I had the pleasure of attending a class intended to introduce us to the basics of the new direction my church will be taking with you as the new pastor at the helm. Pastor, you did a lot of work on the study materials, covering a lot of ground in a very thoughtful and insightful way.
We were told that you would be welcoming suggestions for improving the study material, a courageous offer. Not many pastors would allow such vulnerability. A new pastor, in particular, risks a potential tug-of-war with “ambitious” parishioners. Yes, unfortunately there are people in congregations who look for opportunities for personal gain and position. So, offering this level of trust, while possibly fraught with peril, is nevertheless refreshingly without guile.
So, I am going to take you up on your offer. I do not want to impose my agenda or elevate myself. I also do not want to suggest in any way that you are lacking wisdom or expertise. This is submitted solely to present a perpective you might not have considered.
Also, I am not going to quibble over the organizational structure of the study materials, the verses selected, or the use of certain words or phrases. My presentation shall be based on a more organic critique, one which aims to get at the root of the matter.
The study material provided to us was, I assume, wholly prepared and written by you. Certainly it was written through your lens of understanding, for we all filter through our own understandings. Indeed, churches are built on various premises, doctrinal positions, and experiences. I think the study material reveals your particular perspective, passion, and anointing, which translates into what you believe is the calling of this church; that is, primarily evangelism and outreach.
Unfortunately, these are not specifically foundational. Such things do grow out of foundational understandings, but they are not themselves foundational. In fact, I would assert that if the foundational understandings of our church is unclear, miscast, or non-existent, any resultant ministry could be faulty. One cannot build a church without a foundation.
so, I want to know what those foundations are for my church. And, I have some input on what those foundations might need to be.
One particular concept discussed in the study material, the idea of partnership, is worth mentioning. The study material discusses partnership in the context of the obligations, activities, duties, and understandings that the individual needs to embrace. There is little or no discussion of the other half of the partnership, that is, what are the things we can expect from the church? One cannot partner with another party without knowing what that party is offering.
Further, this is only two strands of the cord. What about the third cord, God? Our partnership has a supernatural element, where the Holy Spirit informs the two other parties, bringing unity, vision, and purpose. Our human relationships in the church are only possible by having relationship with God.
Several weeks ago I asked you what you thought this church was called to be. You responded with various ministry ideas and activities, so I approached it again (as humbly as I could), saying something like, “Those are all good things, and churches should do those things, but I asked about being, not doing.” So, now that I have participated in this class I find myself returning to the same question I asked weeks before: What is this church called to be? It's a critical, foundational question.
I have my own opinons about what constitutes the foundations of a healthy church. These criteria here are in no particular order:
1) The pursuit and identification of God’s purpose, calling, and vision for the church. This must be continually reinforced with the congregation, a process sometimes known as “vision casting.”
2) A primary and ceaseless hunger for the presence of God. This is a purposeful, systematic, every day process.
3) An ambition to be a worshiping church. Worship invites the presence of God, and the presence of God carries the Word, and the Word tells us who we are, who God is, and what His heart is for us.
4) A place of safety and belonging for attendees, thereby facilitating holy relationships
5) A secure, mature, wise church leadership, composed of prophets, teachers, apostles, evangelists, and pastors. Rarely, if at all, is all of this invested in one man as titular head of the congregation. If any are not in place, the church will be unbalanced and ultimately dysfunctional.
6) Identity: We must be know who we are, and the church must know who it is.
Notice that none of this is an activity or a ministry. They are parts of what could be described as a state of being, a belonging, a platform upon which a church will be built. We start with being, and that is where we come to understand doing. We must know who we are before we can know what we will do.
We must begin at the beginning. We learn who God is as we simultaneously learn who we are in Christ. This comes via worship, teaching, pastoring, and the Word. We begin to learn the surpassing greatness of knowing and being known. Then our gifts discerned, identified, and nurtured so that they can be integrated into the purpose, calling, and vision of the church.
As I have written before, worship is central to everything else. By worship I do not mean the four or five songs we sing, the offering, and/or the obedient service we render unto the Lord. These are activities associated with worship, vehicles upon which worship can be carried... that is, various expressions of worship. But they are not worship itself. Worship is being in the presence of God.
Being.
It is from the foundation of worship we discover identity; being in the presence of God, hearing His voice, abiding in Him. From that we can build a church that honors God and ministers to people, and furthers His kingdom on earth.
Humbly submitted,
Rich
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