by Jason Joyner | Aug 26, 2013 | Blog, Jesus, missional, organic church, Outreach Saga
A cool thing about our Outreach Saga is that I don’t have to carry the load. I do a lot of the teaching, but others step up when they have something from the Lord to share.
A couple of weeks ago my friend Cyndi Gavin shared. She talked about the worth we have to God. What she shared was so good I had to pass it on:
If you could do anything, what would it be? That was the question she posed to us. We had a paper and pencil to write down what we would do if we could do anything we wanted. Then she talked for a bit about how we get our sights on things that aren’t worthwhile.
She pulled out a fifty dollar bill and asked if anyone would want it. Many hands shot up. What if it was dropped in the mud? There were still takers. Now if a one dollar bill was in the mud, you’d consider whether it was worth it. Not with the fifty. It’s gone.
Then she came back to our papers, with our one wish on there. She asked this question: How much was it worth? Was it worth giving the life of your child for it?
No one said yes.
But God said yes.
He said we were worth enough that He would sacrifice His Son for us. And He did just that.
That is how much we are worth.
So, know that you are loved today. And no matter how bad things may seem, God thought you were worth it.
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by Jason Joyner | Jul 8, 2013 | All In, Blog, Lifehouse, Mission Monday, missional, Outreach Saga
When people ask me where I go to church now, I tell them about our Outreach Saga. Meeting in the park. Trying to do a community of Jesus in the midst of a group of people on their turf instead of in a specific building.
Sometimes people respond, “So you don’t go to church anywhere else?”
Well, no.
What we’re doing is church.
We don’t go to a building in the morning and then do outreach after that. We’ve said that sink or swim, stand or fall, what we’re doing with people in the park is what we’re doing. It keeps us more engaged I think. There’s no lifeline. There’s no safe place to retreat to if the going gets rough.
Since we can’t go back (well, we could, but not immediately), we have to press in. We have to love people as they are. Working through the ups and downs of life. Pointing to Jesus when it gets rough or when it is going well. It keeps us engaged with the Lord, because without Him it all falls apart. I wish I could say I did this perfectly. I don’t.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that with this church in the park deal, we’re all in. No chips held back. They’ve been pushed to the middle of the table and we’re playing this hand.
It’s exciting. It’s frightening. It requires a lot of faith, and the Spirit encourages us an awful lot when we have those human moments of doubt.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Not sure if this song fully fits, but here’s Lifehouse with All In.
by Jason Joyner | Jun 17, 2013 | Blog, Mission Monday, missional, organic church, Outreach Saga
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| Did you see the angel behind the tree? 😉 |
Ugh. I don’t even want to look at when the last time I posted. It’s been one of those months.
But in better news, the Outreach Saga is back in the park.
This was our Sunday for church:
We had beautiful singing with a battery powered keyboard.
The worship leader gave an anointed word at the end.
Our main speaker had to wait until the dogs checked each other out to continue.
We talked about Jesus as our redeemer. As we talked about how we can’t earn any more unconditional love than what God already gives us, one new gal spoke up. “We can’t do sh*t by ourselves. It’s Him.”
At one point I had to duck a lit cigarette as the gal next to me excitedly waved her arms talking about Jesus.
Yep, we’re back in the park. All of us beautiful messes, learning to walk with the Lord in His love and truth. Out in the fresh air. Mixed up with real life, which isn’t always pretty or “religious.”
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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by Jason Joyner | May 8, 2013 | Blog, Christian life, Christianity, missional, radical, the new legalism
There’s a post from World Magazine making the rounds in Christian circles by Anthony Bradley entitled, “The New Legalism.” He wrote it in response to a tweet he sent out that said:
“Being a ‘radical,’ ‘missional’ Christian is slowly becoming the ‘new legalism.’ We need more ordinary God and people lovers (Matt 22:36-40).”
He goes on to decry the people that call for Christians to live missional lives and to walk in a radical Christianity. He makes a case that it comes from Millenials disdaining the suburbs they were raised in and the narcissistic world we live in now where everyone is special and needs to do grand things for God in order to be fully walking as Jesus walked.
I saw it posted by Mike Duran and Jaime the Very Worst Missionary, both mentioning it as an interesting read. It is a thought-provoking piece, but I think it is a flawed premise that misleads by focusing on a few points in exclusion to the whole context.
There are some areas where I agree with Anthony. I came of age in Christianity in the Charismatic/Third Wave movement of the 80s and 90s. Well-meaning preachers would call us the Joshua Generation (Psalm 24) and proclaim how we would do great things. Prophecies were made (it was Charismatic after all) and I was encouraged that I could be a leader/teacher/missionary and so on. I believed I had a call to missions, and I did two stints with Youth With A Mission in their Discipleship Training School and School of Biblical Studies.
Something happened in Bible school. God told me to get a skill. I went into medicine, thinking it could open doors for the mission field. Except…I got married. Now, I married my best friend who had also been in missions, and she taught school which would be another great tent-making opportunity. Except…we started having kids. And I had school loans. We bought a house.
All of a sudden I was settled down into a suburban life. I went to church on Sundays, tried to establish my career, coached kids in soccer, and wondered when I would get into missions, my real call.
This is where I agree with Anthony. In the Charismatic stream I came from, greatness was the promise we were told God had for us. I could see myself traveling and teaching, ministering in different countries. There was some narcissism there. Prophets never seemed to say, “You’re going to live a boring life in the town you grew up in.” There was always more suggested.
The problem was that basic commitment to serve the Lord in whatever way He called us. I was always willing to do whatever, or at least that’s what I said. Still, I had my idea what that meant, and I struggled when things didn’t go that way. If I had a heart for missions, why was I still in the U.S.?
Then last year things were turned upside down in our lives.
We found ourselves in a like-minded group that didn’t have expectations of going to a regular church and doing the “typical Sunday things.” We asked God what we could do. He gave us the Outreach Saga, where we met locally in the midst of a low-income housing area and worked with people that felt on the outside of church.
In the midst of this upheaval I’ve started following people like Neil Cole, Alan Hirsch, Francis Chan, and David Platt, people associated with groups like the Verge Conference. Verge talks a lot about missional, radical Christianity. And Anthony wonders if too much pressure is being placed on young Christians, teens and college students, to do something extraordinary in their lives. If they don’t do certain things, they aren’t being the best Christians they can.
Anthony creates a straw man argument here. Yes, if leaders are telling people that you can only live for God if you do a certain set of things, it is a form of legalism just like the Pharisees. The problem with this is that it is an extreme and not the norm, as far as my perspective goes. I think Anthony has a particular theological slant against David Platt as evidenced by his review of Platt’s book. I don’t know all of Platt’s teachings, so there may be more here than I realize.
However, Anthony’s article makes it sound like every Christian is being told by the missional/radical movement should move to the inner city, do social justice and artistic work, and give up worldly possessions to proclaim the gospel.
You know what. Why not?
I think it comes down to being obedient to what God calls you to do. If it is to work in a successful law firm and make money so you can support other ministries and causes, that is great. If it is to volunteer your law skills to help victims of trafficking, great.
Anthony seems to be asking for a corrective. Americans are very into themselves, and I know that some of the theology and teaching/prophecy from my early years tickled my ears more than spoke of true discipleship. But doesn’t the church in America need awakening?
I have many friends that give up so much for the sake of the gospel. I have other friends that love God but segment their lives and don’t live in the fullness I believe God has for them. They travel out of town to a large, fancier church with a gifted teacher as the pastor to worship and get fed…and that’s it. I know they go there so it can be no muss, no fuss. They don’t have to get involved with the church, because it is large and they are anonymous. They don’t have to get in the midst of people’s messy lives if they don’t want to.
I fear this is a large segment of American Christianity. Thus I believe a call to discover missional living, where people are intentional in all they do in order to be used for the Kingdom, is sorely needed. I see the need for Christians to be called to “radical” Christianity. The issue is that it shouldn’t be radical in the first place – it should be common-place of a disciple of Christ.
The intro to Anthony’s article states:
Is Paul’s urging to live quietly, mind your own affairs, and work with your hands (1 Thessalonians 4:11) only for losers? Do you feel that you’re wasting your gifts if you “settle” into an ordinary job, get married early and start a family, or live in a small town or suburb?
I did struggle with this for a time. I knew God was an extraordinary God, and I wondered if I was missing out. I was faithful serving in my local church, and walked with Him the best I could. Slowly I realized there are seasons of testing or training, and there are seasons of adventure. I knew in my head that we are all missionaries wherever we are, but now I am living it in my heart as I work among the people at the housing complex. I don’t have to travel or speak to large groups. I am allowing God to use me to target a small, specific group of people, and it is right where I am supposed to be. I don’t worry about not fulfilling my call, because I know I am now.
God can use us in so many ways. But “living quietly” in the above verse also must be alongside “take up my cross and follow Me.”
I’m glad I read the article. It sharpened my thinking in this arena. But I disagree with the premise that a missional or radical emphasis is inherently legalistic. My blog is called Spoiled For The Ordinary. We may live an “ordinary” life. But our God is anything but ordinary, and I believe all Christians would do well to see the crazy love He gives us and then go and do likewise.
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by Jason Joyner | Feb 18, 2013 | Blog, Christian life, ministry, Mission Monday, missional, Outreach Saga
I was talking to a friend this weekend who passed on an observation from someone else.
“Church can be like football or like soccer.”
This piqued my curiosity. I am a sports fan after all. I love to watch American football, but I enjoy playing soccer more.
A football game is equipment and support heavy. All the helmets and pads. Several referees. A special kind of field with marks every ten yards. To do it right, it takes a lot of effort and resources.
Soccer can be the essence of simplicity. You need a ball and two spots for goals. That’s it.
The laws of soccer are actually very few, compared with the myriad of penalties and rules for what is acceptable in football. Try explaining to a football novice the difference between running into a kicker vs. roughing the kicker, or pass interference, or illegal formation. The wide receiver covered the tight end? What is that?
Of course kids can play a simple game of football in a park, and soccer can be done with huge stadiums and use a lot more resources. Still, the analogy holds: football is generally a lot of work to actually get to the game, while soccer can be done with a minimal of requirements.
When it comes to church, doing our Outreach Saga has convinced me that doing things simply like the soccer match is a valid way of meeting together as the body of Christ. I recognize that the big football game of Sunday morning church has its place and can do things we can’t do in our small group. However, I think both can be used to meet the needs of people around us.
Are we willing to do something small and simple to reach people, instead of always going for bigger and showier?
For now, God’s given me a soccer ball. I’m willing to play the game He’s put in front of me.
What do you think of the analogy? Does it ring true, or do you have a concern about it? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.
by Jason Joyner | Jan 28, 2013 | Blog, Mission Monday, missional, organic church, Outreach Saga
There’s a lot of talk on the internet about Organic Church. I know the internet gives any cause a voice, but when we moved into our Outreach Saga and started meeting outside of the traditional church, it was heartening to find other like-minded people.
These are all very helpful resources, and I’m grateful to these brothers and sisters for sharing the way the Lord is leading them and their testimony and experience in walking out church in a new way.
I’ve come to realize an issue though. My group that I’m involved with isn’t doing strictly Organic Church.
We met in a park during the summer and fall, moving into a local counseling center for the winter weather. Many people share during our times together. We eat, sing, and bring the Word as we’re led. These are things that an organic church will do.
The thing that may be different is that we’re an outreach at the same time.
We’re in a neighborhood with low income housing, and we’ve mainly reached people in this apartment complex. I think most of the people coming are Christians, but I’m not certain in every case. Some have been in the church and felt rejected. Others come because we are so close and accessible.
It seems we are a little different than a lot of the organic church talk I’ve followed online. Maybe I’m wrong and not catching it.
The challenge is that we’ve got a core of believers that have had relationship with each other over a long period of time with a desire to be the church instead of doing church. Then we have another population of people that we’re getting to know and trying to disciple. It is very exciting what we’re doing each week, and it is a huge blessing to be ministering to each other. I am touched as often as anyone else is. That doesn’t take away from the sensation I have of walking on the water at times – trying to keep my balance as the waves shift beneath me!
I guess the point of this post is to throw this situation out there. Does anyone have experience doing organic church as an outreach? If so, I’d love to dialog with you on this topic. If you have a heart to pray for us, that would be greatly appreciated!
So leave a comment if you’re interested in a discussion on organic church and reaching out. I’ll meet you in the blogosphere.
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