A Work of Heart

Reggie McNeal strips away at the façade of modern effective leadership paradigms. McNeal insists that spiritual leaders must become trained in matters of the heart. To understand the work of God as anything less, than A Work of Heart, is to shortcut the intentionality of God’s spiritual leader. McNeal discusses six factors in the life of a spiritual leader: culture, call, community, communion, conflict, and commonplace. My own discovery has revealed a reliance on meeting demands for performance and how little attention I give to the character of my heart.

McNeal acknowledges the role of culture in the heart shaping process. It would be shortsighted to neglect this strong influencer. Often times, I have neglected who I am in this area. Much attention has been given to cultural stigma. An example of this can be seen in the fact that I like video games. I am often embarrassed to admit this. Somehow this activity does not equate with my profession as a pastor. Even though I have heard countless sermons by pastors referring to great movies, I sense apprehension to this form of entertainment in many churches. There is a cultural taboo attached to the discussion of gaming. The further I have distanced myself from these critics; I have allowed myself to engage in a world that I once felt embarrassed. McNeal comments,

Instead of developing a refuge mentality in relating to culture, other spiritual leaders view their mission to engage culture in order to transform it. The mentality supporting this approach stands in stark contrast to the refuge perspective. The theology and psychological presuppositions are entirely different. Rather than seeing culture outside of faith as abandoned by God and operating outside his control, missional spiritual leaders see God actively at work in the world. p.91

This is liberating. A great deal of spirituality and ministry can be had in these discussions. Often times I have had very serious conversations about bio-ethics and the modern quest for power during reviews about games dealing with these very issues. The more I am honest about how I have been shaped culturally, the more I suspect God’s call in my life will be evident.

In response to my calling, it is important for me to recognize that one of my strengths is connectedness. I have great faith that things happening for a reason. I know this is true, even though I cannot often explain it. My life, and the lives of others around me, is moving towards world redemption in Jesus Christ. This is a mystery, but as I have emerged in my vocational calling, it is something that has compelled me to the idea of being a pastor in God’s church. This was not always easy for me to recognize. For many years I was a reluctant convert to my own profession. Ministry was a response to a prayerful journey and an affirmation of community. I take very serious the call of being a spiritual leader.

Partial to the discussion of community is a recognition that the western ideal of individualism needs to die. I would not be where I am today without the community of God. I grew up with the same narrative structure as my congregation.

Many leadership ideas in American culture seem informed by the great American myth, the Western. In the story line, the bad guys hold the town hostage… Bad guys generally hang out in gangs. Good guys come in singles. p114

Ideation is another strength in my life. People cannot be replaced with conceptualization. As humbling as it may be at times, I need to be continually reminded of my dependence on others, both past and present.

Admittedly, the best step towards humility is communion. As a pastor, you would think I would naturally gravitate to a place of shared fellowship with God. To often, however, the workweek and countless responsibilities replace time for intimacy with God. I always feel like I need to be doing something. I cannot sit still for very long. Writing this paper, studying for a sermon, trying diligently to pray in silence, I am a restless soul and McNeal’s observations about Sabbath speak to my heart. To often, Sabbath seems like wasted time; time that could have been spent doing something. I forfeit this grace in my life for a pursuit of productivity. McNeal writes,

Spiritual leaders need to recover the ancient meaning of Sabbath, its original purpose as envisioned by God. Then they need to practice Sabbath personally and lead those in their influence to do the same. p142

I long for a deep sense of friendship with God, but I put off the Sabbath that leads to this life. How can I break free from the tyranny of these felt demands and enter into this promised rest? I can only begin my journey by desperately calling out to Jesus and asking that I may have ears to hear and a heart to listen for this sacred space.

Standing in the way of communion is often an unhealthy view of conflict. Holding onto hurts that have shaped my life, in a way that resists moving forward, is an unwillingness to admit a place for conflict in the life of a leader. McNeal suggests that getting over it is step one. I disagree with McNeal and would suggest this hurdle is impossible until the seventh step, which is forgiveness. I cannot discount the value of McNeal’s process for recovery, but it seems to me that the last two steps are the most notable. To forgive and to move forward are ultimately the most difficult. These are returning themes in my life. I hold onto my past. I hold on to hurt from my wife’s mistakes, previous jobs, childhood memories, and recent difficulties in my current ministry context. In my communion with God, and the overflow of my involvement in community, it is becoming more evident to me that I need to find forgiveness in my life and decide to move forward. It is only in these simple, but most challenging steps, that I can answer my call.

McNeal ends his six factors with an appeal for commonplace. The spiritual leader of our time does not lack a love affair with the imagination of greatness. The routine circumstances of ordinary life often do not provide the stimulus I desire to feel valued and productive in my calling. Learning to see God’s activity in the mundane subplot is central to the heart-shaping activity. Despite the fact that I have strong introvert tendencies, I spend far too much time in my life looking for something greater than what I already have. Sometimes I am not even sure what I am looking for. It is as if there is a steady restlessness that is only tamed but something more entertaining than my current context. I know how destructive the results of these expectations can be. Fortunately, I am finding that many of these impulses are subsiding with age. I not far from being reminded by McNeal,

This subplot of the commonplace has been reserved for the last because it links all the other plots together. It provides grist for the mill of the other heart-shaping activities of God. The leader’s response to the ordinary, the common, limits as well as unlocks the possibilities of the story line development in the other subplots of the leader’s life drama. p.179

Baptism into the Covenant

As a small young church, Common Ground Christian Fellowship faces several important ministry issues. Among the most significant of these issues is a conversation we are having with the Evangelical Covenant Church. Several months ago, we contacted the Covenant church with the intention of building a relationship between our local assembly and the denomination. At the initial time of contact, other than what was read on the web page, our leadership team knew very little about the Covenant. Our reason for pursuing the Covenant was theological and ecclesiological in motivation. Not having a Covenant church in Boise, we were surprised to find that several people in our church had Covenant backgrounds. As a non-denominational church, we have been attracting a certain type of denominational background.

Ministry Context
The majority of Common Ground’s leadership team has been associated with churches that have had very little organizational structure. In fact, very few of our leadership members have had formal membership in previous churches; sometimes simply because our previous churches did not offer membership. Our interest in the Covenant was based on the belief that independent churches, of likeminded mission, work better together. To our surprise, however, we learned that though Covenant churches are Congregational, they are everything but independent. They take very serious the fellowship commitment between each of their churches. It has been a humbling experience to consider this opportunity to join the Covenant. One of the primary issues facing our ministry context is a transition from an independent non-denominational church into that of a denominational committed church.

Scripture
There are many biblical images I could use to explain our situation. Often times I have struggled between an engagement relationship (perhaps applying Songs of Songs), or that of an adoption (looking to Ephesians 2). Each of these images suggests a meaning that the other does not; though both are highly relational and committed in their terms. I continue to return to the image of baptism. This biblical portrait contains certain key characteristics to the discussion that are not present in the others. Ironically, the Covenant church is one of the few denominations that recognize the legitimacy of both believer and infant baptism. This is something Common Ground has celebrated since its inception. We have been excited to share with the Covenant in fellowship on this commitment.

Baptism has such a mixed imagery of symbolism. In the tradition of adult baptism, which most are familiar with at Common Ground, in one sweeping act, there represents death, burial, and resurrection. In this action, identity with something so much more significant than oneself is recognized. Believer baptism requires something of its participants. It requires not just outward commitment; it requires an entire sense of allegiance reorientation. We are called to think differently about ourselves. The old-self no longer lives, and a new self is called to live an even more abundant life than the one before.

In infant baptism, the imagery is slightly different. Though identification to the life and work of Jesus is central, the primary imagery of infant baptism is actually that of anointment. The christening of an infant child is symbolic of the child's welcoming into the covenant community. In most infant baptisms, the symbol is replacing the Old Testament symbol circumcision. In a well-ordered church environment, the baptized infant child is nurtured to recognize their place in the community. From the time of the child's birth, they are nurtured in the new life community, rather than needing to be reborn into it. This does not negate the necessity of spiritual rebirth as some circles may imply, it does however play a central role in the individual’s life in community.

Theological Heritage
As a church plant, Common Ground is no longer an infant, but it also lacks a rich sense of heritage. Besides having an established leadership board, a developing staff, and a modest yearly budget, Common Ground’s self-awareness has lead to a significant sense of self-identity. Infants do not have a developed sense of self. Since the time of our second year anniversary, Common Ground has suggested that we are organizationally similarly to a young adolescent. We are a young adolescent that has inadvertently been raised in the tradition of non-denominational churches. In pursuing a relationship with the Covenant, Common Ground is wrestling with our entrance into the community. As an adolescent, when we called the Covenant church several months ago, we had no idea how mature they were. We thought we had simply contacted a like-minded organization to associate with.

Culture
When we considered the many other church organizations Common Ground could join in comparison to the Covenant church, we had never experienced anything like them before. In ministry philosophy and financial commitment, for a several hundred dollars a year you can join the Willow Creek Association and get a membership badge and great discounts on conferences. When the Covenant recommended 15% annual giving to the denomination, a 12.5% pastoral pension plan, and a health premium that would totally wipeout our yearly budget, Common Ground was overwhelmed to say the least. This was a whole different league of affiliation than we had dealt with before. These are major league numbers to a minor league team.

Culturally it needs to be addressed, why is Common Ground still talking with the Covenant Church? An initial assessment would indicate that we look better together. Throughout our conversations with the Covenant, our church has become increasingly more convinced that we belong in this community of churches. We are also becoming more aware of the difficulties we face. Back to my baptism metaphor, it is to late for Common Ground to be baptized as an infant. Common Ground cannot just go back and become a start-up Covenant church plant. The idea of being nurtured since birth by a community that would have anointed us and cared for us along the way is something we will have to hope for the next Boise Covenant church plant. But when you consider being baptized into the Covenant community as an adult, this is where the complications arise. We are not stable enough to make adult contributions. As a church, we are still too young!

Ministry Implications
So what will be the ministry implications of our church joining the Covenant? First, when speaking to Common Ground, we need to recognize that before we can "live" in this community, there are certain aspects of our community that will need to die. We need to leave behind our independent and autonomous spirit of individualism and realize we are joining a bigger family than just ourselves. We need to die to our pride, least it kill us from within. There will come a time, even if not immediate future, when this relationship will become costly to us; both in finances and resources. We are joining a family and we need to want to become family members! In the spirit of baptism, there is a part of us that needs to die before we can live. This does not mean we need lose our personality. Just like being in Christ, we will redeem all that is good in the new creation. Rising from the depths of the water, we will become more true to our full & godly self.

Second, when speaking to the Covenant Church, enough stress cannot be placed on the youthfulness and needed development our church has. As an adolescent, Common Ground has a very independent spirit about her, she is often confused, sometimes acts very lonely, is broke financially, hard to get along with at times, and is in major need of guidance. The Covenant church cannot treat her like an infant, she will not respond well. They can also not expect from her the commitments of an adult; she cannot handle them. As an adolescent baptized member of the church community, the Covenant needs to recognize that Common Ground needs nurture, guidance, patience, and encouragement. To become a full-fledged functioning adult member, our community will need to make an investment of many different sorts. There are so many different clubs we can join for several hundred dollars a year, but none of them will match the investment of our involvement in a family. Common Ground is not an infant, but when we make the choice to become part of the Covenant family, dying to a certain parts of ourselves, we are going to need help getting through adolescence.

The logistics of how this all works will be ongoing. So many more discussions need to take place. As we move forward with the Covenant conversation, Common Ground is joining something so much bigger than just our local church. The Evangelical Covenant Church is one of the most rapidly growing multi-ethnic denominations in the US and Canada with ministries on five continents of the world. Sharing core beliefs about the Bible and the spiritual life that comes through faith in Jesus, we have an opportunity to extend God's love and compassion to the whole world as we rely on the strength that comes from unity within diversity.