Some important thoughts on Church and the Mission of Jesus...

My wife, Sharon and I came to Community of Joy in 1999 when it was averaging 28 people in worship.  We were charged with the task of solidfying the foundation and building a self supporting church.   Which we have done.  But in all these years, we have struggled to break past a ceiling of 70 in average worship attendance.  And that has me puzzled!

We see cycles... as we approach 70 in average attendance, a decline begins... then we build back up and a decline begins.   In 10 months time after arrive, we approached 70 for the first of many times. In putting together the data, it produces an mind boggling picture.  So, I asked a consultant friend of mine, what he thought was happening.  And his immediate response was that it is a systems issue.  

Not knowing much about systems ( I missed those courses in Seminary), I am at a loss.  Until one day last week, I was reading from a book that is required reading for the Advanced Foundations of Church Leadership Cohort that I am part of through Bethany Theological Seminary for the next year and a half.  In one of the chapters, the author was describing our situation to a T.  And it was a chapter on systems.  That reading put me in touch with another book and author that I immediately downloaded and began reading and am excited to see some synthesis coming for me.

I do believe that we are reaping exactly what we are sowing.  Or that our system is producing what it is designed to produce.  And I believe that there are many variables that are all inter-related to the problem of our ceiling.   To break past the ceiling will involve a change in the system.

Here are some quotes from the second book that I was led to yesterday, "Multiplying Missional Leaders" by Mike Breen.

 "Dallas Willard put it this way: 'Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you. '   ...How did the church go from 120 people in an upper room to more than 50 % of the Roman Empire in the course of about 250 years?  Simple.  They had a way of reproducing the life of Jeus in disciples - in real, flesh-and-blood people - who were able to do the things we read about Jesus doing in the Gospels.  And these disciples did this on purpose...."

 " I have heard Dallas Willard say that every church should be able to answer two questions: First, what is our plan for making disciples?  Second, does our plan work?  I believe most communities have a plan for discipleship.  I'm not convinces that many plans are working the way Jesus in hoping they will. and that's why we are in trouble."

"Undoubtedly, one of the key components to being a disciple is caring deeply about mission.  Disciples see bringing more of the Kingdom through themselves as one of their primary callings on earth."

"Jesus says, 'apart from me, you can do nothing.'  Apart from the active work of Jesus in our live, we cannot produce Kingdom fruit."

"If you make disciples, you will always get the church, but if you're really about building a church, you won't always get disciples. "

I am convinced that our operating system of ministry has been church and not discipleship.  And I wonder what it would look like if we had a way of making disciples of Jesus?   What would it look like if we spent most of our time and effort in producing disciples of Jesus?