Meahl Memories

A Church Called Tov - Chapter 12: "Tov Churches Nurture Christlikeness", Part 2

The authors wind up their message in this wonderful book by defining pastor, church, and success. Their final words are prescriptive.

First, what is a pastor? The authors begin with a long quote from Eugene Peterson, which is fabulous but too long to post here. Get the book and read it. Peterson asserts that the crisis of pastors and congregations becoming disillusioned with each other has become epidemic. He wonders if a "cultural assumption that all leaders are people who 'get things done' and 'make things happen' is at the root of this crisis. (p. 211) McKnight and Barringer pick up on this and assert that a tov culture requires a church to "operate according to God's design, not the latest leadership model." (p. 211)  Furthermore, God's design to a pastor is stated as follows: "A pastor is someone called to nurture Christoformity in himself or herself and in others." (p. 211)

"It is a sad fact that many pastors (and therefore many congregants) think the primary purpose of Sunday mornings is to preach (or listen to) a sermon. Preaching is part of the purpose, but when it becomes the central or all-encompassing purpose, Sunday mornings become little more than 'come hear me preach.' A 'come hear me preach' culture is not tov." (p. 212-213)  Barringer admits that she's been guilty of this obsession with preaching, and so have I.  I read not long ago an article in Premier Christianity magazine by Skye Jethani called "The Case Against Sermon-Centric Sundays" which really changed my thinking. Excellent preaching can be found anywhere today, thanks to technology.  Gathering together on Sunday should be based around community, sharing the Lord's Supper, etc. Those things cannot be replaced online. 

Barringer tells how their transition from Willow Creek to a church that follows the church calendar changed everything for them. They began to understand that the "purpose of church is not the preacher." The service builds toward taking and receiving the Lord's Supper with their church family rather than toward a sermon. Their pastor places the bread in their hands and calls each congregant by name. She concludes, "We've come to understand that 'church' is not an event, and it is not about the pastor's sermon. Church attendance is about joining a community of believers and being nurtured in the faith. Church is about soul work and confession of sin. Church is about relationships and community--which take time to build. Church is about knowing and being known, loving and being loved, serving and being served... We love our pastor because he is gentle and humble, he knows our names, and he is happy to see us, not because he's a good speaker." (p. 213-215)

Second, what is a church? The authors begin with what the church is not--a business.  It's not "producing a product, and it doesn't gauge success based on measurables." (p. 215) "Church as a people, not an organization, business, or enterprise, is the means by which other people are enfolded into God's family. Our purpose is redemptive and restorative, not for profit, position, or power." (p. 216) Finally, "the genius of the church is the expansion to include Gentiles, those who were formerly outside the covenant and strangers to the promises. The church is a multiethnic, multinational, multiracial--and thus multicultural--community of redeemed people under one King, Jesus." (p. 217)

So, let's redefine what it means for a church to be successful.  "Growing in Christlikeness stands in stark contrast to achievement culture measured by numbers, power, prestige, and money." (p. 217-218) In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul used Jesus' cross-bearing life to redefine true success. (p. 218) "The cross-bearing life...is a life surrendered to Jesus for the sake of others." (p. 219) This is the calling that a tov church will pursue. "Tov summons pastors--get a good grip on this--to pastor the people they have, not the people they don't have. Growth, in all its aspects, is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the work of the pastor, the leaders, or the church." (p. 219) "We help one another become more like Jesus through the exercise of spiritual gifts, as each person contributes to the whole and to one another." (p. 219) This is impossible to do when the pastor and elders rule with an iron fist or when everyone shows up to see the show on Sunday.

The final short section of this book is entitled "What Can We Do?" And that is the question, isn't it? The authors have adapted suggestions from Patrick Keifert and Wesley Granber-Michaelson, two experts on church change who have worked with congregations to transform their cultures for decades. (p. 222)

1. Express the mission of God for your church as tov, which is characterized perfectly in working together to become more like Jesus.
2. Open space for the creative work of God's Spirit to lead your church into tov,  and avoid programming, governing, and constraining this creative work of God's Spirit.
3. At all levels become available to the revealing discernment of the Holy Spirit for how tov can take root in your church.
4. Dwell in the Word.
5. Cooperate with other churches in the process of eradicating a toxic culture and forming your church into a church called tov.

Thank you to anyone who read along with me on this journey. Even if no one did, this process was cathartic for me. I am so grateful that Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer took the time to write this book, but I am so crushed that there was a huge need for it. Mostly, I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me to become part of a tov culture wherever I gather with other believers to worship Him.