In my last post, I mentioned that I would be slowly and intentionally sharing some of my foundational assumptions about the Church and our church. If you are a part of the Columbia Ridge family in any way, you deserve to know what goes on in my head and my heart. You deserve to know the foundation from which we move forward. You deserve to know so that you are given an opportunity to speak into what happens in your church family, to be part of what we share of the grace we have been given, which begins with the life we’ve received, the salvation we are offered, and the ongoing favor we enjoy in walking through life with Christ together.

As I shared at The Gathering that occurred last month (everyone is always invited to one of these quarterly events!) there are several convictions I have about the mission we are called to embark on together. I will share these in this post, will share where I believe they will ultimately lead in the next post, and will share what happens in-between – how we get from here to there – in my final post on this topic.

So what convictions does this follower of Christ have?

First, I believe that the call of Christ to us is not simply to make converts to a church but rather disciples of Jesus, his reflections, fully devoted to him (Matthew 28:18-20). As such it is not enough to stop at ushering people into the grace of Christ (we must do this, but can’t stop there), we must help them become fully formed as his disciples over their lifetime. If this happens, the people we have the privilege of introducing to Christ will become more accurate reflections of him day-by-day. Such an occurrence would be a true gift of God to that individual and to everyone they cross paths with! One essential note is that we can only fulfill this call well as we move like Christ (Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 10:45) and that it is exceedingly difficult to help someone become like Christ unless we ourselves are becoming like Christ along the way!

Second, I believe that growing into a follower of Jesus, becoming a disciple and reflecting him, requires a transformation of the heart, mind and soul (Ezekiel 11:19-20; Romans 12:1-2; cp. Matthew 15:18-20). This is not something we can do on our own or even together under our own power. Rather, a transformation of the heart, mind and soul is a gift and typically occurs slowly, over time, through the tool of spiritual disciplines (e.g., fellowship, prayer, solitude, metabolizing God’s word, ministries of service, etc.) as we rely on grace and learn to walk with the Spirit (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; Galatians 5:22-26).

Third, we could grow to be a very large church and fail to reflect Christ and make disciples; we could remain a small church and effectively produce disciples (and vice-versa). The key is being true to our call to abide in Christ first and as such let God handle the growth of the Body as he sees fit (John 15:5). I have a hunch, however, that growth of the body numerically will follow growth of the body in discipleship and that numerical growth is essential to reach some of the long-range goals that we can work toward together (again, I’ll be writing on these in my next post).

Finally, as I’ve continued to grow in my role in this church family (which has nothing to do with some title and much to do my with what gifts God has may have given me to offer as our church family sees fit), this has become my personal goal: To, like Paul and his companions, “…proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” Colossians 1:28 (NIV) It is to this end I desire to be used, as he enables and empowers.

At the end of my life I hope to hear a “well done” for the work of presenting those in my sphere of influence as mature in Christ (this includes those in my family, those in my business, and those in our congregation and community) and for being just one of many who help our church family become all that God would intend. I pray that you would join me in this same hope!

Afloat in grace,
Reed

I've been doing a considerable amount of thinking lately about the church, leadership in general, and my leadership. Some of this thinking has come about because of internal pressures that I'm feeling. Things like...

• desiring to lead better and in areas of my own gifting (rather than outside of them),
• wanting to equip others better in their areas of gifting and to release them to create for the Kingdom, and, 
• to do it all while balancing my business and loving my family better. 

I don't necessarily think I'm doing any of that well right now; hence the internal pressure.

There's also some external pressure as well, which is all well and good. External pressure can come from things that exert force on our church that are beyond our control (e.g., the economy and what it does in drawing off available resources, changing culture around us), things in our limited control (timelines for projects are at least partially in our control), and the pressure of a community of diversity that is Columbia Ridge (folks with different opinions on how different things should be done). Again this is all well and good as long as we can move forward together in openness and mutual care and love in Christ.

Because of that desire to move forward in mutuality, I wanted to open up and share this because I think it is important for the Columbia Ridge family to know that such thinking isn't bad at all. In fact, it gives us an opportunity to move forward in different ways, to enter into deeper trust in Christ, and to move forward together as he leads us.

At present, the Board has advocated, and I wholeheartedly agree, that a staffing and leadership group be formed in order to discern how we might move forward in a new and different manner in those regards. It has and has begun its work. I'll be reporting on it as "discovery" comes together.

Additionally, I've revisited and will be writing on some foundational assumptions, activities and hopes with regard to our congregational life together. I felt it was a good practice for me to get such things out of my head and into the world in a formulated manner. I hope you'll agree as pieces of that appear in this blog.

Finally, in some of the reading I've been doing on church leadership, the following passage from a church consultant's essay on leadership in the church (link) struck me profoundly, emphasizing our need to think and pray about our leadership structure and philosophy going forward:

"Even though congregations resemble other institutions -- with physical assets, human resources, budgets, markets and products -- the interplay of a transforming God and a change-resistant constituency, a Savior who suffered and died and constituents who avoid suffering and fear death, and a Spirit who is making all things new even as Christians are grounding themselves in tradition, makes for a complex organization... A church community draws people close to their deepest yearnings, their most vivid fears, their wounds and their triumphs, their doubts about everything, including themselves, and their native optimism or hope that life can be better... walking with God can be a discomfiting and humbling journey. The effective church leader accepts this complexity, tries to understand it, works within it, and exercises both patience and determination in trying to help people get beyond their flaws. That is demanding and often confusing work. Little in the rest of life, except the challenge of living in a family and raising children, prepares one for the challenge."

I am thankful to be part of the Community of Christ that is Columbia Ridge. I believe that we have people here that love the Lord and each other deeply and are engaging, even right now, in how we can move forward together in honor of the One who gave his life for us. Whether or not you are part of a team, a leadership group, or the staffing/leadership discovery group, you can participate in our journey forward through your prayers for the health of our congregation and the fulfillment of the mission God has given us. Please considering offering them up to the Lord regularly! Furthermore, I am open to hearing your thoughts via this blog or email. Feel free to speak up anytime.

Afloat in His Grace,
Pastor Reed

I had a unique experience last Friday: I left a "Leadership Summit processing lunch" a very troubled man. I’m not at all used to that because typically I'm flying high after our team discusses what we learned! So why was I so troubled? First, because I didn’t effectively manage that particular meeting. Poor execution really bugs me and there was nobody to blame but myself. Second, because of a theme that emerged from a conversation we had about inviting others to our corporate worship gathering. We as a group of leaders seemed to flounder, even to the point of (apparent) division, over the issue of whether or not every one of us should invite the unchurched to our corporate worship gathering. As I left the meeting this observation came to mind (an observation that I hold to tentatively and then only to help me think): Many, maybe most, Columbia Ridgers experience little or no impulse to invite the unchurched to weekend worship; some, maybe many, may actually have an impulse not to invite thinking that it isn't their role or that it may be detrimental because it sends the wrong message. [NOTE: I don't believe that this is because Columbia Ridgers just don't care... I think there are other reasons for this that I'll explore here and in an additional post.] Others will have to assess for themselves the validity of the observation. I won’t argue with any who disagree because I’m only raising it to show how this particular ball got rolling in my mind. True or not, I’m glad I had the thought because it caused me to think more deeply about the entire issue. As Pastor of this exceptional church family, I am called to pay careful attention to the theology that shapes my own life and our local church, a church I have been called to nurture toward maturity (Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 4:16; Ephesians 4:11-13). Thus, I reflected... and in reflection this question came to mind: Have I left us with an inadequate theology of worship? Just having to ask the question gave me a sinking feeling. I’m not sure that we understand that authentic worship in a healthy church is simultaneously an act of grace for those in Christ and a witness to those who are not. Paul dealt with an issue in the Corinthian church that points to this fact.

²³If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? ²⁴But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, ²⁵the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. ²⁶What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 1 Corinthians 14:23-26 (ESV)

Notice several important things here:

1. Paul expects that unbelievers (those opposed the gospel) and outsiders (the uninitiated, not opposed to the gospel, yet not accepting it to that point) will be in attendance at the regular worship gathering of this local church (v23).
2. Paul claims that an unbelievers/outsiders will be drawn toward God if the believers gathered together enter into authentic worship in an orderly, understandable, and orderly manner (v25: “…he will worship God and declare that God is really among you”).
3. Each believer of the body will have a special role in the worship gathering as they share the light that God has given to them (v26). This doesn’t happen exclusively on the platform, it happens as we move with each other in fabric of community before, during and after the ‘service’.
4. The end result of this will satisfy Paul’s command: “Let all things be done for building up” (v26).

Bottom line: We must understand that we are missing out on something remarkable if we rely solely on ourselves to witness to unbelievers: the power of the Holy Spirit moving in the gathered local church. The healthy church, gathering for corporate worship, is perhaps the strongest witness we could offer to someone. Because of this, it may actually be unkind not to do everything we can to bring our unbelieving friends to our weekly gathering (and once there, we can let God be God and do what he will with his word and the fellowship and worship he empowers). While I can always identify things that I wish we had done with greater excellence during a corporate gathering, I cannot think of any service that I didn’t wish that all of my unbelieving friends were in attendance. I can’t think of a single one because I have seen how God works in and through our congregation when we gather. I can’t think of a single one because the Christian life is a hollow shell apart from the local church, at least for me. I can’t think of one because I believe God’s word doesn’t return void (Isaiah 55:11). I can’t think of a single one because apart from the gift I’ve received in being part of our worship gathering week in and week out I most likely wouldn’t have a living faith at all today. Together we are, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9 “…a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.” With regard to worship is he recalling passages in the Psalms that called believing Israel to gather in worship as a witness to unbelieving nations (e.g., Psalm 105:1-2)? Whether he is or not, we must remember that we have been given an incredible gift in being the Lord’s gathered and gathering people. It is a gift to receive his word and to proclaim his praises in such a way that it glorifies him, builds us up in the faith, and witnesses to the unbeliever. I'll have more thoughts that I’ll post soon. Until then I look forward to your comments.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

16Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” ...38And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” Genesis 41:38-40 (ESV)

Genesis 37-50 tells the story of Joseph, who after having been sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, eventually rose to great power in the Egyptian government. Of course, his route to this place wasn't easy. Along the way he was met by difficult circumstances galore (like being sold into slavery by jealous brothers, falsly accused of impropriety, unjustly imprisoned, and forgotten by those he'd helped). In spite of all of this, or perhaps because of it, Joseph became the man he was because he knew the limitations of his own ability and the limitless power of God.

His statement in v16 is not artificially self-deprecating, rather it is an accurate observation that God is the one with the power and the answers. It is a lesson I need to realize because it is true. It is not the smartest, the best connected or the most ambitious who is of greatest benefit to his world, rather, it is the one who is humbly connected to his God that brings the best good to others! We can see this in Pharoah's response v38. Notice that while "all the Pharaoh's horses and all the Pharaoh's men" weren't up to the task, the one who was listening to God's lead was.

What provided the foundation from which Joseph would be part of saving a nation from famine (and the consequences of it, like poverty, crime, illness, and death)? It wasn't striving for himself and it wasn't proclaiming his own smarts. Instead, it was waiting upon God to provide the answer, who used even the evil in Joseph's past experiences to place him where he needed to be at just the right time and with just the right heart.

I need to be like Joseph. I need to remember that I will bring the best good for those near to me, those for whom I'm accountable, if I humbly submit to God's lead and his word to me/us. Then, and only then, can I truly be shown what I need to see... to bring lasting good into this world.

Father, keep me in the mindset that Joseph was in. Keep me in the place he was at. Joseph was a man who humbly knew that all true wisdom and knowledge comes from you. I pray that my attitude would be his so that I might possibly be used to save others. It is the one who is connected humbly to you that brings the best good to those near to them... help me to be that!