14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
When I worked for a large religious organization several years ago, we were introduced to Total Quality Management. Staff was involved in intensive training with a local university and some of us were trained as facilitators in the process.
Total Quality Management was developed by American W. Edwards Deming and was hugely influential in post-World War Two Japan. I won’t try to present Deming’s complete process this morning, but two things have stayed with me from that experience.
First, it is the role of leaders to “drive out fear” so that everyone feels empowered and free to work effectively for the organization. Second, the frontline worker is the real expert on what he or she is doing and can help develop the most effective processes to fulfill the mission of the organization. For this to happen, every worker must be respected, empowered, and listened to.
I teach a course called Missional Imagination. In the course, we encourage students to understand that the church does not have a mission; God has a mission and invites us into God’s mission. The mission is apostolic—oriented outward rather than inward. If we want to be effective in carrying out God’s mission, we need to understand the context in which God has placed us and engage with the people in that context.
My friends Emily and Eliot Roberts launched a missional church on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee several years ago. At that point, this two-county area was one of the top producers of Methamphetamine in the country. In starting the church, Eliot told me, “We wanted to listen to the people impacted by this culture. There are a lot of folks who come in from the outside, want to help, and provide ministries, but they are not what the people need or want. We wanted to listen to the people.”
In the Missional Imagination class I teach, students are introduced to several methodologies to help them to better understand their context—to listen to their community and context. These are asset-based community development, appreciative inquiry, human-centered design, and holy experiments. Students are given the assignment to try one of these methodologies with a small group of people—5 o 6 people --for a 90-minute session. When they report back, they are usually energized by the experience: “This was illuminating.” “People really enjoyed this.” And “Why haven’t we done this before?” They learn that, when asked, people have something to offer.
The passage in Acts reminds us that people have something to offer. It tells us that the Holy Spirit speaks through God’s people. Missiologist Alan Roxburgh says, “The spirit of God is at work among the people of God and will provide what we need to do the mission of God.” Peter’s message in Acts 2 (borrowed from the prophet Joel) reminds us that God is at work in the life of every believer, and we need to listen to what is being said. Some of the most significant innovations in ministry have emerged from the margins of the church and of society.
Those of us who teach, preach, and lead need to learn how to listen to those voices. In the church, we have too often failed to listen to our daughters, losing the insight and understanding of over half of our church membership. We have failed to listen to our youth and not understood the challenges they face. We have not listened to those of other faith traditions who have learned things that we need to embrace.
What a difference there would be in our society if we listened.
· Listened to church members about the struggles they face each day.
· Listened to women about reproductive policy.
· Listened to the marginalized about their needs.
· Listened to teachers about how best to serve their students.
Let us remember that “The spirit of God is at work among the people of God.” We only need to listen.
Prayer
We are grateful, God, that your voice is not silent. Although we often fail to listen, you are still at work in this world—calling, encouraging, and challenging. You speak to all kinds of people in your own unique way. Help us to listen, love, and act. Amen.
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