Category Archives: discipleship

Which is the greater danger?

Posted on January 11, 2008 | 2 comments

Heresy or Blind Compliance

Which way

Last Sunday, in talking about what it means to know Jesus, I talked about the ways it happens. There are a few obvious choices; like worship, the Bible, prayer, community.  But I offered a small stretch in ‘nature,’ saying that God wove patterns into creation that remind us of God’s truths for us.  Often these expressions capture God’s truth better than our words.  Then I took it a step further and offered that we get to know Jesus through ‘other writings and teachings.’  I said that something doesn’t have to be stamped ‘Christian’ to teach what God wants us to know.  Indeed, it could be far from God’s truth and still bear have the label.

I expected some phone calls and emails for that and was pleasantly surprised that all I got was a few thanks for saying it.  It is very consistent with our Jacob’s Well core values, so I shouldn’t be surprised, but it may just mean no one was listening…

God’s truth is what lies behind and in all that exists.  As such it is so big we can’t hide it forever.  It oozes out of every pore in our world, often especially where we least expect it.  That doesn’t mean that all things are good or helpful.  Much is not.  What is so important is that we don’t need to be afraid.  We can look and learn anywhere and everywhere.  Let Christ be the filter.  Trust the Spirit to guide us, and to rescue us from our errors.  Keeping ‘in the box’ of Christian teaching has certainly never prevented heresy in the past.

The point isn’t that Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, humanism, etc. is right or wrong, but rather that God is so big that God’s truth can’t be hidden forever.  Different cultures, perspectives, languages, eras will inevitably express and hide God’s truth in ways that are novel to us.  Don’t be afraid, that’s the key.  Be humble, admit mistakes, don’t try to justify what isn’t working and keep the heart of the Bible at the heart of your searching.

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Posted in bible, church, discipleship, doubt, emerging church, God, jacob's well, Jesus, preaching, precarious, what if, Why Believe?

Decisive, but not Devisive

Posted on January 5, 2008 | 2 comments

g-on-boardbacksmall.jpg

The same conversation as sparked my last entry also ventured into this topic which is very key for us at Jacob’s Well. We don’t just need a new kind of church for the sake of relevance, but because the church has become so polarized here in the United States. Whole denominations decide what and how they will do things not based on their core values and theology, but in order to not be confused with churches they don’t agree with (and feel threatened by – that’s another story).

Something I think my ‘mainline’ tradition has been missing is decisiveness. That is, ‘Why follow Jesus?’ What does it matter, what difference does it make? We associate the decisiveness of faith – a core message of the Gospel, God does make a difference – with the way some very fundamentalist churches have played it out; only being concerned with ‘saving souls,’ with drawing lines of who is ‘Christian’ and who is not. We don’t want to define whom loves by excluding people (homosexuals, non-born-again’s, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, other denominations, etc) so we don’t talk about what it is that God calls us to at all. We just talk around it, we make it ‘easy’ and that is different than making it the greatest and biggest investment of our lives. We also haven’t found ways to articulate how God might be at work in other faiths and other lifestyles that are ‘foreign’ to us without gutting what is decisive about our faith. We’ve left ‘decisiveness’ to others, but it doesn’t belong to them alone, it belongs to all who seek to ‘take up their cross’ and follow Jesus.

It is time to claim decisiveness back. We can affirm the decisiveness of our faith without creating unnecessary devisiveness. We don’t have to decide whether Buddhists will go to hell or heaven, whether homosexuality is a sin or not. Face it, God hasn’t asked our opinion on these issues and God hasn’t asked us to judge each other. Rather, to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4.15), witness to what God has shown us (1 Peter 2.9) and let those seeds take root in people’s lives trusting God’s Spirit to be at work (Matthew 13). To be honest about our own need for forgiveness, redemption and transformation (1 Corinthians 15.9-10).

We can be decisive – we have the greatest news and the greatest relationship in the world that changes us whether we want it to or not – without being devisive – our job is to let people know they too are children of God, not how much God has judged them,

This is a precarious position to hold, and I’ve been taken to task for it before. What I find so compellingly Christ-like about it is that it depends of God’s power of transforming our lives and forgiving our mistakes rather than our ability to conform people to what we think they should be like to be “Christian.”

One of our core values at is to “Focus on the mission that unites, not details that divide – We value unity and diversity.” This holy balancing act is a good example of that value and I see it happening at Jacob’s Well.

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Posted in church, church transitions, commitment, discipleship, emerging church, God, jacob's well, precarious, Why Believe?

Faith & Life

Posted on November 26, 2007 | 4 comments

faith-life.jpg

(First of all I have to apologize for my month long sabbatical from this blog. I mean, really, I just got started and I had to set it aside for awhile. Life happened. But I did make a lot of notes and started a bunch of entries, so I’ll try to get the thoughts rolling again. Thanks for reading, and all the more for commenting.)

Faith & Life. What’s the difference? We were talking in the office the other day and the conversation rolled around to helping people “grow in their faith” and one of my colleagues exclaimed, “Grow in faith!? I don’t want to ‘grow in faith’ I want to grow in life. I want someone to help me grow in my life.”

Why divide faith from life? This is like the secular/sacred split. Our protective desire to keep God ‘clean’ of the things of this world by creating the two categories (doesn’t seem biblically sound when you talk about it that way, does it?) has also kept God in church and out of the world and confined faith to Sunday mornings. My colleague isn’t saying that there isn’t a difference between a life with and without faith – of course there is, and one of our jobs is to help people to see that. But once we know that life is only life with God in it, why keep separating them? We aren’t teaching something that has to do with one part of our life experience, but that is our life experience. Why give people language that inclines them to categorize and seclude God’s work and presence in their lives.

I’m going to try to change the way I speak and see how it works. When do I want to talk about people’s faith, and when do I just want to talk about life? Life – that is what God is interested in.

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Posted in church, discipleship, emerging church, God, jacob's well

10.10.10 Read Pray Quiet

Posted on October 29, 2007 | Leave a comment

Okay, so it isn’t the “real” thing, but it is something we can all start with. Yesterday at Jacob’s Well I talked about the non-negotiable dimension of faith that we call ‘grow’; it’s learning, discipleship, education, doing the stuff you need to do to mature in your spiritual life. We always have what our creative team calls a PAW in our services, that is a ‘personal act of worship.’ A PAW is something that people are encouraged to do that takes the good intentions that people may have in the service and has them make some sort of first step towards actually doing it. (I’ll have to blog about this PAW concept later – I think it is extremely important.)

The PAW this week was to ask people to be in one of the Groups here at Jacob’s Well or elsewhere, (but I’m not writing about Groups here) and to join me in the 10.10.10 – that is committing 10 minutes to reading the Bible, 10 minutes to prayer and 10 minutes to quiet every day. You can hear the message on our website, but I don’t think it is up yet. When available this LINK will take you to it.

Now I know that millions of people have resolved to reading their Bible and crashed and burned because they couldn’t make heads or tails of what they read. And I know that this simplistic 10.10.10 formula isn’t a magic recipe for enlightenment, but we need something tangible, somewhere to start. This little dip in these three spiritual disciplines (very close to lectio divina actually, another blog that needs to be written…) reinforced by the Group Life available here at jacob’s well, and some encouragement and energy from the church as a whole, can make this simple formula have real staying power. Also, like I said yesterday, these 3 components of faith, with the right support, can take on a life of their own in people who test drive them.

At the morning service I asked people to do it, but forgot (argh…) to ask them to let us know they were going to do so by indicating it on their Communication Card (one downside of preaching without a script…) so I have no idea how many people meant to try it. But in the evening I did remember and nearly everyone wrote the 10.10.10 on their card. I can’t believe it. Oops, of course I can, that’s a God thing… I just know I can’t be that convincing.

What did I learn? 1. don’t be afraid to ask people for meaningful commitment around things that make a difference in the lives they see God calling them to. 2. People are hungry for spiritual growth and want to know what to do next. 3. We have a big job ahead of us keeping people focused on this and helping them sustain the practice until it becomes a natural (not a simplistic formulaic) part of their walk with Jesus.

Want to join me on the 10.10.10? Comment here and let me know. We’ll try to support you. Got other good ideas or stories about how this has worked (or not worked) for you? I want to hear them!

Want to know more about the 10.10.10? Check out THIS ENTRY on our website and watch for updates on what to read and how to live out this piece of your spiritual growth.

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Posted in bible, church, commitment, discipleship, jacob's well, prayer, preaching, worship

Building the Well

Posted on October 22, 2007 | 3 comments

Jacob’s Well Well

The discussion about the form of a covenantal relationship between a person and a specific church (often packaged as ‘membership’) has stirred up a lot of talk.  I’m not surprised. This definitely needs rethinking and experimenting.  If you know of other churches doing this in innovative ways (that seem to be working or not) get me connected.  I’d like to learn from them.

I believe that as we grow in faith we move from being ‘at church’ to get our fill, and on through being involved to make sure the community delivers what I like, to the realization that I am there to not only meet my needs and preferences, but to build it for God’s purposes and so that others can receive what I have received.  Okay, a long, run-on sentence.  But those are important points and steps.

I like the idea that the bricks and mortar of Jacob’s Well are made of flesh and blood.  We are a community, not a building.  A movement, not an institution.  Yes, that is a strange and oblique reference to Christ, but I what really mean is that WE are Jacob’s Well.

Becoming part of the Well should be a process, not a moment.  It is about learning the vision, throwing your weight behind it and helping it to happen and evolve.  It is learning and engaging, not signing and accepting.  Perhaps it is a process that isn’t static.  Something that people reaffirm yearly.

One thing I know for sure, cf Michelle’s comments to “Who wants to be a member?”, is that there is no special status conferred by this step of commitment to the vision of jacob’s well;  such as availability to baptism (yikes!  that chases grace right out of the sanctuary!), the expectation of giving, serving, (heavens… we’ll take anyone’s money or help!), or getting on a mailing list (we try to keep in touch with anyone who might feel that jacob’s well could add something to their life.)  However the process of choosing to build the well with your own flesh and blood would be a time to help people discern what it means to give generously and sacrificially, to serve in ways that reflect who they are and serve God’s vision for this community, to move from anonymity to identification,  etc.

How do we do it?  I’ve been a church professional forever… one of my liabilities.  I try to get out of the box and sometimes I do, but often I just swap boxes.  Examine the role and importance of commitment, and tell me how you read this.   Thanks!

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Posted in change, church, church transitions, discipleship, emerging church, jacob's well, ministry

Don’t be a dip, be a brick

Posted on October 12, 2007 | 4 comments

Okay, so that is a pretty flippant title, and probably not what we will say – even at Jacob’s Well, but I wanted to give you the sense of what I’m thinking.  Below is copy that is in our Sunday Paper (that is what we call the handout at our gatherings on Sunday.)

Building

the Well

Been drinking from the Well for a while?  Figure you might have something to contribute to making sure the well is full for others?  Then it is time to not just be dipping from it, it’s time to help build the well.

Mark your calendars now.  On Saturday, November 10, 9-noon (wake up food and beverages, and childcare up to age 10 provided) we will have a special experience for people who want to do more than just dip, they want to build!

This is for everyone.  Whether you’ve only been coming for a few weeks but know this is home, or whether you were here when Jacob’s Well was just an idea.  Does this sound like membership?  Probably, but it isn’t about getting your name on the roles, it is ‘honest, real, thinking and casual’ like the rest of Jacob’s Well.  We think it is the next step you’re thirsty for!

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Posted in change, church, church transitions, discipleship, emerging church, Models of Ministry

Who wants to be a member?

Posted on October 10, 2007 | 10 comments

You will be assimilated

That’s the Borg Cube from Star Trek. Remember them? They are the ones who cruise the galaxy and ‘assimilate’ everyone so they are no longer who they were, but who the Borg are. No one wants to be one, except those already in. When we talk about becoming ‘a member of the church’ people look at us like we are the Borg invading their otherwise happy universe. In fact, even of our ‘regulars’ at Jacob’s Well (who invest generous amounts of time, passion, expertise and money in the community) react like, “You’re kidding, aren’t you? We aren’t going to do that ‘membership thing’ are we?”

Yet as David Stark taught me some years ago, the problem isn’t that people won’t commit anymore, people commit to all sorts of things all the time. Got a cell phone contract? I rest my case. The question people ask is “Is it worth my investment of time, money, energy, etc to make the commitment?’ Likewise, when I talk about what happens when we do commit to something and understand the truth of our relationship to the growing, developing organism that we call Jacob’s Well they think it is great. When I ask them to think of being a member not as having their names in the book, but like my arm is a member of my body – the arm is lifeless and both are incomplete without each other – then they get it.

Clearly committing to a movement and a community they believe in isn’t the problem. The language is. “Member” triggers an allergic reaction that says, “Oh oh, they are just like all those other churches. They really are just an institution and want us to keep them alive.”

I believe committing to a local church in a very concrete covenanting way isn’t only a good thing, I think it is an essential part of committing to a life of following Christ. The local church is the manifestation of Christ’s body in a specific location. It is the means through which God can touch the lives of people in all fullness. We are looking at ways to talk about and do it.

Before I say what we are thinking of doing I would like to hear your thoughts, reactions and experiences.

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Posted in church, church transitions, discipleship, emerging church, Models of Ministry, unlearning

The Irrestible Revolution

Posted on October 6, 2007 | 1 comment

Shane Claiborne’s The Irresistible Revolution

I meant to include a reference to Shane Claiborne‘s book The Irresistible Revolution on the last post about the church getting involved in changing the world, not just changing themselves.  Following the path begun by people like Jim Wallis (who wrote the forward) he is setting out a great challenge for the church today.  I don’t think what Shane is doing can be normative, but it also cannot be ignored.  We read this as a staff last winter and it continues to mold our thinking and hopefully our development as a church.

The UpperRoom has had Shane visit and has used this book as group study material.  Sounds like a good idea to me.

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Posted in church, discipleship, ethics

Political as well as Personal Relevance

Posted on October 5, 2007 | 1 comment

The paragraph below is part of reader Jenna’s very articulate comment on my post “Being Christian isn’t a good thing anymore.”

“...what about bigger problems like racism, poverty, and lack of access to education? Many churches focus on these issues at the global level, but problems like these are very present in Minneapolis…”

Boy, I know what she means. I’m going to try to respond and I’ll bet my response won’t be wholly satisfactory to anyone, including myself. So I’d love more people weighing in on this.

1. Yep, we do have to raise our voice as followers of God. The Bible consistently balances (if not trumps) the personal impact of faith with the societal impact of it. I do not think the societal (or political) is anymore important, but that God is highly suspicious of any manifestation of faith that doesn’t start reshaping the world around it.

2. Politics are dangerous in church. Here’s why. Not because we aren’t supposed to be political, but because politics tries to regroup us according to our stands on issues and stake its claim on us as its adherents. That isn’t the job of politics, that’s God’s job. Our only unwavering adherence should be to the gospel and its transforming power in us and through us. When church bodies (local, regional, national) have taken political stands on issues they have usually done it badly. They take votes that make losers and winners, dividing the unity of Christ. Losers either leave, alienated from the dialog that might have furthered understanding and growth; or they retreat until they can mount their forces to overthrow those who won last time.

3. One of the core values of Jacob’s Well is “We value unity and diversity. We focus on the mission that unites, rather than the details that divide.” How do we do that? It isn’t easy, but we already hold a large range of diversity in our community with almost no conflict. If we only do that by avoiding issues it is bankrupt, but I don’t believe that is the case. My vision is that the church is called to convict people with God’s desire for justice and compassion. The church has to be ‘prophetic’ about what the real issues are. The action, however, is a response of faith. It is individual and we are called to be tolerant of and engaged with each other despite our varied approaches. Face it, we never know for sure when we are right. It is the church’s place to say, “Racism is a problem. Here are some of the things the Bible says about it. Here are questions that we as people who carry Jesus’ cross with him are called to figure out and act on.” But it is not the church’s place to say, “This is the only right response to racism.” Or “This is the right stand on the issue of racism.”

4. I will freely admit that this is a growing area for me to learn how to walk the precarious edge of calling a community to action in the political/social sphere, but not endorse policies or candidates. We are trying to learn, however. We did a series (IMUR) some months ago working from Jesus’ “I am” statements in John’s gospel. Two weeks focused on local justice issues with expert guest speakers. One dealing with poverty and race issues in our neighborhood, and another with Muslim/Christian relationships. Two Muslim speakers helped me with deliver that message. This summer we did a series (Is God Green?) dealing with environmental issues and capped it off by having our worship one Sunday be actually working on projects that improved the environment. We gave everyone a dvd afterward with a message from me (and another for kids) to help interpret the experience. (If you want a copy of the dvd, let me know.)

5. We believe everyone should have a ministry within the church and a mission beyond it. That will be a goal for Jacob’s Well forever. That ‘mission beyond’ will be different for every person, but we will try to help everyone see that their voting, their voices to elected and appointed government officials, their volunteering, their influence over friends and neighbors, and their mere presence in the community should be understood as part of their mission.

Sorry for so long a response, but Jenna hit a hot button for me that I wrestle with a lot.

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Posted in church, discipleship, ethics, God, jacob's well, ministry, mission, precarious, Vision

UnFocused, UnConnected & UnCommitted

Posted on October 4, 2007 | 1 comment

Following on the discussion of people liking Jesus and not liking the church, my experience  is also that people consider themselves ‘spiritual,’  but not ‘religious.’   Spiritual is a good thing, religious is not.  I know what they mean and feel.  Spirituality is the raw experience, the relationship with that which we call God.  Religion is how we practice it.  Spirituality is the real thing, religion is the human-made construct we use to follow it.  Religion should always be subservient to the spirituality it is trying to nurture.  This relationship has a tendency to turn itself upsidedown, however.

The problem is that without ‘religion’ (i.e. some form of organized pattern of nurturing and sharing that which is spiritual) ‘spirituality’ suffers.  In fact what I find is that most people who consider themselves to be spiritual, but not religious have an UnFocused, UnConnected and UnCommitted spirituality.  And consequentially an immature spirituality.  Those 3 words are very important.

This provides a church with a lens through which to examine what it offers and what it seeks to accomplish.

  • Can we help people focus what they call spiritual?  While we have to make sure our God is big enough, we don’t benefit from approaching God like a buffet line.  “I’ll take a little of this and a little of that in my god.”
  • Likewise can we connect people together on their spiritual journeys?  We can’t do it alone.  We weren’t meant to.  We need to learn from and teach each other.  We need encouragement and accountability.
  • Can we offer meaningful, relevant commitment.  Not like becoming due paying members of a club, but we grow when we “run the race with perseverance that was set before us.” (Hebrews 12.1)  Contrary to what many people are saying, younger generations arenot unwilling to make commitments.  (I know a 26 year old who just took on a 40 year mortgage!)  They just want to make sure what they are committing to is worth their investment.  Commitment to spiritual growth makes it happen.

We are all spiritual beings, and finding focus, connection and experiencing the benefit of commitment to what we value above all other things is like a cool drink to a parched and thirsty life.

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Posted in church, discipleship, emerging church, Models of Ministry