Christianity: Open Source or SDK

No, it’s not Spielberg, DeLorien, Katzman. It’s Software Developement Kit. When someone writes a program for a computer, they typically compile it into a version that can be distributed without the ability to change it. That way they can support it because all of the distributed copies are the same. The advantage is consistency; the disadvantage is that it cannot be changed to fit various uses.

There are some programs out there that are called “open source” which means that all of the code is able to be changed. The advantage is that if it has any problems, you can fix it yourself and even improve on it. The disadvantage is that the author cannot support it because it is constantly changed by others and redistributed.

The alternative is to have a SDK. The writer leaves certain areas open for change and the SDK enables you to make some changes, but not to the core program. This offers the advantage of consistency with the core program while allowing flexibility in its application.

Christianity is not truly open source. We cannot change the code or improve on it. Scripture is absolute, but it is a lot more open in its application than most would like to admit. Many people are under the assumption that the church as it exists in North America, is a closed source licensed version that is trademarked and if you don’t do it that way, then you are doing it wrong. The truth is that how the church functions is about as open source as it comes.

Now apply this idea to Christianity. It was not meant to be carbon copied or cloned. God gave us the code, that was compiled, but he gave us the developers kit, via the Holy Spirit, to help us adapt it to our generation and culture.

God followers in Haiti do not practice their faith the same way we do in the US. Believers in Nepal connect with God different from those in Uzbekistan. We are in a new era of the church from that of 1500 years ago. We desperately need the Holy Spirit SDK to help us find ways to adapt our lives to function with the source code of Scripture.

Vision for Sale

I am working with my leadership team to develop mission and vision for our group. While preparing for our next meeting, I did some research on the internet. As I was reading an article explaining the difference between mission and vision, I came across a link at the bottom of the page that made me laugh out loud. It said,

Church Mission Statements
Shop on Ebay and Save! Discount Church Mission Statements.

When you click the link, it takes you to a generic Ebay page of various items relating to mission statements. Nothing about churches.

But it did get me thinking about all of the churches that do copy or "borrow" other church vision and mission statements because they sound great. Most are taken from mega churches and “tailored” to fit their situation.

But aren't they missing the point? Isn't a vision and mission something that is unique to every church. We are not all to have the same statements, because we are not all the same church.

I mean yes, we are all to love God and love people. But come on, that's so bland and lifeless. The Apostles were called to proclaim the truth to all men, but Paul was called to the Gentiles, Peter to the Jews. They had different targets, but the same end.

We don't need more church franchises, we need more specialty churches. Churches with unique targets to address the needs no other church can meet. When will we begin to see the open source Christianity God intended? He gave us the code; we just need to adapt it to our context.

My vision is to see churches embrace their peculiar identities and embark on journeys into spiritual renewal of global proportions where their visions are realized and missions accomplished through focused attention to their God directive. No plagiarized visions or purchased missions. Each one as unique as the people in them. That's my vision and I'm stickin' to it.

It's not what you know (Part 3 of 3)

So how do we fix the relational dysfunction in the church today? I know that it’s far easier to analyze and criticize and that I run the risk of both if I don’t offer some kind of solution. And the good news is that I think there is one.

Suppose you were God and you had a relational problem with mankind. The two of you weren’t connecting well and you wanted to change that. What would you do? What is a way you could reestablish relationship that would speak volumes to mankind? Do you see where I am going?

Now suppose there was a relational problem with Christians and unbelievers. The two of you were not connecting well. What would you do? How do you effectively establish relational ties with unbelievers? Have you made the connection yet?

To assume that someone will come into a foreign building filled with relationally dysfunctional people and be bombarded with propositional truth in the hopes that they will change their views about God is about as good an odds as playing the slots in Vegas and winning the first time around.

But, if we shed the spiritual suit and take on the form of an unbeliever to reestablish relationship, then we are a lot closer to God’s original plan than we are now. But it’s about relationship. Talking at people rarely works. Talking with people means that the conversation flows both ways.

They say in business it’s more about who you know that what you know. What if we looked at life with that perspective? Forget everything you know. Who do you know? How many people do you know? Who do you really know? And does anybody know you?

The church in the 20^th century has been about being right. Great. We’re all right and everyone else is going to hell. Well, to hell with that. God is about relationship. Love is his language and his desire is to connect with his creation. God has not isolated himself from men. Men have isolated themselves from God and the church is helping to further that isolation. Truth does not bring people to God. People bring people to God.

It’s time we become the people who bring people to God. To do that we have to be in relationship with people. Less church, more relationships. Less programs, more connections. Less teaching, more interaction.

When we begin to model the way Christ connected with people and build relational bridges, we will begin to see the kingdom of God take on a whole new meaning and find ourselves involved in relational situations that reflect the heart of God for others. And then we will fulfill the calling of God to be the Body of Christ and truly live out the truth that it is not what you know, but who you know that makes all of the difference.

It's not what you know (Part 2of 3)

Relationally dysfunctional people are the wrong ones to lead the church into the new era and many many pastors are relationally dysfunctional. In the past, a good Bible teacher was sufficient to build a church around. Knowledge was king and people who were good at Bible knowledge could grow a church.

The new era of the church is about community. It’s about discipleship the way Jesus did it; in the context of life. Today’s seekers are not looking for more information. The information age is fading with the modern age. People today are looking for relationships that are genuine and life lessons that are taught OTJ and not in a sanctuary.

Unfortunately, many churches are trying to “do” relationships through having small group programs to “meet that need.” “Doing” small groups in a church is not relationship. It’s the equivalent to putting a cat, a dog, a monkey and a dolphin all in the same room and assuming that they will all relate well together because they are mammals. They don’t know the first thing about how to communicate with each other. People are the same way. People don’t know good relationship skills because they don’t have good relationships. The church lectures about the need for small groups, but does not model it well.

Christ’s model of multiplication was not lecture, but life. His method of Christian growth training was not rhetoric, but relationship. Christ’s classroom was the community, not the temple.

We have institutionalized a faith that was meant to be lived outside the walls of religion. We have organized people into categories and then we artificially put them in small gatherings and expect them to connect. Small groups breaks down the larger dysfunction, but does not fix it. In the next installment, I will address the solution.

It's not what you know (Part 1of 3)

Is it possible that we spend too much time seeking connection with God and not enough time seeking connection with people? Can we be too often “alone with God” and miss the whole point for why he came? In some ways it’s easier to “spend time” with God than is it to “spend time” with others. People are messy. They don’t always respond well and they require something of me. Having a relationship with people requires work.

And if we have to have relationships with people, then it’s a lot easier to have them with other “church” people than to spend time with outsiders. Outsiders don’t talk our talk and sometimes they do inappropriate things. It’s not easy have a relationship with others.

Relationship is the foundation of the truth of God. Look at the amount of time Christ spent alone with the Father as opposed to with people. His relationship to the Father was essential, but his relationships with people took the vast majority of the time. If Christ is our model for life, then we need more time with people. But we fear it, because we don’t do relationship well.

We lack good relational skills because we are not in good relationships. It sounds like a catch 22 and it kind of is. To learn good relationships, there has to be a combination of learning and practice. It‘s the practice work that gets neglected.

The church has built itself on Bible teaching, program facilitation and building campaigns. We have compartmentalized our social lives and segregated our relationships or neglected them altogether. We are a relationally dysfunctional people who desperately need others.