the reluctant leader

SPIRIT-EMPOWERED: What is an Every Nation Church? (part III)

Here’s part 3 of my blog about what an Every Nation church or campus ministry is supposed to look like.

Every Nation Churches and Ministries exists to…
Honor God and establish
 Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, socially responsible
 churches and campus ministries 
In Every Nation

What does a Spirit-empowered church or campus ministry look like?

In some denominations and traditions the power of the Holy Spirit means falling to the ground after being prayed for. In other traditions the power of the Holy Spirit is something that happened in Bible times, but not today.

When I say we want to establish Spirit-empowered
 churches and campus ministries, I mean churches and campus ministries that honor God by welcoming and celebrating the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in ways that make sense to the culture and community where that particular church or campus ministry exists.

What some people think is the power of the Holy Spirit, might actually be a cultural response to the presence and power of God. Some cultures are emotional; others are analytical. Some are demonstrative; others are stoic. Some loud; others quiet. Huggers, hand-shakers. Loose, stiff. Serious, funny.

Some cultures and communities respond to the presence and power of the Spirit with great exuberance and emotion, while others respond in quiet reverence. Some fall down. Some kneel down. Some bow down. Some stand still. (Some fall asleep, but we probably shouldn't blame that on the Holy Spirit.)

God seems to love the variety. He created it. I think His power can flow through all different types of cultures. But what does it really mean to be empowered by the Holy Spirit?

Here’s what Luke wrote about being Spirit-empowered: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

It doesn't matter if you shout and shake or stand as still and quiet as a marble statue - as long as you are an effective witness to your lost friends and neighbors when your religious experience ends and you go back to work or class. A Spirit-empowered church is a church filled with people who have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to live lives that point others to Christ.   

Luke also wrote this about being Spirit-empowered: After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)

How about that for a Spirit-empowered prayer meeting - the building shook! As exciting as that building-shaking prayer meeting might have been, the proof that they were Spirit-empowered is what happened when they left the prayer meeting – they spoke the word of God boldly.

We can have world-shaking prayer meetings with all kinds of spiritual manifestations, but if we don’t live as witnesses and we don’t speak God’s word when we go home, then we've missed the point.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely need the miracle power of the Holy Spirit to be a decent witness. Left to myself, my witness would scare people away from God. 

CHRIST-CENTERED: What is an Every Nation Church? (part II)

Here's part 2 of my blog series called "What is an Every Nation Church?"

My best description of why Every Nation Churches and Ministries exists and what we do:

To honor God and establish
Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, Socially Responsible
Churches and Campus ministries
In Every Nation.

What is a Christ-centered church and campus ministry?

It seems absurd to have to say that we are trying to build Christ-centered churches and campus ministries. Of course a church should be Christ-centered. However, it is unfortunately common for churches and ministries to be centered on almost everything but Christ.

I have seen churches that are preacher centered, personality centered, doctrine centered, worship style centered, prayer meeting centered, religious experience centered, spiritual gift centered, prophet centered, profit centered, vision centered, building centered, political agenda centered…

Many mega-churches in my city (Manila) are known, not by the church name, but by the name of their bigger-than-life mega-leader – Brother Bill’s church, Pastor Peter’s church, Dr Dan’s church, Bishop Bong's church.

Here’s what Paul said about this idea of being Christ-centered:

"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy." (Col 1:17,18)

Ultimately Every Nation exists to honor God and point people to Christ - not for a man, doctrine or experience to take center stage.

Does Christ have the SUPREMACY in your life, ministry, and church?

10 Things You Must Know to Succeed in Ministry

I landed in Manila less than 48 hours ago, and as usual I hit the ground running. Today, despite the jet lag coma, I taught six sessions at our ministry school. My students included future campus missionaries, future youth pastors and future kids ministers.

I love training and equipping next generation leaders. No matter how busy or tired I am, I always have time and energy for future leaders.

Here's what I taught in today's three afternoon sessions: TEN THINGS YOU MUST KNOW FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS IN MINISTRY.

1. You must know that GOD LOVES YOU and accepts you because of who he is and what he did for you, not because of who you are and what you do for him. Otherwise you will live and die on the performance treadmill.

2. You must know that GOD CALLED YOU to do campus ministry. Once you know this is a calling and not just a job, then the option to quit is off the table.

3. You must know that GOD WILL PROVIDE for all your needs. No way around it; this is a trust (faith) issue, and he is trustworthy.

4. You must that know THE GOSPEL WORKS in all situations at all times, otherwise you will spin your wheels trying all kinds of gimmicks and flavors-of-the-month. Cool hairdos and designer jeans never transformed a life.

5. You must know HOW TO FORGIVE. More than any other job, ministry will provide countless opportunities to practice forgiveness.

6. You must know how and when to SAY NO. Rather than doing everything that can be done in the name of God, narrow the focus and you will accomplish more.

7. You must know how to ENGAGE your culture & community. This is the starting line for making disciples.

8. You must know how to ESTABLISH biblical foundations. This is the central core of making disciples.

9. You must know how to EQUIP believers to minister. This ensures that discipleship grows in quality as well as quantity.

10. You must know how to EMPOWER disciples to make disciples. This enables discipleship to multiply exponentially.

Another episode of Man vs Jet Lag continues tomorrow. Stay tuned. Bye.

Our Christmas Eve Disaster

This was originally written for Evangelicals Today magazine, about 19 yrs ago. Since then it has been hidden deep in my archive file (random thoughts), along with piles of other ancient smurrell.com documents and occasionally re-posted around Christmas time. Thought some of you, especially those with small children, might find it helpful this time of the year...

-------------------------
’Twas the night before Christmas, and the scene of the crime was Savannah, Georgia. The year was 1989. William was three and a half. James was one and a half. Jonathan was still inside trying to kick his way out.

This was the year William realized that Christmas meant gifts. He knew that at my in-laws’ house, the gifts are divided into piles. All those that say “To William” are put in a pile together. All the “To James” gifts are put together. Once all the gifts have been put in the right pile, they are opened one at a time beginning with the youngest and continuing to the oldest. This meant that James was first, then William, then older cousins, uncles and aunts, then Mom, Dad, and finally, grandparents.

We had attempted to teach our boys the true meaning of Christmas. We had recited the story of the incarnation over and over. We didn’t expect much from James, but we assumed that William understood that it was better to give than to receive. After all, Jesus was born because God so loved the world that He gave . . . That’s what Christmas is all about—giving.

What happened that night let us know that our children had completely missed the point, and that we had to adjust the way we would celebrate Christmas in the future.

All William wanted for Christmas that year was a bow and arrow. His little mind was made up. He knew what he wanted and he would not be denied. He prayed to God for it, and just to be sure, he pleaded to us for it.

One day, to make sure I understood his request, he said, “Daddy, I want real arrows.”

“Real arrows?” I asked, wondering what kind of damage a three-year old would do with real arrows.

“Yeah, you know the kind with the red rubber things on the end. Real ones, not just toys.” He was serious about this. “You mean the kind that sticks to windows if you lick ’em before shooting?” I responded, hoping I knew what he meant by real ones.

“Yeah! Like in Toys-R-Us.”

Back to the Christmas Eve crime scene in Georgia.  Here’s what happened. James was first to open his gifts. Like all 18 month olds, he was more impressed with the colorful boxes and ribbons than with the contents.

Then came William's turn. As James continued to play with bows and boxes, William anxiously ripped through his first gift in world-record time. He completely ignored the contents and immediately tore into the next one. (At least James played with the boxes.) He only got the wrapping paper half way off this one before tossing it aside and grabbing the next one.

Deborah and I discerned that something was wrong here. “William, maybe you should say thanks and at least act like you appreciate these gifts. What’s wrong with you?”

On the verge of tears, he said, “I thought I would get a bow and arrow, with real arrows. That’s all I wanted, and I didn’t get it. I got all this other stuff instead.”

He did get a bow with real (rubber-tipped) arrows, but it was buried under a mountain of shredded green and red wrapping paper.

That was quite a memorable and frustrating Christmas for us. We knew something was wrong, but we weren’t sure just how to fix it.

A few months later, I read a book that described the scene you just read about, only it was happening in another city to another family with small kids. It was sure comforting to know that our experience was not unique. Right now, I can’t seem to remember the name of the book or the author. Anyway, this guy in the book not only had the same problem, but he had identified the root of the problem and had come up with the solution. It was so simple. It opened our eyes and changed the way we have approached Christmas since the disaster of ’89.

On that fateful Christmas Eve I described above, William was upset (and a bit ungrateful) because he thought he didn’t get a bow with real arrows. The root of the problem is in the word “get.” His focus was on what he would get. We will always have a problem when we focus on what we get. Christmas (and life) is all about giving, not getting. The greatest joy in fulfillment comes as we give.

The guy in the book solved the problem by putting the emphasis on what each child was to give, not on what they were to get. We adopted that idea, and it has served us well.  In 1989, we asked William what he wanted to get for Christmas. He wanted to get a bow with real arrows. Christmas Eve came around. It was William’s turn to open gifts. All he could think about was what he would get. He was totally oblivious to what others were getting and to what others had given. We had helped him miss the whole point.

From then on, rather than asking our children what they want to get, we ask them what they want to give - their brothers, their relatives, and friends. For the weeks building up to Christmas, our children are focused on what they will give rather than what they will get.

Now, when gift opening time comes at the Murrell house, we put all William’s gifts in a pile, all James’ in a pile, all Jonathan’s in a pile. We separate Mom’s and Dad’s into piles of their own.

In William’s pile are all the gifts that say “From William” on the tag. In James’s pile are all those that say “From James.” The “From Jonathan” gifts are in another pile, as are the “From Mom” and the “From Dad.”

Once all the gifts are in the piles, each person can now take his turn to give all his gifts. This way, the focus is on giving rather than getting. Over the next few years our boys learned to be just as excited about giving as getting.

They have discovered that it really can be more blessed to give than to receive.

What to Look for in a Potential Leader

I am often asked by pastors, church planters and missionaries: "What should I look for in potential leaders?" Simple. The starting line for potential leaders is HUNGER & HUMILITY.

HUNGER. Spiritual hunger. I'm not interested in someone who is spiritually fat and overfed, but someone who is hungry for more, hungry to learn.

HUMILITY. I can't teach someone who already knows it all. I can't mentor an expert. Potential leaders know they need to know more. The best leaders are learners, not experts. Humility is a non-negotiable leadership foundation.

It does not matter how gifted, connected or credentialed a person is, it he is not hungry and humble, he is not a potential leader. 

------------------

Bonus leadership thought from twitter: LEADERSHIP. Need more leaders? You already have them. You simply need to equip & empower them - then validate & celebrate them.

 

 

Top 10 Things You Need to Know to Succeed in Campus Ministry

I am speaking tomorrow at the Every Nation School of Campus Ministry in Manila. So much to say, but I finally narrowed it down to the 10 things you must know in order to succeed in campus ministry long term. Here they are:

1. You must know that God loves you & accepts you because of who he is & what he did for you, not because of who you are & what you do for him.

2. You must know that God called you to do campus ministry, no matter what other opportunities are offered.

3. You must know that God will provide.

4. You must know that the gospel is the power of God for salvation, otherwise you will resort to all kinds of goofy & powerless ministry gimmicks designed to attract people to meetings.

5. You must know how to forgive. The longer you do ministry, the more opportunities you will have to practice this one.

6. Because you will face endless needs & countless open doors, you must know how & when to say NO. Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do. Focus is necessary for success.

7. You must know how to ENGAGE your culture & community. You had to know that one was coming, and the next three also...

8. You must know how to ESTABLISH biblical foundations, or your disciples will be temporary.

9. You must know how to EQUIP believers to minister, or you will end up doing all the ministry, resulting in either burn out or very little fruit.

10. You must know how to EMPOWER disciples to make disciples, because that is the whole point of being a campus missionary.

In summary: honor God & make disciples.

How to Build Mega-Campus Ministries

I recently met with some of our Filipino campus ministry leaders to talk about how to build mega-campus ministries.
 
(Here’s some context for our mega-campus ministries discussion. While most multi-site churches have 1 huge central mother ship, orbited by smaller dependent satellites, at Victory-Manila we have three huge congregations, seven large congregations and three bigger-than-average congregations.  Somehow over time we figured out how to reproduce mega-churches all over the city that reach multiple thousands. So the question was: Why not build mega-campus ministries all over the Philippines that reach tens of thousands of students with the gospel?)
 
Here’s my summary of our discussion:

1. TEAM. It took a united team to build Victory-Manila and it will take a united team working together to build a campus ministry that reaches hundreds of campuses and hundreds of  thousands of Filipino students.

2. MODELS. We need strong regional chapters that serve as models & resource centers to help smaller communities.

3. MENTORS. Those who are more mature and more fruitful should mentor the younger and less fruitful.

4. CHURCH. Campus ministry must be local church basted. And campus ministry & a multi-generational culture must remain top priority in all Victory churches.

5.  FOCUS. As much as possible our campus missionaries should focus on one campus rather than working on several campuses.

6. STANDARDIZATION. We need to decide what needs to be standardized and what needs to be flexible. No need to re-invent the wheel. But also, we must recognize that different vehicles require different wheels.

7. PRAYER. Campus missionaries must pray together.

8. MEASURE. We measure what we value. Since we value discipleship (obeying the Great Commission) we must find a way to measure more than those who show up at a meeting. How can we measure discipleship?

9. HEALTHY LEADERS. If we have healthy campus missionaries, we will have healthy campus ministries.

Final thought: at 50, I'm more excited about campus ministry than at any other time in my life. Change the campus, change the world!

Christians & Muslims

I recently talked to a pastor from the Middle East about how to share the love of Christ with Muslims. Here’s what he said:

- Remember you dealing with real people - individuals who have the same dreams, desires, struggles, fears and insecurities as you.

- Ask lots of questions and listen.

- Don’t debate; don’t argue. Everyone loses in a theological argument.

- Focus on truth, not facts. Facts constantly change. Truth never changes, but truth changes people.

- Be real, not religious.

- Build bridges (relationships), not walls.

- Pray and expect the supernatural.

- Find common beliefs (see below)

Christian & Muslim Common Ground:
- Belief in one God – “Allah” in Arabic
- Belief in angels – both good and bad
- Belief in the revealed books of God
- Belief in prophets - including Adam, Abe, Moses, David & others
- Belief in divine judgment of human affairs
- Belief in life after death

Revivals & Rumors of Revivals

I keep hearing people talk about the “coming revival” which will be the “greatest revival in the history of revivals” – the BIG ONE.

Nothing new - I’ve been hearing this for at least 25 years. Seems we are always on the verge of “the greatest move of God ever” or a huge “End Time” harvest. 
 
I hope they are right, and the world is about the experience a massive spiritual awakening.
 
But, revival or not, we’re still supposed to make disciples. History has proven that if we have revival and neglect discipleship, the fruit of the revival will not last.
 
I suggest that while we wait for the BIG ONE, we get busy making disciples by engaging culture, establishing biblical foundations, equipping believers to minister and empowering disciples to make disciples. 

But, that's just me. What do you think?

NOTE: Day 1 of our annual Every Nation week of prayer, fasting & consecration. So far, so good.

Campus, Youth & Multi-Generational Ministry

While Kris was upsetting the dude with eyeliner & black nail polish on American Idol and the Magic were upsetting the Cavs, I was in an all-day planning meeting with key opinion-shapers of Every Nation Campus Ministry (Philippines).

My meeting included:
    - 9 active campus missionaries
    - 5 retired campus missionaries (now pastors)
    - 4 senior pastors
    - 4 youth pastors
    - 2 ENCM central office staff

After some heated debates, we decided that ENCM-Phil should be…
    - church-based not para-church
    - a student movement not a youth movement
    - a campus ministry not a student ministry
    - Christ-centered not secular or social
    - national not local

While I no longer do Bible studies on the campus, my passion to reach students has only increased over the years. For me, campus ministry is not an elective - it’s a calling, a stewardship.

Here’s a 4-point summary of our discussions/debates/decisions about what really matters in ENCM-Philippines:

1. God is honored.
2. Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, Bible-based, disciple-making, church-based, socially-responsible campus ministries are established on every major campus in the Philippines.
3. Adequately funded campus missionaries are equipped and empowered.
4. Ministry partners are valued.