Last week I was in a room discussing established church
structures and change. The meeting was in another state. These were good discussions
that could result in some very revolutionary influence. I was the “purist”
organic church leader in the meetings; at least that is how others described
me.
As we continued the discussion, they mentioned that some
degree of oversight is necessary and that if we let it all go without any
leadership it will fall apart. That is a common concern and often the reason
(or excuse) people use to enforce some leadership oversight and accountability.
My response is that it will not fall apart if a healthy DNA is intact and Jesus
is indeed the one who is leading. The fear is that people will not be motivated
to continue on without leaders holding them to it. There is also a fear that
they will compromise truth if there is not some degree of leadership looking in
on them to make sure that they don’t.
I said, as I often do, that we can in fact trust Jesus to
lead. If the goal is a movement that spreads beyond driving distance to your
church and beyond your eulogy we must trust that people with Jesus will carry it
forward without us. I asked if it was at all possible for people to carry the
life force of the church forward without someone looking over their shoulder?
Everyone smiled and obliged my rant and we went on. That was
a fairly typical discussion for me. I understand that people are all in a
process and I no longer expect everyone to have the same way of thinking
immediately.
Later
that evening something remarkable occurred. We all went out to dinner and went back to the host’s home for cake,
coffee and conversation. He had two sons in their early twenties who joined us as
well as one of their best friends. All three young men went to different
universities and were part of different church ministries near their schools. Because
of the holidays everyone was back together and enjoying this discussion with
some “famous” Christian authors in comfy sofas around a fireplace.
As we were talking it became clear that all three of the
young men were involved in Life Transformation Groups (LTGs) even though they
were at different churches and universities. The boys had no idea that I had
been the one who innovated the strategy many years ago. When they found out it
was quite a surprise. I love it when that happens.
An LTG is a simple way of being and making disciples that
needs no oversight or tracking. It is two or three people meeting weekly in a
gender specific group. They commit to do three things together: read the same
portion of Scripture repetitively during the week, confess sins to one another
when they meet using some character conversation questions, and pray for the
souls of friends that need to know Jesus. It is simple, non-hierarchical and
establishes a healthy DNA in the smallest unit of life in the church. It is a
group that doesn’t need a leader, because everyone is benefiting from the
group and the accountability is mutual. Each disciple is responsible to hear God’s
voice in the Scripture and to be vulnerable, authentic and transparent in
relationship to one another and to keep the needs of hurting people around them
foremost in their hearts and minds. I’ve been doing this for 20 years and still
value it for my own spiritual life. I don’t do it to just make better disciples
but to be a better disciple. [You can read more about LTGs in my book Cultivating a Life for God or Ordinary Hero).
You couldn’t have orchestrated a better way
to demonstrate that we can trust the DNA and let Jesus lead in a movement that
spreads far away from the source and yet maintains a pure DNA. These young men
were far removed from the original source that created the LTG system,
nevertheless it still held together and it still worked. They had no idea where
it came from or who developed the idea, and didn’t need to know. The evening
meeting had something to say to the one earlier in the day.
The very man who sketched the potentially hierarchical diagram was the one who made the observation later that evening about the LTG and its author to the young men. I didn't need to connect the dots because the One who actually leads such meetings had already done so.
The very man who sketched the potentially hierarchical diagram was the one who made the observation later that evening about the LTG and its author to the young men. I didn't need to connect the dots because the One who actually leads such meetings had already done so.
Is it feasible that we can trust Jesus to speak to us
directly in his church? Can the Head be the director of the body? I believe it
is not just possible but preferable. I have seen it work spreading many
generations removed. I’ve even had people try to convince me that LTGs are great
and that I should try it, with no clue that I originated the idea. I love
that! It requires that we not get credit or have our own control of everything.
It also requires that we not get rich in the process. But I believe the rewards of
such a movement are far greater than fame or fortune.
I could never have been able to provide leadership and
oversight so far removed, but Jesus is capable, and He has done it. Trust him. In
fact, trust him more than you trust yourself. He will not disappoint you.
Note: This blog post is dedicated to my friend and co-laborer Jim Rutz who recently went to be with our Lord. He was a pioneer in Open Church meetings and he will be missed.
Note: This blog post is dedicated to my friend and co-laborer Jim Rutz who recently went to be with our Lord. He was a pioneer in Open Church meetings and he will be missed.
