I'm in the age group described here as 'prime time' and, even though my context is Britain, I recognise this.
Actually, from the point of view of Evangelicals, I would have to say that those most attracted to the emerging church thing are probably those who feel in their bones that there is something wrong with doing church in that kind of way. I have to confess that I found being once upon a time in a church context where, in effect, I was expected to lead in that kind of way, was one of the more difficult pastoral contexts as it fitted ill with what I thought I was about, and what the church was meant to be about. So, when quietly I came to the conclusion that the church was running on empty in terms of the emotional and physical resources of its members, and quietly decided that Sabbath was in order for any that needed it, well, it caused consternation. But I still think I was right. I think that to lay the 'you will mount up on eagles wings' trip on them would amount to abuse and an attempt to put God to the test (by using God's apparent promises to undermine God's larger purposes).
I therefore was forced to the conclusion that God didn't necessarily will unlimited numerical growth, which implies that sometimes some numerical loss is right, particularly if that is associated with people finding ministries or pasture elsewhere (which did happen). I sometimes think that big churches actually tend to inhibit the growth of the kingdom by turning the many into passengers and weakening the smaller churches who can be more effective in their 'usage' and 'growing' of people.
And it is not edifying to find church leaders engaged in the status games related to church 'success'... we need ways to make ministry more collaborative for the health of pastors, ministers, presbyters and priests. And laity as a whole, come to that.
Shepherds or CEOs? | Out of Ur | Following God's Call in a New World | Conversations hosted by the editors of Leadership journal
Technorati Tags: leadership, church, Christian, culture, mega-church
One doesn’t have to be on the pastors’ conference circuit long to figure out that prime-time clergy (ages forty to fifty-five), are marinated in this kind of thinking. They have been told repeatedly that this is the only leadership model that will ensure success. (And make no mistake: in new millennium America, success equals the greatest number of seats filled on Sunday morning.) Theirs is a mono-vocal, mono-vision world—one that affords the most uniformity and thus the most control. It is a world of hyperpragmatics where the ends (church growth) can justify the most dehumanizing of processes.
Actually, from the point of view of Evangelicals, I would have to say that those most attracted to the emerging church thing are probably those who feel in their bones that there is something wrong with doing church in that kind of way. I have to confess that I found being once upon a time in a church context where, in effect, I was expected to lead in that kind of way, was one of the more difficult pastoral contexts as it fitted ill with what I thought I was about, and what the church was meant to be about. So, when quietly I came to the conclusion that the church was running on empty in terms of the emotional and physical resources of its members, and quietly decided that Sabbath was in order for any that needed it, well, it caused consternation. But I still think I was right. I think that to lay the 'you will mount up on eagles wings' trip on them would amount to abuse and an attempt to put God to the test (by using God's apparent promises to undermine God's larger purposes).
I therefore was forced to the conclusion that God didn't necessarily will unlimited numerical growth, which implies that sometimes some numerical loss is right, particularly if that is associated with people finding ministries or pasture elsewhere (which did happen). I sometimes think that big churches actually tend to inhibit the growth of the kingdom by turning the many into passengers and weakening the smaller churches who can be more effective in their 'usage' and 'growing' of people.
And it is not edifying to find church leaders engaged in the status games related to church 'success'... we need ways to make ministry more collaborative for the health of pastors, ministers, presbyters and priests. And laity as a whole, come to that.
Shepherds or CEOs? | Out of Ur | Following God's Call in a New World | Conversations hosted by the editors of Leadership journal
Technorati Tags: leadership, church, Christian, culture, mega-church
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