The Vital Church

“Chemistry is a force multiplier.”

I read that statement somewhere, but I honestly cannot remember where.  So I am failing to attribute it to the original author.  Still, it is such an important statement I want to use it.

Force multiplication is a military concept which ”refers to an attribute or a combination of attributes which make a given force more effective than that same force would be without it. A force multiplier refers to a factor that dramatically increases (hence “multiplies”) the effectiveness of an item or group.”

When thinking about an organization, such as a church, chemistry usually refers to the energy that is created when a group of people work together at a high level of cooperation.  It is sort of like a chemical reaction.  Once it gets started, it just keeps growing on its own.

Have you watched the Texas Rangers baseball team lately?  They have chemistry.

What creates that high level of cooperation?  I can think of a few things.  Perhaps, you can think of more.

• A commitment to a common purpose that is so great the group rejects lesser things that might deter it from that purpose.
• A respect for one another that allows for individual differences, overlooks and forgives mistakes, encourages one another, and stands up for one another.
• An environment that allows each group member to contribute according to his or her strengths, and allows the strengths of others to cover weaknesses.

I’m sure there are many more.

One might say that the Holy Spirit is the ultimate force multiplier for a church.  But I’m saving that for the next post.

The question that I have to ask myself in my role with others in any kind of group is, “Do I add the the chemistry or take away from it?”

Do you like to participate in surveys over the telephone?

Personally, I do not.  I have no way of knowing how my answers will be used, and I know how almost anything can be “spun” to prove what an opinion-maker wants to prove.  So, I usually decline to participate.

We don’t want to waste our time answering questions if we don’t know how our answers will be used, and we don’t want to waste our time answering questions that do not matter.

The questions on our survey do not come from the Revitalization Team, although the team did approve them.  The questions come from Church Consultants who spend a lot of time trying to help churches focus upon the most important thing:  God’s purpose for that particular church.

These questions are intended to create discussion.  As such, I must warn you of two things:

1.  The answers will probably lead to more questions as we try to narrow our way down to God’s purpose.

2.  If you think you already have all the answers, then you are probably going to be uncomfortable, and maybe even frustrated, with these questions and the discussion. Since we believe that the Holy Spirit speaks to all of us, you’re going to have to either wait for the rest of us to catch up with you, or be willing to open up to some other possible alternatives.

What is the most important question of all?  Well, that would be…

What is God’s specific purpose for His people called Lakeshore Drive Baptist Church, and how can we fulfill that purpose as effectively as possible?

I close with another question, is anything less than that really worth the sacrifice of our lives?

The first discussion group has been scheduled for Sunday afternoon, April 29, after the Emerald Fellowship luncheon.  I suspect that this will begin sometime around 1:00pm.  Obviously, this is targeted toward those who are in the 55+ age range.  However, anyone is welcome to attend.  We have nothing to hide.  If you under 55, but want to see an example of how the process might work for your group then please feel free to attend.

A couple of comments:

1.  I will facilitate the discussion and other members of the Church Revitalization Team will attend.  We will ask questions, and then listen to your answers.  We are not there to tell you what we think; we are there to listen to what you think.

2.  The staff will not attend at the request of the Team.  We feel that this gives more freedom for discussion.

3.  We pledge to listen respectfully to what every person has to say, and we request that everyone else in attendance do the same.  We pledge to respect the right of each person to speak.  If you prefer to provide written responses rather than speaking before the group then please do so.  But I also believe you will benefit from listening to the opinions of others.

4.  Please continue (or begin) to spend time reading Scripture and in prayer as you prepare for this process.  We want it to be guided by the Holy Spirt as He leads each member of our congregation.

I look forward to beginning the process this week.

Congregation Survey

Over the next few weeks, the Church Revitalization Team will begin meeting with discussion groups in order to receive input about the future of Lakeshore Drive.  We have put together a set of questions to guide the discussion.  You can download those questions by clicking the link above.

You are welcome to fill out the survey by hand and bring it with you to the discussion, or you can e-mail your responses to john@thevitalchurch.net.

Most of the discussions will be grouped by Sunday School classes, but other opportunities will be available.  We hope for as many church members as possible to participate, and we look forward to the things we will learn from the dialogue.

The Revitalization Team elected at Lakeshore Drive has held three meetings over the past three Sundays.  We began by trying to get familiar with the process and orienting ourselves.  So far, we have focused upon two tasks; understanding the immediate community that surrounds our location and developing a plan to gather input from the congregation.

The team has decided that the Sunday School organization provides the best way for us to meet with groups of people in order to gather feedback.  We realize that this may not reach everybody, but it provides us with a place to start.  So, this week we will be contacting Sunday School leaders to arrange for meetings with their classes.  In addition, we will schedule at least one meeting on a Sunday afternoon for those who might not be able to attend a class session.

Soon, we will post on this site a list of questions that we plan to use to generate discussion.  Those questions will give us a starting point, but we are more interested in discovering what means the most to you about our church and how we can work together to serve God most effectively.

To that end, we ask that you continue to pray for our team as we organize ourselves and prepare to hear from you.  Also, please continue to pray that God will give you a spirit of wisdom and unity as we discuss together His future for our church.

A couple of other notes…if you have questions or comments that you want to ask and you don’t mind for them to be public, then you can do so in response to this post or on Twitter (@thevitalchurch) or on Facebook at The Vital Church Initiative.

Finally, if you have questions or comments that are private, you can email them to john@thevitalchurch.net.

Lakeshore Drive Baptist Church voted on January 11th to participate in the Vital Church consulting process.  This process is designed to assist the church to identify a vision that increases spiritual vitality in the congregation.  We have defined 7 characteristics of vitality from the description of the church in Acts 2:

• A passionate devotion to Jesus Christ,
• Vibrant Worship,
• Discipleship that transforms the lives of believers,
• Sacrificial ministry that demonstrates the power of Jesus’ life,
• Intentional evangelism,
• Welcoming fellowship, and
• Spirit-led prayer.

The process includes the formation of a Revitalization Team and a Prayer Team.  The Revitalization Team will gather and sift through information, share conclusions and request feedback, and ultimately make recommendations to the church.

We will use this site to communicate progress and post information about church vitality, and you are welcome to post your comments.  We have also set up a Facebook group (The Vital Church Initiative) and a Twitter account (@thevitalchurch) that we can use for dialogue.  We also have an e-mail address at thevitalchurch@parkerbaptist.org.  You can use any of these methods to share what you are learning as you study Scripture and share your thoughts about the process.

What can you, as a member of LDBC do?

• Begin using the S.O.A.P. method of prayerful reading through the New Testament.  As God speaks to you, consider how God can use you to contribute to the vitality of Lakeshore Drive.  Share your thoughts with us.
• Pray daily for some aspect of church vitality.  Also, pray for the church staff, pray for the community you live in and consider how you might be an influence for Christ.  Pray for the civic and business leaders of Hudson Oaks, for the schools in our community and their leaders, and ask God how Lakeshore Drive might be a light for the gospel in the community.
• Pray for a common vision for the future of Lakeshore Drive Baptist.
• When the opportunity comes, give honest, constructive feedback with the understanding that the church will only be as spiritually vital as the individual members are spiritually vital.

I look forward to our journey together.