Rick Warren tells the story of Westside Church’s yearly church council meeting whose sole agenda item was to determine the church program for the next year. Convened by the chairperson, Steve Johnson this is a summary what happened:
“We’ve got a lot to cover tonight, folks, so we’d better get started. As you know, our agenda is to agree on a unified church program for the next year. We’re supposed to present it to the congregation in two weeks.”
As chairman, Steve’s anxiety over this meeting was equaled only by the anxiety he felt when the annual budget was discussed. “Who wants to go first?” asked Steve.
“This ought to be easy,” said Ben Faithful, a deacon who’d been a member for twenty-six years. “Last year was a good year. Let’s just repeat all the good things we did last year. I’ve always believed that the tried and true is better than a lot of newfangled ideas.”
“Well, I’d have to disagree with that,” said Bob Newman. “Times have changed and I think we need to reevaluate everything we’re doing. Just because a program worked in the past doesn’t automatically mean it’s going to continue working next year. I’m especially interested in starting another worship service with a different style. We’ve all seen the growth that Calvary Church has had since they started a contemporary service to reach out to the unchurched.”
“Yes, some churches will do anything to get a crowd, “ replied Ben. “They forget who the church is for: It’s for us Christians! We’re supposed to be different and separate from the world. We’re not to pander to whatever the world wants. I sure don’t intend to see that happen at Westside!”
Over the next two hours, writes Warren, a worthy list of programs and causes was presented for inclusion in the church calendar. Karen Doer passionately insisted that Westside church take a more active role in Operation Rescue and the pro-life movement. John Manly gave a moving testimony about how Promise Keepers had changed his life and suggested a full slate of men’s activities.
Linda Loving spoke of the need to develop various support groups. Bob Learner made his usual pitch for the church to begin a Christian school. And, of course, Jerry Tightwad kept asking, “How much will it all cost?” as each proposal was presented.
They were all valid suggestions, says Warren. The problem was there seemed to be no standard of reference by which the council could evaluate and decide which programs would be adopted.
Finally Clark Reasoner spoke up. Clark was the voice everyone was waiting for at this point. Whenever issues became confused at church business meetings, he’d usually make a short speech, and a majority would vote his way. It wasn’t that his ideas were better; in fact, people often disagreed with him. But the sheer force of his personality made whatever he said seem sensible at the time.
What is the problem with this scenario? asks Warren. This church is trying to head in several different directions all at once. “Every church,” he notes, “is driven by something. There is a guidance force, a controlling assumption, a directing conviction behind everything that happens.”
I ask us this morning, “What is God’s controlling assumption for our church? What is it that He wants? What is it that He expects?”
We are entering the second part of a series on God’s vision for the church: “A fully following and faithfully functioning church.” (Overhead 1)
Last month, we addressed the first part of this vision – the fully following part. And, for the sake of review, we looked at the lives of 10 Bible characters that demonstrated what it means to be full followers of God. (Overhead 2) Today, we begin the second half of our study: the faithfully functioning part.
The first part of our series dealt with the inner aspects of God’s vision for us. It dealt with our character and our commitment. The being part if you will. In other words, when we accept Christ as our savior and ask for and receive His forgiveness, it means that our character must change to become more and more like Christ’s.
This part of our series deals with the doing aspect of God’s vision. God has saved us not only from something – namely sin and eternal death but also for something – a mission, a ministry, and a task that is not only specific but also multi-purposed. So in this second segment, we are going to review these main purposes, these main functions that God expects every believer and every church to fulfill.
Now, let’s return to Westside church for a moment. Can you relate to their situation? Can you feel their frustration? Does it sound familiar?
What drives a church to do what it does? What drives this church to do what it does?
Studies have indicated that there are seven different kinds of assumptions or convictions that guide a church’s priorities and decision-making process. (Overhead 3)
The first assumption is tradition. In an established congregation, rituals such as a yearly program or event or a certain way of conducting meetings tend to be traditions that guide the priorities and decision-making process.
The second assumption is personality. We saw this with regard to Clark Reasoner. When Clark spoke people listened. Clark in this case was a layperson. Clark could also be a pastor.
Every congregation has a dominant personality that people turn to during decision-making time. And when that person or persons speak, what they say is often what is followed.
A third assumption is finances. “How much will it cost?” Good stewardship is important. But, money is not the issue. Souls are the issue. People are the issue. Christ did not die for our bank accounts. He died to give us eternal life. The church is a non-profit organization for a very good reason.
Reason number four is program. We need programs. I believe in fact that we need to add one or two other programs to our ministry menu. We have developed 3 and 5-year goals that include additional programs. But, all to often, keeping the programs going becomes more important than anything else.
I once heard at a youth ministry retreat a very wise person say, “I have been a youth minister for 23 years and I have done youth ministry once – 23 different ways.” I can relate to that statement.
Having spent 13 years in youth and Christian education ministry, one learns how to spot programs that might do the job. The challenge is finding enough people to do the program.
One of the things about you that I love is your willingness to serve. And you serve well. I know that staffing is always a challenge in any church, but your willingness to take on multiple tasks has been exemplary.
But, none of us can keep that up for long periods of time. We get tired and weary. Teaching or leading or watching children becomes a duty rather than a ministry and a pleasure. Staffing becomes a stressful challenge.
A colleague in ministry recently told me about one particular summer Sunday School ministry that took 20 or so persons to staff because people were only willing to give 2 Sundays. Most of the classes had two or three different teachers during the summer.
Granted vacations are important, and I expect you to take your vacations because all of us need to get away, but when there were not many who were willing to commit to 8 or 9 Sundays, it became a challenge to find people. And it was stressful and wearying to my friend.
In fact, she wanted to not have Sunday school during the summer. But, that was not an option. She was told, “We have Sunday school and we have it during the summer.”
She also told me that after she left that particular congregation they did not have a summer Sunday school a few years ago and from what she heard it was not a popular decision.
Programs are important because they are a key way of helping people come to Christ and become a responsible follower. But they are not the reason the church exists.
A fifth assumption that churches use to make decisions and choose a course of action is buildings. Winston Churchill one said, “We shape our buildings and our buildings shape us.”
Buildings are a part of ministry. To some they are sacred places. And they are sacred because events of great significance have taken place in them or because of the personal involvement in seeing one get built. But buildings, and the finances associated with them, can hinder the decisions made in regard to ministry.
The sixth factor is events. Events and activities are good. We need them. We need fun fellowship events. We need times of serious study and reflection. But, why do we do what we do? Congregations with a full calendar of events may be busy but are they busy for the right reasons?
Finally, seekers or the unchurched are the seventh type of assumption that churches operate from. Now, the central message of the Christian faith is salvation. God’s great desire is that all may come to repentance and faith in Him.
However, the danger lies is trying to accommodate the unchurched too much. There is a grave danger of compromising the message in order to draw a crowd.
Now Jesus drew crowds. But as we read in the gospel accounts, as some people got closer and closer to Jesus, He raised the standard of what it meant to follow Him and many quit following Him.
We have seen in many churches and in some denominations a “watering down” of the Christian faith. And while those groups and churches grew for a while, many of them are now in decline.
We need to be seeker sensitive. We need to listen to those who, while they have an interest in spiritual matters and the Christian faith, have issues with “the church.” They are interested in what the Bible has to say, but they have some problems with some of the living interpretations that they have seen.
At this point, there are two questions, two very important questions that we need to answer (overhead 4):
1. Which of these factors drive us?
2. What does the Bible have to say about all of this?
Within the story that begins with creation in Genesis and ends with God’s final triumph, there is a very important passage about the purpose, the reason for the church. We heard it read earlier, but I want to read it again, Acts 2:41-47:
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church—about three thousand in all. 42 They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer.
43A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. 45They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.
There is an important process at work in this passage that directly speaks to the two questions before us. We need to pay attention to it:
The passage begins with a summarization of what had taken place in the previous 26 or so verses, namely Peter’s sermon about Jesus Christ and what He had done on the cross for humankind. As a result of the response – a response of belief by the way – to Peter’s message, the church began. In fact, a plausible case can be made that Peter’s proclamation is really the first function of the church – outreach. So what follows verse 41 are the remaining functions of the church that grow out of the function of outreach.
In verse 42 we notice that the new believers joined with the other believers and did three things: 1. They allowed themselves to be taught by the disciples now called apostles. 2. They joined in the fellowship that resulted from such teaching. 3. They shared in the Lord’s Supper and prayer.
Action number 1 was the action of discipleship. This is an action of maturing in the faith. God expects us to grow up and become more and more like Christ. The Bible is clear on that.
Action number 2 was the action of fellowship. This is an action of membership in the faith. And by membership we mean full participation and commitment to the message, mission, and ministry of the church.
Action number 3 was the action of worship. This is an action of magnifying or praising the God of our faith. When we gather to worship – we gather to worship God who has saved us and delivered us from our sins.
As we continue through the passage, we come to another action in verses 44 and 45, the action of service. And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need.
People have both a spiritual need that can only really be satisfied by a full and thorough salvation experience and they also have other needs – physical, emotional, financial, occupational, and the like – as well. And in the very beginnings of the church – there was an action of service to meet all of these needs.
We are required to share, to serve others in Jesus’ name. Jesus spoke of these needs through His ministry. There was the need for physical healing and Jesus healed. There was the need for food – and Jesus provided a large group with an unforgettable lunch. There was a need for love and care and Jesus told a wealthy and short man to come down from the sycamore tree because I am having dinner with you tonight.
Finally, we need to notice something else. As the young believers of the developing Jerusalem church continued to do these five things, they partnered with the Holy Spirit as they did so. And as they did so, we see the results stated in verse 47, “And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” (Overhead 5)
These believers, these church people, threw themselves wide open to the work of the Holy Spirit in them and through them. They reached out, the taught, they fellowship, they worshipped, and they served under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.
They submitted to the Spirit’s direction and power. They let go of their goals and desire and surrender to be used as God saw fit.
This is what a faithfully functioning church is like. And it is God’s will that every church, including this one, operates like this. This is God’s vision for the church.
In the weeks ahead, we are going to study in more detail each of these functions and also examine ourselves as to God’s place for us in this plan. And when we conclude on that last Sunday, I am going to ask you for a response.
But, in the meantime, let’s seek God and let us say to Him, “your will, not our will be done.’ Amen.
If you would like copies of the overheads in powwerpoint format, please e-mail me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com and ask for 020903 svgs.
