A New Reformation - Releasing God's People.

A new reformation is upon us. And as Rick Warren suggests, its a reformation of deeds. If we could find a way to turn an audience into an army, consumers into contributors, spectators into participants it will change the world…it’s time to stop debating and start doing…it’s time for the church to be known for love and not legalism…for the church to be known by what we are for rather than what we are against…it’s time for the church to be the church!!!

The first Reformation was about freeing the church. The new Reformation is about freeing God’s people from the church (the institution). The original Reformation decentralized the church. The new Reformation decentralizes ministry. The new Reformation is moving the church closer to the world. The new Reformation is distinguishing followers of Jesus from religious people.

Where do you need to experience freedom to go and be? Where has the institutional church seemed to bog down or hold you back? Are you moving closer to the world? Maybe you've identified yourself as "christian", but can you identify yourself as a follower of the way?

People outside the church bubble are not waking up on Sunday morning hoping to find a church they can help make successful.

This is such a simple and profound idea that it blows the mind. Why do we fool ourselves into such nonsense? I hope for people to begin to connect with people, not people connecting to an organization. What would it look like for the church to spend time and energy serving those not in church on Sunday morning? What if we measured the size of our churches by the number of people in our community that we are engaging and serving? For example, Mars Hill could have a church of 32,000 inner-city kids and teens that are represented in our community. Let's spend time and energy going and serving them and their families.

Wrong Question #3: How Do We Turn Members Into Ministers?

Tough Question #3: How Do We Turn Member Into Missionaries?

How do we deploy more missionaries into community transformation? This will require that we not only release ministry but that we also release church members.

To be a christian, a follower of Jesus, a person of the way is to be a sent one. So, to stay is not to follow. Jesus is on the move. Will we go? Will you follow? Where is he already at work among us?

If you are a church leader, be aware that when you head down this road toward developing a missionary force, you are going to do some significant soul-searching and ministry reprioritization. You are going to be challenged not only to release ministry, you are also going to be challenged to release members from churchianity, to quit gauging their spiritual maturity by how much they "support the church."

Let's not self-protect and self-preserve our position, power or profession at the expense of the world and the kingdom breaking in and through. Lead by letting go, giving away, resourcing, inspiring, encouraging, equipping, etc.

This is what life in the church bubble can do to you. It shrink wraps your vision down to the size of your church.

Let's dream big dreams. Be faithful with small. Act where we are. Here. Now.

An honest search for God today would lead the church back into the world.

Maybe this is why Jesus said the poor would always be among us, so that we would go to them and in doing so enter into the kingdom and find God. We ask, "Where are you, God?" God asks, "Where are you?" We invite God to come into our midst, our church services, our meetings. God invites us to join him in the forgotten places among forgotten people.

The problem is that when people come to church, expecting to find God, they often encounter a religious club holding a meeting where God is conspicuously absent.

God be with us and let us be with God.

Create a culture informed by missiology and create venues where people can practice being missionaries. The key is to have a practice of saying “yes” to people’s ideas about ways to be on mission.

I want the culture of our church to be freedom - to say yes, find away, make a way, remove the barriers, etc. AND a culture of passion - where people are chasing their dreams and fulfilling what God has put in their heart to do and be.

Adopting a missionary approach will require changing the scorecard. Until we start making heroes of people who decide to be and act like missionaries, we will fail to turn club members into missionaries.

Be a hero of the faith today. Be the church to somebody.