Every Member a Missionary…really

Have you ever heard that “slogan” before? Everyone in our church is a missionary to the community. To live as a missionary is to live on mission. What kind of mission are you on?

I have known some missionaries. On the mission field their lives are radical. They do whatever it takes. Their goal is not comfort; their goal is their mission.

I have been on a few short-term mission trips. They were cake compared to what most long-term missionaries go through.  Those missionaries live on the edge. They eat what is put before them, they sleep wherever they have to, they travel until they get there, they are not committed to comfort or safety. They are on mission.

Do that in your neighborhood for a while and see what happens. 

How churches treat their “customers.”

I recently read an interesting blog by Seth Godin about how businesses treat their customers. He says that the thing that most businesses do with their customers is “they take their money.”

So what are we doing in the church? We are marketing to customers. We provide a “service” that people pay for in the form of a “tithe.” The “services” we provide are professional music, entertaining videos and inspirational messages.

Godin goes on to say that the loyal customers get neglected while most businesses advertise to acquire new customers (half-off for new customers while the loyal ones pay full price).

Let’s be careful not to shape the gospel to meet the needs of the crowd. 

Do House Churches Need Coaches?

From my experience house churches are like families. Some are more healthy than others. My job, among many other things is to be a coach. I come in when groups need a little advice or encouragement. I listen, observe, pray and leave. I rarely give any advice on the spot, which is very frustrating to some.

Most house churches don’t think they need any help. They think they are handling just fine and that they could improve but they will figure that out together, on their own, “organically.” Organic is good, right?

When our son was born we took him to the doctor a lot in his first year. He needed his shots and checkups. He was healthy, but we weren’t taking any chances. The older he got the less we had to go and see the doctor. Now we take him in once a year for a checkup. Unless, of course, he is sick of has a problem that we can’t diagnose.

If more groups sought out outside help early they would be healthier. In their first year they should seek out a coach often, ask a lot of questions and be open to advice. Pride can kill a church quickly.

As they get older they need less check ups. They still, however need good diagnostic tools and help along the way.

A few months after starting my first house church I found a great coach. Being hundreds of miles away, we corresponded on the phone or by email. But he talked to me every other week over the course of two years. His coaching was invaluable.

Are coaches essential for long life? Preventive medicine never hurts.

God wants "produce"

God has made it crystal clear what He’s working to produce in the lives of all those who are His. He wants “produce.”  

In John 15:8 Jesus said to his closest followers:

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” 

Elsewhere this desired result of fruitfulness is described in the Bible as becoming “mature,” “perfect,” “holy” or “righteous” — as much like Jesus as possible.

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn (“pre-eminent one”) among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:28-29).

Sounds to me like this is really important to our God. Which leads me to think that any church, no matter what its size, that is not conscientiously and continuously working to help its members progress toward the same goal must be thought of as flawed, at best.

What are you and your church doing to help you all stay on track?

Augmented Reality

Two of the blog posts that I’ve read over the last week have caused me to write this entry. The first one was about a church in Florida that is trying out 3D worship services this Christmas.

In the article the 3D service is referred to as Augmented reality. According to Wikipedia, “Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated sensory input such as sound or graphics. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality.”

Interesting. That’s what we need, more enhancing of our current perception of reality.

The second article that caught my attention was about Christians in Iran meeting in homes in spite of the threat of imprisonment or even death. According to an article on the Present Truth Ministries website, In a speech given by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he warns Iranians against the “network of house churches” that “threaten Islamic faith and deceive young Muslims.”

So, let me get this straight, it takes a 3D “augmented reality” experience to get Americans to go to church, but Christians in Iran are risking their lives to meet as a church in a home.

Enough said.