Nancy Lublin of Fast Company magazine dares to propose that some not-for-profits should just shut down. Not that an external force should come and force them to close their doors but to so clearly envision their mission from the beginning that they know when it has been accomplished. Kind of like knowing when to pull out the troops. That is a noble business model.
Here are a couple notable quotables from her brief article:
"A not-for-profit exists to cure something, address an issue, or elevate the status of a group of people; if and when that's achieved, we should be done."
"The broader principle here is that companies and organizations don't exist simply to exist. A not-for-profit should ideally be not-for-perpetuity. We should not be donor-funded jobs programs. People give not b/c they believe in us as employable human beings but b/c they believe in what we do."
My friend, and newly installed pastor of the First Baptist Church of New York City, Dr. Matthew Hoskinson, has written a helpful article "On Being Baptist." Not totally satisfied with all the definitions of Baptist identity or distinctives, Matt has set out to prove what for him it means to be a Baptist (at a minimum). He clearly spells it out:
Baptists are distinct from other world religions in that they are Christian, Baptists are distinct from the rest of Christendom in that they are Protestant, and Baptists are distinct from the rest of Protestantism in that they are credobaptist in practice and congregational in polity. This essay focuses on the last of these statements.
He really did a good job. For he concludes:
Baptists are credobaptist in practice and congregational in polity. They may be more than this, but one cannot be less than this and still wear the label. Within the wide stream of Baptist thinking there are many different currents, some healthy, some not. But what defines and distinguishes Baptists from other Protestant groups are these two doctrines.
While I'm sure he has not written a new proposal, he is clear on what distinguishes the Baptist church. It would probably do well to subject the B-A-P-T-I-S-T distinctives to this shorter criteria. If we do, our acrostic might look like T-...S. Hmmm.
Some of you know that my family and I spent some formative years in metro Detroit (wait: all yrs are formative). While not in the city proper, we were exposed to different American and ethnic subcultures. While training at the local theological seminary, I met a guy who lived down the street from me who had a bunch of kids (his youngest is the same age of my oldest)- Jay and his better half, Kristin. He actually was in the same seminary. The dude has a great story that another friend Ken Tullos has captured on a video. I hope that Jay keeps reaching people for Jesus in that urban island and that Ken keeps making videos in and around Detroit for the glory of the one true God. The only improvement I would have made to the video was to add a bit of holy hip-hop=+). Even then, the music was cool and compelling. Word!
On occasion at my Twitter page, I have passed along articles or ideas using the phrase "From the Clouds of Common Grace". This comes from the verse in Holy Scripture, Matthew 5:45, part b- "For he [God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." This verse shows God's goodness (or grace) indiscriminately poured out on his image-bearing people regardless of their personal relationship to him. This is a very simplistic if not incomplete description of the theological construct called "common grace." It is a concept which I wish to study further and will, d.v.
That being said, I hope to share things under this label that will benefit you regardless of your standing with the one I love and serve who is the Lord Jesus Christ. These posts may take from industries such as business, politics, art & media, etc. I confess that the God who is there has given us all things to enjoy. At the end of the day, I want all who I know to come to grips with the lordship of Jesus and his work on the cross.
Without further ado... I commend the magazine FastCompany. While the American dream and microwave ideology of success are embedded in the name, this publication offers much. One of the most interesting articles in this last issue was a focus on the TED phenomenon. TED (for Technology, Entertainment and Design) talks are quickly becoming the new "Harvard Business School," argues the article. You can learn a lot from these 18-minute talks, and it is a good way to cross-pollinate outside the hive of your expertise. Check out the TED website.
*One small disclaimer: While God gives his creatures life, creativity, money, food--the list goes on!-- from the storehouse or clouds of his common grace, I fully acknowledge that his creatures tend to pervert or distort these gifts. This, of course, is the essence of idolatry and needs to be confronted. Therefore, I encourage all to use common sense and discernment while scooping up a cup of rain from these clouds.
Recently, I was licensed by my church (Now, I can officially "marry and bury"). In the process, I had to think hard about and formulate in a paragraph an answer to the question: "What is the Gospel?" Greg Gilbert has even written a book on it.
My answer: A happy God eternally existing in three persons out of his good pleasure creates time and space and fills both with created things. Man, his image-bearer and apex of his creation rebels against his Creator. In his good pleasure, God chooses to redeem his fallen creation. The Gospel particularly is the great news of God's coming promise in the form of Jesus, the Son of God to incarnate, obey the Law's demands perfectly, suffer for sinners to atone for their guilt and satisfy God's rightful wrath. Furthermore, it is the death, the burial and the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is further good news that this Jesus' death and life (his righteousness) are graciously "imputed" to a believer's account. It is good news that the Holy Spirit is given as a sign and seal of that redemption. The gospel at the end of the day is the hope and joy of eternal life. Amen!
Also, I got the chance to answer this question in a video format:
I have been thinking about the subject of out-of-town church attendance (especially on vacation). In fact, I just got back from vacation--today. We have the blessing of attending a church that has four congregations spread out across the city of Chicago. Since we got back early afternoon, we knew we would enjoy the fellowship of saints with our brothers and sisters at the North Side service which is at 5pm. Not everyone has this kind of church structure, however.
Some of my friends with whom I have discussed this don't go at all. "There is no church like our church", they say (which loyalty I applause); they are lazy and want a break from church; or they are uncomfortable about being in a strange setting. Other Christian families will hack their own service (foot washings and all! just kidding). I'm sure there are other reasons. Consider the following questions:
What's the purpose of going to church in the first place? Let me be frank here. I loathe the phrase "go to church." Churches are organized organisms (covering all bases here=+) made of people who have been regenerated by the blood of Jesus Christ. They "go to church" to hear the Scriptures taught, pray, praise God through song, observe the ordinances, give their resources to the work of the church and to the needy w/in the church (Acts 2:42-47). Unfortunately, this is the "rap" that alot of American Christianity has-- the major share of our "going" is to meet with each other. While the Scriptures enforce the need for mutual celebration of the Gospel in praise and Word (Hebrews 10:25), the church is a going entity TO THE WORLD (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). Perhaps, we should retrain our parlance to include words like "worship Jesus" or "meet with believers for unified praise to the Savior". 'Nuf said for now.
Is community the only consideration in making the decision? For some people who don't bother going to church when they are out of their own church, their argument rests often on the fact that their "community" isn't the one at which they are vacationing. Therefore, "why bother with going to church where I am not going to have long-lasting community?"... goes the line of thinking. I am glad for the deep fellowship already cultivated on the home front. Well (for one), the subject of "community" is over-hyped and nearly becoming cliche. It is almost like the concept of missional-- it has a lot of different meanings depending on who you ask. While well-intentioned, this particular line of reasoning is myopic. We easily waltz over the passages of New Testament Scriptures that record the instances when displaced or missionary believers were seeking out the fellowship of locals and vice versa. I would dare say that not only is this rationale myopic but very American. And lest I be called out for nationalizing a particular sin, it is quite Adamic. There. If anything, healthy body life in your own local church should arouse such passion and curiosity for how the Gospel is being fleshed out in other assemblies outside of your "Jerusalem."
When you're with extended family, should you attend with them or should you maintain that your one-off/out-of-town attendance be in concert w/ how selective you are on the home front? For some people, your theology matters a lot, and that is good. However, I would say that if you are concerned with maximizing time w/ your believing family who you are visiting and building unity, you should show how deeply the Gospel runs in you so as to elevate your extended family over your strongly-held preferences. Of course, you could not go at all if it is a heretical church or you could seek another church and meet up for lunch later. But that won't really aid the "unity factor"; it will only remind everyone of certain "wedges" of preference that exist in your family. Some forthrightness or creativity on the front end will help alleviate tension along w/ much love. How about going to church out of town to hear a certain favorite preacher? Definitely. You better believe it, but realize that there is real body of hurting and healthy peeps that show up every week to hear your favorite dude preach. Check them out, too. Just don't do that at your home church. One of the not-so-fondest memories I had of attending one church for a while in Greenville, SC was seeing how many members (!) didn't show up to church when the "rock star" pastor wasn't behind the sacred desk. When you join a church, you are in a sense wedding yourself to that assembly until death, heresy, excommunication or relocation doth thee part.
Here are a few things to reflect on the next time you leave town: 1) If at all possible, try to get back to your own church for Sunday worship. 2) If you are a father with small children and the normal levels of getting out of the house on a Sunday are stressful, you should seek input from your wife on what it would be like for her to get to church on the alien turf. Ask her every time. 3) If possible, stretch yourself and make the effort to worship with believers that you don't know. Remember: Christ is your first commonality; not your geography or ethnicity. Expose your family to the wonderful "thing" that Jesus is doing all around your country and the world. 4) If you vacation to the same place, find a church and keep coming back to it. Extend your community. I know some people from Detroit who do that regularly when they escape away once or twice a year to their regular spot on Florida. 5) Put your "experience" way down on the list. Don't make experience a high priority. If worship is all about experience, then we should all give up on regular gathered worship. This might be simplistic, but I don't think experience as an end should be a driving motivator to attend or not attend church (whether at home or away). 6) Don't just do away from home what you do at home. In other words, join a church at home; stop church hopping. I suspect that if you church hop at home, this little article won't even cross your radar.
