Tommy Mitchell / The Rurban Church Blog

It's What We've Got!

Without a doubt, the world is far from a perfect place!  Without a doubt, evil exists in the world! And without a doubt, if you a doing your best, living for the Lord, and trying to be a blessing - you are going to encounter some "blessing busters" out there!

It is what we do in the face of the "blessing busters" that pretty much determines what kind of life we will have! Living for Jesus means that we have His blessing! It does not always follow that living for Him means we escape the trials of life.  I do think that when we live for our Lord, we avoid most of the "self-inflicted" wounds.  But we certainly don't escape the rough and tumble of a fallen world.

What kind of life we have is largely a matter of our choices.  When things don't go our way, and I would guess that for the average person that amounts to about 15 - 20% of the time, we can either make that our WHOLE world, or we can go on living for Jesus!  About 85% of the time, my life is pretty good! More than 90% of the people in our church love me, help me, pray for me, forgive me, and have compassion on me.  Less than 10% do the opposite.  I have to choose to be encouraged by the 90+% instead of being blown apart by the less than 10%!    Mine is not some special case - we all face this wherever we live and work.

Focus on the good! I'm not saying just ignore the bad, but we do need to be discerning as to what we can realistically do about the negative people in our lives.  We can either spend all our time responding in kind, trying to "one-up" the opposition, and basically losing all the joy in our lives - OR - we can just love the Lord, speak well of all people, and place the burden for bad talk on those who are given to that sort of thing. The Bible tells us to pray for our enemies - and I believe it tells us that so that if we pray properly, we will no longer see them as enemies.  

Most people in our lives who are "thorns in the flesh" are actually "wounded" people!  They need love, possibly correction, and the Lord!  They will not receive correction and the Lord until we treat them with love - in spite of what may be going on! 

As I reflect back over my life to this point and consider the people who have been more difficult and some who were downright ugly, I realize that most of them never accomplished much towards diminishing my life and my life opportunities.  Where they did, it was because I allowed those things to become my focus. 

FOCUS ON THE 85% - 90% that is good with life - and really live out LOVE with the Lord!  God is good! All the time!  And our lives here are too short to spend in constant battle with other folks!

Our Own World!

When I was young, I used to day-dream - a lot! Teachers, and of course my parents, would sometimes say to me - "Boy, you are in your own world!"  Well, perhaps that really is the truth.  I did a little checking tonight on facebook and found several "people I might know" listed.  The interesting thing is that a few of them share more than 60 mutual friends with me!  Yet, I do not know these people with whom I share so many friends.

You would think that if I know 60 people, and this other person knows the same 60 people, we would know each other!   But there they are!   Three or four people that know an awful lot of people that I know - yet we have never met nor have I even heard of them!  Just goes to show you - we all have a unique world of influence - we should use it - and remember that God has placed people in our path that we might bless them.  We can't assume that if I am not a blessing to the people I know - someone else will be.  We all know people that other people don't know!  At least - that is what facebook is telling me!!!!!!!

Changing the Scorecard!

My personal study for the last few weeks has intensified in the area of the "missional" church!  Something that has intrigued me is the development of a new scorecard for the church.  We generally "score" church by the following criteria - how many came, how much was given, and how many participated!  The greatest shortcoming of that scorecard is that even if all the "numbers" are good, it is still mostly a measurement of what happened "at the meeting!" 

A missional scorecard attempts to measure real life transformation in the Spirit and impact on the community!  Some churches are actually making a deliberate attempt to change the scorecard by eliminating the customary attendance etc. figures from their bulletins and publications. They are replacing them with other measurements. They are tracking how many people served in the community - how many prayer ministries are being conducted in the community - how many people in the community are being served by the church etc..  It is rather mind-boggling - but is an honest, if imperfect, attempt to measure how the church is doing at BEING the church TO the world! 

I am going to experiment with this new metric on the next two Sundays!  It should prove interesting!

The Main Thing!

The only conclusion I can reach after much reading, praying, prepping, and planning........

We have to love Jesus in order to BE and DO anything in the Kingdom.   We simply cannot motivate people to fulfill a missional role in the world if they, themselves do not love the Lord with "life transforming" love! 

THE relationship is THE key to everything else in the Kingdom!   I know! I knew it - you probably knew it - we probably knew it - but somehow - we still tend to find ourselves looking for the right person, program, or process to make IT happen!  Yet - there is nothing that will move us to be servants of God before we are lovers of God!

Love Him - with a life transforming love!!!!

More on the Missional Church!

The Missional Church has been on my mind in a large way since 2002!  When I began my Doctoral work, it was centered on the subject of the missional church.  There was actually not a lot writing about the missional church in 2002. Since then, the subject has exploded. 

As I continue to read and study, I offer up these observations. 

People seem to get confused over what the church is!  Too many people simply see the church as "the place we attend," or "an address" or "an activity in which we participate!"   Our language demonstrates this.  "We attended 'church" today!"  "We have 'church' today!"   "I have to go to 'church" today!"  This point of view gives rise to the "add-on" nature of the church to many. "Church" is just another activity - like soccer, softball, cheer, work, and church!  We see all that is related to "church" happening "AT" church!

The Missional Church sees it differently - and biblically.  The body of Christ is the church - wherever they are. We are the church scattered - and at times we are the church gathered - but we - the redeemed are the church!  There is a HUGE difference in "attending" the church and "being" the church.  This understanding of church doesn't see it as an "add-on" - it is seen as our identity - who we are and what we do! We are "the church!"

When I "attend" or "go" to church, it is reduced to a meeting!  There may be some worthy things that happen at the meeting - but there is not much that is going to result from the meeting! Nothing much can happen because meeting's don't change people that much.  When I recognize that I am the church, then I recognize the power of Christ and His desire to use me beyond a corporate gathering.  We see His daily empowering, His daily equipping, and His daily ministry among the masses.

When I "attend" or "go" to church, the tendency will be to make that gathering and institution the object of my worship! Don't believe it?  Suggest a major change in schedule - or music - or seating - or even paint color! See what happens.  I am not suggesting that every single person in a church sees it that way - but I can prove the majority do.  All one has to do is look at the preponderance of plateaued and declining churches to know we have a major problem.

In the missional church, Christ is the object of worship and we see our role as exalting Him - 24/7.  In the missional church, more thought and effort is made into "BEING" the church in the marketplace.  The Gospel is present in the people of God wherever we go!  There is great energy through the Spirit of God working through the body out into the world! 

We had an interesting discussion on the missional church yesterday among our staff.  One thing that stuck with me was the question, "If the way we are "doing church" is not right, then why has God blessed it through the years?"    Well, I can't deny that there have been blessings - but I think they are more from God's mercy than His active blessing.  The church as we mostly know it is anemic, but God is not anemic. He is power. He is also merciful. He led the children of Israel through the wilderness for 40 years. This was hardly the best outcome for them. But He still loved them and provided their basic needs for 40 years.

To me, the missional church is a corrective to what the church has become - and the more "we act as the church" and "live in a Kingdom focus" the more we will be a blessing to the unchurched world and the more we will see a powerful move of the Spirit of God!

I am pledging to QUIT attending church!  Instead, I am going to fulfill the God-given role of "being the church!"   If we all do that, when we do gather together corporately, we will truly have an EXPLOSION of praise for what God is doing daily THROUGH His church! My prayer is that we will not box God in at our church address - but rather discover that He is loose and carrying out His purposes in the world. Let's join Him and be the church.

A Pretty Big Prediction!

You just have to sense that MAJOR change is coming! It will be change that seems like the death of something beloved to many! To other, that same change will seem like a breath of fresh air!  Many will just become confused and retreat! But, MAJOR change is coming - in fact - it is already here.

I am speaking of the sweeping transformation that is beginning to hit the evangelical church!  This is not something I have just discovered. Many people, much smarter than me, have been talking about it and encouraging the change for years. With the changing economy, technological advancements, and reclaiming of our true biblical heritage, the change is finally picking up steam.

Church, as you and I have known it for years, is going to be dead in a few short years - prepare yourself.  We will either make the change for the better, or we will hang on to a slow, ugly, decomposition of sorts!  I think Reggie McNeal stated it best - ".....within a few years, it will be impossible to think of church the way we used to - as something we 'went to' or 'participated in' or 'joined' or 'attended!'"      Instead, we will BE the church, far less focused on providing "goods and services" to a membership and far more focused on "being salt and light" outwardly, in the community! 

Most of what the majority of our churches do today are designed to meet the needs of the membership.  Salvation is to meet their need to escape hell! (not much emphasis on salvation as transforming a life) Then we become "members" and are promised "benefits!"   Join our church and you will have, bascially, "cradle to grave" care!  A minister / deacon will see you at the hospital! Someone will be available to do your funerals and weddings! If you get into emotional distress / physical needs - someone will be there to help you through it.  There will be fun trips, great fellowship, and a wonderful facility to enable our personal comfort through it all.  Supporting the church usually means taking care of the building and grounds, being present for whatever activities we plan, and hearing preaching that covers and recovers the same bases over and over - how to live - how not to live - pleasing God - and overcoming every adversity!

Guess what - the majority of people can read the above paragraph and think - RIGHT! That is what we are supposed to do!  And I don't deny the Lord's on command for us to love one another and care for one another.  But I am pretty sure He meant it in a missional context - and even said so - "they will know you are Christians by your love!"  I'm pretty sure He meant love that was expressed among Christians would be applied to those who were not yet a part of the kingdom.

Institutionally, the church is already dead! We have just yet to bury it!  People are dropping out of the institutions and looking to make a difference in the world!  The institution tends to be a "permission denying" entity.  You can minister that way here!  I remember when a friend of mine in another state implemented a great idea for New Year's eve - they would take church transportation and pick up drunks and drive them home!  The only payment - when they sobered up - they had to let some folks talk to them about a new way of living and that is when they would introduce them to Christ!  The only folks up in arms about were the churches!  Yet, they got out where people really were - demonstrated love by not allowing them to drive drunk on the roadways - and then got to share Jesus with them during the following week. 

Try that where you are! There are many creative and wonderful ways to intersect with people where they are actually living, working and playing!  But the church is insulated from nearly every one of those places.

Change is coming - Reggie McNeal calls it a Missional Rennaissance!  I'm looking forward to seeing what Christ will do when He is unchained from the institutional church and allowed to build His church!

Life a Week at a Time!

All ministers will understand this post immediately!  Especially the title!  And, most other folks will too - though your schedule might vary a bit!  In ministry, you life passes quickly - a week at a time!  "No kidding," you say!! I know, it is the same for everyone - but in ministry- this passage of time is particularly keen! 

We ministers certainly have daily tasks - and we click them off like everyone else who has a job! But our unique ministry is very "Sunday" oriented!   Someone coined the phrase, related to the death, burial, and ressurection of Christ, that "it is Friday - but Sunday's coming!"   For the minister, one could implement the phrase, "it is Monday - but Sunday's coming!" 

I am astonished at how much faster the Sundays are coming!  It is fully a reality related to my age! When I was younger, I did not appreciate how precious each day and each moment was!  As I have aged, faced struggles both emotional and physical in nature, I have become aware of how little "time" there is!  So, tomorrow is "game" day for me! It is the day upon which, for better or worse, rightly or wrongly, everyone pretty much decides whether or not I am doing my job!   Sunday is THE day for the minister! It is the day when we see pretty much everyone and everyone see us!  Hours and hours and hours of preparation have taken place at the hands of our staff and many volunteers!  People will show up - and leave - and for many of them - that is all until the next Sunday!

Our goal, of course, is that they show up - receive a word - an instruction - a break-through - that leads them to engage with the Kingdom of God daily until the next Sunday!  So, our work is two fold each week.  We spend time trying to engage the egageable - and we spend time getting ready for the next Sunday! It takes the full week - and then we start over! 

I usually reset to the new week sometime after church on Sunday night! I usually already have a pretty good idea of where I am headed in preaching for a few weeks, so I start working in earnest on the next Sunday's message on Sunday night!  Monday is a busy day! We are busy trying to catch up with all the news, information, and needs uncovered on Sunday! Administratively, it is a busy day!

Tuesday, we are all full in the race!  We are prepping for Wednesday night - making visits - doing ministry and work on Sunday services is beginning to spin up front and center. There are themes to be discussed - worship ideas to be finalized - plans to be made.  Wednesday is a pivotal day! Lose your focus on Wednesday and you will be sweating the next couple of days!  Things have to get pretty nailed down on Wednesday because the worship team will be rehearsing for Sunday on Wednesday night!  Engagement with deacons, teachers, and others will take place on Wednesday evening for us!  We need to know where we are going beforehand!   Thursday is get it done day! We have to get everything else finished on Thursday!  Visits - tech - preparation - building prep - logistics - all have to be communicated and a plan put in place to carry it all out.  FRIDAY is our day off! (Sunday is definitely not our day off)  In our staff, each one of us takes a weekend on call!  When we are not on call - we are still loosely on call! But, we largely get to enjoy the day.  Yet, on Friday, I usually spend at least 2 to 3 hours in sermon prep - finalizing details of the message!  Saturday I will be checking with folks to make sure everything is ready - spending more time looking over the message - trying to be sure I am aligned with God's message for the day.  Then it is Sunday!  Often a marathon day!  By the time I go to bed on Sunday night, I will have attended many functions of the church, preached or taught a couple of times, answered about a thousand questions, counseled one or two people who have problems that can't wait, and been engaged in a battle with Satan for the hearts and minds of our people! 

Oh, I am not complaining! I love it! I love what I do! But, here we are - tomorrow we start the third month of Sundays this year! I am already praying over messages I will be doing in May! The year is FLYING by - one week at a time!  Each week seems like a day - then it is over!   Redeem the time - the days are precious - and few!