The Rise of the Creative Church

The "ChurchShift" is taking place! The "Creative Church" is on the way! For more information see jimmillronsimpactblog.blogspot.com today!

Yes-No! Help I need some caffeine!

I pulled in to get some coffee on my way to the airport! At the drive-thru I asked, I would like a cup of coffee with cream-would you mind putting in the cream for me? Simultaneously, two ladies anwered at the window. "Yes, sir, we would be glad to." "No sir, we can't do that! It seemed like an eternity. They began to argue. I began to shake. You see, I was in desperate need of some caffeine! Finally, I exclaimed, "Please, somebody, get me some caffeine!" Well, I got the coffee.

But to be honest, my mind journeyed somewhere else. Now, I am back in a deacon's meeting, Yes-No. Yes-No, Yes -No. Argument? Over the color of carpet. Then my mind went back to a "congregational" business meeting- yes-no, yes-no, yes-no. It was my first pastorate, but you know what? I can't remember what it was about! I do remember the feelings that the decision probably didn't matter from an eternal or kingdom perspective.

Now my mind is on the emerging younger leader. I prefer the designation-new missional leader. He is emerging from a solid theological resurgence. Brother Joe what do you think? I'm agin it! Henry what do you think? I'm for it! I think I have been here before-yes-no, yes-no, yes-no. But Southern Baptists who read this blog, Know this for sure- 200 million lost North Americans are in desperate need for Christ while we are at the window of opportunity deciding whether or not we are going to pour Jesus into their lives! We can't do the yes-no thing any longer. We can't afford the time.

The sake of the gospel is at stake. Coming out of a 25 year theological huddle we are now on a misison field. The playing field has changed. Globalization, Immigration, Postmodernity have changed the cultural and religious landscape. Cults and the occults are growing. Christianity is not keeping up with the population growth in North America. Only 12% of population is in church on any given Sunday. Ninety percent of our churches are plateaued or declining. We must say without compromise-Yes! To be sure we will always contend for the faith but it is time to contextualize!

I remember the cry- "Evangelize or fossilize!" Well, how about- Contextualize or fossilize! We must do everything possible to reach people for Christ and praise and encourage all the others trying to do the same thing. It isn't a generational thing-it's a missional thing. We keep the biblical functions but use cultural forms. Why? God is orchestrating a missional resurgence undergirded by a theological resurgence to reach the world. He has said yes to the world! Overseas we call this missions. We need not go to war over missions in North America while the world waits at the window. Yes? They are in desperate need of Him! Now, where is my coffee..., cream anyone?

Jim Millirons
Specialist, Church Planting Team
Georgia

CHURCH SHIFT

The church is in a desperate need of extreme makeover. Some would choose to call it revival, others still, Spiritual Awakening. Nevertheless, the marginalized church in North America is in need of spiritual renewal. I choose to call it extreme missional makeover, because I believe we must experience a missional resurgence to impact our North American cultures. The Church must shift. Shift as in change. The church must change the focus. It must alter the direction. It must modify the plans. Today’s church must shift in order to impact the dominant cultures in North America. What would this shift look like?


S-Serve the community in the community. WWJD?

In recent years the church has begun to look outside of itself. Service is to be
in the community as the church is the servant of the community. The
community should be a good place to live because of the impact of the church.
If that isn’t the case, the church is not advancing the kingdom in its Jerusalem
and should ask some critical questions. The major shift is from the inside to the outside. The church becomes incarnational rather than merely attractional and extractional.

H-Heal broken relationships in the community.

The church should be a healing community of faith, love, and hope. Relationships should be restored in the community of faith. The shift is from a forced legalism and flaunting liberalism to a focused love. Grounded in the truth of biblical mandate and in step with the Holy Spirit, truth and love
govern and guide relationships.

I-Impact the culture through evangelism and
church planting.

Intentionally multiplying planters and churches together should be the
normal way of advancing the kingdom to reduce lostness and penetrate
darkness. The shift is from expansion growth to extension growth; from
church growth to kingdom growth. Through healthy kingdom churches people come to Jesus, churches are born, and God’s kingdom is advanced. Lives are transformed and cultures are changed.

F-Focus on the kingdom of God.

The church must focus in its visionizing and futuring. The future is the kingdom. The vision must be His preferred future. The King is coming so the purpose of the church must focus on Him and His kingdom. Nothing calls for more commitment and passion. There is no greater cause. The shift is from …..

T-Transform the soul and the soul of the society.

The goal of Jesus is to be embedded in every culture and society. Incarnational and missional thinking includes a holistic redemption model. Redemption is personal and social.

The Four Impact Laws

EXTREME IMPACT MAKEOVER
Intentionally Multiplying Planters and Churches Together
Four Church Planting Impact Laws

IMPACT LAW #1: God loves the whole world.

God has a desire to reach the whole world and has initiated a church planting movement that involves all his followers and churches. The purpose of the movement is to ultimately bring people from every corner of the earth and every tribe on the globe to the throne of God in worship and praise. God loves and has chosen His people to go to all the nations.

IMPACT LAW #2: The North American boomerized church has fallen short of God’s intention.

His preferred future is to extend the church to all nations. By focusing primarily on church expansion and church growth rather than extension growth and kingdom growth, the church has not reached its full potential, thus missing the mark. Jesus must be incarnated and embedded in all cultures and population segments necessitating a much broader view of successful kingdom advance. The church must engage in multiplication.

IMPACT LAW #3: God has provided the resources for the movement.

God the Father continues to initiate the movement. God the Son continues provide the means of salvation in the movement as He advances His kingdom. God the Holy Spirit empowers the church to preach the gospel and reach the world through multiplication of disciples and churches. Guided by clear biblical mandate, the people of God are filled and gifted by the Spirit to be mission in the world.

IMPACT LAW #4: The church must repent of its shallow understanding of church growth and receive and experience a fresh call for kingdom advancement.

Empowered by the Spirit, the church will grow bigger and broader. In order to fulfill the Great Commission, the church must reduce lostness and penetrate darkness in all people groups and population segments. Church multiplication becomes the norm for the purpose of total saturation of the cultures with the gospel. The church is to reach everyone everywhere through effective evangelism and intentional church planting.

Have you committed your life to the purpose of God for the world? Today, Accept God’s Vision for the world, Believe God wants to use you and your church for multiplication of disciples and churches, Commit to intentionally be a vital part of the coming church planting movement in Georgia and the world. Make a tremendous impact on the world and fulfill God’s purpose for you and your church!
IMPACT © March 2005

The Coming Missional Resurgence

The theological resurgence of the Southern Baptist Convention must quickly be followed by a missional resurgence. If not, the impact of our renewed orthodoxy on our North American postmodern cultures will be minimal. The real impact will come through a biblical-based orthopraxy resulting in a new modern day missionary movement. To be sure, Southern Baptists must continue to contend for the faith. We must also contextualize the faith so as to communicate the faith through many methods and styles. We can no longer afford to argue over models. After 25 years of internal theological reformation we have now entered a diverse mission field. My girl prays for her Hindu friend. My boy prays for a Muslim friend. My tennis partner is a Buddhist. Not to mention my bohemian neighbor and my wife's Celtic colleague. Our churches need to experience a missional makeover to impact our cultures.