146. A fitting poem to describe apostolic folks

I found this poem on Sam Metcalfs blog. (a great blog about the apostolic and missional issues.) Thought I would republish here. It is a nifty description of of the apostolic person and their experience in relation to institutional dynamics.

There’s a race of men that don’t fit in,
A race that can’t stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain’s crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don’t know how to rest. If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they’re always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: “Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!

Because apostolic people are intrinsically entrepreneurial, they often have a wanderlust of sorts. I have seen this very pattern in my own life, and in others. One of the people in scripture I relate to is Barnabas. As a Levite, he was tied to the Temple system, a system not so friendly to the entrepreneurial, pioneering types. It seems that Barnabas was an apostle in waiting. (Acts 14) and it took a genuine encounter with the gospel, and another apostle, Paul, to fully awaken this in him and legitimize it. Once this happened, it seemed that he was able to migrate away from the the institutional domain of the temple and venture out into the frontier.

I at one time was doing traditional ministry as a "pastor" and eventually discovered I was gifted apostolically. What a release! What an affirming experience to know you are not weird or a misfit. I was simply an apostle in a pastoral setting. Needless to say, it is not very conducive for a pioneer to be stuck at the settlement. It always makes me wonder how many apostolic folks out there think they some how do not fit in because they are stuck in a monolithic system that caters primarily to the settlers. Lets broaden the scope and recognize both pioneers and settlers. 

145. The Point of Leadership

This is a fabulous article by Tim Elmore on leadership. I am going to post it in full here. Enjoy!

Two Paradoxes Leaders Embrace
By Tim Elmore

Why do intelligent, emotionally healthy people need leaders? Wouldn’t you think that a group of fifteen people who are all reasonably smart could figure out the best direction to take without someone telling them?
On paper, this makes sense. It sounds great. It just doesn’t play out in life.
Think about leadership from a philosophical standpoint. People need leaders not because they are stupid. In fact, quite the opposite. It may be because all team members are brilliant that they need leaders. Historically, the primary need for leadership is to galvanize and steer. Leaders galvanize multiple minds and steer multiple gift sets into one, clear direction.
I remember being on a team several years ago. Everyone on the team was sharp; in fact, most of us had served in leadership roles in the past. We didn’t need a leader for information or inspiration. We all knew as much as our leader did. However, someone needed to step forward and furnish clarity. We needed one clear direction and we needed someone to determine how our talents best fit together. The team members didn’t lack ideas—our problem was we had too many of them. Our leader brought clarity and synthesis.
The first role a leader must embrace is to be the focal point for a season. This doesn’t mean that the cause is all about the leader. (It should never be about the leader.) It means this person must be alright being the point of focus at first to eradicate sideways energy. Someone has to help people say “no” to the many good things they could do, and “yes” to the one, best thing they could do. Even the most reserved, and quiet leaders must initially embrace this attention and prominence.
The journey doesn’t end there, however. If a person has led well, he or she arrives at a destination precisely opposite this initial role. Effective leaders eventually create momentum, then slip into the shadows. They stay out of the way of good talent and teamwork. To use a cliché, they work themselves out of a job. They eventually become unnecessary if they have done their job well. I think of Herb Brooks, the coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team. He had incredibly talented young players who desperately needed his strength and focus in the beginning. There was too much energy, and egos going too many directions. In the end, however, once the Americans had won the gold medal, he slipped into a hallway and sat on the floor. He said the moment was about the team, not him. In reality, it was about something even bigger than the team. That gold medal did something for the U.S. at the time. We defeated the invincible Soviet team. The cause was nationwide morale and hope. David had beaten Goliath. The cause should always be bigger than people.
So, leaders actually embrace two paradoxical ideas. First, they must be OK with being the prime focal point. Talent and intelligence need focus. In the end, they must embrace obscurity. They chuck their ego—and point everyone toward the bigger picture. This is a rare paradox—which makes it beautiful when it happens.
Tim

144. Launching Missional Communities: A Field Guide by Mike Breen and Alex Absalom

It was not too long ago I sat in a room with Mike Breen and Alan Hirsch for a weekend of discussion around things pertaining to mission. Needless to say, it was the beginning of a wonderful relationship with Mike and 3D Ministries.

Mike and Alex have recently come out with a book that, for all practical purposes, solves the riddle of what missional communities look like. It is not often I point to something and say "do it like that." I always have a certain suspicion of anyone trying to franchise or replicate a model that is obviously successful in one context, but has limited application in other contexts because of its contextual nature.

Yet this book, Launching Missional Communities: A Field Guide, is perhaps the first book I have seen on the missional front that has the potential to revolutionize the way we see missional communities in almost every Western context. This is no fad or buzz frenzy. Breen and Absalom have managed to package almost a lifetime of experimentation, learning and practice into a very accessible, "anyone can get it" kind of book about how to mobilize people for misisonal movement.

I will highlight three reasons why I think this book is a must read, and several points I think tag line the content of the book.

First, Breen is no rookie when it comes to missional communities. He has spent the last 20 years of his life experimenting, practicing, honing the art of missional communities. This book is the result of massive amounts of time, energy and collaboration centered around the practice of doing mission in and through community. The content in this book has been refined, over and over in real situations with real people, and culminating in real results.

Second, the content of this book has passed through the crucible of real churches, with real people, with real challenges to seeing missional communities take off. As such, the book has a real practicality to it. Theory is great to get the ball rolling, but eventually you need simple material from the front lines that is easy to understand by all. This book gives us exactly that.

Third, it is based on principles, not trendy fads and buzz frenzy rantings and ravings. The reason this book is such a jewel is that it is rooted in principles of discipleship and leadership, yet these principles were forged within a missional framework. Leading missional communities requires a certain kind of leadership and strategy, and thanks to Mike and Alex, they have formulated tried and true principles that are applicable no matter what your context.

Now, here are several jewels from the book that lead me to push this book on all the people I know.

1. Right expectations for the right size of community. They highlight the fact that different sized groups are designed to operate and produce different things. A lot of frustration in leadership comes from expecting a group of 12-15 to function and deliver results that only a group of 2-3 people, or 20-50 people can deliver. Knowing the different sizes and knowing how they contribute in their own unique way to the over all purposes of spiritual formation and mission helps bring synergy to the already existing group sizes in your community. 

2.  Small enough to have a shared vision, but bug enough to do something about it. This was extremely helpful for a lot of our people to catch on to the wisdom behind missional communities. The genius of having a group of 20-50 people who are all focused on the same network or neighborhood lies in the capacity to have enough human and even financial resources to make an impact in a certain people group or location. Yet those same communities have a small enough size of people that allows for focused passions to collaborate around a common vision. The challenge in mobilizing a larger community for mission is that the different giftings within the APEST typologies will all gravitate towards a different dimension and focus. Each gifting will end up going on mission in different ways. This is great! We do not need to fight this, but embrace it. By choosing to gather a smaller group of people around a particular mission focus, you are creating space for people to pursue specific, focused visions for mission, yet the vehicle used to pursue those specific mission focuses is large enough to create momentum and significant impact. With a group the size of 20-50 people, you get the best of both worlds.

3. Multiplication for the long haul. If you have ever been a part of a small group multiplying, you know how taxing it can be on all who are involved. Even if the first round is smooth, after the second multiplication, most people begin to shut down emotionally and relationally, questioning the rationale for building close relationships that will eventually get cut short by another multiplication. Breen and Absalom bring some needed wisdom here to the idea of multiplication. There experience, and mine too to be honest, is that after the third multiplication, people no longer buy in to the process of "splitting" the group up for the sake of mission. However, if the group being multiplied consists of 20-50 people, thinning the herd takes less of a toll on the entire group, allows momentum to stay in tact, and creates options for sending a new group out into another mission focus without arbitrarily shuffling people around based on clicks, or geography. Multiplication ends up taking place around a missional focus, not just logistical needs of gathering.

4. The book is extremely pragmatic, yet theologically grounded in the concepts of discipleship and mission. It walks you through the essential phases of launching a missional community in your church setting. Anyone wanting to go deeper into what it actually looks like to develop and mobilize missional communities is going to want to read this book. It will be a real breath of fresh air with tons of inspiration from other people who have already become practitioners of this approach to being on mission in and through community. This is not another program. It is a principles based strategy that easily applies across the board.

5. Lastly, if after reading it you are invigorated and want more, there is more!!!! 3D Ministries hosts what they call Tasters through out the year where you can bring a small group of people and spend time with Mike Breen and Steve Cockram to hear more about how to make missional communities work in your own setting. The cool thing about the Tasters are... THEY'RE FREE!!!! Go here to learn more about this amazing opportunity.

My only critique of the book is that it assumes your church is already a size of at least 70 people. Our group is about 20 people, with varying levels of participation and partnership through out. They do have a section on how to make it from a group of 12 to a group of twenty that was very helpful, but because of our situation here in Clarksville, I wish they would have devoted a little more space to groups like ours who are starting from scratch. That being said, the principles in the book apply across the board whether big or small. So it is still a win/win for anyone reading the book. Besides, you cant say everything and address every situation in a book. Thanks Mike and Alex for delivering this strategical text to the Western context!

143. Apostolic Ministry in the Urban Setting

As someone who spent over 5 years in the urban context doing church planting and prophetic/evangelistic ministry, I was so excited to hear about World Impact. The unique thing about World Impact is that they are suing the simple/organic model of disciple making and church planting in the urban context.

Not only are they pioneering this form of mission in the urban context here in the West, they are also pioneering a contextually based theological training school for people who can not afford to pay for the outrageous costs of a traditional theological education. Rock on!!!

Here is a short podcast from the Leadership Network interviewing one of World Impacts church planters, Bryan. He shares their success and some of their vision for World Impact. 

142. Terry Virgo talks about the difference between apostolic and missional.

Terry Virgo: "Apostolic" vs. "Missional" from Jubilee Church on Vimeo.

141. Prophets, Incarnational Ministry, and Bono

This interview between Bono and Bill Hybels is an excellent example of how someone gifted as a prophet gravitates towards incarnational forms of ministry. Prophets call out the gap and identify with the values and pathos of God. It is interesting to note what Bono's favorite verse is, along with hos language about being annoyed and feeling like it is his job to call attention to the deficiencies in the churches posture and actions towards the poor and aids victims. Bono is a high profile prophet, and while he would probably not describe himself as such, his prophetic gifting is running wild in his music, his ministry to the poor, and his voice to, and against, the church. 

140. Bricollage, Bricoleur's and apostolic ministry

I started a curbside recycling business about 3 years ago, and one of the items I collect on my routes is aluminum cans. It is the only item I am able to sell to a local vendor and make money from it. So, about every two weeks, I go to Jones Recycling, the local metal salvage shop and sell my aluminum. Well, there is a dude that works there named David, and he has this uncanny ability to make and craft new things out of used technology parts. He takes random electronics or computer parts and assembles them together to make something meaningful and useful. This is the latest work of art he has built. It is a "briefcase"  laptop/desktop computer.

There is a word that describes this kind of talent and mojo to work with whatever makes itself available and assemble seemingly unrelated components into meaningful expressions, tools, technology etc. The French call it bricollage, and it is where we get our word collage from. Some people have a knack for seeing unique combination's of existing materials within reach and make useful, valuable creations of them. Those who engage in this often undervalued practice of bricollage are called bricoleurs. It is somewhat similar to the concept of entrepreneur, but differs in that rather than exploiting and taking advantage of opportunities to make money, they exploit the inherent potential in existing objects and materials, and find new potential and value oin those objects by combining them with other materials. IT is so cool to know there is a word out there that describes something you are good at. David is a natural bricoleur, and if you are able to get in touch with him, he just might sell this elaborate, recycled piece of technology.

I cant help but make application here to apostolic ministry. When you start a new community form scratch, you are engaging in bricollage. The assembling of seemingly unrelated part into meaningful expressions is exactly what forming a new community around the gospel is about. Genuine apostolic ministry works with what is present, what makes itself available at the time and works towards helping those parts assemble and mobilize into meaningful expressions.

In order to engage in bricollage you have to see value in every part. It not only requires imagination, although this is essential to the art of bricollage. It also requires an eye for beauty and usefulness. Every person brings something to the table. A bricoleur is someone who is able to see that value and creatively merge it with other parts for collective meaning and action.

139. Michael Frost on what it means to be Missional

My good friend Nathan Capps sent this to me the other day and I just got around to watching it. It is quite motivational. Michael Frost unpacks what it means to be missional for him. I have to say though, as Michael has somewhat of a prophetic tone to his writings and gifting, his outlook on what it means to be missional is also flavored by a prophetic leaning. When I say prophetic, I mean that impulse that seeks to deepen our thoughts and actions in God, and thus leading us take on a very incarnational impulse. Either way, he hammers home the need for us to align ourselves with the missional God of scripture.

Here is his talk at Dallas Theological Seminary during the World Evangelization Conference.

138. Grading APEST Content

I have been doing some research on the topic of "vocabularies of organization" (an interesting topic, I highly recommend diving into it.). As usual, I ran across some related material that fascinated me. There is something called The Jaccard Metric that helps analyze similarities between data sets. Dats sets can include computer code, statistics, or...you guessed it....words and vocabularies. So for example, if you have a text, you can measure other texts by how similar or disimilar they are in terms of vocabulary, and even concepts. The Jaccard Metric helps you discover the "distance" between the documents. That is, it helps you gauge, or grade the semantic, linguistic or conceptual distance between the standard text and other chosen texts.

Well, as I was thinking the other day about the APEST ministry matrix, I was struck by the lack of literature available for the apostolic and prophetic functions. Then as I thought about it some more, I realized that the further you move back from the Teaching ministry, the less material you can find. In other words, there is a plethora of material out there about the teaching/preaching ministry, but when you move backwards from the Teacher gifting to the Shepherd/Pastor gifting, there seems to be a bit less. It gets even less when you move back to the evangelism category, and then it gets even worse with the prophetic and the apostolic. The apostolic is by far the most bankrupt of all the gifts when it comes to literature and material to explain it, train people, and explore the conceptual and pragmatic issues surrounding that kind of entrepreneurial, pioneering ministry. I diagram it like this.

The "distance", as Jaccard would phrase it, between the amount of literature available for the S-T vocations and the A-P functions is astounding. The deficit of material out there when it comes to the apostolic vocation is quite slim. How can we go for literally centuries and not have accumulated significant texts that dive into the apostolic function? It is really bizarre when you think about it. Any suggestions as to why this is the case? Let me hear from ya.

137. "Lost in the forest" .... Bruce Mau talks about entrepreneurship, design, innovation and changing the city

I just recently discovered Bruce Mau and boy, is he a gold mine for missional thinkers. He is especially pertinent to a missional-incarnational venture that enters in a new area with the gospel and is looking to make a difference. If I were in the business of being on mission and making a difference in the city, I would find everything this guy puts out there, and soak it up.



Are you lost or on a picnic????

136. "The Tyranny of Structure-lessness"

Since I am on a roll with the whole structure and organization piece, are several excerpts from a  chapter in controversial book, but insightful nonetheless about group dynamics and structure. The book Radical Feminism was written to bolster and guide the feminist movement. This particular social movement had some pretty strong reactions to hierarchy, authority and power. There are some pretty obvious parallels with some of the folks who gravitate towards a more organic, simple church environment. Jo Freeman, in her chapter "The Tyranny of Structurelessness" (download PDF copy here), while speaking specifically to the feminist movement, has some insightful things to say to those who are over reacting to organization and structure and go to an extreme of saying they do not want any organization or structure at all.

"If the movement is to move beyond these elementary stages [of structurelessness] it will have to disabuse itself of some of its prejudices about organization and structure." p. 286

"...the idea of structurelessness does not prevent the formation of informal structures, only formal ones...Thus 'structurelessness' becomes a way of masking power...As long as the structure of the group is informal, the rules of how decisions are made are known only to a few and awareness of power is curtailed to those who know the rules. Those who do not know the rules and are not chosen for initiation must remain in confusion." p. 286-287

"If the movement continues to deliberately not select who shall exercise power, it does not thereby abolish power. All it does is abdicate the right to demand that those who do exercise power and influence be responsible for it. If the movement continues to keep power as diffuse as possible because it knows it can not demand responsibility from those who have it, it does prevent any group or person from totally dominating. But it simultaneously insures that the movement is as ineffective as possible." p. 297

Those who have seen or experienced overly bureaucratized, authoritarian, or legalistic forms of organization and leadership need a time to detox and heal, but structure is neutral, not demonic.It is interesting that a refusal to put some level of structure in groups actually conceals the existing power relations in the group. Alliances form and people who are not included in the phone calls, the house visits and conversations that eventually contribute to the direction of the group are oblivious to the process of how the group is being shaped by people in the group. A formal process for making decisions, identifying people who make decisions helps hold those people accountable and also helps people know what the process is so they can either contribute to the process or opt out. Either way, putting the structure out there for people to see opens up the leadership t the group, but also allows people in the group to lead in healthy, accountable ways. The question is not whether or not you will have organization. The question is, will you operate off of purely informal structure or a blending of formal and informal. There are liabilities with each approach, but we have to know the liabilities if we are going to be able to negotiate them and avoid them when possible. We are all familiar with the liabilities of too much structure. But "structurelessness" is a myth. There will be structure. The question is, will it be formal or purely informal. To ensure everyone has the opportunity to exercise power, ironically, you need a formal structure, even though that very kind of structure can evolve in ways that disallow people to exercise power in the group. It is what Berg and Smith call a paradox.

It is interesting that Freeman notes that the thing that can pull a group out of this conundrum is adopting a task, or as we would say, a mission. Mission is the organizing principle of the church, which means you organize not for organization sake, but to accomplish the mission. If the structure impedes you from accomplishing the mission, you use another structure, or scale down on the existing one. Once again, mission comes to the fore as a healthy check on features that by themselves can become oppressive and paralyzing.

135 Three prophets weigh in on social justice, economics, politics and courage

I have to admit, I love Cornell West!!!! He is so well read and so insightful. But what I really love about him, is that he is so down to earth and in touch with reality. He may visit the ivory tower, but he is quick to jump out of that tower and redeploy his understanding towards the margins. These three people do exactly what prophets are supposed to do....provoke empathy for the margins, unveil unjust structures, and move us towards a hopeful imagination, and therefore actions. This video is quite a display of prophetic discourse.

Watch the full episode. See more Bill Moyers.

134. New Frontiers

I ran across this video from Levi's on you tube. It points us to the frontiers that are all around us.



It takes a missional impulse to move into the frontiers that are all around us. What is your frontier?

133. Thawing out the "organic freeze."

I know when we first transitioned into meeting in homes it was a bit awkward. We all had the weird feel going on because all of us were used to doing church the conventional way. One of things that developed over time was what I call the "organic freeze." This is when no one wants to take the initiative in the group for fear of being "the leader" or imposing their agenda on the group. That was a phase we all sort of unknowingly went through. In other words, we did not know we were going through it at the time, and it only is apparent in hind sight.

I have run a cross what I consider a goldmine of a book on group dynamics called Paradoxes of Group Life. This is just one of the jewels in the book as it relates to power in groups. "One develops power as one empowers others. Taking the power that is available and using it often creates a vacuum, because it is experienced as depriving others of a sacred commodity. As a result, power taking is resisted. Individuals often refuse to accept or exercise the power that is available to them in a group simply to avoid the accusation of having stolen it form someone else or having gained it at others expense. Yet the very avoidance of taking and using the available power makes individuals in a group, and ultimately the group as a whole, feel powerless. The feelings of powerlessness create an even greater wish for power, making it even harder for anyone to seize it, because the feeling of deprivation is correspondingly larger, and the resistance grows. On the other hand, if one takes the available power and uses it to empower others, the total amount of group and individual power increases. Taking power when it is dangerous to do so and then acting to empower others defuses the terror and breaks the cycle…So the work of those who have or create power is to create the conditions in which others can move toward their own empowerment." This is so valuable to people who are "frozen" in the organic mode of "no leadership equals no hierarchy." Power is a deep topic, but I think these guys shed some important light on the nature of group dynamics, leadership and taking the initiative. I have found that in groups where people have experienced spiritual abuse, heavy handed, authoritarian leadership styles, that going through a period of totally egalitarian interactions where no one has an agenda for the group and no one dares to impose any kind of structure can be a good thing. But staying in that mode is way too detrimental to the life of the group. If you are not careful, your time together as a group will end up looking like a Quaker meeting. Everyone being silent, looking at each other until someone is supposedly "prompted" by something or someone."

I healthy scripture to move a group in this phase is I Peter 4:10-11. 

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

132. Network Gatherings

We had another Network Gathering last night. Once a month both of our house churches come together to meet as a larger group. We talked a while back about what we thought those larger gatherings should facilitate. Here is a list of things we came up with.

1. Social Networking: Because we gather typically as groups of 8-15 weekly, we need that larger social time to hang out and socialize. A group of 8-15 people does not have enough "resources" to address every need in the community.
2. Comradery: Getting together in a larger setting gives you the feeling that you are part of something bigger, that you are not alone in this.
3. Cross Pollinating: We need to be exposed to what is going on in the other house church(es) so we can learn from them and their journeys.
4. Synergy: Sort of like comradery, but we can feed off each others highs and momentum. It is sort the transfer of energy between us. This will most often happens when we tell stories of what God is doing in us and our house churches.
5. Momentum: This is sort of like synergy, but momentum is really a product of synergy. When you feel energized, it gives you the capacity to move forward at a greater speed and force than before.
6. Celebration: We like to sing as a larger community, and singing in a group of 12 sometimes just isn't an uplifting experience.
7. Raising Vision: Casting Vision is a time when we raise our awareness of what God can do through us. Not necessarily trying to get people to follow a particular pathway or do a particular ministry, but more fundamental, but raising our awareness of God presence, his power, and his provision.


Grant did an awesome job of challenging us to make "God room" and look to do things that could only happen if God was a part of it. This led into a discussion of faith, uncertainty, trust and confidence. We all listened to a song by the old school group, A Capella that sang Ephesians 3:20-21. It was stirring for me as I thought about how God has done so many amazing things in my life personally, and in the lives of people and churches that I have been around. He is the God of the now, the present, and his power is available to us.

The cool thing was we all wrote down some things we would like to see God do through us and our church in the city here. It was so cool to hear what was stirring around in every ones hearts. This was a mile marker for us I think because we put things out on the table that we are basically feeling called to do. We all speak out of our giftings and passions, so while we were talking about this kind of thing, I got to see a little deeper into the giftings that are present in each of the people who shared.

We capped it off by watching a video with the song "God of this city" playing in the back ground Grant went around town and took pictures of peoples houses in the group, their street signs, starbucks, the public square, APSU etc. It raised my vision and reminded me that God can use anyone, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Do not despise the day of small beginnings. Here is the song.

131. Discipleship and the Fourth Generation Part 3

This is Part 3 of....you guessed it, a 3 part post on Discipleship and the Fourth Generation. (Part 1, Part 2)The 4th generation is in the Great Commission too, but it is cloaked. It is contained a sort of circular flow of returning to Jesus as the archetypal paradigm and authority for discipleship.Jesus is the 1st generation, the eleven disciples are the 2nd generation. The 3rd Generation is the Nations(ethnic groups), The key to the fourth generation in the great commission is in the phrase "teaching THEM to obey all things I have commanded you." The 4th Generation is the disciples that will be made from those disciples in the different ethnic groups. If the 12 are to teach their disciples to do all things Jesus commanded the 12 to do, this will include the command to go and make disciples. So the 12 are commanded to go and make disciples, then those disciples are taught to do what the 12 do, which is to make disciples, and that is the fourth generation. It is a bit circular, so here is a diagram to help you out.

130. Discipleship and the Fourth Generation Part 2

This is Part 2 of a three part post on Discipleship and the Fourth Generation. (Part 1, Part 3)As I was reading today in John, I noticed Jesus using the concept of the 4th generation in John 17:20-21 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Jesus uses the 4th generation concept. I guess it would make sense to see it in Jesus first, then in his disciples, but I never hear it from this angle. It is always 2 Tim 2:2. Pretty cool eh? Paul is not the only one to use the 4th generation principle. Maybe he gets it from Jesus via Peter and James Gal 1:18-19, or direct revelation, or apostolic intuition???? Either way you spin it, Jesus had a global vision, a multiplication movement strategy with the 12. It is not just a Paul thing.

129. Discipleship and the Fourth Generation Part 1

This is the first of a three part series on Discipleship and the Fourth Generation. (Part 2, Part 3)I sat around recently and doodled in my moleskine about the concept of the fourth generation discussed in II Timothy 2:2. Paul mentions 4 generations there.

As I reflected on what makes a fourth generation of disciples possible, I became increasingly aware why the fourth generation is considered by most people to be the true test of whether you have a movement taking place. The crux of a movement is exactly that, movement. However, you can see movement in the relationship between the first and second generation. There is undoubtedly movement taking place between Paul and Timothy. however, the goal is an exponential movement, that is, movement that keeps going. Sustainable movement that is able to keep going beyond the first generation and second generation.

It is tempting to think the third generation is a sign of movement, but the third generation is deceiving for a couple reasons.

1. The first generation can still have a hand in influencing the third generation by triangulating the relationship. The first generation can influence the third generation by influencing the second generation. In this sense, the third generation is still in the orbit of the first generation, which means that movement has not really spread beyond the first generation yet. Functionally, the third generation can still be dependent on the first generation's leadership and influence. The second generation is essentially the middle man at this phase of multiplication.

2. The second generation disciple can be a charismatic person, which means they can easily gather a group of people around them. Discipleship is taking place, but it is not necessarily because the first generation has made a disciple that will be able to make another disciple, who will be able to make another disciple. If I disciple a charismatic person, they will eventually attract someone to themselves and disciple them. The discipleship process will be contained in the third generation and go no further.

 

The true test is whether the people who are being discipled by that charismatic person are able to make disciples as well. Its true that a charismatic person can attract another charismatic person, and the chain reaction can go on and on. This is why Paultells Timothy to commit what he has hear from him to faithful "men" (anthropos in the Greek signifying male and female), plural, more than one person.

The fourth generation disciple is a sign that a multiplication movement is taking place because the first generation has no direct hand in the fourth generation. It implies the second or third generation has developed the capacity to make disciples as well. There are two degrees of separation between he first and the second, thus pointing to the quality and effectiveness of the disciple making taking place among and between the second and third generation. To put it another way, the first disciple can make disciples who make disciples. But the real test is whether or not that second disciple can make disciples that make disciples. Because of the triangulation factor or the charismatic factor, the fourth generation is the acid test of whether or not there is a multiplication movement taking place. True imitation takes place when the second disciple is able to imitate the process of making a disciple that makes a disciple. So in essence, what we have is a second generation disciple making third generation disciples, and the process keeps going.

What this points us to is the critical dynamics of the initial discipling relationship. The quality, simplicity, sticky-ness, and reproducibility of the process, content and relationship of this initial relationship is what sets the DNA of a multiplication movement. If discipleship is about imitation, then the initial relationship is crucial to the potential for a multiplication movement to happen. 


It is interesting that Paul tells Timothy to transfer the things he has heard Paul say in front of many witnesses. In other words, the stuff that is to be transmitted is stuff that was originally shared in a larger setting with many people. Timothy is to pass on the things that Paul spoke in front of many witnesses. This implies that the content of what Paul said was able to be absorbed by many people. It was not esoteric or lofty. It was , Reproducible, Sticky and Simple, what we call here at Ikon a RSS Feed. The process and the content of your strategy for discipleship needs have these three qualities. Other wise, it will not be able to travel to the fourth generation.

Movement is not the same as multiplication. A multiplication movement is what Paul is aiming at in II Timothy 2:2. The capacity to make three generations of disciples is exceptional indeed, but you want the second generation to be able to imitate this process, and you want them to imitate it in a way that their disciples can imitate it as well. We at Ikon are using the tools and processes of 3DM to help us build a discipling culture. You might want to check them out. They have over 20 years experience in using tools that are reproducible, sticky and simple. Most of all, they have a lot of wisdom as to the process of making disciples as well.

128. Discipleship and II Timothy 2:1-2

The concept of the fourth generation in disciple making is a simple, yet profound principle. It is one of those ideas that is often passed over because of its relative simplicity. But the texts that teach us about the concept of the fourth generation have a lot of meat nestled within them. The most classic text on the concept of the fourth generation is II Timothy 2:1-2. 

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 

Before we get into the mechanics of disciple making and the fourth generation, I think it is important to notice that Paul leads into the concept of disciple making by encouraging Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. This is a critical point to digest because when you start talking about training people to be followers of Jesus Christ, or even use the word discipleship in some circles, it can sometimes conjure up experiences of spiritual abuse, control and manipulation, or just flat out driven personalities who see the concept of multiplication as a way to increase their bragging rights on how much they have been able to "produce" through their discipling efforts. Paul leads into a discussion about disciple making with a word on grace because disciple making is has to be rooted in a healthy understanding of our role in the disciple making process. We do not produce fruit in other people, we do not transform them, we are not the source. the grace of Jesus Christ is the transforming power, we are merely the conduit, the sign and the one who points to the source of power. We are merely a beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.

This has real implications for discipling relationships and the way we disciple people. When we are weak on grace, we are hard on people. Steve Cockrham with 3DM is fond of saying that you have to calibrate "invitation and challenge" in the discipleship process. This means you have to invite people into relationship, a process that gives them the tools to do what you are challenging them to do. From a theological standpoint, this means modeling the invitation that God gives us through Jesus to enter into Covenant with him to those we are discipling. This is a grace filled invitation that is filled with patience, forgiveness and love. The dynamic of challenge is a part of the equation, but it is in tandem and commensurate with the level of grace and invitation we extend to those we are discipling.

Richard Rohr says that whatever doesn't get transformed, gets transmitted. If discipleship is primarily about imitation, then our capacity to internalize and demonstrate the grace of Jesus Christ in our own lives first will go a long way in shaping the kind of discipling culture you will build through your discipling relationships.

127. Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll, Josh Harris and APEST

What's Next for Francis Chan? A Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris from Ben Peays on Vimeo.

I don't usually blog about high profile people, but I couldn't help but put my two cents in on this one. I heard about this discussion between Driscoll, Chan and Harris a while back, but I just stumbled on it tonight on the internet. As I listened to Chan, I resonated with several things he said about the poor, suffering, being motivated by love....but I also heard Driscoll looking for some balance in approach to poverty vs. wealth, simplicity vs. complexity etc. What seemed odd to me is that they both looked on what Chan was doing as though it was sort of ....odd.

There is a deeper, underlying impulse going on here that I think could bring clarity to the pathway Francis Chan has chosen. After spending a significant amount of time studying Ephesians 4, I have come to the conclusion that everyone is gifted with all five of the APEST giftings, but each person has each of these giftings in different measures. That is, each person has a primary, secondary tertiary etc. In my opinion, after hearing Francis Chan speak and reading some of his writings, Chan is gifted as a prophet, with some obvious teaching gifting thrown in the mix. I don't know the guy well enough to know which is primary and which is secondary etc., but it is clear that he is extremely God focused, he calls people to a higher standard, he energizes the community and often talks about his experiences of encountering God in dramatic ways. He is unique in this way, but not so unique that he is all by himself. There are countless other people in the body who have this same thing going on, they just do not share the same platform and exposure as Chan.

When Harris started the session, he responded to a comment Driscoll made by saying "It the whole King dynamic." This is, I assume, he is describing Driscoll from the typology that I have heard Driscoll use of describing leaders with the one of the metaphors of Prophet, Priest or King. Honestly, I struggle with this because the way I have heard it explained, it sounds like a recycled version of the "E-Myth" book. It sounds good at first (to some), but for me it just muddies the waters at precisely the point we need clarity on functions in the body. It is short and sweet, but Jesus did not give the church a three-fold ministry, he gave it a five-fold ministry.

We have a five-fold description of the functions people play in the body in Ephesians 4. If we would stick with the scriptural template of APEST, then it wouldn't be so bizarre that Chan is distancing himself from the established community and diving into a highly incarnational form of ministry. He is a prophet, and this is one of the things prophets do naturally. They help the church become incarnational by incarnating the values of God in tangible, concrete, often dramatic ways. If we understood the Ephesians 4 ministry matrix, we would be able to see how natural it is for Chan to be going in this direction, and instead of questioning the trajectory of his ministry and trying to some how align it with other well traveled trajectories, we can celebrate it and learn from it, be inspired by it and empower it.

This interview is a classic case where a thorough understanding of APEST would helps us appreciate and affirm what we see happening in a high profile, obviously very prophetic teacher, in stead of scratching heads and thinking something is amiss. What is amiss, I would say, is that the church had a very limited leadership structure for Chan to occupy....pastor/teacher....and all this time, in Chans own words...he knew something wasn't right. Its not that the whole church isn't right. What isn't right is the narrow, pastor/teacher leadership structure that forces prophets like Chan into a one size fits all mold of preaching to the established church instead being on the frontier and doing what they do best in the frontier. Praise God Chan has the courage to step out and follow the calling and gifting that Jesus gave him when He ascended on high and gave gifts to men. Chan is modeling to us that we have to have integrity in our gifting and calling. He is an inspiration and encouragement to me, as I too had to leave the pastor/teacher monarchy and move out into the frontier to follow my calling to function apostolically. (Although, it would be nice to do that with the same access to resources that Chan has. Just being honest =)

I am doing some writing with Alan Hirsch and Mike Breen on this very topic of APEST and we hope to broaden the churches vision of the inherent, Jesus-given giftings in the body that provide the focus and trajectories for ministry expressions. It is my hope that this material will help alleviate some of the confusion and contention that naturally surfaces when we try to retro-fit an existing five-fold dynamic in the body into a two-fold leadership/organizational/ministry structure.