In his new book, Whole Church, Mel Lawrenz of Elmbrook Church (Brookfield, WI) discusses how a church can practically apply God’s grace, salvation, and people’s personal lives, in church community, in local community, and globally.

I had the opportunity to ask Mel the following question:
What are the best ways a church can keep itself and protect itself from withdrawing inwardly rather than seeking to engage its local community?

I think community engagement is one of the great movements of God through the church today. All over the country churches are re-discovering the joy of getting outside the walls of the church, serving in the local community, and glorifying God in it. There are 350 practical ideas for cohesion in Whole Church, some of which are about community engagement.

But I think the real focus is here: congregations will get moving out into the community when they are given imagination and inspiration. In other words, rather than form a church program where people can plug into the community, we should scour our congregations, discovering the examples of where the people are already doing it, and then tell the stories with power and conviction. Tell the story of the woman who is tutoring at the local rescue mission, the coffee-shop owner who uses his place for a Sunday-night college group, the young adult group that volunteers at a nursing home once a month. Find such stories, and dozens others, and tell them.

Challenge the congregation to look around their own communities, to use their own imaginations, to give something a try. But tell them NOT to wait for specific marching orders from the top.

For more excerpts of Mel’s wisdom check out Leadership Network’s blog tour.

This October is the special tenth anniversary for Catalyst Conference (Atlanta, GA). There will be phenomenal speakers like Malcolm Gladwell, Andy Stanley, and Matt Chandler. And of course, it will be an experience you will never forget.

But if you want the best rate, you better act now. Thursday, June 25th (tomorrow) is the last day to receive Catalyst Conference’s super early bird registration rate.

And to save an extra $40 on individual super early bird registrations, use the priority code “TWIT” and Catalyst will also send you a copy of Andy Stanley’s new book, The Principle of the Path.

Sometimes blunt, crude words are the only things that can shock a person out of a rut and motivate him to improve to the next level. This four-part blog series is for the church worker who needs such forthright words.

It is important to do things with excellence and to give your best in ministry. Paul exemplifies this in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23. However, when trying to give your best, it is equally important to avoid the pitfall of thinking it is all about you.

If you are good at what you do, this pitfall nurtures pride. If you lack confidence, it cripples you with insecurity. Thinking it’s all about you keeps you from delegating. It keeps you from resting. Many pastors have ruined themselves, their marriages, their families, and their churches by thinking that they are the only ones capable of doing what they do.

But the truth is…

You are not good enough.

This crude statement is actually an incredible encouragement. It is not about you. Nobody is good enough. We are all sinful, but God’s gospel gift is about grace rather than being good enough.

Fortunately, the success of God’s Kingdom does not rest on your shoulders. God does not need you, but He desperately wants you to be a part.

You are never as great as you think you are, so don’t become prideful. And you are never as bad as you think you are, so don’t become crippled by insecurity. Simply give your best and be thankful that God has given you the opportunity to be a part of His great plan.

Read Part 1 - You Deserve to Go to Hell
Read Part 2 - You Will Die Unless…
Read Part 3 - What If You Die Today?

In the big picture, a toolbox with all hammers isn’t very effective. You can hit nails, pry, and not much more. A good toolbox has hammers, wrenches, files, and screwdrivers. It has a drill, some pliers, and plenty of other tools.

So why do so many churches try to be a hammer?

Eugene Cho of Quest Church (Seattle, WA) recently blogged about the pursuit so many churches have to be a megachurch. He states:

Megachurches only comprise 1% of the churches in North America. But then why do the majority of the conferences revolve around the megachurches and their pastors?

I think megachurches and their leaders are doing phenomenal ministry.  I really do.  But we’ve elevated this 1% as the epitome and face of a successful ministry and created a machine of conferences, publishers, books, and networks based on this very limited expression.

Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK) puts it this way:

In order to reach people that no one is reaching, you will have to do things that no one is doing. But in order to do things that no one is doing, you can’t do what everyone else is doing.

We each have a unique God-given calling, but many of us want to live the calling of  the ministers in the limelight. Likewise, each church has a unique God-given calling, but too many churches distract themselves by pursuing the calling of famous megachurches. Consider how 1 Corinthians 12 reads when substituting church terms:

The Church has many different parts, not just one part. If the house church says, “I am not a part of the Church because I am not a megachurch,” that does not make it any less a part of the Church. And if the rural church says, “I am not part of the Church because I am not a gigachurch,” would that make it any less a part of the Church? If the whole Church were a gigachurch, how would you reach rural areas? Or if the whole Church were a rural church, how would you reach urban areas?

But the Church has many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange the Church would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one Church. The gigachurch can never say to the megachurch, “I don’t need you.” The Internet church can’t say to the church plant, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the Church that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.

To clarify, I do think it is good to study successful churches when the principles learned are considered within the context of your church’s unique calling. And I do believe that good ministry typically grows churches. However, some of the greatest ministries have the smallest numbers. Sometimes small is needed to be effective. Sometimes huge is needed.

I recommend that you study them all. Learn from megachurches, house churches, rural churches, and the rest.

Above all else, never lose focus of staying true to your church’s purpose. If God wants you to be a hammer, be a hammer. If God wants you to be a wrench, be a wrench.

[Photo credit: dipster1]

Dave Gibbons is the senior pastor of Newsong Church, an international multi-site church with 8 campuses located in California, Texas, Mexico, United Kingdom, India, and Thailand. He is an entrepreneur and owns YangDang and Xealot. And he is the author of The Monkey and the Fish.

ABOUT NEWSONG CHURCH

Year Began: 1994
Locations: 8 Campuses – Irvine, CA / Culver, CA / Fullerton, CA / Dallas, TX / Mexico / London / India / Bangkok

10Q WITH DAVE GIBBONS

1Q = What is Newsong Church’s chain of command from the senior pastor to the church volunteers?

The Leadership Team comprised of both volunteer leaders who represent the congregation and support staff guide the church but all under the submission to the Holy Spirit. The congregation affirms major decisions.

2Q = For big decisions, what is Newsong Church’s decision making process?

Depends. The big decisions can originate from our members or from the leaders of the church. But eventually, there is affirmation with Leadership teams, Management teams and the congregation.

3Q = How does Newsong Church market itself?

Mostly word of mouth and via technology.

4Q = What is the most effective thing Newsong Church has done to reach people?

Created an ethos that is dependent upon the Holy Spirit and empowers the people to be the front line of God’s movements locally and globally.

5Q = What is your leadership style?

Intuitive and collaborative.

6Q = Your book, The Monkey and the Fish, discusses third culture. What is it?

Third culture in a word is Adaptation. In two words, Painful Adaptation. The longer definition is “the mindset and will to love, learn and serve in any culture even in the midst of pain and discomfort.”
A short view of this can be found at 3culture.tv.

7Q = What is a Third-Culture Church?

It’s a church that is able to flow with the Holy Spirit, choosing to live out the two great purposes of the church: Loving God and Loving Her Neighbor. The Neighbor though being someone NOT like you even someone you would hate or not want to forgive. It’s a church that chooses obedience over passion  as well as radical sacrifice over comfort.

8Q = How can a church become a Third-Culture Church?

This process is definitely the work of the Holy Spirit! To ask people to enter into pain and suffering, eat foods they don’t like, hang out with people that make you uncomfortable is counter-cultural. I would say the key is for the one who does get it to start living out the third culture life. Personally, before the movement became church-wide, I felt God telling me I had to live it out more intentionally. So my family and I moved out to Bangkok. It starts with leadership and prayer.  As one engages real suffering and poverty, clarity emerges.

As you live out third culture, invite others with you on the journey. I still remember taking a group of friends with me on a third culture vision trip about 5 years ago. We have never been the same. The impact now goes beyond personal to people all over the world. These men embody third culture.

It’s a journey there are many other ideas contained in the book.

9Q = What is the greatest ministry lesson you have learned?

The Primary Task of a Leader is to “build trust and bear pain.”

10Q = What is the best advice you have for church leaders?

Explore the world. Listen, Observe, Ask Questions. Do it now. Then be willing to give it all away to act upon what you experience. The whole time praying, “Father, break my heart with the things that break your heart.”

Be sure to check out Church Relevance’s “10Q” category to read previous 10Q interviews.

One of the most intriguing and challenging books for me in recent years is Shane Hipps’ Flickering Pixels. It takes a fascinating look at how media affect content and faith. It is a bit of a big concept, so I will use some of Shane’s words to give you a glimpse of what is all about.

It is commonly assumed that as long as we protect the unchanging message of the gospel, the method of communicating doesn’t much matter.

The logic is pretty straightforward. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it true.

If the first truth is that our methods necessarily change, the second truth is whenever our methods change, the message automatically changes along with them. You can’t change methods without changing your methods - they’re inseparable.

Throughout the book, Shane discusses the complexities of how the medium affects the content and the audience. For example, Shane writes:

Images focus our attention on the realm of cosmetics. Often, it is for the sake of showcasing beauty and talent.

The radio returned our culture to the experience of the tribal campfire with its shared stories, songs, and banter.

The Internet has a natural bias towards exhibitionism and thus the erosion of real intimacy.

Printing put the left hemisphere of the brain on steroids.

If you communicate with people through any medium, you need to understand the pros and cons of that medium and how it influences your communication. You are just as much responsible for the medium you choose as you are for the words you use (or whatever content you communicate).

Sometimes blunt, crude words are the only things that can shock a person out of a rut and motivate him to improve to the next level. This four-part blog series is for the church worker who needs such forthright words.

What if you die today? Would you be pleased with your legacy?

If the answer is “no,” then you need to figure out how to change it. Life is short. Some of us need to increase our tempo. Some need to act instead of waiting for tomorrow. Some need training. Some of us are doing everything right, but we need time to achieve it. You need to take care of your body by eating right and working out so that you will have that time.

Is there anything distracting you from pursuing your purpose?
Is anything slowing you down?

At the same time, some of us need to be patient, wait for God’s timing, and not ruin things by forcing it on our own. You know the answers to these questions.

For Discussion:
- How do you keep yourself effectively working on a legacy?

Stay tuned for more crude words.

Read Part 1 - You Deserve to Go to Hell
Read Part 2 - You Will Die Unless…

Sometimes we create easy-to-use yet complex systems to work around the Bible’s difficult-to-do yet simple mandates.