Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches

John Mark Clifton is the senior director of Replanting/Revitalization at NAMB.  This book is a overview of the subject of replanting within the context of churches that in significant decline.  His perspective is augmented by his own successful replant of Wornall Road Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO.  I received the book from Mark at a breakout session during NAMB's recent Director of Missions Lab.

There is a vast amount of great information in the book.  The audiences that can benefit most from a reading of this material are: churches that are in a declining situation and pastors/leaders of such churches.  It should especially be read by someone contemplating becoming pastor of a church in decline who knows that they will be tasked with the resuscitation of the church.

I have reached out to Mark to try to begin dialogue about this area.  An area of concern for me is an attitude that seems to leak out of most books on the subject: the attitude implies that churches in decline, principally characterized by an older congregation, are somehow selfish and Unconcerned about the advance of the kingdom of Christ simply because they are in the position that they are in. For example, it is implied that they are inordinately concerned with their buildings when they should be much more concerned with the kingdom. Yet, the heritage of the church exists; the buildings that were produced during that heritage exist; and, the need to care for those buildings continues to exist.

One aspect of this whole subject for me is a missiological question.  When I worked in a cross-cultural setting, we knew that the advance of the gospel had truly arrived when the culture receiving the gospel began to produce worship and music indigenous to that culture. Most churches in decline are filled with people who have enjoyed worship of the Lord within a particular context. Almost all of the "solutions" within the revitalization camp demand that such churches surrender things that are the very fabric of their heart cry to God. Few who operate in the circle of revitalization understand their hypocrisy: they imply that seniors who are committed to a form of worship are selfish, then they bring in a form of worship that is generational. I'm convinced that the revitalization movement needs to find ways that demonstrate respect to those who have found themselves the possessors of the heritage and who value the way that they worship in the midst of changing the church culture to embrace new generations.

Replant: How a dying church can grow again

Wow.  I came to this book with a level of excitement.  Though I read every page, I could see the ending shaping long before I got to the end.  This was not a replant.  It was a perfectly valid way to take existing facilities and give them to another younger, more vibrant church, but Replant?  Seriously?

Worse still for this particular edition is that it not only trumpets the wonders of the Acts 29 network (and I'm not trying to disparage the work of God through that network) but it positively affirms Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll.  For those who do not know, Acts 29 has recently removed Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll from their ranks for all sorts of reasons.  

If you are a pastor, seeking information on how to take your church out of the plateau and into new life, Replant is definitely NOT the book for you.

Who has the gall to take on Stephen Hawking?

Who has the gall to take on Stephen Hawking?  Hawking is the poster boy for science, made so by the adulation of the scientific community of a first class intellect and popularized by PBS.  His intellect is magnified by his disability and the authority of his voice is augmented by its mechanical nature.  Hawking has come out in recent years as, not just a scientist, but an ardent atheist.  In his book The Grand Design, Hawking has decided to prove that God does not exist.

Enter John Lennox.  Lennox is Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and is an internationally renowned speaker on the interface of science, philosophy and religion. He regularly teaches at many academic institutions including the Said Business School, Wycliffe Hall and the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, as well as also being a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum.  He has stood toe to toe with many of the more prominent atheists of this generation, including Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins.  In this book, God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design is it anyway?, Lennox takes on Hawking's presuppositions and conclusions in The Grand Design.

For me, one small quote encapsulates the destruction of Hawking’s thought.  Lennox says, “Hawking cannot know that miracles have never occurred in the past, or that they might occur in the future. He is simply assuming what he wants to prove. He is expressing a belief based on his atheistic world-view, not on his science.”

For the Christian, the most salient point made by Lennox is this: that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pivotal event in history.  Science cannot disprove it, though it rails against it as against the laws.  Lennox triumphs in the thought that it is the existence of the laws that are the backdrop for God’s entrance into natural order and making the true eternal difference for us, living here in the natural order.

I recommend this, and other books, by Lennox hardily.

Transformational Groups

Honesty is a good thing. Being honest, I can tell you I really think that our brother, Ed Stetzer, is over exposed these days.  Especially if you follow him on Twitter, the pace seems frenetic.  Frenetic pace and accurate research don’t match, for me.  Yes, I know that he has researchers who are doing the majority of the research, but still…

Being honest, I can tell you that my attitude toward Eric Geiger was defined by Simple Church. For me, Simple Church was too simplistic to define the organism, the living thing, that is God’s church.  It ignored the fact that we don’t just live in intentionality; we don’t just live in the midst of purpose.  We do things like cheer for the University of Memphis: mainly a hopeless exercise, but I enjoy doing it. Churches do things because, as living organisms, we enjoy doing them.

Based on these attitudes, I came to Transformational Groups expecting little.  Instead, I gained much.  In fact, I gained too much.  I gained regret that I had not had this in front of me a little over 9 years ago when I began my last pastorate. 

I’m going to recommend that you run out and get this book, pastors.  OK, I know you’re probably going to order it online…but if you called Amy at our local Lifeway I know she would do her best to get you a discount and get the book for you (yes, shameless plug for local Lifeway). 

The reason for getting the book is that it provides solid analysis both on the why and the how of doing small groups.  It gets to the fundamental issue.  The issue is not church growth; the issue is kingdom growth.  The issue is not to add numbers to the bottom line; the issue is to make disciples who effectuate change in a lost world.  How does this happen?  In just a second I’m going to give you a quote that defines the book, but it needs a setup.  The quote contrasts two ways of doing small groups.  The first way is any group that is centered around fellowship and increasing the participation of attenders.  The second is, for me, more biblical and more radical.  It is what I wish I had done.  The quote comes from the position of a pastor who wants more.  Here it is: “It is our goal for every person in this church to become a mature disciple of Jesus Christ.  This happens when you are in a group with other growing disciples where you are learning the Bible together, holding one another accountable to spend time with God daily, and living a lifestyle that looks more and more like the lifestyle of Jesus.”

Be blessed as you seek Him today.  I hope you sense the need to read  Transformational Groups.