The Attraction (and Failure) of Attraction

I've begun reading a good book (well, good so far) called "Introducing the Missional Church."  I've read plenty about this subject before, but do not claim any authority on it what so ever.  I do find this book to have a practicality that has been missing from others that I've read.  I'd like to share some of it, and hear from you your thoughts on what it means to be the church.

The first part of the book addresses the issue of what missional church and living is, mainly by addressing what it isn't.  What they don't do is define "missional church."  The authors do this for a very specific reason:  Too often, churches are looking for the next thing that is going to finally get their churches to grow.  We look for a definition and format, because for too long churches has believed that if it could just get the right stuff going on at the church, people would be interested and come.

We call this the attractional method of doing church.  Often, you'll hear the example from the movie Field of Dreams, where Kevin Cosner's character hears a voice tell him, "If you build it, he will come."  Cosner's character ends up building a baseball field in his cornfield, and mystically, dead famous baseball players come out of the corn to play ball.  Too often, churches just think, "If we can get the right ________________ (music, youth ministry, pastor, building), then people will show up."  Pastors, too, fall into the trap of believing that if their churches could just get their acts together, people would come to church.  This way of thinking used to hold true in North America, even recently. 

Now, because it held true didn't make it good.  Many have found two main problems with the attractional church.  First of all, when you set out to attract people to church, you set up an expectation that you will continue to "attract" them.  Will this church continue to interest a person enough to keep them coming?  If not, what will need to be changed or started to keep it attractive?  The attractional model ends up creating consumers of church rather than disciples of Jesus Christ. 

The second problem of attractional church is the underlying assumption that the goal for the church is to get more people in the walls.  When we seek to get people into the walls of the church, we inadvertently teach that coming to church is the goal of the life of faith.  In their book Reveal, Bill Hybels and the people of Willow Creek Community Church share that they found a plateau in the spiritual growth of many of their people that happened when they maxed out on attending church functions (a brief and albeit crass summary of their in-depth study).  Some churches who have thrived as attractional churches are looking at their churches as seeing the same plateau.  Churches around the country, in large cities and rural communities, are realizing the same thing:  something's wrong.

The missional mindset (or "imagination", as the authors of ItMC put it) is not an answer to how to get churches to do the right stuff.  It's about opening our eyes to see God working around us, and finding ways to get involved.  It's not about creating a utopia, it's about living faithfully in our communities, living as though, as Brian McClaren puts it, that we are blessed in order to be a blessing.

This challenges me as a pastor, because I have had a tendency to not be involved in my community, often seeking how I can make my church more attractive.  I realize that God has not called me to a life in the church, but a life as a part of The Church, the Bride of Christ, in the world.  I do this not with a picket sign, but with a shovel or rake.  I do this not with words of morality, but with words of love.  I do this not as I build a relationship to share the gospel, but as I build a relationship to live out the gospel for my sake, not the sake of some poor soul who needs it.  I NEED IT!

So, as my family and I head up to the great northwest of Indiana, we look forward to not trying to be attractive (well, DeAnn can't help it, that's her God-given gift), but to live the kingdom life in our community.  What about you?  What's God doing in your community, and how will you get involved?

A Minor Celebration

Well, we in the Jennette household had a minor celebration this week.  And when I say minor...well, you'll see what I mean.

A few weeks ago, we bought Guitar Hero III for our Wii.  We've enjoyed the Wii, probably more than any of us thought we would, and find ourselves regularly playing this game.  I play guitar at a beginner's level (which I hope doesn't disparage beginners) and this game has some similarities to playing the guitar.  There are 5 different colored buttons and a toggle that you strum.  You press the correct color and flip the toggle at the same time to get points and if you play well enough, you can complete the song.

My oldest son worked and worked on learning the first song, Slow Ride by Foghat (apologies to my current church that got to hear our youngest singing that song over and over before church one Sunday).  It took him quite a long time, but last week he finally finished his first song.  It was a video game, granted, but I was so proud of him for setting a goal, working hard, and accomplishing his goal.

It made me wonder about myself:  If my son has the kind of drive to play a song on a video game, do I have that same drive to do things that matter in the world?  Family fun is wonderful (and needed in our family from time to time), but what about those things that are important.  Do I have the kind of strength it takes to see it through?

As that question rolls around in my mind, I think about Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, and the words of confidence he shares with them:  "...(God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  As we and the people of Merrillville set out on this new adventure, I want to remember those words from Paul.  There will be times when things get hard, when people question what we're doing, if we've lost our minds.  Some people may outright fight what it is we are doing for God.  But in my mind, it's not us, but God who is beginning this work in us, and if God is beginning it, then God will be faithful to complete it in and through us.

So with that in mind, I want to continue to do the work of God, no matter what's against me, because ultimately it is God who will carry it on to completion, finish the job.  And I've got a great example of the hard work it takes to complete a goal sitting next to me at the dinner table.

What about you?  What kind of work is God asking of you to complete that good work?  I'd love to hear from you.

First Steps of Faith

If you're reading this, it's either because we've shared with you the next steps God has asked us to take, or you mistyped another address. If you're the latter, feel free to read, or just retype your address the right way. If you're the former, thanks for joining us on this journey. Whether you're a part of our new ministry actively, supportively, or inquisitively, welcome! I'd say enjoy the ride, but, well...let me get to that.

I was getting ready for a Bible study today when I read Hebrews 11 to get ready. It's a passage I was familiar with (having gone through seminary, I'm "familiar" with a lot of passages, but that really doesn't mean much), but something new struck me today. As I read about these people that the author lists and their acts of faith, I realized something: They had to actually DO something in faith. Abel, in faith, OFFERS a sacrifice. Noah, in faith, BUILDS an ark. Abraham, in faith, WENT from his homeland to a new, strange promised land. I hope you're getting the same picture I am.

Faith is not a set of beliefs. It's not merely a mental assent to some tenet or dogma. Faith is the fuel that sets our feet in the direction toward God's way. Faith is the impetus, the drive, to do things far beyond ordinary, what would be normal for you. And faith is something else: It's the element that completes that which is beyond our ability. The author of Hebrews lists these amazing feats that happened through faith, things that couldn't happen just by normal human work. Faith was the very thing that made the impossible possible, the "no way Hosey" (as my 4-year-old Micah says) into the "That just happened!" (Thank you, Will Ferrell).

So, if you're joining us in one way or the other, please don't enjoy it. Enjoying something is what we do with a movie or a TV show. Jump in with us. Take a step in faith with us. DeAnn and I, the boys, and many folks in Merrillville have taken a step of faith to do something great for God. It's not something we're doing because it's easy, it's something fueled by faith, and can only be accomplished through the faithfulness of God. And I can't think of anything better to do.

So, I'm wondering, what about you? Share in the comments about a time when you did something crazy, fueled by faith. Or is there something that you think God is inviting you to be a part of through faith? If so and you're hesitating, are you willing to share? Don't be embarrassed. It's OK (we've all been there). But DON'T WAIT! Take the first steps. There's no better step to take than one of faith.