Folks, as we begin today, listen to what was on Jesus’ mind as he contemplated his last hours on earth…
“I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message. 21 I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 22 I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one: 23 I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me. 24 “Father! You have given them to me, and I want them to be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, the glory you gave me; for you loved me before the world was made. 25 Righteous Father! The world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you sent me. 26 I made you known to them, and I will continue to do so, in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and so that I also may be in them.” – John 17:20-26 (TEV)
Jesus’ greatest desire was for us, the Body of Christ—the Church, to experience the unity we find in the Godhead—Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Just as they are One, Jesus’ wanted us to know that kind of intimacy, that kind of friendship, that kind of focus of purpose that God has. But, in order for us as the Church to be united as Jesus called us to be … we’ve got to be able to communicate with each other in simple, direct ways that make sense to all!
The sermon today could be subtitled, “A Story of Rachel.” Why? Because today I’m going to be referring to a young woman named Rachel who was a vital part of the research done for the work, Essential Church. As we take a look at her story, let me begin by reminding all of us about the Top Ten Reasons Church Dropouts Stopped Attending Church:
- Simply wanted a break from church.
- Church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical.
- Moved to college and stopped attending church.
- Work responsibilities prevented me from attending.
- Moved too far away from the church to continue attending.
- Became too busy though still wanted to attend.
- Didn’t feel connected to the people in my church.
- Disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues.
- Chose to spend more time with friends outside the church.
- Was only going to church to please others.
The conversation with Rachel was very revealing. She could have contributed to almost every top-ten item on the list of why people left the church. Here’s what she had to say:
“You know, I think I was really only going to church to please my parents [10],” she began. “I really needed a break from church to think for myself [1], and when I moved to Gainesville to go to college, I thought it would be a good time to evaluate things [3 and 5]. But when I graduated from college and moved to Chicago, I just became too busy at work to think about church [6]. And I just got tired of my church back home where the members seemed so hypocritical [2], and where many of them were more concerned about their pet issues than true Christianity [8].”
Wow, 7 out of 10 ain’t bad, is it? And, in one response… Well, it’s a good reminder of why we’re talking about what we’re talking about—being an Essential Church for all generations, including our younger ones… The conversation with Rachel continued:
Rachel was then asked a hypothetical question: “What would you do if you knew you had to start attending a church regularly within a week? In other words, all excuses off the table.”
Her hesitation was brief, and her honesty compelling. “I would be scared,” she said emphatically. “I have visited a few churches in the area, but I refused to get involved because you have to know all the rules to understand what is going on.”
She was asked to clarify what she meant by rules: “I went to my church at home for eleven years. I learned over time all the programs and activities. I learned what I was supposed to do and not supposed to do. But the only way I learned was by being raised in that church and by being exposed to all the activities and unwritten rules over the years.”
Then, Rachel made a statement that summed it all up well: “Churches today are just too confusing.” Her eyes grew wide and she grinned broadly and finally said, “I would like to see older long-term church members try to get involved in a new church. Let’s see how comfortable they would be in these complicated churches.”
That may hurt for some of us long-timers to hear, but we couldn’t ask for more honesty; that’s for sure…
What does this have to do with being an Essential Church? Well, there’s no way that we can be an Essential Church without simplifying things first… Let me explain: First of all, Rachel was right. Churches have become way too complicated … and many have no clear direction or goal in mind. Maybe some of you have experienced this in the past. We keep coming to church … faithfully. But, if someone were to ask us why we come or what our church is all about, most couldn’t answer that … together [unified]! And, if we can’t, it’s usually because … we have no clue…
As we began today, we were given a definition of a simple church. Let me remind you: A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth. And, if you are a simple church (one that’s on its way to becoming an Essential Church), there will be 4 steps that you will go through to get there. Understand, today, that this all has to do with ministry structure—the framework on which everything else rests. Listen:
STEP 1: CLARITY. Folks, the truth is that young people today do not attend a church just because they are supposed to attend a church. Theirs is not the generation of their parents & grandparents… There must be a purpose behind their actions … and it needs to be simple & clear…
The GOOD NEWS today (and I’ll have plenty of it for you) is that we, as a congregation, have been moving in that direction! The UMW, last week (especially Martha Boyer), reflected about how their ministry is all about LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE, AND SERVING GOD BY SERVING OTHERS. ‘Simple, right? Most of us, if we hear that statement once or twice, can remember the gist of it—the gist of what this congregation is all about. The key to realize here is this: Clarity is about two things—what and how. 1) What is our purpose? 2) How will it be accomplished? Our purpose statement takes care of both … and that makes explaining what we do, to others, that much simpler… (I’ll have to unfold that at a later date.)
So, again, the GOOD NEWS today is that we’ve been moving in this direction; the leadership of this church has been busy clarifying what we are about as simply as we can state it… Step Two towards being a Simple Church is this:
STEP 2: MOVEMENT. We need an intentional process in place whereby the Spirit of God can move easily in the lives of individuals and in the life of our church! The idea of ‘movement’ is critical…
So, what’s the opposite of movement? Congestion! Who here likes congestion? When I’m timing a drive to Madison, whether to shop or to make hospital calls or whatever, I always try and time my trip to avoid the congestion of morning or afternoon rush hour… You get the picture.
How about head or chest congestion? That’s a nuisance, isn’t it? Congestion in the head or chest prevents movement. The movement of air is restricted because of congestion. Mucus, phlegm, and junk clog your body. (TMI?) Congestion is bad, isn’t it?
The truth is many churches are congested, too. Spiritual movement is stifled. The building of spiritual lives is slowed. People stay the same … always. They are unchanged. They are unmoved… People are not being transformed!
Once again, the GOOD NEWS is that we have been moving in directions to cut down on this spiritual congestion that plagues way too many churches. Have you taken the E.T. class yet? There’s a prescription for spiritual congestion … as well as other growth opportunities around this place. We are moving in directions of being very intentional about movement … and that’s critical to being a Simple, Essential Church… Next:
STEP 3: ALIGNMENT. Verse 21 tells us, again, what Jesus was praying for: “I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me.” In the finality of Jesus’ life, he was burdened for unity, wasn’t he? This is what we’re talking about with the idea of alignment.
Legendary football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant coached at Alabama for 25 years … winning 6 national titles … and 13 Southeastern Conference championships. In other words, on average he won a national championship every 4 years while at Alabama and the SEC title every other year… Not bad, huh?
What many people don’t realize, however, is that as remarkable as his coaching career was, Bear Bryant never had an Alabama player win the Heisman Trophy—college football’s equivalent of the MVP! You see, the Bear had a coaching philosophy that focused on the team rather than the individual. Even though he had the best teams for many years, he resisted allowing one player to be too important. That would diminish the power of the team. That would be detrimental to the team’s unity…
Jesus prayed for this kind of ‘team.’ He wanted the kind of unity in his followers that he experienced in the Godhead—Father, Son & Holy Spirit. They are completely one. They are inseparable. Jesus prayed that we would be that intimate, united, and aligned… Unity reflects the glory & character of God … because God is unified. We need to be aligned in what we’re doing, too—LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, SERVE GOD BY SERVING OTHERS… Finally:
STEP 4: FOCUS. Sometimes the hardest part of becoming a Simple Church, this is the commitment to abandon those areas that fall outside the simple ministry process that we feel God leading us to undertake—our purpose…
While it may be difficult, recent research has shown that it’s necessary if we’re to stay on track toward God’s goals… There’s a delicate balance between … knowing that we only need to be about those things that support our purpose, and … saying ‘no’ to those things that don’t line up with where we’re going (as some could be ‘sacred cows’—longtime traditions in the church).
One more time, FOCUS is the commitment to abandon everything else that falls outside of the simple ministry process that we are working toward—our focus on making disciples…
So, God help us as we are faithful to move ahead, working to fulfill the purpose or vision that we’ve been given … Yes, any kind of change is difficult, but the real question is still: What kind of a future do we want to have? Hopefully our answer is: Whatever God wants … and whatever it takes to get there—for Rachel’s sake … and others just like her…