jayhardwick.com

Optimal mix?

I'd love to hear feedback on this question...

In his latest book, The Creative Leader, Ed Young says that a healthy church should be made up of one-third maturing Christians, one-third new Christians, and one-third non-Christians.

So, what is the optimal mix of people? Do you agree with Ed? Do you have a different take? What questions/thoughts come to mind?

Both/And

The weekend in Kentucky was great. Good friends, great worship, and our Great God leading people to take initiative. And, I met some cool people on my flights there and back.

Godin makes a comment in Purple Cow that should bring some great encouragement to all of us trying to lead irresistible churches. "Remarkable doesn't mean ridiculous." I've seen and heard lots of church leaders attend conferences or services at North Point or other such megachurches and leave saying, "Good grief, we'll never be able to do that." Not so.

Remarkable doesn't happen because of gadgets and gizmos. Sometimes those are some of the tools and parts of the process, but they don't have to be. Likewise, boring is not the absence of gadgets and gizmos.

To me, as I wrestle with this issue of being remarkable, I think it's finding what Jim Collins calls the "both/and" principle. Whether it's creating a worship environment, developing a church strategy, or starting a new ministry, leaders do not have to choose either cultural relevance or authenticity. In fact, it seems to me that remarkable may be finding the balance between the two.

For instance, it is impossible to say that Jesus was not culturally relevant. When He spoke to farmers, He used farmer terms. When He spoke to fishermen, He used fishermen terms. He used metaphor and language that connected with His audience because it showed them that He knew the world they lived in very well.

But, He did not use culturally relevant terms/tools at the expense of authenticity. Jesus was and is the definition of authenticity because He is the Word in the flesh. You can't get any more authentic than that.

And so, I think the great challenge is to find the balance. And, it's actually harder to find the "both/and" than it is to be "either/or." That's why I am thankful for the team I work with week in and week out. It's a team that loves the people of the Upstate and a team that desperately wants to partner with Christians to reach their unchurched friends. And because of this love and this desire, they work tirelessly to find this balance. We're probably not all the way there, but I love where we're heading.

So, thanks to the people of CC! God is using you to create environments where He is free to work in the hearts and lives of men, women, and children! Keep running hard!

5:30

It's 5:30 am...I've been awake for almost 2 hours...on purpose.

I'm sitting in lovely Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport waiting on the first leg of my journey to Lousiville, KY to begin. I am speaking at the church where I worked right after Lara Beth and I got married and moved to Louisville for seminary. Should be fun.

I love going back to places where God used you and where you were able to see Him do something special firsthand. Trips like these remind me that life and ministry are adventures where one phase leads to another. You throw yourself in where God has you now doing what He has you doing now and eventually, it leads to the next phase.

This is the first time I have flown in two years and a lot has changed. I'd give the security checkpoint process an NC-17 rating. I can honestly say no one has ever told me to put my belt in the bucket. Yeah...that.

I'll post later today with more on the Purple Church idea. Until then...

Purple Church

I have no idea why it took me so long to do it, but I finally read Purple Cow by Seth Godin. The main idea: Brown Cows = boring; Purple Cows = remarkable.

What if we took the same idea and applied it to our churches? What would it take for Catalyst Church to be a Purple Church? What would it take for your church to become a Purple Church?

As Seth says, in most every market, the boring slot is filled. In church world, it seems we fight over the boring slot. I have developed a very low tolerance for boring church. One reason: Jesus was not boring.

Jesus was purple because of how He lived, who He hung out with, where He ate, and what He talked about. The funny thing is that people who should have loved Him the most hated Him the most (the religious leaders - Pharisees). And the people who should have hated Him the most loved Him (tax collectors, prostitutes, sick people, poor people). Why? He was remarkable. They'd never seen anything like Him.

As I understand the New Testament, the local church is to be a reflection of Jesus. Apply the boring test to determine if your church is purple: who is more drawn to the environments of your church? Purple draws people who should hate church and who need Jesus the most - boring draws the religious church hopper looking to get fat and happy taking up a seat..."their" seat.

I don't know about you, but I want to be a part of a remarkable church. I want my kids to love church. I want my friends who are far from God to be drawn to the environments of Catalyst Church. I want to be a part of a church that truly reflects Jesus, not the tired traditions man has installed.

As Seth says, boring is invisible; remarkable is worth talking about. Be Purple!

In

I really cannot believe I am doing this - blogging! Several months ago, I wasn't sure what to make of blogging. But, thanks to this guy and this guy (first blogs I ever read), a few others who I do life with each week, and how I see God using blogs, I am convinced not only that I should blog, but that I would be wrong not to blog. Big thanks to Aman and Scott for helping me get started.

Honestly, there is a lot that scares me about blogging. The layout for my blog has been done for over a week, but it has taken me until now to officially dive in. It reminds me of the trauma I experienced in my first attempt to jump off a high dive. Maybe that story will come out one day.

Blogging makes me vulnerable. It can turn into an ego/me-centered thing, which has become a pet-peeve of mine. There's a self-imposed pressure to say something valuable everyday. What I say on here can and probably will be misinterepreted at times.

But, the reasons to blog have overwhelmed the reasons not to. Here are the five reasons that sealed it for me:

1. Blogging is a way for me to better process my thoughts about the three areas that matter most to me: authentic leadership, innovative practices, and irresistible churches. I'm a visual, auditory learner - I have to talk it out.

2. The blogosphere is like attending a networking conference everyday. I am amazed at how much smaller the world gets because of blogging. I'm eager to meet and learn from other leaders all over the country and around the world.

3. Blogging gives me the chance to connect more personally with people at Catalyst Church and in our city. As Mark says, blogging is a form of digital discipleship. It's impossible to meet with everyone, but anyone with internet access can read a blog.

4. If this works, my blog will become my new learning journal. My handwriting is awful and old age (I'm 28) is making it worse. And, writing in Moleskins makes my hand hurt.

5. To my knowledge, there is not a North Point "insider" who is blogging about the practices, principles, values, and strategy of the North Point model. Not that I have it figured out, but our team is certainly on the front lines of implementing it and we're learning a lot. I want to share what we're learning about this incredible model for ministry. And, I think Andy and the guys need the publicity boost...:)

So, I'm in. All in. No more standing on the edge, toes hanging off, looking down at the water that is seemingly 100 miles from me. Hopefully this won't be a belly buster!