I’ve spent June and July in relative silence. I’ve been listening a lot. I’ve been observing a lot. I’ve been reading a lot. I’ve been praying a lot.
It’s not because I’ve really wanted to be quiet. There have been times when I’ve wanted to make a snarky comment or put up a snarky blog post because of what I have seen. Tweets have come through and it would have been easy to respond in a way that made it evident I was just rolling my eyes at the tweet. The same with a facebook post. But I thought twice about it and just deleted what I was going to say. It was better for me that way. Actually, I got convicted every time I wanted to say something so I just kept my mouth shut for the most part.
A lot has happened over the summer that I haven’t commented on and I thought I would make a few observations in general on what I have seen and heard.
The SBC
The Southern Baptist Convention was held in June and the big deal was the Great Commission Resurgence. We all knew it would pass, and it did. I did find it interesting that the leadership of the SBC and their minions took to the twitterverse to try to sell the package, and, in some ways, to shout down those who were against it.
The SBC is a unique animal. It is incredibly political. I have seen the underbelly of it on a couple of occasions and, as recently as this year, it became personal. It really shows me that denominationally it is mostly about money and power and control.
I also realized what SBC professors do not write much, and if they do, it all sounds the same. I was having lunch with a former SBC professor and he told me this story. He said that in most institutions of higher learning, it is publish or perish. However, in SBC seminaries (and others where you have to sign a denominational confessional statement) it is publish and perish. There was no such thing as academic freedom. I can accept that, but could not embrace it. It stifles the learning process that the Spirit has for the person and those whom he or she teaches. I also guess that is why I just don’t read books from SBC professors anymore. It’s the same old stuff.
Practitioners
I had someone who is a well-known practitioner tell me in the past few years, “I really love …. and he’s a friend, but his stuff is all theory. Find someone who is practicing what you want to accomplish and get to know them.” I have really taken that to heart. Yet I see more and more people who don’t practice try to tell pastors how to do things. Not just on a philosophical or theological level, but on a practical level. You cannot hold conferences about that which you have not practiced in twenty years. You can’t say you understand what small church pastors are going through if you haven’t been one in twenty years. You can’t teach urban church planting if you have never planted an urban church.
That is why I love to read and dialogue with actual practitioners. I love to read people like NT Wright, who until recently, was a pastor in England. I love to read David Fitch’s blog. He is a professor and pastor of a missional community in Chicago. I really enjoy Bob Roberts in metro Dallas. Then there is my friend Todd Littleton. He as some really good things to say. Caleb Crider has some great things to say as well.
And that is why I love Len Sweet. I spent three years with Len as a student. I have been privileged to spend time at conferences with him, and one on one in conversations. I’ve seen people ask Len a practical question and almost without fail, Len will respond with a theological or philosophical framework answer. He doesn’t want to tell you how to do something, because people would leave his talk and all wear jeans and dark sport coats. He wants to you take the framework he has given and allow the Spirit to work it out in you and your community of faith, if that is what the Spirit wants to see happen. Unfortunately, as pastors, we want people to tell us how to grow our church and in doing so we can have the next killer app. But the killer app is the one birthed inside us by the Holy Spirit. Someone suggested I look at Len as an architect. I don’t expect to get practical advice from Len on many things. But he does create a framework that makes me think about what I do and say.
Networks
There are more church networks than there are television stations. And all of them are having conferences. I don’t mind conferences, it’s just that I do not attend them any more. I would rather attend something akin to a multi-day small community gathering of 20-30 people sitting around the room talking with others about life and ministry. I’ve found that so many of the conferences have the same people speaking and you can get what they are saying by reading their books. So it’s cheaper to read the book than spend all the money to go see them on a screen 60 rows or more from the front. Len Sweet does some great advances and the Ecclesia Network does some great things as well, as does the Upstream Collection.
Networks will be important as denominations wane. They will replace the denomination as the primary influencer of ministry, if they have not already done so.
Declining Numbers
My wife, who is a children’s pastor, has noted to me recently that a lot of Children’s Pastors are talking about declining numbers. Pastors are talking about declining numbers as well. It looks like we are finally beginning to realize American Christianity has failed. Oh wait, did I say that? Actually, what I think is happening is a multi-faceted failure to stay true to our first love. We have embraced consumerism, excellence, theological frameworks, philosophical frameworks, ministry styles, preaching styles, and even the gospel while turning away from our first love: Jesus. There are other reasons as well. A friend of mind, who supported the SBC’s GCR, noted to me that when the SBC traded Jesus for the Bible in 2000, things began to change. I think in general, we have a passion for practices instead of a passion for the Person of Jesus.
In all this, I am seeing a change in tone and understanding about what success means in ministry today. I think the church is going to have to learn a new meaning of success.
Etc.
I’ve seen more polarization, particularly in politics but in the church as well. You can’t be a Christian and be a democrat, for instance. All the while, families are falling apart, lives are being destroyed, and people are continuing a dehumanization process into hell. My friend Heidi and I have had discussions about this, and she’s right. We’ve got too many people on a journey into hell to be fighting the government or each other. Change the person, change the culture. Change the culture, change society. Change society, and change the country. And the world. Of course, we do not change people; but as we partner with the Spirit and follow Jesus, we will have those opportunities.
The church is under-forgiving and over-controlling, a lot more pharisees than followers of Christ. I will leave it at that.
If we would do more listening than speaking with people who do not follow Christ we would have more influence in their life to help them uncover the Christ the created them. If we would do more loving than condemning, we would have more opportunities to nudge people to Jesus.
Oh well, I’ve probably said too much. More later. Maybe.
