R.E.S.C.U. E.: A Church Navigational System for Transformation

Robert Lewis states in The Church of Irresistible Influence, “Our postmodern world is tired of words. It wants real. Real everything. Real is convincing.”
 The compelling force behind this book is to encourage the church and the pastors of the church to be real.  Lack of authenticity is an iceberg into which too many churches collie. My confession is that I have not been real all the time in the three decades of ministry. The weight of pride dogged me. Lust gripped my flesh; materialism warped my mind to think I deserve the best and biggest. At times I thought more highly of myself than I should. When my son’s teenage friends would be acting “all bad,” he would tell them, “You are not all that.” One of my seminar professors taught that sin is our selfish independent nature.  Clergy and church member’s selfish independent nature has created a critical eye from the world.
 My confession is to say, I am not all that. When I think I am, then I fall victim to Satan’s temptations. Chuck Swindoll’s sermon illustration of sin and its consequences has been riveted into my mind. He preached that riding the wave of sin is enjoyable and fun. We shout to the bystanders, “Look at me!” Few realize that the wave of sin will eventually crash onto the beach of consequences. I believe too many churches and pastors have crashed onto this beach. The consequence is that the world is no longer listening to our message. We have become unbelievable. The clarion call is to the preacher in the pulpit and to the parishioner in the pew to be genuine. This trumpet sound is calling us to cease riding the wave of sin. In other words, repent! Depend on God’s grace!  If Jesus is Lord of your church, then I encourage you to pray for revival not only for your church but also for churches across America.
 Yes, the church is missing the mark. How can the church hit the target of being authentic to a lost world?  It is “said of the Puritans in American history that they lived as if they stood before an Audience of One - Jesus.”  The church’s authenticity is grounded in its motivation to glorify Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote the foundational text for clergy and laity; “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). Now this is a weighty passage. As one digs into the text several clear truths are stated that will make the Body of Christ believable. Whatever I do? This means I have to be kind, loving, forgiving, patient, not angry, not a gossip or a slanderer. I am called to go the extra mile and to turn the other cheek, and to pray for those who persecuted me. Wow! If we would live this way as Christians, I know that those on the other side of our stained glass windows or those beyond our walls might think we indeed have a meaningful message.  To glorify the Lord is to display Him. Our glorifying Him makes God believable. My mother at four o’clock in the afternoon would say my brothers and me, “Your father is coming home soon so clean up while I put my face on.” I always thought the phrase, “put my face on,” was odd. I thought, who have I been looking at all day? Before mirrors were put in car visors my wife would always turn the rear view mirror to check out her face. Then when we would meet friends for dinner, the first thing the wives would do was to excuse themselves to go powder their noses and check on their make-up. My mother, my wife, and our friend’s wives wanted to show off their faces for their husbands. The church needs to be concerned how it looks before a watching world. Are we showing Jesus through our lives in a positive way?
        What is enlightening from my ministerial experience is that the location, size, or budget didn’t change the common characteristics that have made churches unauthentic. Please, know, even though some of my remarks are critical, pointed, and could cause some indigestion, that I loved, enjoyed, and praised the Lord for each service arena. In each church there still remain some close relationships, many fond memories, and a big alleluia to the Lord for allowing the opportunity to watch over so many souls. I write sharing lessons from my failures, frustrations, and successes, as well as, the failures, frustrations, and successes of each church. With that said, the first lesson I learned over three decades was no matter the size or location, the proof that we are real will become evident when the church does a gut check to evaluate the following:
R – Relationships: Reconciliation/ restoration are the keys to rebuilding relationships.
Is there someone in my fellowship whom I need to forgive, to show grace, or to love more deeply?
E – Evaluation and Expectations:                                    
       Evaluation: What truly is the reality of my church?          
             Expectations of Staff and Members:
    Called or hired staff?     Minister or Pew voter?
S – Streamlined Governance: Who leads the church?
C – Clear and Concise Vision and Mission: Two directional markers for the 
                                                                       Church.
Has the leadership provided a clear direction for the church?
U – Unity: the Body as one for the Audience of One - Jesus
What has to change to create a unified church where I serve or worship?
E – Evangelism: through one’s life, ministry and mission.
Does the church have a heart to reach beyond the walls of the church? 
                                        
Why R.E.C.U.E. Ministry? Because of the lack of authenticity churches the   builder and boomer generations created have lost their way, as have, some of the current day churches as well.