GlocalNet

Everyone seems to think if we just get the right model, the right 5-step system and process, we’ll change the church and it will change its community and the world. Don’t believe it. History has never borne that. History is filled with stories of churches that God moved on, There was a “process” of how it worked for them, but when exported it lost its power. The aspiration becomes how close can we get to being just like this other group, model, or expression that is considered edgy. I fear we’re stuck in “model” mania, even though most claim theirs isn’t a model! How can we tell?

When the majority of our discussion and focus is how, where, when we gather, and what we do when we gather, we’re talking model. Be it sandals and candles or organs and Lexus.

When the majority of our budgets and staff and gatherings go towards only corporate expressions of worship, we’re talking model. Be it a 10,000-seat auditorium or Starbucks-type storefront.

When our moods, joy, pride, significance is tied more to how many showed up or how weird the ones were who showed up, we’re talking model!

Your church is only as good as your disciples--not your preacher! If you want to tinker with something, tinker with the disciple. How do we create a culture of the kingdom so people will engage it in a daily manner? What is a disciple? How do we move from information transfer to behavioral transformation--what we call T-Life at NorthWood? Tinker with the society if you want to tinker with something. How do we connect disciples and society? I’m obsessed with the Kingdom of God, the transformation that it brings. I believe this is what it takes to see the fulfillment of the Great Commission. We’ve thought it was the sinners’ prayer. It’s much more than that.  It must be a transformed life that transforms others and communities.

Gene Getz taught me that old principle years ago--form follows function. Man, has the Western church forgotten that--both new and old. Form is the church. Function is the disciple. We think function follows form--we’re wrong.

You’ll read about this in my new book, The Multiplying Church, that’s coming out next February, but I’m convinced, based on history, our experience, and the church globally that I love so much, we should focus more on the disciple and the society instead of the preacher and the church. I deal with that in Glocalization in domains, etc. The job of the preacher is to make sure disciples are being made and when that happens, you get the church. We start with the wrong things.

With all this “missional” talk, one thing I know for sure is if a church is missional it’s because of the disciples in it, and not merely a few mission projects that it does--be it home, inner-city, or half-way around the world.