A Commitment To The Kingdom, Not The Church
This week I was able to visit the Greenville, SC area for a pre-project visit connected to a mission trip I'm taking a small group of students on in June. While there I was able to visit over half a dozen church plants in the area. What I saw in these church planters & the local denominational leaders was refreshing. I actually saw a commitment to the Kingdom of God & not to their particular church(s). I saw church planters that are doing ministry so out of the box that there really isn't even a box in their general vicinity, yet they're impacting their communities & some of these plants don't even meet for worship regularly...yet.
All the while I couldn't help but think of the areas I have lived in. Would those area embrace such a movement the way it's seemingly embraced in South Carolina? My own limited experience says, "No". I know planters who have tried to start in those areas, & they can't get traction because they can get zero support from the local churches that are already established. And anybody who has ever started a church from scratch will tell you that it helps if you have plenty of support from other churches & church leaders. However, in many places church planters are viewed as competition to the establishment, even if the establishment has long since ceased to be a force in the community. First of all we're not competing against each other; we're competing against everything else that could keep someone from connecting to God & His people. And even if we were competing, it wouldn't be much of a competition because many of us in the establishment got out of the game a long time ago.
I have a huge heart for church planters. They have huge faith & vision. Above all though, they have a commitment to growing God's Kingdom not merely growing their own.
April 23, 2009
April 14, 2009
People Have To Believe In You Before They Believe In Christ
Last night I was watching the Andy Griffith show, & Andy said something that really caught my attention. Opie had a new friend, Mr. McBeevee (classic episode by the way). Andy had never met him & Opie's description of him definitely put him in the world of make believe. When confronted with the question "So you believe in Mr. McBeevee?", Andy responded, "No, but I do believe in Opie."
That exchange grabbed me. My experience has taught me that before people will believe in the Jesus that we talk about & read about they have to believe in His followers. They have to see authenticity, compassion, faithfulness, & life change. When they can believe in the Christ followers in their life (and many times it only takes one), they are one step closer to believing in Christ Himself.
Are we as followers living out a compelling picture of what it means to know Jesus? Are we as leaders leading & equipping our people to live lives that the world can believe in?
Last night I was watching the Andy Griffith show, & Andy said something that really caught my attention. Opie had a new friend, Mr. McBeevee (classic episode by the way). Andy had never met him & Opie's description of him definitely put him in the world of make believe. When confronted with the question "So you believe in Mr. McBeevee?", Andy responded, "No, but I do believe in Opie."
That exchange grabbed me. My experience has taught me that before people will believe in the Jesus that we talk about & read about they have to believe in His followers. They have to see authenticity, compassion, faithfulness, & life change. When they can believe in the Christ followers in their life (and many times it only takes one), they are one step closer to believing in Christ Himself.
Are we as followers living out a compelling picture of what it means to know Jesus? Are we as leaders leading & equipping our people to live lives that the world can believe in?
April 3, 2009
The Most Important Vision
Over the last week I've been contemplating that question, "Whose vision is more important, the leader's or the people's?" And my conclusion is that neither the leader nor the people necessarily have the most important vision. If the vision of an organization, especially that of a church or ministry, isn't the vision that God has given them, then it is not the most important vision.
It's easy for either the leader or the larger group to think they have the right vision for the group's future. However, I also know that too often the tension over vision isn't about what is right but who gets to be right. Unfortunately this can even happen when one or more people in the group actually do have a sense of God's vision for them, yet if all of us aren't pursuing God's will & vision for us, we can quickly digress into an argument that will begin to erode the work that God is doing in us & wants to do through us.
The prescription for this dilemma: A Collective Pursuit of God's Will, Not Our Own & A Mutual Submission To One Another, Not An Assumption Of Our Own Wisdom.
Easy right? No, simple-yes, but easy-no. In order for our churches to go with God, we must continually remind one another that we are all part of God's work , & we must be willing to admit that we're not always right. Our vision isn't always the right direction. The only vision that should consume us is the one that God lays on His people. The process He uses is usually through leadership. Therefore leadership has to be willing to wait, to a point, for God's people. Afterall, it's not just about God's vision; it's also about God's timing for His vision
Over the last week I've been contemplating that question, "Whose vision is more important, the leader's or the people's?" And my conclusion is that neither the leader nor the people necessarily have the most important vision. If the vision of an organization, especially that of a church or ministry, isn't the vision that God has given them, then it is not the most important vision.
It's easy for either the leader or the larger group to think they have the right vision for the group's future. However, I also know that too often the tension over vision isn't about what is right but who gets to be right. Unfortunately this can even happen when one or more people in the group actually do have a sense of God's vision for them, yet if all of us aren't pursuing God's will & vision for us, we can quickly digress into an argument that will begin to erode the work that God is doing in us & wants to do through us.
The prescription for this dilemma: A Collective Pursuit of God's Will, Not Our Own & A Mutual Submission To One Another, Not An Assumption Of Our Own Wisdom.
Easy right? No, simple-yes, but easy-no. In order for our churches to go with God, we must continually remind one another that we are all part of God's work , & we must be willing to admit that we're not always right. Our vision isn't always the right direction. The only vision that should consume us is the one that God lays on His people. The process He uses is usually through leadership. Therefore leadership has to be willing to wait, to a point, for God's people. Afterall, it's not just about God's vision; it's also about God's timing for His vision
March 31, 2009
The People's Vision
As I keep mulling over the question, "Whose vision is more important, the leader's or the people's?", I have to look at what the people envision. This is where so many church's & organizations grind to a halt in their effectiveness.
Here's the obvious tension: when leading an organization or ministry, it's possible that there is a unique "vision" for every person that is a part of your group. If you lead a congregation of 300 people, then there could be 300 visions for what that church should be. If you lead a team comprised of 5 people, there could be 5 distinct visions for what your team should be doing. That's the tension that leaders live with everyday, & I'm not sure if the people they lead can really appreciate that.
That being said, the vision of the people isn't always a bad thing. The "micro-visions" of the people can be harnessed to achieve the God given vision that the leader is trying to cast. It's all about cultivating relationships & communicating the vision in such a way that people see how they can be a part of what the leader is sharing with them. The vision of the people doesn't have to be at odds with the leader's vision. Much of that will be determined by how the leader leads & communicates the vision that God has given him/her.
However, it obvious that there are times that the "will of the people" impedes the vision that the leader is trying to cast. That's the problem: the will of the people. The will of people is almost always self-centered & self-glorifying. Leaders have to creatively confront those that they lead while continually casting the vision for the greater good.
Here's the bottom line of dynamics between the leader & those he/she leads. This too came from Rob Jacobs, whose initial question sparked these previous posts. "Buy into the vision, but not the leader= change the leader. Buy into the leader, but not the vision = change vision. Buy into both = RESULTS." Not only do we have to get people to buy into & trust us, but we also have to get people to buy into where we're leading. It's about more than our personality. It's about how we lead everyday. That means TIME. Chances are people will try to change the leader. It's happened to most of us in leadership. They'll also attack the vision. That's where wise leaders slow it down a little, invest the necessary time to know they've effectively cultivated & communicated with those they lead, then take action to achieve the vision.
Leading is hard. It's a grind, but I love every minute of it, even the times when I or the vision come under attack. I know that those struggles have the opportunity to galvanize me, the vision, & those that I lead so that we can move forward & do greater things.
As I keep mulling over the question, "Whose vision is more important, the leader's or the people's?", I have to look at what the people envision. This is where so many church's & organizations grind to a halt in their effectiveness.
Here's the obvious tension: when leading an organization or ministry, it's possible that there is a unique "vision" for every person that is a part of your group. If you lead a congregation of 300 people, then there could be 300 visions for what that church should be. If you lead a team comprised of 5 people, there could be 5 distinct visions for what your team should be doing. That's the tension that leaders live with everyday, & I'm not sure if the people they lead can really appreciate that.
That being said, the vision of the people isn't always a bad thing. The "micro-visions" of the people can be harnessed to achieve the God given vision that the leader is trying to cast. It's all about cultivating relationships & communicating the vision in such a way that people see how they can be a part of what the leader is sharing with them. The vision of the people doesn't have to be at odds with the leader's vision. Much of that will be determined by how the leader leads & communicates the vision that God has given him/her.
However, it obvious that there are times that the "will of the people" impedes the vision that the leader is trying to cast. That's the problem: the will of the people. The will of people is almost always self-centered & self-glorifying. Leaders have to creatively confront those that they lead while continually casting the vision for the greater good.
Here's the bottom line of dynamics between the leader & those he/she leads. This too came from Rob Jacobs, whose initial question sparked these previous posts. "Buy into the vision, but not the leader= change the leader. Buy into the leader, but not the vision = change vision. Buy into both = RESULTS." Not only do we have to get people to buy into & trust us, but we also have to get people to buy into where we're leading. It's about more than our personality. It's about how we lead everyday. That means TIME. Chances are people will try to change the leader. It's happened to most of us in leadership. They'll also attack the vision. That's where wise leaders slow it down a little, invest the necessary time to know they've effectively cultivated & communicated with those they lead, then take action to achieve the vision.
Leading is hard. It's a grind, but I love every minute of it, even the times when I or the vision come under attack. I know that those struggles have the opportunity to galvanize me, the vision, & those that I lead so that we can move forward & do greater things.
The Leader's Vision
Last week I read an interesting question, "Is the vision of the leader or the people more important?" Deep stuff huh? And it's probably at the core of most of the problems that many of us face as we lead our organizations & ministries. Today I want to look at the leader's vision.
First & foremost, it cannot be the "leader's vision". If it's the leader's vision, it's not big enough! The leader's vision has to be something that is born out of his or her growing relationship with Christ. As the leader pursues the relationship with Christ, God reveals where He wants to take the leader & the people the leader leads. Leaders, is the vision that we claim to have our vision or is it part of God's greater vision for His people & His Kingdom? We have to answer that questions honestly before we can go any farther.
I believe that the vision that God gives the leader(s) of His church is important because that's how God has designed His church to work. It's also the way that leadership works in organizations outside the church-because it's a basic leadership principle. But that's another post for another day. God wants to use His leader(s) to guide His people toward a Kingdom mission. So it is important, yet it's more important for us as leaders to make sure the vision we are casting is actually a God-sized, God-originated vision. Otherwise, we are taking on good things at the expense of being a part of God things.
Last week I read an interesting question, "Is the vision of the leader or the people more important?" Deep stuff huh? And it's probably at the core of most of the problems that many of us face as we lead our organizations & ministries. Today I want to look at the leader's vision.
First & foremost, it cannot be the "leader's vision". If it's the leader's vision, it's not big enough! The leader's vision has to be something that is born out of his or her growing relationship with Christ. As the leader pursues the relationship with Christ, God reveals where He wants to take the leader & the people the leader leads. Leaders, is the vision that we claim to have our vision or is it part of God's greater vision for His people & His Kingdom? We have to answer that questions honestly before we can go any farther.
I believe that the vision that God gives the leader(s) of His church is important because that's how God has designed His church to work. It's also the way that leadership works in organizations outside the church-because it's a basic leadership principle. But that's another post for another day. God wants to use His leader(s) to guide His people toward a Kingdom mission. So it is important, yet it's more important for us as leaders to make sure the vision we are casting is actually a God-sized, God-originated vision. Otherwise, we are taking on good things at the expense of being a part of God things.
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