Total Church the conclusion

I long for a church where the primary motivation of the people is passion for the glory of God. Wouldn't it be awesome if the first thought that came to mind on any endeavor would be "What will God get out of this?" rather than "What will I get out of this?" I do appreciate the authors reminding us that while community sounds wonderful, the reality is that it is hard work and lots of mercy is needed. I also liked the play on I Corinthians 13 concerning even if we are culturally relevant and have not love it's useless and meaningless. In all of our getting, as Solomon said, get understanding (Proverbs 4:7). Too often we look for formulas of success or at the very least principles that bring success. It's so important that the motivation of true ministry be directed toward the glory of God and the fame of Jesus. I have enjoyed this book and the heart it is presented in and I have been encouraged by the wisdom and affirmation of the authors. be blessed

Total Church chapter 13

Success is too often driven by and influenced by our society instead of established in the satisfaction of God's purpose. I am more and more convinced that the only way to establish healthy congregations, that is, congregations of healthy people is to stay small. Our philosophy is to do all that we can to insure that relationship is the priority. Individuals who have a strong, thriving relationship with Jesus and with each other. We have a strong emphasis on small group ministry but also we want the congregation to remain small enough that at the very least the acquaintances are strong enough that if any individual or couple or family stops attending it is noticed by all. We also strongly believe that the best way to penetrate our city is by establishing small pockets of witness in every little township we can. Closer is always better!
Concerning our model of leadership we see Ephesians 4:11-13 as the standard of ministry vision. We have set as our vision the intention of Jesus in giving ministry to the church. It was not to go into a city with a vision focused on taking that city for Jesus, but rather the focus of ministry is to be more microscopic in that we are called to help each other find our individual vision and help train and encourage one another to be faithful to that calling. If the people of our congregation are not active in works of service for the kingdom then we as God given Word ministry are failing in our mission. If people's lives are not being changed more and more into faithful witnesses of the gospel and it's power then we as Word ministers are failing. Character is the fruit that measures our success. I would also add that if character is the fruit of the Spirit then when Jesus points out the issue of false ministry in Matthew 7 he is telling us that we cannot follow someone whose life we do not know well. The fruit is not that people are healed, delivered etc. or that large numbers are attracted, many of those are strangers to Jesus, but the fruit must speak of their character which cannot be known from a distance.
I would also add that the diversity of Ephesians 4 speaks to me of Jesus intention of bringing health to the congregation through diverse perspectives of His Word. People need to hear any particular portion of scripture taught in the diverse perspective that only comes from teachers who see it from the view of a pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophetic and apostolic and proclaim it from their passion. I also believe this emphasizes the need to have a pulpit that is diverse. One man always doing all the proclaiming is never healthy for a congregation and simply occasionally bringing in an outside speaker cannot give the diverse diet of the Word that Jesus intended. Their should be a plural presentation of the Word and also a plural leadership providing direction for a congregation to experience a healthy diversity of Christ who cannot be truly presented through any one vessel in the Body of Christ.

Total Church chapter 12

This chapter fascinates me because of the reality in the statistics. I am often skeptical of statistics because of the probable methods of obtaining them, but I am certain that the surveys are right for both England and the U.S. concerning the exodus of youth from the modern church. I also agree that there seems to be a lethargy about the situation and a surrender to the perceived inevitable. I agree with the authors that much of our issue involves the churches approach of youth ministry as a separate ministry from the rest of the church body and almost an isolation from church community. The establishment of separation almost sends a message that the church recognizes that it is out of touch with the main stream and so chooses to approach ministry to youth differently. Fun has been the focus when what our youth really need is serious discipleship. Youth need purpose and are motivated by challenge and the opportunity for world change. In the surrender to cultural relevance we have so watered down the gospel and the idea of kingdom commitment that the foundation needed to anchor youth in the transition from immaturity to responsibility has never been laid. Our youth don't know or don't understand the Word of God. They have not been taught its importance, its relevance, nor have they been taught its ability to address the true root issues of life. Youth don't know how to handle the Word in a way that they can apply to their life situations.
I also agree that just as important to youth as peer relationship is the relationship with mature Christians. Mentoring is vital to the establishment of youth anchoring. Youth want to look at Christian examples of consistent unwavering adults. Not adults without flaws and failings, but unwavering in their passion to repent and return and remain consistent in their pursuit of God. On page 186 it states the value of youth blending into the integrated community. Young people love being included and valued in community. It anchors them to the larger church. I also appreciate the encouragement to teach the Word with a diversity that speaks to all life experiences and all ages. Being mindful of these diversities forces the teacher to prepare with more thought and intentionality which actually helps the teaching to have more clarity.
On the subject of children I placed a couple of notes at the bottom of the page. The first is concerning Nehemiah 8:2, 3 when Nehemiah was reading the scriptures from dawn to midday, it says that all the men and women gathered to listen. The age factor it says was determined by "all who could hear with understanding". The other note is concerning Jesus times of teaching where it appears that the children were not only present, but had access to Jesus himself. My thinking in this is that there should be intentional teaching of the Word for all ages of comprehension realizing that infants cannot understand on any level but toddlers and preschool and even grade school level children have a level of understanding that requires teaching them in their own setting. The emphasis is that it is vital that they be fed some level of God's word so that they might grow from it. I also believe that it is important on a regular basis to so order the adult service that children can be included and would benefit, not just from a program, but intentional teaching of the Word of God. The best example might be a Seder service or Easter or Christmas Eve time where the Word is read and acted out so that even the little children receive.