by Gary Reinecke | Mar 19, 2021 | Uncategorized |
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Lately I’ve been meditating on Psalm 1 and found myself caught-up by the imagery of the “righteous”.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Then I came across this Bonhoeffer quote – one of my heroes of the faith.
This weekend we put our two, young adult children on a plane so they could spend the next 10 weeks together in another city before they head-out on what is next for them. It has been a really special time for us as a family since last March when the kids came home for Spring Break but did not return to their respective college campuses for their final quarter. Instead they have remained with us. What a wonderful surprise to have them at home as one graduated and the other has been preparing for graduation this year. I am sure you can relate to this on some level.
I certainly am not an expert on parenting. But I know we need to make the most of every opportunity to love, listen and laugh!
When I overlay the two together – the image of the righteous and the opportunity to influence the next generation – I realize that coaches who are developing emerging leaders have an intense responsibility. We do this well, imagine the fruit. We fumble the “passing of the baton” – everyone loses!
Here are 5 questions to help you reflect on how you can steward your calling to “live for the next generation”:
- How would you describe your vision for the next generation?
- What is getting in the way of you being fully present when you are coaching?
- How can you maximize every opportunity you have to prepare the next generation?
- What are some ways you are willing to experiment to engage more and more with younger leaders?
- How do next generation leaders you coach demonstrate that they are living a life characterized by righteousness?
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 12, 2021 | Focused Ministry |
Take a moment and think about what you really need to accomplish today. Identify the 3 most important activities you can accomplish in a 24-hour period that will move your ministry forward. Now write those out!
I conducted an experiment in 2020 and purchased two different Muju black books. One is larger, about 5″x8″ and the other smaller about 4″x6″.
- The larger book I call my Gratitude Book. Each day I record 3 things I am grateful for, to remind myself of God’s active involvement in my life, His sovereignty and grace!
- The Smaller book I call my Top 3 Book. Each day I do the exercise I opened up with at the start of this blog.
I repeat this exercise Monday-Friday (and sometimes on the weekend).
What has been the results of my notebook experiment?
- I am seriously less stressed-out.
- Coincidentally, my experiment overlapped with the Covid virus which was in the back of everyone’s mind. It was and continues to be an unpredictable time in our society and globally. Questions about safety, financial viability and leadership from all-sectors of society scramble my thought life. But this simple exercise created a moment of clarify that focused my day!
- I am seriously more productive.
- In the midst of a typical day if I am honest – the highs, the lows and the mundane sap the energy and joy from my soul. Keeping this list before me, in addition to the other already planned activities of the day, was like a breath of fresh air. I can always say at the end of the day – “Well done!”
- I am seriously more purposeful.
- I wanted to say “more missional” but that is such an over-used term it can lose it’s meaning. What I mean by purposeful is that these 3 activities, based upon my best understanding of what will move the mission of God forward, will have the greatest impact. Regardless of your particular field you can apply this to your context and feel like you are about the Lord’s work – discovering what God is already at work doing and partnering with Him on His mission.
Let’s play this out in real time!
What if you took out a piece of paper – right now. And you wrote-out 3 things you are Grateful for: They might be random things like:
- your health
- your family
- the chance to serve God through your work
Now take another piece of paper and write-out the Top 3 activities or tasks that will move your ministry forward. They might include:
- call a leader that you need to foster a relationship with in your church.
- write an e-mail to a board member
- mail a check to a vendor
Reflection Questions to Consider:
- How can you improve on what you are already doing?
- What could this give you that you don’t already have?
- What one thing will increase your effectiveness today?
This is not simply a work smarter – not harder idea!
A Spiritual Exercise
I approach this activity as a spiritual exercise. I want to hear what God has to say about my day and the absolute best way I can partner with Him. This has the desired effect of putting things in perspective and joy in my soul.
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 8, 2021 | Disciplemaking |
4 Postures People take when Relating to God:
Did you grow up going to Sunday School like I did? One of the early memories I have was graduating from third to fourth grade and getting the “big kid” curriculum. It revolved around the Bible illustrated in a comic strip format. It felt more grown-up because the art-work was more refined, sophisticated. Can you relate?
Years later I remember being introduced to various tracks including the “4 Spiritual Laws”. It illustrated the gospel in a clear but simple way. There was the throne of life and how one normally puts the “self” on the throne and God outside of one’s life. Until one decides to make God Lord of their life, he or she remains on the throne of their own life until they surrender the throne to Jesus and allow him to take it.
It made sense to many people in the second half of the last century.
Now the culture has changed. The way people engage others to communicate the Gospel has change along with it. But the message remains the same.
Here are a couple of questions for your consideration:
- How do you communicate the message of the Gospel?
- How are you helping other’s share the message of the Gospel?
- Are you satisfied with your results?
If you struggle with a relevant and simple way to communicate the Gospel message you might be interested in what Skye Jethani has to say in the book “with”. He suggests that people typically relate to God taking one of four postures – or a combination. Here are the four postures he shares in a simple stick-figure picture:
- Life Under God
- Life Over God
- Life From God
- Life For God
The title of his book suggests an alternative posture: Life with God.
If you want to learn more about the four postures in a 5-minute video – CLICK HERE.
Check-out the book below!
by Gary Reinecke | Feb 26, 2021 | Disciplemaking, Uncategorized |
In case you missed it a recent report was published comparing the views of four Christian groups in a number of areas – see graphic above.
The American Worldview Inventory 2020, conducted by the Cultural Research Center (CRC) Director of Research Dr. George Barna, surveyed 51 beliefs and behaviors among Christian groups and found that rather than transforming the culture around them with biblical truth, the opposite is happening. American Christianity is rapidly conforming to the values of the post-Christian secular culture. Key findings of the survey include:
- Evangelicals are embracing secularism
- Pentecostals and charismatics take secularization a step further
- Mainline Protestants are the most secular of the four faith families
- Catholics are increasingly secular and permissive
If you are like me this information is both alarming and confirming – that is, it might affirm what we already sense is happening in the church!
What does this mean for the advance of the gospel?
- Your life and ministry matters
- It is easy to read data like this, hear yet another account of a leader who trips and falls or listen to the voice of the media take a sucker punch at the church or Christianity. In some cases this is well deserved. But the reason Christianity exists today is because people like you have taken a stand and refuse to retreat, give-up or give-in.
- Coaching Question: Where can you take a stand today?
- Continue the work of making disciples
- If you are part of the problem – change or get out of the way. Seriously! Now, if you are still with me – leverage your influence. Remember your values. Take action. Sometimes the little things we do, matter the most.
- Coaching Question: What values drive you to take the next step in helping someone on their discipleship journey?
- Go small and deep
- Jesus was a friend to the disciples. He cared. Jesus went deep. If you have experienced the fruit of a small band of believers you know the deep impact that can be made. Culturally the time is ripe to go small and deep: see MEGA-MULTI-MICRO
- Coaching Question: Who are you partnering with to multiply disciples?
Take courage my friend – this battle is not over. More and more Christians and local churches are being marginalized, ignored and hated for what we STAND AGAINST vs. what we STAND FOR. Be strong and courageous (I Cor 6:13)!
For the full report entitled:
American Worldview Inventory 2020
by Gary Reinecke | Feb 23, 2021 | Church Multiplication |
One of the important transitions over the last 30 years in the church in the West are the three shifts mentioned in the title of this blog (Mega-Multi-Micro) which is based on a recent webinar hosted by the Multiply PDX Third Thursday series. Their special guest was Ralph Moore and the theme was “Embedding Multiplication DNA in your Church Culture”. Following is a critique of what has happened that has forced the transition with a reflection question for you and your church to continue to make the shift from Mega-Multi-Micro.
Mega: When I was in my early years of ministry (1980s) I served as an intern at my home church. Skyline Wesleyan Church was one of the most innovative churches in the US at the time (see Elmer Townes book: “10 of Today’s Most Innovative Churches: What They’re Doing, How They’re Doing it & How You Can Apply Their Ideas in Your Church”). Mega churches (1,000 members and above) have obvious benefits and certain limitations. Most of all, because multiplication is not commonly built-into the DNA, mega churches will inevitably hit ceilings like: when their members outgrow facilities, when finances become a limiting factor or when the vision is not big enough. At some stage, every mega-church hits a ceiling.
- Reflection Question: How can we grow bigger by getting smaller?
Multi: In 2008, InFocus was hired to coach the 22 campus pastors of the NorthPoint Partnership Group. For the next 3 years I learned a lot about the multi-site model. Mega churches that continue to grow and eventually outgrow their home campus have gone multi. When a church reaches maximum seating capacity AND enough people drive more than 20 miles to reach the campus, new sites or campuses are launched to create more space for new church members. The critical mass needed to support the launch plus the 20 mile drive existing members make to the main campus informs the decision to launch a new campus.
- Reflection Question: How can we mobilize more leaders to start more campuses?
Micro: This model is not new but it is not the type of church that catches the attention of mainstream Christianity in the West. Two distinctions mark the micro-church . First, micro-churches prioritize multiplication, leadership development and church planting. Pastor’s of micro-churches tend to be co-vocational, learn from on-the-job-training and are entrepreneurial. Second, because micro-churches meet in homes or neutral spaces, they have low overhead. Facilities do not play a prominent role as in the Mega and Multi.
Ralph Moore shared two observations that are unique to this time in our history that present a special opportunity for the micro-church.
- This last year has changed the way American culture perceives the church. At best, the culture has ignored the church. But this last year has heightened the hostility towards the church and that trend, according to Moore, will only increase over time. Micro-churches allow churches to operate under the radar. Imagine a church that meets in your home to gather your neighbors.
- Mega and Multi churches tend to reach homogenous groups. This presents a special opportunity for the micro-church. Flexibility, focus and intentionality of reaching affinity groups are traits of the micro-church.
- Reflection Question: How can we reach affinity groups that are ignored by the existing churches in our community?
Will the Mega and Multi-site church cease to exist?
This is a hard question to answer. Here is my critique on what will continue to happen with the church in the West. From the work of Ralph Neighbors and others, the church of the future will be bigger AND smaller. In the US though we have not hit the scale that other countries have experienced. Larger churches on the global scale are in the 100s of thousands – see Global Megachuches by Leadership Network. AND churches will get smaller. Cell churches, micro-churches, and house churches are examples of how the church will continue to get smaller. A better question in my estimation is the place of the mid-size church and how it fits into the landscape of the church in the West in the future? That in my opinion, is the challenge for the future.
If you would like to view the webinar in it’s entirety – CLICK HERE.
Check-out Ralph Moore’s book on a modern-day church multiplication movement in the West!
