5 Church-Killing Blindspots
…and 5 Steps to Pursue Transformation
Phil Miglioratti @ The Reimagine.Network
Christianity is a word we use to identify believers-in and followers-of Jesus of Nazareth.
But it can easily become a substitute for a truly Spirit-led, Scripture-fed relationship with God.
- Christ-ianity can become just another religious sect.
- Christ-ians can become believers in their preferred brand of systemic theology.
- Church can morph into a culture-encapsulated form of worship limited to a specific facility; churchianity.
No ministry program is impeccable
No church tradition is immortal
No doctrinal teaching is infallible
No worldview is inerrant
None of these is immune from church-killing, faith-highjacking, blindspots
That is why we must return to this scriptural warning (and promise) to:
“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you,
but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit
through a total reformation of how you think.
This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”
Romans 12:2 TPT
5 Church-Killing Blindspots
{don’t skip #5}
- Plans … Praying after ministry objectives and strategic goals have been set is good, but only if they are the result of listening-for-guidance prayer.
- Pray before planning begins.
- Stop and pray during the planning process.
- Pray again after the planning has been completed.
- Keep praying throughout the execution process.
- Invite others to pray for and with you.
*“Secrets to Facilitating Corporate Prayer”
- Power … You, and/or your lead team, and/or members, can be subtly misappropriating influence /authority to control decisions that serve personal needs or preferences.
- Explain and expose how we can easily misuse our authority or role responsibility to control the planning process to secure or a decision that is self-focused rather than listening to and learning from the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16)
- Pray this prayer with those who are praying and planning with you:
Look deep into my heart, God, and find out everything I am thinking.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
And lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24
- Practices … If your ministry calendar and weekly schedule is on autopilot then unevaluated events, unanalyzed meetings, and unchanged programs become the tail that wags the dog. Evaluate worship formats, fellowship activities, leadership training, discipleship programs and evangelism events. Only Scripture is sacred; everything else needs a holy scrutiny.
- Better answers result from asking better questions
- Why was this event/meeting/program begun?
- Who is this ministry intended to serve?
- How effective has it been at making mature disciples?
- What is the current need of our church/group/organization?
- Where & When best suits the current needs/lifestyle of our participants?
- Problems …A focus on solving organizational issues or relational discontent is important, but this action deals exclusively with symptoms, not the systems that perpetually feeds them. Fixing problems is a tactic insufficient to lasting ministry transformation.
- Reduce the variables
- Focus on purpose and the most effective process to achieve that purpose. And, ask questions (in prayer and group discussion) before collecting ƒanswers
- Presuppositions … And, most strategically, an unexamined worldview perpetuates status quo, protects tradition, and preserves a change-resistant culture, killing any new, creative work of the Spirit. Worldview is your unique fusion of traditions, rules, expectations, lifestyle, attitudes, values. Failure to identify your unique worldview gives a false sense is superiority over any thought or idea that does not align with yours. Many differences are minor, but some warrant a fresh examination.
- Have the courage to reexamine the corporate worldview that sets the course for your church family/ministry/activity. Our worldview informs us but can also insulate us from insights and ideas the Holy Spirit may want to use to bring corrective or creative change.
- Being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) is an invitation for the Spirit to reveal if certain doctrinal conclusions, cultural interpretations and situational applications of Holy Scripture need a reset
- Rethink how your worldview impacts your Christianity and ministry.
5 Steps to Renew Your Mind-Set
Step into a reimagine journey with asking-seeking-knocking prayer that yearns for knowledge-discernment-wisdom.
> Reimagine. Not your Faith. Your Ministry
Reimagining is a proactive pursuit of seeking a Spirit-led, Scripture-fed “renewed way of thinking” by applying Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 to the functions of the corporate body of believers, not merely the personal lives of members in a group or those listening to a sermon or teaching.
“Be not conformed; be transformed by a new way of thinking
revealed to you by the Spirit.”
*
“The past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new.
All this is God’s doing.”
> Realize the Seepage of Infallibility
Believing in an infallible Bible does not confer inerrancy onto our theology and doctrines. Our confidence in our beliefs must never rival our confidence in Scripture. My church, my denomination, my pastor, my most trusted theologian, may each be compelling and persuasive, but they are not 100% correct about every teaching or topic in the Bible.
> Reread Biblical Texts with Humility
The text does not change but the times and cultures do. To accurately translate the intended meaning of ancient texts requires constant review to discern contemporary equivalent vocabulary and, when necessary, the courage to make adjustments in order to communicate more accurately and clearly.
Being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) enables the Holy Spirit to identify any misleading translations, culturally skewed explanations and inappropriate applications. Rethinking Scripture is an ongoing responsibility of Christ-followers.
Remaining ignorant of our blindspots is a sign of misplaced faith and loyalty.
> Restudy Biblical Doctrines with Cultural Objectivity
Our applications of biblical teaching cannot be completely free from our cultural traditions or group-think bias. How the Church has spoken to society about slavery, divorce, the role of women, alcohol, entertainment, discipline of children, and more has changed over the centuries. Too often Bible verses have become worldview prooftexts rather than using those biblical truths to shape (even rebuke) our society’s values and presuppositions. God’s Word exists independent and unchanged by cultures. But our explanations and applications do not.
Every word in Scripture gets clothed with language, wrapped in culture, and packaged in philosophical presuppositions which can easily distort the intended meaning. So, as you read and research, pray, be open, even expectant, to transformative insights from the Spirit.
“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
To that end keep alert with all perseverance,
making supplication for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18
> Reassess the Status of Your Ministry
Even your smart phone needs a periodic reformatting, would benefit from a rebooting, or desperately needs a resetting. Evaluate programs on the basis of how they serve the purpose and process of, not merely believing in but becoming like our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Spirit-filled reimagining does not threaten Holy Scripture. A refusal to review or reassess is more a protection of our systematic theologies than it is a safeguard to the Word of God. Questioning is not the same as doubting. One seeks to deny; the other asks-seeks-knocks for additional insight and wisdom. And correction.
“Peter took Jesus on one side and started to remonstrate him
but Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Out of my way, Satan! ...
You stand in my way Peter,
when you look at things from a human point of view and not from God’s.”
Matthew 16:23 (JB Phillips and me)
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