"Aches, Pains, Complaints?"

Leonard Sweet tells the story of the "APC pill" from WWII in his new book "So Beautiful." He says, "ask anyone who served in WWII do you remember the APC? and they will most likely say, it cured everything."

The APC pill was designed to cure the aches, pains and complaints (APC's) of soldiers. It was a combination of aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine. The problem, long term use would kill you! Phenacetin caused renal problems and cancer. But the short term benefits were so good that people continued to use APC and purchase it illegally.

Sweet says, the APC for the church has been the "ABC fix." We know that focusing our attention on "Attendance, Buildings, and Cash" (ABC) will destroy our long term health but the short term fix makes us feel better about ourselves. We deceive ourselves into thinking that if people are coming, the building is modern or expanding and the money is good then we must be doing something right.

Sweet and a host of other contemporary theologians state the church must be MRI: Missional (going forth), Relational (engaging people in their setting), and Incarnational (emulating Jesus). As I hear this my thoughts go to the movie "The Matrix" when the main character was brought to a point of decision. Should he change for the good of self and society or maintain the comfortable status quo? The choice came down choosing between one of two pills: a red or blue one. One would continue with business as usual. The other pill would order up a brave new world to experience.

Willoughby Hills Friends has a decision to make as she continues to seek relevance in today's society. Does she choose the MRI or ABC? One is a quick fix, a known commodity but historically leads to ineffectiveness and destruction. The other decision can be scary, messy, chaotic and hard to track. It does not guarantee increased numbers in the pews each week or extra dollars in the offering plate. It will make her feel uncomfortable and force her to act and think differently.

MRI is the will of the Father for the Church today and is where Jesus is working at this time. I encourage you to take your daily MRI pill and practice the presence of Christ in your sphere of influence. What say you to all of this?

Thanks for stopping by!
------
Adrian

Shifting gears

One of the things I hope to accomplish through the three year strategic plan we are developing is to change our focus from a conventional ministry model to a missional model. A conventional model usually makes the weekly worship service(s) and the building the organizing principle of the church with evangelism and outreach designed to recruit people to the worship services and the other organized programs.

Don't get me wrong here. I am not saying worship and programming in unimportant. We need both and growth in both areas is essential to the efforts of WHFC. What we need to embrace however is that natural church growth will occur through our missional endeavors for Christ.

As a missional church we will no longer view missions, evangelism and discipleship as just a function of the church but as a principle related to who we are as Christ followers. They will be a natural impulse because of who we are. It is the Holy Spirit sending us out into the world to declare the lordship of Jesus Christ in all and over all of creation while at the same time working in us to will and do His good pleasure (Eph. 1:23 - "The church is to bring the fullness of Him who fills all in all"). It will involve sharing the Gospel, planting churches, feeding the hungry, working against injustice, etc., in community with one another. Our goal is to infiltrate every level/aspect of society and stake a claim for Jesus; viewing every moment of our existence as holiness unto the Lord and leading to our transformation into Christ likeness.

In Ephesians Paul talks about how the Church is a part of God's eternal purpose. "Through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that He has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord" (3:10-11). What is Paul saying? That the fullness of God is not experienced/seen until the Church is unleashed in the world. Only then is the wisdom (or knowledge of) God revealed in both heaven and on the earth. (Wow, did Paul really say that?)

Today's world will not know of Christ through conventional means. We must organize and mobilize ourselves missionally over the next three years. I trust our leadership and attendees will follow God's lead on this matter. Let's double clutch, grab a new gear, and go!

Thanks for stopping by!
------
Adrian

Stimulus package

Last weekend while twisting through the mountains of West Virginia on my Yamaha I thought how neat it would be if we could custom design our own stimulus package. Mine would include reversing my vacation and work time. Yep, I think working four weeks and vacationing 48 would be sweet while still being paid for 52! Oh well, that's enough "pie-in-the-sky" day dreaming for now. Back to reality.

It seems like everyone is talking "stimulus" these days and it appears the Church is really no different unfortunately. I just read where one in California is giving away a Harley-Davidson motorcycle this year to the person that brings the most visitors in on Sundays. Now that is a church desperate for growth! To be fair, WHFC has tried similar tactics in the past. The last administration employed anything from tele-marketing schemes to "put a pastor on the roof" campaign in an attempt to put people in the pews and coins in the coffer.

Is that the goal of the Church? Should church leaders be lending their energy to thinking up ways to gather a crowd or spending their lives fulfilling the mission of Jesus? When Jesus fashioned the Church He created us to be a community of devoted, selfless servants seeking to model our lives after His selflessness and service.

At WHFC we want our attendees to be about Kingdom business as modeled through the life of Christ. He is our Guide, our Lord, our Master. These are the "numbers" most important to WHFC. As we work His plan He will provide the increase and we will become bound to each other with the bonds of a common cause. Hum ... now isn't that stimulating?

Thanks for stopping by!
------
Adrian

Going over to the "Dark Side"

I am thinking about going over to the dark side. That can mean something different to a lot of people so let me explain. Going over to the dark side is a phrase used by nonconforming motorcyclists who run a car tire on the back of their bike. Crazy huh? Not really. A few of my friends who own cruisers have been doing it for years. I recently purchased my son's VTX with a balding rear tire and I'm thinking of "going dark" for more stability and longer wear.

I believe scripture teaches that Jesus was from the "dark side." He was a non traditionalist for His day. When Jesus asked the disciples what people were saying about Him in Luke 9:18ff they replied that "some think He is the resurrect John the Baptist or Elijah." John and Elijah were clearly not traditionalist of their day. They were viewed by many as "wild men" of sorts.

Yep, the people thought that Jesus was a resurrected wild man. In fact the Bible says in Luke 9:7 this very rumor reached the throne of King Herod who had beheaded John the Baptist some time before. John the Baptist back from the dead? Wow, these words can smudge our portrait of a warm and fuzzy, meek and mild Jesus, do they not?

We must have a right conception of Jesus if we are to emulate Him. To be fair to this discussion we must acknowledge there are presentations of a "lighter" more warm and fuzzy Jesus in the Gospels as well. But we must never loose sight of His "dark side." Like Peter we must ask, "What kind of Man is this? Even the wind and waves obey Him. Even the wild demons obey Him." Even the Pharisees were afraid that He would lead a revolt. What kind of Man "is" our Jesus?

In C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, when Lucy was about to meet the Christ figure portrayed by the lion Aslan, she asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe? Beaver's reply was, "Safe? Who said anything about him being safe? Of course he isn't safe but he is good. He is a good king and you can trust him."

Following Jesus may not always feel safe, warm and cozy as an individual or as a Church but in the end it is "good." We must expect Jesus to lead us over to "the dark side" on occasion. To rock our boat on occassion. Will you trust His leadership ... will you search out His plan? As a Church are we willing to become unconventional in how we "view and do" our mission? Remember, the scriptures teach that "God will shake everything that can be shaken. Only what is real, true, and according to His purpose will He allow to remain."

Thanks for stopping by!
------
Adrian

Defining Jesus

The Gospels make it clear that those who understood Jesus and His message the best were the ones who wanted Him dead. He was considered a threat to the religious system they had grown accustom too. The religious establishment of Christ's day saw Him as a blasphemer, a heretic, a drunkard, a glutton, and a false teacher who twisted the scriptures and deceived the masses. To others Jesus was nothing more than an unschooled, self proclaimed rabbi from the God forsaken north who was stirring up trouble among the common, uneducated people who simply did not know any better.

Voltaire said, "that God made us in His image and we returned the favor." It is the tendency of man to re-create God in his own image because the real Jesus of the Gospels can be scary to the institution of the Church and the status quo of the individual. We do not want a Jesus who scares us so we put Him on tap so we can turn Him on and off as needed. We remake Him into our broken and needy likeness.

This is why we need a preoccupation with the Jesus of the Gospels. Without the Gospels we will fashion Jesus into our image and before long, He will hate the things we hate and like the same things we like. Without the Gospels we will shoehorned Jesus into our agenda and made Him fit our church structure.

It is time for those of us at Willoughby Hills Friends Church to recalibrate to the "true north" setting on our spiritual compass. Individually and corporately we must be discovering and rediscovering the Jesus of the Gospels and constantly bringing ourselves into alignment with His likeness. Our teaching Pastor must continue to break open to Gospels each week and expose Jesus for who He is. Our Christian education department must offer more Christocentric material to attendees. Perhaps we should change the focus from "adult discovery groups" which meet throughout the week to "Christ discovery groups").

We must involve more of our constituency in practicing/emulating the life of Christ outside the walls of 2846 SOM Center Road on a weekly basis. We must not be satisfied until we have 100% participation among our leadership in the Neighborhood Network outreach each year. Those in leadership must model for our attendees the life and teaching of Christ.

The administrative model and functionality of our church must represent the core truths of Christ's life seen in the Gospels. This must become the study and topic of conversation among our leadership. We can begin with the following scriptures/core truths:
1. Jesus ushers in the Kingdom – Mark 1:14-15; Luke 11:20
2. Demonstrates active faith/trust in God – Mark 1:14-15; Matt. 17:20
3. Mediates the grace and mercy of God – Matt. 12:7
4. Forgives sin – Matt.9:2; Luke 7:47
5. Demonstrates the love of God for His world – John 3:16; 14:21
6. Heals the sick and casts out demons – Mark 1:23ff; Luke 11:20
7. Calls all to follow and imitate Him – Matt. 4:19; 8:22
Key missional passages that define Jesus:
Luke 4:16-30
Luke 5:1-11
Luke 9:57-62
Matt. 4:23-25
Matt. 7:12
8. Sets the standard for holiness – Matt. 5-8
9. Introduces a non-religious way of loving and worshipping God – Matt. 21; Jn. 4:20ff
10. Shows love and compassion to the marginalized – Luke 4:18-19; 7:22-23
11. Befriends the outcast and misfit – Matt. 9:9-12; Luke 19:10
12. Follows the pattern for God’s redemption – Luke 15:4-32
13. Proclaims and demonstrates the good news of the Kingdom – Matt. 5:13-16
14. Calls for the redemption of the “whole” person – Matt. 22:37-40
15. Offers new beginnings – John 3:1-7; Luke 7:38-50
16. Hates hypocrisy (and defines it) – Matt. 23:28ff; Luke 12:1
17. Is coming again – Luke 11; Matt. 25:1-13
18. Lays down His life for others – John 15:13
19. Only means for salvation – Luke 1:76-77; 19:9

With each of the passages listed we must ask two questions: (1) "What is the implication to us?" (2) "How can we make it happen?" Are we ready to allow Jesus to define us? What say you?

Thanks for stopping by!
------
Adrian

What if Jesus showed up at church?

Dr. Alan Hirsh asked this question to his seminary students after studying the life and teaching of Jesus for a semester. What would people do with Jesus if He turned up in our churches exhibiting the same attitudes and behaviors demonstrated in the Gospels? One brave soul replied, "we would probably kill Him!"

I wonder what Willoughby Hills Friends would do with Jesus if He began attending our weekly services? Would He dress up and carry a Bible? Would He come inside for the singing and preaching or just hang out in the Cafe with those people? (You know who I mean ... "those people" ... the tax collectors, winebibbers, gluttons, prostitutes, sick and diseased people). Yes, it would be interesting to see how the we would receive Him.

In many respects His ways are still not our ways at WHFC. Here in lies the enormity of my job. How through my administrative duties of the staff and church do I lead transition from a body that has been strongly institutionalized and facility/program focused back to the basics of the Founder who was the undoing of formalized religion and the decentralization of the temple (Matthew 21:28-46; Luke 19:10-26; 23:45), without blowing the whole place up?

Under the ministry of Jesus the Kingdom of God breaks out of the building and into the world with purpose and freshness; unconditional love and acceptance. In light of this how then should we view our facility and what should the focus of our efforts be? We must follow our Founder and this must be seen in our strategic three year plan, become the agenda for every staff, elders and administrative council meeting and be experienced in every gathering our attendees participate in.

Oh how I long for the day when the attitude and mission of Christ is reflected in the weekly communication cards we received rather than people sharing personal preference about worship location, parking issues, kids that make noise and move around to much during the preaching time, and the volume and styles of music. I pray for angel donors to come forth and pay off our $40K per month mortgage so we can invest those dollars into our communities for the glory of God. Yep, I believe in miracles. Please Jesus show up at WHFC. We need You!

Thanks for stopping by!
------
Adrian

In the Groove

I use to be a sports nut but over the past several years my interests has wained. Now I seldom watch a game of any kind. But my Lisa on the other hand follows the Cavs. She knows most of the players and will watch the televised games when time permits.

Clearly Lebron James has breathed new life into Cleveland sports and has put us on the map, so to speak. And I must confess, it is exciting to watch a game or two when "King James" is in his zone. Sometimes it seems no matter who is guarding Lebron he appears to be unstoppable and the ball and rim magnetized to each other. Now if we can just get the Indians and Browns "in the zone" we will be all set.

What about the church ... does she have "a zone, a groove or a sweet spot" per se? What would "in the zone" look like for Willoughby Hills Friends? I value your input.

Thanks for stopping by!
------
Adrian

Change

You have probably seen research statistics such as the following from Strategic Renewal International that reveal startling and distrubing facts about the state of the church in America today:
> Church attendance has decreased 9.5% in the last 10 years, while the population has increased 11.4%
> Over the last 15 years $500 billion has been spent on ministry, with no appreciable growth in the impact of the church (Don Cousins, Experiencing Leadershift. David C. Cook, 2008. Page 151).

The church cannot continue with "business as usual" and expect to reach the world for Christ or even survive through another generation. We must change. We need to let go of everything that prevents God's people from experiencing the power of His anointing and we must embrace the timely words of Zechariah, "It's not by human might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts" (4:6). It's all got to start on the inside. It will require a change of heart for the American church.

The church has been following an institutional model for ministry and it is time for her to return to a biblical perspective. The life changing power of God cannot be mass produced in church government or activity. It requires the infilling of God's Spirit which comes through surrendered lives to Jesus Christ and a dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

This will require several things. One, will be discontentment. Nothing drives change like emotional, mental, and spiritual dissatisfaction associated with ministering in the flesh and not by the Spirit. Are we tired yet?

Two, change will require vision. Discontentment should lead the church to give up dated practice and embrace a new biblical paradigm for who she is and what she does. Are we ready to embrace God's way yet?

Three, change will require prayer. The American church is for the most part, a prayer-less church. And what little bit she does engage is often superficial or programmed based. Are we ready to call upon God for help yet?

My hope is that our leaders will not follow an institutional line when establishing our strategic three year plan this year. Our old model has failed to produce the desired results and our new model must be forged from the fire of sacred literature and tempered by fervent prayer. How can we practically facilitate this plan? What say you?

Thanks for stopping by!
------
Adrian

Truth-based Discipleship & Evangelism

As I mentioned a few days ago, in our "three year plan" Willoughby Hills Friends Church will need to address greater effectiveness in the areas of discipleship and evangelism. I wonder if this will require a paradigm shift of sorts? A change is perspective?

Often times churches from the holiness tradition appear to be sin-based in perspective when undertaking these two key areas of ministry. Sometimes the reason for world evangelization is because people are inherently evil thus they need a crisis moment, "a confrontation," if you will, with personal sin and the Gospel. Likewise, discipleship can often become little more than sin avoidance through rigorous exercises in spiritual discipline.

Though I believe both of the above are important in proper context to the maturation process of a Christian, sin should not be the primary focal point of our evangelism or discipleship. Yes, people are sinners and need a Savior but sin based programming will not motive people long term to a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to be "truth based" in our approach.

When I speak of a "truth based" approach to discipleship and evangelism I am thinking of the fact that all men are created in the image of God, and God is good. The fall of humanity in the garden of Eden did not eradicate the goodness of God that every human being inherently possesses. Instead of saying to others, "Your evil, deal with it, turn or burn" let's expose the good qualities in people and encourage them to "grow in those divinely manufactured properties."

This "truth-based" approach to discipleship and evangelism does not eliminate the need for a "crisis moment" with the claims of Jesus Christ, it simply changes the focus. Instead of telling someone they need to encounter Jesus before they can "be good," let's identify and celebrate the good "God like" qualities that already exist in people and share with them how through a relationship with Jesus they can experience the full manifestation of these divine properties. Let's "atta boy" the behaviors of man that reflect the imago dei, "the image of God" in man and then share how experiencing the fullness of Christ can loose one from the tethers of sin and provide the means to be the very embodiment of Christ in the world today.

What say you? Would this approach require a paradigm shift for WHFC? What might a "truth-based approach to discipleship and evangelism look like over the next three years? I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for stopping by!
-------
Adrian

Disciple Making

As I mentioned earlier this week one of my goals for 09 is to spearhead a three year plan for Willoughby Hills Friends Church. I would like your feedback on what areas of ministry we need to address. Please send your thoughts and ideas my way either through the blog or email (DrHalvey@yahoo.com).

One area of concentration we must address in the three year plan is discipleship. Sometimes I think that our large program driven structure can actually create more obstacles and distractions to becoming Christlike that it removes. I concur with Hartgrove's comment in his new book, New Monasticism, that "the greatest enemy of intimacy with God can be service for God."

Big and active is not always best when maturing people for Christ. Clearly discipleship and evangelism "cannot be massed produced or commoditized. One size fits all programming will not work" (Keith Meyer, www.christianitytoday.com/le/ community life/discipleship). I do not think that means WHFC needs to sell its 10 million dollar complex in the "burbs" and locate elsewhere in smaller venues. Nor do I think it means we should abandon our effort to draw a crowd each week in corporate worship. However, I do think it means that we must be more realistic in perspective regarding our effectiveness in disciplining people and more intentional and relevant in our approach. Experience proves that 1200 attendees will not become spiritual mature just through preaching, programming, and busyness.

I think the same clarification is needed at WHFC regarding evangelism as well. I will address this subject at a later time and solicit your feedback. But, my suspicion is that some people still believe that our primary thrust for evangelism should be the Saturday night and Sunday morning venue. I think we should expect people to come to Christ in our worship services but our venue for evangelism must be expanded in principle and definitely become more intentional in focus beyond the walls of 2846 SOM Center Road.

Back to discipleship, Jesus seemed to have two strategies. One for the crowds He attracted and another for His disciples in small group settings. We must model this approach and encourage people into intentional smaller relational groupings. Possibly our only curriculum we use for intentional discipleship should be what Dietrich Bonhoeffer said would lead to the restoration of the church. An "uncompromising attitude of life lived according to the Sermon on the Mount in the following of Christ" (Keith Myers) What say you?

Thanks for stopping by!
--------
Adrian