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LEADERSHIP LETTER ARCHIVES
A MONTHLY READING FOR ALL ARC LEADERS
VISION / LEADERSHIP / MISSION
Conferences come and conferences go, but it is my distinct impression (I think from the Holy Spirit) that the focus of this year's ARC conference ought to weigh upon us for continuing spiritual insight that will inform our mission in Christ. One day together and five presentations only introduced us into some of the tough questions proposed by Reggie McNeal.
It seems to me that each leadership team must discern whether these six "tough questions" from The Present Future [see addendum at end] are the questions that the Holy Spirit wants you to grapple with. After talking with Marek Kiewra (pastor of the Church of Gryfow) I know that these are not the key issues they must face in their present spiritual terrain (Poland). I'd guess that Brazil faces some other issues. But if these six questions do not seem so pertinent, then what questions are you corporately seeking to answer? "None" is not a good or acceptable answer. Are the cultural shifts presently occurring of a genuinely seismic nature as Tim Loyola suggested in his talk, or do we simply need to apply simple truth to a never ending always changing set of human problems?
I remain quite compelled by Paul's "transmorphation idea" [listen to Tim's lead off talk at the conference] expressed so clearly in I Cor. 9:19-23. Paul says, "I made myself a servant to all that I might win more of them" (I Cor. 9:19). This "morphing" was driven by God's heart "to win." It is at the very heart of the Incarnation—God, as it were, "morphing" into a human form to win the world to Himself. I am becoming freshly aware of my sinful desire to avoid this kind of "morphing." I'm lazy. I desire my own comfort over the winning of Jews or pagans or postmoderns or GenXers. After all, I have the truth. They should "come and get it." But that is not God's heart toward you. He has humbled Himself to come and live within such an unholy mess as you and me. I have preached a few times from Luke 19:1-10 (the story of Jesus and Zaccheus). Somehow I've always managed to line up with Jesus' attitude toward this runty chief tax collector rather than the crowd that "grumbled, 'He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner'" (Luke 19:7). But Jesus finally puts it this way to that crowd and to us, ". . . the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10). It is this "seeking" business that is most discomforting for us. It is a pro-active search "out there," on the turf of sinners rather than an increasingly inane hope that anyone like Zaccheus or the Samaritan woman or the Canaanite mother would be pushing their way into our fellowship.
The Lamb of God Fellowship in New Jersey will be tackling these six tough questions during these next two months. Pray for them. And then I would appeal to these brethren to dialogue with us. What are you hearing? How are you being called to holy "morphing"? What are the tensions and problems that come along with the dialogue and the early stages of change?
Let’s talk together in the coming days and help one another as we seek to faithfully complete the mission given to each congregation. Also, would you remember to pray for the particular events and challenges before us, such as:
In the love of Jesus, Ned
THE SIX TOUGH QUESTIONS POSED IN THE PRESENT FUTURE: 1. How do we deconvert from Churchianity to Christianity? Outward focus. 2. How do we transform our community? (How do we hit the streets with the gospel?) 3. How do we turn members into missionaries? Deploying missionaries into community transformation. 4. How do we develop followers of Jesus? Spiritual formation. 5. How do we prepare for the future? Not a plan or program. 6. How do we develop leaders for the Christian movement? Not leaders for church.
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