ie:missional

Well, you don’t know what we can find
Why don’t you come with me little girl on a magic carpet ride?
Steppenwolf

In this series thus far, I’ve attempted to demonstrate the reasons why I believe bureaucratic denominationalism in America is on a decline that will not reverse and will end with the disintegration of the structures that we know. For the purpose of clarification, let me say that I am not opposed to the efforts of denominations to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Without a doubt, some major denominations have in the past been very effective at those attempts, but, owing to changes in our world, have lost the ability that they need to continue any semblance of that same effectiveness in the future. For that reason they will continue to decline. Therefore, my remarks have not to do with “saving” any denomination and should not be taken in the context of denominational renewal.

In this post and the next few, I will posit a way forward in the Post-Denominational era. Note that it is “a” way forward, not “the” way forward, as I make no claim of exclusivity of ideas since multiple sources have influenced my thinking. With that foundation I offer the following thoughts.

1. Fluidity is stability.
The problem with bureaucracy is that it is inherently inflexible. The multi-layered construction can only be supported by the rigidity of a virtually inflexible skeleton. The larger the organization the more complex, almost without fail, its inner workings. In fact, the exceptions become the examples of how things should work, but most companies cannot make make the recalibrations necessary to achieve the kind of flexibility that everyone agrees would be better for both the company and it customers.

Though the actual definition of bureaucracy refers to a system of government in which the most important decisions are made by employees rather than elected officials, the dysfunction of a preponderance of those systems has virtually made it a synonym for an organization marked by inefficiency and waste, while bureaucrat equals a person who is completely unqualified for the position held and whose decision making is marked by incompetence. (The truth of that is seen with the popularity of Dilbert and The Office.)

Bureaucracies develop as a result of a search for organization and distribution of responsibilities in a time of expected or actual growth and/or expansion. Once reaching a critical mass, however, they begin to repeat the very issues the multiple layers were instituted to solve. In a flat world, rigidity is not stability; it is death.

Going forward, the only stability that an organization can seek is fluidity because that is what it will take to remain in existence. The ever increasing flow of information in our age is almost beyond comprehending, bringing us to the point of needing to make accurate snap judgments (what Gladwell calls the “blink”), while advances in technology have made it possible for immediate communication between decision makers. Entities that have structured themselves for fluid decision making will be seen as the ones upon whom you can depend. An example:

Envision a denominational entity that has resources for a project in Boston or Bangladesh and there is a church (or small network of churches) that has resources for mission projects. The denominational structure has been created for the purpose of providing stability, while the network has been created to bypass bureaucratic inefficiency by enabling quick decision making. The request works its way up the denominational structure, through levels one, two, three, etc and finally back to someone who has the authority to either “okay” or “veto” to the proposal. The M on the field has spent an interminable amount of time waiting. Could be weeks, could be months and could end just as unfunded as when it was first proposed.

On the other hand, a request goes to a church or network of churches that have already committed to Bangladesh or Boston as a place of specific ministry. The request comes to them, it is affirmed for the M (there doesn’t have to be much home base discussion because the M is trusted to make the decisions; that’s why there is a relationship with them in the first place). Within a week or two, the money is wired and the project has begun.

When the M has another need, who do you think he/she will go to first? The second group, of course. Fluidity necessitates that enough trust is placed with the M that requests made on the field are not second guessed by people an ocean and half a continent away.

Consider partnerships at the local church level as well.

A local school needs supplies for a project that the district cannot afford. A creative teacher suggests contacting a couple of churches for help. Church A receives the request, funnels it to the pastor who brings it before the deacons who then take it before the Finance Committee who have a couple of questions, so it goes back to the deacons who have a few more questions for the pastor, ad infinitum, ad nauseam.

The pastor of Church B send it to the Community Missions Leader who, knowing that the function of his/her team is to create or find partnerships, fires off an email to the team with a 48 hour response time, gets approval, calls the principal of the school and takes a check by three days later. Again, when the next need comes, the school will call Church B without a second thought.

The reason that fluidity is stability is because the fluidity of the church or network of churches provides the stability needed for the person in need for the ministry to continue in a timely fashion, while the “stability” of the b’cracy provides only uncertainty for the person waiting. The provider of blessing needs to be fluid so that the need of blessing can actually receive it.

Next up: The network is the organism.

I am under no illusion about my preaching prowess, so I do not post this because I think I am the second coming of (fill in the name of your favorite speaker here), but because the subject matter is of vital importance to small to medium churches all over.

This past Sunday, I preached on the subject of “New Testament Church Leadership,” which was an overview of the offices of pastor and deacon. If you think it might be beneficial to you or someone you know, you can listen to the podcast here. If you get insomnia, you can download or subscribe to my other podcasts at newbethany.org/podcasts.

are a train wreck.

I watched the Falcons last night on MNF just to see what would happen. It hurt. I actually feel sorry for those guys as players and as people. Taking the field week after week after week with virtually no chance of winning must be extremely disheartening. As I watched and contemplated the year to date for this team, some leadership thoughts came to mind.

Let’s assume for a moment (using Jim Collins’ analogy) that owner, GM and head coach are the right people on the bus and that they are in the right seats. At this moment, it would be hard to imagine it any other way: Arthur Blank owns the bus, GM Rich McKay was hand picked by the owner to drive the bus and head coach Bobby Patrino was hand picked by the owner and GM to sit in that assigned seat. Let’s further assume that the entire coaching staff (at least for this year) are supposed to be on the bus and are in their proper seats.

That only leaves the players (sorry, trainers and ball boys). The well chronicled woes of Michael Vick vacated the team of its star player, main draw, primary source of excitement and center of coaching plans. Imagine New England without Brady or the Colts without Manning, mere days from the start of the season, with only a journeyman backup and you get the idea. Then your most athletic back-up (DJ Shockley) is gone for the season with an injury leaving a fifth string as third string. In addition, the offensive line has suffered injuries, the secondary is typically porous and players have become mouthy about the coaches and each other. Sigh. Where to start?

We begin at the position around which the entire team rotates: quarterback. Joey Harrington is the perfect person to be in the slot for which he was hired–backup quarterback. Whenever Vick lost a shoe, got the wind knocked out of him or was beating a dog otherwise unavailable for a play or two, Harrington would come in and take a snap, hand the ball off to someone and return to the sideline to collect his check. I believe that Harrington is the right player, but he’s in the wrong seat. The problem is that he was forced into that seat when Vick jumped off the bus and then was run over by it. History informs us that Harrington is not a big time winning quarterback in this league, but when you have no options, you go with the option you have.

The running backs are also an issue for the Falcons. Warrick Dunn has dropped from over a hundred yards a game to 50 or so (I didn’t look it up) while 2nd year gazelle, Jerious Norwood, still averages about 5,000 yards per rush. I think that one of the problems is that the Falcons have changed their blocking scheme from smaller more mobile linemen to larger slower guys, who are supposed to be able to protect a less mobile, non-Vick quarterback, but Dunn is a small, stop and go runner who can’t really plow up behind a bunch of big butts for yardage. Norwood is on the bus, probably for a long while (unless he’s traded to move up in the draft, more to come) but they don’t have any idea what seat to put him in.

Every receiver the Falcons have are in the wrong seats–they should be defensive backs because they specialize in knocking balls to the turf. In defense of Michael Vick’s often poor passer rating and having watched the guy pretty consistently during his career, for every pass he threw that was completely uncatchable, two hit Roddy White, Peerless Price, Michael Jenkins or Alge Crumpler right in the chest or hands and were dropped. This year, Joey Harrington is suffering the same fate with passes being dropped at least twice a game, sometimes five or six times. Without a doubt, this is collectively the worst receiving corp to ever take the field in an NFL game. Most of them need to be thrown off the bus entirely. Less expensive guys can drop the ball with regularity. I’ll do it for $10k a game and save them all kinds of money.

I don’t have time to go through the defense, but suffice it to say that a few guys are in the right seats, but continuity and injury continue to be problems.

Now, as this bus is traveling the season’s road, there are certain considerations: First, what do you do if you are in the last year of a contract? Do you play as hard as you can to try and hit the jackpot as a free agent?

Second, what if you are in the middle of a contract? Do you play as hard as you can, risking injury, during a year that is and most likely will continue to be a disaster?

Third, will there be an effort to “give away the season” in order to secure the #1 pick and hope to get Brian Brohm from Louisville, who would doubtless be the choice of the head coach? Do you trade away one future (Norwood) to pin hopes on another (Brohm or Colt McCoy)?

Fourth, do you give rookies playing time at the expense of the veterans who know their shot at winning the big one has been put off for at least one more year and are already voicing the strain?

Fifth, how do you motivate guys to take the field and give their all in a season like this? If there are no incentives in the contracts, is it likely that they will continue to play hard?

Over the last couple of days I’ve been at the Catalyst Conference held at the Gwinnett Arena just a few miles from my home. It was good to see Kevin Bussey and Chuck Bryce both of blogging fame and reconnect with some pastors and friends who I had not seen in a while. The conference, IMO, was good but not outstanding. It seemed that the speakers were given less time than in years past and many of the speakers were repeats from Q that I had attended earlier this year.

Yesterday, there was luncheon hosted by the International Mission Board of the SBC. I was able to see some old friends, folks that I met during my earlier travels to the trustee meetings. Our staff was blessed to sit with an M from Barcelona and hear just a bit of his story. We also got to know the co-pastor and two members from Grace Community Church in Clarksville, TN.

The meeting was hosted by the multi-talented and apparently multi-purpose Ed Stetzer whose topic was “Speaking in Tongues.” Since we were not all SBCers in the room (at least I don’t think we all were), I thought we might see a demonstration, but no. His subject, of course, was that some from every nation, tribe, tongue and people were going to bring praise to God in eternity and what were we doing about it??

He quoted an estimate that 3,000 additional missionaries (I assume from any and all denoms) could engage all the remaining unreached peoples in the world. This is thrilling, but is it the answer? Following the conference, it dawned on me that my denomination has more than 3,200 church in Georgia alone. The national structure of the Southern Baptist Convention has more than 45,000 churches. Unless my math deceives me (and that is a distinct possibility), that is 15 local, SBC-related bodies of Christ for every UPG left on the planet.

Let’s assume for a moment that NO more M’s are sent through agencies, but instead, churches large and small partner together in groups of fifteen (”pods”) to adopt and engage these peoples. Let’s assume that agencies are willing to spend some of their manpower on training these churches in missiological principles that better prepare them for engagement. Let’s assume that these churches restructure their giving to create the UPG as a level one priority, even if it means cutting the fat from the denom portion of their annual budgets. Let’s assume that some M’s on the field become the hands and feet of this “Pod” of churches who commit to send teams regularly until a viable church planting movement happens, or until viable “church at Jerusalem” is begun.

There are enough churches in Georgia to engage all the remaining UPG’s. There are enough in the southeast to engage them multiple times over. Why are we waiting for another 3,000 people to commit full time?

Without a doubt, one of the most exciting, passionate-for-the-kingdom churches I have ever attended is First Baptist Church of Campo Grande, Brazil. Located in the western state of Mato Grasso du Sol (South Mato Grosso, which borders both Paraguay and Bolivia), Campo Grande is a bustling city of 7-800,000. Near the city center is the campus of FBC, led by Senior Pastor, Gilson Breder.

Breder, pastor for the past 16 years, is a 54 year old with enough energy to power most of the city. He has both vision and passion to reach the lost in their city (primarily through cell groups), to plant churches and to send out missionaries, all of which they have done and are doing. My primary reason for going was to learn about their cell group ministry, but I received so much more.

Eight years ago, one of the pastoral staff, Pastor Leo, was burdened that the church could do a more effective job of evangelism and ministry if it moved to a cell group model. Beginning with a single cell group of leaders the church now fields 160 groups each week with a goal to begin 95 or so new groups within the next year. If there is one word that pervades the cell ministry it is multiplication-everyone talks about it. They truly understand that expanding the number of groups gives the most people ministry opportunities and creates more relational opportunities for evangelism. From 42 year old mission pastor Djalma Alberquerque to 29 year old cell leader Andrea to 23 year old leadership supervisor Yuri Breder to 18 year old cell leader Marissa, everyone knows that multiplying their group is the best opportunity to reach the teeming masses of Campo Grande.

Another thing that I learned is that at least one Brazilian church has learned to implement leadership principles while many American Christians are still debating whether business principles have any place in church. FBC Campo Grande is a leadership training machine. The leadership conference that was part of the weekend was attended (on average) by more than 10% of the normal attendance. Each of their 160 cell groups has an assistant leader that is being prepared to lead a group.

In the music ministry, multiplication is also a core value. Of the 5 or so sessions of the leadership conference, they never had the same praise team singers or band members twice. Not twice in a row, but twice! And, though the majority of attendees and participants are young and single, the entirety of the conference was attended by one particular lady who appeared to be in her 60’s along with her mother who was 92.

Prayer times both in cell groups and in the normal “worship service” are marked by passionate beseeching with tears flowing easily and pervasively across the room or auditorium. When I compare the many rote prayers of North American believers (often my own), I can see why God is so busy south of the equator. If you ever get a chance to visit FBC, I would encourage you to spend your annual convention money to go.

One story: The first time on the campus, I noticed a hippie-looking guy sitting outside the door selling trinkets (bracelets and anklets) that he had made. I thought, “That’s pretty cool that they allow him to do that and don’t run him off or call security on him.”

The next day we drove by and Pastor Gilson excitedly exclaimed over his shoulder, “Did you see the hippie?!” “Yes,” we responded. “He’s a believer in Jesus and a member of our church!” Sure enough, I was able to locate him in the crowd each session for the rest of the weekend. Later, they enlarged on the story. When “the hippie” got saved, the members of the church tried to get him job training and help him move up the ladder of social and economic productivity. His response was, “I could do that. But, if I do I will lose contact with my people. If I don’t reach them, who will?” His goal now is to go back and finish high school, then go to seminary and prepare to be a missionary in his culture.

Yes, Todd and I bought a bunch of stuff from him!

I thank God for the opportunity for this trip and for making provision for me to be able to go. I trust that our church will be able to implement some of the principles that were passed along and gain the passion for the lost that so many people at FBC Campo Grande have in their lives.

This week, I’ll be gone for several days on a mission to Brazil. Along with a friend from west Georgia, I’ll be traveling to the city of Campo Grande to participate in a leadership conference for pastors in the area. The exact topic of my sessions has not been determined (or, at least, passed on to me) but I’m sure I’ll scare them all to death whatever my assignment. Another reason for my attending is that the host church has a very evangelistic cell group ministry and I hope to learn from them and be reminded, yet again, that the West doesn’t have all the answers.

God has been very gracious to have allowed me to go around the globe on various trips. With this trip, I will have been on every inhabited continent at least once; most people start in South America, but it will be my last one on the list. I’ve learned from the Brockley Baptist Church in a London suburb, the Wynnum Baptist Church in Brisbane, OZ (with pastor Peter van Donge), a bunch of Maasi evangelists in Kenya, M’s in a closed Asian country, the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta, and more. It was easy to figure out that not everyone saw things the way that I did and that there were many, many believers who did things differently than me. I was challenged at each step of the way and I am more well rounded as a result of their input.

Next month, a vision team from our church will be exploring options about the engagement of an unreached people group (UPG) in Asia, something about which I am extremely excited. As far as we have been able to learn there is no church that is reflective of that people’s culture and since they are an oral culture translating scripture into their language might not be the best first step. In conjunction with other groups we hope to find some opps as to how to get the gospel to this people.

Our partnership in Europe has expanded in great ways–God has used us to involve about five other churches in that ministry effort. (More on this at a later date.) I’m beginning to wonder if God isn’t using New Bethany to go through some doors to instigate ministry, involve others and then move through another door and do the same. I realize that every person and church does not have the same giftedness, that’s why it takes all of us to be fulfilling the Great Commission.