|
|
|
 |
|
Into Action Archives
Click here to receive Leadership Network Advance free via email.
|
Into ACTION
Ideas, connections and tools for equipping others
Issue Number 29, January 2003
THE LINE-UP
Leadership Network’s 2003 national learning experience, “Camp Improv” will be held on September 30-October 2, 2003 in Dallas, Texas. The theme is “Getting Ready for What’s Next” and camp speakers include Ron Heifetz, Jim Collins, Ray Bakke and Mary Crossan. Save $50 by taking advantage of the $495 early registration fee which will end January 31, 2003! Camp space is limited so reserve your place now! For more information and to register online, visit www.campimprov.com.
Blueprints - This Month’s Best Practice
This Month’s Best Practice
This month’s Into Action begins a three part series of excerpts from our own Eric Swanson’s published white paper called “Ten Paradigm Shifts for Community Transformation.” Eric works with Leadership Network concentrating on externally focused churches. For the past several months, Eric has researched churches around the country that are engaging their communities with good news and good works. If you want to know what the results are…you have to keep reading. CW
Blueprint Research: Ten Paradigm Shifts Towards Community Transformation (Part I)
By Eric Swanson
Edited by Christian Washington
All over our nation there is a quiet movement of the Spirit of God that is causing believers to re-examine how they “do church.” Churches around our nation are throwing out the old measures of success. It’s no longer merely about size, seeker sensitivity, spiritual gifts, church health, nor the number of small groups. It’s about making a significant and sustainable difference in the lives of people around us—in our communities and in our cities.
A paradigm is a model consisting of shared assumptions regarding what works or what is true. A paradigm shift is that “aha!” moment when one sees things in such a new light that one can never go back to the old ways again. Each paradigm shift takes us from a model of thinking that we must discard to a new model that we must embrace. To maximize our impact on our communities--urban, suburban or rural, we have observed changes in at least ten of our paradigms of how we currently view church.
- From building walls to building bridges. “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13,14). The first paradigm shift pertains to where we, as the church, see ourselves in relation to our communities. Will we remain outside of the community inviting people in or will we go to our communities, seeking to be a transforming agent? The church is called to be peculiar in lifestyle, but never called to be isolated from the people it seeks to influence. For many years founding pastor, Robert Lewis, of Fellowship Bible Church (FBC) in Little Rock was content to be growing a successful suburban mega church. By his admission, FBC was a “success church.” Success churches seek to grow by having attractive programs and offerings that people can come to and benefit from. However, Robert grew increasingly dissatisfied with the impact FBC was having on the community. So he made an appointment with the mayor of Little Rock and asked one question, "How can we help you?" The mayor responded with a list of challenges facing the greater Little Rock area. FBC then challenged themselves with the question, “What can we do that would cause people to marvel and say, ‘God is at work in a wonderful way for no one could do these things unless God were with them?’” That one question was the first step in becoming what Lewis calls a “bridge-building church.” For the past four years, FBC has joined with over 100 other churches and over 5,000 volunteers in the greater Little Rock area and served their communities by building parks and playgrounds and refurbishing nearly 50 schools. After getting new shelving for her classrooms, one school principal said, “I think this is the most fabulous day of my life as far as education is concerned. I’ve been in this 29 years and this is the first time a community or church project has come through for us.” Once a church makes this mental shift regarding how it lives in its community, it is only limited by its creativity in how it can serve its community and be the salt and light it was meant to be.
- From measuring attendance to measuring impact. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast...mixed into a large amount of flour until it’s worked all through the dough” (Matthew 13:33). In a post-modern world, most people are neither impressed with the size of a church nor its commitment to “truth.” Yet, from the cover of TIME magazine to the front page of the Wall Street Journal, transformational community-centered ministries are grabbing the attention of the American people. Perhaps, in this century, the greatest apologetic for the reality of Jesus Christ living in a community will be observational more than propositional. Effective ministry has always been holistic, combining good deeds with good news.
When Tillie Burgin started Mission Arlington, her mission was simple—take the church to the people who were not going to church—“to hang out and hover around John 3:16.” As she ventured out to meet and minister to her neighbors, she was immediately challenged by Jehovah’s Witnesses who told her, “You’re invading our territory. Get back into your church building where you belong.” Today, Mission Arlington is a house church movement of nearly 250 community house churches (and nearly 4,000 in attendance) serving over 10,000 people a week in the Arlington, Texas community with food, furniture, medical and dental care, school transportation, child and adult day care, counseling, etc. What can Jesus do for a community? The people of Arlington know. Every year hundreds of people come to Christ through this transformational ministry. Lives are being touched. Lives are being changed. The church should and can make a huge difference in a community.
Windsor Village United Methodist Church has made a big difference in southwest Houston. From 25 members in 1982, Windsor Village is currently the spiritual home for more than 14,000 members. Embracing both evangelism and economic development and armed with the belief that every member is a minister, each congregant is encouraged to embrace Jesus’ mission of identifying and holistically meeting the needs of those around them. Under the leadership of Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell, the church purchased a 104,000 square-foot former K-Mart that was converted into their “Power Center.” Since 1999, the Power Center has had an estimated $28.7 million impact on the community creating over 500 construction jobs and 300 regular jobs through the Power Center which serves over 9,000 families a month through Windsor Village’s over 100 ministries. Currently they are engaged in developing a 24-acre planned residential community consisting of over 450 affordable single-family homes called Corinthian Pointe and they continue to make a difference.
In 1988, Vaughn and Narlene McLaughlin moved into a depressed area of Jacksonville, Florida, to begin a church designed to meet the needs of the whole person. Today their converted Bell South building called the "Multiplex" houses nearly 20 for-profit businesses including the Potter’s House Café, a credit union, a beauty salon, a graphic design studio and a Greyhound Bus terminal, all started by church members who lacked capital but had a dream. Another building serves as an incubator for two dozen new businesses. The multiplex also houses a 500-student Christian Academy. In addition to their ministries of economic empowerment and education, they also have nearly 25 other ministries such as a prison and jail ministry, youth ministry, Big and Little Brothers, and free car repair. They also have a team of 250 volunteers who “look after things in the city” even if it means to simply sweep the streets of Jacksonville. Though an outstanding preacher, to Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin, ministry is always what happens outside the church – “If you are not making an impact outside of your four walls, then you are not making an impact at all." In 1999, Bishop McLaughlin was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Florida State University. Is it any mystery why the city and its leaders have so wholeheartedly embraced Potter's House? The question he repeatedly asks is the question that churches in all kinds of neighborhoods are increasingly asking themselves: "Would the community weep if your church were to pull out of the city? Would anybody notice if you left?"
(Part II of Eric Swanson’s “Ten Paradigm Shifts Toward Community Transformation” will be in the February issue of Into Action)
Know of an innovative congregation or leader that is a Blueprint for transforming a community? Share their story and contact information with Into Action (christian.washington@leadnet.org) and you may see them in this publication in the future.
Resources You Can Use
www.LeadNetChurchStaffing.com
LeadNetChurchStaffing.com is our new alliance to assist large churches with their staffing needs. It is also designed to help those individuals seeking a place of service with large churches. To learn more, click right to the site. www.LeadNetChurchStaffing.com.
Church Communication Network (CCN)
The best of Leadership Network can now come straight to your church through the Church Innovation Series on Church Communication Network.
Go to CCN’s website www.CCNonline.net and look for our next show on February 11, 2003 entitled “Developing Leaders” with George Barna, Randy Pope, Brad Smith and Harry Jackson.
Ministry growth and leadership development go hand in hand. Without a strong, growing leadership team, a senior pastor will find it difficult to meet the ministry needs of his congregation. We know God gifts certain people within a church with the potential to become leaders, but how do you identify who those leaders are? How do you help them develop their gifts to provide effective, creative leadership?
On February 11, you'll have the opportunity to hear from two Senior Pastors, a church consultant, and a researcher -- all of whom have been involved in leadership development for decades. They'll share important principles and practical ideas that will equip you to identify and enhance the skills of the leaders involved in your ministry.
To find out more about the series and CCN, go to www.leadnet.org/allthingsln/allthingsln_ccn_ln.asp.
Plus, your church can get the February 11, 2003 broadcast at no cost for trying the service if you already have a Dish Network receiver. To get all the details, call 800.321.6781 and mention Leadership Network.
eChurchConference2003
eChurch is a gathering of pastors, leaders, and community development teams to Enlarge visions, Energize volunteers, Encourage leaders and Expand expectations.
The outstanding roster of conference speakers includes, Kirbyjon Caldwell, Bill Hybels, Marian Wright-Edelman, Sue Mallory, and Bill Easum. For more information and to register online please visit the eChurch page on the Windsor Village UMC website at www.kingdombuilder.com.
The Into Action Exit Poll: Are spiritual growth and ministry or service to others related?
Take Eric’s Survey!
Please take a few moments and complete Eric’s that was mentioned in the last Into Action. The survey is available online via “Zoomerang.” We will publish the results in a future issue of Into Action.
Go to www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?ID=VG097K16JP78&PIN=LP1KHF4L0NGT to complete the survey.
Leadership Network
Advance Scouts for the Emerging Church.
www.leadnet.org
800.765.5323
|
Back to Resources Archives
|
|
