Extending Influence Beyond

If you want to extend influence in the next generation, don’t go “old school.” Go waaaaay old school. 

Look around. How many kids and young adults are in church? American averages are around 20% of the twenty-something population. Currently, while about 80% of teens are involved in church in some way, about 40% (research figures vary widely) will not return after adulthood, even when they have children of their own, and only 20% will return as regular, involved church-going Christians. 

Youth are generally smarter and more knowledge savvy (this doesn’t mean wise or mature) than their parents and church leaders. Teens are reading more than ever, albeit it on digital screens. They are more culturally aware than most of their parents. Toddlers can use laptops while their grandparents can’t use a T.V. remote. Teens access vast arrays of information today that would not have been available even to the President of the USA in the 1980s, and they check up on the validity of parental or pastoral advice. Our youth are too smart to accept pat answers, and in fact, have trouble believing there are any right or wrong answers outside of mathematics (and some would argue the latter).

“Old school” church will not likely connect with many of our young Christ followers, and almost certainly not with their unchurched friends.  Sing a few songs, sit and listen to a three or four point propositional statement of facts about the Bible, after reading a series of propositional statements about life in which every answer to every questions is either Jesus, the Bible or God, followed by a midweek experience of more of the same with a game of tag and some cookies thrown in, maybe a trip to an amusement park, and an assumption that mom and dad are going to teach them all they need to know. Old school. Okay – not the best of old school or any “school” in any era – but pretty common. It’s not working.

“Waaay old school” – Jesus stuff, I think might be better. Jesus told stories (“hey, have you heard the one about a lost pearl”) and referenced real life situations (“hey, check out that widow with a mite”). There isn’t a propositional sermon on file for the Master Communicator. He was “in your face” and fairly blunt about hard topics while for the most part sharing good news about God’s healing and forgiveness with invitations to follow.

The carpenter’s son invited people to live with him, walk with him, watch him, share his story with him and help people along side of him – pretty much right away (Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, etc.). Jesus saw needs and met them first (the blind, the leper, the hungry, the bleeding, the brokenhearted, etc.), allowing this to lead to conversation and then to the increasingly faithful obedience of a transformed life.

Start with good news, meet kid’s needs (and those of their parents, and young parents with kids). As often as possible, communicate with images, stories and metaphors. Focus on the truly hard, but only effective means of disciple-making – develop a few deep relationships that fully engage life which leads to a thirst for searching out the answers to questions this kind of approach naturally will raise. Then teach how others can develop these life-giving relationships. And be open to hearing some of the answers to leading and shaping the future of the church these really smart, Spirit-filled emerging leaders will come up with.

If we want to have influence beyond the generation of current church leaders among our children and youth, don’t go old school. Go waaay old school. Go Jesus style.

Leadership & High Anxiety

As we near the time which observes the birth of the Son of God, I rejoice. At the same time, on occasion I’m flummoxed. Jesus just plain didn’t give us a lot of clarity on important things. Yes, we know he is the savior of the world, he certainly modeled and taught extraordinary love. On the other hand Jesus did not leave us with the 10 steps to abundant living or the top 5 practices that will guarantee happiness. Buddha made it easy, follow the Noble Eightfold Path and find enlightenment. Mohammed was clearer still – practice the Five Pillars of Islam. Granted, the good news of salvation through faith in Christ as a gift from God leading to a life of love is about as simple as it gets. But in this simplicity is the real difficulty. It’s ambiguous (in fact, this is a real complaint by Muslims against Christianity – too easy to interpret the faith in too many different ways).

In reality, however, Jesus is the ultimate model of excellent leadership. There is a temptation in times of high anxiety and stress (as had been first century Palestine and 21st century America – and really just about every era and place if you study history) to look to the guru with the clear, simple idea that saves the day. The leader people want is she who can promise a fix, quick is better, simple is best, to whatever ails us. The leader people need is she who can distinguish between technical and adaptive challenges, and provide the framework in which people learn to face hard realities, adapting their behaviors and attitudes for greater health.

There are two basic situations that require two different kinds of leadership. First, a technical problem requires technical leadership. Some situations have a technical solution, and clear leadership with 3 easy steps is exactly the kind of response that is necessary. My car is broken (situation), what must be done? The mechanic (in this situation, the leader of choice) will diagnose the problem (spark plugs need to be replaced) and fix it (replace the spark plugs). Most of the situations Jesus dealt with, and with which those who pastor churches or lead board and committees deal with, are not merely technical problems.

Second, an adaptive problem requires adaptive leadership. Sometimes, identifying the problem is not simple (why is my church declining?) for even the most expert of leaders, nor is identifying the solution (is it prayer, evangelism, worship style, discipleship, demographic??). It is maladaptive and unhelpful for leaders to provide easy answers. It is equally unhelpful for those seeking to be led to expect all the answers to flow from the point guru (or senior pastor). In adaptive leadership, the leader and those being led must covenant together to learn how to identify the real problems and their solutions. In a technical situation, the leader with the know-how should provide the easy solution, but in an adaptive situation the leader must assist those being led to grow and learn together how best to change under the circumstances.

Jesus said, “Come follow me,” and “take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” That was an adaptive invitation. God invites us into the God-life which provides no easy answers, but an invitation to continual growth, continual learning, continual facing of our own weaknesses and submitting them continually to the abundant grace of God. Indeed, how amazing it is that the God-Man would be born of woman, and by virtue of this entry into our lives, need to grow in stature and wisdom.

Leaders of the North Central Conference – resist the temptation to jump to easy conclusions about what you and the church you lead must be and do. Above all, resist the temptation, and it is very strong, to need to appear like the man or woman who has all the answers. Instead, keep focused on the Jesus-way, and do the harder and more honest work of keeping your congregation and community focused on the real-life challenges that lie ahead, while providing the environment of mutual love and respect that allows for learning, failing, risking, succeeding, failing and learning some more.

It’s not the 8-fold path or 5-pillars, or 3 things to fix your church forever way of thinking. But perhaps is more authentically the Jesus way of leading.

Your servant,
Superintendent Mark