We never got around to asking Lynne and Jeff what (about their leadership) helped make authentic disciples, but it was nonetheless obvious to me. It is their passion, vision, and authenticity. They also don’t seem to mind “the mess” that comes as you try to steer a big ship in a new direction. Several times Jeff mentioned “tension” and “stirring the pot” as positive, but inevitable, results of missional movement.
Jeff also mentioned that in order to be missional, “invitational” versus “outreach” will always be in tension. One has to drive the other. He and Lynne talked about the importance of being on mission with God—to go where God is working and join him. At the core of a missional church is the heartbeat of outreach to the community and world.
Noting that churches have personalities, Lynne discussed the importance of a church being able to identify its unique call of God. She couldn’t talk long about her ministry without talking about her spiritual journey in which, even though she grew up in a wonderful Christian community, she somehow missed the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit and understanding that the Bible is not simply a book with moral applications. It is an epic story—not about “me”, but rather about God’s love for the nations. She asked, “Do you know the ending to the familiar passage of ‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10)? It’s, ‘I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’”
God’s people are to reflect God among the nations. We are blessed to be a blessing. Lynne and Jeff said the church is being the church, the New Testament church, in countries like China, India, and Northern Algeria.
It was amazing to me how non-defensive and perceptive they were about the question of what is not working—ministry staff running programs as opposed to creating environments that are reproducible in which disciples are formed.
Jeff concluded the conversation by saying that being “incarnational” is a lot of what we had been talking about. I came away from our talk over lunch amazed at how gifted, passionate, and different the various discipleship pastors we have interviewed are. Context makes a difference. That “incarnational” thread was picked up the next day in a conversation with Karen Ward of Church of the Apostles in Seattle—30 miles apart, but a totally different context. That conversation is for another day.