Pastor Patrick Badstibner is founder of World Prayr (on Twitter). Pat has been providing us with a monthly blog post, but I’m pleased to be able to present this blog post, the second in a series of four weekly posts by Pat, to our Energion Publications family.

Check the World Prayr organization and the World Prayr devotional blog as well. You’ll find a dynamic and growing group of Christians who are practicing the second great command, to love their neighbors as themselves, and thereby practicing the first command as well.

In the first part of this series we mentioned that we would be looking at three different sayings pastors today seem to be making. We also mentioned we would be visiting with my friends Dave and Paula. In the second part we talked about how to go deeper without making clones. The third part was Unmilitary people are not asking what methods you are using in basic training.

First let’s visit with my friends Dave and Paula one last time. This time though let’s skip ahead a few years and see how the advice and leadership encouragement, that Dave gave to his management team, of not worrying so much about losing repeat customers and keeping on concentrating on adding numbers has worked out.

Today Dave and Paula’s head of operations is bringing him a report on the current state of affairs for the business. Let’s listen in as Robert, Dave’s operation manager, brings him the report.

“Hi Robert, I am excited about getting that report today.”

“Well Dave, as you know we had to close one of our stores at the end of last year.”

“Yes, Robert but that was so we can streamline operations as our competition has really been increasing on us with their aggressive training programs”

“You’re right Dave, however our competition’s training programs and their well trained sales force are really hurting us. Our numbers are down Dave, and our sales force is without a lot of answers, and they don’t have the ability to really share why our company is the right way to go. Dave, are you still sure that concentrating on being radical on getting new numbers, while not being as radical training our sales people how to build and concentrate on developing and maintaining relationships with our existing customers is the way to go?”

As Dave ponders this question and wonders if what he has been concentrating on has been effective in producing results. Let us walk away and look at we have learned and discovered along the way in this series by looking at some challenges and asking ourselves some questions.

“Unchurched” and Discipleship

In the last post we looked at what “unchurched” people are not asking. They are not asking what disciple program you are using. So how do you feel now? Is this the right question? Should we be worrying about what unchurched are not asking???

After all one would not expect or even give thought to what someone who has never served in the military had to say about what basic training is like. Why should those who are to be leading, guiding, protecting, and bringing the flock God has placed under them home be giving thought, credence, or consideration to how ones who do not even understand the purpose of that meeting on Sunday and how it should be conducted, much less what questions they should be asking about that church? That is not to say we should not be taking radical steps to reach those who are not part of the church, but to say we should not be lending an ear to what they think it should be doing and how they feel it should be conducted. That is unless on Sunday morning you are actually not going to church but rather instead going to an evangelistic meeting.

Remember the Word of God is not written to those who do not know him but rather it is the love letter to believers from God. Shoot, they cannot even walk in the door, get on their knees and expect God to hear their prayers unless they first come asking for forgiveness and acknowledging a need to do it his way.

In fact if you are a church leader reading this and you are catering your service to the “unchurched,” let me plead with you please begin your service by giving the gospel so that those who accept will receive something from the rest of your message. Otherwise you will have lost the purpose of your service when you consider all things.

If one does know Christ and one is still asking those type of questions, you’re calling oneself “unchurhed” because you’re anti-establishment or you have not found that perfect church. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for the Pastor now to be asking “what type of discipleship program are you involved in? If none, why don’t you come try our church?” That would be better than than worrying about what they are not asking.

I am going to make some more bold and radical statements specifically directed at pastors, ministry leaders and anyone else God has led to a place of leadership in his kingdom.

Radical Statements

Ninety percent of Christians today fall into two categories for going or choosing the church they choose. First category, they are going for entertainment, to feel good. These are usually those who are choosing the mega church, the church that has set itself up for entertainment with loud contemporary music and the mega superstar leader. The second category is those who are still going to the same style church their parents went to or those where they feel they have a grown up daddy.

Here is a tip, the music; video usage, lack of media or too much media has no bearing on the discipleship program of the church. In fact one of the common issues of churches today, whether they use traditional hymns and no video media, or they use contemporary style worship and lots of media, is a lack of a discipleship program that is taking believers in Christ, as the writer of Hebrews said, past the point of needing to be taught, to the point of being able to teach.

In fact here are the bold statements: If you are going to a church because you’re comfortable, but you are still at the same point years later where you still need to be taught, it may just be time to move onward and stretch you.

Church leaders, pastors, ministry leaders: If any of the above can be said of your leadership perhaps it is time to stop and ask ourselves if we are really doing what God called or led us to do.

You have great programs, entertaining uplifting music, radical media and you have no programs that are helping those underneath your leadership become craftsmen of the Word of God or have answers in order to defend their faith.

You are still using the same ole, same ole methods you used, or have been using for the last fifty years.

One can walk into what you are leading and as a friend of mine said today, they can immediately tell who is leading it.

Important Note Here:

Our job is to lead in such a way that what you are leading comes to the point it no longer needs you. If those you are leading are still coming to you looking for answers or still directing others to you for answers (Example: I am not sure let me ask my pastor?), you may be missing something here.

You want to really lead, develop an intensive discipling, training program that enables those who are sitting under it to have answers as to why they believe what they believe. Be as radical in your discipleship as you are in your outreach programs.

Some Direct Challenges

Pastor, let me challenge you to remember the purpose of gathering together.

Church member, let me encourage you by asking you to pray that you will grow in understanding and spiritual insight.

Pastors, don’t try to make your church the happening place. Teach less on leadership and more on the basic doctrinal tenets of the faith and along the way you may just discover you have built and developed some leaders.

Church attendees, stop looking for the happening place, the place that charges your emotional batteries, the place you leave feeling good, and start looking for a body of believers who are supporting, loving, pushing, encouraging, changing, and motivating each other to greater works and love.

Perhaps ask of that church “what type of discipleship programs are you using?”

Here’s another question right now. If a Jehovah’s Witness asked you “why do you believe in the trinity?” could you provide an answer? Is your church teaching you how to answer? If not, what are they teaching you if they are not teaching you how to defend your faith?

Church ministry leader, if the majority of those God has given you cannot answer the above question, stop patting yourself on the back as though you’re doing a good job because you’re counting your conversions. Stop justifying your lack of doing your job with the same excuses that have been given in this series. If you are in leadership in God’s kingdom and you are not mentoring, discipling and encouraging those you are leading to the point they are able to teach, you are failing.

Pastors please consider using not only radical steps in reaching the “unchurched”; trust me, the same ole, same ole is not getting it done, but also using the same radical efforts in building and developing systems to push, pull, challenge, motivate, and encourage those God has put in your charge.

World Prayr family member, World Prayr leadership believes so strongly in that part of World Prayr’s mission it is aggressively doing and taking steps to be in the business of making true disciples; not counting conversions . That not only have we created a page for discipleship resources here:

http://worldprayr.org/page/resources

We are also building a pastoral team for that purpose and we will be working with other ministries toward that purpose. Let me also challenge you to take this series of posts to your pastor or whoever you turn to for leadership and to remember these lessons yourself.

I pray this series has challenged you to understand the need for responsible grace, discipleship, personal responsibility and the role of a church in the growth of the believers life.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and reflect on a message that is and has always been very deep to my heart.

Check the World Prayr organization and the World Prayr devotional blog as well.  You’ll find a dynamic and growing group of Christians who are practicing the second great command, to love their neighbors as themselves, and thereby practicing the first command as well.

First you should know this is a four part series and I pray you will take the time to follow along and keep up. With each part I promise to bring home a point and prayerfully lead into the next part of the series. For those who take the time to read any part, let me thank you ahead of time. For those souls who are brave enough to follow all four parts, I shall pray God gives you an extra blessing covering your eyes.

[The series will be published here weekly, with each part appearing on a Monday. - ed]

I want to take a look at three different sayings that seem to be popular among those that refer to themselves as pastors today, while at the same time visiting with some friends named Dave and Paula (well the names have been changed to protect the innocent but the situations are true) and how those sayings might play out in other scenarios of life. While also looking at maybe some erroneous teachings or views as it comes to the subject of discipleship in the church.

Let me tell you just a bit about my friends, Dave and Paula. Dave and Paula own a business in which they own three paint stores in a very busy metropolitan area. Their stores are surrounded by old standards doing business in the same old way with the same methods and techniques that have been used for over thirty years or longer. Dave and Paula have done quite well, obviously since they have three stores now– in spite of being surrounded by these large well supported corporate retail giants. They have used updated methods and techniques to reach, build, and sustain their customer base.

We are not going to look at just their business though; we are also going to look and see if their obvious business savvy has translated into personal wisdom. Then as I said we are going to take a minute and look at some popular sayings we may find being said by pastors today.

Recently with Dave and Paula

Recently Dave and Paula had a meeting with some of their store managers and it was brought to their attention that customer referral sales were down twenty-five percent. This was not good news to Dave and Paula as they had built, and still believed that their business was built, on referrals and they had no desire to be in the addition business but rather wanted to be in the multiplication business. However, Dave’s answer shocked their managers as he said, “We have the systems, market studies, everything in place and the numbers show that we are growing by leaps and bounds. Perhaps we cannot help it if our numbers are down for repeat business and customer referral. Let’s keep adding numbers and we will not have to worry about the rest. After all it is not our fault if we have the systems in place and people are not coming back as often. Let’s just keep creating radical methods of getting new customers in and stay on a steady course with an occasional twitch here and there. Sound Good!” Funny though, it left all Dave’s managers going “hmmmmm!” Does it really sound good?

Now what do you think? Is Dave’s advice sound to his management team?

Funny Thing

I read recently where a pastor said “We have the systems in place, it is not our fault if they are not growing.”

“Ah! Pat you say this is a church not a business.”

How right you are! Only two issues:

1. The great commandment found in Matthew 28:

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

is not telling others how to be saved, or just bring others to Christ or go grab those who aren’t buying yet. It is, however, “go make disciples.”

*A disciple is someone buying hook, line, and sicker and whose life is being immersed in the truth of the Word of God; such that they in turn are producing additional disciples.

1. A pastor’s main focus and main task is not to reach those who are not part of his flock.

Ah! Heresy, Heresy, that’s it! I am not going to read any more how Pat gets off with such nonsense. I did not say it, God did, several times in His word; let me show you a couple of instances:

1. 1. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12, we see Paul speaking to believers, encouraging them to not make it difficult for those who labor for them. Key word and point Paul is speaking to believers.

2. Wherever scripture refers to the office of pastor, or title, it refers to words like shepherd, overseer, and elder.

Now, a question: Is a shepherd’s first job is to concentrate by getting more sheep or to concentrate on protecting, guiding, and helping grow to maturity the sheep he already has?

If we define an organization, ministry, or church that focuses heavily on adding numbers and reaching those that are not in their organization, ministry, or church as being in the addition business, then we may define and state that one whose leadership focuses heavily on impacting and changing the lives, or on building its current base as being in the multiplication business. We state they are in the multiplication business because they are building those currently involved in order that they may reach those who are not.

So having looked at what a Shepherd’s main job is do you see any similarities between Dave’s advice to his team and what a lot of pastors today are saying? Do you feel Dave is in the addition business or the multiplication business as it pertains to building and growing his business?

Is the church you’re leading or going to in the multiplication business or in the addition business? Are you going to church just because you like the music, you come out emotionally feeling good, or are you going to a church that is radically taking the same steps to bring to maturity those who are currently in church as they are those who are not in church.

If part one made no sense to you wait for part two I promise as we move forward in this series the message of the series and the points of the message will become clearer and make more sense if they do not as of yet.

Or did you expect me to reveal all the points in part one?

Part two: Can we really go deeper without making clones (coming July 5).

• Mission/Ministry:  World Prayr
• Editor’s Table:  Where is the Encouragement?
• Back Roads in God’s Kingdom
• Youth/Young Adults:  Erin McClelland (carried over from March)
• Bible Q & A:  Henry Neufeld on 1 Timothy 4

I will confess that the total participation was disappointing. On the negative side, we had one entry that won by default, by Chris Eyre. I think it was a good negative entry, but I had hoped for much more discussion.

On the affirmative side, we had two entries, and they are shown in the poll to the right. Please read the entries and vote for the one you think most merits the $50 B&N gift card. The poll will close April 19. I’ve extended the poll time because I did not post the poll on time.

Please feel free to discuss the essays here and/or in The Christian Fellowship Forum, where both entries were initially presented.

– Henry Neufeld, owner of Energion Publications

I’m pleased to be able to present this blog post, the first in a series of monthly posts by Pat, to our Energion Publications family. We will be presenting a number of other guest posts over the next few months, so keep your eyes open, subscribe to our RSS feed, or come back frequently.

And check the World Prayr organization and the World Prayr devotional blog as well. You’ll find a dynamic and growing group of Christians who are practicing the second great command, to love their neighbors as themselves, and thereby practicing the first command as well.

In the early 80’s this commercial ran…

However, milk, does it really do a body well all of the time? Does it really? What about too much milk; can it harm a body? Scripture says a false balance is an abomination of the Word.

What about grace? Does it do a body good? Is it possible to get too much grace? Too much grace; are you nuts?!

Yes, that’s right! I said too much grace.

Can too much grace can also lead to an imbalance? Was this what Dietrich Bonhoeffer was referring to as “cheap grace.”

Paul spoke of this when he said “Should we continue in sin, heaven forbid?”

Thank God for grace!

Without it, there would be no body. None of us here serving would be serving. There would be no need for it. We would be hopeless; in deep need of the grace God so freely gives. However, does that mean that grace excuses irresponsibility, lack of accountability, lack of following-up, lack of honoring commitments that we are all guilty of? No, see that was what Paul referred to as “Shall we continue on in sin?”

Have to admit, I absolutely love it when I see some of the responses to emails we sent out. It cracks me up when some respond “We should show more grace.” Got to admit whenever I share these reactions with the senior team; they also get good laughs.

Some remind me of when my kids used to not want to clean their rooms or do their chores. What usually would happen was their mom would pick up the slack, or one of them would say “It’s not fair that they do not have to clean their room.”

In their case, it would have been like saying “It’s okay that your brother/sister is not doing their part, but you understand grace, right? Well, we need you to clean their room for them as well.”

Those of you with kids right now are going “Yeah! Right!”

However, basically the ones that say this leave me wondering if they could be found telling their kids exactly that.

Now, does grace mean God’s leaders and managers should not expect, demand, require high standards of delivery or performance? Well let’s look…

Think on these things

Bear these fruits (Love how the message reads in this.)

Pray without ceasing

Rejoice in all things

How about this one:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (The Message)

16-18Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
Now, I do not know about you but that is some pretty high standard! I know I have not met them in 40 years of being saved.

How does God feel about the things he asks to get done. What about details does God require exacting standards in building and doing things. What does it mean exactly to serve as though one is serving Christ. To do all things as unto the Lord.

Well we all know the story of the ark right and the exacting details God gave to Noah right. Have you read Exodus 36-38?

Thank God for grace because it is the grace that allows me to move on. That is where grace comes in.

Does that mean when others fail we should not tell them because grace covers it? Or we as leaders should pull them aside one on one.

Though one on one is always best; is there ever a time when public attacks are proper?

Hmmm, don’t look now but here are some passages and it may surprise you how some handled others failures; under their leadership.

This so surprised the disciples they wrote about it in two different places.

Hey! I believe this is copy writing.

Mark 9: 14 – 19

Luke 9: 37 – 41

Did he really call them idiots in a public area?

I think Mark and Luke and probably the rest of the disciples were asking themselves the same thing. Of course those reading the books and applying leadership 101 theories would find some way to excuse this or overlook it. For if a leader today did this and by some of the replies leaders in World Prayr have gotten; WOW!!! This is probably how this should have gone.

Well, let me see if I can help the boy; my disciples are kinda of new; they are in training right now. Then later when he got the disciples alone; here are some encouraging words for you and maybe next time try it this way. Then he would really have been showing grace would he not have?

Sheesh, Jesus showed them some grace; after all they have only been doing this thing for a couple of years now.

In a manner of speaking what Christ did was actually “do I have to do everything around here; can’t you guys get anything right?” We all have had managers like that, right?

Wow! Look at this one.

35Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the Word of God. But they weren’t alone. There were a number of teachers and preachers at that time in Antioch.

36After a few days of this, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit all our friends in each of the towns where we preached the Word of God. Let’s see how they’re doing.”

37-41Barnabas wanted to take John along, the John nicknamed Mark. But Paul wouldn’t have him; he wasn’t about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia. Tempers flared, and they ended up going their separate ways: Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus; Paul chose Silas and, offered up by their friends to the grace of the Master, went to Syria and Cilicia to build up muscle and sinew in those congregations.
Hit the road Jack and well John Mark at least “I ain’t got no use for you” Did he just call him a quitter; WOW!!!! I thought only ruthless; not grace oriented leaders did those things. Did God allow that to be put in there; what useful purpose does this serve?

Hey what happened to grace?

How about this one in the smallest book of the bible?

Philemon 10-14While here in jail, I’ve fathered a child, so to speak. And here he is, hand-carrying this letter—Onesimus! He was useless to you before; ( Wait this means at sometime Paul and Philemon had a dsicussion on the usefulness of Onesimus. It probably was not a very good reflecting conversation on him at that. LOL!!!) now he’s useful to both of us.

Isn’t that what they call slander when you tell someone else “hey this clown is no good to me?”

So does that mean we should go around as leaders attacking others?

Heaven forbid!

We then are guilty of forgetting grace ourselves and may not be able to find it when we need it.. What it does mean is a couple of things:

1) There may just be a time when one needs to address things publicly.

2) Grace does not allow for excusing laziness, lack of integrity in commitment or lack of responsibility.

3) We need to be challenging, admonishing, encouraging, inspiring, and expecting from those God has put in our leadership.

So what does grace mean to the believer?

One thing we as believers need to be careful we do not get carried away with concentrating on one truth; while forgetting the rest of God’s word. This in and of itself is an imbalance; which leads to misunderstandings, improper interpretation, and improper application of God’s Word.

Well let’s look at what the law said.

You are going to blow it; you will mess up and when you do I will be here pointing the finger.

Grace says you can do it, you will do it but when you do blow it I will be here to help you pick up the pieces and we will move on together.

Grace says you blew it but I love you anyway.

Grace says that’s not acceptable but I’ll be there when you are ready to move on.

Grace says no, it’s not ok but in Christ we are.

Grace says you are a meat head but then so am I.

Grace never says it’s ok to act, do or say whatever, however or in what ever you choose. Yes, grace does a body good.

When served straight up and not through a straw siphoning or covering up poor performance, attitude or thinking.

However in the end we need always remember that the tremendous gift God has given us means that…..

Grace does a body good!

(Crossposted from the Energion Publications company blog)

Affirmative:

Christopher Larson (from the Christian Fellowship Forum)

Spencer (from the Christian Fellowship Forum).  Spencer indicates his is an outline, but it is of sufficient length to be qualified as an entry, so we’re going to give him the opportunity.

Negative

Not “the messiah” (Eyre Lines)

This post will be updated as entries are received.

A Blogswarm

In celebration of Consider Christianity Week, Energion Publications will sponsor a special form of blogswarm (invited, not spontaneous!) and a blogging/essay contest.

For the week of March 21-27, the Energion Publications Announcements Blog and Energion.net will link to any posts related to Consider Christianity Week topics, both pro and anti Christianity. Post your essay or your blog entry, include a link to this post, and notify us either through a comment here or by e-mailing ccweek@energion.com. Posting on a blog or an online forum is acceptable. If you need a place to post your essay, consider creating a blog on our Energion.com blogs site (eneblogs.com) or simply post in the forum at Energion.net.

Contest!

Simultaneously with this blogging event, we will conduct a contest for the best blog posts in answer to the question:

Was Jesus of Nazareth the Christ (Messiah/anointed one) as claimed in orthodox Christianity?

Entries may take either view. To protect against bias there will be two equal prizes, a $50 gift card from Barnes & Noble, one for the winning affirmative and one for the winning negative entry. The winner will be determined by popular vote.

Winning entries must be posted between March 21 and 27 (inclusive) and the post must indicate that it is a contest entry. A poll will be posted at Energion.net from April 1-15 for users to review and vote, and the contest prizes will be paid by the end of April.

The poll will list all entries (up to 40), and will list both affirmative and negative entries in the same poll.  Each person will be allowed one vote.

Because this is a blogging contest, the rules are not restrictive, but if we receive more than 40 total entries, they may be pre-screened on the following basis:

1. Posts should be between 500 and 2000 words
2. Posts should address some aspect of the person, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus. For example, a post taking the negative and simply asserting that there is no God, thus Jesus cannot be the Christ, or a post taking the affirmative, and asserting that Christians believe it so it must be so, would not meet minimum criteria.
3. Book reviews and/or notes are only acceptable if the author responds to the evidence and arguments of the book.
4. Narrowing the focus of the question is acceptable.

Irrespective of any of these criteria, any post that cannot be included on a family rated blog may be excluded.

All decisions on the contest, including entry eligibility, will be made by the Energion Publications editorial staff and such decisions will be final.

Let’s look at the question from three angles:

1)  Should the gospel commission be supreme?

2)  Is it supreme in your church and mine?

3)  How could it be made supreme and what would that look like in practice?

You can link your Twitter updates to Energion.net and vice-versa.  We’ll post more on this topic here soon.