Missions Blog

The M Blog: 20 things to do while not multiplying churches

Guy Muse posted this humorous list from Steve Addison on his blog and I think it is too funny not to share.

1. Call yourself an apostle. Have some business cards printed. Hand them around.

2. Throw lots of money at subsidizing unhealthy, declining churches.

3. Throw money at “experimental missional initiatives” and never evaluate their effectiveness.

4. Set goals for multiplying new churches but don’t make it clear who is responsible to accomplish the goals.

5. Make someone responsible but don’t give them any real authority, discretionary time, or funding. Change the appointment every two years. After ten years, save money by retiring the position and making everyone else responsible.

6. Appoint a committee to undertake a study and write a report. Wait three years then do it again.

7. Hire a consultant to undertake a study and write a report. Wait three years then do it again.

8. Appoint the wrong people to plant churches. When they fail conclude that church planting doesn’t work.

9. When you see a healthy church plant say, “Yes it’s growing but it’s not really a Reformed/Baptist/Assemblies of God/Presbyterian/Methodist/New Vine/etc (choose one) church.”

10. Require pioneering leaders to be theologically trained before they can plant a church.

11. Throw your best leaders at your biggest problems, not at your greatest opportunities.

12. Watch pioneering leaders exit your movement and then comment on their lack of commitment.

13. Reward pioneering leaders with promotions. Get them away from the front line. Harness their drive to keep the institutional wheels turning.

14. In the 1960’s change the word “missions” to “mission.” To usher in the new millennium change “mission” to “missional.” Around 2010 plan to change “missional” to “postmissional.”

15. Agree to plant new churches when: (a) You’re large enough (b) You’re healthy enough (c) You have the leaders to give away (d) You have the money to spare (e) God has clearly shown you it’s time (f) When the cow jumps over the moon.

16. Run workshops on church planting. Hold conferences on church planting. Offer a course at your theological college on church planting. Do nothing to follow up with the people who show an interest. Make sure only experts get to teach. Keep the practitioners away from the students. Keep the students in the classroom.

17. Grow your church, facilities, staff, and budget as BIG as you can. Let your vision stop at your car park. Let church history end with you. Let the Kingdom dream die.

18. Set ridiculous but catchy sounding goals like “500 in 5 years,” or “2,000 by 2,000.” Three years after the target date expires set new goals. Don’t forget to change the dates!

19. Modernize your theology then postmodernize your theology. Remove evangelism and church planting from the center of God’s mission in the world. When decline hits make sure the paid professionals are the last to feel the pinch.

20. Lastly, set up a blog on church planting. Link to other bloggers on church planting. Be sure they link to you. Add smoke and mirrors.

Lost Missions - Christianity Today Magazine

Christianity Today has finally posted the article “Lost Missions” online. This a great article with subheading of “Whatever happened to the idea of rescuing people from hell?” I really enjoyed this article and previously blogged about it here. Please read it and tell us what you think.

This week while working out at the gym I was discouraged by another report about Evangelical Christians getting excited about the war in the Middle East. A popular morning show was doing a report on this sad reality. I was also discouraged by a report on the Daily Show called “This Week in God” highlighting the new Left Behind video game, mocking it for being extremely violent and for giving players 2 points every time they save a soul, but taking a point away for killing someone.

It is a shame that the Left Behind series and dispensational theology have led Christians to rejoice in this war and to hope it continues, rather than praying for it to end like we should. It is even sadder to see the secular press grab ahold of these things and to mock Christianity.
I am however encouraged by Wade Burleson’s post today:
Grace and Truth to You: Dispensational Theology and the Destruction of Iran

I am not a dispensationalist, but I marvel at how many Christians believe it to be the orthodox understanding of the end times. There are many very real problems with dispensationalism, not the least of which is the teaching of the Bible that the Old Covenant with Israel has been abolished. But rather than go into great detail on eshcatology, I am simply pointing out a couple of concerns I have of regarding the end product of dispensationalism.

He goes to detail several shortcomings of the theology. At the end of his post he quotes a letter his grandfather received from A.W. Pink after requesting a copy of his book”The Redeemer’s Return” which was then out of print. This is a portion of that letter

I fully agree with the spiritually minded C.H. Spurgeon, who said:’I scarcely consider myself qualified to explain any part of the Book of Revelation, and none of the expositions I have ever seen entice me to attempt this task, for they are mostly occupied with a refutation of all the interpretations that have gone before, and each one seems to be very successful indeed in proving that all the rest knows nothing at all about the matter.’

If you ask then, ‘why then did God give us the Revelation?’ I answer, ‘to stain the pride of man, to expose our ignorance until such time as the whole of it is fulfilled.

My advise is, leave Prophecy alone, and concentrate on the practical portions of the Word!

Amen!, Mr. Pink. We need to be excited about the Lord’s return, but not at the recent events in Israel. As I previously stated, Jesus gave a clear word that the end would not come until the gospel had reached every people group (Matt 24:14) of the world. We are about 10,000 groups short, so it seems that we have a good bit of work to do. Let us hasten the coming of the Lord by getting out there and obeying the great commission.

Almost forgot, the Rapture Index is getting really high, but their index doesn’t take into account the evangelization of the world. Lets pray for a this war to end between two people who desperately need Jesus.

Grace and Truth to You: The (Entire) Household of Faith

In a heart warming “isn’t that just the cutest thing you have ever seen?!?” moment, Wade Burleson pushes my envelope about who all we should preach the Gospel to. What do you think?