Ed Stetzer's Blog

Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. And, I suppose I should add, it is traditionalism that gives tradition such a bad name.” -Jaroslav Pelikan

They can create shared memories that remind those who participate in them of important events or truths.

Family Traditions

In the summers when my daughters were a little younger we had a standing appointment on Saturdays. We used to go to Cracker Barrel and make the rounds of the garage sales nearby to see if anyone else’s junk should be our junk.

We didn’t go to Cracker Barrel because we necessarily needed pancakes (I don’t, I assure you), and we didn’t go to yard sales because we needed more stuff. Saturday mornings weren’t about the particular traditions, per se; they were about making sure my daughters understand how much I love them.

Our dates expressed to my children their importance to me. They affirmed our relationship. With my girls growing older, traditions are going away or changing—even though it’s difficult for me—and I’m developing new ways to continue to communicate that same message to my daughters.

When Tradition Loses Meaning

Continuing the tradition when my children think it is silly or it has lost meaning could actually have a negative impact. It could either become simply rote action or begin to taint the fond memories we have of our Saturday morning adventures.

The message is far too important to let the method of delivery detract from that intended meaning.

The same is certainly true of our churches and the message of the gospel entrusted to us. This can affect every type of church.

Defining Tradition

For sake of clarity, I am not speaking Tradition with a capital “T.”

Many denominations would say their liturgy is Tradition. And, that’s not what I am talking about. You can be liturgical and not get trapped in a negative expression of tradition.

Anglicans would say part of their Tradition is included in “the faith delivered to the saints.” I’m not unaware or opposed to the idea that there is certain Tradition that is so entwined with the gospel and the way we should do church that it should be passed on and propagated. I understand liturgy and I understand why it is a valued big “T” tradition.

The problem comes in when the traditions are built, not on gospel foundations or on liturgical /theological Traditions, but on cultural milieu and are then held to as if they are gospel truth.

Liturgical churches which value Tradition can and must ask questions about traditionalism as well—and you can walk into some liturgical churches and see they have, and walked into others and see they have not. You can almost always tell those who have confused Tradition with their cultural traditions.

Why? Well, when a church is either birthed or flourishes in a certain era, it tends to get trapped in that era and continues to express its culture.

Or, put another way, if your Lutheran church in Kenya insists that European structures of music are required to be truly Lutheran, that’s a bad application of tradition. If they apply their understanding of the sacraments, law and gospel, and liturgy in a Kenyan setting, that’s the right application of Tradition.

And, that’s true in suburban Seattle as well.

Some might refer to this inappropriate application as traditionalism.

Traditionalism

Take my denomination and denominations like it, for example.

Several low church, traditional denominations thrived in the 1950s, and I like to joke that if the ‘50s come back we are ready to go.

The ‘50s were a heyday. Because some denominations thrived in that time, they hold it tightly and continue to propagate ‘50s culture in many of their churches. So, some Wesleyans, Baptists, and Pentecostals can get stuck in that era.

On the other hand, some Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Lutherans thrived many years earlier; therefore, their cultural expressions often seem ancient in comparison.

Traditions have Meanings

When we fall in love with a particular era that holds special meaning to us, we always struggle to engage the current culture, because it is different than the one we hold dear.

If we cling to the era we love, it exposes the fact that we value our cultural expressions of the past more than the people God sent us to in the present.

Do not miss that point: When we hold to our traditions, we value our cultural expressions of the past more than the people God has sent us to in the present.

But, It’s Not Just the ‘50s and the 1800s

This practice is obvious in some of our older, more traditional expressions of the church. But I see the same thing in newer churches, as well.

I’ve worked with a number of boomer churches that are locked into the ‘80s where they thrived or were birthed. You’ve seen these churches.

I was preaching at one such church a few years back. I was 44 at the time. The church, which is one of the largest boomer churches in America, had an average age of 10 or 15 years older than me. Yet they believed themselves to be cutting edge.

They thought they were effectively ministering, but they had fallen in love with the way they did church more than the people in their current context.

The Trap of Tradition

When churches fall into such a trap, it creates a self-affirming value system that upholds their particular methodology and sub-culture. When plans are made within the church, they look back to what is meaningful to them from the past.

For example, when deciding what songs to sing in worship, they return to the songs that have been formative or meaningful and repeat them. This perpetuates the tradition and locks the church into that particular culture and era.

As a general principle churches that are most effective in one paradigm often have the most difficulty moving into a new one. The reason is they “know what works” and refuse to see the need for change.

Business Examples

In the business world, IBM, Xerox, Kodak, and many others learned this principle the hard way. There are myriad companies, once giants in industry, which either disappeared completely or are shells of what they once were because they did not see the need for change.

In similar fashion, many of our churches stand as visible reminders that we’ve valued our sub-cultures more than the people to whom we’ve been sent, and we’ve refused to change.

Culture is always changing. Always.

So, if we are going to continue to communicate the message of the gospel meaningfully, our churches must change as well. If it feels like you are stepping in a time machine to worship with your church, and that’s not because of your (big-T) Tradition, but rather because you’re trapped in traditionalism, it’s time to change. You’re disconnected from the culture around you, which isn’t in the ‘50’s, ‘70s or the 1700s any longer.

A contextualized church feels like you’re still in the same culture in which it is planted, but the values and the focus are radically different. Churches should be biblically faithful, expressing the unchanging gospel in all we do and representing the character of God’s kingdom.

We must do it in culturally relevant ways; that is, in ways that make sense to the culture around us.

In doing so, however, we reject the sin around us, living counter to the culture. We are to be biblically faithful, culturally relevant, counter-cultural communities that reflect God’s kingdom for His glory among the people around us at all times.

That should be our tradition.

Learn more about Mission Group resources from Ed Stetzer.

I love statistics! I know what you’re thinking…I’m a nerd. Possibly. But, the truth is there are more nerds than you realize when it comes to statistics.

It isn’t that I know nothing of sports; I just haven’t kept up much.

Even though I haven’t been that guy as a sports fan, Donna and I went to see Moneyball while it was in theaters a few years back. Now, almost everyone thought it was a movie about baseball—or about Brad Pitt—but it wasn’t. At least not at the core.

Moneyball was all about statistics—analyzing players’ performance, then selecting and playing those players based upon advanced stats. Home runs, hits, runs scored, and RBIs were recreated in aggregate, often using cast-off players, rather than one superstar player. It was a revolutionary approach to the game, and it was based on a statistical foundation.

Statistics, of course, aren’t limited to sports. What about those of you who are investors? Do you research the performance of a company that you are thinking about investing your money in? Sure you do.

What about those who have an important and possibly dangerous surgery coming up, do you want to know the odds of a successful surgery and recovery? Of course. Very few people want to go into it with no idea of the possible outcomes.

Numbers and statistics are part of our daily lives. Pastors and church leaders should embrace them as part of ministry.

How then do we use them?

Before I share how we should use statistics, let me share why some uses fail. Statistics shouldn’t be used to change a priori assumptions. For instance, we should not stop trusting scripture simply because someone may get up and say 74% of people believe the Bible isn’t what we think it is, so let’s stop believing it. The truth is that the Bible is authoritative regardless of what others say.

Also, statistics shouldn’t be used to determine how we do ministry. For instance, just because someone gets up and says that 90 percent of the church plants today implement the Launch Big model, doesn’t mean we should implement the same model in our next church plant.

Statistics shouldn’t be used to change our definitive beliefs nor determine how we do ministry. But they can be used in the following ways.

Statistics Help Define Reality.

Have you ever heard the statement, “facts are our friends”? It’s true. Statistics can be our friends in helping us determine reality. Statistics provide us information on people’s thoughts and behaviors. In short, they give us a starting point. For example, one research project showed the majority of people in the 7,000 subject churches were not using their gifts.

For many pastors and leaders this would have come as a shock. Others may say, “That explains a lot.” Either way, it helps pastors and leaders understand reality both for themselves, their church’s leaders, and other members.

Statistics Help Teach People.

Beyond defining reality, statistics can be used to help people understand how the church is engaging or not engaging. Research can demonstrate how the church thinks and why the church responds to certain issues.

Research is often a needed tool pastors can use to change a church’s opinion. If a pastor says, “We should build a gym to help the community” the church might question the expense. But, if the pastor says, “Ten percent of the population within 3 miles of our church are under 17 years old, and most of them have nothing to do after school. If we built a gymnasium we could run multiple ministries to meet their needs and maybe open their hearts to the gospel.” Those statistics paint a different picture that help many understand why the cost might be worth it.

Statistics Help Leaders Make Strategic Decisions.

The first use of statistics helps us define reality by giving us a bases and foundation. The second use of statistics helps us teach people, especially our leaders and members. The third, and probably most important, use of statistics is that they help us make strategic decisions.

If churches understood that one of the reasons why people weren’t using their gifts was because they didn’t know how, the leaders could then make strategic decisions as to how they should teach their people how to use their gifts. As a result, churches could offer classes, produce material, preach a series, or write a blog series on spiritual gifts with the goal of reversing the statistics by changing the reality.

Statistics can also help determine what staff member to add next, when and where to have small groups, how many groups can be started each new semester, or how demographic changes should change outreach efforts.

In short, statistics are a great tool to assist pastors and leaders in being more effective and leading their churches or organizations to be more effective as well.

Good leaders use statistics. Learn more about Strategic Leadership for Ministry & Mission as well as my other resources.

To put it bluntly, a lot of pastors’ children hate the ministry. A few years back, my research team interviewed 20 pastors’ kids who are adults now. They provided some insights that were both inspiring and disturbing.

Children with a pastor-parent can grow to hate the ministry for many reasons, but there are five guaranteed ways you can make sure they hate being a pastor’s kid (PK).

1. Put the ministry before your family.

Let’s face it, ministry is demanding. Sometimes church members make you feel like you have hundreds of children to rear. It feels like neglect not to address their needs. So, you leave your own children to minister to someone else’s family. After all, your family will understand your being gone “just this once.”

If you have to be away, it may be beneficial to bring members of your family with you on ministry opportunities. One PK reflected on his childhood, “My father included me in everything. We would spend summers in Spain planting churches. He took me on most of his global mission endeavors as well as many of his speaking engagements. The experience with my dad made me love ministry (I am in the pastorate) and I wouldn’t change my experiences for anything.”If you have to be away, it may be beneficial to bring members of your family with you on ministry opportunities.

Your kids need to believe that you would rather hang out with them than with the people of the church. Children will learn to hate the ministry if you put the needs of everyone else ahead of your family’s needs.

2. Tell them how much is expected of them as a pastor’s kid.

“Your actions are going to ruin my ministry,” a middle-aged PK woman bitterly quoted her father’s oft-repeated words. Pastors can put excessive expectations on their kids because the church wrongly puts these expectations on the pastor’s family. One minister’s kid said, “It was VERY stressful being a PK because EVERYONE judges you differently, like you’re supposed to be perfect. And then if you did mess up it was a bad reflection on Dad. We were told that by my parents often.”

PK’s often rebel for a number of reasons. High expectations led one PK into rebellion as he reflected back, “I felt an enormous amount of pressure to keep up appearances, something which I could not do for long. This eventually led me into a state of rebellion and anger toward my parents and people in the church.”

The expectations are not limited to behavior, but also include the child’s participation in church functions. The pressures on kids to help the pastor look good in front of his congregation can be overwhelming to a child. “I think my father viewed our family as the model family for the church,” said one PK man in his early 20s. “So every place where volunteers were needed, his family served: weeding flower beds, singing in the choir, working VBS, or showing up for Sunday afternoon organ recitals.”

3. Tell them about church conflicts as often as possible.

Ministry includes relational conflicts. Pastors will need to practice some level of transparency with their children so they won’t assume Dad’s and Mom’s emotional upheaval is a result of the child’s actions. Your children will take it very personal when you are angry.

A young man said, “Even when Dad tried to keep it just between him and Mom, you pick up on things.” Try to explain to your children why you are frustrated but guard the details from them. The fact is, you will resolve most of the relational strains and will resume relationships. Be sure to tell the kids. Otherwise, they will become angry and bitter for you.

One PK explained it this way:

“The most difficult thing being a PK was watching my dad remain faithful to a church that wasn’t. To see my dad as he prayed, loved, and shepherded men who stabbed him in the back was hard. It was extremely hard. By the time I left for college I was so mad at church, I would have gladly left.”

Children will take up an offense for their pastor-parent and may not be mature enough to handle the complexities of relationships—especially church governance.

4. Look godlier at church than when you are at home.

Children will grow bitter about watching a parent live an insincere lifestyle. They will assume the faith was all an act, turning them away from you and the gospel (because they’ve not seen the real thing). One lady PK said, “He treated my mother awful. He ruled the house with an iron [fist], never was grace given. I knew most of the stories in the Bible, but I never learned from observation how to apply them to my life.”Your family needs to hear you confess your shortcomings more than anyone else.

This is problematic for a pastor’s family. “Dad always showed more affection to mom at church than he did anywhere else,” a lady said with sadness. “Work got his best,” said one young man. “Work took a lot out of him so he was very short [tempered] and easily frustrated by his kids. He had a strong devotional life but found it hard to show grace to the family while showing vast amounts of grace to the flock.”

Your family needs to hear you confess your shortcomings more than anyone else. Tell them you are sorry. Ask for their forgiveness regularly and then repent from any actions that are sinful. Your child’s needs from their parents are not intrinsically different from any other profession.

Integrity always matters– but if a Christian leader is different in public than in private, the gospel is dishonored and people are eventually disillusioned. When that involves your children, expect them to walk away from the gospel—disillusioned.

5. Act more like a live-in, full-time pastor at home, rather than a parent.

Your kids need a parent, not a live-in pastor. One 22-year old PK explained it this way, “I am not a rebellious, spiteful PK because I am not really a PK. I am just a guy whose dad also happens to be a pastor. Sure, having a pastor-dad is different, but I think one of the biggest reasons PK’s get so rebellious is that they don’t really have a dad—they have a live-in, full-time pastor who treats his kids more like a member of his congregation.”

One middle-aged PK lady pleaded with ministry parents, “Please, be a parent first to your kids and their pastor second. I don’t call my father my pastor. He is simply my daddy. And I thank God for that every day.”

How to help them love ministry

Not all children of pastoral parents hate the ministry. We must do what is best for their overall well-being, fight our own insecurities, and then trust the grace of God to do the rest. One well-adjusted young man encouragingly said, “Being a PK with godly and realistic parents, I’ve also had an example for what it looks like to love Jesus and cherish His word. The example of my parents and wonderful people in the church has encouraged me to follow Jesus because I see what He’s grown in their lives, and I want that. And I want my friends to have that too.”If you have adult children who were PK’s, maybe you need to go to them and ask for forgiveness.

If you have adult children who were PK’s, maybe you need to go to them and ask for forgiveness. We heard from so many grown adult PK’s who are hurt, bitter, angry or disillusioned. They need to hear from their parents how much they are loved in spite of all of the mistakes you made while serving in ministry.

If you are still raising your little PK’s, ask the Spirit to show you where your children are adversely affected by your actions. Humbly ask their forgiveness—even if they are preschool. Then, raise a generation of PK’s who see their parents in need of a Redeemer and who are resting in the grace of God more than they fear the accusations of a congregation.

Grow with your leadership team in 2020: Strategic Leadership for Ministry & Mission.

In John 17, we hear the Son of God pour out His deepest heart-wrenching desires to the Father. Facing the cross, Jesus prayed some rather unexpected words.

Instead of praying for Himself, for strength, for some way out, Jesus prayed that His death and His followers would honor God.

I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me. I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me (John 17:20-23, HCSB).

In His great high-priestly prayer, Jesus asked the Father that He would complete all the Father had sent Him to do. “Glorify me,” He says, “as I glorify you.” Then His attention abruptly turned to everyone who believes in the name of Christ.

These words are only a small part of His prayer, but they are a salient part. He prayed that His followers would be one. He prayed for unity through which somehow the world might know who God is.

Jesus said that the manner in which believers unite with one another would prove to the world that He is God. That command is a tall order, reminiscent of John 13:34-35, “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Unity in Denominations

No one in the church world that I know disagrees with these powerful statements. The real question is how to apply Jesus’ words, and how we live those words in our churches. That verse is a broad command, right? “The church should be united.”

We can see unity on the denominational level. Though not perfect, many denominations began for the singular purpose of unity.

In the polity of most groups, denominations are churches that cooperate in mission. The purpose is to pursue a common goal—unification for a common mission. That goal is certainly the design, but sadly, it’s often not the case.

Unfortunately, many know my denomination more for its squabbles and arguments than for its unity. Often those disagreements are over secondary or tertiary issues, not things of primary importance.

So, even denominations need to work on unity.

Unity Beyond Denomination

If we can’t agree and unite in one denomination, how do we even think about unity with other denominations? How do Pentecostals and non-Pentecostals relate? What about Lutherans and Methodists? Are they in unity? If so, what is the unifying principle?

How do Presbyterians and Baptists—who disagree on pivotal theological distinctions—unite? Not theoretically, but in practice?

The denominations I’ve mentioned thus far are Protestant evangelicals. How do these denominations relate to others in the broader historic Christian tradition? For example, how does an evangelical church relate to those in an Eastern Orthodox church or to Roman Catholics?

Or, taken a step further, how we might work with people outside the broad Christian tradition, such as Mormons?

Levels of Cooperation

I am comfortable cooperating, unifying on different levels, depending on what the focus of our cooperation is. I am for unity and cooperation across denominational lines.

However, there are places where partnership does not work (and it should not).

For example, I don’t think Pentecostals and non-Pentecostals should plant a church together since they do not share a common theology on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And, Presbyterians and Baptists might not plant a church together because they wouldn’t know whether to bring a cup or tub for baptism.

Gospel Cooperation

Evangelicals share a common belief, that (among other things) we were each once dead in our trespasses and sins, but through a conversion experience we become new in Christ. This point can unify evangelicals.

But should we cooperate with those who don’t agree that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone? That the Holy Spirit arrives in the believer sometime after salvation?

It depends on the purpose and point of the cooperation.

The Future

In the coming years people of faith who hold similar views around certain cultural issues—though they have divergent belief around essential theological issues—will end up working together more. We’re going to see in the next few years more evangelicals working with those outside our evangelical faith tradition— Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and even Mormons. On some issues I imagine this will include devout people of other faiths.

As the culture becomes more secular people of religious faith will find themselves fighting for shared values within society. For example, Orthodox Jews, Mormons, conservative Catholics, and Evangelicals all have a stake in how their schools can thrive and survive in the new cultural moment where we find ourselves— and I imagine we will work together to make that happen.

Since we are working together, some will want to affirm that all people of faith are the same. That’s a normal impulse historically, though it tends to not end well.

Others will say, that we are simply co-belligerents. We fight common battles together, like those for religious liberty, but we maintain our theological differences. We stand with our Catholic friends on sanctity-of-life issues, but we maintain that salvation is by grace through faith (alone) in Christ (alone).

My View

My thought is that we will need to learn to be co-conspirators, co-belligerents in some huge political and cultural battles in the days ahead. We must learn to work together without losing the essence of what we believe, the gospel and its implications.

It won’t be easy. However, the other paths have always failed. When historic Christian groups who don’t agree on the gospel try to partner, the lowest common denominator is the result—a generic Christianity worth no one’s commitment.

Instead, as Evangelicals, let’s stay Evangelicals with our beliefs and our passion. And, let’s work with other Evangelicals to show and share the love of Jesus to a broken and hurting work. Let’s learn from one another and plant churches that believe what we believe.

Then, let’s work together with people of others faiths (or even no faith) who share our values around key issues.

The end result will be a step toward the unity for which Jesus prayed without losing the gospel for which Jesus died.

Tools for your 2020 mission: Breaking the 200 Barrier, Strategic Leadership for Ministry & Mission, Renewing Your Church, and more.

Robust Online Resources for Your Mission

One of the more common roles in a church is discipleship leader. A few years ago, as I was updating Planting Missional Churches for its next edition, Daniel Im and I listed discipleship coordinator as one of the seven key roles in a new church. In other words, someone holding up the banner of discipleship, helping everyone participate, is key.

Yet, the role of discipleship leader in a church can be an extremely difficult one. If it is a staff role, I would argue that discipleship and students are two of the most scrutinized positions on a church staff, which probably explains the short average-tenure for both. Everyone seems to have an opinion on teenagers and spiritual growth.

Most church leaders would agree that discipleship should be a priority for the church, but they are unclear on how to best support the team tasked with designing and executing a system for helping make disciples.

No matter how the church is structured, there are a few things that a church can do to help those discipleship leaders keep a church-wide focus on making disciples.

Have clear expectations

It’s difficult to know what the wins are when there are no clear expectations to start with. This is easier with some ministries than others. For instance, there are measurable benchmarks with most weekend programs: are there more kids attending than last year? Are there more first-time visitors to the services?

But, how do you measure the making of disciples?

The leadership has to decide what and how to measure discipleship, and then evaluate success based on those measurements. There will always be a measure of subjectivity when it comes to assessing discipleship success, but some objective measures are possible: are there stories of life-change coming from the small groups? Are more people being baptized? How many people are involved in a discipleship community?

Whatever measures leaders choose, they should set yearly goals and make those expectations clear with the team. (Our church has used the Transformational Discipleship Assessment. There are other similar tools.)

Define discipleship for your context

One reason why it’s difficult to measure discipleship is because everyone has a different definition of what it is. Studies have revealed a deep chasm between what pastors and parishioners believe successful discipleship looks like. Parishioners tend to think they are being discipled more effectively than their pastors believe they are.

A driver for this divide is the difference in opinion on what constitutes spiritual growth. Churches have to outline what a person becoming more like Christ looks like, and then structure everything around helping them get there.

Keep open communication

The only way for the discipleship vision to continue flowing from the pastor is if there is constant two-way communication with the team and the whole church. They have to hear firsthand the direction that God is giving the senior leader for the next season of the church so the systems can be adjusted to support the vision. Discipleship must be at the forefront always.

If you are a pastor and have a discipleship pastor, invite the discipleship pastor to sermon planning meetings. Give the small groups team a voice in the calendaring process for major initiatives.

An open door of communication will help build ownership throughout the staff, and maintain unity on the team with regard to disciple-making.

Resource with the right tools

In an established church the church budget brings clarity to the church’s priorities.

If it’s “all about the weekend,” a majority of the funds are automatically designated for ministries that make the weekend services more attractive (i.e., a more effective kids program; a better sound and lighting system; more attractive signage, etc.). There is nothing wrong with making the weekend experience better, but we cannot assume that discipleship will happen on its own. If the church is dedicated to making disciples who make disciples, the budget has to reflect that priority.

Probably, a chunk of a budget for discipleship teams is providing curriculum for small groups. The content provided for groups matters. A lot. Without a biblically solid study for foundation, a small group can quickly turn into a social club.

In some cases, people prepare to write their own studies to fit the need of their context, yet that takes a lot of work.

One thing that may help is something that LifeWay released. (Full disclosure alert: I used to work there.)

It’s a tool that can help you be a better steward of time and resources. For example, with smallgroup.com, a pastor can give any or all of their leaders access to a library of Bible studies, including video-enhanced studies. Each study comes with a customizable discussion guide. Whether you are writing your own studies to go along with the weekend sermon, or allowing your groups to choose, smallgroup.com is one of those tools that can get you to a discipleship goal. And, you can sign up for a free trial if you want to check out the concept.

With clear expectations, communication, and the right tools; your discipleship team will be set up for success.

Make the most of 2020. Get one of Ed’s Mission Group online video resources to help you lead the mission. Learn more.

Pastors of growing churches know all too well the old adage of there being two sides to every coin. The excitement and energy of a growing congregation comes brings with it new needs and a constant demand of more people to help carry out the ministry.

When the numbers are lacking, the pressure increases on the pastor and staff to solve every problem, run every small group, set-up every service, and clean every toilet. The stress can become so heavy that the growth feels more like a crisis than a blessing.

Having a leadership crisis is not exclusive to the church (take a look at Congress) and neither is it a new issue. In Exodus 18, systematic issues within Moses’ leadership surface and reveal the need for a change.

The Moses Problem

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, comes for a visit. Perhaps it’s not too surprising he has an opinion on how his son-in-law is running things. In this particular case, however, the in-law advice is pretty good (just like I’m sure my future sons-in-law will say of me).

The narrative provides a clear beginning and end. At the beginning, Moses has a problem. It’s a leadership problem, and it’s a big one.

Moses is leading a group of millions literally by himself. Jethro comes right out and asks, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” (Ex. 18:14)

Moses tries to explain his role as arbiter of millions, but his answer falls short. Jethro is quick to correct saying, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone” (Ex. 18:17-18).

Perhaps he saw the tiredness in his eyes, or the stress in his shoulders, or the sleepless nights. Whatever it was, he clearly saw that Moses’ lifestyle was not sustainable.

Because he believed in the mission of Moses and the Israelites so much, he offered a new suggestion: multiplication (and in this particular case, he wasn’t harping about wanting more grandkids). He encourages Moses to select honorable, wise, and Godly men who could be taught basic interpretation of God’s laws and instruction.

Not only did he encourage Moses to select some leaders, he encouraged those leaders to select other leaders that they would oversee (Ex. 18:21). They could handle all the smaller issues and if there was a really tough case, Moses could handle that one himself.

It was a defined leadership system designed to not only immediately alleviate stress from Moses but also to sustain the newly forming nation for the long haul. The end of this story is a good one. Moses listened to Jethro, the leadership grew, his stress lessened, and his father-in-law went home.

But it happens again…

Only the story didn’t really end there—it recurrs.

A little later in Numbers 11, Moses is in the same boat once again. This time he’s talking directly to God, griping, “Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth . . . I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me . . .” (Num. 11:12-15)

Don’t miss this—Moses listened to Moses. The problem was solved. Then the problem recurred.

Our Recurring Problem

I would call Moses a bit melodramatic if I haven’t felt that way myself.

I’d venture to say that most anyone who has been in leadership of a growing church has probably felt the exact same feelings. (I’ll guarantee that all church nursery volunteers have thought this very thing.)Fruitful ministry is really a series of resolved leadership crises.

What happened between Exodus 18 and Numbers 11?

Moses discovered the reality that fixing a leadership development problem is not just a one-time thing. There is a constant need for expansion of leaders. You don’t solve a problem—fruitful ministry is really a series of resolved leadership crises.

If the church is growing, the issue is there.

Most pastors of churches want their churches to grow, and they recruit leaders (or we’ll call them volunteers) to enable it. They’re surprised, however, how quickly the demand for more rears its ugly head on the heels of victory. We get new volunteers and then we need new volunteers. So we get new volunteers, and then we need more new volunteers. It never goes away. If you want success, you better be prepared for the cycle that comes with it.

If the church is stagnant or declining, the issue is there.

In declining churches, leaders serve but get worn out. The leader / volunteers will serve a while, but can get discouraged. They need new volunteers both to staff current needs, but to case a vision for a new direction.

God was gracious to Moses in Numbers 11, giving him the answer that he needed to deal with his leadership crisis. The Lord said, “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders . . . I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.” (Num. 11:16-17)

God multiplied the leadership again, and they moved on.

God’s Solution

So if the problem of this leadership crisis is never-ending, what ultimately is the solution? God gives Moses the same solution twice: once through Jethro and the second time directly from Himself: multiply leadership.

The key to this solution, however, is hidden right in the solution itself. The very burden of multiplying leadership is a burden that the pastor should not carry alone. The new leaders are both the answer and solution.

Let me explain.

Ephesians 4:12 states that God has given pastors the responsibility to equip God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. So, in a sense, the leadership issue is the pastor’s job. Paul, however, gives a great example of putting this job into practice in 2 Timothy 2.

In this passage, Paul is the older, wiser pastor at the end of his life, imploring Timothy to listen to his final words of insight for success in ministry. It’s a Jethro-Moses moment. Paul states, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Tim. 2:2)Discipling and multiplying leaders must be a central part of every pastor’s ministry and every church’s focus.

Notice the chain of people. Paul multiplies to Timothy. Timothy multiplies to reliable people and those people multiply to others. The multiplication burden is carried by all of them.

For this to really work, the church should have a culture of multiplication. Discipling and multiplying leaders must be a central part of every pastor’s ministry and every church’s focus.

Multiply disciples, ministries, groups, and churches. Multiply everything.

The leadership challenge in a church can be overwhelming; the pastor may even wish that it would go away. The only way for it to go away completely, however, is to stop caring and accept the inevitable decline. The only way to break the demands of the leadership multiplication cycle is to quit having leaders. This is obviously not an option.

A better solution to the problem is to multiply. Multiply the leaders and share the burden each step of the way. Multiply leaders who multiply leaders. Implement discipleship-fueled multiplication in your church and you may find you have a two-headed coin that comes up winning every time.

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As followers of Christ, we won’t always fit into the world in which we live. In fact, we’ll often find ourselves going against the flow of popular culture in certain areas of life. It’s necessary for us to have a solid biblical foundation to stand on in the midst of a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.

We need to know how the eternal Word of God shapes our understanding of current issues and how we can share the gospel compassionately and courageously with the people around us.

Here are four possible responses to cultural change.

1. WE CONFORM.

We start compromising what we believe and the way we act in order to appeal to and appease the surrounding culture. We may even genuinely believe that doing so is both loving and strategic, hoping somehow people will be attracted to Jesus through a less offensive form of Christianity and will ultimately be saved. However, we have to realize that our goal isn’t to make following Jesus easier. The message of the gospel is necessarily countercultural and offensive to the human heart.

2. WE CHECK OUT.

The opposite extreme is to secede from culture, distancing ourselves so completely that we never have any interaction with the world around us. Again, the intent may seem honorable and sincere because we want to remove even an appearance of evil and the temptation of sin. But Jesus specifically prayed that His Father wouldn’t take His followers out of the world but protect them while they were sent into it (see John 17:15-16).

The world around us desperately needs the life-changing power of the gospel. Forming an isolated, insulated subculture may feel countercultural, but it isn’t an appropriate response.

3. WE COMBAT.

This approach is antagonistic and defensive. While the intent begins moving in the right direction, refusing to give in to or give up on the world around us, it misses the heart of Jesus. This response sees culture as an enemy to be defeated instead of people to be saved. Our desire must not be to prove ourselves right or to force our way on the world around us. Instead, our goal is to show Christ to be true and worthy. Just as wrong as running away from our culture is driving people away from the church. Countering culture doesn’t mean attacking it.

4. WE COUNTER.

Countering culture means engaging culture with conviction and compassion. We stand firmly on the truth of God, empowered by the Spirit, to extend the love of Christ to the world. Our desire isn’t to conquer but to redeem. It matters what we do, how we do it, and why we do it.

The heart of every Christian should burn with desire for God’s glory. We can’t sit back and remain silent while God isn’t glorified and people are on a path that ultimately leads to self-destruction. We must ask God to cause His name to be known and loved in our culture. That desire should drive not only our personal prayers but also our public lives on a daily basis.

A wrong response to culture is more than unhealthy or unhelpful. Engaging our culture is literally a matter of life or death.

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Every now and then I get asked the question, “Should I go back and revitalize my home church?” This is a good question, and one that has proponents on both sides. In an effort to answer the above question, let me outline the pros and potential drawbacks of going back to one’s home church.

Others, like my friend Elmer Towns, encourage pastors to go back to their hometown. (His ideas inspired this article.)

Some may point to the fact that Jesus commissioned the disciples to begin witnessing in Jerusalem, in their home region, and move outward toward the nations.

There are certainly reasons to consider on both sides.

Four reasons to return

There can be a hometown advantage.

By going to one’s home church, a church that knows and loves the pastor-to-be, one can potentially lead the church to embrace ideas they normally might not embrace. Don’t miss the importance of the words “loves you.”

If you are hated, there will not be much hometown advantage! But if they do love you, then there will be a lot of relational capital that can be spent on leadership decisions.

Relational capital is important in any leadership position, but it is especially important in revitalization. The more people know you, the more people trust you. Relational capital gives the pastor home-field advantage. And if you are a sports fan you know teams love playing at their home stadium.

Contextual (or cultural) knowledge of the area and people

Those who go back to their hometown—unless they have been gone for a very long time—already have a contextual, or cultural, knowledge of the area. That knowledge can be very helpful for a church in need of revitalization. So, what kind of contextual, or cultural, knowledge does one have of their home church and town?

They know the types of people the church is trying to reach. By coming back, they will have fresh eyes in looking at the same people.

One returning to a home church may have many contacts and relationships in the community that have long existed. An outsider may not cultivate these relationships until years down the road.

They know the rhythms of the community. While some things may have changed since they last lived in the community, many things probably haven’t. Is high school football still the hottest ticket in town? Is the community party of “high society”? What is the center of business? Do most of the women work outside the home, and if so are they in profession or service industries? Are the schools good or struggling? Thus, they know where the hot spots are, the most attended community festivals, the big events, and some of the greatest needs in the community.

Institutional memory is an advantage to the returning pastor

Possessing an institutional memory can also be a strong benefit for someone who plans to go back to the home church. An institutional memory is similar to insider trading, except being legal!

An institutional memory provides the hometown pastor with some insider knowledge that serves as advantages a pastor coming in from the outside may otherwise not have. Such advantage can lead to a more successful revitalization.

Someone coming back to a home church has a personal knowledge (and experience) of the church’s history. Knowing that pastor Jess was a jerk, or that pastor Pat was pushed out, or pastor Matt made these mistakes, is very helpful.

Someone returning to a home church has a working knowledge of who the power brokers are. Understanding that Take-it-Easy Tom isn’t much for risk-taking, or that Negative Nancy says no to everything, or Know-it-All Kris knows what’s always best for the church, or that Bell-Cow Bob thinks he speaks for the church can be vital information for the pastor who strategically plans out the revitalization process.

Institutional memory also provides insight as to how a church is structured. Again, barring no major changes since the perspective pastor was last in the church, chances are it remains a very similar place. Knowing the inner workings and processes of the church can prove to be invaluable as the pastor navigates much-needed changes.

Returning home can be a catalyst for growth

God could potentially use going back to one’s home church and hometown as a catalyst for growth. It would be certainly dependent on one’s past circle of influence, depth of relationships, and reputation, but going back could create a buzz among the members as well as others. The created buzz could lead people to invite their friends and family to come back and see and hear so and so who has come back to pastor. Going back home could be just the thing to create some much-needed momentum in the church as it seeks to be revitalized.

Yet, it is not always a great idea.

Drawbacks to returning

The pastor’s past can be an issue.

A pastor’s past could hinder a homecoming.

If the pastor has a tainted past, one full of mistakes and scars, it may not be the most prudent decision to go back and pastor the home church. Obviously this doesn’t mean that God doesn’t forgive one’s past, He certainly does, but some people may have a hard time seeing the pastor with a tainted past leading and preaching to others. Sometimes when people know the height of our stupidity and our mistakes, it makes it harder for us to lead.

The perception others have of the pastor

The perception others have of the pastor could be an obstacle to leadership. If people remember him as “little Joey” his leadership will be in trouble. If this is the case, there will be a perception problem.

The perception problem is that people would still see Joey as a kid, someone who is young and immature, which will hinder his ability to effectively lead the church. If people have a difficult time seeing one in a position of authority overseeing them and the direction of the church, it may be best for Joe(y) to not making a homecoming.

A current staff member who wants the position

A returning pastor will be wise to wait until the church makes a clear decision.

If a current staff member expresses interest in the pastoral opening, or if a group in the church is lobbying for one of the current staff members to be the next pastor, it may be an indicator that a homecoming will be a bad move. Not only does the possibility exist for the returning pastor’s ministry to be stymied, but it can create a rift between the pastor and the staff member who wanted the position.

A returning pastor will be wise to wait until the church makes a clear decision on that staff member, or decline to pursue the opening.

My Thoughts

“To go or not to go,” that is the question! I’ve been asked it more than once.

First, let me say that you should do that the Lord calls. I’m simply trying to provide some thoughts to the process.

My view is that, as a whole, there is greater potential for one going back and revitalizing their home church, and it is a net positive.

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I think leadership is an important issue that’s often overlooked. I know… you think I’m crazy. Leadership resources and speakers abound. But there’s a reason the best place to find leadership books is at a Goodwill or some other thrift store. Yep.

Secondhand stores are like leadership book archive vaults. Why? Well, there seems to be a pendulum that swings… and has swung. In the 1980’s there was much talk about leadership and there was a lot of people writing on it, speaking on it, and just great prominence on it. Leadership theories and ideas were influencing the church and the church was, in many ways, being shaped by that.

Then in the 1990’s this pendulum began swinging back the other direction and people began to object to some of the consistent references to a Warren Bennis or Jim Collins book on leadership. And they began to complain of the Maxwellization of leadership. Some were saying, “We need a little less leadership and a little more biblical principles.” And I think this unhealthy pendulum swing is real, present and not particularly helpful.

I understand issue fatigue. But it isn’t healthy. Here are three reasons we should not reject the culture of leadership development…

Leadership Is Biblical

Throughout Scripture we find that when there is a great move of God there is generally an accompanying leader from God. There are a couple of exceptions, but that’s a pretty consistent pattern. And we’re not talking about a general feeling that someone is walking out in front, but to the point where leadership actually has to be affirmed. Paul writing to Timothy says that ‘the job of an overseer, if someone desires to be an overseer, is a noble task.’ We’re reminded of the nobility of leadership even in the descriptive passage of 1 Timothy 3 about, as it talks about the biblical qualifications of a pastor.

We know the names of great leaders of the people of God and why they matter. We know what they did. Leadership is not just a Biblical concept in the church, but it’s a Godly practice that is described throughout Scripture. It is both prescribed (it’s a noble task, it needs to be done, raise up leaders), and described (stories of how leaders have functioned well and poorly.) Leadership is a Biblical practice and principle.

Leadership Is Theological

Leadership is not done in a vacuum. It is theological. There are things that leaders are called to do. There are things that leaders are expected to be, if you will. As a matter of fact, it’s interesting that as you look at the description of overseers I mentioned in 1 Timothy chapter 3, you will notice the vast majority of the description is actually more descriptive of life and doctrine. Now these are issues that are unapologetically scriptural as well.

So leadership is biblical, but it’s also theological. I don’t lead because I memorized a few phrases and can now quote them, and they rhyme, and I can inspire people. It isn’t simply about leading… but leading correctly. I can’t unpack all of that in this short column, but there are several excellent books on developing a theology of leadership—even frequent Outreach Magazine contributor Tony Morgan has weighed in with his Developing a Theology of Leadership.

Many people have lead poorly. Sometimes people lead poorly because they have a bad theological basis of leadership. They just don’t have a real sense of where God is calling them to lead. If God isn’t leading you, where are you going to lead others? The fact that leadership is theological feeds directly into the third reason we shouldn’t avoid a culture of leadership.

Leadership Is Contextual

Leadership is theological so that it can be effectively contextual. When we think theological, we think Ephesians 4. God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip God’s people to works of ministry, leading them to engage in faithful and fruitful ministry. There’s the theological leading to contextual.

One of the things you’ll find is that many of the attributes of leadership that are quite effective in one place will not be successful in another area. For example, in Japan there’s actually a proverb that says, ‘The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.’ Being conspicuous is not highly valued in Eastern culture. Yet, in many Western societies it’s that autonomous individual who leads, makes a difference, or brings about change. Even though Biblical leadership principles that worked with Moses will work with Maxwell, the way one leads will be different from Peoria to Pretoria. A good leader cares about and learns adapts to cultural variations.

God created everyone. And He has given various cultures. Varied cultural expressions reflect the creativity and diversity of God. While God is not responsible for every aberration found within culture, He did create the people and knows them in their cultural distinctions. God knows what leadership qualities work in each setting to bring about Kingdom change within a community. People are wired to respond and develop in different ways. There is no reason to fight that. When we deny contextual leadership nuance, we create barriers that keep people from transformation.

A Culture Of Leadership Is Needed

So the Biblical and the theological values of leadership will be quite constant, since God’s Word and His mission are unchanging. But the contextual value of leadership will vary from one place to another. Biblical and theological leadership truths are to be passed down to the next generation. And since there are contextual variables, we need training that addresses them. This is why the regular development of leadership resources is important. When you see someone dealing specifically with practical leadership skills and practices, do not write them off as having left the Bible. As the pendulum continues to swing, remember that Leadership is Biblical, theological, and contextual.

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Just as the Father spoke life into the void through his Word in creation, so he speaks new life into his people through the Word-made-flesh, Jesus Christ. That’s key to the evangelistic endeavor.

The gospel is not about making good people religious. It’s about making dead people live.

The Resurrection of Lazarus

In chapter 11 of his gospel, John records the death and resurrection of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.

Following Lazarus’s death, Jesus arrives—“too late” in the eyes of Lazarus’ sisters. Martha told Jesus, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).

After hearing from Mary, Jesus wept with her and the people there. Then, following his time of genuine sorrow, he acted.

John records the events in verses 38 through 44 of chapter 11:

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

The Dead Can’t Do Anything

When it comes to sharing the gospel, I like the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from death to life because it shows our utter sinful desperation before our holy God. Spiritually speaking, we are dead (Eph. 2:5).

Dead people can’t do anything. They can’t walk. They can’t talk. They can’t breathe. They can’t feel. They can’t do anything. In the same way, we’re spiritually dead, and we can do nothing spiritually that is right or pleasing in God’s eyes.

This is helpful, I think, when sharing the gospel with people. It makes it clear we’re all on equal ground. A lot of non-Christians feel like Christians believe they’re better than everyone else. Sharing the gospel through a story like the resurrection of Lazarus emphasizes the fact that we’re all dead and hopeless without God.

We all start at the same place, spiritual death, and by God’s grace, we’re raised to life. When sharing the gospel using the resurrection of Lazarus, Christians can say, “It’s nothing I’ve done. Just as Lazarus did nothing to save himself, so there is nothing you or I can do to save ourselves.” It is by faith in the work of Jesus alone that we are raised to spiritual life.

So, don’t be slow to share the new life Christ gives to all who repent and believe. But if you were sharing with people how to be more religious, then be slow about that. (Actually, just stop doing that!)

We must never forget that the gospel is not “you do.” The gospel is “Jesus did.” Your only job is to tell it—proclaim and announce it.

That’s what makes evangelism so different from recruiting someone to a religion. You are really sharing what makes the dead alive.

That’s why it’s such great news. And that news is worth sharing.

What are some passages you like to use when sharing the gospel with people?

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