Letters

Churches that Heal
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Very good article! Right on the money. Need more like it --- addressed to pastors about how to pastor better. Thanks!

Very good article. Hear are some immediate thoughts. Perhaps they may even be coming from my own "leadership paradigm." I liked what you said about restructuring the way we do church. I'm not sure what a service should look like. I don't even think that is the right question. I have often wondered why it was not laid out more closely in the scriptures. I appreciate your insight from Corinthians, nevertheless, they became somewhat problematic in there services, hence the letter to Corinthians. I have often thought that the Holy Spirit left the order of service out of the Bible in order for variety throughout the world and culture to mix with how we do church. If "leadership" always gave way to the spontaneous then it would be difficult to lead. Paul obviously did not give the very important role of teaching doctrine to spontaneous dancers. Though had he been free to take brakes he would avoided people falling asleep in his meetings and falling out of windows. I will be the first to step up and say we need more participation. I've spent my last 21 years around Pentecostal/Charismatics. Somewhere in their minds they've gotten the idea that if it is spontaneous then it must be the Holy Spirit. This has made me wonder why they couldn't hear from the Holy Spirit earlier and perhaps feel his presence while they are preparing. If Biblical leadership is to lead they must create a context in which leadership can happen. Hence the sermon. The larger our events the more need for order. God is for order. This brings up my final two thoughts for the moment. It comes out of our paradigm of "event Christianity." Sunday morning is our big event. Hear is where I would agree that far to many resources go into making this an event that competes with our high end entertainment society. Just have a look at our own ministry center at KCC and you can see what I mean. The entire machine structures itself for this huge weekly event. Any small group must feed into the mechanism. Perhaps big is not better. Yet in our culture we like big, we are attracted to big and if Marshall McLuhan was right when he coined the phrase "the medium is the message," (I saw how you snuck that one in) then maybe here in North America big isn't necessarily bad if we can figure out how to do what you were talking about with the small as well. Finally, (you never knew I could be so verbose, or perhaps you did and are just too kind) I think we get off track when we see church as an end in itself. Our gifts and callings are not and should not be thought of as exclusive to the church service. Which, by the way, in my opinion not the church. It is when the church may meet or gather but it is not even a good reflection of what we are. I agree that we are all priests - but our priesthood is too often wasted on ourselves. Our thinking about ministry is always wasted on ourselves. Unless we somehow have a ministry to "the poor" or "to the prison." We have separated the sacred and the secular. our gifts may be to become a great web site builder and editor to reach a certain group of people or just build a great site with the wisdom of God. Our gifts may be in raising two very wonderful and beautiful girls who will in turn continue in the faith and help build their part of the world on kingdom principles. We tend to think that the kingdom is the church. The kingdom of God finds great expression in Church. If we do our church meetings well it will usually be exclusive to the kingdom but the kingdom does not limit itself to our gatherings and our events. The priests of the kingdom must fulfill their priesthood in this world. I sound preachy hear, I know. If we see our task in its greater cultural context we will rethink our church meetings. Perhaps we will do them differently, I'm not altogether sure about that. Nevertheless, the church and our meetings has to begin to serve a higher purpose and that purpose must determine what our meetings will look like. Renewal is not an end to itself. Perhaps our meetings may need even more control so that we can become effective in our real purpose of taking our gifts and callings into this world and make a difference. Wow, just a few thoughts. Forgive my rambling.

I found this article to be sort of "silly", written by someone who may have an excellent experience with this type of ministry in his local church, but who has little understanding of what ministry obstacles pastors face in the "average" church. This article also lacked enough practical examples of what he was talking about in theory. I agree with the theory, that each Christian should participate in the life of the church, and that small groups are wonderful. (I'm in several, myself.) But I think this author should read the Doug Murren article in this issue of next-wave. Did you guys deliberately place such opposite articles side by side in the same issue? (For example, Murren states that people need much time before they'll get involved in their church. To "hand them a tambourine" will only backfire!)

I love the mag and need this kind of feedback. We are church planters
in Miami, FL, swimming in a sea of multiculturalism. We need all the
good advice we can get and welcome any viewpoints on how to better
follow our call. Put me on your update list so I know when new issue
comes out.
Steve Hord

I am interested in the shape of the Chruch in 21st century. Keep me informed.
Rev. Krzysztof Wawrzeniuk, Pentacostal Church of Poland

I found your web site listed in the November/December 1999 issue of Children's Ministry. Your effort is wonderful; thanks for putting on the web such thought-provoking, and encouraging, articles. Please add my name to your list for updates.

Death of Superman
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I enjoyed your article on the death of superman or the hero that was hired. I agree with the overall message of article yet, I do what to say that Nicolations does not mean death to the laity. We fall into dangerous territory making swiping remarks. All its means is "followers of Nicolas" Whoever he may be! The laity or simply put the people may have lost its place in the ministry of the church but not it we can not conclude that from the word Nicolaitians in the Revelation correspondence.