Unintended Consequences

I was reading my latest issue of “Road and Track” magazine and stumbled upon some unique perspectives about innovation:

1. LED traffic lights are very popular these days. They use 90% less energy than the old incandescent bulb traffic lights. Unfortunately, there’s a downside. LED lights produce very little heat. When ice and snow hit in cold climates, the precipitation builds up on the light housings and cause the lights to fail. This has resulted in traffic accidents due to malfunctioning LED traffic lights. It was an unintended consequence of a new innovation. Solutions to the problem have ranged from installing heating elements in the new lights to hiring work crews to clean the lights regularly. The expense of these solutions may be eliminated if communities go back to incandescent bulb traffic lights!

2. The increase in biofuel production in Europe has resulted in a population explosion of the European wild boar. With more corn and crops being grown for biofuel needs, wild boars have been on a feeding frenzy, attacking innocent villagers, smashing into living rooms, and terrorizing village streets. It’s an unintended consequence.

Clearly, good things can lead to unintended consequences.

It’s true of the church, too.

1. God instituted the Old Testament priesthood and the New Testament office of the pastoral ministry. As the church grew, professional clergy proliferated. As the church became more and more institutionalized, professional clergy began to gravitate away from being missionaries in their communities. Instead they became comfortable, started to settle for the status quo, began to exclude the people of the church from the work of the mission, and used extra time to create an argumentative and internally focused environment. It was an unintended consequence.

2. As “church” began to be defined in terms of membership at a place where there was community, discipleship, and fellowship, a “club” mentality that overlooks the central mission of the church began to form. Reliance upon the “professionals” to do what was supposed to be normal for every believer (prayer, witness, creating relationships with unbelievers, discipling others, growing in the Word, caring actively for each other), caused church members to become consumers of ministry that met their needs. It was an unintended consequence.

What can you do about these unintended consequences? Like the traffic light issue, you may have to look back to the original and recapture the warmth of the purpose of ministry. Like the wild boar issue, you may have to set up some clear boundaries that protect the church from lapsing into selfish indulgence.

Overall, we are called to be accountable to God and to become realigned with His true mission, his purpose, and His intent for His Church. According to Him, His church is described with words like: Ambassadors, Salt, and Light. God expects us and calls us to share the resurrection life of His Son with people. If you’re mired in unintended consequences, it’s time to repent, step away from cold boarishness, and embark upon the most exciting and worthy mission ever.

Need some help? Check out www.missionalworker.org.

Unleashing Missional Imagination

A precious friend of ours died a few days ago. He was a crusty New Jersey thoracic surgeon. My wife worked in his office twenty-five years ago. Whey she met him, he was a disillusioned, de-churched, Roman Catholic who dismissed Jesus as an institutional tool for power, control and fund raising. But change was on the horizon.

We lived in New Jersey for only one year. During that time, the doctor took a shine to my wife’s kind heart and cheerful attitude. She was like a granddaughter to him. My wife appreciated his intelligence, compassion for patients, and humor. They became friends. I was able to meet him and develop a friendship, too. Though he hadn’t darkened the doorway of a church in decades, we invited him to our farewell Sunday when we left. He surprised us by coming.

When we left, the friendship continued and the outreach began. My wife kept in touch with the doctor. She sent him cards on his birthday, for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day. She wrote notes that expressed the heartfelt desire that Jesus would bless his special celebrations and his family. The cards always had special Bible verses in them. My wife cared about this person and told me that she wanted to see him in heaven one day.

Years went by, and my wife never stopped her faithful notes to him. One Christmas, something completely unusual and surprising happened. The doctor, who sent us regular Christmas cards—always secular and generic, sent us a card with a manger scene on the cover. Inside was a short note that recognized God’s blessings in his life.

I would have never created a strategy for outreach that involved sending greeting cards and notes. But the love of one person, her deep care for one who was lost, and the relentless effort to connect with him, prepared fertile soil for the Holy Spirit. And a life was changed forever.

Several years ago a woman approached me with a ministry idea. It was to form a network of people who cared for each other with the love of Jesus. They would step up to cook meals for those in need, do chores, drive to doctor’s appointments, and send cards—all in the name of Jesus. I told her to go for it. And she did.

Years later, many care teams exist in this ministry. The largest team is called “team cheer.” The team’s job? To send cards to people. Hundreds of people belong to team cheer. They reach thousands of people on a consistent basis every year. Many people have come to Christ through this ministry. Many people have experienced Jesus’ love. Who would have thought of such a ministry? But the missional imagination of one follower of Christ can change lives forever.

A doctor, a friend, is in heaven today because of God’s Word and the love of Jesus communicated through cards and notes over a twenty-five year span of time. In what ways is the Holy Spirit leading you to reach out? To whom is your missional imagination leading you? Jesus didn’t tell everyone to start an organization. He told us to make disciples as we go about our lives. His desire is that all people know Him and are saved. Where will you start today?

Get training and ministry ideas at Missional Worker Training on May 15 in San Antonio, Texas. Go to www.missionalworker.org for details.

Neighborhood Genius

I’m writing this blog at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida. No, I’m not writing during the sessions. I’m writing while I play hooky at Disney World (just kidding!).

As I wander through the hallways at the conference, I’ve noticed that a lot of church planters and missional leaders are injured. An oddly high number of people have casts on their arms or legs, are wearing slings, and are moving around on crutches. I’m beginning to think that living out a missional life is really dangerous!

A missional life is, in fact, daring and risky. Instead of living for yourself, serving your own interests, and being protected in your bubble, you decide to really care about people. You take time to engage with your family. You take steps to get involved in people’s lives. You venture into the community to serve others. You ask God and yourself, “How can I live out Jesus’ love in public today?”

I was having lunch with a few colleagues recently when a fellow church member approached our table and introduced us to a friend of hers. The friend had experienced all kinds of tragedy and hurt. She was barely scraping by. The church member had been doing a great job introducing her to the care and love of Jesus. There was one problem, the friend mentioned casually. She didn’t have a driver’s license and couldn’t visit our faith community.

You could see everyone thinking, “Hey! We’ll give you a ride!”

I had another thought: “What if she were to help start a gathering in her own neighborhood? There would be no pressure for a driver’s license and she could invite a whole bunch of her friends. She’d be able to explore with people in her life who God is.”

That kind of invitation was extended to my wife recently. A neighbor invited her to gather with a group of ladies to explore who Jesus is and do life together. They would meet in her home, just a few blocks away.

This is nothing new or earth shattering. People met in homes in Acts chapter two. But it really works. It’s close in proximity. It’s convenient. It involves natural relationships. It causes life-sharing and Christian conversation. It leads to mentoring and caring. It even creates groups that serve others. It is the church in action. It’s very meaningful. It’s what people yearn for. And anybody can do it.

The gathering my wife attends isn’t part of a small groups program at a church. It’s simply being the church.

I call it neighborhood genius. God put you in the middle of a whole bunch of people—in your family, at work, at school, in your apartment complex, at soccer practice—you get the idea. It’s your neighborhood. Then, in your neighborhood, you get people together. You talk and care and live and bring Jesus there. He’ll show you the way. And lives will change. People will be lifted up. People will receive God’s love. People will band together to bring that love to more “neighborhoods.”

At the conference I’m attending, I heard the story of a water skiing instructor who worked on Sunday mornings. He didn’t feel good about missing church, so before he took people out on the water, he asked if he could read some Scripture and pray for them. This caught on. Soon he had 60 water skiers gathering for breakfast, the Bible and prayer each Sunday before they all went skiing. A group of locals joined in to help people with their boats in case they needed some repair and help. The ski instructor said to his pastor, “You know what, I think I accidentally started a church!”

Neighborhood genius! It sounds like what God told Abraham in Genesis 12, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you." What a plan! Genius. How are you working in your neighborhood?

Taking a Chance

A very scary thing took place as I lived in a neighborhood for fourteen years. I saw little kids grow up and learn to drive!

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Little Andrew, just a toddler when we moved into the neighborhood, was suddenly given the keys to the family Expedition. Up the street he went, windows rolled down, radio blaring, exceeding the speed limit, a smirk of coolness on his face. How could this be?

Sweet little Emily, just into kindergarten when we arrived on the block, was driving her sister to school! When did she get such authority?

This was frightening. But it was a fact of life. After all, we’re going to need these drivers to take us to our hip replacement doctor follow-ups one day.

It’s terrifying, but there is no way we can shut down driver training. We can’t cap the number of drivers on the road with our generation.

The same is true of Kingdom work.

It may be scary, but God is giving many people the mantle of Kingdom service. It can be frightening to Kingdom-work veterans, and it can be frightening for new Kingdom workers! But we can’t shut down Kingdom-worker training and sending. We can’t cap the number of people who serve Jesus with our generation or our geography or our genetic makeup. We must take a chance.

Throughout millennia God has raised up new people to reach out with His Good News. Somehow, we who serve got into this business. Each of us was new at one time. And each of us makes a unique Kingdom difference. We need to let God do the same with others. We need to mentor, support, teach, be flexible, welcome new ideas, guide with sound Scriptural foundations, and let go of our own fear and pride. We need to see how God will reach new generations with new workers who are sent into a chain reaction of new relationships.

And new workers need to be ready. Getting behind the wheel can be nerve-wracking. It can be intimidating. You may not want to head out into traffic. But there comes a time to drive! God is sending you because there are people in your life who need to know Jesus. There are people you will enter into relationships with who need to see His genuine love. You need to learn, practice, be humble, and take risks.

God’s courage leads the way. Let’s take chances with Him so that many will come to know their Savior, Jesus who lives!

You can register for the latest Missional Worker Training in your area at www.missionalworker.org.

The Reformation and Missional Communities

When Martin Luther was ousted from the church, the struggle of being the church became a new challenge. Were the Reformers really the church? The Roman Catholic authorities told them that they were most certainly not. They weren’t church; they had no real pastors; and the people were apostate outsiders cut off from God’s grace.

The Roman Church possessed the authority to be church. The understanding of the Word was theirs. The administration of the sacraments was under their control. The outsiders were a sham, fake, inauthentic.

So the struggle began. What were these little communities of believers in Jesus to do?

As they searched the Scriptures they discovered something. They WERE the church!

Thus began the development of the Reformation Church as missional communities.

The Lutheran Confessions express this joyful discovery of the reformers. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession says in Articles VII and VIII: “In accordance with the Scriptures, therefore, we maintain that the church in the proper sense is the assembly of the saints who truly believe the Gospel of Christ and who have the Holy Spirit” (Tappert, p.173).

Article XII of the Smalcald Articles declares: “We do not concede to the papists that they are the church, for they are not. Nor shall we pay any attention to what they command or forbid in the name of the church, for, thank God, a seven-year-old child knows what the church is, namely, holy believers and sheep who hear the voice of their Shepherd. So children pray, ‘I believe in one holy Christian church.’ Its holiness does not consist of surplices, tonsures, albs, or other ceremonies of theirs which they have invented over and above the Holy Scriptures, but it consists of the Word of God and true faith” (Tappert, p.315).

Based on the Bible, the Reformers saw church as the body of Christ, “holy believers and sheep who hear the voice of their Shepherd,” bunches of redeemed people gathered by and gathered around the Word of God.

The Reformers resisted the assertion that church could only be church when papist authorities deemed it to be church by their control and decree.

The church was more than an institutional entity. It was living, fluid, vibrant, and reaching. Article IV of the Smalcald articles comments on the Gospel: “We shall now return to the Gospel, which offers counsel and help against sin in more than one way, for God is surpassingly rich in his grace: First, through the spoken word, by which the forgiveness of sin (the peculiar function of the Gospel) is preached to the whole world; second, through Baptism; third, through the holy Sacrament of the Altar; fourth, through the power of the keys; and finally, through the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren” (Tappert, p.310).

God was moving among His people. His movements were not limited to the authoritative outlets that the Roman officials allowed.

The church of the Reformation established itself as missional communities: assemblies that were fully the church, filled with and utilizing the gifts God bestowed upon the church, reaching out with a life-transforming Gospel for the expansion of the church.

Under the heading of the Mass, Article XXIV of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession states: “As for outward appearances, our church attendance is greater than theirs [the papists]. Practical and clear sermons hold an audience…The real adornment of the churches is godly, practical, and clear teaching, the godly use of the sacraments, ardent prayer, and the like” (Tappert, p.259).

Real church—the body of Christ—was reaching real people in real, practical and completely Scriptural ways. The Reformers successfully “bucked the system” to defend that fact that they were really the church—more real than the dead, Scripture-forsaking opposition.

I wonder sometimes if the church today is squelching the spirit of the Reformation church. Do we discourage anything outside of our institutional controls, our human structures, and our personal plans, or do we really believe that the church is the body of Christ, missional communities that gather around, and fill the community with, the Gospel? Are we opening the floodgates of Gospel by recognizing and encouraging the mutual conversation and consolation of God’s people for a lost world, or are we, like the Pharisees in Luke 19, commanding the followers of Jesus to quiet down, organizing them in ways that make them a harmless and benign group of near-sighted lemmings?

I hear people say that our denomination needs to define its ecclesiology better. From what I read in the Scriptures and Confessions, our ecclesiology seems very clear. Perhaps we look for a better one because our current one is risky, entrepreneurial and uncomfortable.

We need to do better as stewards of the church. We need to take risks, to live up to the Reformers, let alone Jesus Himself. Through the master in the parable of Luke 19, Jesus said, “Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag” (vs.26 The Message).

I’m for Reformation style risks. How about you?

Missional Worker Inspiration

Are you a missional worker? In Luke 10, Jesus appointed seventy-two people and sent them. He said, "I am sending you." Into the harvest fields they went. Jesus didn't say, "Some of you are only spectators." He didn't tell a group, "You stay inside the building while other go out into the world." No. Believers were sent.

I was sitting next to a firefighter recently. We were at a meeting of a Mission Society. This full-time firefighter coordinates and leads mission trips to Brazil. He told stories of medical journeys that changed people's lives as the love of Jesus was lived out and proclaimed. He described the way he helps local church members make a global difference. The firefighter is a missional worker. In the midst of his busy life, he has a mission focus and is being used by God to make Kingdom gains.

What about you? What's your mission? It doesn't have to be in South America. It can start at home!

Reggie McNeal, the articulate mission strategist, gave a talk recently that contained nugget after nugget of missional wisdom. For every missional worker, I'd like to share those quotes so your soul can be stirred to action as we ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers:

"We need to be apostolic, to share the faith with people who have no spiritual scripting."

"The culture is having a God conversation while we get distracted with church conversations."

"The Church is a who, not a what. If I am a believer, then everywhere I am is the Church, the sent ones. This expands the bandwidth of the Christian movement in the world."

"You run into Jesus where there are people in need."

"Apostolic preaching happens in the streets, marketplace, all the world. We made preaching an inside church thing."

"If we're the bride of Christ, what's on His heart needs to get on our hearts pretty quickly."

"The church's scorecard should be the measure of missional agents, not church attenders."

"The apostolic model is to deploy then debrief."

"Apostolic leaders make heroes of the right people."

"The best leadership releases you to bless people."

"You are a viral agent of the Kingdom."

Dear friends, you are sent! You are a missional worker! There is no failure for one who brings the blessing of Jesus to others.

If you're interested in Missional Worker Training, click here for information and registration.

New Missional Worker Training Dates!

Missional Worker Training is moving forward in South Texas!

Two training sessions are now scheduled:

Saturday, April 24, 2010 – Brownsville, TX
El Calvario Lutheran Church, 1157 E Monroe St., 78520

Saturday, May 15, 2010 – San Antonio, TX
Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, 5323 Blanco Road, 78216
Childcare will be provided at Christ Our Savior.
Please reserve your child’s place by May 10th.
Call 210-732-7223 and speak with Lynn Linkes.

Schedule for each seminar:
8:30am registration, 9:00am-3:30pm training.

Registration fee: $15 for lunch and materials.

Be part of the excitement! Invite friends who have a heart for serving Jesus and His people!

For more information, Ministry Ideas, FAQs, Bulletin/Newletter information, and a downloadable brochure, please take a look at the Missional Worker website and the MissionalWorker.org Resource Page.