harassed...

My wife was giving me the business about not blogging...she said my blog is starting to look like Kevin Parido's!!! So here's a little update on things...

Last week wasn't what I hoped it would be. That has more to do with my high expectations rather than anything that didn't go right. I expected to get about 2 week's worth of study and preparation work done, while getting in about a week and a half of prayer and listening to God...all in about 3 days, while getting ready for a big interview of potential staff on the weekend. Ok, so i'm a little optimistic...sue me!

But all in all, it was a good week. the change of pace was helpful. Jon and Anders, a dad and son at Northwest, did the message on Sunday morning...it went really well. I'm back on tap this weekend.

I'm going to save my reflections on the staff interview until after a decision is made because we have another candidate for the same position coming into town this weekend. I'm excited to meet the couple and get to know them better. It's pretty cool that God would see fit to bring two great couples across the path of a little church in Mundelein, IL.

One of the things I've been spending a lot of mental energy on these days is what I'll call a spiritual formation process. God works in people's lives. As a church, our role is to help people optimize that work. However, most models that I've observed in churches tend to be mechanical in nature. But people aren't machines, we are growing beings. So I (in partnership with others) have been trying to explore a more "organic" model of ministry in the church. Organic ministry appreciates the dynamic relationship between people and their environments. I can't control people or the decisions they make. But as a leader of a faith community, I can control the environments in which people interact with each other and with God. So how do we, as leaders, cultivate environments that more effectively help people experience life transformation, becoming more like Jesus.

I like a life of purpose. But there's just something about rounding 4 bases that doesn't do it for me (if you don't know what I'm talking about...don't worry about it...it's something to do with a book that's supposed to help church leaders put people through the sausage-machine of the church more efficiently). It's not a static venture we in...the class that impacted people this year, may not do it next year. What happens when everyone goes through all the classes? Do they start again, thinking they may learn something new?

So what's the goal? To get through a series of classes? To acquire a specific knowledge base? How do we know if we win?

I think a great phrase that describes the goal (which I borrowed from Erwin McManus at Mosaic in LA) is:

To become a community that is known by love, walks by faith, and serves as a voice of hope in the world.

Sounds a bit like Jesus, if you ask me. What have you experienced as helpful or not-so-much in your church setting? If you're not in a church setting, what might seem relevant to you as you explore faith in Jesus? Let me know what you think...

M@