Hedgehogs?

I'm engaged! No, not like that. Teresa and I have over 30 years of marriage under our belts, so that clearly cannot be my point here. What I mean is that I am engaged in a mental tug-o'-war with Jim Collins' discussion of "Good To Great" (see my previous post). So far, I really like his research and the findings extrapolated from it. He's stretching my thinking at the intersection of business and church health. And that leads me to this appeal for reflection from you, the reader. "What might Crestwood Baptist Church be the best at?" I look around at all the churches in this area and wonder what causes people to choose one over another. Or, worse, why do some people choose not to attend any church? And, more to the point, I wonder what CBC offers (or might offer) that no other church in our area can offer at the same level? Preaching? No, there are many good preachers around here. Music? Well, maybe, but there are some churches who really excel in this area, I'm told. Youth Ministry? Children's Ministry? Equipping? Mission work? If you happen to be a little put off by the question, then welcome to my world and that mental "tug-o'-war" I mentioned. Is it wrong to seek to the the best at something when it comes to church? Allow me to reframe the question: Which area of our church life are you comfortable saying to God, "That wasn't important enough for us to emphasize and seek excellence in." It's worth thinking on and discussing.

Next Up!

Next up on my reading list is this book by Jim Collins. It was recommended to me by a friend in the church for 20 years.  It's not a "churchy" book.  In fact, it wasn't written with the church in mind.  But it has much to say to those churches and church leaders of our day who are content with the status quo.  I love this statement made on page 16:  "That good is the enemy of great is not just a business problem.  It is a human problem."  Yeah.  My experience tells me that it is a church problem, too.  Something tells me I'm gonna be uncomfortable before this read is complete.  

Let's Read

I try to be intentional about reading.  For most of my life, I couldn't really stand the thought of reading much of anything.  When I went back to school in 2005, I realized that I was doing considerable harm to myself and my congregation by taking a casual approach to the mental gymnastics that occur through reading. So, I now set a goal for reading each year.  This year, I plan to read at least 20 books of substance.  I'll use this space to reflect on some of them.

The first one (completed a couple of weeks ago) was the one pictured here.  It made it to the top of my list through the questions and suggestions of several church members.  I must say:  I really had to force myself to finish.  While I applaud Mr. Comfort for his passion in evangelism, I was thoroughly alienated by his frequent condescension of almost all modern evangelism techniques and (at best) questionable exegesis of key texts.  Interestingly, his entire premise (we should conduct evangelism the way Jesus did - by starting with the 10 Commandments) is unsustainable when you look at how Jesus reached people.  His consistent attack on "God has a plan for your life" as a valid "hook" for evangelism ignores key aspects of the gospel message.  Also, I found it interesting that he did not subject his own method to the long-term critical analysis (i.e., looking for "staying power" among so-called "converts") to which he so readily and frequently subjected other methods. A note to young believers:  Just because someone throws around Jesus' name and uses scripture in their presentation doesn't mean they're responsibly promoting Jesus' way or responsibly interpreting the text!

As negative as my perception  of this book is, I have to say that Mr. Comfort challenged me - and the Church - with the passion he carries for reaching lost people with a valid salvation message.  While I disagree with his ultimate conclusion as to the method one should employ, I wholeheartedly endorse his call to active involvement with people for the cause of Christ.  We all can take a lesson from him - and the Master - at that point!