Form the VCC Newsletter on 1/27/2020: Mission Drift (Part 2)

So what does a church on mission look like, and how is it different from a church that isn’t on mission? 

For many churches in the USA the goal has become keeping the doors open. Members cannot imagine life without their church, even if it is unhealthy, but little can be articulated as to the church's goals, vision, and reason for being. A church on mission is fundamentally different because it sees everything it does--worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions--as contributing to the kingdom of God.  They are willing to stop doing something when it ceases to be effective or when the work loses its people and support, save one or two unhappy but dedicated persons. Many people think a church starting new things is a sign of health, but the real measure of health is if a church can stop doing something it has “always” done. One of the most important questions an overworked volunteer needs to ask themselves is, “If I quit, will this ministry die?” If the answer is yes, then that ministry is unhealthy, and it probably needs to die so those seeds can fall to the ground and bear fruit (John 12.24).  A church on mission not only does ministry that matters, but it is healthy enough to review what it is doing, how it is doing, and admit when things need to change. 

Another thing a mission church does is to make sure the bulk of its resources (people, training, money, facilities) are being used for its primary mission. Too often churches end up using all their resources to do good things but get out of balance and stop actually making disciples of Jesus. Remember the church is not all about fellowship, or worship. It’s not all about living moral lives, or keeping rules. The church isn’t all about good works. The church does all of these things with the expressed purpose of multiplying disciples of Jesus Christ. If the church makes any one of these things its sole purpose, it quickly gets out of balance, and becomes unhealthy. At Vineyard we have simplified it down to: Love God, Love People, and Pass It On. So next week I will share about how we fulfill our mission, and why it matters.  

Grace and peace,

Hal

From the VCC Newsletter on 1/20/2020: Mission Drift

One of the things we say around the Vineyard is "stick to the main and the plain." That phrase has many implications; most often we use it to talk about not getting tangled up in endless controversies over opinions or minor doctrinal disputes. Instead, we focus our attention and energy on the things all Christian churches agree, and we allow for diversity of opinion on those things which divide Christians but are not central to Christian belief or part of the great creeds and confessions of the church. For instance, throughout church history, one of the primary beliefs has been that Jesus is coming back for his church in the resurrection. That is a core belief! However, from the very earliest days of the church there have been numerous opinions on how and when. So instead of spending energy on the how (a-millennial, premillennial, or postmillennial), we focus on the core belief that he is returning. It’s not that it doesn’t matter! It's that a healthy discussion includes all those views and allows people to decide for themselves without fighting about it. I have my view, but if I am wrong, we all still win. There is nothing worth fighting about. There are numerous other issues on matters of opinion, especially when it comes to worship styles, church government, dress, and a number of social topics as well. 

So why do churches get so wrapped around the axle about minor doctrinal differences, methodology, ecclesiology, or the like? That my friends is what we call mission drift. When we forget what our mission is, then we tend to major in the minors and get very cross with those who do not agree with us on our pet projects, ideas, or preferences. Jesus’ mission was to seek and save that which is lost. From that grows everything we are about and need to do. When the church isn’t on the same mission as God, we get sidetracked. Some of those discussions are about really important topics. I believe that the Bible speaks strongly about God’s heart for the poor, his hate for injustice, kindness to strangers, and issues of morality, social norms, and every matter of the heart and social interaction. I believe there are really important discussions to be had about the end times because it does affect our view of global missions and informs our views about the kingdom of God. I believe our views of church government affect how we interact with the larger church. These subjects matter, but they should not divide us.  So then that which unites us not only creates harmony, but it launches us into the world God so loved that he sent his son to redeem. 

With that in mind, next week I want to talk about what being a church on mission looks like, and then in the weeks following I want to look at our mission as a church: to Love God, Love People, and Pass It On. 

  

From the VCC Newsletter on 1/6/2020: Confidence for the Future

Welcome to the roaring twenties of the twenty-first century. As we enter the third decade of this century, I am reminded that 1999 ended in great fear over the Y2K bug. Then, in 2009, we found ourselves in a global economic crisis. In contrast, we left 2019 somewhat confident that good days are ahead and with cautious optimism for the future. This has caused me to ponder the role of faith in the face of fear. 

Humanly speaking, fear is the fight or flight mechanism that protects us from our enemies and from danger. It is the genetic component in our drive to survive. Despite the bad reputation that fear has in our society, it is actually healthy and the sign of real courage. General Swartzkoph once said that the only person who scares him was a man who was never afraid. Another American icon, John Wayne once said, “courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.”

Likewise, the Bible tells us that fear is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. Only a fool lacks fear. You see, fear is not a lack of faith. Like any other emotion, it warns us of danger. It is meant to trigger a response of prayer, of seeking God’s face for what is ahead of us. Sometimes, God tells us to run and hide- like he did with David, when King Saul sought his life. Sometimes, God calls us to stand- like he did with Gideon, while facing overwhelming odds. It is important that no matter how great the army, or how small, the difference between victory and failure was always following the leading of God. When men felt strong, but broke faith with God, in Joshua 7, the armies of Israel failed, despite being more numerous than the armies of Ai. The issue wasn’t if the odds were in their favor, but whether they were in favor with God. 

So as we look toward this next decade, with a national election looming large, huge cultural shifts having occupied so much of our attention in the past decade, it is important that our confidence is grounded not in our social or cultural norms, or even in our economic strength, but in the living God. Faith is not the absence of fear, nor is it the good vibes we get when things are going our way. It is confidence that God will not abandon us, whatever the circumstances, good or bad. 

With great faith, I am looking forward to 2020 with you- confident that God is at work among us. 

Grace and peace,

Hal