Christianity
The Intentional Church: Moving from Church Success to Community Transformation, by Randy Pope
Of all the different kinds of Christianity-related books that I try and read, practical works on how to do ministry are the hardest going for me. The Intentional Church, by Randy Pope (pastor of the very large Perimeter PCA in suburban Atlanta), is one of those books.
These ministry books, including The Intentional Church, produce two reactions in me. One is that of pride. From its hokey acronyms that encapsulate church business principles (SMART goals = Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time Bound!) to its PowerPoint-tested diagrams (inner circle = core group, outer circle = not core group!), The Intentional Church is so how-to-sy, homespun, and “easy steps”-oriented that when I put it down, my hands smelled like polyester. It also contains more sports illustrations and analogies than I’ll use in my entire lifetime of preaching; I learned many things about SEC football that I now can’t see myself living without.
On the other hand, if I’m honest with myself, I’ll recognize that this prideful response is not only arrogant in the extreme but also a defense mechanism against suspicions of my own inadequacy as a pastor. On every page I see things that I should but doing but am not, and guilt congeals. If what he’s written is true, Randy Pope is a better, more effective pastor than I am, and it’s easier for me to make fun of The Intentional Church than try to learn from it.
Both of these reactions, of course, operate outside of grace. Grace tells me that anything I possess is a gift and that I therefore should never feel superior to anyone. Grace also reminds me that my standing as a Christian and as a man will never be dependent on my success or failure as a pastor. Jesus, who was high, became low, so that I who am low would be brought high. With Pope’s book, then, for whatever doesn’t “fit” me or Providence I can glance over, and for whatever does, I can seek growth by grace.
So, The Intentional Church gave me the opportunity to do lots of good spiritual wrestling completely unrelated to the topics covered in the book. (Life is complicated.) As for the actual contents of The Intentional Church, Pope weaves his own story of planting and growing Perimeter into lessons and principles that he’s learned and used along the way. Much of the book is pretty commonsensical, but churches and pastors (including myself) can get so swallowed up by urgent activities that we operate by crisis mode rather than with practical and sound goals. It’s certainly good advice that I know what I’m trying to do and why I’m doing it, and Pope has brought into focus things both in my heart and in my work week that need tweaking. In addition, this Fall, the elders are going to be doing a review of our vision, mission, values, and strategy. The Intentional Church has given me some tools hopefully to enhance that discussion and yield good results.
I won’t detail the different things that Pope encourages, but a drumbeat throughout the book is that church members must be not only encouraged but also trained and given opportunities to engage in mission. Churches that are lacking in mission are both unhealthy and unbiblical:
The truth is that the greatest way to neglect the needs of God’s people is to put them in a church that fails to function as a mission. The healthiest environment for nurture and discipleship is that of mission. Otherwise, nurture and discipleship become ends rather than means to accomplish God’s greater purposes. Unless the twin priorities of “home” and “mission” receive appropriate attention, the church functions without a healthy balance.
A good word. Are we doing that at Providence?
General disclaimer: I’ve been reluctant over the last couple of years to start a blog, because I’ve thought to myself that I’d have trouble figuring out things to say, or spend too much time trying to fill a blogospace. But, it seems that one thing I could do would be to keep track of books that I’ve read (plus music), jot down a paragraph about each, and post everything online.
I hope that this list is helpful to people both to give some ideas about what to read (and what not to read), and also to open a window into how I personally process through books and consider issues related to Christ and culture. (In addition, I won’t try to write anything particularly controversial, but I offer these words just as one man’s perspective and maybe some food for thought for others. These aren’t ex cathedra pronouncements that bind anyone into agreeing with me.)