Something Has to Change

In the last four posts, I wrote an overview of what led to resigning and how that was/is one of the best and costliest decisions in my life and why I chose Starbucks. I want to now share how I came to the conclusion that the model I was in (which is the prevalent model in American church) hurts the church being faithful and fruitful for Jesus.

To start, it must be the Scriptures which provides the vision of who we are to be and what we are to do. So I had three main questions when I was processing in early January 2023.

1. What is a disciple and the church?

2. What does a local church do when they gather?

3. Is the prevalent model hurting or helping us be faithful and fruitful for Jesus?

#1--What is a Disciple and the Church?

Simply a disciple is a follower of Jesus. What does that mean? They have turned from their sins and trusting themselves and turned to trust in Jesus alone (Mark 1:15), have been baptized in water in obedience to Jesus (Matthew 28:19), and now live the Christ-life now: love God and love people (Matthew 22:37-39). They help others do the same. This is what the church (gathering of disciples) is to be and do: exist for the glory of God by following Jesus and helping everyone follow Jesus.

#2--What Does the Local Church Do When They Gather?

When I look at the Scriptures, it is interesting that the New Testament does not give a play by play on what a church gathering looks like. There are various things that take place when they gather but not every gathering has all of the aspects listed (not exhaustive):

1. Read and teach the Word (Acts 2:42)

2. Pray (Acts 2:42)

3. Observe the Lord's Supper (Acts 2:42, 1 Cor. 11)

4. Use Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. 12-14)

5. Sing and make music to the Lord (Eph. 5)

6. Collect money to give (2 Cor. 8-9)

7. Fellowship (the "one another's", Acts 2:42, Hebrews 10:24-25)

8. Church discipline (Matthew 18)

9. Updates, decisions (Acts 6:1-7, 14:6)

There is freedom in how gatherings can look.

#3--Is the Prevalent Model Hurting Us or Helping Us?

There are styles from church to church but here is the prevalent model in which many church think and function regardless of size.

1. Provide programs led by staff at a building to reach people for Jesus

2. People trust in Jesus

3. Get baptized

4. Join church

5. New members get involved in those programs

6. They become leaders of those programs and start new programs

7. Church needs to multiply services, locations, or start new churches based on growth

A lot of the strategy in the model depends on manpower and money. If you don't have it, you struggle to survive and keep doors open and to make influence in community.

For when I was a pastor in thinking through the church, the model we had (above) was hurting us. We were drowning. Lack of money and lack of manpower to make the model work. The facility needed improvements. We lacked programs. We have poor quality leaders in some programs because and lack of leaders. And leaders overall were stretched then.

Here's what things looked like at the church I was at:

100 avg on Sunday, 140 members	1,400 seating capacity
Sunday service	A few leading, consumerism
Church groups, ministries, events	All on property, except Sat group
Making disciples	A few
Building	$349,648 (60%) of $580,000 budget
Staff	$133,078 (23% of budget)
Programs	$73,650 (12.7% of budget)
Missions	$11,400 (2% of budget)
Extra missions	$20,000 (add to missions=5.4%)
7 baptisms (2022-2023)	Spending $82,857/person which includes 3-4 new believers
9 new members (2022)	Spending $64,444/member which includes 3 new believers

I was thinking through different solutions for this model in how to get more money/manpower, or to merge, or sell property and meet somewhere else.

But a key question was: Even if we had manpower and money for this model and things worked, the model is hurting us from being faithful and fruitful in following Jesus in our culture. Why?

1) The model does not do well with loving the body of Christ

o   Reality is “Church”=physical building more than people in this model

o   The gathering is a product (Sunday “service”) for people to receive and consume rather than participate with spiritual gifts and fellowship, etc. in this model

o   The programs that then provide opportunities to serve and fellowship are optional and people are not following Christ in community together

2) The model does not do well with making OUT

o   Most people are not making disciples because people are legitimately too busy w/ involvement in church programs and building; and people rely on inviting people to participate in programs run by staff at building though the church is on the margins of society in our culture

o   Discipleship is typically a program, location, time and place instead of life on life

o   It will take a while to multiply churches who multiple disciples/churches because we need manpower/money to sustain the sending church and the sent churches. It is more addition than multiplication. (You can find something like this below on the internet)

Years	Evangelism (only)	Disciples Making Disciples
1	365,000	2
2	730,000	4
10	3,650,000	1,024
20	7,300,000	1,048,576
25	9,125,000	33,554,432
26	9,490,000	67,108,864

Summary: The prevalent model overall hurts us and prevents us from being faithful and fruitful in God’s vision for us to follow Jesus in our culture.

Something has to change.