This morning I received a thought-provoking and convicting e-mail from Walter Bennett who is serving as the interim Director of Missions for the Jacksonville Baptist Association. I have posted the entirety of his e-mail to pastors below. I love and respect Walter more than he knows. He has spoken into my life in so many ways over the last few years. As I reflected on his question I realized that I have often been guilty of focusing more on those I am trying to keep rather than those I am trying to reach. I know there has to be a healthy balance between reaching out to the lost and ministering to the saved, but most of the time our church is too focused on the latter group. Try changing "the way we have always done it" (what ever "it" is) and you will raise the ire of many who care more about their preferences than reaching the lost. Don't misunderstand me. I am not one for railroading changes in the church for the sake of being trendy. I am not one who acts quickly without first trying to communicate the how and why of the changes. But I am increasingly convicted that the world is going to Hell too quickly for us to drag our feet before getting serious about reaching the lost. That is why I will never apologize for asking the members of Fort Caroline to remain committed to our common Master (the Lord Jesus Christ), our common message (the Gospel of Jesus Christ), and our common mission (to reach the lost by sharing the Gospel, and to disciple the saved so they will increasingly love God, love others, and serve the world). Here is Walter's e-mail:
??? A Penetrating Question???
Steve Furtick is lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C. which has experienced an incredible blessing of God. In a recent article, he noted that people often ask him what he has done to be able to reach so many people.
Listen to his response: "I could tell you a lot of things that we have done. But none of it will help you until you make the decision we made in the early days of our church. That was the decision to be more focused on the people we are trying to reach than on the people we are trying to keep. As others have said, TO BE FISHERS OF MEN, NOT JUST KEEPERS OF THE AQUARIUM."
That response caused me to do some serious thinking. We talk about our desire to reach people, but are we more focused on keeping than reaching? When we look at our church calendar, budget, and what we enlist and train people to do, what does it say about our priorities? Is our vision and ministry shaped by the people we now have or by those we are trying to reach?
Furtick speaks to those who would pit evangelism against discipleship. He responds, "I believe true disciples should care more about making disciples than freeze-framing the church the way it was when they became a disciple.
...if the mark of Christian maturity is a bunch of people who want to create a museum glorifying and preserving their personal preference, and then sanctify it by calling it a church, count me out."
The penetrating question: "Are we going to allow a church to be held captive to the personal preferences of a few in our attempt to bring salvation to the many?"
Steve set me to thinking, and I know he does you. Wasn't it Reggie McNeal who said "the church does not have a mission, the mission has a church"? My prayer is that God will give each of us a compelling vision of His work in our lives and the passion for it that will ignite every person around us!
Walter Bennett, Interim DOM
Jacksonville Baptist Association
