Bill Easums Observations

Leadership and the New Science, Margaret Wheatly
Kicking Habits,  Tom Bandy
Servant Leadership, Robert Greenleaf  
Growing Up Digital, Don Tapscott 
Growing Spiritual Redwoods, Tom Bandy & Bill Easum
The Continuing Conversion of the Church, Darrell Guder
The Missional Church, Darrell Guder
Difusion of Innovations, Evertt Rogers 
God’s Missionary People, Van Engen 
The Birth  of the Chaoric Generation, Dee Hoch 
Future Perfect, Davis Stanley
Steinbron, Melvin The Lay Driven Church
Heifetz, Ronald Leadership Without Easy Answers
Cordeiro,Wayne Doing Church as a Team
Ogden, The New Reformation
Townsend, Five-Star Leadership

You will either love or hate this post. And you will think I am either a prophet or a clown. Either way, the article is worth a serious read.Several years ago I made the observation that we were entering a time of fewer mega churches.  I have publically backed off that observation recently. Anyone who sticks their neck out very far has to be willing to pull it back in quickly before it gets chopped off. But before you sharpen your axe read on. The picture is shaping up quite different than I thought it would.  The mega church trend if anything is gaining momentum as well as larger forms of church life are emerging. According to Church Growth Today research, new non-Catholic mega churches are emerging now every week in the fastest rate ever recorded in the U.S.  Not only that, mega churches continue to grow larger. Once a church gets over five thousand in worship its growth seems to escalate.  For the rest of the post click here .

By Frank Viola and George Barna 

Pagan Christianity is not only a logical sequence to Barna’s recent book, Revolution, it also is an interesting and accurate account of the historic events that have shaped today’s form of Christianity.

Four sections tell most of their story:

“Healthy organic churches never produce a clergy system, a single pastor, a hierarchical leadership structure, or an order of worship that renders the majority passive. To our minds, such things… run contrary to New Testament principles.” Page 163

..there is a strong consensus among evangelical scholars that the early church did not have a clergy, did not meet in sacred buildings, did not take the Lord’s Supper outside of a full meal, did not have a fixed liturgy, and did not dress up for church meetings.” Page 165

“The ‘church meeting’ was devolving into a ‘service.’ Page 91

“Oratory tended to take the place of conversation.’ Page 92

Although the authors leave some wiggle room the only really logical conclusion of their arguments is the end of the institutional church.  My central question or criticism of the book is can that form of Christianity, thrive in an institutionally based and concert driven world like the West?  Whereas I agree the present form of Christianity we see today isn’t biblical, I still question whether what they suggest can survive much less thrive within our context.

So here’s my question: how can we take the unarguable truths in this book and apply them to our present day context? The West is very different from China under Mao. Even the house church there has evolved into more of an institutional form.

Their major criticism of today’s church, other than it being totally non-biblical is the passivity and the elitism of today’s Church. I agree the passivity and elitism of today’s church is deplorable and has to be addressed if Christianity is ever going be what Jesus wanted it to be. Every church leader ought to read this book and respond to its criticism of modern day Christianity with the goal of addressing the passivity and elitism of today’s church. Any positive movement away from these two sins of the church and this book has done its job.

The only place I totally disagree with the authors is in their argument about the non-biblical nature of the sermon.  I agree that as it is practiced in most churches it is non-biblical but it doesn’t need to go. Preaching in the New Testament was never directed to the saints but to those who have not heard. Preaching isn’t an in-house exercise. It is to spread the Good News. If one is to preach in church it should be directed toward the non-believer. When Wesley took to the fields preaching he was following a long line of New Testament preachers. 

Frank Viola is responding to comments, criticisms, and questions at www.ptmin.org/pcobjections.htm

Bill Easum

I just received the review (below) of my newest book, The Second Resurrection. The title of this post tells everything about what I think about the review. Like most mainline pastors, if a book doesn’t give out quick, one-size-fits all tips, it isn’t any good.

The problem with the mainline church today is it is totally brain and soul dead and no tips with suffice. There must be a spiritual resurrection before any tips will do any good and people need to wake up to that fact.

And when mainline don’t know what else to say they turn to the whipping boy- evangelism and call whatever is said about “narrow.” But I thought that was the point- narrow is the way that leads to life eternal? Didn’t I read that somewhere?

But alas, this major reviewer is still asleep. Sorry Van Meter, you missed the whole point.

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Resurrection’ lacks practical tips

Eric Van Meter, Jan 11, 2008

A Second Resurrection: Leading Your Congregation to New Life
Bill Easum
Abingdon Press, 2007
160 pages, paperbackBy Eric Van Meter
Special Contributor Most churches are dead, and dead people don’t need renewal or restoration—they need resurrection. 

I got one of those mailers the other day that’s meant for pastors to leaf through and buy all the latest and greatest bulletin blanks, choir robes, doctoral degrees, visitor packets, etc. I must have been very bored … or distracted … and I picked it up and leafed through it. I about fell out of my chair (laughing? crying? wailing?) when I saw the ad for a CD with a collection of policies and procedures for every church. The ad said, “It’s so great to say ‘It’s against Church policy’ instead of just plain ‘NO’. What a blessing to the pastor!”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I get what this is all about, but over 200 pages of ways to just say “No” is so typical of the crying and dying church. Last time I checked, the effective points of policies and procedures in the church is so we can just say “Yes!” to ministry and “Yes!” to Jesus. But alas, many, many, many (dare I expand that to most?) churches in North America are so concerned about protecting what few resources they have left that they’re almost paranoid that someone might possibly do something and use more than their fair share. Now, don’t get me wrong. The just say no policy and procedure manual is necessary for those churches who are clueless about their own mission, vision, and especially shared values. If you don’t know what you’re for, you’d better at least know what you’re against … that way you have an opportunity to feel like you’re in control. Sure, the church may be going down faster than the Edmund Fitzgerald, but we’re gripping the wheel all the way to the bottom.

Every church must have boundaries, but they have to be developed based on the church’s DNA and all toll they shouldn’t be longer than a half-sheet of paper. They could look something like this:

1. All church ministries must specifically further the mission of the church.
2. All church ministries must specifically further the vision of the church.
3. All church ministries must reflect the shared values of the church.
4. All church ministries must promote and be in the name of Jesus - no anonymous ministries.
5. All church ministries must be team-based - no Lone Rangers.
6. All church ministries must be led by a member in good standing. (Put this in words your congregation will understand - the ministry leader must be a practicing Christian who has made a commitment to the church’s DNA and supports the church with their treasure, time, talent, and testimony.)
7. All church ministry leaders must be in a ministry accountability partnership with another member in good standing who is not a participant or beneficiary of the ministry.
8. All church ministries must be self-sufficient or underwritten by the ministry’s team. (If your church will seed beginning ministries to XX dollars, then say so here.)
9. All church ministries using church property must coordinate their activities with the office. (Not a committee, but someone who can ensure there are no double-bookings of rooms, vans, sound equipment, etc.)

That’s it. Less than ten policies and procedures that pretty much covers everything that might come up in the church.

 Or you could buy the CD and wade through 200 pages of reasons to say no.

 Bill Tenny-Brittian
www.EasumBandy.com
www.NetResults.org

This week, Jan 3, I drove by two churches that had signs out front that advertised their Christmas Eve services.  What do you think that says to non-churched people about the people who run those churches? Not any positive I would think.  And what about the members who came to church on December the 30th and saw that sign. If I had been a member I would have called for someone’s head.

Both of these churches are around 200 in worship and should know better. Both have a full time pastor and some staff. The sad thing is one of the churches is a church plant that I had a hand in ten years ago but then the wisdom of the bishop decided to yank the founding pastor out - I guess because he was growing a church to big for a tiny island-at the time it was over 500 in worship. Three years later its on its way out.

Im really fed up with churches who put foreward such a bad image. There’s no excuse for it unless someone died in the pastor’s family. It’s just plain lazy - some would say stupid.