Strategic Portraits

Too many people were observing the show but not meeting God. They meandered in and out of relationship but weren’t in real community. They sought their spiritual fix but didn’t give themselves fully to Christ. Walt Kallestad, Pastor of Community Church of Joy, Phoenix [1] In 2010, I attended one of the satellite broadcasts of the Willow Creek Association Global Leadership Summit.   The list of speakers was quite impressive and the substance of their presentations was thought-provoking.   I can still recall Robert Reich’s talk on altruistic motivation, China’s economic minister speaking about the impact of Christianity on progressive Chinese culture, and the inspiring story of TOM’s Shoes.   I also remember the host’s condescending remarks about traditional churches.   As he welcomed everyone to the event, he admitted that some might be surprised to have such a world-class event hosted by a local church. “But not to worry,” he said, “you won’t have to sing old hymns or hear

...The Nature of Praise and Worship Music Contemporary praise and worship music has become a fixture in evangelical churches.   There is no turning back the tide.   It is here to stay.   But the form and understanding of the genre has “run off the tracks” in many places.   What the Jesus People experienced in their worship gatherings is often far from what a worshipper in a typical evangelical church in America might experience forty years later.   I recall in the mid-1980’s attending a number of church growth conferences where the facilitators – who seemingly had no experience or expertise in worship theology – told their audiences that praise and worship music must be embraced in order for their church to grow.   Frequently, the music was adopted and embraced without the ethos that was present in the early days of Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard.   I believe the disconnect was a contributing factor to the worship wars. In their corporate worship, the early Jesus People we

“Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way   That mark out the mountain’s track?” “They were shed for one who had gone astray   Ere the Shepherd could bring him back.” “Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?” “They’re pierced tonight by many a thorn.”                                         “The Ninety and Nine”                Words by Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1868           Music spontaneously improvised by Ira. D. Sankey, 1874 I was only five years old when my brother told me I was going to hell.   Older brothers are like that.    He had just prayed to receive Christ as his personal Savior in Sunday School and was pleased to inform me of my fate since I had not yet “prayed the sinner’s prayer.”   This, of course, was very upsetting to me and I went crying to my mom.   She explained salvation to me as best she could for a five-year-old to understand and led me in the prayer.   This put my brother at bay for a while and ruined his fun.   My mom was

Ask virtually any evangelical Christian, “What is the single most important question in life?” and the response will likely be, “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?”   Most of our ministries are designed in some way to pose that question and cultivate a personal response from the people we serve.   Many Evangelicals have conversion stories that include strong “before and after” descriptions.   Some even expect that such a narrative should be normative for all Christians. The Watergate cover-up conspiracy of the early 1970’s may have brought down an American president but it also formed a backdrop for the conversion of Chuck Colson, who was one of Evangelicalism’s most respected leaders in the twentieth century.   Colson, a retired Marine officer, was President Nixon’s “hatchet man.”   He was a master of dirty tricks targeting the administration’s political enemies.   His involvement in Watergate plunged him into a personal crisis which became a catalyst for