Our Hangout

Church, system & Leadership...

There were a few posts over at Resonate that got me thinking, I was going to post there, but eh, I haven't posted here regularly...

We love to talk about the broken system (churches that are just not going anywhere, not following as it were)...why is it broken...why is the damage seemingly so irreversible? Why does it seem like the only solution is to leave sometimes?

This is very limited, and not the last word by any means, but I'd like to point out one of the reasons the church finds itself where it does.

Years and years of leadership that is afraid to fight for the heart of the church. Years and years of trying to build models and systems and strategies build on world systems than on Kingdom values.

Several years ago I listened to a message that literally changed my life. Erwin Macmannus spoke on what it means to fight for the heart of the church. Nothing new, but simply put it's to be willing to serve and love the church to the point of dying for it. (speaking as a pastor here). The point, the responsibility falls on the leader...not because they're better, not because they're even the most spiritual, but because they've been called.

The institutionalized church comes with a whole lot of problems. The biggest of which in my opinion, is having scores of pastors that fought for teaching the people the right things, without getting them to care about any of it. Worst, because many of them never really cared about it themselves. They just repeated what they learned. So today, we have a church that is anemic. That has little passion for the world. That has taken the minimum standards of what it means to follow Jesus and made them the high standards. You only have to love if it suits you, you only have to forgive if you weren't wronged too bad, you only have to follow as long as it doesn't interfere with your schedule. (very generalized)

I believe and have believed for a long time...the weight is on the shoulders of those who have been called to leadership...first to do a heart check and to see whether they really are willing to die to themselves for the sake of the church (if not I believe they should go sell insurance - myself included). Secondly I believe God wants men and women whose hearts is all for Jesus, hearts that are in their deepest parts learning what it means to follow Him, before learning how to be great leaders, how to serve before telling others to serve. Men and women who will live the life, mirror the glory, who will be visual aids of the very things they're calling their people to.

Leaving the system can be dangerous because it can be about us. Making life more comfortable for us etc. However, leaving the system is sometimes necessary, if you've tried and really can't influence the system. But whether you leave or stay, the most imporant thing is how you'll follow, and how you'll fight for the hearts of those God's entrusted to you to help them follow him.

I don't think we're talking rocket science, but we're talking sacrifice, we're talking pain, we're talking confrontation with the Devil himself. You must die to enter these places because these are the places that only dead men and women can go. And it's the place where the Kingdom is alive and breathing wholeness and peace and community.

There's more I could say...so much more, I know I just scratched the surface on very tough issues...but it rises or falls on leadership that's totally or not surrendered to Christ...fighting for what Christ died for. If you're, If I'm not there, we've either got to surrender and die to get there, or go do something else.

Posted by ed