Metrics In Ministry

"You cannot measure what you have not defined." (Edgar Schein). In my doctoral studies one of my Professors, Dr. Gordon Lewis, required us to define with exegetical validation each and every term we used in creating an Applied Theology. Dr. Al Mohler in his book The Conviction To Lead correctly states that unless convictions are translated into action the watching world has no comprehension of what we say we believe.

Nearly all churches claim that their purpose is to MAKE DISCIPLES. Yet, when asked what a disciple is, they have no clear and actionable definition and therefore no Metric by which they can measure ministry effectiveness. IgniteUS, Inc. has such a definition. We have developed 14 Effectiveness Criteria that enable the church to know with reasonable certainty if their ministry is Healthy & Effective. We provide a process of collecting "Artifacts" to validate the existence of operative ministry principles. Very important for genuine accountability.

Edgar Schein is a Professor Emeritus at MIT. He made significant contributions to leadership in the area of Organizational Behavior. The following graphic and text provide an overview of his thesis.

Schein's model of organizational culture originated in the 1980s. Schein (2004) identifies three distinct levels in organizational cultures:

1. artifacts and behaviors
2. espoused values
3. assumptions

The three levels refer to the degree to which the different cultural phenomena are visible to the observer.

• Artifacts include any tangible, overt or verbally identifiable elements in an organization. Architecture, furniture, dress code, office jokes, all exemplify organizational artifacts. Artifacts are the visible elements in a culture and they can be recognized by people not part of the culture.

• Espoused values are the organization's stated values and rules of behavior. It is how the members represent the organization both to themselves and to others. This is often expressed in official philosophies and public statements of identity. It can sometimes often be a projection for the future, of what the members hope to become. Examples of this would be employee professionalism, or a "family first" mantra. Trouble may arise if espoused values by leaders are not in line with the general assumptions of the culture.[1]

• Shared Basic Assumptions are the deeply embedded, taken-for-granted behaviors which is usually unconscious, but constitute the essence of culture. These assumptions are typically so well integrated in the office dynamic that they are hard to recognize from within.[2]

Importance of Schein's Model
One can easily understand the paradoxical organizational behaviors and have an in-depth knowledge of the culture. Interpersonal skills also help in understanding culture. Helps to know the culture at different levels. The assumptions can be identified. Organizational culture is the most difficult to change, this model brought to light understanding of the organizational culture and can be applied to lead change.

Does the church where you are serving measure ministry effectiveness with Objective Accuracy? Give us a call and we will launch you on a Journey to making disciples fully formed in the Image of Christ. 803 413 3509 or info@igniteUS.net.

Consequences - Truth In The Marketplace

WEBSTER, N.Y. — A gunman ambushed firefighters at a house fire in the Rochester suburb of Webster, N.Y., early Monday, killing two firemen and injuring two others before killing himself on a Lake Ontario beach.
Seven homes were destroyed as firefighters waited for police to secure the scene.
The gunman, who shot himself at the scene, was identified as 62-year-old William Spengler. He was charged in 1980 with beating his 92-year-old grandmother to death with a hammer in her home next door.
Spengler served 17 years in New York State prison on manslaughter charges, police officials said.

The individual guilty of murdering two firefighters in this incident should not have been alive to kill yet again. He was found guilty of killing his grandmother in 1980. The 'culture' has decided that Truth does not apply.  As a culture we have abandoned Truth Absolute. The Scriptures, which are Transcendent and Absolute requires such individuals to be put to death -

And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.  6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. (Genesis 9:5-6).

 The application of the Moral Authority found in Scripture applied to this man's case would have prevented the deaths of two fireman, two image bearers created in the Image of God. They died needlessly. Their lives were taken by a convicted killer. Their loss is not restricted to their families and loved ones alone. We all suffer from their deaths and more, from the loss of Marketplace Authority of the Scripture. Had this mandate been applied, these men would be alive.

Incarceration is not the solution. As a nation we spend millions of dollars on prisons and precious little on education.

Over the past 23 years, California constructed roughly one new prison per year, at a cost of $100 million each, while it built only one new public college during the same period. Nationwide, spending on prisons has risen six times faster than spending on higher education.

The Scripture calls for repentance - an honest admission by the guilty party of their crime, and, restitution, restoring to the injured party double what was taken. Had this been applied in the case of William Spangler he would have rightly been executed in 1980, the firemen would be living and we as a culture would be better served.

The issue is not decided by some smarmy emotional angst. It is rather determined by the Transcendent unchanging Moral Authority of Scripture. God is offended by murder. He has ordered governments to honor His authority by abiding by the consistent application of Truth.

Think on these things!

Pious Pseudo Priority

First, the Good News! Yesterday I completed the last flight for 2012. Home for the Holidays with family and to celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, Light of the World. STARBUCKS and a warm fire, contemplating time and eternity.

Now for the matter of "Pseudo Priority". When boarding a DELTA flight, there are according to DELTA, different' classes of people. Let me explain. They board people needing assistance and those with small children first. That is most appropriate. They recognize those serving in the military - also most appropriate. Next they board First Class passengers. These are folks that paid 10 times more for their ticket than the majority of people on this flight. Their choice but my observation after 42 years of travel is they arrive at precisely the same time as those sitting in coach seats.

Now it gets interesting. They then board those with "Priority Status". There are carpets on the floor with a pylon separating the two colors, red for the really important people and blue for all the rest. Really? There is a sign that says "Priority" to the left on the red carpet and one that says "General Boarding" to the right using the blue carpet. They then board by zones, 1-3 or 4 etc.

Now we come to the "Pseudo Pious" aspect of this article. Those who boarded first, using the red carpet for the really important people, are already seated as those in the 'general boarding' category enter the plane. Those already seated look with a jaundiced sneer at these poor underlings that must sit in coach. They even tilt their noses in the air a bit so that all are aware of their "priority status".

How sad. We would all be well served if we simply regarded one another as Image Bearers made in the image of God and worthy of honor, dignity and respect. If we cared enough to notice when a fellow passenger may be struggling. Speak with them. Ask how we might help. Give them a Business Card. Tell them to call or send an email.

There is nothing wrong with priority status or seating. There is however something very very wrong when one thinks they are better than the others on this flight. Thus the "Pseudo Priority" label. Next time you board a flight be sure you understand that we are all pilgrims on a journey to our eternal destiny. Humility is a rare commodity. and it brings such a refreshing reality to life!

Pastoral Implications of The Incarnation

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matt. 1:23)

This is the moment for the ages - God is with us. God took upon Himself our humanity. In doing so he is perfectly qualified to be the Savior of all who call upon his name.

The Greeks held that God was far off and not at all involved in the affairs of men. Christian Theism turns that myth on it's ear. God is not only involved, He became a man, walked this earth, was in all points tested as we are and did not sin. Theologians refer to this as the Impeccability of Christ. Indeed! What a Savior.

What are the implications of this for Pastors? If God had intended that the Gospel be mere information He could have used any variety of means. The Incarnation makes the Gospel intensely personal. When Jesus taught He modeled Truth. It was not mere didactic instruction. It was a living vital way of life. The disciples saw first hand on a daily basis who and what God was.

Aubrey Malphurs, Dallas Seminary recently cited the lack of Modeling as one of the primary reasons the church does not make disciples. Followers need to hear the Truth. Followers need to see that Truth lived out in real time by the one teaching that Truth.

When Pastors Model Truth those who follow are captured by the beauty and consistency of that Truth. They are compelled by the authenticity of what they see to imitate that way of life. It is my contention that when Pastors and leaders do this there will be a ground swell of renewal in the church.

John said it this way. No man has ever seen God. But, the miracle of the Incarnation led Him out into the open and put this God of The Ages on full display. We will do well to obey all that Jesus commanded and in doing so we honor Christ and begin to fulfill His purpose in the Incarnation. Emmanuel!

I Wish I Had . . .

When you come to the end of your days which of these three (3) statements will best characterize your desire:

 1.  I wish I had invested more time in Planning.

 2.  I wish I had invested more time in Preparing Sermons. 

 3.  I wish I had invested more time in Prayer.

Option #3 is almost always the response I receive from Pastors when asked to respond to this issue.

Answering the question is the easy part. Now let’s dig deeper. Why is that so?

Unrelenting self-reliance. Sin deceives us. It tells us with persistent wooing that we are in control, that we can do ‘whatever we set our mind to do’. Really!

We can Plan. We will invest hours, days planning, plotting and pondering all that ‘we will do’. James provides copious wisdom in a few words - Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil (James 4:13-16).  

We can Preach. We will invest hours, days, months preparing sermons. Indeed, that we should. Time invested in careful exegesis and the development of the logic and content of the text is time well invested. Delivering this carefully crafted material to God’s people is honoring His call upon our life. Close, but no cigar!

We can Pray. The problem is, we don’t. Why? Because in our heart of hearts we still do not fully comprehend what Jesus meant when He said - - “without me you can do nothing.” One significant dimension of sin is self-reliance. Pastors are generally “Type A” personalities. We will conquer the world. Just get out of our way and be amazed at what we can do. Oh how foolish. Oh how arrogant. Oh how tragic.

Planning and Preaching are vital. Our God is honored when we express diligence in both of these activities. He is not honored by mediocrity. We should always deliver excellence. He delights even more when we come in humble adoring joy, seeking His grace and provision through quiet pensive prayer. Listening more than speaking. Praying through the Scripture. Learning in Prayer what God taught those who have gone before us and recorded their journey for our benefit (1Cor. 10; Hebrews 11).

So imagine yourself on the threshold of eternity, ready to step from this life to the next. What will you wish you had done more of? I thought so.

The link takes the reader to a very helpful article on the importance of prayer if we are to find optimal effectiveness in ministry.

http://pastors.com/changing-the-world-begins-with-prayer/

Mere Opinion

The churches that I work with all claim to embrace the Authority of Scripture. They are quick to declare that perspective as a foundational principle for ministry. Until that is, it comes to the actual application of same. Then, things often get dicey and conflict is just around the corner.

When asked or required to state a biblical precept or principle to support a proposed action or inaction, they will mumble something like - - “We have prayed about it” as though that trumps Special Revelation. What is worse, they often have nothing to support the perspective they have ‘prayed about’ but will insist that God has assured them that this is the proper course of action. That, my dear readers, is mysticism pure and simple. It is no different in the final analysis than contacting the Witch of Endor.

The appeal I make in this brief post is for a robust and consistent return to the Authority of Scripture. When we encounter practices that have no support whatsoever in the text of Special Revelation we graciously examine and then deny such action. Until we do, the church will remain impotent, powerless and lacking in the blessing of the Sovereign of the Ages. 

Crisis in Biblical Literacy

Remember the frog that landed in a pan of water and stayed until it boiled? Had the pan been hot, the frog would have noticed and hopped out. But the water felt cool at first, and the frog sensed no danger. It simply relaxed and conformed to the gradual change. Subdued by the rising heat, it grew too sluggish to act. By the time the water boiled, the frog was dead.

I want to share the burden of my heart with you concerning the alarming trend of Biblical illiteracy and state of discipleship in today’s church. I want to encourage you by saying that with every problem there is an opportunity and to envision the church as the Lord sees it. The following statistics reveal a crisis in the church.

Regarding Biblical illiteracy and discipleship, Christian researcher and author George Barna reports:

* Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels.

* Many professing Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples.

* 60 percent of Americans cannot name even five of the Ten Commandments.

* 82 percent of Americans believe “God helps those who help themselves” is a Bible verse.

* 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife.

* A survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.

* A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that Billy Graham preached the Sermon on the Mount.

* Six out of ten Americans reject the existence of Satan.

* Four out of ten Americans believe that when Jesus Christ was on earth He committed sins.

* Five out of ten believe that anyone who is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven.

* Four out of ten believe that the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.

* Seven out of ten born again Christians said they do not believe in moral absolutes.

* Only one out of ten Christians base their moral decision-making on the principles taught in the Bible.

* 54 percent believe truth can be discovered only through logic, human reasoning and personal experience.

These statistics indicate a gradual change of temperature over time. In general, Biblical illiteracy is a growing trend and church discipleship is ineffective.

John Stott wrote, “The Christian landscape is strewn with the wreckage of derelict half-built towers. The ruins of those who began to build and were unable to finish. For thousands of people still ignore Christ’s warning and undertake to follow Him without first pausing to reflect on the cost of doing so. The result is the great scandal of Christendom today, so called nominal Christianity. In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent but thin veneer of Christianity. They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved, enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable. Their religion is a great soft cushion. It protects them from the hard unpleasantness of life while changing its place and shape to suit their convenience. No wonder the cynics speak of hypocrites in the church and dismiss religion as escapism.”

I would suggest that many Christian churches have abandoned serious Bible exposition and theological teaching. Historical exegesis is becoming a lost art in the pulpit. The church should be intentional about teaching the background of the being and attributes of God, His sovereignty, His majesty and holiness. Preachers should stress the fact that the righteousness of God has been outraged by human sin and that apart from Divine, unmerited grace, man’s deadly guilt (Romans 3:19) will bring upon him the wrath of God (Romans 1:18), the deserved judgment of the Lord (Romans 2:2), and ensuing death (Romans 6:23).
However, as Gary Burge writes, “Rather than explaining the historical setting of a passage, texts become springboards for devotional reflection,” he notes. “Biblical passages are taken out of context as the preacher searches for those stories that evoke the responses or attitudes desired.” As a result, “The heart of a ‘good’ sermon is fast becoming the ‘emotional work’ that can be done in 20 minutes preaching time.”

Perhaps we are where we are because there is an overemphasis on personal experience to the exclusion of serious Christian education or that spirituality is being built on private emotional attachments or because of the tremendous influence unbiblical philosophies and worldviews are having on churchgoers. Albert Mohler writes, “Christians who lack biblical knowledge are the products of churches that marginalize biblical knowledge. Bible teaching now often accounts for only a diminishing fraction of the local congregation’s time and attention. The move to small group ministry has certainly increased opportunities for fellowship, but many of these groups never get beyond superficial Bible study. Youth ministries are asked to fix problems, provide entertainment, and keep kids busy. How many local-church youth programs actually produce substantial Bible knowledge in young people? Even the pulpit has been sidelined in many congregations. Preaching has taken a back seat to other concerns in corporate worship. The centrality of biblical preaching to the formation of disciples is lost, and Christian ignorance leads to Christian indolence and worse.”

(**This material is from an article published by Doug Morrell on November 13, 2007 and is acknowledged here with appreciation**).

More to come on this vital topic of BIBLICAL LITERACY!