Barnabas File

In my last post, I stated that most churches will settle for being “good” rather than “great.”  So what does a great church look like?  I am not talking about numbers.  Being a great church has nothing to do with numbers—people attending, services offered, funds received.  A great church is characterized by the willingness of its members and leaders to pursue certain tasks. A great church both prays to God and listens for God’s response.  Great churches have members who are willing to lay their concerns, hopes, and fears before God and to be patient enough to listen for an answer.  This means that the church is willing to hold everything loosely —ministries, budgets, leaders—and place it all in God’s hands. A great church values its people as their number one resource whether they are children, adults, or retired people.  A concerted effort is made not only to teach the Bible but to apply it to life.  Leaders listen to members and discover where God is at work in their lives

In Good to Great , Jim Collins and his team sought out companies that moved from being good at what they were doing to becoming truly great.   They pointed out that “Good is the enemy of the great.”   In other words, people will praise your organization for providing quality but not exceptional products (or programs or services), and most will be satisfied with that status.   Why take the risk to move to the next level when you already have acceptable results? I have thought recently about how many good churches there are.   These congregations provide solid preaching, well-planned worship, comprehensive Christian education, competent pastoral care, and helpful ministries, but they are not exceptional.   They are shackled by their own expectations of what church ought to be and limited in their Kingdom vision.   What keeps them from being great? Good churches are satisfied with the acceptable rather than the exceptional. They do what is necessary to “cover all the bases” so

This past Sunday our pastor Michael Smith preached on Luke 15:11-32, the parable we usually refer to as “the prodigal son” or “the loving father.”   He referred to it as “the indispensable parable.”   Mike’s approach was that this text tells us a lot about the family of God and provides a lens for us to use as we read all of scripture.   This is a good insight.   Although it may be unconscious, I think that most of us tend to look at scripture through the point of view of a particular scripture text or texts. For example, if you read the Bible through the lens of John 3:16, you see the unfolding thread of God’s plan of salvation from Genesis to Revelation.   If you read it though the texts dealing with the Lord’s supper, you probably are more sensitive to passages about the formation of the people of God throughout the Old and New Testaments, and God’s desire for unity, sharing, and love in that community of faith.   If you read the Bible from the perspective of the Book of Reve

On Friday, I saw my third superhero movie this summer ( Transformers:   Dark of the Moon doesn’t count).   Captain America:   The First Avenger follows Thor and Green Lantern .   To be very candid, none of these is a groundbreaking film like Batman Begins , The Dark Knight , or the first Iron Man . If you peel away all the CGI and explosions, there does seems to be a common factor.   Each title hero is dealing with a character issue.   Thor, an alien (or, if you wish, a small “g” god) has problems with humility.   He is irresponsible, self-centered, and overly ambitious.   Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) is trying to face his fears.   His test pilot father died in a plane explosion, and he wonders if he will go the same way.     And Captain America (Steve Rogers) is basically a good man who receives his powers primarily because he is a nice guy, an idealistic man in the body of a 98 pound weakling.   Once he has power, how will he use it? I think it was the creators of Marvel Com

Change is designed to produce stress.   Not all stress is bad, of course, but managing our stress is always important, especially during times of change.   There are some things to keep in mind that may make change more tolerable if not enjoyable! First, pray.   If your change was voluntary, you have probably been praying all along for discernment.   If it was involuntary, you have undoubtedly been praying for patience and strength.   Either way, you would do well to continue to nourish a healthy prayer life.   Make it a daily practice and invite others to join you in prayer during this time of change. As you share specific prayer requests, you will also more clearly articulate the things that are causing you concern or fear. Second, take care of yourself.   This is not the time to give up your regular exercise program or drastically change your diet.   If you have a routine that works well for you and promotes physical vitality, keep it up.   If you don’t, this might be a t

Few of us have to seek change.   Change generally happens whether we seek it or not, but how do you know when you need to the initiator of change in your life?   If you are attuned to your own emotions, you probably think that you know when you need a change, especially in the area of work or ministry. Perhaps you lack enthusiasm for the daily routine.   When you started, there was plenty to be done and you have faced the challenges that your present situation offers, handled them well, and things have become rather routine.   Perhaps you find yourself increasingly disengaged from the day to day operations around you.    You have gone beyond delegation to abdication.   You are not simply handing off responsibilities to others; you don’t particularly care if they get done or not.   Or maybe you have a feeling of restlessness and wonder what’s happening elsewhere. None of these offer valid justification for making a change in your present work or ministry role.   Before you do

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to supervise a very gifted colleague. From time to time, I would suggest a project that might move him into a new area of responsibility or competency.   After one such conversation, he commented:   “Look out.   I’m about to be stretched again.” Although some people thrive on change, most of us would say that we would rather avoid it.   We like things they way they are—comfortable, predictable, easily comprehended.   The reality of life, though, is that very few things are settled once and for all.   Children grow up, economic situations vary, sickness comes and organizations evolve.   Even if we don’t care for change, it is often forced upon us. We may resist change, but getting out of a rut and doing something different may be the best thing that can happen to us.   I recently was given an iPad.   I probably would not have purchased one, but I must admit that I had been fascinated by the device for some time.   Getting used to the i

Today’s post is number 500!   Wh en I began writing this blog in June 2006, I was not sure what I was getting into.   My purpose then and now is summarized in my tag line:   “ Comments from a progressive Baptist Christian on things that matter to him.”   Over the course of five years, I have done just that.   I have written about the church, culture and society, digital media, organizational development, spiritual formation, education, space exploration, family, friends, and books that I have read.   I have used this venue to say good-bye to mentors who have gone to be with the Lord.   As you can see, my approach has been pretty eclectic and probably a bit uneven. I have tried to be positive in what I have written, although I have undoubtedly offended someone from time to time.   I suppose that happens when your blog is a way to process your thinking about different subjects that get your attention.   As the politicians say, “If I have said anything that has offended you, I apol

“We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. ” (Ephesians 6:12, CEV)   When the apostle Paul addressed these words to the believers at Ephesus, he was undoubtedly warning them of the unseen but very present forces that sought to attack them and undermine their faith.   The modern world has taken the battle with the unseen into a new arena.   In an NPR broadcast this week, listeners learned that in the spring the Pentagon suffered large losses of sensitive data from its computers due to a cyberattack by a foreign government.   The report also stated: At his Senate confirmation hearing last month, new Defense Secretary Leon Panetta cited "a strong likelihood that the next Pearl Harbor" could well be a cyberattack that cripples the U.S. power grid and financial and government systems. He said last weekend that cybersecurity will be one of the main focuses of his

In most situations, I prefer to work alone, but I long ago realized the value of collaborating with others in planning, learning, and implementation.   In recent days, I have had the opportunity both to give feedback and to receive it as I have collaborated with others on some projects.   My responses and those of others caused me to think about some key ingredients of successful collaboration. First, we must listen to what people say.   If we really want to learn from others and benefit from their insights, we must listen without being defensive and value what they have to offer.   Even if they offer their ideas in a forceful or even critical tone, look for the truth there. Second, we must learn to listen to what people don’t say.   Lack of response or avoidance of certain issues tell us something about the people in the group—their depth of investment, the level of their trust, and their vulnerability or lack thereof.   Perhaps there are some barriers that need to be uncov

I took my granddaughter and great-grandson on a ride down memory lane this past week (of course, my great-grandson slept through most of it).   We went to south Alabama to visit the graves of my parents and grandparents and also got in a trip to Gulf Shores and some good seafood at Wintzell’s Oyster House in Mobile.   The city has changed a lot.   People continue to move out west, north, and east across the bay.   Despite significant investments of time and money, downtown and surrounding areas are inner city and are largely in decline.   There are some bright spots—new downtown hotels and convention center, efforts at restoration and preservation, and a growing arts community. We drove past four places that were meaningful to me growing up—North Carolina Street where I spent my years from age 5 to 18, the church where I professed Christ and was ordained to the ministry, my old school, and the Mobile Public Library.   The house where I lived is long gone, lost to a massive u

There is an old management axiom that goes, “What gets counted gets done.”   The idea behind this is we are intentional about those things that we know are going to be measured.   With rare exceptions, nothing worthwhile happens unless someone works to make it happen or chooses to become its “champion.”   This is true for effective leadership teams as well. The desire for an effective team begins with a person.   This is usually the pastor or executive director of the organization but it may be a team member, a member of the board, or a church member.   If the initiative does not come from the leader of the team, he or she must not only buy into the concept but thoroughly embrace it.   The leader models the idea, nurtures its development, and intervenes to assure its survival. Although the leader does not give up his or her leadership responsibility to the church or the organization, he or she will have to leave ego at the door and adopt the roles of advocate, facilitator, men

As I began planning a workshop on team development, I contacted a number of pastors and church staff members and asked for observations about their own teams.   Here are two of the responses I received:   “Our church staff team just doesn’t get along!”--A pastor in Georgia “We just don’t seem to be on the same page.”—A church staff member in Tennessee  Such responses indicated to me that an effective staff team requires mutual commitment to specific values and principles.    There must be a core around which the team members can grow, encourage each other, and serve their church or organization.    In the book Leading Congregational Change , I found this statement:   “Spiritual and relational vitality [provide] the life-giving power that faithful people experience together as they passionately pursue God’s vision for their lives.”   If a team is going to come together, they must build on a spiritual and relational core. Spiritual vitality comes from several things.   Fi

Since each team member brings unique skills, gifts, and talents to a leadership team, he or she should not only be called upon to contribute those to the work of the team but be encouraged to develop them further. An effective leadership team provides a place where each member can both serve and grow and the church or organization usually provides challenges that foster that growth. The development of team members requires a significant investment of resources, so why should the church or organization take the initiative to encourage such development?  There are several good reasons. First, a staff member who is valued will be more engaged.  In his book The Dream Manager , Matthew Kelly points out that the real challenge for any organization is not turnover but engagement.  If someone is appreciated and effectively engaged, he or she will not only stay with the organization but will be motivated to do their best. Second, if a staff member is respected and his or her pers

Effective leadership teams don’t exist for themselves, they exist to benefit their church or organization.   A team may enjoy being together and encouraging one another, but if they fail to serve the church, then they have failed.   There are a number of ways that an effective leadership benefits the church. First, the team can help the church to achieve its mission. Of course, this assumes that the church knows what its mission is! If the church does not know its mission, perhaps the initial way that a team can serve the church is to help it discover and articulate that mission. Second, they work with members of the church or organization to identify and pursue the actions that will move the church toward its mission, always being sensitive to the context in which the church finds itself, its resources (both known and undiscovered),   and the intervention of the Spirit. Third, an effective leadership team equips persons as they seek to achieve the mission.   A leadershi

At the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Tampa, Molly Marshall, Anita Flowers, and I led an Essentials conference on “Developing an Effective Leadership Team.”    The participants came ready to learn and the energy in the group was good.   Those of us who facilitated the sessions shared some ideas, but we learned as well. This is an important topic.   Most organizations including churches and not-for-profits are led by teams.   Many young adults are naturally drawn to the opportunity to work with others in a team setting.   Older adults may have had negative experiences in teams that cause them to resist being part of a team; they may have some unlearning to do to be good team members.   The effective functioning of the leadership team may well determine the success or failure of the entity; therefore we should spend more time developing effective leadership teams.   In order to do so, we need to embrace several basic assumptions. The first assumption is tha

Religion, sex, and politics can be divisive issues.   Jesus was asked questions about all of these topics.   The key political question is found in three of the four gospels:   “ Is it right to pay the imperial tax   to Caesar or not?”   Like headline hungry reporters at a press conference, those who posed the question were looking for a “sound bite” that would be like raw meat thrown to the lions.   They wanted something that would rile either the Roman rulers or the faithful of Israel.   Whatever Jesus said, they would attempt to “spin it” in such as a way that Jesus would find himself in trouble.   With some impatience, Jesus asked for a coin and replied: [A]nd he asked them,   “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”   Caesar’s,” they replied.    Then he said to them,   “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”   (Matthew 22:20-21, NIV) There is much that could be said about this response but one implication is the status of the believ