Should Women Preach or Lead in the Church? Maybe…

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]While being interviewed by key leaders for a teaching pastor position, an elder asked me whether I was a complementarian or egalitarian. I confidently stated that I was a complementarian, and than began down the long list of women pastors on my spiritual journey. The group looked more and more uncomfortable the further I went until the lead pastor finally interrupted, “Are you sure you are complementarian?” I immediately realized my mistake, “Oh, I’m sorry, I meant egalitarian.”

You could fill the air lead the room, it would have been better if I’d said I was a satanist. Elders suddenly remembered they had urgent appointments elsewhere, and staff had an urgent need to get back to their offices. Soon the group dwindled to me, the lead pastor and one clueless staff member who was still hoping for a free lunch. The pastor, who’d invited me to the interview, looked like I’d kicked him a few inches below his gut. He gave me a quick tour of the building and then invited me back to his office. Once inside I tried to ease the tension with a joke, “Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?” He apologized profusely and admitted he should have vetted my theology of women (Is that a thing? Feminology?) before dragging me through the inquisition. We agreed to remain friends, knowing we’d never work together at a church.

And that’s how I learned the difference between complementarian and egalitarian.

My views have continued to morph, however, in the years since. After a lifetime of study, experience, thinking and prayer I have finally decided I am both complementarian and egalitarian, I’m a complegalitarian

Complegalitairan: In some contexts and cultures women are gifted, qualified, and called to lead, preach, and exercise authority in the church. In other contexts and cultures those roles are better served by men.

I have landed in this camp (so far I may be the only one here) because it is the only way I can make sense of scripture, history, and my experience in the real world. I understand the implications of 1 Timothy 2, but I have to balance that with other passages where women were not only not silent, but preached, led and held positions of authority over men. From Miriam to Deborah to Huldah to Priscilla to Phoebe to the daughters of Philip (Acts 21:9), some women in some contexts prophesy (preach), teach, hold office and lead. I can’t accept an argument that says women are forbidden to hold certain offices, have authority over men, or preach when there are clear examples in the Bible of women doing all of the above, seemingly with God’s full blessing.

I also recognize that in some cultures and some contexts the fact that a woman is leading could overshadow the presentation of the Gospel. We have to remember that at the end of the day the Gospel trumps all other concerns. That is why Jesus did not stand up to they horrible abuses of the Roman government and Paul did not advocate for the end of slavery. They were both focused on the main thing, the hope of the Gospel.

Paul said he became all things to all people so that by all means he might save some. His primary concern was “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. I suspect in ancient Greek, Roman and Jewish culture the most effective messenger for the Gospel was often a man because of the patriarchal bent of society. I do not think that is always the case in every context and culture. Neither, it seems, did Paul.

I have been watching from the sidelines as Southern Baptists tear each other apart over this issue. There was a huge uproar when Beth Moore preached at a church on a Sunday morning, and subsequently left the Southern Baptist denomination over the fallout. The roar got even louder when Pastor Rick Warren announced Saddleback Church ordained three women as pastors. Seminary president and Southern Baptist Convention President candidate Albert Mohler has led the charge against women preaching or leading in SBC churches (except in narrowly defined roles), recently saying,

“If you look at the denominations where women do the preaching, they are also the denominations where people do the leaving.”

The irony of this statement is overwhelming when you realize that over the past 15 years SBC has lost 2.3 million members, 14% of its total membership, while adhering to a strict complementarian standard. At the same time what is being called “Spirit-empowered Christianity” (aka Pentecostal and Charismatic), which is almost entirely egalitarian in practice, has exploded in growth all over the world.

The current SBC President, J.D. Greear, along with all of the other candidates to succeed him, agree with Albert Mohler that women preaching and leading above certain levels in the church is a line in the sand they will not cross. While the SBC has to determine the future of the SBC, it seems from the outside that this issue is overshadowing the mission to bring the hope of Jesus to a lost and dying world. The message I fear is being unintentionally amplified is that men simply want to maintain authority over women.

That is why I am now a complegalitarian. I believe God created men and women with different gifts and abilities. I think some women are gifted by their creator to lead in some circumstances, and some men are gifted by their creator to lead in other circumstances. I think in some contexts the practice of women leading men can so overshadow the message of the Gospel that it can be destructive to mission of the church, and I believe in other contexts the practice of barring women from certain levels of leadership and preaching can also be destructive the mission of the church. I think this is why Paul gives Timothy instructions that limit women’s roles in the church and in Romans commends women for filling those very roles. I think Paul may have been the first complegalitarian.

‘So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.’ 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 (NIV)

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Back to the Past: The Quick End of Innovation in the Church

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]About a year ago many of us were saying, “Church has changed forever, it will never be the same.” We adopted the word phyigital (which sounds like a restless physician’s ponytail to me) and we declared that we were now online churches with physical locations. About two weeks later everyone quit watching our online streams. (Not everyone, but it felt like it.) Researchers started telling us that not only had our people quit paying attention, they were never coming back to our churches. We were doomed, I say, doomed.

And then Texas and Florida decided Covid wasn’t a thing and churches resumed in-person meetings. We were tentative at first; requiring masks and banning singing (which wasn’t much of a change for most attenders), offering few if any kids’ programs, and carefully measuring 6’ between seats, rows and urinals. And then one crazy church in every community declared the government couldn’t tell them what to do, burned their masks and staged an all-church group hug. We were back!

Little by little the “back to the past” movement took hold. As Covid began to recede and vaccinations rolled out like ‘Bama at the Sugar Bowl (I have no idea) churches felt loosed to go out and revert to exactly what they did before. And revert they did. Great music! Relevant sermons! Fun kids’ ministry! once again ruled the land.

The pressure to revert is enormous. The people know what they want and they want what they had before. They like the music, the sermons, and whatever kids’ ministry leaders do to keep their children entertained for an hour. They tried the new, the creative and the unprecedented for a year, and now they are ready for the comfortable, the predictable and the recognizable.

And the good news is we are the best in the world at what we used to do. We have honed our model to a fine art, we have taught it at conferences and we’ve written about it ad nauseam. Our staff, our buildings and our budgets are all built on the pre-pandemic model of church. Phygital was like that girl you met at summer camp; she was fun for a week, but now that you’re home its time to pick back up with your childhood sweetheart. (Sometimes these analogies don’t even make sense to me.) No one is more nostalgic for yesterday than those of us who spent a lifetime creating the past.

There are a whole lot of people who are perfectly satisfied with church the way it used to be. Many of them will come back, or they’ll at least check in occasionally to see if you’re still doing it the way they like. They’ll keep volunteering occasionally, giving a little once in awhile, and warming our stack chairs when they are in town and there’s nothing better to do. This isn’t everyone, but its a much bigger percentage than most of us would like to admit. The quickest path to the numbers and accolades we are used to is back the way we came.

There are two challenges on the path back. The first is, if we continue to do the things we did before, we will continue to see the same results. Our numbers may grow, but the level of engagement and true discipleship will not. If shut down taught as anything its that our congregations are not nearly as mature as disciples as we had thought our hoped. Attenders will be happier, satisfied and comfortable, but they are unlikely to grow.

The other challenge is most of the people in our communities who did not attend before Covid are even more unlikely to attend after. They have read stories of church gatherings as super-spreader events, pastors demanding their rights and refusing to follow guidelines, and Christians storming the Capitol. They don’t care about the nuances of the truth, or the bias of the reporters. What they have seen over the last year has only confirmed their belief that our churches are inconsequential at best and destructive at worst. What we did before was somewhat ineffective among the truly unchurched, now I fear that it may be seen as completely irrelevant.

The problem with finding a new path forward is you have to find a new path forward. (Insightful) There isn’t a template to follow or a model to emulate. The biggest question I get is, “Who is doing this well, and how can I learn from them?” It is a great question, but the answer is no one. We are all figuring this out together. A great book to read on the season we find ourselves in is Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger. His premise is we find ourselves in a similar situation to Lewis and Clark when their expedition encountered the Rocky Mountains. They were experienced at navigating rivers, but now they had to learn to climb mountains. I think we’re at a similar crossroads; we can go back down the river, or we can learn how to climb a mountain.

I met this week in Atlanta with a handful of leaders who are intent on becoming mountain climbers, focused on blazing a new path forward. They are asking hard questions about what a church really is, where it meets, and how it connects to a larger church body. They are learning from the progress and mistakes of pioneers who’ve been asking these questions for many years. These weren’t just wild-eyed entrepreneurs, they were leaders from some of the best known churches in the country. Although they are in the minority, I believe these leaders, and others like them, are willing to take the withering criticism, make the costly mistakes, and carve out the uncertain trail that is required for the church to prevail in this completely new season.

Carving a path through the mountains is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I love the church as it has been, but I can’t spend any more time helping it be a better version of what it was. My goal is to find the way forward through meaningful conversations among like minded leaders, focused on discovering church for the new reality. Here are the conversations I want to focus on:

Innovation rather than imitation
Diversity in race, gender, age and background
Leaving a legacy through the the next generation
Church in the context of the broader community

I’ll share details soon on how can join these conversations, but for now I have one question, do you want to paddle back up the river, or do you want to climb the mountains?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][social_buttons full_width_icons=”true” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” linkedin=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

What if everything we knew about church changed? What then?

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Sundays feel weird. Normally Sundays are energizing, challenging and exhausting. On Sundays we get to do the things we are wired to do; preach, lead worship, teach kids, and connect with people we love. Now a typical Sunday consists of watching a pre-recorded service and making small talk in an online chat room. When we get done we don’t even have sports to sleep to. Weird.

Mondays feel weird too. The past couple of weeks we’ve scrambled to get our services online, create virtual small groups and find ways to love our community while keeping our distance. Now we have a lot of that figured out. Sure we’ll tweak and fine tune, but most of the things that we’ve worked so hard to adapt are coming into shape. Now its Monday again and what do we work on now?

We still have to write sermons and find way to record content without infecting each other. We have to check on attenders and reach out to community leaders. We have to make sure online groups are happening and figure out the things that aren’t working. But what is our mission? What are we really focused on now that we cannot gather as a church for many weeks to come?

Here’s my recommendation for a things to work on this week. I think if we focus on these three things we’ll make incredible progress in our new normal.

Celebrate

Let’s take time to celebrate. We are doing things as a church we wouldn’t have thought possible three weeks ago. We are preaching to a camera and getting pretty good at it. We are connecting with people we’ve known for years, and people we’ve never met, in ways we didn’t know was possible. We are figuring out communion and baptism and giving and prayer without being in the same room, and its working. We are seeing creativity and passion from people who previously sat on the sidelines. We are bringing hope and light to our community at a time when they desperately need it. We are being the church in ways we couldn’t have imagined way back in February. That calls for a socially-distanced virtual party.

Mourn

We’ve lost some things that are really hard to let go of. We will not gather on Easter. We will not have Good Friday communion together. We will not go to that conference we’ve been looking forward to for months. Each of us have lost or will lose many things, and we need to take the time to mourn. There are many aspects of our current situation that suck, and pretending that they don’t doesn’t help. Take some time to grieve what you’ve lost.

Innovate

I love seeing stories of companies pivoting right now to manufacture things they’ve never built before. Car makers are making ventilators, and shoe companies are making masks. This morning I read about a scientific group in Ohio who’ve figured out a way to turn shipping containers into sanitation units for health care workers’ personal protection equipment (PPE). It gives me hope because I see incredible innovation happening around the world.

The same innovation has to happen in the church world. We can no longer to do what we’ve always done. I see little glimpses of innovation in the way churches are doing services, but that is barely the tip of the iceberg of the innovation that has to come. Obviously we have to create opportunities for people to connect, worship and learn together, but that barely scratches the surface of what we have to figure out.

The challenge is innovation is uncomfortable. For many of us in ministry we’ve spent decades learning to do what we do. Years in college and seminary, and more years working for churches figuring out how to create the best environments possible for ministry to happen, and now those environments don’t exist. We’ve been to conferences, connected in cohorts and leaned into coaches (I have to use my alliteration skills somewhere) to learn the very best way to do church. And now most of what we learned is secondary at best. Let’s be honest, it feels really strange sitting on our couches watching a pre-recorded Sunday service. We try to make conversation in the chat, but its hollow at best.

We have to invent new ways to do what we are called to do. Our calling hasn’t changed, but our methods of ministry have to. We can’t continue to focus on how to do what we’ve always done, but do it online. We can’t just focus on making our 45 minutes on Sunday the best they can be. We have to understand the needs of today and how we can help. We have to innovate.

Here are some innovations I think we need:

Teaching Pastors

How can we teach people to dig into the Bible for themselves? Rather than giving them an already baked bread like we normally offer on Sunday, how can we point them to the flour, eggs, yeast and milk and challenge them to bake their own loaf? How can we create enough hunger in people that when they finish watching us teach they feel compelled to pull out their Bible (or App) and figure it out for themselves? I think the opportunity for innovation is not just how we preach, but what outcome we hope for.

Worship Leaders

No band, no haze, no moving lights and no graphics. Just you staring at a camera trying to lead people in worship. What do you hope people are doing as they watch online? Singing, praying, sitting silently? Is it unrealistic to think the average guy watching is going to suddenly burst into off key singing while sitting in his PJs with his family? If its not participation, what is the goal of Sunday worship? How can you innovate in how you lead? I think this is more crucial than recording the next viral worship song created by your team singing into cell phones. I don’t know where we need more innovation right now than in the area of worship.

NextGen Pastors

Kids are currently spending more time with their parents than their peers, teachers or church leaders. Now is the time to get serious about helping parents know how to have honest conversations with their kids about faith. No matter how good your online experiences are right now, they pale in comparison to the daily conversations kids and students are having in their homes. Are you connecting with parents to understand how you can help? Are you coming up with creative resources that parents are actually using?

The biggest mistake we can make as church leaders right now is to think the adaptations we’ve made to make what we’ve always done available online are an adequate response to our new reality. There is a good chance church will never be the same, how are we innovating to lead our congregation into this new season? What if we sat down together and rewrote our job descriptions for this season? Let’s cross out the things that don’t really apply right now and add in the things that are essential. Let’s create time in our schedule to celebrate, mourn and innovate. Let’s become the church God wants us to become through this crisis.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][social_buttons full_width_icons=”true” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” linkedin=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Why your church needs to be thinking 100 years down the road

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Recently I heard the founder of Patagonia, Yvon Choulnard, describe a very difficult season in the early days of the company when growth outpaced revenue and they had to lay off some of the workers. This was incredibly difficult fo Choulnard because he tried to treat his employees like family. The turning point came when he asked this question:

“How would decisions change if we were thinking about our company 100 years from now?

That is not a question American marketplace or church leaders ask very often. We focus on how we can grow quickly, how we can address today’s problems today. Sometimes we’ll try to look five or ten years down the road, but we’re quickly back to the urgency of growth today. There is no Outreach Magazine Top 100 Slowest Growing Churches list.

Greg McKeown, the author of Essentialism, sees great value in a 100 year viewpoint,

“This kind of tremendously long-term vision starts to help us to discern between the absolutely essential things and the total, trivial many. With that perspective, you can start to see that most of what we are consumed with and even worried about are things that won’t even matter five years from now.”

What would happen if we did take the extreme long view in churches? If we thought more about the impact of our decisions in 100 years rather than focusing almost exclusively on what’s right in front of?

How would a 100 year viewpoint impact church staffing?

The amount of turnover right now in churches is overwhelming. Every week I hear from a pastor looking for their next staff member. They don’t have time to develop anyone from within, they have a hole they need to plug as soon as possible. Who do I know who would do an amazing job?

If we were looking 100 years down the road I think we would see how important it is to grow leaders from within rather than constantly trying to pick fruit off of other people’s trees. Once we’ve picked all the trees around us clean, we will still have holes with no one to fill them. With a long view, however, we would see that children’s ministry may not be great tomorrow or next week, but with the right coaching and encouragement we could likely develop great leaders over the next 10 years.

How would a 100 year viewpoint impact building decisions?

Church buildings are often made built on the need of the hour. We need children’s space. We need auditorium space. We need a student building with all the bells and whistles. We never think about what might be useful in 20 years, or 50 years. With a longer horizon we might not be in such a hurry to spend millions of dollars to build what we need right now. On the converse we might not be so quick to saddle the next generation with massive debt to solve this generation’s challenges.

How would a 100 year viewpoint impact local outreach?

What if we had a bifocal vision for outreach? We continue to help our community now, but we are also planting seeds that will potentially change our community in 20 years. How could we invest in Kindergartners in a way that will make an impact when they are Seniors?

In the same podcast Patagonia founder Chouland said this, “The faster a business grows, the faster it dies. We decided on a growth program so that we would be around 100 years from now.” What would happen if we stopped pursing growth for the sake of growth? What would change in your church focused on a 100 years from now?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][social_buttons full_width_icons=”true” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” linkedin=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Cheerleaders, kiddie pools and middle school accountants; how lead pastors can reach the next generation

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Tomorrow morning at a ridiculously early hour I will head to The Orange Conference, a gathering of over 8000 NextGen leaders from all over the world. I have been attending or teaching at this conference for over a decade because I can’t think of a better way to invest than to sow into the people who lead kids and students in the local church. The potential fruit is exponential. Here are some of the reasons I continue to invest in NextGen leaders:

The vast majority of Christians decide to follow Christ before they turn 18
A majority of young people never return to church after they go to college
Many teenagers quit church when they become sophomores, the year they get their drivers license and/or their parents let them choose not to go
Children often decide by 3rd grade whether they like going to church, though they can’t quit until 10th grade

The future of the church is being determined by how we minister to the kids and families in our churches. [bctt tweet=”Better programming, outreach or small groups are meaningless if the next generation leaves and never returns.” username=”geoffsurratt”] If I were a lead pastor I would make kids and student ministry my number one priority, and here’s how I’d do it…

Act like a cheerleader

[bctt tweet=”The most effective thing a lead pastor can do is be the cheerleader for NextGen ministries (kids, students, families.)” username=”geoffsurratt”]
In most churches what the lead pastor champions gets done. One lead pastor I worked with was a frustrated rock star, so the music ministry got all the cool toys. Another lead pastor saw the world through the eyes of a counselor, so the church funded a large counseling center. Andy Stanley is passionate about the next generations, so North Point church has incredible kids and student ministries.

So how can you be a cheerleader for NextGen ministry?

Use illustrations from family ministry in your sermons
Celebrate NextGen ministry wins or milestones publicly
Never disparage working with students or kids. I cringe when I hear a lead pastor say, “I’m glad I don’t have to work with middle schoolers.” It is demeaning and deflating to those who do.
Make working with kids and students a place of honor

Budget like a middle schooler

[bctt tweet=”The budget reveals more than the mission statement about how much a church values the next generation” username=”geoffsurratt”]

Nothing reveals values like a bank statement; you spend your money on what you care about. What does your church’s bank statement say about how you value the next generation? If you want to impact kids and students, budget for it. Here’s how Craig Groeschel told me this works at Life.Church:

“One of LifeChurch’s core values is stewardship. Because of that—and not in spite of it—we spend a lot of money on kids. Considering the scope and scale of the ministry that LifeKIDS executes each week, it really doesn’t matter how it compares to other ministry departments or programs. That’s an apples to oranges comparison.”

Swim in the kiddie pool

[bctt tweet=”Pastors who want to impact the next generation show up regularly in student and kids environments” username=”geoffsurratt”]

When a senior leader participates in children’s or student ministry it allows them to experience what the volunteers and kids experience, and it shows support for the ministry. Many pastors feel they are too busy to show up, or that their presence will be a distraction. I would counter that their lack of presence sends the message they only care about what happens in the adult auditorium. To counteract that impression why not

Volunteer in the nursery when you aren’t preaching
Teach the elementary lesson from time to time
Help lead a middle school small group
Go as a leader on a high school missions trip

I understand all of these ideas are tough to pull off and not your favorite thing to do, but I can’t imagine a better way to invest your time in a very vulnerable generation.

Let the kids sit at the adult table

[bctt tweet=”Reaching the next generation means involving them at every level of the local church” username=”geoffsurratt”]

Can we call a moratorium on “Student Takeover” weekends? You know, the weekend you have teenagers do the greeting and ushering, the student band lead worship, and the youth pastor preach. Not only is the experience not great for the attenders (all the parents and grandparents love it. Everyone else, not so much), but its really just a form of tokenism. Unintentionally we send the message that NextGen is the “B” team.

Instead why not weave students into everything we do?

Invite teenagers to be ushers and greeters, involve students in the tech booth and add teens as a regular part of the worship team.
Use NextGen leaders to do the announcements,
Have the youth pastor do one point of the sermon occasionally

Rather than a “sink or swim” once a year context, invest in younger leaders every weekend.

Beyond just including them on the weekend, make sure NextGen leaders are at the decision making table during the week. It is a mistake to expect to be effective in ministering to kids and students if the leaders are not a part of shaping the direction of the church. It will take some creativity, but leveraging your influence to include younger leaders will pay significant dividends down the road.

All is not lost

Despite the dire warnings that Millennials are already gone and Gen Y is close behind, all is not lost in the local church. I believe if pastors will take the lead in focusing on the next generation there is a bright future ahead, but it will take intentionality, courage and patience. Lots and lots of patience.

You can read more practical advice,,based on research on interviews, on reaching the next generation in the free eBook The Church Will Thrive. You can download your copy here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][social_buttons full_width_icons=”true” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” linkedin=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Necessary Changes in the Wake of Willow Creek

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]The first news I read this morning was of the resignation of Heather Larsen and the entire Willow Creek elder board. This is the culmination of an incredibly sad chapter for arguably the most influential organization and leader in the American church over the past 50 years. It is ironic that today is also the kickoff of the Global Leadership Summit, a conference built on the leadership and legacy of Bill Hybels and Willow Creek.

I have shared in the past how personal this tragedy feels to me. No one has had more influence on what I believe about leadership than Bill Hybels, and no church has had a greater impact on my understanding of what it means to be a church focused on sharing the Good News with those outside the church. Since I wrote that original post back in April, the evidence that the real Bill Hybels is very different than the one I knew from speeches, sermons and books. His actions, and the complicity of the Willow leaders, have been devastating to the women who’ve been hurt and the congregants who’ve been misled. As drastic as it is, I think the resignation of the entire leadership structure is the only way forward for Willow. I pray that the new leaders will find grace and wisdom in the difficult days ahead.

I also believe that we, as leaders in the American church, need to take time to learn the lessons that apply to all of us. It is easy to see the train wreck at Willow and think, “That’s not me”. but the reality is that to some extent it is many of us. We have been influenced and shaped by the same principles and methods that Willow was built on. If your church’s core values include words like excellence, authenticity and relevance, then your roots go back to the late 1970s and a church started in the Willow Creek movie theater in the suburbs of Chicago.

I’m not suggesting we need to throw out everything we learned from Hybels and Willow, but I am suggesting we need to re-examine the infrastructure that supports our churches and make sure it is healthy and solid. Over the next few days I will share several articles around the role of elders and how to respond to a crisis. Today I want to briefly look at four tenets of the Willow era that need to be re-examined.

Before we dive in I want to say I am for growing churches, I am for gifted lead pastors and I am for local church leadership. This is not an article bashing the megachurch or questioning the role of lead pastor. This is a plea to my tribe to carefully consider our past before we plunge forward into the future.

Four Potential Traps

Autonomy of local churches

History is always a reaction to what came before, and the last 50 years in the American church has been to some extent driven by a negative reaction to the abuses found in the hierarchy of denominations. There have always been independent churches, but Willow made non-denominational attractive to those who wanted to step outside the traditional church structures. The challenge is that lack of outside influence can also mean lack of outside wisdom and accountability. In many cases the pendulum has swung too far toward local autonomy, this is a chance to rethink our connection to the church at large.

Opacity of elder boards

Similar to local autonomy, changes in church governance have come in reaction to the extreme congregational bent of messy business meetings and unseemly church votes. In large churches the trend has been toward a relatively small board of elders approved by a tiny percentage of the congregation. Very few of the church adherents have any idea who the elders are or what they do. These boards can become sounding boards and rubber stamps for the vision of the lead pastor, with very little input outside the small circle of leaders.

[bctt tweet=”This is a time to re-evaluate the role of the local elders without resorting back to an unhealthy and unwieldy form of church government from the past.” username=”geoffsurratt”]

Celebrity of pastors

The American church has closely emulated the successful American corporation in the treatment of lead pastors. As the church grows the perks associated with the job grow exponentially. Larger salaries, assigned parking spots, car allowances, expanded vacations, security guards, live-in personal assistants, even private airplanes. The list grows as the offerings and attendance grow. In some cases the pastors are treated more like kings than shepherds.

The problem is that this kind of treatment can destroy your soul. You begin to think you deserve to be treated this way. I just spent a few days at an all-inclusive resort that catered to my every whim; a few more days of that and I’d be completely worthless. Some pastors are treated that way every day.

[bctt tweet=”We need to re-examine what is reasonable and right in taking care of lead pastors, and what is excessive and soul-rotting.” username=”geoffsurratt”]

Over emphasis on attendance growth

The fourth trap that has become prominent in the era of Willow Creek style churches is the constant focus on the number of people who attend weekend services. Subconsciously we believe the lie that a growing church is a church to be emulated. We overlook arrogance and mistreatment of staff as long as the numbers keep increasing. And we seldom pay much attention to where the people are coming from, ignoring the improbability of thousands of people with no connection to church suddenly deciding to give up Sunday mornings for three songs and a lecture.

[bctt tweet=”I love growing churches, but its time to look more critically at whether we are simply attracting people from other churches at any cost.” username=”geoffsurratt”]

I do not believe that every megachurch is on the wrong track, or that every large church pastor is unethical. What I describe above is the worst case scenario based on some of the poor paths we have taken in the past decades as church leaders. At the same time I’ve had a front row seat at churches like Seacoast where I’ve watched my brother fight against many of these trends and walk 40+ years of ministry with integrity. There are many other leaders like Greg and churches like Seacoast.

As we watch the collapse of leadership at one of the great American churches, however, we each need to step back and ask, “Lord, what do you want ME to learn from this tragedy.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][social_buttons full_width_icons=”true” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” linkedin=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#efefef” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” top_padding=”20″ bottom_padding=”20″ overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”5935″ alignment=”” animation=”Fade In” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”padding-5-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”2/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Navigating this new chapter in church history will require balancing the tension between what is necessary from the past and what is needed for future. I’ve spent the last several years thinking about and researching this challenge, and share my insights in my new eBook, The Church Will Thrive. You can get your free copy here.[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line”][nectar_btn size=”jumbo” open_new_tab=”true” button_style=”regular” button_color_2=”Accent-Color” icon_family=”none” url=”https://mailchi.mp/ministrytogether.com/99nvr59fdz” text=”Download Here”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation alignment=”” animation=”Fade In” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Why women can’t lead in your church

As I have watched the scandal unfold at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary over the past few weeks I have been struck by the underlying tone of men’s treatment of women, especially women leaders, in the church world. It is a world where often men lead and women follow, a patriarchy that feeds how women are often treated in churches, Bible colleges and seminaries across the country. Under this system the church is deprived of desperately needed leaders, and women are scarred for life. To understand how this feels read this excellent post by Beth Moore describing how she has been treated by men in the church. Treating women leaders like second class citizens in the church has to end.

I know what I’m talking about. For 36 years of ministry I have often sat around tables with men paying service to the value of women leaders while dismissing their opinions and undermining their leadership. I’ve also seen up close the damage this ubiquitous attitude does to the two most important women in my life; my wife and my daughter. Although my wife is an incredible leader and thinker, I’ve seen her struggle to overcome chauvinism in the church world again and again. (I am thankful she works for an organization, The ReThink Group, that considers gender irrelevant to leadership.) I have seen my daughter, who has amazing musical and technical gifts, struggle to break into the informal boys’ clubs at churches where she’s served. I also know what I’m talking about because I too have been guilty of not championing women leaders.

The women in our families and the mission of our churches are too important to continue to go along with the status quo. It is time to make significant strides to engage all of the gifts in our congregations, regardless of gender. To change a system as ingrained as patriarchy, however, will take courage and it will take work. To avoid the change that is needed we often hide behind time-worn excuses.

We hide behind theology

Some hide behind the theology of complementarianism, which says that women and men have different but complementary roles in life. The challenge is at times this stance can limit what leadership roles are available to women in the church. My goal isn’t to argue theology, but to challenge the idea that God limits leadership based on gender. I understand believing the Apostle Paul reserves certain roles for men, but I don’t see how you can read the list of women leaders in Romans 16 and not see that Paul believed women were qualified for most other roles in the church.

Others hide in their egalitarianism, the belief that men and women are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities. While in these circles a woman theoretically can preach, hold the office of elder and be called a pastor, she is often still excluded from the table where decisions are made. I have found that chauvinism isn’t bound by theology.

We hide behind the possibility of temptation

This argument says we have to build walls around the women we work with to avoid the temptation of sexual sin. The walls we build include never being alone in a room with a woman, never mentoring a woman and never discussing anything personal with a woman. Unfortunately these walls have proved ineffective based on the number of men who followed this protocol and were still caught in an affair with a co-worker. What these walls are very effective at is limiting the leadership of women. Limiting access to other leaders is death to collaboration, growth and advancement.

Here’s what I wonder about walls; if they are effective at combatting temptation, why don’t we build similar walls to prevent other sins? Shouldn’t I limit my access to men who tempt me to anger? Shouldn’t I refuse to meet alone with men who spark envy? Surely I should never share anything personal with a man who may cause me to boast.

James says, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed BY HIS OWN DESIRE.” (James 1:14 ESV) If meeting in a room alone with a woman causes me to drop trou I’m pretty sure walls aren’t my answer. The answer to dealing with sexual temptation is a deep spiritual walk and honest accountability. Walls are just avoiding the real issue.

We hide behind tradition

Some of us cower behind the flimsy excuse, “People in my church just aren’t ready for women leading.” I remember when people weren’t ready for drums in the church, pastors who didn’t wear suits and lyrics projected on screens rather than printed in hymnbooks. Its funny how willing we were to challenge those preconceived notions, but we aren’t ready to stand up for our sisters who are gifted and called to lead.

Changing the prevailing patriarchy in your church will be difficult and it will take courage. If you are up for the task here are five suggestions that I believe can make a significant difference:

Creating a culture where women can lead

Seek input from women leaders on your staff and in your church

A group of men sitting around a table will not change the culture of your church when it comes to women in leadership. The first step is to seek to understand what it is like to be woman leader in your culture, and the only way to learn is to ask. I understand this is a scary proposition because you might not like what you hear, but “we are not as those who shrink back”. Here are three questions you should ask:

Does our church encourage and develop women leaders?
What is the most challenging part of being a woman and leading on our team?
What do we need to change to improve our culture for women leaders?

Include women at the highest leadership level of your church

Who could you add to your leadership team, your deacon board or your group of elders? I am not suggesting you change your theology if it does not allow for women elders. You can add women to the group without designating them as voting elders. I’m pretty sure Paul never limited who could attend or participate in elder meetings.

I’ve been told that including women on leadership teams “changes the dynamic in the room”. The inference is the discussion is more authentic and fruitful when only men are present. Imagine saying the same thing about Latinos, African Americans or Cub fans. If the reason you are excluding women is because of dynamics, then the dynamics need to change.

Coach women who may be new to leading with men

A few years ago I noticed a woman who’d recently been asked to serve on the Directional Leadership Team was always very quiet in meetings despite her obvious leadership skills and strategic thinking. After one meeting in which she had silently taken notes without speaking a word I asked what was going on. She said it was often difficult to get a word in with the men constantly interrupting and talking over one another. “Besides”, she said, “I’m not sure my opinion is really necessary.” I shared with her two observations. First, in rooms full of men if you wait to be asked you will likely never be asked. For good or bad, you have to speak up. And second, if your opinion wasn’t necessary you wouldn’t be at the table. The church needs your input.

My wife co-authored an excellent book to help women learn how to lead in a church with a predominantly male culture. I love the title: Just Lead: A no whining, no complaining, no nonsense practical guide for women leading in the church. Its a great resource to help women learn the nuances of leading with men.

Coach men who struggle leading with women

Don’t expect men to intuitively figure out how to effectively work with women leaders. Men who haven’t spent time in the marketplace may have little or no experience in an environment where women lead. Here are a few tips to get them started:

Listen: Women often have a more nuanced communication style than many men. They are more likely to include context, emotion and relationship into the discussion. Dismissing this more complex texture is a mistake. Ingrained in the narrative is the perspective men, left to their own devices, will miss.

Don’t interrupt: Men often interrupt one another, especially when the conversation becomes emotionally charged. While this is always rude, it makes it especially difficult for many women leaders to engage in the discussion.

Ask clarifying questions: It is always helpful to ask questions for understanding, but it is especially helpful when men and women are leading together. We perceive the world differently and reach conclusions in different ways. Rather than dismissing an opinion you don’t understand, ask for context.

Trust: Women who are new to the leadership table at your church have to know that you trust them to lead. Do not treat them like junior partners or children who need to be protected. Trust women to lead as intelligent adults and reinforce that trust through your words and actions.

Root out misogynists (people who dislike, despise, or are strongly prejudiced against women)

There are likely men, and possibly women, on your team who do not think women should lead. They may hide behind a screen of selective scriptures or the guise of paternalistic care, but in the end they have a chauvinistic view of men over women. They should be challenged to grow in their view or find another church in which to serve.

That may sound extreme, but would you keep a racist in leadership? Would you tolerate a leader who treated African Americans on your staff differently than everyone else, undermining their leadership? If its not ok to discriminate against a race then its not ok to discriminate against a gender.

Do you have the courage to change?

Here is the bottom line for me; our mission of bringing the Good News of the Gospel to a lost and dying world is too important to hamstring half of the leaders in our church by treating women as less than. Fully engaging women in leadership is hard work and controversial. Not everyone in our churches will agree that women can lead in the context of church, and we will face pushback. Do we have the courage to face the opposition and do the hard work of leveling the playing field for women leaders? For the sake of the Kingdom I certainly hope so.