the encounter

More from Mark Driscoll’s book – Confessions of a Reformission Rev. Driscoll takes what he heard as the four stages of organizational decline and applies them to the church setting.

1. Creative – the dream stage
This phase is marked by enthusiasm, hope, and creative ideas which all produce momentum. People who are entrepreneurial are attracted and add to the dream. The dream is so large in people’s minds that it carries them through the struggles that occur at this level.

2. Management – the reality stage
At this phase the dream to some degree has been attained and now begins to be managed. It is now time to work out the details, fix what is inefficient, organize resources, and manage personnel. This is a necessary stage, but also a swing stage. What is needed is to keep the dream in the forefront of everyone’s mind. Without it the organization can quickly go from management into the next stage of organizational life.

3. Defensive Justification -the failure stage
Here, growth begins to plateau and excitement begins to flatten. The dream is no longer in the front of people’s minds. In its place is questioning and conflict. People are less motivated to serve, give, and be involved. At this phase, leadership often takes a defensive posture. They rush to quickly justify what is happening in hopes that the situation will end soon and not devolve into the final stage.

4. Blaming, the death stage
In this final stage, the problems that were once small have taken over everyone’s time and attention. No clear answer has been given for what has happen, no solution is seen, and the dream is long past. Everyone is looking for someone to blame for the organization’s decline. The death stage does not necessarily mean the doors have closed. It simply remains in a state of no life, no growth, no dream; where people just go through the motions of keeping the organization alive.

These four stages can be applied to organizations, churches, businesses, or marriages. The tipping point for any of these is the stage where comfort sets in and the dream is lost. How well is the dream alive for you where you are? Do you feel the subtle call of comfort? As alluring as it is, it can be what causes us to lose the dream.

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A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
proverbs 29:1

There are many things worth being stubborn about – time with family, time with God, commitment to your marriage, refusal to compromise, allegiance ot Christ, etc. These require absolute commitment without wavering. Beyond these things however the heart of a Christ-follower should be characterized by flexibility, openness, and softness. We should be like a well-sealed box of playdoh. When it stays soft, it can become many things in the hand of its creator. If left to dry, it becomes brittle, dry, hard, and unusable for shaping.

As Creator and Redeemer of all things lost, God is in the process of shaping my heart into something new. He does so through internal heart prompting and through external circumstances. When I don’t recognize the direction and shaping of God in my heart, He corrects by allowing circumstances in my life to discomfort me. The wisdom of the Proverb for the day reminds us that if we continually reject the internal and external corrections of God, we could face disastrous consequences.

A hardened heart refuses to hear, resists counsel, and rejects truth. A hardened heart cannot be shaped and molded into something new that gives honor its creator.

God, keep me open today to You. May I learn and live as clay in your hands that stays soft and pliable. Help me see You leading, shaping, and correcting me in my heart and my circustances.

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The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”
proverbs 28:1

The soul is a curious creation of God. It can be hurt, experience delight, sense wrong, feel guilt, and commune with God. When we sin, it is pained with the weight of guilt. We want to run and hide. Increased guilt puts leads us to a place where we are continually on the run for we fear we’ll be found out.

God offers us rest from running. If we confess our sins we can be forgiven. The reality of soul cleansing leads to a place of soul confidence. Our shame, guilt, and fear of being found out are removed. In its place is a humble confidence that allows us to enter God’s presence. It also gives us a humble confidence to face others for we have nothing to hide. When our soul is clean and clear it resonates in the way it was designed to – with peace, assurance, certainty, and love.

God, that’s what I want!

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I recently had a conversation with a new believer. We were talking about some of the basics of what it means to follow Christ. One of their first questions was along this line, “How can I reduce the ‘sin footprint’ in my life?” The authenticity and visual of that question was absolutely stunning! Within every Christ-follower is that compelling desire to rid ourselves of evil and become more like Christ.

As a former student of architecture I remember talk about a building’s footprint – the shape and space that it occupied on the ground. Large building = large footprint; small building = small footprint. Looking at any city in google maps or google earth you can get a good feel of a building’s footprint.

The question I’m asking myself today is, “What is my sin footprint?” If my soul were viewed from a spiritual satellite what would the image reveal?

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I love to find other churches that are incarnating themselves into their culture and living out the gospel; especially ones that are unique and not a carbon copy of something already being done. One of these innovative churches is the Church Under the Bridge in Waco, Texas. They began meeting under the I-35 bridge with the goal of ministering to the homeless and helpless of Waco. The ministry has grown to include many others from the city. Check out their web-site for more about their core values, pictures, and ministry.

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