I've recently been doing a series from the book of Nehemiah titled "Leadership in a Time of Crisis."
Perhaps you've heard that the Chinese word for "crisis" is made up of two characters that when pronounced
sound something like "way dee." Each of these is half a word. The first is "danger," and the second is
"opportunity." A crisis is literally a "dangerous opportunity." Great leaders and great churches are
opportunity-seekers.
There is a very popular story of an American shoe manufacturing company that sent two salesmen to a South
Sea island to drum up new business. After several weeks, the first salesman wired back to the home office,
"Shoe business here is lousy; the natives don't wear shoes." The next day the second salesman wired back,
"The shoe business here is great. The natives don't wear shoes." Both salesmen saw people with the same
custom of walking barefoot. One saw the lack of shoes as a problem, while the other saw it as an
opportunity.
Opportunities rarely announce themselves as such, "I'm an opportunity, take advantage of me!" Rather,
opportunities are often masked in the form of a crisis or a problem. We don't see the potential for God to
work because what looks like at the outset is a mess. This is true for us as individuals and for us as a
church.
Years ago I remember praying to the Lord for him to supply us with leaders. As the church began growing
rapidly I saw that we didn't have much bench strength. There were many new or young Christians, but not
enough people to lead them. As I prayed to God to give us leaders, the Lord spoke to my heart saying,
"Rich, you won't be able to reap where you haven't sown." I realized that our church was not going to be
able to reap a crop of leaders where we hadn't been sowing, through mentoring or leadership training. So we
started the Vineyard Leadership Institute.
Here are some "crises" that are masking divinely given opportunities for our church:
We need to radically increase the number and quality of small groups throughout the Vineyard. Over
the last two years we have experienced a rather drastic shortfall in both the number of our small groups as
well as the percentage of church attenders who participate in small group life. We have invested very
heavily in church planting (Vineyard Columbus has planted more churches than any other Vineyard in the world
with the exception of the Vineyard Anaheim). I think our investment in church planting was appropriate and
will continue.
But we must also disciple our own church, if we hope to extend God's Kingdom for the long term. Our
church's Mission Statement reads: To develop a community of passionate, mature, reproducing disciples; to
plant passionate, mature, reproducing churches; and, to transform the world by love and good deeds for the
glory of God." We are committed to both disciple-making and church planting! Our pastoral staff believes
that the Lord desires us to make the multiplication and development of our small groups Job #1 for the
upcoming school year. Over the next two years, we hope to double the number of home groups, women's groups,
and men's groups. At the same time, we desire to significantly increase the quality of our leadership
training for each of our small groups.
If you are interested in being trained for small group leadership, or are interested in small group
participation, you may contact Bill Christensen (our home group and men's ministry pastor), Marlene Nathan
(our women's ministry pastor), or Eric Pickerill (our Joshua House pastor).
We need to become missional in all of our ministries. Over the next year, we desire to develop an
outwardly focused vision for all of our groups and ministries. The Bible is very clear that the church does
not exist for itself. The emphasis on small group participation and multiplication must not result in
Vineyard becoming inwardly focused. Indeed, what often occurs for individuals and groups is that sometime
during the third year of small group life, the small group begins to feel stagnant. To escape personal and
group stagnation, we must transition from a "me-first, my needs-centered approach" to the Christian life to
an "other-centered, salt and light approach" to the Christian life. Our experience of the Kingdom of God,
spiritual gifts, and even our personal healing occurs in large measure as we reach beyond ourselves to
others.
Thus, we are asking every men's, women's and small group in the church to get involved in some active
service either to the church or to the community on a monthly basis beginning in September.
We must touch the Columbus community with the love of Jesus Christ. God has put a deepening love for
our community into the heart of this church. It is not enough for us as a church to love the individual
people who are coming here. We also must help to redeem and influence the various structures that affect
individuals' education, housing, job prospects, and community life.
Toward that end, you will be hearing more about Vineyard's plans to adopt a local elementary school
(helping with the physical plant, tutoring students, establishing a scholarship fund, etc.), expanding our
after-school program for kids living around the church, assisting Somali refugees, and developing programs
for the growing Hispanic population in Columbus.
We must be spiritually empowered for all of our ministries. Jesus clearly understood that the church
would burn itself out without the continuing presence and power of the Holy Spirit. He told his disciples,
"Wait in Jerusalem where you will be clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). While we are actively
engaged in strengthening the church through the multiplication of our small groups, reaching the community
by becoming more missional, and touching Columbus with the love of Jesus Christ, we dare not do these
activities in the strength of our own flesh.
One of the major things that you will undoubtedly notice about Vineyard Columbus in the next year is the
renewed emphasis and opportunity for both leaders and regular church members to experience ministry in the
power of the Holy Spirit.
May God give you eyes to see your crises as divinely ordained opportunities!
