"Quote; Unquote"
Phil Miglioratti Interviewed Pastor Emeritus/Global Ambassador Mike Slaughter; Author of "unLearning Church"
{See also "unLearning" Leadership Lab}
"This book is about leaders in churches, old and young, daring to leave the status quo...
Fearlessly stepping out into God's promising yet unknown future"
PHIL>>> Mike, your book "unLearning Church" was a major influence in what has become the Reimagine.Network ... What prompted you to write a book with such a bold, for some controversial, title?
MIKE>>> Our church at the time had passed the 2000 plus mark in attendance, but I really wondered how many of those folks were really followers of Jesus. Many believe but few really follow. I wanted to be much more than the entertainment attractional church model that was becoming the norm. I wanted people to hear the cost of discipleship.
"unLearners"
PHIL>>> Describe the type of person who is, or is capable of becoming, an "unLearner."
MIKE>>> The unLearner is always looking to God’s next. We can never go back to the way things were. Especially after covid, the division in the United Methodist Church, etc. We are living in a time of shared adaptive leadership.
"This book is an urgent call for spiritual and prophetic leadership.
The call is to unLearn; to break the rules of conventional wisdom in order to translate God's ancient purposes to today's postmodern world."
PHIL>>> In my role as a prayer consultant, I began most of my seminars and sermons with that statement. Like the book's byline, I recognized too many of us “thought we had leadership all figured out." What is the fundamental question we need to explore in order to pursue this urgent calling?
MIKE>>> Most of my work is with UMC churches. I work with the pastors in six zoom sessions and then go and work with their leadership teams in person at the end of those sessions. The question that I ask every leader is, “who are your twelve?” This is one of the most important decisions that Jesus prayerfully made from among his disciples. The leaders twelve must be aligned with the leaders vision. This is absolutely fundamental to the health of any movement and why the old church committee model has been such a failure for decades.
"It's time to go beyond knowing and believing God's truth to
experiencing and demonstrating God's presence."
PHIL>>> The Church needs change agents and trailblazers who realize they must do more than revamp programs or rearrange ministry furniture...
MIKE>>> One of the young leaders that I have had my eyes on is Michael Beck. He and Bishop Ken Carter have a new book coming out that I have just previewed and endorsed: Gardens in the Desert: How the Adaptive Church Can Lead a Whole New Life.
"unLearning Church will inspire you to create safe space,
an environment in which people feel free to become radical followers of Jesus Christ"
...because
“Your success will be measured in transformed lives, not numbers on the church roster.”
PHIL>>> How do most current church spaces make this a difficult to impossible task ... and what radical steps must we take to reshape (...relocate?) our ministry environments to be “communities of grace-space?”
MIKE>>> That is a great question Phil. A very large UMC church building five miles from our home sits empty and is on the market here in Cincinnati. When I left Ginghamsburg in 2017 our attendance on three campuses was over 4000. The mega church is not the model for the future although there will always be some that thrive. My wife and I are currently in a house church in Cincinnati. There will never be one kind of model for the future church. Ultimately, relational discipleship happens in circles and not rows.
“I am ulearning the idea that Christianity is about believing in Jesus. It is really about the life of Jesus coming into your life and mine.”
PHIL>>> What do we need to unlearn that we have adopted as standard procedures and programming for discipling?
MIKE>>> We need to move out of our buildings into places of need in our communities. I am seeing churches doing great things through food pantries, gently used clothing ministries, serving hot meals to the homeless, GED classes, recovery programs, etc..
“The world doesn’t need religious organizations
but communities that demonstrate Christ’s reckless love.”
PHIL>>> How do we unLearn unbiblical attitudes toward the world? Reimagine our role in the community? Recalibrate our mindset and methods of evangelism?
MIKE>>>We have to divorce the Christian gospel from partisan politics. I have a really good Jewish friend who was over at our house recently with his wife. He asked me about the evangelical branch of Christianity that was so radically tied to one political party no matter what they do including January 6th. Mel said, “Mike, what’s wrong with Christians? They don’t even follow Jesus’ teachings.” What if we followed Jesus’s teachings instead of just proclaiming them?
“I am unlearning the approach to prayer marked by one-way talking or reciting self-directed wish lists.”
PHIL>>> What must be unLearned about how we pray, personally and corporately?
MIKE>>> We need more time of quiet. “To be still and know that I am God.”
“I am unLearning the habits that keep me from focusing on my sweet spot - my passion and giftedness.”
PHIL>>> Agree/Disagree: An accurate appraisal of ourselves requires confession before God for cleansing and the counsel of others or wisdom and accountability.
MIKE>>> Agree
“unLearning leaders step out of the boat…”
PHIL>>> One more thing we need to know about unLearning…
MIKE>>> An ongoing process…..
“Churches of tomorrow focus on asking the right questions .”
PHIL>>> Mike, please write a prayer that sets our mind on asking the right questions, so that, our ministry is transformed; not conformed (Romans 12:2).
MIKE>>>That we might be constantly aware of your presence, O God, Amen.
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