to have bought the line that says “everything has a price” – whether it’s a nice car, attractive jawline or mature followers of Jesus.

thoughts on communion from Nathan Peterson: "Small Bread" →

Then Jesus passed around the smallest most crunchy piece of “bread” the disciples had ever seen along with a quarter-sip of grape juice to wash it down. He instructed them to face forward, ignore each other, to think about how we was going to die for them and how sucky that made them, and then once they had accepted that fact they could down the bread and the juice. (The key here is to wait until you get together, then completely ignore each other. Don’t smile.) Then He instructed them to repeat this process once per week for the rest of eternity.

I’m not complaining about the size of the bread. But I think the size may be indicative of the state of the entire process as it stands in the American Church today.

Maybe it’s time to re-think this.

-np

"If you want to last over the long haul of ministry, you have to learn how to recharge yourself spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Here’s an easy formula to remember: Divert daily, withdraw weekly, abandon annually. Know what relaxes you and what recharges you – and do it."

— Rick Warren

"If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy. Cut something out."

— D. A. Carson

"…if you say you are called to be where you are, a few questions need to be answered. For example, how would you be missed if you left this place? What would change? …what would your church (and the worldwide church) look like if everyone was as committed as you are? If everyone gave and served and prayed exactly like you, would the church be healthy and empowered? Or would it be weak and listless?"

— Francis Chan, Forgotten God