Quoted Verbatim from Frank Viola’s Blog Post, “Dialogue with a Liberated, Free-Thinking, Postmodern Christian“

–Note…this isn’t Frank Viola being interviewed here, it is a kind of poke at what is trendy in Christianity today.

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So, tell me about the changes you’ve made the past few years in your Christian walk.

Well, I used to be a card-carrying Republican. My parents raised me that way. But I’ve come to see that this party doesn’t represent Jesus or the kingdom. So I’m an Independent and I lean toward the liberal side of politics.

I see. What else?

I used to be pretty entrenched in human-made traditions, religious and political, but I’ve come to see that so many of our traditions have a choke-hold on us and smother free thought. So I’ve abandoned much of them.

Like what? Can you give some examples?

Sure. Well, like going to war to protect national interests. I believe that’s wrong now.

I no longer eat the classic American diet.

I no longer disregard the environment, and I will not buy an automobile that’s not fuel efficient.

I no longer use disposable plastic and paper bags when I go shopping.

I no longer am intolerant of other religions.

I no longer am indifferent to the poor and oppressed.

I no longer accept the Reformation doctrines of penal substitution and the complete sovereignty of God.

I am no longer certain that homosexuality is a sin.

In fact, I no longer believe in absolute certainty. We can’t be certain about anything, I feel.

I see. That’s quite a list.

Yes, I’m pretty proud of my new outlook. I’ve become a free-thinking Christian. I question all human-made ideals and traditions now.

I see. What about the clergy system and the modern pastor?

What!? Are you out of your mind! How dare you question that.

I’m finished with this conversation.

I can’t wait to hear my pastor’s reaction to such a ludicrous question.

A missional community–”A Community of God’s people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God’s mission to the world.” (Forgotten Ways, 82)

This means that when a church is on mission it is really being church. The organizational principle is mission. The church is a product of the mission and is obligated and destined to extend it in whatever means possible.

Questions reveal values and reinforce values. The questions you constantly ask reveal what is most important you to. They also reinforce values. Its great to associate a question to each values.

Example: value=authentic community question=Are you in a group?

What is a question you can ask over and over and over to reinforce a value.

Nine Essential Questions:

Environment–Ministry environment

1. Is the context appealing? (room suited to what is happening)
2. Is the presentation engaging?
3. Is the content helpful?

Organizational

1. Which “gages” should we be watching?

• Gages are designed to anticipate and prevent breakdowns. Every ministry has to identify 3 or 4 gages that we need to watch.
• This helps you to identify what success is for what others do.
• The correct gages help you to identify health as well as growth. (example: student leader/teacher to student ratio) (Leader to Apprentice ratio)

2. Where are we manufacturing energy? Where are we being pretended about something that we are not excited about?

• If something isn’t working, fix it or kill it! Usually the best fix is to kill it! Dead things you don’t bury stink!

Staffing

1. Who needs to be sitting at the table? Whose input that you need to make the best possible decisions?

• This is the Joseph principle. Joseph was a small guy but he was put in charge of the top management. It probably hurt feelings, but he knew that Joseph can get it done. You can put new people at the top level to get fresh ideas. You have to have the right people, ask them the right questions, and sometimes do it at the right time.
• “Fairness ended in the Garden. God can’t even be fair because of sin.”
• Five years is the longest you can have a group or it gets stale. Don’t get stuck. The goal is to make the right decisions, not to make everyone happy.

2. Who’s not keeping up? This is the most painful question to ask?

• Who has been promoted beyond their competency?
• Would you hire this person again?
• If he/she quit, would you be secretly relieved?

3. Where do you make the greatest contribution to the organization?

• You have to move more and more time into that area. This gives you more momentum, and gives space to others to be able to do what they are great at.
• What should you quit doing? What do you need to handoff?

Your questions set the expectations for those around you? What have you been asking? What do you need to ask? Ask, “How can I help?”

Extra notes: Harness culture, don’t try and go against it. Create tension from the beginning of a speech/sermon.

Missionality is first and formost about posture. Jesus has never been bad news, but outside of Jesus there is problem. The problem is us. The attutude of the body of Christ, the non-verbals, are off.

Posture:

• We are bastions of truth, but more important than truth is a persons ability to receive the truth. 1 Thess “But we were gentle among you that we were..we not only served you in the gospel, but also our lives.”
• Jesus chose to posture Himself with the adulterous woman. He came down to her level and met us in the dirt. This is a mini-view of what he has done with all of us.
• Jesus’ Posture in Phil 2:4-11–Jesus threw away everything that made him God and took the form of a servant (advocate) Person who supports and speaks in favor of, and one who pleads for another.
• What if the church advocated for those outside the church like Jesus advocated for the adulterous woman?

A poll of the public revealed that Christians are viewed as ememies, here to judge, uninterested to the affairs of the world, arrogant, afraid of “u”s and the way “we” live, and angry with “us.”

Is this perception thier fault or ours? We are to be advocates for the world. To be missional is not to be evangelistic. You will see evangelism happen, but its not about that. To be missional is not to communicate truth, but to posture ourselves as a servant like Jesus, as a lover and protector and servant to those that God is already in process of bringing to Himself.

Gen 12 “Get out of your country, your family, and your fathers house to a land I will show you…and you will be a blessing (the tangible life and presence of God felt by those below).” When God blesses you, you tangibly feel it in this world. What Posture leads you to do is to bless. Blessing comes with no strings attached. Blessing can cost you, and it can cost you alot.

“Friend of Sinner”–Jesus’s business card. What would it take for the Orlando to say that the church is the “friend of sinners?” This would cost alot. This is about showing people that you care more about them then just sharing truth. There would be alot of tension in how you spend your time and influence and who you work with. Your home and dorm might become a place to be an example to others in how to live your life.

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be. If you spend time with Christians, then you treasure isn’t for those to come to Christ.