The Ultimate Road Side Assistance

I’m a problem solver, this is a good thing. I’m also a critic, this can be bad.  Every problem I've engaged started with a critique.  I notice something isn't right, I evaluate the gap between reality and ideal and I estimate the resources needed to bridge the gap.  Being a critic is bad if my engagement ends at this point.  I call this the “That tire’s flat.” syndrome, observing the problem without offering to get the jack.   It is helpful to note why the car has stopped but more involvement is needed. 

I brought this tension into my faith walk, specifically in my view of the local church and leadership.  After beginning my journey in, what I thought was the perfect church, I began to notices gaps.  I read the book of Acts and listened to contemporary speakers and authors opine about the first century model of a faith community.  I assumed there was an ideal church somewhere but I wasn't part of it.   I had an idea of what the car was supposed to do and I noticed the flat tire.  The church has a lot of flat tires and even more people saying “Hey, that tire’s flat.” 

A year ago I took a very dangerous step, after years of church leadership, serving as a trustee, ministry director, missionary board member, elder and lay pastor, I accepted the call to lead a local church.  I was more than reluctant to accept this call knowing my lack of qualifications and personal fear of letting people down.  I had helped start this church two years before and loved it, it was not perfect but pretty good.  Good enough that people would notice if I screwed it up. 

Over the years I've collected a diverse group of friends that are pastors so I knew well what I was getting myself into.  Many of those same friends, like me, were great critics of the universal and local church.  We would have meaningful conversations on the corrupt condition of the modern church and how screwed up pastors were.  We solved every problem we observed…in our minds.  Many of those friends not only observed the flat tires but refused to ever get back in the car.  They had found “new models” that focused attention on the parts of the car they felt most important.  For some it was authentic community, a comfortable car that was big enough for all and very comfortable.  For others it was mission, a work horse of a car, more like a truck, that would serve the poor and help the hurting.  Still others found cars that were built with large megaphones that moved quickly through the streets amplifying the good news.  I haven’t asked but I suspect they got flat tires too. 

As my wife and I wrestled with the idea of leading a church most of the evidence was on our side on why this was a bad idea.  We weren’t qualified and we would definitely let people down.  After saying no and settling into this decision we spent an evening with a friend that rides in a small car built for tribulation.  He affirmed our decision to not engage and said something that changed me.  He said “The Church is dead.” As I was about to walk out of his apartment and say no for the final time I realized that many of my friends had gotten out of the car for some very good reasons; lack of appreciation, personal hurt, theological divisions, the list goes on.  However, leaving the car, the church, because of a flat tire doesn’t mean it is dead, it just means it’s stuck.  And if all the tire changers walk away from this very capable thing because of one, or one hundred, flat tires we create the illusion of death. 

The local church, your local church, needs problem solvers.  There are plenty of critics and even more flat tires.  As we engage the mission of this car we quickly realize that it’s not the responsibility of the critic or the problem solver to keep the car running.  You see Jesus commissioned us to engage his church, but it is HIS church.  He described this to Peter, the first of many unqualified lead pastors, when He said:

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” –Matthew 16:18-19

The Church is dead?  It’s a theological impossibility, one that I’ve staked my life on.   Jesus is the hope of the world and His church is the vehicle that proclaims this hope.  I know there are lots of car models out there and they all get flat tires fortunately I also know who to call for road side assistance.   

The Worlds We Live In

I live in three worlds. These are not metaphorical places.  They have distinct geographies, unique languages and separate cultures.  One world is marked by affluence, luxury, private wine cellars and entitlement.  The world I was born into, and spend most of my time, is defined by its conveniences, security, neighborhood pools and entitlement.  The third world is recognized by material lack, instability, houses on wheels and entitlement.  They are distinct and different but the children of these three worlds share the same classroom. 

My work places me in all three world’s most days so I’ve had to become tri-lingual in my communication.   I own a restaurant consulting company (www.boaz1.com) that sells franchises to investors and entrepreneurs, this world speaks the language of investment, asset accumulation and job creation.  I live in a very middle class neighborhood where we talk at the end of the driveway about getting our kids to college, finishing our basement and job security.  I lead a non-profit organization (www.joshuasplace.cc) that exists to help struggling families overcome barriers.  Those conversations can be about health crisis, providing food for children and economic vulnerability.   I don’t have to drive more than two miles to meet with people in these three worlds. 

Our society allows for class mobility and we want to be believe classism is something in other parts of the world.  However a caste system does exist here, it’s more subtle, but it’s real.  Ruby Payne, author of A Framework for Understanding Poverty, talks about these worlds having “hidden rules” and unique cultures (chart example below).   A mom in the wealth class is uniquely equipped to hire domestic help, a mom in the middle class can easily maneuver through soccer sign ups and a mom in the poverty class can move an entire household in 24 hours.   Three moms, three worlds, three skill requirements. 

What’s interesting to me is when the worlds pass judgment on one another.   As I share with those in the wealth and middle class about the work we do for struggling families, it’s not unusual to hear criticisms of families in “need” owning 50 inch TV’s and using iPhones.  Meanwhile, the single mom’s working for maid services laugh at the homes they clean that have $50,000 exercise rooms that need regular dusting.  These worlds see money differently and we know our view of money reveals personal value systems.  Three worlds, three value systems. 

So what’s to be learned from this?  It’s taken a few years but I’ve come to realize that, while these worlds are very different, people are the same.  Don’t get me wrong, there is no danger of confusing the citizens of these three worlds from the outside.  However, as you dive deeper and know the truer stories you’ll find the core needs are surprisingly similar.  The challenges are worlds apart but the hopes of each class are nearly identical.   Each of us want to belong and be known, known for who we are not our street address.   We all hope to be part of something bigger than our individual stories and that our futures are not completely defined by our past.  It’s in these similarities that my three worlds come together.  Three worlds, one human condition. 

The human condition has not changed since Jesus walked the earth and I’m amazed at how He always brought different people together.  He didn’t create authentic community by ignoring the diversity of unique experiences but instead pointed different peoples to a common hope.  He talked about a Kingdom that He brought where the least is greatest, the first is last, a world where shepherds leave the ninety-nine to find the one, a Kingdom where a wealthy father sets aside his dignity to welcome home a rebellious and poor son.  He brought a Kingdom to this world based on a new hope and a common call to an abundant life.  Not necessarily abundant in material terms but better, abundant in purpose, abundant in community and abundant in hope.   

It’s in this hope that I spend my days bringing my three worlds together. I’m committed to authentic community marked by a diverse collection of socio-economic realities.  The church I lead (www.thevillagechurch.cc) has a unique mix of all three worlds connected by the simplicity of one common purpose.  It’s not easy, there is nothing more divisive in our culture than economic status.  However, we all serve the One that brings His Kingdom to earth as it in heaven.  Three worlds, one church.