Wineskins Contributor・03/28/19

Mission Evidences from the Field:
What do Healthy Growing Churches Look Like?
It’s no secret that many congregations are in decline. I can say moreabout that on another day. But what I have been asking for the past sixmonths is, what do growing churches look like? More specifically, whatare the characteristics of newly planted churchesthat are thriving?

There is a wealth of information out there and I have a long way to goto process what I have already found, but I’d like to begin by sharingwhat I am seeing in various sources from across the United States. Fromthe nearly three dozen books, reports, studiesand essays from the past 10 years, here are some things formission-focused church leaders to consider:1. Belonging before believing. With issues of mobility,pluralism, isolation and more, people are looking for meaningful humanand divine connection. The idea of human connections needs no deepexplanation; however, by divine connection I meanthat although the number of persons (especially younger persons) whodisassociate with organized faith continues to grow, the interest inspirituality is not going away. Rather persons are actively seeking somemeaningful spiritual reality or connection intheir life. Belonging does matter for Americans, but the dynamics inplay are complex, and launching a coffee shop or a cool new Bible studywill not necessarily get millennials to show up or offer a satisfyinganswer to their spiritual thirst. Belonging emergesin the context of developing deep and trusting relationships.2. How truly “gospel” your version of the gospel is.Now I may be about to set off a firestorm with what I am about to say,so I acknowledge what I say here may be misunderstood. Here goes. Thegospel – the good news of what God has done andis doing through Jesus Christ through the power of the Spirit – isrevealed to us through Scripture. But without fail, the way we talkabout the gospel, the way we teach the gospel and the way the gospelgets expressed in our congregational life and programsbegins to pick up our own particular history and experience. The way wedo things, the songs we sing and the sorts of ministry we engage inreflect our own particular cultural elements. A good visit with amissionary can help illustrate what I am trying todescribe. Missionaries know well the importance of communicating thegospel in another culture without their own culture getting in the way.If your congregation is more than 20 years old, in these times of rapidchange, there are likely some things that mayinadvertently get in the way of the gospel being fully heard andpracticed.3. Salvation in this world and the world to come.Salvation is not just about the soul and the future; it’s also aboutthis world. In what concrete way does the good news of the gospel speakinto the lives of broken people in your congregation?Do you have a holistic vision of God’s intent to redeem the world,starting right in your own neighborhood?4. A Trinitarian vision of God. Spirit-filledcommunities are dynamic communities. Pentecostal churches are showing agreat deal of life today, though I don’t think a particular style ofworship is the most significant factor at play. Rather,the conviction of newer, flourishing communities is that God is presentin worship and in the ordinary aspects of human existence. Assess thelanguage of your congregation’s worship, Bible classes, small groups andcommittee meetings. Do all three membersof the Trinity show up?5. The neighborhood is the thing! Churches that embracetheir local identity and understand mission in their local communitiesare finding traction. The neighborhood looks different for urbanchurches compared with small-town churches. Whateveryour neighborhood looks like, it’s important to define it and thenlive, work, play and serve in that neighborhood.There is much more to be said, and I’m still trying to sort this outmyself. So I invite you to ponder these ideas with your fellow leadersand ask what might be a good next step for your congregation as it seeksto be faithful to God’s preferred future.

I will say more next month and begin to offer some resources. Until then, God’s peace to you!

Carson

If you are in the Austin or San Antonio area, please considerjoining me in April for a face-to-face conversation about this subject.See details below.

NEWS

On the road with Dr. Carson Reed
Building on the ideas presented in this month’s newsletter article, Dr. Carson Reed will travel to Austin and San Antonio in April to speak with church leaders on the subject, “Vital Signs: What Today’s Healthy Churches Look Like!” On Tuesday, April 23 at 11:30 a.m., he will speak at the Austin Area Ministers’ and Elders’ Lunch at Mimi’s Cafe. On Wednesday, April 24 at 8:30 a.m., he will speak at San Antonio Area Ministers’ and Elders’ Breakfast at the Magnolia Pancake Haus. There’s no charge to participants, but seating is limited.

The Siburt team expands
The Siburt Institute is pleased to welcome Ola Mae Bulkley, the new administrative coordinator for the Siburt Institute and the Doctor of Ministry program! She comes to us from Austin, Texas, where she worked most recently with Hill Country Christian School.

Renee Paul, our former administrative coordinator, is excited to take on the role of events coordinator and to increase her involvement in grant writing on behalf of the Siburt Institute.

We have expanded our church consulting partners to include
Dr. Eddie Sharp (’90), a highly respected church leader who has spent more than 47 years in congregational ministry. Combining his extensive experience and academic training, Sharp focuses on leadership transitions, spiritual formation, spiritual discernment and matters related to minister burnout and stress. Sharp recently retired from the University Avenue Church of Christ in Austin, Texas, where he served as preaching minister since 2008.

Dallas Racial Unity Leadership Summit (RULS)
TheCarl Spain Center on Race Studies and Spiritual Action will conduct the next Racial Unity Leadership Summit in Dallas,
May 15-18, led by Dr. Jerry Taylor, associate professor of Bible,missions and ministry for ACU and founding executive director of thecenter. The summit will be in honor of the late Botham Shem Jean, ayoung black man whose slaying by a white off-duty policeofficer sparked racial debate in the Dallas area and beyond. Before hisuntimely death, Jean, a graduate of Harding University, served as thesong leader and young adult minister for the Dallas West Church ofChrist, the host congregation for this RULS event.Jean was deeply rooted in Churches of Christ in the U.S. and in St.Lucia, his home country in the Caribbean. 

Ministers and members from both predominantly white congregations andpredominantly black congregations of the Churches of Christ will gatherfor this time of healing across racial lines. All are invited. For moreinformation, contact the Carl Spain Centerat carlspaincenter@gmail.com.

Call for the elders
Inhis latest Mosaic article, Steve Ridgell (’73) invites us torevisit James 5 and take seriously the charge for the elders to anointand pray for the sick in their congregations. With a keen awareness thatJesus is the true source of power, Ridgellshares the sense of renewal and healing experienced in his localcongregation when they took that Scripture to heart. Ridgell, a popularspeaker and author, is the director of ministry for Hope for Life, aHerald of Truth Ministry, and serves as an elder atthe Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene.

Spirit shake-up at Summit 2019
Dr.Leonard Allen will host an all-day pathway on the “Spirit Shake-up” theMonday of Summit 2019, Sept. 16. Allen reminds us that, “the HolySpirit is no tame Spirit. When the people of God grow comfortable,satisfied and sleepy; when the call of God’s missionto the whole world recedes, the tendency of the Spirit is to shake upthe church and dislodge it from its ease and self-satisfaction.” 

Allenserved as a professor of Christian Studies at Abilene ChristianUniversity for 15 years and has authored several books, including theACU Press publication,Poured Out: The Spirit of God Empowering the Mission of God.He now serves as dean of Bible at Lipscomb University. Dr. LaurenWhite, assistant professor of theology at Lipscomb University, also willpresent during the pathway.

Mark your calendars to attend Summit at ACU, Sept. 15-18.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Ministers’and Elders’ Lunch, Austin, April 23Ministers’and Elders’ Breakfast, San Antonio, April 24Dallas Racial Unity Leadership Summit, May 15-18 (Contact: carlspaincenter@gmail.com)Summit2019, Sept. 15 - 18

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

“It is the mark you make on others, the mark you leave behind in thecharacters and commitments of those you love best, that will determinewhether or not your life has made a difference. Grand achievements,great affluence, and good causes lose their lusterif they remain yours … if they die with you. Real significance lies inequipping those you love to achieve greater things than you, to generateand use ‘treasures’ more wisely than you, to give themselves to worthycauses more completely than you.”
– Dan T. Garrett (’73) and Dr. Tim Woodruff, Leaving a Legacy: Sustaining Family Unity, Faith and Wealth“We cannot save the world; we should not even try. But we can improvethe world, not just by creating better goods and services moreresponsibly and distributing these goods and services more justly amongpeople, but also – and, perhaps, above all – by learninghow to rejoice together in the gift that each one of us and the entireworld is. That joy will lead to care.”
– Dr. Miroslav Volf, “What Will Save the World? Caring for the World We Cannot Save”, inA Calling to Care: Nurturing College Students Toward Wholeness (Dr. Timothy W. Herrmann and Kirsten D. Riedel, editors)