MIM Ezine, November 18, 2009

-- IN THE HUDDLE: Discipleship Through Intentional Community, Like Water to a Thirsty Man, by Tim Burns.

-- IN THE HUDDLE: Discipleship Through Intentional Community, Why Do You Go To Church?, by Tim Burns.

-- Book Review, "Found Art: Discovering Beauty in Foreign Places," by Leeana Tankersley, reviewed by Teena Stewart.

Congratulations to award-winning author, journalist and MIM ezine editor Karen Patterson on the publication of her new book, Allies Forever. The book is based on a true story of her family whose lives were altered by Hitler's war. You can read more about it on Karen's new web site www.karenapatterson.com.

Last month Ministry in Motion (MIM) reported the background of Life Cycle theory from Ichak Adizes and Martin Saarinen. If you have not seen that article, you may want to check that out before reading further. You can find it at: http://www.ministryinmotion.net/MIM_November_03_2009.html.

Dr. Dennis Mohler, MIM partner and UMC District Superintendent, has developed a corollary to the heritage of Life Cycle theory. Mohler believes that the distribution of a church’s financial resources can reveal much of a church’s health and vitality. Leaders can calculate this distribution of finances and plot a church’s position on the life cycle graph.

Of course, the benefit of such work is to provide insights and opportunities for relaunching new cycles of growth and development. The financial data can be one more useful criteria for objective diagnosis.

Mohler has also developed a new tangent to the life cycle concept for churches. Many who are in the down direction of the life cycle are actually quite comfortable financially. Mohler calls these legacy churches. They are living off of the legacy of previous generations, which may include the use of endowments, restricted funds, or the generosity of a single big giver.

Mohler shares the example of one church that enjoyed the faithful support of a tithing professional athlete. However, when that player retired, his tithe was reduced. The church had not prepared for the sudden change in income and was ill-prepared to adapt.

Legacy churches are in the decline of the life cycle, and often do not realize it. When the downdraft does hit, it does so suddenly and dramatically. Denial is no longer possible. Wise leaders will find this concept useful in anticipating such a dramatic turn of events.

Using Mohler’s calculations, any ministry leader with a small calculator can discern additional signals of a church’s health and vitality. This can help ministry leaders launch new life cycles before the momentum becomes too difficult to stop.

Would you participate in our survey? By filling out the following blanks, and adding your own assessment on where your church is in the life cycle, you can contribute to our research to assess the health of a church’s ministry.

Click the link above to download the resource and fill in the blanks. Feel free to add whatever notes you think would help us understand your ministry setting. Then email it to dennis@dbmim.net. We will compile the results and report them in an upcoming issue of Ministry in Motion.

Tom Hanover is Advertising and Promo Director of MIM ezine. He has served in a variety of pastoral leadership roles for more than 30 years, including seven years as a District Superintendent supervising the ministries of more than 100 pastors and churches in southern Ohio. He is currently Senior Pastor of Sulphur Grove UMC, a multisite ministry in Dayton. He has a BA (cum laude) from Taylor University, and the MDIV and DMIN degrees from United Theological Seminary in Dayton. You can contact Tom at hanover@dbmim.net.

Over the past 12 months, this column has approached the idea of building community within our churches as an essential component of building authentic and transformational Christian culture. I have interviewed those whose lives have been changed through the authentic community. I have considered the philosophy of successful, 4^th generation pastor Rick Warren. And I have learned from Daniel from the Old Testament. Each has echoed the sermon that changed my life 12 years ago at a Detroit Promise Keepers event. “We all need a huddle!”

The irony of this column doesn't escape me. I am writing about making room for building intentional community at a time when our culture could not be more fragmented. From the seeds of self exploration sown in the 1960s has grown the self-gratification of the 70s, and self indulgence of the 80s. The 90s gave way to a new resurgence of individualism in the Gen Xers. Today, the Millennials, as pollsters like to call our current younger population, are thronging in droves to social networking sites to establish a circle of friends that “know” them via digital impulses. Could it be that a “self” overdose of four decades created a culture that disdains community because of a perceived demand for conformity? At the same time, are they starving for community that demonstrates and communicates value to the individual?

Modern society is like a pregnant woman. How many times have I conversed about my pregnant wife's cravings during the early months when she carried each of our five children? I remember going to the local grocer for a particular ice cream flavor and Hershey's chocolate topping at midnight. At least once a week I had to get French fries from Wendy's. This late night snack couldn't be from the other fast food outlets, which were considerably closer. No, my wife needed Wendy's fries. Only that particular brand of deep fried treat calmed her craving d'jour.

Studies on this phenomenon explain that during pregnancy, when a woman's body needs a particular nutrient, the brain sends out a “craving” for a food that it knows contains that particular vitamin or mineral. Similar to feeling thirsty when your body needs hydration, the brain recognizes the large amounts of trace elements needed during pregnancy and sends out the demand in the form of an insatiable craving.

In the same way our bodies have physical needs, and God has created us to interpret those needs in order to be physically healthy, our Creator has implanted deep within us emotional and spiritual needs. Without ever knowing that God wrote, “It is not good for a man to be alone,” I crave companionship. Our culture is more “multicultural, post-modern, segmented, tribal and individualized” than at any preceding period in time. Is it any wonder that the resulting collective “cultural craving” can be seen in the online social networking phenomenon? Teens are married to their text-laden cell phones. Middle age gamers spend hours engrossed in online worlds as members of virtual tribes. Additionally, adults still pursue physical intimacy to excess, hoping it will satisfy their craving for community.

Into this world, God calls his body the Church to make a significant transformational, prevailing impact. We are called to meet the needs of our generation, and in the process demonstrate Christ's love, compassion, and concern. The results will be truly transformational. Jesus promised that on the revelation of truth he will build his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. One of the truths that this generation needs to see is that our God is a community minded Leader, who made us for intimate personal community. He will meet our needs of finding personal value and worth. A key tool in the process is the presence of committed, transparent and genuine relationships.

A transformational community should not be confused with a structured collective. Current political winds are blowing in our country with much talk about community service, taking care of our neighborhood, and making a difference for the collective well being of the country. God's community is not a man made collective. Man's efforts create, and often insist on, conformity and the loss of individualism. God's community thrives when each person brings his or her own gifts and is empowered and allowed to contribute them. (Eph 4.12-16) Man's collective typically demands that people behave similarly, and receive similar rewards for their effort. God's community makes room for those with a particular talent to be rewarded for their efforts, and those with more talents to receive back in proportion to their work. We are each unique, not each the same. We have value in ourselves because God created us in his image, not for and to the extent we can make a contribution to our collective, or become “participatory citizens.”

God's people hold the key to the needs of each and every generation. The methods of communicating God's love and grace often change in focus because of our ever-evolving culture. But, at the same time, the truth and love of our Father remains constant.

Take a step back and look at the people around you as if you were a detached 3^rd party sent to observe your local culture. Ask yourself, “What are the deepest needs of those around me, and how can I identify these needs through the behaviors of those I meet?” Nature abhors a vacuum. Hungry people eat. Thirsty people drink. Lonely people seek companions to fill the void. Isolated people try to reach out in ways that they feel are safe, that still offer a path out of their isolation.

When Jesus sent the disciples into the world, He told them to start in Jerusalem, then go to the surrounding areas, and finally the whole world. Who is in your immediate sphere of influence, in your Jerusalem? How can you offer the cool water of community, friendship to a thirsty soul? Take a risk, offer friendship in the name of Christ, and with the intention of eventually introducing Christ into your intentional community.

Timothy Burns lives in West Michigan, writing professionally for 7 years. Timothy's work explores external cultural influences, and emotional influences within that affect a life's direction. His ability to identify the human element or underlying organizational culture often sets Timothy’s work apart. His writing spans topics of Christian living, apologetics, and the hidden benefits that often surface through personal difficulty.

            I was talking on my cell phone the other day, when a friend asked: "Are you going to church this weekend?"
            "Going to church? What do you mean 'Going to church?' That phrase shouldn't even exist. No one should go to church; we should be the church!"
            After seconds of dead air, my friend tentatively replied: "Um, you really need to lay off the energy drinks."
            He was (and still is) a good friend. No apologies were needed. However, I have been thinking about my response ever since. Where did this idea come from, that Christians “Go to church?” At what point did we lose our identity as Christ followers, and allow our command to transform the world to be lowered to the level of a trip to the grocery store.
A Quick History
            The word “church” first appeared in the New Testament, when Jesus told Peter "Blessed are you Peter, for God has revealed to you (my true identity) and on this (revealed knowledge) I will build my Church." (Matt. 16:18) The word “church(es)” appears close to 70 times in the New Testament, and is translated from the Greek word "ekklesia." The root word means an assembly of religious believers, a group of “called out” ones, a religious congregation. We gather as the Church, the people of God, called out from the world. We can meet in a tent, stadium, abandoned mall or on the banks of a river. God's people are individually and collectively the church.
            Consider the audience to whom Jesus spoke. The Jewish community had a deep sense of personal exclusion from the rest of the world. The Jewish experience and cultural identity was formed throughout history, as gold is refined in a furnace. Jacob brought his family to Egypt, where they lived as culturally set apart from the dominant Egyptian culture. They were physically separated, and culturally distinct. Then, as slaves they were forcibly isolated. As the pyramids rose to the sky, there was no doubt as to who were Egyptians and who were Hebrews.
            When settling in the promised land, the Israelites were commanded by God to remain a separate and distinct tribe. They had a unique heritage. God wanted them to "Be my people, and I will be your God." (Deut. 7:6-9) As the Israelites maintained their unique heritage, they were more likely to keep their relationship with their Father God pure. When they forgot their distinctness, intermarried or acclimated to culturally accepted religious norms of those around them, God's people earned his disfavor, and brought about negative consequences.
            In the first century AD, Jesus was again talking to a Jewish people who were culturally separated, under Roman rule. They lived as outcasts in their own land, but their strength was in their cultural unity and distinctness. For centuries, it seems that Yahweh had repeatedly preached the same message, not with words, but with circumstances beyond the Israelite control. God's people were a set apart people, a unique and distinct community.
            As only oppressed people learn, their strength flowed from community. As a stray sheep becomes an easy target of hungry wolves, individuals who wandered from the cultural pack become easy prey for the oppressors. Jesus’ time was filled with stories of individuals who had tried to rise up against the Roman oppressors only to be ruthlessly cut down. (Acts 5:34-37)
Back to the Future
            So at what point did we lose our identity as a separate people? I'm not sure. Throughout history, God's people have ridden the pendulum from oppressed to accepted. At times, what was called the Christian church even became part of the oppressing class. Through sovereign acts and political upheaval, God's people learned that oppressing others is not part of our identifying culture. We are called to serve not be served.
            When Paul wrote to the churches across the Roman world, he addressed a distinct group of people who gathered to mutually follow Christ at the risk of everything they had. He reminded this church that they were called to influence the dominant, secular culture around them. They were called to be the Church, to be salt and light to a dark and dying world. Through their acts of love, demonstrating Christ's character to those who have no idea what love looks like, they changed the world. Their influence changed the entire known world.
. . . and Today?
            In America and most of Western culture, the Church is again running low on influence. It has wandered from its cultural distinctiveness. Like the ancient Hebrews, the first century Church was forced to be separate, distinct, a tribe apart, a people called out. However, today, we are not. In nations where the church is forced to exist underground against an oppressive government, they thrive. In our nation, we “go to church” freely, resting in ease, lacking the power to engage the culture. If the early Church was to survive, they were forced into interdependent community. If today's Church is to regain its collective influence, we must make time for intentional community.
            The church in American has more resources, buildings, property, and prosperity than at any time in the past 2000 years. Yet we have lost our influence on secular society. Forty years ago, when the technological revolution reshaped our daily lives, church leaders believed technology would be the catalyst for waves of revival sweeping the world. Instead, we now live in a post-modern, post-Christian culture.
            Could it be that we have lost our identity as a people, spent our spiritual capital, and seen little return on our investment? Could it be that we have settled for “going to church”, instead of being the Church, the insignificant tribe that changed the world because they were too determined to accept any other outcome.
The Point
            If the solution to regaining our influence on the world is returning to the life, culture, and faith of the early Church, intentional community is one piece of the puzzle. We can no longer afford a "Christian business as usual" approach to our faith. Jesus told us that we would either change the world, or the world would change us. To change the world is to be like Him. (Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:17-21) When we are changed, we no longer represent Him. (Rev. 3:14-19)
The Gauge
            Do you include time and space to pursue intentional community as part of your Christian life? Are you opening your life up to others, letting others into your life through transparent, honest relationships? Do you look at your participation in your local congregation as "going to church" or "attending Bible study." Or is your involvement a willful commitment to transform your life and then be involved in transforming your world?
The Next Step
            Find others of like mind. In any congregation, a number of people will be satisfied with the status quo. Rather than force an issue, look for like minded individuals who seek to allow Christ to flow through them to change the world. Meet together for prayer, and include your pastor. Fast and pray for your local congregation, ask God to give you a new vision for your future. When the vision comes, ask Him how you can be involved in making that vision reality. (See Philemon. 6, NIV)

Timothy Burns has written professionally for 6 years with deep connection to cultural, Christ centered living, and how unwritten beliefs can influence behaviors and habits. His writing spans Christian living, apologetics, and the hidden benefits of personal trials. Contact Timothy: tb@timothyburns.com

Shortly after marrying Steve, a Navy Seal, Leeana Tankersley, at 27, was plucked from her comfortable, safe, and predictable existence in San Diego to live in a foreign culture in Bahrain where Steve was stationed. Alone in this ancient, captivating city near the Persian gulf, Leeana learned how to cope with the isolation, and discomfort of being a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Western young woman in a middle-eastern environment. In Found Art she shares snippets of this profoundly personal and intriguing life, piecing together a collage of the events and her experiences.

Tankersley peels back her veneer to give us a glimpse of her own self-doubt and struggles as she tries to make peace with herself and her perceived short-comings while attempting to find meaning and purpose in this new life. Adjusting to marriage as a newlywed is hard for most, but it was exponentially difficult for Tankersley as Steve was often whisked away on clandestine operations for weeks and months at a time, leaving her isolated.

She had little choice but to learn how to be more comfortable with herself and she eventually was able to find peace in the solitude. Tankersley struck out and began exploring the wonders of the city, visiting the souq (a Middle-eastern market) and even donning an abaya (an over garment worn by some women in the Islamic world that covers the body except for face, feet, and hands) at one point, in order to tour the Grand Mosque. She and Steve learned to appreciate the intricacies of hand-made Persian rugs as they developed a friendship with a shop owner. Tankersley found community on base with other Navy wives, and when her hopes of teaching English dried up, she learned to find joy in bagging groceries and teaching fitness class.

Two particularly poignant segments in her book include her observations as she sought her masters degree in English and her perception of standing naked in the Garden of Eden as her lack of expertise pertaining to the rules of poetry becomes blatantly clear. She and Steve were also profoundly affected by the tragic death of another Navy Seal after being stationed back in the states. Steve was responsible for managing the details of his death and initial care of his young widow.

Found Art documents Tankersley’s transformational journey. Her stories offer a glimpse at a culture foreign to most and hope to those who are feeling lost or overwhelmed by current circumstances. Tankerseley’s observations encourage us to persevere and find our own validation and to recognize that spiritual meaning can be found in the seemingly insignificant details.

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Ministry in Motion is looking for columnists and writers in the following areas: women's ministry, men's ministry, single's ministry, youth ministry, worship ministry, small group/bible study ministry, and general ministry. We are also open to general church ministry related freelance articles. If you have an idea for a column or would like to share ministry insight or even short ministry tips, we'd love to hear from you. Present payment is promotion only -- no pay but great exposure for you, your ministry, book, or website. Please read our writer's guidelines here.

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DBMIM November 18, 2009