Ministry

Overcoming Evil Leadership

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

leader

Reggie McNeal, in his book Practicing Greatness, makes this audacious statement:

“Bad leaders are a form of evil.”

When I first read that statement I thought “Woe! That’s a bit strong.”  But as I read further I came to understand his thinking… and agreed. 

Consider his whole point:

Bad leaders are a form of evil. They curse people by diminishing their life. They rob people  of hope. They reduce people’s dreams and expectations for their lives. They discourage and disparage people.  They leave people worse off than when they found them. Bad leadership is not always the result of bad character or intentional malevolence. It can result from simple incompetence.

While McNeal’s assertion is strong, I think it has strong merits.  Consider the results he associates with bad leadership: lost hope, diminished dreams that lead to settling, demoralization and discouragement.  All of these things are bad, even evil really.  And while poor leadership is not the only cause of such attitudes, bad leadership is a frequent incubator of them. 

As a pastor, which is the primary target McNeal is aiming at, this perspective hits home. It also hits deep.  My very job, my calling, is to remind people of the hope they have in Christ and to help them to function in line with that hope according to their God-given purpose.  When, by God’s grace, I am effective, I get to see God change peoples lives for the better.  When that happens it is exciting and exhilerating.  But when I fail… well it can get pretty ugly.  And I do fail. Sometimes because of matters beyond my influence. But at other times I fail because I am not up to the challenge – which is a gentle way of admitting my incompetence.

I have become keenly aware of the influence of bad leadership, not only by my own failures, but as I have watched my son’s athletic career.  I have seen good coaches make a positive impact that extends far beyond the playing fields.  And I have seen my son demoralized, I have seen his dreams and aspiarations diminished, and I have seen the sense of purposelessness that accompanies hopelessness, not because of an innate lack of talent but as a result of bad coaching – or bad leadership from a coach.  McNeal’s perception is all the more pertinent as I  watched this take place, because the coach who was primarily responsible for this is not a bad guy. Quite the contrary. He is likeable. He seems to have his priorities in exemplary order.  He was never unpleasant. He was simply not competent in the job he held. And that incompetence negatively influenced scores of young men, including my son.  So, as McNeal says, while the man is good, the effects of his bad leadership are evil.  

It is sobering to realize I can have that same negative effect on people when I fail them as a pastor, or as a father, or in any other leadership role I may assume.

A few applications come to mind as I think through this.

1. This truth applies to every person in a position of leadership, professional or volunteer, formal or informal, organizational or recreational.  The purpose of leadership is always to guide and ultimately enhance.

I say “ultimately” because sometimes leadership requires breaking down or taking steps backward before moving forward.  It depends upon the inherited situation. At such times what may temporarily appear to be failure, is in reality a necessity. Not everyone will always see this, but then again, that’s why not everyone was called to be the leader.

This is humbling, and a bit frightening.  But the words of the Lord to Joshua come to mind: “Be strong and corageous…” (Joshua 1.6) And paraphrasing the rest of that passage: “Be strong and very courageous, being careful to do everything God has called you to do, and to do it in the manner he wants you to do it.”

This command applies to all of us who assume leadership roles. In the church, as Elders, youth leaders, etc; In the community as coaches, civic leaders, elected officials, etc; or in the business world as supervisors, foremen, or executives.  All of these roles can be catalysts for the advancement of God’s Kingdom, done for his glory, and can benefit  those God has called us to lead. (1 Corinthians 10.31)

2. We must live in line with the Gospel, or with the Gospel always in mind. 

Now, of course, this is always a truth. But I think it is pertinent to say again here for a simple reason. We will all fail at some point in our leadership. Only God is omni-competent.  Some of our failures will be situational, and are not reflective of our leadership abilities. But at other times the Peter Principle comes into play – we are in over our heads, not up to the challenge, not competent for the job.  At those times we embody the “good guy, bad leader = evil” eqation.

Knowing this ahead of times makes leadership rather daunting. Many would rather foresake the risk of leadership altogether – if they could. But this need not be our attitude if we understand the gospel.  God does not, and will not, reject us on the basis of our failure and incompetence, even when that spells evil.  Quite the contrary, God called us who are evil, failures, and incapable in the first place.  He redeemed such people through the blood of Christ. And He is in the process of shaping us and growing us.  So we can own up to our “evil” in leadership, and be grateful for God’s provision in Christ. 

In fact, we should even be grateful for the reminder of our inability.  Because the one whom God is angered with and rejects is not the one who humbly recognizes failure and incompetence, and consequently turns to Jesus. Instead the Lord rejects the one who is confident in his/her own leadership abilities and, at best, simply pays lip service to God.

3. I need to pursue greatness in leadership. It is not so that I become the object of admiration. And it is not only so I can avoid being a contributor to evil.  It is so that I can bless others through serving them as a leader. Or put a better way, so that God can bless people through me and my simple competent leadership.

Common Perils of the Professionally Holy

/ Dennis Griffith / 3 Comments

inclement-weather

There are some peculiar perils prevalent among the professional holy – those in full time ministry or service for God. High on this list: We know a lot of stuff and we do a lot of good things.  And it is easy to misconstrue either, or both, of these with being righteous. But neither of these things makes us righteous.

In Christ alone we are declared righteous, by God’s grace through faith in the substitutionary life and death of Jesus. (The theological word is “imputed”.)  Actual righteousness is faith in Christ expressing itself in good actions; or to put it another way, only when our actions are driven by genuine faith are we actually righteous.

Knowing a lot of stuff, even sound, biblical theological stuff is not itself righteousness.  It is not even faith. It may provide the substance for faith, but  right knowledge alone does not necessarily lead to faith.  There are a lot of things that I know, that I agree are true, yet that at any given time I still fail to trust and act upon.  Many things I assent to are not manifest in my character.  Such knowledge is my profession-al faith (that which I profess) but not a functional faith. And that disparity is important.

This is a particular problem in my denominational circles. We have a rich, deep, profound, and thoroughly biblical theological heritage.  It takes discipline and commitment to get a firm grasp on the system of doctrine.  And I suspect it may be for that reason that some have, historically as well as today, felt a sense of righteousness for enduring the rigors of study and learning. 

But apart from actual faith there is no righteousness. In fact, even if faith is present there is no righteousness unless that faith is coupled with good works.  (Please note: I am not suggesting that there is no salvation without “works”.  We are saved – “justified” – by grace through faith in Christ alone.  Nothing else added – nada.  Nor am I suggesting that apart from works there is no “imputed righteousness” – the righteousness of Christ credited to us at the moment of conversion/justification.  What I am saying is that there is no “actual righteousness”, no righteousness of our own, apart from faith being expressed through our conduct.)

Just what makes a good deed “good” I cannot say.  At least I cannot say concisely enough to ponder in this post.  I hope it will suffice to say that good deeds are those things that benefit others and honor God. 

I suspect that many deeds are done to the benefit of others, whether there is any mind toward honoring God or not.  In many cases we would never be able to tell, at least so far as those deeds are done by others. Sometimes, if we are honest, our own good deeds are done without conscious thought of honoring God.  I do not want to make the case here that these deeds are therefore not “good”.  But I do want to again suggest that they fail to qualify as righteous.

Again, righteousness may best be defined as Faith expressed through good deeds.  Genuine faith has a conscious awareness of God, his glory, his grace to us, and his expectations of us. And in this we are all deficient, sometimes more so than at others. 

Jerry Bridges, in his excellent book Respectable Sins, explains that our thoughtlessness about God, those moments or periods when we are not thinking about or conscious of God, demonstrates the very essence of “ungodliness”.  It is the sin of not being conscious of God.  And all are guilty of this sin, to varying degrees.

But if this is so, and I’m convinced it is, it is then possible to do good deeds and sin at the same time, and by the same act.  (Again, it could be reasoned that this negates the idea that the act is good. But for practical reasons I am not making that argument.)  People benefit from our actions, God may even be praised for our work, but we workers fail to recognize God – except maybe in hindsight.  Good as this may be, we must never kid ourselves into mistaking these deeds as righteous. 

Only when our genuine faith is expressed in action that honors God and benefits others, only when all those criteria are met, are we actually righteous. 

As I write I am well aware that most who read this post are probably not in full-time ministry. Nevertheless you most likely will recognize this same tension, this same problem, in your own life.  That’s because, while this problem is prevalent among ministers, it is not limted to us.   It is universal among all who “profess” faith in Christ.  And in that sense, with a little play on words, we can still say this problem is common to the “professional holy”.

So what is the solution?

I don’t have anything profound to say. I know nothing that will eliminate the problem from your life, this side of heaven.  But a couple things do come to mind that may help us deal with it, and perhaps lessen the extent of it over time.

1. Reflect on the meaning of Righteousness. Train yourself to evaluate your life in light of the twin requisites of righteousness: Faith + Good Deeds. Don’t allow yourself to settle for one or the other.  Remember these twins cannot be separated.

2. Deal with it.  Recognize the problem, and the associated sin.  Realize this is not the way it ought to be, but it is the way it is.  Confess the sin.

3. Apply the Gospel to yourself.  Remember, Christ did nto die for the righteous but for the ungodly.  His death has paid the penalty of your sins of ungodliness and lack of righteousness. When you repent of these sins and believe what he has done on your behalf you grow in grace; his righteousness is credited to you.  (What an amazing exchange!)

4. Live in light of that Gospel.  Act toward God in accord with the love he has given to you. Act toward others with the grace & love you know God has demonstrated to you.  And do you know what that is if you do these things?  Righteousness.

Maundy Thursday Matters

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

help-me

Today is Maundy Thursday.  It is a special day on the Christian calendar. But many Christians don’t know what maundy means. I imagine for some this day could easily fall just after Manic Monday, Ruby Tuesday… You get the idea. So if the term Maundy Thursday sounds foreign to you, relax, you are far from alone. 

The term Maundy is generally held to be derived through Middle English and old French, mande’; which comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning mandate or command.  This is the first word of the Latin phrase:

“Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos.”

Or more familiar:

“A new command I give to you: Love one another.  As I have loved you so you must love one another.” (John 13.34)

This is a special day in the life of Christ’s People. It is a day when we remember that Jesus has commissioned us, not only to believe the Gospel of his life which was to be – and has been – given for the redemption of all who believe, but to live out the Gospel in relation to one another.  We are to love one another in the same tangible way, and to the same extent, as Jesus has loved us. 

This is what Jesus commanded of his believers only hours before he willingly gave his life for ours. (John 15.12-14)

Mere Marketing Misses the Mark

/ Dennis Griffith / 2 Comments

target

This had to be one of the more irritating telemarketing calls I can recall. 

Some guy cold-called me at my church office yesterday and wanted me to give him a blow-by-blow of our Outreach strategy.  He had a service to sell that would “enhance” our attractiveness to the community.  To listen to him it sounded like a can’t miss thing.  One problem with that ‘can’t miss program’… I had used similar services in past churches, and my present church had used it prior to my arrival.  All previous tries were whiffs. We attracted ZERO.  And we blessed no one – except, maybe, the sellers of the service.

But the “selling” of the church is not the only thing that gauled me.

One thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the pretense of selling this service, not for the money but for the benefit of the Church.  What c-#-@-p!; err, what a joke.  Who did he think he’s kidding? (Or, is he kidding himself?)  I have no objection to people being in business to make money.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Even in the church supply business there is nothing wrong with profit.  Scripture speaks against dishonest gain, not against  legitimate gains.  So this guy had no reason to hide the fact that he is in business. Just own up to it. To deny it leads me to mistrust him even more.

A second thing, and what probably bugged me most, was that he had the audacity to demand that I explain to him about our Outreach program.  He really insisted. Ordinarily I am happy to share our vision. But this was a cold-call telemarketer.  I don’t have time for that.  Trying to get off the phone, I simply expressed: “We’re doing fine.”  Yet, he kept pushing, even asking sarcasitcally: “Doesn’t your church want new people to come?”  Since when did I, or our church, become accountable to this guy?

Finally, in retrospect, I am also a little disappointed.  I finally gave the guy a brief synopsis of our Outreach strategy. Our plan is simply:  “To Bless the community where God has sovereignly placed us.”  Though we are happy our church has grown significantly in both members and attendance over the past two years, that’s not what we want to be about. It is not about us. It is about God’s glory & grace. It is about loving our neighbors. We are intentionally becoming more Incarnational than Attractional. In other words we are measuring our health more-and-more by the way we go out into the community to serve those around us than by the number of people we put on our rolls.  Therefore we are engaging in things like Prayerwalking, Servant Evangelism, and equipping and unleashing our members to serve in a number of ways throughout the Mountain Empire.  We are learning to express the love of Christ in practical ways to our neighbors.  Eventually we hope to be able to express the love of Christ in significant ways…

But marketing, while it may have a place for the church, will never of itself help us meet those objectives.  Marketing by it’s very nature is about selling of self.  Marketing is about “US”.

What was disappointing is that this guy didn’t comprehend what I was telling him.  Not at all.  His paradigm only allowed him to digest the work of the church in one way – mere numbers attending our church.

What is more disappointing is that I suspect this guy reflects the majority understanding of mission permeating American Evangelicalism: “It’s All About Us.”   And with that perspective – even when we sincerely think we are doing God a favor when our churches grow – our influence has steadily diminished throughout our society. 

We have ignored the covenant mandate made with Abram in Genesis 12, that the Lord’s plan is to bless all Peoples through us; we have neglected Christ’s madate to love our neighbors (Mark 12); and have have forgotten the example of the early church (Acts 2).  How else can we explain this narcissistic myopia in Evangleicalism?

Let me finish with this: I’m not opposed to church growth.  I agree that healthy churches do grow; and that ‘non-growth’ is nothing to take pride in.  But I have learned that not all growth is healthy; and that sometimes a period of stagnation or even decline may in reality be an opportunity for a chrysalis period.  Again, I have the privilege to pastor a church that is showing growth.  But either way, when our focus is primarily on ourselves it is not where it needs to be: first, on God; and second, significantly on blessing our neighbors.  (Mark 12.28-31)

When we learn to effectively place the emphasis in the proper order, God is glorified, our neighbors are blessed, and we are all better off.

Recharging a Spiritual Battery

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

batteries2

Unfortunately I’m going to miss it.  Our church is hosting a seminar tomorrow.  After scheduling the seminar I received notice that a committee I am on that serves our whole denomination meets the same day.  So I am sitting here writing from my hotel room in Atlanta.

I would not have even considered missing the seminar, excpet that I had already gone through training for this ministry – PLACE – several years ago.place 

PLACE is designed to help Christians discover how they are wired for the purpose of more effective and enjoyable service for the Kingdom of God.  Taking Personality, Spiritual Gift(s), Life Experiences, and Passions & Interests into consideration, each participant develops a profile for himself/herself.  The profiles reflect how each of us is uniquely made. The intent is to help people think through these factors and help them match how they are wired with various opportunities for service and ministry.

Despite missing the kickoff seminar, I am excited about seeing this implemeted in our church.  I am convinced that serving in line with ones interests and in accord with ones gifts not only enhances the effectiveness, but also energizes the one who serves. 

As I see it, functioning according to how one is wired functions in the life of a Christian much like the alternator does in my car.  Now I’m no mechanic, but I’ve had cars with bad alternators. What happens – or what happened – was that my car would work for a while, but eventually, with the alternator malfunctioning, the battery was drained until it was dead.  Likewise, many conscientious Christians serve selflessly in the church and the community.  But when one operates for a length of time without regard for how God has wired us, eventually our batteries run low.  Burnout.  But, when the alternator is functioning properly, the act of service actually recharges the batteries. 

That’s what we are praying for.

Cats & Dogs and God’s Global Glory

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

First among the Core Values at Walnut Hill Church is God’s Global Glory.  This is the recognition that we do not exist, as a church or as individuals, primarily for ourselves, but for God and for his glory. 

Expressing this as a platitude is one thing.  Getting newcomers to agree with this premise is something else. And getting people to embrace it as an actual value that is lived out in their lives, and in the life of our church, is something else altogether. 

How do we get people to reorient their thinking and make corresponding changes in their lives?  That’s the question the leaders of the church have to wrestle with. Making it all the more difficult is our own inconsistency.  We are the living embodiment of the words from the old hymn: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it… Prone to leave the God I love…”  And so are the people we are called to lead. (And, most likely, so are you.)

One of the most effetive tools I am aware of regarding the teaching of this value is Cat & Dog Theology developed by UnveilinGlory.  (See video above.)

I introduced Cat & Dog Theology to our church about a year ago, at our first missions conference at Walnut Hill.  We had Gerald Robison, vice president of UnveilinGlory as the keynote speaker.  From time to time church members still talk about both the conference and, more importantly, what they learned through the messages. 

But how do we build on that?

UnvelinGlory has now developed a series of web-based instructional videos that makes Cat & Dog Theology, along with other resources, available online.  So far I’ve only had opportunity glance through a few of the videos, but it looks promising.  Each of the videos is relatively short – 20 minutes, more or less.  But the videos I’ve seen contain both the substance and style that makes the seminar interesting and instructive. 

I encourage you to check out: Our Journey With Him. 

While there is an opportunity to sign up for a Premium membership, all the videos are available for free if you sign in as a guest.

Natural Evangelism

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

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My old friend, and one-time-mentor, Doug Pollock is releasing a new book, expected to be on the bookstore shelves in June.

Doug has travelled the world sharing his faith, and has studied evangelism for the better part of two decades now. He’s also penned a number of articles and co-authored other helpful books about evangelism. But as I read the first chapter of the pre-published manuscript I find myself eagerly awaiting this latest work.

As an old friend it has been interesting, and encouraging, to see how Doug’s understanding and perspective have changed and grown through the years.  Doug’s outward focus has always been keen, but I have appreciated how his upward focus has continually grown.  Doug’s love for our Lord is glaringly obvious.  And because of his love for God, Doug’s love for people is equally obvious.  And that is the key.

It has been said that there are two motives for evangelism: One is “I’m right, you’re wrong.”  The second is “I love you.”  Doug’s latest work exudes the latter motive.  And he does so because it is also Jesus’ motive.

The following is an excerpt of the first chapter of Doug’s upcoming book: God Space: Where Spiritual Conversations Happen Naturally.  This excerpt appeared in his most recent newsletter, which I received this afternoon.  His 10 Questions are worth pondering.  And you can score yourself at the end.

***

Jesus was called many things during his short time here on earth.  My favorite title for him is found in Matthew 11.19 and Luke 7.34 where Jesus acknowledges his awareness of the fact that many were calling him “a friend of sinners”.  In my mind, no title gets at the heart of why Jesus came to earth more than this one.  It so closely coincides with his mission stated in Luke 19.10: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

If we are going to make God’s “invisible” kingdom become visible, then Christ’s heart needs to be formed in us.  Prayerfully ponder the following questions. Grade yourself by using the following scale for each question. Jot down a number at the end of each question. When you have finished, add your numbers together to assess where you are in your spiritual journey.

1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10

 Never              Sometimes              Always

1. Can you overlook ungodly attitudes and lifestyles in your efforts to connect with others?

2. Are you able to suspend your judgment for long periods of time around not-yet Christians?

3. Do you consistently seek to understand the not-yet Christians you know before seeking to be understood by them?

4. Are you patient enough to wait for the not-yet Christians in your life to ask for your opinions?

5. Be honest: Do you like people who are far from God?

6. Do people who are far from God like you?  For example: Are you invited to ‘party parties’?  (Jesus was!)

7. Does your body language communicate an open-hearted acceptance toward the not-yet Christians in your life?

8. Are you able to communicate acceptance to not-yet Christians without endorsing their lifestyle?

9. In your relationships with not-yet Christians, do you typcially offer kindness rather than ‘rightness’?

10. Is your heart consistently broken and filled with compassion for the not-yet Christians in your life?

90-100 – Congratulations! You might be frequently misunderstood by Christians, but the not-yet Christians in your life are undoubtedly drawn toward the heart of Jesus formed in you. Keep walking in this light.

50-90 – You must decrease and Jesus must increase, one heart attitude at a time. Embrace the people and the situations in your life as God attempts to prune those heart attitudes that are not bearng fruit for the Kingdom.

Under 50 – Perhaps Jesus needs to do something in you before He can do something through you.  You may want to consider asking God to do the soul surgery needed to form the heart of Jesus in you.

To read the entire first chapter click: God Space, then click the picture.

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

/ Dennis Griffith / 2 Comments

boxing-baby

Jeff Purswell writes:

Who dreamed that their church participation was so significant? Giving the world a glimpse of the consummated kingdom of God!

Does such a grand vision govern our attitude toward our local churches?  If it does, our participation will no doubt reflect it.  We will love, serve, sacrifice, forgive, forbear, employ our gifts, mortify our pride – all that we might together “display in this present evil age the life and fellowship of the Age to come.” 

Churches that display such a life, however imperfectly, are God’s most potent intstruments in his cosmic program to reclaim and restore his creation.

At first glance this may not seem to be all that interesting of a paragraph.  But it is far more than a poetic ode to the Church and what the Church ought to be.

I think it safe to say that most of us desire peace in our churches.  We want to get along with everyone. We want everyone to think well of us.  That is, afterall, what the church is supposed to be like.  Unfortunately, it is not the reality experienced all the time in any church.

When we find ourselves in the middle of tensions or conflict, or even if we are simply on the perifery observing it between friends and fellow church members, it can cause an agonizing feeling.  We know this is not the way things ought to be. We think, “God cannot be glorified in this.”

While God is not glorified by church conflict, notice two of the words in the above paragraph: forgive and forbear.  These are important words to think about.  While both are noble words, they would not exist apart from some sort of tension or conflict.

What Jeff seems to be suggesting is that while peace & unity are marks of Christ’s Church, the real life struggles of living, breathing, sin-infected people that make up the membership of the church almost guarantees that from time to time we will rub one another the wrong way.  Yet if we are a people, marked by the gospel, committed to reconciliation through the practices of forbearing and forgiving one another, even the presence of conflict within a congregation provides opportunity to glorify God.

Pastors & REAL People

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

My friend Nathan Lewis has written a profoundly heartfelt, insightful post titled: Why So Many Pastors Don’t Get Close to Church Members.

Nathan is an excellent writer, and has a broad spectrum of interests, so that he has written a good post is no surprise.  But the theme he dares to address treads into sensitive territory: the relationships between church members and pastors.  And this post will be beneficial to those in both categories.

It is important for pastors because he expresses the pains and vulnerabilities that all pastors – and their families – have to live with.  There is a sort of catharsis in knowing that someone understands.  While not wishing the pain on anyone else, it is nice to know you are not alone -and that it is not just you!

But I think it would also be beneficial for the average church member to read Nathan’s post, and consider his reflections.  Why? Because I don’t think most church members have any idea about this dynamic; this tension that pastors, and their families, have to live with.  I think it would be helpful if you understood.  It might answer some questions you have about the way your pastor, or former pastors, have related to you.  It might give you some insight about the psyche of your pastor and his wife.  At the very least it will help you to know how to pray for your pastor.

Like Nathan, I have always chosen to befriend instead of keeping a distance. And like Nathan I have experienced the pain of rejection that accompanies the departure of a friend.  Still, I cannot imagine functioning any other way.

Whether you are a pastor or a REAL person, take a moment to read Nathan’s post.

Pastors Near Pastures

/ Dennis Griffith / 2 Comments

The following words, along with Francis Schaeffer’s No Little People, were helpful to me when last year we accpted the opportunity to return to East Tennessee rather than pursue opportunities with churches in larger cities:

“Few men have the courage to seek obscurity for the sake of its advantages, but there can be no doubt of the intellectual advantages of a quiet country charge. When I hear men complain of the lack of stimulus in a rural parish, or find them longing to preach to audiences more cultivated and worthy of their talents, I feel disposed to think that the poor quality of their intellectual fabrics is due not so much to lack of proper appliances, but rather to a dearth of raw material. Many a man will tell you that he owes all that he afterward became, to the circumstance that, under God, he enjoyed the quiet rural solitude, and had opportunity of uninterupted thought and reading.”

– Francis Patton, in his biography of A.A. Hodge

The Distinguishing Mark

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

 

As I continue to work my way through 1 John I am repeatedly struck by the way John weaves together several themes, yet seems to keep a single idea in focus.  John writes to help the reader understand how we may know God – that we may know God.  Yet throughout the letter he calls us to holiness and love. 

 

At the same time I am working through 1 John, the leaders of our church are working through a process to discern the identity, mission, and vision for Walnut Hill Church.  Having gone through this process with other churches I realize that most of what we come up with will be attributes that are shared by many faithful churches, though there are also certainly things that are unique to us.  These unique items are those gifts and passions God has granted to this church – as he does to all churches. It is our God-given personality. 

 

In my mind these two things are converging: Our vision & mission, and John’s words to Christ’s church.  And thinking about them together reminded me about a brief work by Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian.  This work challenged my thinking a few years ago, and to some degree, I hope, it has shaped me personally, and therefore has shaped my ministry.

 

Schaeffer suggests that Christians have always looked for ways to distinguish themselves, by symbols and marks. However there is one mark that has persevered through all generations as the genuine mark of Christianity, and therefore the Church: Love.  Schaeffer points out that Christ ordained this to be an enduring and authoritative mark. He asserts that Christ has made this mark so reflective that the absence of it gives the world the right to judge that someone is not a Christian!  By extension then, the world would have the right to judge that a church is not truly Christian if Love is not pervasive.

 

Love for one another is pervasive at Walnut Hill.  What we are trying to discover, however, is how we might more openly express that love to the community, and world, around us.  Such expression is not absent, but we want to be more deliberate.

 

I’ve re-read The Mark of the Christian a couple times this week.  And now I’ve decided to publish it in a multi-part series over the next few weeks.  It is a work worth considering, and any attempt I make to summarize would be woefully inadequate.