Book Review- Culture Shift:The Battle for the Moral Heart of America

Culture Shift: The Battle for  the Moral Heart of America by R. Albert Mohler Jr. . (Multnomah Books, Colorado Springs, 2008,2011).  185 pages reviewed.

Culture Shift is a thoughtful and challenging collection of essays written by the author that address numerous areas of cultural interest. Addressing “shifts” in the moral view of issues like the law, political correctness, terrorism, education, evolution and others, Mohler offers an informed perspective on the changes occurring in how Americans view these issues. The book, written from a Christian worldview, addresses culture “head-on” and gives insights worthy of consideration for thoughtful Christians. Mohler brings a historical perspective and writes as a “balanced advocate,” meaning he advocates a Christian worldview and response, but is careful to present culture accurately…and does not shy away from “weaknesses” in the traditional “Christian” position on issues.

This is not a minister’s “rant” on the demise of culture; rather, it is a thoughtful analysis of culture, influence, and the Christian’s responsibility. The tone is cordial. The assertions are gracious. The assumptions are limited and well documented.

As a pastor, I picked up the book as part of my research for an upcoming project. It has stimulated my thinking and inspired me to action in a couple of key areas of my work. I recommend the book to professional minister and lay person alike. It sounds a clarion call to action without taking an alarmist tone.

Thank you Dr. Mohler! An asset to my library.

You can purchase a copy from Amazon HERE.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review as part of their blogger’s book review  program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Meaning of Being MISSIONAL as a believer and as a Church

Missional is a buzz word in Christian circles and I am rather fond of its use. Like all words or concepts, its meaning can be watered down or even lost without periodic clarification. It is not enough to know what “missional” means, but also what it means when I use it.

One of the guys who has helped me shape my thinking is Dr. Ed Stetzer of Lifeway Research and also one of the teaching pastors at GraceLife Church (a church plant). I love Ed’s writing style and the content is “spot on.” (Perhaps it is that northern style in him that I love. He tells the truth, in love, and allows others to wrestle with its implications.)

Having served as a church planter and as pastor of two different established churches, I have a strong desire for churches to be “on mission” or “missional” in their approach to ministry. But…what does that mean?

To be missional means to think and act as a missionary in the culture we live in. It is to choose activities that further us toward the goal of accomplishing the Kingdom mission, while rejecting those activities that hinder such accomplishment. Above all…it means to actively and intentionally engage the culture with a contextual presentation of the truth of the gospel.

I don’t mean simply inform them of the presence of the gospel, or to argue for the necessity of the gospel. I mean to present the gospel in perfectly understandable terms so that they can make an informed decision to accept or reject the gift of God in Christ Jesus.

Here is a link to an article (one of many) that Stetzer has written on CONTEXTUALIZATION. It is a powerful and succinct definition of what it is to make the gospel accessible to others.

One observation about it that connects this to “missional,” Paul not only contextualized the gospel…but he did it on purpose. He intentionally engaged others, studied them, then presented the gospel to them in a way that was not easy or comfortable for him…but was essential for their understanding.

It sort of reminds me of the old Bill Hybel’s principle that I call the “barbecue first principle.” (You have not earned the right to inquire or share about eternal matters until you have at least shared a meal with someone. If you don’t know their children’s names, how will they ever believe that you care about their eternity?)

If we truly care about people in our community, doesn’t it make sense to get to know them well enough that we earn the right to share our story and HIS story? If that means changing our approach or our lifestyles to become more relatable…shouldn’t we do that IMMEDIATELY and INTENTIONALLY?

Who are you investing in? Who are you getting to know…on purpose…with the intent of sharing with them about your journey as a believer and the amazing love of God?

So what’s up with “change”?

I have been thinking on the subject of “church” for quite some time now….but the class I teach on Sunday night has precipitated an in-depth study into church and (most recently) a re-read of a great book, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.

One of the questions I have been wrestling with relates to the “psychology” involved with a church that is changing.

Many pastors struggle with “change” at a church. It is difficult to “sell” change to a congregation and many guys get frustrated and leave. Change though, is necessary for a church to survive (ask any church which has a median age of 65+ today…in ten years if you can still find them). It is also necessary for a church to thrive.

I personally have a great deal of faith in the church. I think the church in America is still viable. I do not see it as it is seen in a great number of European cities. I think a lot of hope still exists for the church…and with proper adjustments…it can truly magnify the Name of Jesus on a wide scale basis.

So, as I have been considering the psychology of a church…I have been acutely aware that many folks in churches are resistant to change. They don’t like it. They resist it. They hate it. They want to turn back from in…even if it means using a filet knife in creative ways on the one bringing the change about. Why?

No one wants to go back to 3 channels on their TV. No one wants to have dirt roads to travel on in cities or to be without a cell phone (ok…maybe the cell phone.) The reason is, I THINK, because we (leaders) have not connected the reality of change with its purpose. We simply want to change and want people to embrace change…and we fail to focus on the reason for change.

A church changes (or if you will allow me) focuses on being INTENTIONALLY MISSIONAL in order to more effectively communicate the gospel. A church seeks to use relevant forms of music in worship to connect the dots for those in the assembly who do not yet know Jesus. A true worshipper can worship Jesus with any form of music (and I might argue…in nearly any language), but an outsider needs help connecting the dots. This relevance is part of the mission, it in not the mission.

I read this AM an article in a series by Dr. Ed Stetzer…one of the thinkers and practitioners that I learn from. Here is an excerpt:  

Trouble starts with cultural relevance when we misunderstand its importance. Sometimes we believe being relevant means being missional, but it doesn’t. The truth is we can be culturally relevant and ultimately go nowhere in helping people know Jesus or serving Him on mission. Relevance is an implication of mission, and a tool for the mission, but it is not the goal of the mission. Making disciples through the spread of the gospel is the goal. If cultural relevance is our goal, the Gospel is demoted and we lose confidence in its transforming power and necessity.

That is a telling quote and makes me want to say, “Get out of my head, Ed!”

We are to be relevant because it furthers the gospel. We ought to build bridges in our city because it furthers the gospel. We ought to help people with practical studies on marriage, finance, and child-rearing because it connects the dots and demonstrates that there is a God who loves them and has already provided for them…and will bless their marriages and finances when they realize that He alone is entitled to Lordship!

Apart from the gospel enterprise though…change is ridiculous. If we go through the pain of change simply to be different and never seek to win our neighbors, countrymen, and global citizenry to Christ…we are ultimately ignorant of what is truly important.

What should we do? Proclaim the gospel in culturally relevant ways.

What should we not do? Delay the change. (I say delay…because for a church to refuse to change continuously…is for a church to delay the change for about 50 years.) What will eventually happen however, is the church will die and someone will turn the building into a liquor store, and antique shop, or an office building…and then change will come.

I encourage you to read Ed’s Article in its entirety here…and then share your thoughts with me. I truly am interested in what you think.

Contextualization and the Gospel Mandate

It is not enough for a Christian to know the gospel…he must be able to share it in such a way that it will be understood and the hearer can respond. This is the idea of contextualization and how it intersects with the Great Commission.

Ed Stetzer, missiologist and President of Lifeway Research, wrote an interesting piece recently on this subject. (Those who know me realize that I think a lot of Stetzer and his approach to missions. His influence in my ministry and approach to evangelism/missions is clear and I am more effective in my ministry because of his influence.

In this piece on contextualization, Stetzer illustrates why we must contextualize when communicating the gospel. He states:

Most of us are familiar with the classic party game, Pictionary. The “artist” gets a name of a person, place, or thing and he has to draw the picture so that his team can guess it, without ever using any words to help. Imagine if I was playing a game of Pictionary at a party. I am assigned to draw the person President George W. Bush. So, in efforts of simplicity and speed, I draw a picture of a bush. I’m playing with a pretty quick crowd, so they guess it right away. “BUSH!!!”

They’ve partially got the answer, but not all of it, so it doesn’t count. So, I start pointing at the bush and make hand gestures, moans, and grunts (but no words). I use my hands to say, “that’s right, but more.” Again, the crowd is smart, so they can see the clue has something to do with a bush so they start guessing. “Tree!… Plant!… Green!… Photosynthesis!… Oxygen to carbon dioxide!… Krebs Cycle!” (I told you they were smart.) Now, they’re getting way off base, but I can’t say anything, so I just keep pointing at that bush. I point at it harder and harder and keep gesturing and grunting and, at this point, I’m getting mad.

The others never get it. I know what it is. I know they should know it. It is so obvious. But they don’t.

I get frustrated, and yet, I never gave another clue.

Too often, I think this is what many evangelicals look like in the twenty-first century. For example, many today in American culture want to talk about “spirituality,” but are unfamiliar with the gospel and not warm to the idea of spiritual absolutes. Some well-meaning Christians hear the spirituality talk and want to move people to the gospel, but the unexplained theological language and the old evangelistic approaches that were targeting a different worldview amount to noise that leaves the hearer in the dark trying to guess. It’s like we, as believers, start communicating through our gestures and grunts, but they don’t get it. We wind up giving clues that lead them in circles, and not to the truth. We know the answer, and we want them to know the answer, but we just can’t make a solid connection.

Without contextualization, the words and arguments we use can amount to ineffective clues.

To be effective then at communicating the gospel, we must understand our audience, identify the obstacles that exist to “grasping” the message, and then communicate the message in accordance with our new information. This is a NECESSITY and is biblical as well as practical.

Helping others understand so that they can respond to the truth of the gospel is critical and it must be approached differently today than in the past. Notice Stetzer again:

It’s one thing to know the gospel, but it’s another to make the gospel known. And making the gospel known is more complicated in America today than it was in decades past. Less people today have a general Christian orientation, or even a shared Judeo-Christian ethic. This means concepts (truths) like sin, death and hell cannot be assumed. So when we want to communicate the gospel and deal with categories like God, man, Christ and faith we must not only know them well, but also how to effectively make them known to the people God has sent us. Knowing where to begin and how to explain the truth to particular people are issues of contextualization.

You can read his entire article from his website HERE. After that, drop back by and share your thoughts, concerns, or fears with “contextualizing the gospel.”

Thoughts on Competition…

So, I am in the process of reading Tony Morgan’s Book entitled Killing Cockroaches(review forthcoming) and a thought he has surfaced several times has taken root in my head today. The thought relates to competition.

As far as “the Church” goes…or for that matter, my church, “who is our competition?”

Some negate the question declaring that Jesus is Sovereign and Supreme…therefore there is no real competition. (This is a philosophical response…and I think…even a bit naive or “cowardly”). Others say…”Satan is our competition.” I think is correct…but how do you compete against him? Do you seclude yourself in a prayer meeting and ask God for victory? (NOTE: I am not against prayer. I am for prayer. I also think that the Scripture teaches us to defeat Satan in the application of our faith.)

Others would say that our competition “practically speaking” is the other churches that draw on the same “base” of Christians in a particular community. For these folks…growing a church is about being faster, flashier, or more appealing than the next church. (This seems a bit “wrong-headed if you really believe that the Kingdom of God is more than one church and is also the point).

The fourth answer…which I want to address, emanates from our understanding of purpose. Our competition consists of those people, things, activities, and “draws” in the “culture” that scream for the time and attention of those we seek to reach.

If our PURPOSE as the Church is to move faithful people from one church to another church…then we engage in ministry planning and strategy from one particular direction. If, however, our PURPOSE is to move disconnected (unchurched or non-Christian) people from wherever they are into a community of fully devoted followers of Christ…then we strategize and design ourselves to catch their attention and we COMPETE with whatever is presently keeping them from connecting in our community.

We need to answer three key questions over the next couple of days:

• How does our understanding of purpose/mission affect those we choose to lead in our ministry?
• How does our understanding of purpose/mission affect our context/environment as we present God’s view?
• How does our understanding of purpose/mission affect the questions we try to answer with our ministries?

Here is what I know…those whom I desire to reach will not allow me to change the questions/concerns of their hearts to something I want to address. They require me to connect with them and answer their questions. If I want to address my questions/concerns…I have to get them to have the same ones.

Love to hear your thoughts…especially as we progress in the conversation.

What I really want as pastor for the church I lead (part 5)

This is the fifth installment of this series of articles on what I really want as a pastor. If you want to read PART 1, PART 2,  PART 3, or PART 4 you can click on the links…or simply scroll to the bottom if this page. This installment…explains the fifth desire I have for my church…

#5, I want to lead a church that lives passionately, gives sacrificially, and loves unconditionally. When the sun sets on the chapter of our lives, we need to know that we held nothing back…we laid it all on the line…we made a difference.

This fifth desire is a constantly evolving one. If you are like me, you recognize that what is sacrificial today, is not necessarily a sacrifice tomorrow. What is considered a passionate response today, may be rote rehearsal tomorrow.

What I know is, the times I have experienced the presence of God greatly in my life, have been the times when I was living on the front edge…at the tip of the spear. I think about the decision to go to NY in the winter to start a church. I knew it was risky…but I wanted to see people there saved…and I knew God had selected me as part of His redemptive plan for the Northeast. Passion drove Jodi and I to sell our stuff, move out of the home we loved, move into an apartment that was half the size of our home and twice the rent…and trust that God would somehow take care of the details. There was no logic involved. I am not advocating a reckless emotional existence; rather, I am challenged to think of living as a radical (by cultural standards) follower of Christ…who is passionate for Jesus over all things.

I wonder if we (as a church) were challenged to sell our facility and believed (by faith) that doing so would please God…would we? What about making a commitment to trim our personal lifestyles to 80% of their current levels and give the 20% as a sacrificial offering to Jesus so that His Name might be made known to an unreached people group. What if we were called to live in a community that is counter to every value we held? For example, according to an article in About.com,

Although most of the year, the conservative Florida panhandle city of Pensacola isn’t one of the friendliest parts of the world for gay and lesbian visitors, in late May, over Memorial Day weekend, it’s one of the world’s true gay meccas. The five-day weekend (it takes place Thursday, May 27, through Monday, May 31, 2010) began more than 20 years ago and has become a cross between a circuit-style gay gathering and a regional Florida panhandle gay pride celebration, drawing some 50,000 revelers to the area over the course of several days.

This describes the antithesis of our personal and corporate values because it is a celebration of a flagrant sin before God. What if, instead of the typical church response of ‘boycotts’ or ‘avoidance’ God called us to be present among and demonstrate unconditional love toward those who intentionally and willfully live “far from God?” Would we?

I believe that we, as a church, will experience God’s grace and power in a whole new way…if we make passion, sacrifice and unconditional love our new “normal.”

So what do you think? Do you want to be part of a church like this?

What I really want as pastor for the church I lead (part 4)

This is the fourth installment of this series of articles on what I really want as a pastor. If you want to read PART 1, PART 2, or PART 3, you can click on the links…or simply scroll to the bottom if this page. This installment…explains the fourth desire I have for my church…

#4: I want to lead a church that values commitment. Loving God takes commitment. Loving others takes commitment. We are a church that is committed to one another and committed to the Great Commission.

One of the more frustrating aspects of ministry is observing how easily people enter into and quit commitments in our culture. Divorces can be obtained for any reason and less than $500 in most places. A person who stays at a job for more than 10 years is a strange “company man.” There are far more college “drop outs” than there are college grads these days…and with a plethora of churches in our community…it is not unusual to find many folks come and go based on a whim.

As I write this, I am processing a “request for letter” for a family who got upset about a personality issue. I have had a conference this week about a family that we ministered to extensively who posted on facebook that they left and finally found a loving church (that one still shocks me). We have far too many meetings trying to trim expenditures to match budgets that folks vote for and then fail to continue their support. In fact, we even have a formula we use to plan based on how many commitments we expect to fall through. REALLY???

Ideally, we should be a people that are at least as committed to one another and to our corporate mission as we are to our employer or our alma mater, or our favorite sports team. I want us to be a church that places the needs of the many above our own. I want us to be a church that prioritizes the corporate goals above our individual ones. The community should be a higher priority than any one of us. To believe otherwise is to believe Jesus was a fool and every missionary/martyr since was greatly misguided. To us has been committed a sacred trust to insure that Kingdom of God is preached to all nations. This takes sacrifice and commitment. If we are ever to achieve significant Kingdom results…it will only be because we sacrificially gave of ourselves far beyond our personal comforts…because we are committed to the end goal at whatever the cost.

So what do you think?

What I really want as a pastor for the church I lead (part 3)

This is the third installment of this series of articles on what I really want as a pastor. If you want to read PART 1 or PART 2, you can click on the links…or simply scroll to the bottom if this page. This installment…explains the third desire I have for my church…

#3, I want to lead a church that is unsatisfied with the status quo. The “way we’ve always done it” and “this is about as good as we can expect” should never be acceptable phrases. We serve a powerful and creative God who is constantly at work demonstrating His own glory to the world.

Call me naïve…but I believe God can and desires to do “crazy” stuff to bring about the Kingdom. I have not given up on revival. I believe there can be another Pentecost. I know it is ridiculous, but I think a little church in Pensacola CAN change the world, reach a people group, impact a city, and mobilize 20 families to the mission field in the next 10 years. (Vision 20/20). What I know is…to do this, we as a church must always desire to be on the “cutting edge” of ministry. We must be willing to risk. We must be willing to do what others will not. We can never discount the possibility or become satisfied with our presence condition. We MUST press on for the upward call of Christ in our lives individually and corporately. When we, as a church, decide that unless we grow by 20% every year…we have not begun to make an impact and when we decide that unless we are, each one, telling Jesus’ story to someone every week…we are fooling ourselves. A builder who never builds has a builder’s license but is not a builder. A plumber who never “plumbs” has a skill and a license, but is not a plumber. A “Christian” who never witnesses (i.e. You will be witness of Me…{Acts 1:8}) is a professing believer but is not a disciple maker, and a church that never grows (spiritually and numerically…since they are inextricably connected) is not a church as Jesus designed it; rather, it is a meeting of people fulfilling their purpose, not His. 

Would love to hear your thoughts or reaction to this… Drop a comment and join in the conversation.

What I really want as a pastor for the church I lead: (Part 2)

What I really want as a pastor for the church I lead: 5 things that drive me and inform my leadership. (Part 2.)

Yesterday, I began this 5 part topic/series. You can read day 1 HERE. This is part 2.

#2, I want to lead a church that functions with urgency…as if a great hurricane were “bearing down” on them.

I have not served in my church during a hurricane; however, I have served during a couple of hurricane seasons and many of my church members know all too well what it is like to live on the Gulf Coast during a hurricane. In preparation for my first hurricane season, I purchased a generator, bought and cut plywood window coverings for my home, stockpiled water and other supplies, purchased flashlights, batteries, etc. With only the knowledge that a hurricane might happen, I re-prioritized my schedule to prepare for it. I stopped doing some things and replaced them with others…so I could make sure I was ready. I then met with and talked to many of my neighbors to see how they were prepared/preparing…

What I learned in the process was this: Being prepared for a hurricane requires intentional effort. Not everyone takes a potential hurricane seriously. If a storm builds in the Gulf…there is only a fixed amount of time to take care of business…or it will be left undone. And, if I am prepared early, I can then go about helping others prepare or respond to a storm.

Hurricanes are potential, but Jesus’ return is imminent. If we might prepare for a possible storm…we must prepare for a definite return. Also, it is not good enough for me to be prepared. I don’t want to watch all of my neighbors and friends lose their lives or livelihoods. So, I act with urgency while there is time…for my sake and for theirs.

I would love to hear your thoughts…

What I really want as a pastor for the church I lead (Part 1)

What I really want as a pastor for the church I lead: 5 things that drive me and inform my leadership.

To define what it is a pastor wants is too broad and too selfish. To describe what Jesus wants can come across too philosophical. As I reflect on the last three years of leading Calvary, I have a list of things that make me proud (in a good way), a number of things I wish I could do differently (now that I know better), and a couple of things that I truly regret.

When people try to define what a pastor is…it is often confused with what a pastor does.

• A pastor is a preacher. In fact, in most places, he is (rightfully) respected as the chief teacher.
• A pastor is a counselor. This means that he is often consulted with or approached when things are going incredibly wrong in any number of situations…from relationships to finances, to which job a person should choose. The implication is not that he is all wise; rather, it is that he is adept at understanding God’s Word as instructive and authoritative and that he is walking in a vibrant and healthy relationship with God.
• A pastor is a mediator. He often uses discernment (whether it is his strongest gift or not) to help folks resolve tensions and see things from a (typically) different perspective.
• A pastor is a leader. Like it or not, win or lose, a pastor is charged by God to lead a congregation of God’s people to embrace God’s heart, purpose, and mission. He must find a way to cast vision, help others understand the vision, and embrace it as God’s will for the church. He must also be one who shepherds that vision and keeps the congregation true to it, even when some do not embrace it or resist it by seeking  to change the course of the church to reflect their personal beliefs as the best direction.

These are all things that a pastor does. It is not who he is. Who he is…is a sinner who is saved by the grace of God. He is a man with passions and desires, strengths and weaknesses. He is a guy who gets it “wrong” now and again (and far too often for his own liking). He is a person who was chosen by God for the task, not because of his strengths, but because of his weaknesses (1 Cor 1:26-31). He is a man who desires to be loved and liked. He desires acceptance and affirmation. He finds himself, often times, torn between his loyalty to God and His calling…and the desire within. He also feels a great responsibility to God in His charge to lead God’s people in God’s mission…to be accomplished God’s way.  

What I want for the church I lead is akin to what I see the church designed to be (in God’s economy), and where I see the church in the vision of her “down the road.” If, as a pastor, I am true to that vision, then I will want (and thus lead) the church to move in that direction and embrace what is necessary to become that church.

Let me also say that some would assert that a pastor does not get to lead a church in a direction he chooses. They would assert that a church has its own will and that a church determines its own course and destiny. While there are elements of this that are true…if it were completely true, then a pastor would not be a visionary or leader, but an implementor of an expressed will of the people alone. I believe that God specifically calls and employs men as pastors as His instrument to accomplish His purpose for the church (While I can defend this biblically, the time and space goals that I have for this letter won’t permit me to do so here.)

If I could articulate the five things that I want for the church I lead, knowing that these five things direct my leadership, this is what they would be:

• I want to lead a church of missionaries who see themselves as divinely assigned by God to the task of reaching their culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• I want to lead a church that functions with urgency…as if a great hurricane were “bearing down” on them.
• I want to lead a church that is unsatisfied with the status quo. The “way we’ve always done it” and “this is about as good as we can expect” should never be acceptable phrases. We serve a powerful and creative God who is constantly at work demonstrating His own glory to the world.
• I want to lead a church that values commitment. Loving God takes commitment. Loving others takes commitment. We are a church that is committed to one another and committed to the Great Commission.
• I want to lead a church that lives passionately, gives sacrificially, and loves unconditionally. When the sun sets on the chapter of our lives, we need to know that we held nothing back…we laid it all on the line…we made a difference.

When you read a statement of desires like this…it would be easy enough to want to disengage from it. This is not for those who desire comfort, security, or familiarity…it is for those who desire to IMPACT to world and INFLUENCE culture for God.

Over the next few days, I want to lay out some thoughts on each of these five things.

I want to lead a church of missionaries who see themselves as divinely assigned by God to the task of reaching their culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thinking of ourselves as “missionaries” in the culture we live in stems from (among other places) the Great Commission. “ All authority has been give to [Jesus], in heaven and on earth. [As you] Go, therefore, make disciples of all [people groups], baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (author’s translation, Matthew 28:18-20). If we were called to simply proclaim the gospel, we could accomplish that in a number of ways. Our calling though is to make disciples (fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ) of all people groups. This indicates that we must become adept at understand the cultures of the people we seek to reach and then communicate in a manner that connects for them. Our communication/ influence must be ongoing since no one makes a singular decision to become a “fully devoted follower of Christ”…and then it is so. Becoming such a follower is an ongoing process of exposure to God’s truth, overcoming obstacles/objections, acceptance by faith—which results in acting on our decisions, then doing it again.

No missionary could travel to a village in the interior of India, pull out an English Bible, declare the gospel in English, use analogies from experiences in Houston, Texas and reasonably expect that anyone in the village has a clue what he said or how it applies. If transmitting the information were enough (without respect to context, culture, or language), we could accomplish the Great Commission in a very short window of time with a fraction of the budget. We know though, that the gospel is intended to be shared through a witness who contextualizes the message and helps a person embrace its implications.

In a post-churched culture in the US, every Christ-follower must embrace the missionary mandate and mindset…accepting that just because we share a common language dialect (in some cases), there are still cultural barriers that must be negotiated. Values are different. Approaches are different. People are different. As such, the effective church must see itself as a community of men and women who intentionally engage the cultural differences as missionaries in the culture and seek to reconcile folks in the culture with a Holy God in their context.

More tomorrow…but I would love to hear your thoughts on this first desire…