The New

Here are a few things that I have learned, or am in the process of struggling with, from the past few months.

1. Church leadership is not a game. In many ways I still believe in a more traditional form of Church. I still believe that endeavoring to become "organizational" in many aspects is a good thing. It provides for a power of mobility of resources that a more organic Church simply cannot provide. But be forewarned: Any time you attempt to organize, you deal with politics. And any time you deal with politics (hierarchies, bureaucracies etc...), you deal with a sort of un-holy power. When people get that power, they like the taste of it and they will act in any way to protect it.
2. The dream, vision, example for a balance of organic and organization must come from the top. In most established Churches (Churches with significant history of 20 years plus, or with strong ties to denominational leadership) this balance is impossible because the systems are in place to keep that from happening. The most recent Church that I was at, The Bridge, even though it was two years old, still had this unbalanced approach because it was a work of the denomination to propel the denomination, and was lead by an old school pastor.
3. Church planting, planting faith communities is the way to go.
4. The mission is disciple making. The further you get away from disciple making as THE GOAL AND MISSION, the more of a civic organization you become, and the less a life giving organism you become.
5. Bruce Campbell is the man!!!