A thirst for the exotic

I’ll admit it, I have a thirst for the exotic, at least when it comes to spiritual things. I’ve always had an inquisitive mind. Now, I have a very thirsty spirit. I was greatly intrigued when friends and acquaintances began to talk about the "Lakeland Outpouring." I’ve lived through a couple of these outpourings in the past, although I avoided being chewed up and spit out by them.

One of my friends experienced an almost complete remission of MS symptoms as a result of "Lakeland-inspired" prayer. While I found Todd Bentley’s shouts of "Bam" to be excessively theatric, her remission of symptoms is a good thing.

As a student of all things church for nearly twenty years now, I am most interested in how Christianity transfers from generation to generation. It seems there is a grasping, and a releasing that occurs with each generation.

Baby boomers are getting to the place where they should at least be thinking about releasing. However, it seems that they are hanging on to the leadership reins with as much vigor as their predecessors. In fact, a recent example is the Hour of Power ministry and Robert Schuller I and II (although this is more like a builder v. boomer struggle). Apparently, in this instance the 82 yr. old elder Schuller was not happy with the direction Robert II was taking the Hour of Power. He had a different idea. When they couldn’t reconcile their visions, the younger got displaced.

These inter-generational and transitional leadship situations sure can get messy. Here is one of the primary rules that should be followed in every instance: If you are the founding pastor and you are "turning over the ministry" to another leader, graciously and kindly MOVE AWAY. Don’t entertain the complaints of those who don’t like your successor. Don’t be tempted to come back in and save the ministry. Let the next generation of leadership make it on their own two feet, at least their failure will be their own.

Uh, what does this have to do with the exotic? Well I have been talking with a friend who is starting a church for some months now. We were both involved in a recent church plant that imploded after three months, or so, of public church services. When most people think about starting a church all of the conversation centers around starting a "church service." The second area of discussion is usually about target audience. Somewhere fifth or sixth on the list we might start talking about "discipleship."

My friend has been very careful to focus on the first step for any leader, calling. Then he has listened carefully to the Holy Spirit about how and when and where to get started. We have both wished in our heart of hearts to be part of something where egos were set aside, people were fully-devoted followers of Jesus, and a community is formed to impact a city with an emphasis of calling Christians to what I have heard called "deep discipleship."

Over the months as we have talked and listened to the Spirit and theorized, I fear my thirst for the exotic may have taken our conversations  in a direction that leads more directly to some kind of missionary-monastery than a church. Most people are not going to join or be part of a monastery. They mostly want their mission field to be their own family. It is too big a step to call people to "run a mission, a yard from the gates of hell."

Lately my friend has been thinking he should start a church service. When he mentioned it to me the other day, I only paused a little bit (the exotic ministry thoughts whirling through my brain), and then agreed, this is probably a Holy Spirit inspiration. I look forward to seeing how God will work these thoughts out in the weeks and months to come.