Toward Multiplying Healthier Churches

Multiplication is NOT Enough! 

Cell multiplication in our bodies is always occurring, life requires reproduction, but it is not always a healthy thing. Have you ever battled cancer? I have for eight years. 

Cancer is a distortion of normally healthy cells that for often unknown reasons mutate and multiply. Our bodies can reproduce unhealthy cells at an amazing rate, making us gravely ill quickly. If allowed to continue for too long this multiplication will lead to our death. 

Standard medical protocols attempt to destroy cancer cells by bombarding them with chemotherapy and radiation. Have you ever had a loved one go through chemo? You know the deadly effects it has even on healthy cells. If the treatment is not stopped at some point it will end your life too. 

Fortunately, chemo and radiation do have a good track record of success, as damaging and painful as these treatments can be, when the cancer is detected early. Healthy growth can follow. 

Likewise, church multiplication, or church growth, is not always healthy growth. 

Like cancer cells reproduce after their kind, unhealthy churches can and often have reproduced after their kind. Error and unbiblcal attitudes can easily creep in, multiply and mutate distorting biblically sound theology, Christology and missiology. 

This is especially prone to occur when the leaders of churches, the pastors, are untrained or under-trained. Church multiplication is not enough. Health matters! 

That reality came into sharp focus recently in a conversation with Pastor Roli, while I was recently in Manila. Pastor Roli is a pastoral trainer in the Philippines who understands what happens when pastors are not trained properly. He is not a fan of multiplication of churches for the sake of multiplication. Rather he shared with me a guiding principle: “don't multiply without maturity otherwise you are multiplying immaturity."

Pastor Roli invests up to three years in a new pastor to train and equip them for healthy ministry. The only problem is that there are not a sufficient number of Pastor Rolis. The Philippines does have one of the best national pastoral training models in the world but there remains many untrained or under-trained pastors. The Philippines is not alone. 

Current statistics tell us that there is a global challenge and opportunity: 

There are between 2.2 million and 3.4 million pastors in the world today. 

Only 5% of these pastors are formally trained and 85% are considered under-trained. 

Current training, both formal and informal, can meet only 10% of the current demand. 

The question worth asking then is with so many untrained and under-trained pastors in the world today what are we multiplying in our church planting movements? Is the answer, “unhealthy pastors who lead unhealthy churches?”  With new church starts failing at a rate of up to 70% can there be any doubt there is a problem.  

Further, the challenge grows exponentially every day as 50,000 newly baptized believers enter the Kingdom^__ creating a need for 1,000 new pastors per day!

It would seem that we need to refocus some effort on not only church multiplication methods but church health methods that multiply healthy pastors and churches. The urgency of the need requires the important role of pastoral trainers to be revisited and mission efforts to be recalibrated accordingly. 

Toward that end, pastoral trainers globally are coming together for an historic gathering in Bangkok Thailand, June 15-22^nd for the Global Proclamation Congress for Pastoral Trainers. Convened by RREACH, together with our partners – World Evangelical Alliance, Lausanne Movement, Training of Pastors International Coalition, International Council for Evangelical Theological Educators, Global Alliance for Church Multiplication – this first of its kind gathering seeks to further connect, unite and strengthen pastoral trainers into a global community for the better delivery of pastoral training to where it is most needed. 

The task is too big to do alone but together, collaboratively, we can see more health in the global body of Christ. It must start with better trained pastors as pastoral health affects church health and church health affects societal health. 

When I found out I had cancer, I needed to focus on how I treated my body and on getting and staying as healthy as possible. Likewise, it is time Evangelical leaders focus on healthier churches.

Pastor Roli, who leads a network of 32,000 churches in the Philippines, pleaded, “please don’t multiply without health.” Closer to home, Pastor Rick Warren, one of the pioneers of the church growth movement recently wrote, “Church health is the key to church growth. All living things grow if they’re healthy.”¹  

 

The vision for the 2016 GProCongress is to accelerate church health worldwide. Learn more at www.GProCongress.org.

1: http://ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/ministry-outreach/facilities/246-church-growth/20093-forget-church-growth-aim-for-church-health#sthash.b35CfqHW.dpuf

A Christ-Like Response to ISIS. Is it possible?

The atrocities of ISIS seemingly are progressive as these Muslim extremists seek to create fear and chaos in the Middle East, and possibly beyond. The brutal beheadings of twenty-one Egyptian Coptic Christians was a heinous act that defies explanation. That much is clear. 

The world watches as their evil increases. 

What is not clear however is what ISIS, and others like them (Al Quida, Boko Haram, etc) represent, beyond a present evil. Much debate has been offered to attempt to answer this question. 

What is also not clear is what the Christian response to these atrocities should be. Just read some of the many commentaries and comments being offered to know that there is a diverse amount of opinion among Christians. 

Imagine that? 

Christians actually have different opinions about how to best respond to this evil, and anti-Christ spirit, of the day. What does that make us if we as Christians cannot agree on such important matters of a proper response to ISIS? I suggest that it makes us all too human.  

If Christians cannot agree on what is the proper response to ISIS, and there is no historical evidence that we agree on much, even given the essentials of our faith, why should we then think that ISIS represents the essentials of a faith few Christians understand? 

What I mean is why would we, as Christians, with varied understanding of our own faith, impose on one billion, six hundred million Muslims the idea that, as reported by a well read “Atlantic” article, ISIS is “very Islamic”¹? Especially when the vast majority of those who practice Islam think not.

Is it not at least fairly audacious to suggest that Muslims, sincere in their faith who think ISIS is an aberration, are wrong about their religion and we are right about our characterizations? Perhaps they know something we don’t know, even about ourselves? More than audacious it is arrogant. 

The question we, as Christ-followers, should firstly ask is what does my response to ISIS tell me about what’s in my own heart? Is my response Christ-like and what should that look like in my own life? In fact, the Apostle Paul suggests it is a requirement to examine our faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Now seems like a good opportunity.

These are times to search our own hearts and determine if what we understand about our own faith is informing our thinking or if we have allowed other ideas to be more persuasive. 

Certainly, we should call evil what it is. Jesus did. 

In fact, Jesus called us all evil (Matthew 7:11), reserved his harshest criticism for those who claimed to be better because of their religion (Matthew 12:34), and knew that all human tendency was toward evil (Matthew 15:19). 

But where do we go from there? Is it possible to form a Christ-like response to evil? What would that look like? Certainly, it would be different than the very human tendency toward fear, anger and hate, would it not? 

Perhaps the most Christ-like response to the evil of ISIS comes from Bishop Angaelos, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom: 

“Yes. It may seem unbelievable to some….but as a Christian and a Christian minister I have a responsibility to myself and to others to guide them down this path of forgiveness. We don't forgive the act because the act is heinous. But we do forgive the killers from the depths of our hearts. Otherwise, we would become consumed by anger and hatred. It becomes a spiral of violence that has no place in this world.” ²

Yes, it might seem unbelievable to some, perhaps many, to forgive the ISIS killers but that is exactly what Jesus would do, in fact did do.  As we know, suffering the worst form of torture and execution ever devised by the evil of mankind, Jesus cried out on a cross, “Father, forgive them…” 

It is not an easy journey to get there but a worthwhile one as we come to grips with the power of forgiveness to transform the world, reconcile relationships, and overcome evil. Jesus gave us the strategy for overcoming evil when he taught us to pray “deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13), intercede on the behalf of our persecutors and commanded us love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). 

Are those things possible in our evil world? We can, by faith, conclude that they are as we have the promise of the abiding presence of Christ who makes it so. 

But do we believe it? Do we live like it?

When did the Great Commission get started?

Coming Soon! 

Jesus had risen from the dead. Over the next 40 days, Jesus taught his disciples about the Kingdom, giving them instruction on how to proceed with the mission he had taught them to live out. He was now standing on a hill giving his final Kingdom instructions to his disciples. We pick up the story in Matthew 28:18-20:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Many Christians, including Bible scholars, mission leaders and pastors know this verse as the “Great Commission.” There may even be a subheading in your bible with that reference.

But is this where the Great Commission gets started, with Jesus’ call to “Go…?” This passage has been taught as such but is it when the Great Commission actually got launched for “all nations?” 

Let me suggest to you that this idea needs rethinking and for a very important reason.

Taking Matthew 28:18-20 as the start of the Great Commission can lead us to miss the grand narrative of Scripture and keep us from embracing the full story the Bible communicates.

This famous Matthew 28 passage is vitally important to God’s global mission enterprise. All that Jesus taught and commanded requires our “utmost for his highest.” And, we don’t want to 

miss the two important bookends  – his authority and presence – which makes the mission possible.

This passage is important because it is our promise from the risen Lord of how the mission would proceed and be fulfilled - through, with and in the power and presence of Christ.

But it is not where the Great Commission of “making discipling of all nations” got started.

What Jesus came to do, 'missionally', was advance and empower God’s mission to “all nations.” That is the mission that God has undertaken from the beginning of human history. The cross restored our relationship with God to make Jesus-shaped mission possible and the resurrection prodived Jesus-powered mission to go forward but the Great Commission was God’s plan from the time he created humankind (Genesis 1:28).

Our great God has always chosen to co-mission his people for his mission.

Of course, we know that the Fall affected those plans. Genesis 1-11 demonstrates the unwillingness of mankind to partner with God in his mission, as they instead sought to define life on their own terms and make a name for themselves. But God’s plan kept moving forward in spite of our human tendencies to go in our own direction, except for a people of faith who would carry the mission mandate forward.

Abraham was the first to say, “Yes, Lord I will go for you” after God gave him a great commission to bless all the nations of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). Moses, after some debating with God, also responded to his calling and God gave a great commission to a bunch of Hebrew refugees to make them into a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6) so that God would be known among the nations. 

The lessons from ancient Israel demonstrate mankind’s inability to live as commanded, even with God on their side.  The solution to this problem? Christ who would come to move God's mission forward until all nations had heard the Good News.

It is important we recapture the mission as outlined in the Old Testament, so that we better understand the New Testament commission and see the Bible as the complete mission plan that it is - for the "all nations."  

Walter C. Kaiser in an article entitled, “The Great Commission in the Old Testament?” makes the point that, “Rightly understood the O.T. is a mission book par excellence because world mission to all peoples is its central purpose. It is also the key that unlocks true understanding of its message as well as for the whole Bible.”[1]

Christopher Wright in his excellent book, “The Mission of God – Unlocking the Bible’s Grand  Narrative” begins with this great truth: “Missions is what the Bible is all about.” 

The Great Commission when understood from Genesis to Revelation tells us an amazing story of how God has continued to develop his plan for “every nation, tribe and tongue” to worship him. The Great Commission takes on its fullest meaning in response to God’s plan of the ages. We would do well to understand it.

NEW BOOK COMING SOON

Dealing with this subject in detail is beyond the scope of this brief post so I recommend you sign-up to get my new book, “God INC – Finding Your Place in the Family Business” where I unpack this further. “God INC” will be available soon as a free download or by print copy. Here is what leaders are already saying:

"God INC is a must read for any follower of Christ living during what many believe to be the most exciting time in human history." Pat Murdock - Executive Director - Issachar Initiative  

“Brian’s passion, heart and zeal shine through his words inspiring us to live lives that matter eternally as we get about God’s business.” Bruce B. Miller, Senior Pastor, Christ Fellowship

“This book will leave you inspired and empowered to make the Great Commission your life’s work no matter your vocation.” Dr. Kurt Nelson, President & CEO, East-West Ministries

“Every Christian man, woman, and teenager will profit from this book. They will learn to see with new eyes as they view their families, their churches, their communities, and their world.” David Bowman (D.Min) – Executive Director – Tarrant Baptist Association

"I have not read a stronger narrative that so speaks to the relational bridge built to unite the pastoral and businessmen’s heart to reach the most unreached in our world today. This is a must read for every pastor and business leader." Steve Sharp - President/CEO - Global Heart Ministries

Click here and I'll let you know when God INC is available later this Fall. 

What would it mean if more Christians understood God’s mission, as well as held a missions view of their Bible, toward completion of the Great Commission, which has always been God’s plan for his people to live out? The answer is worth exploring. 

Another question that every Christian must answer is, "When will the Great Commission get started for me?" Do you know the answer? 

[1] Walter C. Kaiser – ““The Great Commission in the Old Testament?” International Journal of Frontier Missions, Jan-Mar 1996 (Vol 13, Number 1)