Church - What’s the Point?

let’s pray

Father, we’re kicking off a new year of ministry

today I want to share my heart with these people

I want to spell out where I sense you’re leading me

I know that I’m incredibly excited about the future direction of Richview Baptist Church

but I pray today that it would not be me speaking

I pray that your Spirit’s voice would be heard by every person in this auditorium

I pray this in the name of the Head of the Church – the one who died to make us holy

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

I want to begin this morning by asking you a question

if I were to ask you the purpose of Richview Baptist Church, what would it be?

I’m sure that if we held a survey this morning of every single person here, we would come up with a wide variety of answers

in fact, I’d like you to watch what happened when some people were asked this very question while leaving another church

[show video clip of people being interviewed as they leave church; everyone has a different answer on the purpose of the church]

I think that you could safely say that there is a lack of clarity surrounding purpose in most churches today

I need to begin by apologizing to you

over the summer and during my study break, I became convicted about this, and while I believe there are some mitigating factors, I still believe I need to apologize

I need to apologize for not sounding a clear trumpet for the church

I need to apologize for not clearly communicating our vision and purpose as a church

for not casting vision as courageously and as clearly as I should have

I know that I was new at the church; I know that I had to get a sense of where things were at; I know that there are others in leadership besides me

but as the point man of this church, I need to stand up and say that I have not put our vision as a church in front of you as clearly as I should have

but that’s going to change

and it’s going to begin this morning as we ask ourselves the question, "Church – what’s the point?"

a pastor was flying out of an airport one day

as he did, he saw two children playing – or at least he thought they were playing

one chased the other, until he finally caught the other one

and as they began to wrestle, the boy on top began to pound the other boy’s head into the hard airport floor

I forget how the story ended, but the pastor left shaken

what is going to help two kids like that?

is government the hope of the world? can government pass laws that will change the heart of a kid pounding somebody else into the pavement?

is school the answer? as important as education is, is education the answer?

are social agencies going to make the difference?

the pastor walked away from that scene realizing that the church is the hope of the world

only a church functioning at a high level and courageously living out its mission to reach lost people for Jesus Christ, operating in the power of the Holy Spirit – only a church like that can make a difference in the lives of men and women and boys and girls

the church is the hope of the world

over the summer I’ve been convicted about our calling

I’ve been convicted that we need to take steps to be the kind of church that’s going to reach lost people for Jesus Christ

let me make three promises to you this morning:

MY FIRST PROMISE: WE WILL BE CRYSTAL CLEAR IN COMMUNICATING OUR VISION

up until now, we have not been clear in communicating why we exist as a church

we have not championed why we even exist as a church

for some time, we’ve been wrestling with how best to express why we exist

we have S.W.O.R.D. – the five purposes of our church, that we’re going to cover over the next five weeks

but those our methods

why do we even exist as a church?

and we’ve come up with this summary statement

it’s not fully original, but it best expresses why we’re even here as a church

it’s based on the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28

(Matthew 28:18 NLT) Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.

(Matthew 28:19 NLT) Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

(Matthew 28:20 NLT) Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

based on this, "Our mission is to lead all people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ"

let me break this down

our mission is to lead who? all people

it means unbelievers and it means believers

the Bible tells us that God wants all people to be saved

and so we are going to target those who don’t know Christ

we’re going to be very aggressive evangelistically in this church

but we’re also going to target the believer

God’s desire is that you would be discipled – that you would grow up to be fully committed and fully obedient to Jesus Christ

we’re going to target all people

and what’s our goal? to lead all people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ

Christ’s goal for each of us is that we would be fully obedient to all the commands he’s given us

the church’s job is to take all people – saved and unsaved – to bring them to Christ, and then to lead them to spiritual maturity and full devotion to Jesus Christ

that’s our reasons for existing as a church

and we’re going to be crystal-clear in communicating it

we’re going to say it over and over again in different ways

but it’s a non-negotiable

it’s a stake in the ground

it’s our reason for existing

MY SECOND PROMISE: WE WILL BE WISE IN TRANSITIONING

this past Tuesday night at the concert of prayer, I was incredibly moved by the prayers of one person who prayed

she has been affected by a recent tough decision that was made by the board – a decision that I wasn’t directly involved with, and yet a decision that has affected and even hurt her and others

and as she prayed, she broke down as she prayed for the leadership of the church

she prayed for me, for Pastor Ed, for Peter, and for Sandy

she prayed that God would give us wisdom as we make decisions

she prayed that nothing would be done outside of God’s will

and she prayed that the church would follow the leadership of those God has brought to the church

as I listened to her tearful prayer, I was reminded again of the level of wisdom and sensitivity we will need in the coming year as we begin to communicate and live our vision

John Kotter, author of Harvard Business School’s Leading Change, writes, "Major change [in an organization] will not happen easily for a long list of reasons"

a pastor of a church in Florida (Dan Southerland) writes in his book Transitioning

"You must go slow if you want to stay long…If you are not willing to go slow, don’t change"

Doug Murren, who pastored a church in Seattle for many years, said, "The reason 99 out of 100 churches that try to make major transitions fail is that they go too fast"

in his parable of the house that was built on the sand and the house that was built on a rock, found in Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus taught us the wisdom of building a solid foundation

"If you rush the preparation process for vision, you will end up with a shaky foundation. Chances are that your vision will not stand when the storms come against it" (Dan Southerland)

I hope that you know me by now

I hope that you realize I’m not going to come in with guns blazing and an agenda to change everything in a week

I’m not saying that we’ll never make mistakes as leaders – or that we haven’t already made mistakes

but I’m telling you this: we’re going to go slow, and we’re going to do our best to get it right

in fact, this fall my primary task will be communicating – communicating our current situation; communicating why we need to change; inviting your feedback

I will not be setting the future direction of the church in an authoritarian manner

I know that at times decisions will be made that are not popular

I know that it is my responsibility to lead

but we will involve you in helping us set a strategy for the future of the ministry here at Richview

friends, my desire is not to alienate any particular age group or any particular person

for the seniors who might be a little nervous, we will never set out to disenfranchise those who have spent forty years building this church

you mean too much to us

but I’ll tell you something else

we’re not a healthy church in every area

50,000 people live within two kilometers of this church – 50,000!

to use even the most optimistic outlook, there are over 45,000 people within two kilometers of where you’re sitting who don’t know Jesus Christ as Savior

they do not have eternal life

how many of these people are we currently reaching

do we have the option of not living out our vision?

one day we are going to stand before God and give account for what we did as a church to reach the lost in our area

I’ll tell you: you can argue about preferences, you can argue about how to do things

but you can’t argue with the fact that we need to become a healthier church and that we need to reach the lost around the world, but also in this area

Amen?

but at the same time we will be wise in transitioning

we will aim to be strong-minded and yet tender-hearted

let me give you a roadmap

this past month, I have met with key leaders in the church to spell out where I see our church going

as I have met with each of the leaders, I have told them, "I don’t have a word from God from Mount Sinai. What I’m telling you is open to change. But what isn’t negotiable is the fact that our church needs to move to become a healthier church"

within a month, I will expand the circle of leadership and meet with about thirty or forty leaders in a variety of ministries

once again I will share with them about our current situation, and about what our future is

within about three months, we will have a dessert night as a church

someone will give their testimony on "Why I love my church"

I will begin to share with the entire church about our current situation, and our need for change

I will unfold to you how I want you to be a part of deciding Richview’s future

I will not be dictating decisions; instead, I will be asking you to become part of Richview’s future

my primary task this fall will be summarized in one word: communication

and we will do so with all the wisdom and sensitivity that God will give us

and we ask for your prayers

MY THIRD PROMISE: WE WILL BE COURAGEOUS IN LIVING OUR VISION

there will be a cost involved

but I’m ready to pay the cost

it will stretch me out of my comfort zone; it’s going to stretch you out of your comfort zone

but nothing great was ever accomplished without courage

(2 Timothy 2:3) Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

(2 Timothy 2:4) No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer.

this year my challenge is that all of us will endure the hardship required to be a good soldier, a good servant, of Jesus Christ

my primary goal is going to be how to please my commanding officer, Jesus Christ

you see, I could easily be a chaplain here

I could easily spend my days just preaching nice messages and maintaining the status quo

or I could lead the church to courageously live out its vision

which one would you rather have me be – a chaplain, or an agent of godly change?

at the beginning of this message, I began with an apology

but I’d like to end this message with a challenge for you – especially some of you who might consider yourselves the loyal opposition

I’m not talking about those who will disagree with me on issues – I expect that

but you can disagree without being disagreeable

you can walk hand-in-hand without seeing eye to eye

no, this morning I’m not talking to those who might not agree with me on everything

I’m talking to those who make a habit of being opposed

a man by the name of John Maxwell was a young pastor – only 25 years old

and he was called to a church where there was a man named Jim who was elected to a key position – sort of the lay-leader of the church

he was the most negative person in the church

whenever there was a problem, you could just bet that he was in the middle of it

about two weeks before he became the official pastor of the church, they had a congregational meeting

and at that meeting, they were discussing whether or not to build an activity center

and because he knew he was about to pastor that church, he slipped up into the balcony to watch what would take place that night

well, what Maxwell witnessed was a four-hour fight in which they did everything but duked it out in the aisles

and Jim, the negative guy, was leading the charge

at the end of the night, they church pretty much ended up in a split

for the next few weeks, John Maxwell spent a lot of time in prayer and asking God how to deal with the situation

on the very first day on the job, he called Jim up on the phone and said, "Jim, I’d like to see you"

and to give you the picture, Jim was 65, and the new pastor was 25

and Maxwell said to him, "I’ve been thinking about my relationship, and about our relationship. I want to share something with you."

"It’s not anything I’ve learned firsthand, because it’s my first day on the job. But what I’ve learned from the congregation is that you’re very difficult to get along with. I’ve heard that you’re negative. I’ve heard that if there’s a battle you’re going to be leading the charge. And I’ve been thinking of how we’ll get along"

"I’ve come to a couple of conclusions and getting your feedback"

"I’ve first committed to do everything within my power to work with you. I am committed to walking with you, and to sharing things with you. I’d like to meet you every Tuesday for lunch at the Holiday Inn. My commitment is that I’ll give this a good shot and I want to work with you"

"But obviously, it’s got to be a two-way street"

"So what I want to ask you is if you’ll give a shot at working with a young kid who just became pastor of this church"

"But before you answer, let me paint a scenario for you."

"Imagine that ten years from now, you suddenly die and you’re with the Lord. The Lord asks you, ‘What were the last ten years of your life like?’"

"You could say one of two things"

"You could say, ‘This young kid came to our church. For the last ten years I’ve tried to help this kid preacher. I decided to put my arm around that kid and love him and help him.’ You could say, ‘For the past ten years I’ve done everything I can to make him succeed"

"Or, ‘Another preacher came to town. There was a lot of fighting. We did battle. The church didn’t grow much’"

"Here’s what’s amazing about this meeting today. I’m going to give it my best shot to work with you. But what’s also amazing is that you can today write out the story of what you’ll say to God one day. I need a lot of help in this church. But today you can write the story of what you’ll say to God one day"

"I’m just a kid, but what do you say, Jim? Will you be my partner in ministry"

Jim got out of his seat

he hadn’t said a word the whole time

he was a big man – 6 foot 5, 245 pounds

he got up and walked out into the hallway and without saying a word, leaned over the drinking fountain

and when he finally got up his face was filled with tears

he extended his hand, and then stepped forward and gave John Maxwell a huge hug

he said to his new pastor John Maxwell, "You can count on me from this day forward to be in your corner"

that decision changed the church from that point on

for the next three years, the number one question in the church was, "What happened to Jim"

within a few days his wife called and said, "What have you done with Jim?"

there may be some Jims here

and today I make a commitment to you: I will do everything in my power to work with you

I will be open with you

I am committed to walking with you and to working with you

I will give it my best shot to be the best pastor I could possibly be

but you have a choice

you can walk out of here complaining and making threats, and ten years from now you can say to God that you’ve spent the last ten years of your life complaining and making life difficult for him and others

or you can stand before God some time in the future and say, "I’ve spent the last ten years of my life helping out our new pastor. The church has grown. I did everything I could to pray for him and support him"

and the amazing thing about this morning’s service is that you can write what you’ll say before God one day

what will it be? will you be my partner in ministry?

[after prayer]

over the next five weeks, we’re going to talk about the five purposes of the church – service, worship, outreach, relationships, and discipleship

if you have any questions or feedback after this message, I’d invite you to talk to me

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Church – What’s the Point?