Missional leaders

The following helpful thoughts on missional leadership comes from HouseChurchBlog.

Missional Leaders? I've noticed that most talk about missional leadership points out what missional leadership IS NOT, instead of what it is--it's not hierarchical, its not pyramid-shaped, it rejects a clergy/laity distinction, etc. I'd like to put forth what I think missional leadership IS (keep in mind, that these are generalizations, and sometimes there can be exceptions.)

Missional Leadership:

• is a steward of the vision, not its creator nor its master
  
  
• leads by giving a tangible example of missional living
  
  
• focuses on fostering networks of relationships more than on building infrastructure
  
  
• recognizes and mobilizes the spiritually gifted, rather than delegating
  
  
• helps the community in spirit-led decision making, rather than making decisions for the community
  
  
• is plural rather than singular
  
  
• is based in function rather than office
  
  
• helps people to engage people where they are at, rather than focusing on leading a meeting to draw people from where they are at
  
  
• invests in who the Spirit tells them to, not just "top tier" people
  
  
• puts ethos development before systems development
  
  
• doesn't equate vision with control
  
  
• helps to shape ministry around people, rather than placing people in ministries
  

I think I would add (or modify) this list to say that missional leadership is about helping others to uncover their missional vision. When talking about vision, I believe it's important to make sure that we do not see vision coming from, or even being stewarded by one person, rather vision is the collective of what God has put on the hearts of every believer and leadership is about helping to uncover and serve that collective vision.

Perhaps, as I mull this over, I would simplify all of this by simply suggesting that leadership is about serving (really serving) the work that God is doing in and through others.

Is God in everything?

Earth's crammed with heaven
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Aurora Leigh" VII.821-22

Few lines capture as profoundly the mystery of God and his ways.

One of the most remarkable gifts God has given mankind is the freedom to choose. We can choose to see God in every common bush, or we can choose to see bushes and pluck their berries. The choice is ours. How we see the common bushes of life determines how we embrace life and God.

Is God really in every common bush? Is he in the coffee cup sitting by my side, or the laptop sitting on my desk? Is there really such a thing as a "holy telephone" or an "anointed paper clip"? Is that what Browning is trying to say?

I believe she is hinting we have the choice about what we choose to believe about God. We choose our responses to the things that come into our lives. It is like the story of two prisoners gazing out from behind bars – one sees mud and the other sees stars. Life can be seen from either perspective, mud or stars. Seeing things from God's perspective or choosing to see what literally stands before us. Perspective is everything.

When Moses encountered the burning bush in the wilderness what first amazed him, "though the bush was on fire it did not burn up."

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."

Does God still call us from the common bushes? I believe He does. But only when we choose to see, hear, and perceive Him in all things. Our response has to be the same as Moses, "Here I am, Lord."

When someone is late for an appointment that we have killed ourselves to be on time for, we have the choice to see a bush "afire with God" or a common bush to sit round and pluck blackberries (and fume!) Our common response is frustration and thinking of wasted time. But if every common bush is afire with God, is there always a spiritual reason or significance for even delayed appointments?

Elisabeth Elliot elaborates on Psalm 16:5, "Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup, and have made my lot secure." She comments, "I know of no greater simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things which happen to us which do not belong to our lovingly assigned "portion" (This belongs to it, that does not?) Are some things...out of the control of the Almighty? Every assignment [common bush] is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are canceled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter."

I think the key word in the above wise words is, "...as I accept the given portion..." As we choose, accept life as it comes assigned to us from a loving Father, we indeed learn to see "every common bush afire with God."

God is with us.
God is for us.
God loves us.
God is here.
God assigns.
God cares.
God.

3rd man in history to walk on water

Gary Snowden recently challenged us with the following quiz on his blog. See if you can answer correctly...

Who was the 3rd man in history to walk on water?

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

The first to do so was Jesus (Matthew 14:25).

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

The second was Jesus disciple Simon Peter (Matthew 14:29).

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

And then there was this guy...

How missions minded are we really?

IMB reporter, Mark Kelly, has written an interesting news report quoting Gordon Fort, IMB vice president of overseas operation who asks, how missions minded are we really?

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)--Many Southern Baptist churches that pride themselves in being "missions minded" might have a hard time convincing an impartial observer, an International Mission Board leader told trustees Sept. 12 at LifeWay Ridgecrest (N.C.) Conference Center...

"As I travel, I hear a lot about how 'missions-minded' Southern Baptists are," said Gordon Fort, IMB vice president of overseas operations. "I often ask, 'How much does your church pay for utilities each year?' Then I ask, 'If you are paying more for your utility bill than you are giving to reach a lost world for Christ, how does that make you a missions-minded church?'"

Southern Baptist churches ought to re-examine just how high a priority missions really is when they claim a total of 16 million members yet have only 5,234 international personnel currently under appointment, Fort said.

"Southern Baptists are great to talk about tithing," he told the trustees. "I want to ask whether a church shouldn't tithe its membership to reach a lost world?" Even if just 1 percent of 10 million active Southern Baptists were to enter the mission force, "we would have 100,000 missionaries. Instead, we have 5,000."

Fort noted that IMB leaders have a vision "for 3,000 more active missionaries on the field.... Adding 3,000 new missionaries might be a difficult task if we were starting out with no resources, but the truth is that those 3,000 new missionaries are already sitting in our churches, and the finances to support them are already in our pockets. It's not a hard task."

Some tough words that cut to the chase about our being a so called 'missions minded' people. Here are some more quotes to ponder along the same lines...

Some people God calls upon to LIVE radically and sacrificially, while others He calls upon to GIVE radically and sacrificially. Which are you? --Maurice Smith

It is amazing how strongly what we do affects how we feel. --Elisabeth Elliot

Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God. --Bob Pierce

What a difference you've made in my life (Part 2)

Recently I posted the ongoing story of Aneida in a post entitled What a difference you've made in my life. Alan Knox commented, "This is one of the most important posts that I've ever read!" I don't know about "important" but it is definitely one of my favorite "M Blog" posts. This story just keeps enfolding day by day, getting better and better...

Last Sunday, Medardo (Aneida's dad) invited us to his house to help him celebrate his first birthday of being a Christian. (Cake at left reads, "My first year with Christ Jesus.") It was exactly one year ago that Medardo accepted Jesus into his heart for what has become a remarkable transformation, in not only his own life, but in the lives of his entire extended family. Over the past year his wife Mónica, his daughters Aneida and her husband David, Aneida's sister, María, their grandpa, David's brother and sister-in-law, his other brother and his wife--along with so many others that I could never get it all straight...including several neighbors and friends. Then there is an entire family that Medardo works with on his job. He and Mónica are currently discipling them. This family was recently baptized and they have started a house church in their home as well. I know its a lot of people and it gets confusing...but that's the point!

Medardo and Mónica led the house church celebration time. We sang all their favorites out of the green song books we use. Medardo shared his testimony of all that Christ had done for him and his family. We listened to words of exhortation and encouragement for Medardo from all those who had been invited. Prayers were voiced. A few more songs...and then everyone was treated to a big plate of delicious fritada, mote, arroz and onion-tomato salad, with cake for dessert!

There was only one moment of sadness when María shared her grief that her husband (who had not come to the party) was not yet a believer. Tears streamed down her face as she asked us to pray for her husband's salvation.

Without warning her mother, Mónica, fell to the floor and cried out to God to save her son-in-law. The weeping and crying went on for several minutes as all present called upon Jesus to do what only He can do in working the miracle of changing a life. Will you pause a second and pray for María's husband to come to know the Lord?

I know there will be Parts 3,4,5 ... to this story. God isn't finished yet! This is what Jesus is all about. He is an awesome God who is about making all things beautiful...including saving María's husband. Stay tuned!

Church without all the religion

What does church look like without all the religion? Describing house/simple church life can be difficult to explain. It must be experienced. Much of what we try to write about on the "M Blog" often comes across more theoretical and idealistic than something that real people are actually living. The following video "When You Come Together" from House2House Ministries does a good job expressing in sound, images, and commentary much of what it is we seek to express here on the "M Blog". So, what does church look like without all the religion?

Click HERE to watch!

Download this episode (right click and save)

The 3 P's of church planting

Try reading aloud the following lines...

All atouhirty has been gevin to Me in haeevn and on eraht. Go terherofe and mkae dipsiciles of all the notians, bipatizng tehm in the nmae of the Fehtar and the Son and the Hloy Siript, ticheang tehm to osberve all that I cammonedd you; and lo, I am whih you ayawls, eevn to the end of the age.

Even with the atrocious spelling, I am fairly certain that 99% were able to read the paragraph with minimal difficulty and understand the message. Why?

1) you had a pretty good understanding of the general context of the message.

2) the first and last letters of each word are correct and the mind reorders the middle letters to their proper place.

The above paragraph is what our church planting looks like more often than not. It is a jumbled mess, yet somehow, God breaks through and does something beautiful to iron out the wrinkles.

So, if the overall context is important, and the first and last letters are important, how does this translate into the 3 P's of church planting?

The three most important words in church planting are...

Prayer
Passion
Perseverance

Prayer is the most important ingredient for a church planter. Prayer gives us the needed guidance and context for understanding God's ways. Prayer keeps us on course even though we may make a huge mess of things between steps in the church plant.

The second most important words for the church planter are passion and perseverance. If the first and last letters are needed to make sense of a word, passion and perseverance are the equivalents needed to see churches planted. When passion and perseverance are on the ends of each church planting step, a lot can go wrong in between and still come out OK.

I find it reassuring to know that if I will focus upon prayer at the center of my life and ministry, asking the Spirit to fan the flames of passion within, and persevere regardless of the ups and downs along the way, God will take care of the rest. He will reorder the "letters" in such a way that His church gets planted.

You can make a lot of mistakes in church planting but when prayer, passion, and perseverance are present there will be power.

Ecuador missionaries commissioned to the USA

I never thought I would live to see the day when we would actually commission missionaries from Ecuador to go to the USA. Yet this is exactly what took place yesterday, Monday, as Roberto and Nancy left Ecuador for the United States of America.

Roberto and Nancy Aveiga have been with us for several years. His own testimony relates that he was a discouraged pastor of a tiny church, not having a clue what to do, or how to do ministry. He came to one of our church planting seminars three years ago and has been with us ever since. Roberto and Nancy have pastored churches, planted new works, participated in our TE programs, discipled and baptized new believers, trained pastors of their denomination with materials they have learned from us, and now sensing God's call as missionaries to a distant, foreign land--the USA!

After praying, conversing and counseling with Roberto and Nancy, we feel it is no coincidence that on their FIRST ATTEMPT to obtain the coveted residential/work visas to the USA that millions around the world are desperately trying to obtain, they were not only accepted, but their ENTIRE FAMILY was approved! God doesn't do things haphazardly. There is no such thing as chance when it comes to Kingdom business. We feel this is a "God thing" that He is clearly leading them to go, make disciples, baptize, and teach as "our" missionaries to the USA (Connecticut.)

This past Wednesday at their commissioning service, we heard their testimonies about how God has been preparing them for years. And how crucial their time with the house churches has been. Now they feel the Lord leading them into the next chapter of their walk with Him. God is leading them to leave their country, go to what is the third largest nation on the planet--the USA--and be His witnesses to the masses of lost people coming in the northeastern states.

Roberto and Nancy know it will be a tough road. They aren't expecting things to be easy. They have to first learn the English language. They will have to adapt to the strange foreign foods and cultural ways of the "gringos". Since the house churches here can't afford to support someone living in the USA, they will have to find jobs and work as bi-vocational missionaries. They will lose their network of close family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ. They will no longer be able to pick up the phone and call us with their questions, needs and concerns. In short, it will be difficult.

Will you pray for Roberto and Nancy? They aren't going for a "better life" or to live the "American dream". They are going to make disciples, baptize, teach, and gather new believers into NT churches. Just what they have been doing for the past three years locally. As I shared in their commissioning service this past Wednesday night, in the OT, only the best was offered to the the Lord in sacrifice at the tabernacle/temple altars. The same holds true today. Our Lord calls out the best amongst us to serve him. We are sorry to lose some of our choicest workers, but are filled with joy that we can share our best with the lost and needy of Connecticut.

May God bless these Ecuadorian missionaries sent out by the Guayaquil house churches for the Glory of God.