Yesterday I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a day learning from Dr. John Perkins, a guy who is kind of legendary in my line of work. I suppose I could write a lot about key points he made, and I may get to that content at some point. But what I want to write about now is how the things we learned played out in community with my friends.
Dr. Perkins said that we all need to have friendships deep enough to hear God's voice through them. We need people to uphold us. At dinner, I had the opportunity to hash out many of the things we had just learned with a group of some great friends. We talked about the church's role in reconciliation, the difficulties of minstering in complex urban contexts, and examining both top-down prescriptive ministry models and bottom-up grass roots ministry models.
At the end of our time together, I left that dinner feeling like it didn't really matter if I had managed to win debates or articulate every particular part of my position on the issues at hand. In fact, on my drive home plenty of new insights rushed into my head as if to say "Oh, I should have said that!" What really matters, though, is that I have friendships that are deep enough to hear God's voice through them. I learned a lot from my friends during the conversation. God is so good for calling me to a loving, respectful, and open Christian community at North Way. God is so good to have called me to an environment where I can openly discuss issues of God without being tortured or killed for speaking such things in public. I appreciate my friends, and I appreciate how richly God has blessed me.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Reflections on the Fourth Century Church in North Africa
According to Ray Bakke, during the fourth century AD one-fourth of the world's Christians lived in Northern Africa. Today, Christianity can hardly be found in that region except for a small amount of Coptic Christians in Egypt. How did Christianity lose so much real estate? A surface look into the situation would find that Islam conquered the region and implemented their own religious beliefs. However, looking deeper into the situation one finds that the church actually set the stage for their own demise in several key areas.
1. The church in North Africa never figured out the race issue. They pushed Christianity onto people from a top-down perspective, the rich to the poor and the majority culture to the minority cultures. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? Many modern Christian churches are not taking the time to figure out the whole race issue. The homogenous church growth principles are in, and most churches are segregated as a result. As history has shown, this mindset actually weakens the church even though our individual church numbers may grow. As I've said many times before, Christians should be LEADING THE WAY on the issue of race in America, not perpetuating the problem. Are we willing to change? Nobody said it would be easy, but this is a crucial issue for the long term sustainability of the church.
2. The church in North Africa had language issues. They never bothered to interpret the Bible into the languages of many different people groups in the region, forcing them to assimilate to the dominant cultural languages and symbols. The only attempted translation was into Coptic, which happens to still be around today. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? The message from many churches is "We have a corner on the truth. Come to meet us on our turf (church building) on our time schedule (precisely 11am on Sunday morning) in our language and in our denomination and with our style of worship and with our stained glass pictures of what Jesus looks like and with our Bible translation." This type of thinking leads to exculsivity, or what I call the country club mentality. Do you want to belong to our club (our church)? Then you need to assimilate to us. On a broader level in America, this is true of the immigration debate. From a Christian perspective (not necessarily a government policy perspective), Christians should be embracing our neighbors from the south with open arms. What an amazing opportunity to share the gospel message! Many of the folks who cross into America are Christians... our brothers and sisters in Christ! If they are not Christians and we are given the opportunity to introduce the gospel to them here in America, think about how many people they could influence for Christ back in their home countries with their families and friends. What is the point of white Americans sending missionaries to Latin American countries when we could be more effective by reaching out to them when they come here? Instead, many Christians in America dehumanize "illegal aliens" and treat them in their minds as sponges who come here to mooch off of our systems. If white American Christians do not try to figure out the issues of language and culture in spreading the gospel, then our churches will continue their decline and we will have nobody else to blame but ourselves.
3. The lack of indigenous people in the North African church was a problem. The church was always ruled by outsiders, or the power base which was in a different region. The local Christians were never empowered in North Africa. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? Poverty is not the absence of money, it is the absence of power. As Christians in America, we need to stop making the people we are trying to reach dependent upon outside resources. Instead, we in the church should be seeking to empower others. We need to disciple people and elevate them into positions of influence. The problem is, influential American Christians often feel most comfortable when we are in positions of power. We are often raised on power, so it is disorienting for us to empower others and humble ourselves. However, the church becomes much weaker when we fail to empower others.
4. The North African church developed an escapist theology when Constantine endorsed Christianity as an imperial religion. They promoted sanctification over justification. Christians fled "messy" environments. Their own invididual souls became more important than their neighbor's souls. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? Many Christians have fled the culture in America at an alarming rate. We are, in fact, very close to creating the perfect Christian bubble for ourselves. We have Christian music, Christian schools (or home schools), Christian books, Christian businesses, Christian coffee houses, and even Christian breath mints to get rid of that pesky Christian coffee breath. We think we can escape the messyness of the world if we try hard enough. After all, it is our own souls and our family's souls that matter most, and not those unpleasant neighbors of ours. Right? Well, actually I believe that Christians are called to engage culture. With so many Christians running away from messyness in America, will any remain to share the gospel? Or will we head up to our ivory towers and shout the truth down to masses with our megaphones (or maybe our protest rally signs)?
5. The "truth" churches and "love" churches fought each other in North Africa, and they eventually split. This goes back to the persecution of Christians during that time, where some chose to be martyred and some rejected the faith only to want back in when the persecution had died down. The truth Christians were unaccepting of their weakness and brokenness, while the love Christians embraced brokenness and welcomed those people back into the faith community. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? We still have truth Christians battling love Christians, and truth churches battling love churches. We lob bombs (metaphorically speaking) back and forth at one another. As another example, conservative Christians in America go to battle with liberal Christians, and we somehow lose sight of our mission to reach the lost along the way. The church in America may not be sustainable over the long run if we don't change our ways.
I love the church. I love my church. I desperately want to see the body of Christ grow in America. But, that is not happening right now and it is not only because of influences beyond our own control. In many cases, we are doing it to ourselves. The history of the church in fourth century Northern Africa may repeat itself if we don't learn from them and then change our ways.
1. The church in North Africa never figured out the race issue. They pushed Christianity onto people from a top-down perspective, the rich to the poor and the majority culture to the minority cultures. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? Many modern Christian churches are not taking the time to figure out the whole race issue. The homogenous church growth principles are in, and most churches are segregated as a result. As history has shown, this mindset actually weakens the church even though our individual church numbers may grow. As I've said many times before, Christians should be LEADING THE WAY on the issue of race in America, not perpetuating the problem. Are we willing to change? Nobody said it would be easy, but this is a crucial issue for the long term sustainability of the church.
2. The church in North Africa had language issues. They never bothered to interpret the Bible into the languages of many different people groups in the region, forcing them to assimilate to the dominant cultural languages and symbols. The only attempted translation was into Coptic, which happens to still be around today. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? The message from many churches is "We have a corner on the truth. Come to meet us on our turf (church building) on our time schedule (precisely 11am on Sunday morning) in our language and in our denomination and with our style of worship and with our stained glass pictures of what Jesus looks like and with our Bible translation." This type of thinking leads to exculsivity, or what I call the country club mentality. Do you want to belong to our club (our church)? Then you need to assimilate to us. On a broader level in America, this is true of the immigration debate. From a Christian perspective (not necessarily a government policy perspective), Christians should be embracing our neighbors from the south with open arms. What an amazing opportunity to share the gospel message! Many of the folks who cross into America are Christians... our brothers and sisters in Christ! If they are not Christians and we are given the opportunity to introduce the gospel to them here in America, think about how many people they could influence for Christ back in their home countries with their families and friends. What is the point of white Americans sending missionaries to Latin American countries when we could be more effective by reaching out to them when they come here? Instead, many Christians in America dehumanize "illegal aliens" and treat them in their minds as sponges who come here to mooch off of our systems. If white American Christians do not try to figure out the issues of language and culture in spreading the gospel, then our churches will continue their decline and we will have nobody else to blame but ourselves.
3. The lack of indigenous people in the North African church was a problem. The church was always ruled by outsiders, or the power base which was in a different region. The local Christians were never empowered in North Africa. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? Poverty is not the absence of money, it is the absence of power. As Christians in America, we need to stop making the people we are trying to reach dependent upon outside resources. Instead, we in the church should be seeking to empower others. We need to disciple people and elevate them into positions of influence. The problem is, influential American Christians often feel most comfortable when we are in positions of power. We are often raised on power, so it is disorienting for us to empower others and humble ourselves. However, the church becomes much weaker when we fail to empower others.
4. The North African church developed an escapist theology when Constantine endorsed Christianity as an imperial religion. They promoted sanctification over justification. Christians fled "messy" environments. Their own invididual souls became more important than their neighbor's souls. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? Many Christians have fled the culture in America at an alarming rate. We are, in fact, very close to creating the perfect Christian bubble for ourselves. We have Christian music, Christian schools (or home schools), Christian books, Christian businesses, Christian coffee houses, and even Christian breath mints to get rid of that pesky Christian coffee breath. We think we can escape the messyness of the world if we try hard enough. After all, it is our own souls and our family's souls that matter most, and not those unpleasant neighbors of ours. Right? Well, actually I believe that Christians are called to engage culture. With so many Christians running away from messyness in America, will any remain to share the gospel? Or will we head up to our ivory towers and shout the truth down to masses with our megaphones (or maybe our protest rally signs)?
5. The "truth" churches and "love" churches fought each other in North Africa, and they eventually split. This goes back to the persecution of Christians during that time, where some chose to be martyred and some rejected the faith only to want back in when the persecution had died down. The truth Christians were unaccepting of their weakness and brokenness, while the love Christians embraced brokenness and welcomed those people back into the faith community. Do you see any comparisons to the church in America today? We still have truth Christians battling love Christians, and truth churches battling love churches. We lob bombs (metaphorically speaking) back and forth at one another. As another example, conservative Christians in America go to battle with liberal Christians, and we somehow lose sight of our mission to reach the lost along the way. The church in America may not be sustainable over the long run if we don't change our ways.
I love the church. I love my church. I desperately want to see the body of Christ grow in America. But, that is not happening right now and it is not only because of influences beyond our own control. In many cases, we are doing it to ourselves. The history of the church in fourth century Northern Africa may repeat itself if we don't learn from them and then change our ways.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Pride
Pastor Joel Repic gave a great talk at the Family Guidance volunteer appreciation banquet last night. He talked a lot about pride, and I think the way he framed the message really resonated with the mentors who were on hand. I know it resonated with me. He mentioned that sometimes folks who become involved in intense urban ministry can develop a little bit of pride because we do things that other people are unwilling to do. We begin to think that we are extra special for what we do. We want to be the heroes of our situations, trying to displace Christ as the key figure in the work that we do. As mentors, people often look up to us (I call it the Mother Theresa syndrome). It makes us feel good. We can get addicted to that high, again squeezing God out of the picture.
There is not really anything wrong with feeling good about helping others. However, we fall victim to pride when we attempt to elevate ourselves over Christ. Christ is everything. He should receive the glory, not me. I do not save the kids in Homewood. Only God does that. I cannot transform Pittsburgh. Only God can do that.
God, please forgive me for being prideful. I pray that You will be glorified in every way in every effort at urban ministry that I give. Help me to humble myself and exalt You.
There is not really anything wrong with feeling good about helping others. However, we fall victim to pride when we attempt to elevate ourselves over Christ. Christ is everything. He should receive the glory, not me. I do not save the kids in Homewood. Only God does that. I cannot transform Pittsburgh. Only God can do that.
God, please forgive me for being prideful. I pray that You will be glorified in every way in every effort at urban ministry that I give. Help me to humble myself and exalt You.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Suggestions for Helping Others
Many people talk about how they want to get involved in helping widows, orphans, homeless, older adults, the poor, and so on. Causes are a very important part of life it seems. Everybody needs to have one. "Bob supports kids in Africa... Jane wants to help inner city kids... Jim wants to rescue orphans..." People want to go to work for a cause. We want to contribute to the greater good. We just want to live a life that is real. Step out of the matrix. The problem is, there is a HUGE gap between good intentions or ideas and seeing those intentions come to fruition. Often people do not know where to start, or they give up because they tried and things just didn't work out. The following are some suggestions I have for anyone who is interested in serving others, but seems to be lost or stuck. I'll present some common errors, and present some solutions. I hope not to offend, but if I do it's OK because maybe that will light a fire that is needed!
If we build it, they will come - the Field of Dreams mentality: I know some people who designed a program to help inner city children. They designed the entire program from scratch, and they even purchased a building and built it out for their purposes. There is only one big problem... they don't actually have any inner city kids to take part in their vision. It's starting to become a problem. They are stuck. What was my advice to them? Stop planning and go hang out where the kids are. Start building relationships with them on their turf, and maybe kids will start getting involved in your program. God gave us all brains and creativity. The Holy Spirit often puts the needs of others on our hearts. So what's the problem with coming up with innovative ideas that will help others? The problem is, often those ideas are developed apart from the people the ideas are intended to help. The people in need are given no opportunity to speak into what might be helpful to them. How does one overcome the Field of Dreams mentality? Relationships, relationships, relationships. Did I mention relationships? If you are not involved in deep, meaningful relationships with the people you are intending to serve, then stop designing your program, stop writing your grant, stop setting up your board of directors for your new nonprofit, stop designing your curriculum, and go where the people you want to help are and start building authentic relationships with them. Soon you'll find that your planning will flow out of those relationships. Also, don't design anything without the input of the people you are planning to serve. The top-down practice of outreach does not ordinarily lead to transformation of individuals and communities. It is better to operate from a bottom-up perspective, engaging others from the grass roots level.
I'll get started when I retire - the some day mentality: The American dream concept of retirement, or saving up a bunch of money so that you can live comfortably in your golden years, is not biblical. I have no problem with saving for the future and embracing solid, biblical financial principles. But, much of the American dream is a lie of the world that American cultural Christians buy into. Many people who buy into that lie do not do anything to serve marginalized people in our society from age 18 to 65, and then they think that some day they are going to flip a switch when they retire and suddenly know how to help others. I hate to say it, but it just won't happen. To be effective at reaching out to others, one needs to have lived that out as they raised their families, as they worked, as they played, as they lived. It is not something that one can just turn on and off. The irony is, some may have stepped on the shoulders of the poor in order to reach those lofty heights of financial comfort as a retiree, then they'll turn around and think that they now want to give back after years of oppressing others. How many slum lords... um, I mean, people who invest in 'real estate' in broken communities and then don't take care of those properties or the people who pay the rent... are going to church on Sunday to pay tithes from that 'rental income.' I don't know much, but I know God is not pleased with that. So how do you overcome the some day mentality? Get started right now. With your family. At your job. In your community. Don't wait! Get started right now. Build service into your lifestyle now.
I'm going to the rain forest - the adventure mentality: Often we think that God is calling us to work in a rain forest in the Amazon when he may be calling us to work right across the street or in our own city. The rain forest sounds like an exciting adventure! The homeless man down the street sounds like... not so much of an adventure. That sounds more like a long term, messy relationship with a person who may have overwhelming problems that you may not be equipped for. How can you overcome the adventure mentality? If God can equip you to survive in the Amazon, he can equip you to minister to the homeless man down the street. Cities are set up in such a way that you do not really need to come into contact with brokenness. For instance, you can live in a nice neighborhood with people who all look like you and act like you, you can work in that same kind of environment, the freeways will happily commute you right past the neighborhoods with those pesky and unpleasant signs of brokenness, and you can even eat lunch or sip lattes in pleasant oasises during work breaks downtown. You can overcome this by intentionally going to and spending time in different neighborhoods, even 'broken' neighborhoods. Stop taking the freeway to work. Take some risks and introduce yourself to new people. Consider living in a 'broken' community. Did you know that white Americans make up less than 2 percent of the world's population? White people in general are a minority in the world. If you are raising your family in a neighborhood where just about everyone is the same color and socioeconomic status, you may not be giving your children the gift you think you are giving them by raising them there. When they leave home, they are going to discover that they are a minority in a globalized world and they are going to be behind socially. Consider raising your family in a neighborhood with many different types of races and socioeconomic backgrounds. Then you'll be giving your kids a great gift. And, please, if you are raising your children in a homogenous bubble, don't take them to a broken neighborhood for a visit or send them on a short term mission trip to a third world country for the purpose of "showing them how the other half lives." You'll be reinforcing a top-down, superiority type of complex and sending a message that there is something wrong with people who are not middle class or affluent Americans. Most of the world lives on much less than the American income level, and they are completely fine with it. They don't think there's anything wrong with them.
Compassion without justice - the bandaid mentality: All I'll say about this one is that it is important for Christians to engage in mercy and justice. There is no either/or. We are called to both. How can we act compassionately and justly? The best example of this is that we can give someone a fish (mercy) and we can teach someone to fish (empowerment). But what if there is a barbed wire fence around the pond? Then we, as Christians, are called also to act powerfully to remove the barriers to the pond (justice). We can act powerfully, although most Christians are not comfortable with that concept. Be intentional about how you are planning to interact with others. Think things through before you act! Consider mercy, empowerment, and justice.
Leadership without integrity - the hypocritical mentality: I meet many young Christians in their twenties who want to save the world. They get involved in some great causes. The problem is, their personal lives are in complete shambles. They drink too much, sleep around too much, they are enslaved by sin and temptation, and then they think that they can be effective at helping others. The problem from this standpoint is, you can be a participant in helping others but you will get stuck. You will not be able to move into effective leadership in a cause without living a life of integrity grounded in a relationship with God. How can you overcome the young and misguided mentality? Embrace a deep, meaningful, authentic, transformational relationship with the God of heaven and earth. Humble yourself and allow Jesus to work in your life. You can't lead others if you can't lead yourself. You cannot lead others to spiritual transformation if you yourself are unwilling to be transformed by God. Stop leading from your flesh, and start letting Jesus lead. Understand that God works through us, and people should see Jesus when they look at our lives.
As I said earlier, these are just some suggestions for folks who may have good intentions to make an impact in the world for God, but who may not know where to begin or how to get unstuck. I hope that these words help. The most important part of anything I wrote was that we need to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in order to be an effective leader of any cause which the Holy Spirit may place on our hearts. Then, our lives and actions have eternal consequences.
If we build it, they will come - the Field of Dreams mentality: I know some people who designed a program to help inner city children. They designed the entire program from scratch, and they even purchased a building and built it out for their purposes. There is only one big problem... they don't actually have any inner city kids to take part in their vision. It's starting to become a problem. They are stuck. What was my advice to them? Stop planning and go hang out where the kids are. Start building relationships with them on their turf, and maybe kids will start getting involved in your program. God gave us all brains and creativity. The Holy Spirit often puts the needs of others on our hearts. So what's the problem with coming up with innovative ideas that will help others? The problem is, often those ideas are developed apart from the people the ideas are intended to help. The people in need are given no opportunity to speak into what might be helpful to them. How does one overcome the Field of Dreams mentality? Relationships, relationships, relationships. Did I mention relationships? If you are not involved in deep, meaningful relationships with the people you are intending to serve, then stop designing your program, stop writing your grant, stop setting up your board of directors for your new nonprofit, stop designing your curriculum, and go where the people you want to help are and start building authentic relationships with them. Soon you'll find that your planning will flow out of those relationships. Also, don't design anything without the input of the people you are planning to serve. The top-down practice of outreach does not ordinarily lead to transformation of individuals and communities. It is better to operate from a bottom-up perspective, engaging others from the grass roots level.
I'll get started when I retire - the some day mentality: The American dream concept of retirement, or saving up a bunch of money so that you can live comfortably in your golden years, is not biblical. I have no problem with saving for the future and embracing solid, biblical financial principles. But, much of the American dream is a lie of the world that American cultural Christians buy into. Many people who buy into that lie do not do anything to serve marginalized people in our society from age 18 to 65, and then they think that some day they are going to flip a switch when they retire and suddenly know how to help others. I hate to say it, but it just won't happen. To be effective at reaching out to others, one needs to have lived that out as they raised their families, as they worked, as they played, as they lived. It is not something that one can just turn on and off. The irony is, some may have stepped on the shoulders of the poor in order to reach those lofty heights of financial comfort as a retiree, then they'll turn around and think that they now want to give back after years of oppressing others. How many slum lords... um, I mean, people who invest in 'real estate' in broken communities and then don't take care of those properties or the people who pay the rent... are going to church on Sunday to pay tithes from that 'rental income.' I don't know much, but I know God is not pleased with that. So how do you overcome the some day mentality? Get started right now. With your family. At your job. In your community. Don't wait! Get started right now. Build service into your lifestyle now.
I'm going to the rain forest - the adventure mentality: Often we think that God is calling us to work in a rain forest in the Amazon when he may be calling us to work right across the street or in our own city. The rain forest sounds like an exciting adventure! The homeless man down the street sounds like... not so much of an adventure. That sounds more like a long term, messy relationship with a person who may have overwhelming problems that you may not be equipped for. How can you overcome the adventure mentality? If God can equip you to survive in the Amazon, he can equip you to minister to the homeless man down the street. Cities are set up in such a way that you do not really need to come into contact with brokenness. For instance, you can live in a nice neighborhood with people who all look like you and act like you, you can work in that same kind of environment, the freeways will happily commute you right past the neighborhoods with those pesky and unpleasant signs of brokenness, and you can even eat lunch or sip lattes in pleasant oasises during work breaks downtown. You can overcome this by intentionally going to and spending time in different neighborhoods, even 'broken' neighborhoods. Stop taking the freeway to work. Take some risks and introduce yourself to new people. Consider living in a 'broken' community. Did you know that white Americans make up less than 2 percent of the world's population? White people in general are a minority in the world. If you are raising your family in a neighborhood where just about everyone is the same color and socioeconomic status, you may not be giving your children the gift you think you are giving them by raising them there. When they leave home, they are going to discover that they are a minority in a globalized world and they are going to be behind socially. Consider raising your family in a neighborhood with many different types of races and socioeconomic backgrounds. Then you'll be giving your kids a great gift. And, please, if you are raising your children in a homogenous bubble, don't take them to a broken neighborhood for a visit or send them on a short term mission trip to a third world country for the purpose of "showing them how the other half lives." You'll be reinforcing a top-down, superiority type of complex and sending a message that there is something wrong with people who are not middle class or affluent Americans. Most of the world lives on much less than the American income level, and they are completely fine with it. They don't think there's anything wrong with them.
Compassion without justice - the bandaid mentality: All I'll say about this one is that it is important for Christians to engage in mercy and justice. There is no either/or. We are called to both. How can we act compassionately and justly? The best example of this is that we can give someone a fish (mercy) and we can teach someone to fish (empowerment). But what if there is a barbed wire fence around the pond? Then we, as Christians, are called also to act powerfully to remove the barriers to the pond (justice). We can act powerfully, although most Christians are not comfortable with that concept. Be intentional about how you are planning to interact with others. Think things through before you act! Consider mercy, empowerment, and justice.
Leadership without integrity - the hypocritical mentality: I meet many young Christians in their twenties who want to save the world. They get involved in some great causes. The problem is, their personal lives are in complete shambles. They drink too much, sleep around too much, they are enslaved by sin and temptation, and then they think that they can be effective at helping others. The problem from this standpoint is, you can be a participant in helping others but you will get stuck. You will not be able to move into effective leadership in a cause without living a life of integrity grounded in a relationship with God. How can you overcome the young and misguided mentality? Embrace a deep, meaningful, authentic, transformational relationship with the God of heaven and earth. Humble yourself and allow Jesus to work in your life. You can't lead others if you can't lead yourself. You cannot lead others to spiritual transformation if you yourself are unwilling to be transformed by God. Stop leading from your flesh, and start letting Jesus lead. Understand that God works through us, and people should see Jesus when they look at our lives.
As I said earlier, these are just some suggestions for folks who may have good intentions to make an impact in the world for God, but who may not know where to begin or how to get unstuck. I hope that these words help. The most important part of anything I wrote was that we need to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in order to be an effective leader of any cause which the Holy Spirit may place on our hearts. Then, our lives and actions have eternal consequences.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Jesus Didn't Use a Heavenly Megaphone
I love practicing incarnational and contextual leadership in Homewood. I have studied both leadership styles in depth, and both are proving to be very effective in being more of a transformational leader. That is the point, isn't it? To see individual lives and communities transformed through the love of Christ? God works through me because he is a God of purpose. He is a God who is constantly on mission.
So how do these styles of leadership play out? I have built many relationships with kids in the community over the years. I am practicing the art of presence, which means that those relationships are fostered much more effectively when I am in close proximity to the kids. I have conversations when I am standing on their front porches, in their living rooms, or in their schools. On their turf. I have conversations with them about life in my kitchen, which is on their turf. Believe me, their turf can be very messy, but leadership does not often happen in steril conditions. When something good or bad happens in the community, I feel it, too. In many ways, I can relate.
Leadership cannot be done effectively from afar. Leadership cannot be done effectively without the actual presence of the leaders in the midst of the context. I know people who will argue with me on those points, but they argue with me because they are not willing to dive into the areas they lead with everything they have. They want to lead from a comfortable distance. They are partially in, not all in. I am not saying that those who spend time with kids in Homewood must move to Homewood. That is not the point. But, if you are going to impact kids in Homewood, you must be willing to spend a significant amount of time on their turf.
You cannot lead a church, or a school, or a business, or a family from afar. What message does a pastor send to a church when he is not willing to live near the church because of brokenness in the community? What message does a school principal send to the students and their families when he or she won't live in that community? What about business owners who lead from afar? Many individuals and businesses own rental properties in Homewood. Many are slum lords who don't live in the community, they don't take care of their properties, they harm the community with their irresponsible business practices, and then they probably go to church on Sunday somewhere close to the nice cushy neighborhoods they live in and thank God for the "blessings" he has given them. Do they not see how truly messed up that is? And how can husbands and fathers be effective leaders of their families when they are gone for weeks at a time on sales calls? It can't be done. It's not worth it. It may be a needed sacrifice for a period of time, but no amount of money is worth sacrificing a marriage or straining relationships with your children. Men are much more than paychecks.
Peter Kuzmic sums all of this up well: Evangelicals emphasize the text of God's word, the Bible, as authoritative for belief and practice. Ministers of the gospel must be competent interpreters of Scripture. The text is, however, neither proclaimed nor practised in a vacuum but always in a concrete situation or context. All of Christian life and mission is a two-way street with constant traffic between the text and the context, between God's holy word and God's alienated world. If we ignore the world, we betray the word because the word sends us into the world. If we ignore the word, like some of our liberal friends, we will have nothing to bring to the world. People need a message of hope and life for situations of despair and death. We have learned that there is no authentic mission from a safe distance. Mission with integrity does not take place in antiseptic conditions. I have frequently struggled with the question of how to evangelize in painful situations without appearing to exploit human suffering. Entering the context is of crucial importance. Jesus did not pick up a heavenly megaphone to shout down to the inhabitants of Planet Earth: 'Repent!' He entered human history and human flesh. He was hungry. He was thirsty. He became a refugee. Contextualization is not just knowledge of the other context, but being willing to identify yourself with the context and become vulnerable." - From the book "Justice, Mercy, and Humilty: Integral Mission and the Poor"
Has God given you a passion for inner city kids? Go there! What about older adults? Go there! What about orphans? Go there! Enter their context. Enter their struggle. Make it your context. Make it your struggle. God calls us all to a life of purpose, and it is most definitely not for you to have made it through life safely and comfortably. Don't bury your talents. And, don't try to use your talents from afar. Instead, follow the example that Jesus gave us with the only perfect life that was ever lived.
So how do these styles of leadership play out? I have built many relationships with kids in the community over the years. I am practicing the art of presence, which means that those relationships are fostered much more effectively when I am in close proximity to the kids. I have conversations when I am standing on their front porches, in their living rooms, or in their schools. On their turf. I have conversations with them about life in my kitchen, which is on their turf. Believe me, their turf can be very messy, but leadership does not often happen in steril conditions. When something good or bad happens in the community, I feel it, too. In many ways, I can relate.
Leadership cannot be done effectively from afar. Leadership cannot be done effectively without the actual presence of the leaders in the midst of the context. I know people who will argue with me on those points, but they argue with me because they are not willing to dive into the areas they lead with everything they have. They want to lead from a comfortable distance. They are partially in, not all in. I am not saying that those who spend time with kids in Homewood must move to Homewood. That is not the point. But, if you are going to impact kids in Homewood, you must be willing to spend a significant amount of time on their turf.
You cannot lead a church, or a school, or a business, or a family from afar. What message does a pastor send to a church when he is not willing to live near the church because of brokenness in the community? What message does a school principal send to the students and their families when he or she won't live in that community? What about business owners who lead from afar? Many individuals and businesses own rental properties in Homewood. Many are slum lords who don't live in the community, they don't take care of their properties, they harm the community with their irresponsible business practices, and then they probably go to church on Sunday somewhere close to the nice cushy neighborhoods they live in and thank God for the "blessings" he has given them. Do they not see how truly messed up that is? And how can husbands and fathers be effective leaders of their families when they are gone for weeks at a time on sales calls? It can't be done. It's not worth it. It may be a needed sacrifice for a period of time, but no amount of money is worth sacrificing a marriage or straining relationships with your children. Men are much more than paychecks.
Peter Kuzmic sums all of this up well: Evangelicals emphasize the text of God's word, the Bible, as authoritative for belief and practice. Ministers of the gospel must be competent interpreters of Scripture. The text is, however, neither proclaimed nor practised in a vacuum but always in a concrete situation or context. All of Christian life and mission is a two-way street with constant traffic between the text and the context, between God's holy word and God's alienated world. If we ignore the world, we betray the word because the word sends us into the world. If we ignore the word, like some of our liberal friends, we will have nothing to bring to the world. People need a message of hope and life for situations of despair and death. We have learned that there is no authentic mission from a safe distance. Mission with integrity does not take place in antiseptic conditions. I have frequently struggled with the question of how to evangelize in painful situations without appearing to exploit human suffering. Entering the context is of crucial importance. Jesus did not pick up a heavenly megaphone to shout down to the inhabitants of Planet Earth: 'Repent!' He entered human history and human flesh. He was hungry. He was thirsty. He became a refugee. Contextualization is not just knowledge of the other context, but being willing to identify yourself with the context and become vulnerable." - From the book "Justice, Mercy, and Humilty: Integral Mission and the Poor"
Has God given you a passion for inner city kids? Go there! What about older adults? Go there! What about orphans? Go there! Enter their context. Enter their struggle. Make it your context. Make it your struggle. God calls us all to a life of purpose, and it is most definitely not for you to have made it through life safely and comfortably. Don't bury your talents. And, don't try to use your talents from afar. Instead, follow the example that Jesus gave us with the only perfect life that was ever lived.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Compassion
If you were able to attend the worship services at North Way this weekend, then you heard a powerful message from pastor Kent about our collective calling as Christians to care for under-resourced people in our society. If you have not heard the message, you should check it out at www.northway.org.
Pastor Kent touched on a theme that is very important to Christianity. We should all be on mission. When God restores us, he gives us a hope for a future. Our lives should become different. Also, the mission that we receive from God often comes out of brokenness. In other words, if you think you have it all together and life seems to being going pretty well for you, then you may have a hard time discerning the calling that God has for you. Our mission to care for others often comes to us when we are humbled, as was Peter in the example that Pastor Kent gave in his message.
One final thing: There is a difference between compassion and justice. Although it is nice to do something for somebody in need, it is more transformational when you empower someone to act or when you free a person or group of people from systematic opression (whether it is political, economic, or any other system). All of that to say... please remember that Christians are called to act compassionately and also powerfully on issues of injustice.
Pastor Kent touched on a theme that is very important to Christianity. We should all be on mission. When God restores us, he gives us a hope for a future. Our lives should become different. Also, the mission that we receive from God often comes out of brokenness. In other words, if you think you have it all together and life seems to being going pretty well for you, then you may have a hard time discerning the calling that God has for you. Our mission to care for others often comes to us when we are humbled, as was Peter in the example that Pastor Kent gave in his message.
One final thing: There is a difference between compassion and justice. Although it is nice to do something for somebody in need, it is more transformational when you empower someone to act or when you free a person or group of people from systematic opression (whether it is political, economic, or any other system). All of that to say... please remember that Christians are called to act compassionately and also powerfully on issues of injustice.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Homewood Clean Up
We had a great turn out for the Homewood Clean Up today. Thanks to everyone who showed up today to make a big difference in the community! North Way has the best volunteers! Greg and Kelly Phillips did an incredible job organizing the event with their mentee, Deshaun.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Ups and Downs
The past week was filled with many ups and downs related to LAMP. On the one hand, I was repeatedly discouraged by attempts to recruit new LAMP mentors. Some expressed fear over going into the Homewood community, while large scale announcements at church for new mentors yielded very little interest. On the other hand, I feel like God brought several people who are currently mentoring into my path to encourage me. They told me about how much mentoring over the past several years has meant to them, and the amazing impact they are having on their mentees.
I am very passionate about mentoring in Homewood, so I do get overly discouraged by the lack of growth in LAMP sometimes. At some point, though, I need to be careful with that because I take things too personally and it is up to God to work on people's hearts to want to get involved. God is in control of LAMP, not me. I do not call people to mentor... Jesus does.
Also, being fully immersed in the Homewood community often magnifies the ups and downs experienced in urban ministry. Big break throughs may seem to be more than they are, while brokenness makes things seem worse than they may actually be. This is why it is important for me to have relationships with people who can speak into my life and the circumstances surrounding what I do for a living. LAMP is then much more about a community of people rallying around the young people in Homewood, and not about one passionate person who is trying to lead the way.
I am very passionate about mentoring in Homewood, so I do get overly discouraged by the lack of growth in LAMP sometimes. At some point, though, I need to be careful with that because I take things too personally and it is up to God to work on people's hearts to want to get involved. God is in control of LAMP, not me. I do not call people to mentor... Jesus does.
Also, being fully immersed in the Homewood community often magnifies the ups and downs experienced in urban ministry. Big break throughs may seem to be more than they are, while brokenness makes things seem worse than they may actually be. This is why it is important for me to have relationships with people who can speak into my life and the circumstances surrounding what I do for a living. LAMP is then much more about a community of people rallying around the young people in Homewood, and not about one passionate person who is trying to lead the way.
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Soul-dier
One of my best friends, Jason Gregg, has written a new book called The Soul-dier: Battling the Unseen. It is available for pre-order at this time... just click on Jason's link that I have posted on this site and it will take you to his web site which has details about how to order the book.
Jason has an amazing life story, which he has been able share recently at North Way, on the Stacy and Hutch show, and most recently on the latest Journeymen podcast. I am really looking forward to reading the book when it comes out.
Jason has an amazing life story, which he has been able share recently at North Way, on the Stacy and Hutch show, and most recently on the latest Journeymen podcast. I am really looking forward to reading the book when it comes out.
Monday, April 5, 2010
An Appeal for Mentoring
It is great to be back in Homewood after a week away. I missed our life here, although it was good to get a break from everything. I paid attention to the news while I was away, so I was able to keep in touch with what happened with the woman who was killed by a stray bullet on her way home from the library in Homewood and also the prayer walk that was attended by nearly 200 people on Good Friday.
The news of the violence hits me hard for several reasons. Things are more personal to me now that I live in the community. A woman tragically lost her life, and a new layer of fear develops within the community and for those who do not live in Homewood who might be interested in making a difference here (such as mentoring a child, starting up a business, or buying a home and raising their family here). Also, the young men who allegedly committed the crime were 15 and 16 years old. All I could think about while I was away were the many 15 year old young men who I have been pouring my time into over the past four years. I have such a burden for reaching them, and it really hurts when I see young people committing such violent acts.
I saw some comments on the news article about the prayer walk on Good Friday from people who seemed to think that prayer was of no use. From their perspective, that means that God has abandoned Homewood and all hope is lost. To that, I would say that God has not abandoned Homewood. Prayer is needed now more than ever. God desires to see shalom in the city, and especially in neighborhoods like Homewood. We, the body of Christ, have been called to lead the way. The last thing we should do is shy away when things get tough.
My neighborhood is hurting, but please do not give up on Homewood. We need your prayers! We need your time and energy! People of all ages in Homewood need help from their Christian neighbors, whether from Homewood residents or from people who live in the metro Pittsburgh area. There are many good people and organizations who are currently working and have been working in Homewood for a long time. Don't give up on them... they need your support now more than ever.
Finally, I truly believe in my heart that a great way to impact Homewood over the long run is through mentoring children. The impact is felt one child at a time. If you have been mentoring a child through LAMP... I say thank you so much! Please keep up the good work because you are needed now more than ever! If you live in Pittsburgh and you are not currently mentoring a child, then I would ask you to please do it! Did you know that there are over 40 children in Homewood waiting for a LAMP mentor right now? Some have been waiting for nearly two years, now. Friends... this should not be! Could 40 mentors be found from the 200 people who attended the prayer walk in Homewood on Good Friday? Could 40 more mentors be found at North Way, which currently has over 3,000 people attending but less than 100 LAMP mentors? And what about the other churches in Pittsburgh? It breaks my heart every time I have to look one of our LAMP kids on the waiting list in their eyes and tell them that I don't have anyone for them. It's not about me, though. It's about the kids in Homewood. And, it's about the church in Pittsburgh stepping up to mentor children in need in the area.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Message for New Generations
I'm currently studying the first five books of the Bible. One theme I am learning about is that new generations of people have to hear God's story in different ways. The example is that Deuteronomy basically covers the content that was in Exodus, just in a different way to a new generation of people.
This topic can be a controversial subject. Many Christians believe that God doesn't speak to us anymore, and that we will learn all we need to know about God through timeless, unchanging Scriptures. Public readings of the King James version of the Bible are in order. Other Christians, of the more liberal lens, deconstruct and speak so many cultural and generational insights into Scriptures that one can hardly tell what is the gospel message and what is pop culture.
What do you think? Do different generations of people need to enter into God's story in different ways? If so, how is that done effectively in our modern culture?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)