Mike who is a good friend (Brian writing) expresses the heart of why we need some kind of network of friendships that can serve the poor by helping middle class churches navigate the complexities of middle class church junk. There is so much potential there but at the same time so much pressure to spend that potential on things besides the poor. Here is an awesome excerpt from a letter he recently wrote me:
"I'm a good person to ask the question about what kind of a network is needed. I'm trying to think about what would be a help to a guy like me that wants to please God but sometimes feels like I'm flying solo. I can download all sorts of leadership and management resources; I can attend a Willow Creek or Saddleback church growth/church leadership conference; I can hire coaches and consultants to remind me of conventional wisdom regarding building programs and fund-raising; I can go to the bookstore and buy shelves of information to take my leadership "to the next level."
But if I want help and fellowship in being a truly Luke 4 and book of Acts type of missional church that loves the lost unto real-deal discipleship and loves the victims of injustice /disadvantage unto empowerment , I don't really have a place to go. You can read books like Shaping of things to Come, but the application quotient in a local congregation or organization is dirt low.
I would like a community of like-minded, passionate God-lovers that would make time on a regular basis to walk through the tough issues with each other. Here is our example, which is kicking my butt: Right now we need more space. For 18 months we have seen nearly a person per day come to repentance and be "added to the number." So numbers have grown. This means 4 gatherings/services we have to staff every Sunday. 4 teams of nursery workers and kids workers. It's a task, especially when we have this huge discipleship value with feedback loops. At the same time we prioritize the poor and missions - to which we spend about 40% of our income. Then we prioritize college students which make up about 40% of the church - who don't bring money. We also pay the staff on the low end compared to other churches - while they are working like crazy to keep up.
So here I am looking for counsel. Every consultant or pastor I've spoken to says to back off of all the justice and help the poor talk. Shift the vision to be a big building project for a few years. Drop missions giving, increase staff spending, hire some hot shots away from other ministries, blah blah.
Other than talking to you and some of my community that has strong values, I have nowhere to turn. I certainly have no voice of someone who has been there, and done that and lived to tell how you can grow, win souls, make true disciples, stay true to your dna, etc.
A network of like-minded people that are not talking out of their abstract, non-practitioner, completely theoretical mindsets would be a God-send. Something like positive peer pressure mixed with a band of godly counselors that kow God's voice, commit to His heart, and act it out in concrete terms.
What about buildings? How do you approach financing? How do you ensure that your means have the same DNA as your ends?
Additionally, if you have a band of groups networked together you can do things corporately you could not do alone. You borrow ideas, structures, mission connections, etc..."
I think Mike is so right. What do you think? leave a comment.
