Letters to the Church

by Francis Chan

  There is a wall in our house with a ton of marks on it. It’s where my kids measure themselves every few months to see whether they have grown. They get so excited with every quarter inch (Lisa and I produce short kids), and there’s a look of disappointment when they’ve stayed the same height for too long. They want to see growth! Most new parents are measuring and weighing their newborns to make sure they are being fed enough. If the baby isn’t growing, they panic and make serious changes. Growth is expected.

  Why isn’t this expected in the Church? Week after week, the same faces show up with little to no change in their lives. Insanely, we just keep doing the same thing, hoping it will yield different results. Every week, same small talk, same “Good sermon,” same “See you next week.” If there’s no fruit, isn’t it time for change? I recently heard someone say, “Your organization is perfectly designed for producing the results you’re experiencing right now.” It may be time for a serious shift.

  Even if we wanted all people to use their gifts, is it even possible with the way we currently do things? There isn’t time. When we reduce “church” to a ninety-minute service where one person teaches for forty-five minutes and another leads music for thirty minutes, we are left with fifteen minutes for announcements and forced handshakes with the people sitting near you. Are we creating the space necessary for every person to feel like he or she can be used by God to encourage and build up others? Have we made our churches so professional and impressive that only the polished few can contribute?

  In speaking of the church, Paul said, “When each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:16). A church grows to maturity only when each part is “working.” If we give up on the goal of having all members exercise their spiritual gifts, we are destined for perpetual immaturity.

  WHAT ARE WE PRODUCING?

  If everyone who graduated from Harvard ended up working at a Jack in the Box, who in their right mind would spend the fortune required to send their kids there? Harvard is supposed to produce professionals ready to compete for high-level positions. In the same way, Paul expected the Church to produce courageous, hardworking saints, who are unfazed by false teachings and able to resist temptation (Eph. 4:11–14). In describing his goal for those he pastored, Paul used the phrases “mature manhood” and “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (v. 13). Does this describe your church members?

  We have high expectations from spending four years at Harvard. We should expect even greater results from four years (or four decades!) in the Church.

  At the end of the day, it’s about what we produce. We can get so focused on getting people through our doors that we don’t think about what goes out. The Church’s purpose is not just to exist. It’s to produce. Are we producing mature disciples who imitate Christ by constantly serving others? Are we developing communities that are so deeply in love with one another that the world marvels (John 13:34–35)? If this is not being produced, why do we exist?

  I echo what Mike Breen wrote: “Are we just good at getting people together once a week and maybe into a small group, or are we actually good at producing the types of people we read about in the New Testament? Have we shifted our criteria for a good disciple as someone who shows up to our stuff, gives money and occasionally feeds poor people?”1

  BECOMING ATTRACTIVE

  Twenty years ago, my wife went to the gym (it’s not her thing). When she got home, I asked her how it went. She proceeded to tell me she took a step class (a big deal in the 1990s), but she didn’t get much out of the workout. When I asked her why, she explained that the instructor was so obese that it was hard to be motivated by her. Lisa wasn’t trying to be mean. She was just used to having an instructor who makes her envious. This is how they sell fitness machines on television because they know it motivates us. They find a totally chiseled man or woman working out on one of their machines and tempt you to pull out your credit card in hope of becoming like them.

  When I read about the apostle Paul, I am challenged to become like him. When I read of his longing for Christ (Phil. 1:21–26), perseverance through suffering (2 Cor. 11:16–33), and love for people (Rom. 9:1–3), it stirs me. I want to look like him. I want his peace. Like Paul, I want to come to the end of my life and know that I didn’t waste it. It’s his example, not his words, that moves me.

  Even though there are well-known talk-show hosts, bloggers, and speakers, nobody really admires them. They just talk. Speakers can fool some, but everyone admires the life that’s worthy of following. It seems we have lost some of this reality in the Church. We expect people to be captivated by our speech when our lifestyles are not that compelling. We pat ourselves on the back when we can showcase some happy families with virgin children who don’t swear.

  That is hardly proof God is with us and not with them. If we were able to look objectively, we could see why the average person is not banging on the front doors of our church buildings.

  If Muslims were advertising free doughnuts and a raffle for a free iPad as a means to get people to their events, I would find that ridiculous. It would be proof to me that their god does not answer prayer. If they needed rock concerts and funny speakers to draw crowds, I would see them as desperate and their god as cheap and weak. Understand that I am not judging any church that works hard at getting people through the doors with good motives. I spent years doing the same thing, and I believe my heart was sincere. I wanted people to hear the gospel by any means possible. Praise God for people who have a heart for truth! I’m just asking you to consider how this looks to a watching world. While our good intentions may have gotten some people in the door, they also may have caused a whole generation to have a lower view of our God. It is hard for the average person to reconcile why a group of people supposedly filled with God’s Spirit, able to speak with the Creator of the universe, would need gimmicks.

  NO LONGER CHURCH

  Is there ever a point when a church is no longer a church? Is it only when the doctrinal statement no longer declares that Jesus is the Son of God? Just because you walk into a building with the word Church painted on a sign doesn’t mean God sees it as an actual church.

  Suppose I was concerned about people’s health so I opened Chan’s Healthy Juice Stop. I rented a building and painted a cool sign with a bunch of happy vegetables on it. I began making drinks by blending kale, carrots, beets, and spinach. My customers loved my drinks and came daily. There was just one problem: there aren’t enough health fanatics to keep my business afloat. My solution: whipped cream. Once I topped my drinks with it, more people started coming around. Soon after, I added chocolate syrup and sales grew even more. Once gummy bears and M&M’s were introduced, I started making a fortune. I would still boast that my drinks contained some healthy ingredients, even though I knew my clients were getting fatter and more lethargic. My desire to run a lucrative business at some point overpowered my original goal of health. At some point in the process, I should have taken down the sign.

  This is a common scenario in churches. Prayer, Communion, fellowship, and Bible reading don’t attract large crowds. So we start adding elements that will attract people. We accomplish a goal, but it is the wrong goal. There comes a point when so many additions are made that you can no longer call it a church.

  I agree with the poignant words of A. W. Tozer when he wrote, “Our most pressing obligation today is to do all in our power to obtain a revival that will result in a reformed, revitalized, purified church. It is of far greater importance that we have better Christians than that we have more of them.”2

  FORCING THE ISSUE

  Don’t you see the weirdness in calling people CHRISTian when they aren’t servants? I know we can’t force people to serve, but there has to be something we can do. No team puts up with players who refuse to contribute. No army puts up with soldiers who don’t carry their own weight. Why do churches continue to put up with Christians who refuse to serve? Why don’t we t
reat selfishness as a sin that needs to be confronted? If Scripture commands us to serve one another, isn’t it a bit strange that we give people a free pass?

  “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

  1 Peter 4:10

  “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

  James 4:17

  We confront sexual immorality in our churches because we are commanded to live holy lives. The adulterous person does not represent Christ well. But neither does the consumer. It’s a sin that has to be confronted if we want to give the world an accurate representation of the body of Christ. And if we really loved our brothers and sisters, shouldn’t we be encouraging them to repent?

  As pastors, we began having talks with people in our congregation who didn’t serve. Not only was it selfish, hurting the body, keeping them from manifesting the Spirit, but it was clearly sinful. It was out of a deep love for them that we wanted to see them have victory in this area. Sometimes a little pressure is good.

  Two of my closest friends are Al and Christian. Both of them are men who know how to persevere. Al can be exhausted and still run another three miles. Christian can be stuffed and still eat another three tacos. A couple years ago, when I wanted to get in shape, guess who I called. (Yes, I have permission from Christian to write this. In fact, he asked me to let people know that his life verse is Leviticus 3:16.) I asked Al to push me and do whatever he needed to do to get me in shape. There were many days when Al annoyed me with his constant pressure, yelling at me to run faster or lift more than I wanted. While sweating like a pig, on the verge of passing out, I would have visions of sitting at a Chinese buffet with Christian. Meanwhile, Al just kept talking, refusing to let me quit. It has been miserable, but I’m in the best shape of my life now. Pressure can be a great thing.

  I remember the day Lisa and I brought our firstborn home from the hospital. Neither of us knew what we were doing, but we were forced to figure it out. We had no choice. We loved our baby, so we refused to be lousy parents. Seven kids later, I think we’re getting pretty good at this.

  Ministry really isn’t that different. No one is truly ready for a life of shepherding others, but we step up to the challenge when we are thrown into the position. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is challenge those we love, and a little pressure doesn’t hurt. I remember being a senior in high school when my youth pastor asked me to lead a dozen freshman guys. I had never discipled anyone before, but I was eager to serve God however He wanted. After a few weeks, God gave me a real love for these guys and a deep concern for their walk with God. I was far from a perfect leader, but I did my best. I don’t know where I would be today if I wasn’t challenged to serve and pushed to lead at an early age. I would have missed out on a very full and blessed life.

  We currently have around forty pastors who lead our churches in San Francisco. They all work other jobs. None of them are paid by the church. They never received formal training to become pastors. It has all been on-the-job training from the elders. They have grown because they have felt the pressure of pastoral responsibility. They have become great pastors and are making disciples who will soon be pastors also. I love these men, and I trust them with my life. I trust them with my children.

  I could tell you stories of people who have sacrificed rooms in their homes, cars, money, privacy, health, and vacations in order to serve others. I could speak of miracles, healings, and prophecies coming from the most unlikely people. These results have come from expecting every member to serve. To me, however, the greatest blessing has been watching the leaders develop.

  The Church was supposed to be a breeding ground for pastors and elders. Every church should be equipping people and sending them out. Unfortunately, the trend is the opposite. We send out want ads, asking for pastors to come serve at our churches. Some churches even hire professional headhunters to find pastors for them. Rather than sending, we are recruiting. This has become normal.

  We can develop leaders only when we structure things in a way that requires others to lead. I had to learn how to limit the use of my gifts in order to make space for others to lead. The result has been an army of equipped leaders who could be dropped off in any city in the world and they would be capable of making a living while making disciples. They have shown themselves capable of starting and multiplying churches. They are servant leaders raising up more servant leaders to be sent out.

  It’s time to put some loving pressure on ourselves and those around us. This is everyone’s responsibility. Only when we become servants will we experience the Holy Spirit as Jesus intended. Only then will the Church resemble the Christ they worship.

  6

  GOOD SHEPHERDS

  Of all the chapters in this book, this is the one that was written with the most prayer and love. It is the most heartfelt and the one chapter that brought me to tears. I have been a pastor for over thirty years. It is all I have ever known. I knew of my calling when I was a kid, and I am sure of it to this day. Even when I have tried to run from the responsibility, God kept bringing me back. I love being a pastor. I love helping people understand God and fall in love with Him. Even with the betrayals and heartbreaks, I can’t think of anything I would rather do. If my life was to end today (and it might), I can’t express how full my life has been. I count it an honor to be called to ministry, and I shake my head in wonder that He chose me to do this. Few people get to do what they love so much.

  I write this chapter to full-time pastors, to bivocational pastors, and to many of you reading this, who, unbeknownst to you, will be called to shepherd others. I believe that thousands of you are called to pastor, not according to the traditional understanding of that role but in a biblical sense. I write this in hope that you will love this calling even more than I have. I also write with eternity in mind. Not all of you will hear “Well done” from the mouth of God, but I want you to. Meanwhile, the Enemy is constantly trying to lure us all away from our first love and make us people pleasers. Paul gave loving warnings to young Timothy at the end of his life, and I have tried to write this with a similar heart. I understand many of the pitfalls because I have stumbled into them myself.

  As I mentioned in the start of this book, I tried to pay special attention to the times when God used the strongest language in the biblical narrative. In my opinion, God spoke more severely to leaders than to any other group. On the one hand, God’s most tender and honoring speech was reserved for spiritual leaders. It seems as if He had unique relationships with leaders and He was even defensive of them. For example, He struck Miriam with leprosy when she dared speak against Moses (Num. 12:1–10), and He caused a couple of bears to maul forty-two people when they mocked Elisha (2 Kings 2:23–24). John was called “beloved” (John 21:20–24), and Abraham was “a friend of God” (James 2:23).

  On the other hand, some of God’s most condemning words were also spoken to leaders. The pursuit of leadership comes with severe warnings. James said leaders will be judged more harshly (3:1), and the writer of Hebrews said leaders will give an account for how they shepherd (13:17). Jesus addressed the religious leaders of His day as children of hell (Matt. 23:15). The point is that we should not assume anyone in a position of spiritual authority deserves to be there.

  This was a difficult chapter to write because I want to be careful of arrogance and disrespect, but I have to do something with the examples of Christ, Peter, and Paul—all of whom strongly rebuked false teaching. Somehow we need to follow David’s example of being careful and respectful toward even terrible leaders while also following Paul’s example in calling out false teachers.

  As I look over my life, I believe I have been overly critical and disrespectful at times while being cowardly and too political at other times. I don’t have all the answers here, nor do I believe I’ve been exemplary. God has been patient in teaching me how to say difficult things with a spirit of love rather than jud
gment. And He constantly reminds me that I need to examine myself first. That is where we all need to start.

  For those in church leadership, we can’t assume we belong there. We have to ask ourselves, Am I sure I should be in this position? Am I in a good place to lead? Is my relationship with Jesus one that I want replicated?

  For those not currently leading others, don’t assume you shouldn’t. It could be that your fear of failure is keeping you from doing what God created and called you to do. No one is called to be constantly fed without leading and feeding others. Turn around and look. If there is no one following you, something is wrong with your life. God has called you to the work of making disciples. He has called you to lead in some capacity.

  This is not a chapter for laypersons to use in judgment of their leaders. The challenge of leading this generation of highly opinionated individuals is daunting enough. I definitely don’t want to add fuel to that fire. This chapter is written for all of us, to make us evaluate our own lives. The Church needs godly leaders. Contrary to popular belief, we are all called to pastor (a word that simply means “shepherd”). Older women are to shepherd the younger (Titus 2:3–5). Parents are to shepherd their children (Eph. 6:4). Timothy was told to teach others what he himself had been taught (2 Tim. 2:2). We’re all called to be making disciples (Matt. 28:19–20). If you can’t find a single person who looks to you as a mentor, something is wrong with you. And social media doesn’t count. I’m talking about flesh-and-blood humans who mimic your actions. This requires living a life that’s worth duplicating, which is quite a bit harder than posting pictures and quotes.