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Phil is a teacher in your church. He’s married with two small children. His wife cares for her sick mother. They are busy parents and they have no time during the week to volunteer for any of the social action projects run by the church. Week after week, Phil listens to announcements in church extolling the virtues of the food bank, the café for Internationals and the debt centre. He feels left out. What will you say to him? One of the questions which arises with social action is this one: should a social action project always include a mention of Jesus? Phil thinks the gospel of God’s grace is getting lost in all the activity. He’s worried that Jesus is playing second fiddle to rotas, donations, volunteers and the numbers game. 400 people fed. 25 people out of debt. But are any of these coming to faith? Isn’t that the goal of the church? To produce converts? Questions like these stir our emotions. We find ourselves siding with one side or the other. Perhaps, however, it’s best to ask how such questions could possibly have arisen. How have we reached a point where we’re pitting bodily care against soul care? Greek philosophy split the body and the soul. In the early years of the church, another belief system, Gnosticism, went so far as to cast the body as evil, irredeemable. Far better to reach for a higher plane of consciousness. The Bible, rooted primarily in Jewish thinking, instead affirms the value and integration of both body and soul. When Jesus carried out his public ministry, he cared for both body and soul. The Kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God in the whole person. So . . . 1) Whenever you catch wind of any mood within your church which pits body against soul (or vice versa), it must be called out and corrected. Social action projects are not better than bible studies. Caring for a sick parent has just as much value as the evangelist, who in turn is no more important than the person serving coffee. To help with this teaching . . . 2) 1 Corinthians 12. Preach it a lot. We are all given different gifts. We all have a part to play in the body of Christ. Affirm and celebrate the value of everyone in your church. Working in a bank, a hospital, caring for children, studying, God is at work in all our lives when we trust him. All this leaves that thorny question I mentioned last time. Should Jesus always be mentioned during social action projects? In a word, no. But with qualifications. 1 John 3. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. Caring for the body is an expression of the love of God. Caring for the poor is especially dear to the heart of God. Christ did not always speak of repentance and faith. He treated the person before him with compassion. Social action, so-called, is a vital function of the church, demonstrating the new life we have received in Christ, displaying his love for the world. However, Is repentance and faith, Christ’s sacrifice for sins of no account? Of course not. Absolutely not. Paul writes in the book of Romans, ‘How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?’ Rom 10.14. Should we take every opportunity to share the wonder of God’s love in Christ, the new life that can be found through surrendering our lives into God’s care? Of course we should. But patrolling social action projects to ensure that Jesus is mentioned sufficiently is clearly not the answer. The job of the leader is to equip and release the saints for the work of ministry. It’s also to teach. So if you’re a leader, it’s your job to teach clearly about God’s compassion for the whole person. Both body and soul. Phil, our teacher, is seeking an answer. He wants to know that his life means something. And of course it does. Don’t allow him to feel left out. He needs to be reminded that each person in the congregation is valuable, cherished by God. Social action projects are not privileged activities, any more than bible studies, evangelism and coffee preparation. Leaders must not allow their congregations to see these activities competing with each other. Because we are both bodies and souls, we are ALL called to different expressions of God’s love. Teaching, caring for parents, feeding the poor, studying, working, it’s all essential in God’s world. Good leaders will affirm the value of each member of the body. Those with and without jobs, those old and young, those in need and those with plenty. God is at work in bringing in his Kingdom. We are a body, in desperate need of each other. But the one who is essential to all of us is the Head. The Lord Jesus Christ. When I come to church, I want to learn about Jesus. And I want to be encouraged by what He is doing in and among all of us. In the wonderful variety that makes up his body, the church. He is the one who unites us. Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory. This week, we're releasing the second of Alan Palmer's articles on ministerial burnout. His two articles are an excellent resource if you're feeling stressed and overworked. View the second article here. Living Leadership exists to help leaders who are overburdened. View our Refresh ministries to find out how we can support you.

Last time, I looked at some of the reasons why churches engage in social action. Today, the reasons why it’s so very important. Extravagant grace – Christ intervened and provided for us when we were yet sinners. He saved us when we could not save ourselves. When we see those who cannot save themselves, we are called to act in a similar way. Charity cannot save a person, but it can express our heart of compassion, a heart which is responding to the grace we have received. Extending grace is a hallmark of those who have received grace. The Kingdom of God – Christ’s primary preaching subject. The incoming Kingdom is one which encompasses the whole person. Christ ministered to the whole person, body and soul. God’s rule covers all of creation and so we, as members of his Kingdom follow our gracious King in bringing restoration to both body and soul. Justice - If you have grasped the meaning of God’s grace in your heart, you will do justice. If you don’t live justly, then you may say with your lips that you are grateful for God’s grace, but in your heart you are far from him. If you don’t care about the poor, it reveals that at best you don’t understand the grace you have experienced, and at worst you have not really encountered the saving mercy of God. Grace should make you just. This is my own version of a quote from Generous Justice by Tim Keller. His words find their source in 1 John 3, where the Apostle John writes, If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. When you take in the powerful reasons why a church should engage in social action, it’s impossible not to be moved. It’s impossible not to act. So why all the fuss? A distorted view of the human-being. The body-soul division is false. I love Greek philosophy (especially Plato) but it has a lot to answer for. It’s essential that we understand that while human beings have souls, we are fundamentally a combination, a fusion if you like, of body and soul. We are integrated wholes. If we serve only the body, we preach a false gospel. If we preach only to the soul, hoping to save the soul to a spiritual heaven, we preach a falsehood. Jesus never did either of these things. Jesus addressed the whole person. His actions called for a response of repentance and relationship with God. To those healed from leprosy, he said, ‘Go to the temple and make your offering.’ Once your body is healed, now express thanks (and relationship) through the sacrificial system (which of course would later be replaced post-Resurrection). Historically, churches have tended to emphasize either body or soul. When I was growing up, it was the soul. The gospel was all about forgiveness of sins, being reconciled to God. Today, there are some churches who spend almost all their energy on serving the poor. Reconciliation with God, repentance and forgiveness are barely mentioned. Neither of these approaches is right, because each omits an essential ingredient of what makes up a human being. And that brings us to the thorniest question of all. Most churches today do not fall on either extreme end. They preach a gospel of God’s grace and they serve the disadvantaged. Yet, a tension exists. Remember Phil from my first blog post on social action? He was the teacher whose lifestyle and priorities severely limited his ability to take part in the social action projects in his church. He doesn’t object to them, but he feels left out. And so he asks this question about social action projects: Should social action projects always include a specific mention of Jesus? That’s one of the questions I’ll address next time.

Social action. A good thing, right? In recent decades, the local church has become transformed. More and more churches reach out in practical ways to those in need. Breakfasts for the disadvantaged. Toddler groups on council estates. CAP debt centres. It’s all going on. Praise God. No question. Praise God for his work among his people. But while many good things are happening, this move, generally called ‘social action,’ can cause division. There are some in church who feel left out. There is confusion over the rationale behind social action. There is confusion over the term, ‘the gospel.’ Regrettably, the very thing which is helping so many, is also causing distress. Church leaders, you are at the forefront of all this. The choices you make, the messaging you use, the values you affirm – they all create a culture within your community. So, here are some thoughts on this important issue. Your church needs to understand why it engages in social action. So let’s start with some dodgy reasoning. 1) It makes us feel good. Virtue is never about rewards for the virtuous. Giving generates endorphins; it feels good to serve others. What a buzz. That is, in part, why over half the volunteers at the food bank where I work are not Christians. They just love being part of something ‘satisfying.’ But for Christians, that’s not a reason to serve. We need something much much more substantial. 2) It shows we’re relevant. ‘Relevant’ is a word to express sloppy thinking. It essentially equates to ‘something which the world affirms as important.’ But the church should never act in response to what the world thinks or values. Tagging our behaviour to a desire to be seen as relevant hands all the cards to the enemy. We’re no longer acting from conviction, but from a vain desire to ‘find approval.’ That’s never good. 3) Enhancing our reputation. Closely related to 2) above. This is the most subversively appealing of the three. ‘Look, the local council loves us! They’re asking for our help in these straitened times. We can show we’re relevant at last!’ No, no, no. The church’s reputation in the local council is of zero importance. Yes, I meant that. Zero importance. Why? Because the church’s reputation is – or should be – based on its foundational truths alone, or it will be dragged around by every whim of the world. Christians shouldn’t engage in social action in order to find approval from the world. Ever. ‘Oh, but if they like us, maybe they’ll listen to us when we talk about Jesus.’ Sorry, but that’s a weak argument. If you want to form relationships with your local councillors, then be my guest. Fantastic if a councillor wants to come to church or attend Alpha. But please don’t start making decisions about your church’s allocation of resources based on the desire to be ‘well thought of’ by the world. It’s folly. As Os Guinness once wrote, we live for an Audience of One. Nothing but serving our Lord is our guiding priority, whether that lands us in prison or results in rejection of the harshest kind. So why social action? Today, the beginnings of an answer. 1) God is love, so we should love people. 2) We should be good people and good people help others. Both of these come under the heading, 'Virtue.' We should express goodness by living virtuously, reflecting the character of the God we serve. It isn’t enough, but it’s a pretty good start. So let’s affirm the value of these motivating ideas. It goes without saying, doesn’t it, that Christians should live virtuously? Love God, love neighbours – it’s not hard to see that social action is an expression of that. And goodness is listed by St. Paul as a fruit of the Spirit. Surely helping the disadvantaged is a sign of that. But while the fruit of the Spirit is an important reason and motivator, social action requires a stronger justification. We need reasons which dig more deeply into the Scriptures. That's what we'll do next time. This week, we're also releasing the first part of a two part series by Alan Palmer on ministerial burnout. If you're facing stress in your life of ministry, these two articles are excellent. This week, Part One focuses on the problem, but don't despair. Part Two will provide some very helpful responses to the problem. For Part One, click here.

Let's talk about social action. Feeding the hungry. Clothing the needy. Providing a place where the marginalised are welcomed and given resources. What’s not to like about this? First, the Bible’s take. Well, the Bible is packed with both prophetic judgement and commands to Israel concerning the foreigner and the poor. (Isaiah 1.17 is a classic: Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.) The word ‘justice’ in the OT is not just about ethics, it’s about caring for those who are left out, the marginalised. Gleaning on the edge of the fields – see the book of Ruth – is an example of a command to be generous to those on the outside, those with very little. For more on this subject, I recommend Tim Keller’s book, Generous Justice. In the NT, James gives a definition of religion as a mode of life which has the care of widows and orphans at its heart. Most importantly, we see Jesus attending to both the body and the soul. Healing physical illnesses, feeding the five thousand, teaching his followers to give both body and soul to the task of the Kingdom, a kingdom which includes the whole person. Indeed, the new heavens and new earth in Revelation – our ultimate destiny – is framed in language which envisages a transformed, physical reality. We don’t end up floating around on clouds. The whole person – body and soul – is saved for life with God. Nowadays, this isn’t even controversial. Every church leader I know acknowledges the basic biblical principle that the church is called to care for the disadvantaged. Now, almost every church runs a breakfast, a single mother’s group, a debt centre perhaps, even a food bank. Which is fantastic. However, it is a sad fact that social action projects can cause division. Why is this? First, the messaging. Make no mistake, social action projects make great headlines. The numbers fed, the relationships formed, the hustle and bustle of a church building with lots of people engaged in caring for others. It’s not a surprise that churches with lots going on tend to publicise these during Sunday services. And that can create a problem. Messaging is really important in church, yet very easy to get wrong. The words we use contain many assumptions, which are often left unclear. Reach the city! What does that really mean? Here are some questions from a confused, rather disgruntled member of your congregation. Let’s call him Phil. He’s a teacher, married, with three children. His wife looks after her elderly mother. He asks, 'What’s the purpose of the church? We spend a huge amount of effort feeding people – with a Jesus talk tacked on – but I don’t see many conversions. In fact, I’ve heard that sometimes Jesus isn’t even mentioned.' 'What about me? I’m at work all day. I don’t hear my role mentioned much from the front.' 'What about my wife? She cares for her mother. Isn’t her role valuable? And what about my teenagers at school?' He goes on, ‘I’m just confused. Is the purpose of the church to generate lots of activity or preach the gospel? I feel like our message is getting lost in all this activity. And most of us who go to work, we’re being ignored.’ Phil deserves an answer. He’s a valuable member of your congregation and he’s not alone. As leaders, we’re responsible to provide clarity on this issue, and ensure that Phil – and others like him – understand the theology of social action, what we mean when we use the word ‘gospel,’ and perhaps most importantly, the reason why every single person has a valuable role in the church. This is Part One of a series of posts on social action. Next time, I’ll suggest some possible responses to Phil, but let me finish on a positive note. I’m so encouraged by the change which has swept through the people of God. In the 1970s, when I grew up, social action was done by charities. Now, we’re all involved in different ways. God has transformed us by the clear teaching of his Word, leading us to care for those in need in ways we had neglected for too long. It’s critical that we don’t allow this wonderful work to be a cause of division. It is the work of God’s Spirit that now – more than ever – we are caring for the whole person. To God’s glory.

This is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the hardest post to write in this series. It is also, I’m afraid, the longest and considerably beyond our usual post length (I hope some courageous readers will bear with me). That's ironic, because I hesitate to say anything about the shape of church after lockdown for two reasons. Firstly, I hesitate because I can claim no special insights. Whatever suggestions I make reflect my understanding of Scripture and the times as well as my reflections on what I have heard from church leaders through this time. Secondly, I hesitate because your context is not identical to mine and your ecclesiological convictions may not be the same as mine either. You will need to filter my ideas through your own convictions as you apply them into your own context. With these caveats, let me tentatively suggest four respects in which what we rebuild may be different in future: personal lives of leaders; leadership teams; church gatherings; and church people. I say what we rebuild may be different. In some cases it will be different if we don’t work to keep it the same, while in others it won't be different unless we choose to change. The overarching question that should, I believe, guide our rebuilding is ‘What do we believe to be most important?’ What are our non-negotiables – things we must do – and what are our values – things we care about that may shape how we do those non-negotiables and what other things we do in addition. The first area for rebuilding is the personal and family lives of leaders. At this point I need to remind you that this is the final post in a series in which I have already argued that rebuilding should come after refreshment and reflection. Please don't read on if you are weary to the point when the thought of doing so is just a burden and come back when you feel excited about what you might discover. Some have discovered a new freedom in their diaries due to cancellation of programmes, reduction in travel or even furlough and being confined to home has allowed them to give more quality time to their families and their relationship with the Lord. Others have filled any gaps in their schedules with new activities and have been busier than ever, while being working exclusively from home has precipitated a blurring of boundaries between work and family life and a drift into unhealthy or sinful patterns. As we look to the future, pressures that had been lessened may return and even greater loads may be added on top of those we have carried as we seek to find yet another way of working. It is imperative that we set clear and wise boundaries on our time and habits. We must prioritise friendships and family relationships, maintain freshness in our devotions, deal with ingrained sin habits and establish rhythms of rest. If you need help in any of these areas, Living Leadership’s ministry staff and associates are here for you, so please contact us. We need to rebuild our private lives as leaders. A second area for rebuilding concerns leadership teams. In churches where there was no leadership team, lockdown has exposed the limitations of sole leaders to a greater degree. In those which have a leadership ‘team’ that isn’t really a team, but rather a group from whom an individual leader occasionally seeks advice or to whom that leader regularly issues instructions, the myth has been debunked. Where there was a team that is immature relationally, with limited trust, relationships have sometimes been strained, sometimes strengthened. Even some established and trusting teams have struggled to operate as a team in these altered circumstances. Some of this may have been unavoidable and some may have been helpful – in times of crisis it is often necessary for an individual to provide directive leadership. I would, however, suggest that churches can weather prolonged times of challenge more effectively and bounce back more quickly where there is a strong team exercising spiritual leadership in true plurality. I am convinced there are biblical and theological reasons underpinning this practical benefit. Much more could be said about leadership in teams, and we in Living Leadership are devising a Formation Course to help churches develop and enhance leadership teams. We hope to launch it online in Spring 2021, but for now you can register your interest. We need to rebuild leadership teams. The third area for rebuilding is our meetings. What will we be allowed to do and where can we do it? What elements are non-negotiables for us? The challenge here for most churches is to decide at what point a return to physical meetings in the church building. It is helpful in such times to return to Scripture and remember that a building is not essential for church – meetings in homes are an option – but also that it is vital to maintain the unity of the congregation under its spiritual overseers – house meetings must not be allowed to become disconnected from the whole. Unless, of course, we take the more radical approach of separating our larger churches into multiple smaller groups that can meet in homes. That is certainly an option and may have some advantages in the contemporary world as well as having excellent biblical precedent. Whatever approach we take, though, we must be careful to ensure that our churches remain committed to the gospel and retain a self-understanding as part of the whole Church. Concerning the content of meetings, we should think carefully and creatively about what constitutes the church. Some people are concerned that they cannot have refreshments. Some wonder what church will be like if we cannot sing as a congregation. The bigger concern, in my view, should be around the ordinances (or sacraments if you prefer) – those things commanded by the Lord and constitutive of the Church. How can we baptise and break bread? I think our relative lack of concern about having lost the ordinances (at least in some traditions) reflects the poverty of our ecclesiology and a gnostic non-physicality in our spirituality. Some congregations which normally have weekly communion have not celebrated the Lord’s Table for months. I realise there is a serious concern for some that a virtual communion where people aren’t eating from the same loaf in the same place or with an ordained minister presiding in person is not truly communion. There is no space here to discuss that question. As we move back towards physical meetings of some sort, however, we must prioritise the question of the ordinances. Can we find a way to take communion together while maintaining the biblical meaning and symbolism of the act? How might we perform baptisms when the need arises? This is part of a wider question of priorities in public worship. I suggest we need to be careful not to create services in which people come and receive from one person from ‘the front’ rather than participating without asking how this reflects our understanding of the church. I suggest too that the priorities of the first church in Acts 2:42 should be ours – teaching what the apostles taught, caring for one another, breaking bread and prayers. I was impressed the other day when a church elder told me that his congregation has started to use their building midweek for a prayer meeting first. This is an expression of their desire to hear from God but also to avoid some of the problems with public services. We need to rebuild our church gatherings. A fourth area for rebuilding concerns people. Who engages with our gatherings and how are they growing in discipleship? I know some church leaders are concerned that some people will drop off, simply not returning when we recommence meetings. Some of these may be lost sheep who have drifted from the Lord. Others may simply be consumers who found a ‘better option’. We will need to be careful to focus more on the former than the latter, making our approach more pastoral/evangelistic – seeking the lost and bringing them back – than commercial/marketeering – boosting our advertising to regain market share. Thinking of those who identify with our congregations, the idea of returning to buildings needs to be weighed carefully against continuing online services. Many of our church buildings will be unable to accommodate all our people with social distancing. How, then, will be allocate the few available spaces among the many? Most will, I think, be understandably uneasy about turning people away at the door, in which case they will need to have some system of booking or allocating places in advance. There are significant risks that some may be inadvertently disadvantaged, or at least feel they are. We will need to be scrupulous in avoiding favouritism or unfair advantage to some. Older and vulnerable people (groups at extra risk from coronavrirus) are less likely to able to come and may be consigned to being online spectators of an event happening in the building. Of course, these same people may be the very ones who struggle to access online services anyway. Might our efforts be better expended in equipping them for virtual access rather than reopening buildings for a select few? Or might an alternative be for small groups – in some cases, where a vulnerable person is concerned perhaps only two households, meeting together to watch an online service or engage in one through video call technology? As I write this, I can’t help thinking that these groups have been outsiders in some churches for quite some time before lockdown. How well does your church include the older and less able members? Inclusion of people with disabilities is about so much more than making our building accessible. Are they invisible in the background or are their contributions valued equally to those of others? This moment is an opportunity to address such questions more deeply that we have for some time. The biblical pattern, it seems to me, is that these parts should be given greater honour. A second question concerns families who may have become used to worshipping together during lockdown, with members of different generations watching the same content (either intended for adults or for children or both) on screen and perhaps discussing or applying it together. Will we return to the standard pattern in many churches of children being in age-specific programmes during at least some of the service? Is that desirable? It certainly hasn’t been the norm throughout most of church history and we would do well to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages before we assume it should be the norm today. A third question surrounding inclusivity in services relates to evangelism. Many of our churches have become accustomed to Sunday services being their ‘front door’. But can we really expect unchurched families to register for seating in a church service? We will need to be more creative and consistent in relational evangelism and also less dependent on services as a way into the church. We need to rebuild our sense of inclusivity for all our members and outreach to those beyond our number. I have more thoughts on all of the above, but this post is already too long. I may return to some of these issues in the autumn and I’d love to hear your questions or suggestions, but I hope for now this is some food for thought. If you are feeling overwhelmed by it all, then I suggest again that you may need to take two steps back. Get refreshed. Then reflect. And only then, in the Lord’s strength and by His wisdom start to rebuild. Your church will not fall apart just because you take a little longer to restart things. Honestly, it won’t! I know that because it isn’t really your church and I am persuaded that you can trust the One who is its Chief Shepherd, Lord and Lover.

‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?’ It’s a classic moment in fairytale lore. The wicked queen asks the question but is horrified by the mirror’s honest answer. Instead of assurance of her own superior beauty, she discovers that Snow White has surpassed her and her response is a jealous rage that spirals, ultimately, into self-destruction. I wonder if you’ve ever wanted a mirror like the queen’s. I’m not sure I want to be told the unvarnished truth. I do think it’s important, though, for us to reflect - to think carefully about who we are and how we’re living. Søren Kierkegaard reportedly wrote, ‘The irony of life is that it is lived forward, but understood backward.’ It is in the rear view mirror that we learn most about life, discovering vital principles we can apply to our future plans. Why is the reflective process so important? When we don’t reflect, our practice is impoverished. At best, when we don’t learn from past experiences, we don’t take the opportunity to make even minor changes that can help us in the future. We miss the chance to take wise counsel and simplify our disordered lives. At worst, we fail to recognise that our behaviour is actually wrong, inconsistent with our own theological convictions. Scripture calls us to something more than this – wise actions that flow from a true understanding of the person of God. Non-reflective action is not honouring to God. As we face the challenges presented by the pandemic, especially as lockdown eases and we think about the shape church should take in future months, reflection is vital. So, what is it? I define reflection in the context of Christian ministry as follows: Reflection is active, persistent, prayerful examination of personal experience and beliefs in light of Scripture and Christian tradition in order to learn about oneself and about God and so make plans for greater faithfulness. Notice the various parts of that definition. Reflection is active – it requires effort, it doesn’t happen naturally. It should be persistent – it should become a habit. It must be prayerful – we aren’t simply seeking our own understanding, but God’s perspective. It looks to Scripture and tradition for insights – it’s like holding up a gem to the light, so that you can see both its beauty and its flaws. It leads to knowledge of self and God, thereby helping us plan for more faithful service in the future. Reflection is a stage in a cyclical process of action, reflection, theorising, planning and further action. My suggestion in this series is that reflection should come before rebuilding. We need to take time to pause, step back and learn from our experience of church during lockdown. This entails a series of questions. What happened? Reflection begins with remembering what actually happened. Replaying the experience in our minds, often in conversation with others who recollect details we may have missed. Some of what occurred happened to us, while some of it happened because of us. Disentangling the two is not always easy but it’s often helpful. Coronavirus and the government restrictions that came as a result happened to us. However, we also did some things to mitigate them, or in response to them, and we must recognise those too. How did we react to these events? What did we feel and think? What were people saying? What emotions surfaced? This pushes beneath the surface of our experience and uncovers our hearts. It’s important to gain a clear understanding of our values, desires, loves and fears. Some things we enjoyed; others we found draining. It’s not enough to stop there, otherwise we end up with unproductive introspection. It’s a starting point from which we can begin to learn about ourselves and God. Why did we react that way? What do our emotional and mental responses to the experience tell us about ourselves, about God and our relationship with Him? This is where we push deeper into evaluating our strengths and weaknesses, as well as the discrepancies between what we profess and how we behave. It’s an opportunity to gain genuine self-knowledge that goes behind the masks we wear to impress others and protect our egos. If you enjoyed something during lockdown, why was that? What did your response to the crisis tell you about yourself? What was God saying? This is the deepest level of our reflection, as we seek to understand what lessons the Lord has been teaching us. It’s essential to turn to God’s Word, and we should include input from fellow believers who’ve been on a similar journey. The light of other perspectives often reveals things we had not seen. What should we do now? Reflection is not complete until we plan for the future. Which things from lockdown are worth holding onto, and which should we jettison? Remember how it was before? How much should be reinstated? Are there some things that should now be brought to a close? I hope these five questions will help you as you look back on what you have experienced during the past few months. The results of the process should give you thoughts and ideas both for yourself personally and for the church you serve. I’d like to finish, though, by reiterating one of the points above. Reflection is active. It takes time and effort. I pray that you will be able to take time to do it effectively, and with the support of others. If you would like input from us at Living Leadership, then do give us a shout.

Please don’t misread my title. No one is offering refreshments here. And I’m not talking about the sensitive subject of post-service beverage offerings. I’m not a late entry into the refreshments war. I refer, instead, to the need for refreshment of your whole being – body, soul and spirit. We need it right now more than ever, but where to find it? That’s the question. For many, the answer is straightforward. You need a break. It’s striking how many church leaders have had to cancel holidays during lockdown. Many can’t even envisage what a break would look like if they can’t go away from home. Now that the restrictions are easing, though, the options are opening up. Either a short break away or even a ‘staycation’ are becoming possibilities, but they won’t happen if you don’t plan them. If you have children at home, you owe them a break. The simplest level of refreshment is about paying attention to your body and your heart. We must avoid the trap of thinking that such attentiveness is unspiritual. We need a healthy, integrated understanding of ourselves. When you’re physically and emotionally weary, you’ll struggle in your relationship with the Lord. That’s not a denial of the Spirit and His sustaining power, but an acknowledgement of the biblical truths that it’s your body that the Spirit indwells and your spiritual act of worship is to offer your body as a living sacrifice to God. Food, sleep and exercise are all good gifts from your Father. Savour them. For many of you, though, there is another aspect to refreshment. You need regular breaks. A while ago, I wrote a blog post entitled, ‘Coming out of COVID: Celebrating Sabbath’. It was a reflection on my own experience of having had the virus (I’m perfectly fine now, by the way). In that post, I discussed the Bible’s teaching regarding the Sabbath. Recently, I was preaching from Leviticus and was struck again by the importance of rhythms of rest: a Sabbath day each week; a Sabbath year one in seven; and a Sabbath of Sabbaths once a lifetime in the Jubilee. God gives rest to his people and to the land, because He has woven it into creation and calls us to it through redemption. We need Sabbath rest because we are created to need it, and because we need the God who gives it to us as a good gift. Yet church leaders often tell me that they haven’t had a proper Sabbath day in months. I’m not shocked, because I’ve been there myself. This is not about inducing guilt, but you know where I’m going, don’t you? Please start taking proper Sabbaths. Every week. No excuses. I’m not dragging you towards legalism here, but instead inviting you into liberation. Close down the laptop. Silence the email notifications. Lock up the study. Free up the diary. Just do it. Lastly, may I ask you to consider another means of finding refreshment? Living Leadership was founded specifically to help leaders find rest and refreshment in God. Our flagship (and longest running) annual event is our Pastoral Refreshment Conferences. The couples and individuals who come to these conferences in England testify to how beneficial they are. We’re hoping they can run as normal in February 2021 and you can register your interest if you want to be kept up to date. We’re also exploring possibilities of Refreshment Days in other regions of the UK and Ireland. At times, you may need more structured input to refresh your vision for God, your love for Christ and your dependence on the Spirit. The word ‘Refresh’ describes our support ministries, including Refresh Groups, in which a mentor guides leaders together in mutual support over a period of time, and Refresh One-to-One, when one of our staff or associates meets with a leader or couple for mentoring or pastoral care. We would love to serve you in these ways. Please let us know if we can.

During the past couple of weeks, I’ve listened to a number of church leaders, who have expressed the same thing: ‘I’m starting to get a bit tired.’ In my view, that’s classic British (or Irish) understatement. Many are completely exhausted. Church leaders in this moment are not just ‘a bit tired.’ Many are dangerously close to the edge. July is a low point in the energies of many in ministry. The end of the academic year is often seen as the end of the church’s year, regardless of whether our tradition follows the traditional liturgical calendar or not. But this July, that effect is compounded by several additional factors: Figuring out new ways of being church has left us weary. In addition, just as we thought we’d come up with solutions, we’re faced with the option to re-open our buildings, so the ‘new normal’ isn’t normal at all, but constantly changing, draining us of energy. ‘Zoom fatigue’ has set in. Not to mention something I call ‘video-preach exhaustion.’ I made that one up myself, but I’m sure you know what I mean. Trying to balance my notes, hitting ‘record,’ working out how to read my slides, if they’re on the computer, then making every effort to do a perfect take. If you’re a perfectionist, you can lose hours aiming for . . . well, perfection. No breaks. Many leaders haven’t had a proper holiday for a long time. What was a holiday even supposed to look like during lockdown? And those who contracted the virus have the added factor of the fatigue which follows it. I don’t wish to discourage you. In fact, quite the opposite. Over the next three weeks, I’m going to look at three ideas: refresh, reflect, rebuild. I encourage you to engage with each of these in that order. First, refresh. The temptation here for some, especially the more ‘activist’ among us, is to go into ‘rebuild’ mode. We want to reopen our buildings, restart our programmes, and reconnect with our people. All well and good. But, if you’re weary, you just can’t do it, at least not in a way that honours the Lord. Unreflective busyness is a plague within evangelicalism that’s more infectious than COVID-19. It’s so important to reflect before you rebuild so you can be sure you’re doing what the Lord wants. It’s not possible to reflect when you’re weary. Ever tried making a cup of coffee through brain fog? No? Perhaps I’m the only one who occasionally puts ground coffee straight into my cup instead of in the cafetiere. Now try discerning the Lord’s good and pleasing will when your brain is mush. I’m not saying He can’t get through to you when you’re tired – if He could use a donkey to get to Balaam, you know He has ways of getting through to even the most stubborn – but that should be the exception. Pushing on while completely exhausted is equivalent to a cordless bungee jump off the pinnacle of the Temple, a temptation to which the Lord says, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matthew 4:5-7). As I begin this short series, I also want to remind you that we at Living Leadership are here to help. Our aim is to train godly leaders and to help sustain them and their spouses for the long haul. We are seeking to put in place additional resources and programmes offering the kind of support leaders need. The heart of what we do, though, is relationships of support and encouragement. Marcus Honeysett and Paul Coulter (that’s me!) are available to leaders online and in our regions (southeast England and Northern Ireland respectively). We are also excited to be growing our network of associates across the UK and Ireland – seasoned pastors of pastors who can come alongside leaders as mentors and care-givers. In May, we started a new initiative called Refresh Network Online which has provided spaces for leaders and spouses to be encouraged and prayed for. Feedback from participants has shown us just how much they appreciated this opportunity to sit back and be fed. The initial series of meetings finishes next Wednesday, but we are making plans to restart it on a regular basis from September onwards. Next week, we have a new person joining our staff team to enhance our capacity to help further still (announcement to follow). So, give us a shout if you think we can help you. As I close, if you’re weary, I encourage you to refresh. I’ll write more about that next week. For now, though, let me leave you with a portion of Scripture to meditate on, which promises refreshment to our bones (Proverbs 3:5-8). The words may be familiar, but take time to slow down and soak in them. Let the Lord lead you into deeper trust so that you can walk in His straight paths of wisdom: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

‘Haven’t you heard? Jesus is appearing on Zoom*. All you need is the code and the password. Yup, forget the Second Coming, this is the new plan. We can meet Jesus on Zoom.’ What if this were true? What if we could each meet with Jesus on Zoom individually?! No sharing with others. How cool would that be? But you’re hesitating, aren’t you? On Zoom? Really? Something’s missing, isn’t it? There’s something not quite right about this idea. It leaves a hollow taste in the mouth, an empty feeling in the pit of the stomach. Something which should be fantastic feels . . . flat. Why is that? So let me ask you, ‘how have you been during lockdown?’ ‘How has your church family been doing?’ I have no doubt that there have been many challenges. Some have been working harder, putting in longer hours. Others have struggled to home educate their children while working from home, while still others have been holed up in front of a screen. All day. Some love the isolation; others are climbing the walls. I have watched as churches have unlocked untold creativity to deal with the crisis. Zoom church has given digital creative types the chance to shine. At times, it’s been inspiring. And yet . . . You know what church families have found most difficult during lockdown? Not being together. The inability to hug and touch and speak face-to-face. The lack of physical closeness. We miss each other so much, don’t we? We long to be close to those whom we love. And as helpful as Zoom might be, it can’t even begin to compensate for our lack of physical proximity. This lack that we feel is grounded in the nature of the God we worship. When God desired to communicate his love, he chose a physical form, that breathed and sweated, ate and drank, laughed and cried. He chose a body of flesh, because we are physical beings. He chose a human body to enable him to connect with us as embodied souls. Not just souls, not just spirits, but embodied souls. Furthermore the Incarnation enabled him to express some spiritual truths which are so remarkable, well, you need someone like St. Augustine to express them. Man's maker was made man that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother's breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that Truth might be accused of false witnesses, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die. St. Augustine of Hippo. The Incarnation gives us the reason why we have missed each other so much during lockdown. At some point in the future, we will all meet again back in our church buildings. Perhaps before then, we’ll meet in a park, if the weather permits during the summer months. Who knows? There is a temptation, isn’t there, from our experience of lockdown, to hail the benefits of Zoom. It’s a time-saver. It’s more efficient. In limiting our travel, it’s good for the environment. All of these might be good reasons – you must decide. However, our yearning to be together physically is healthy and good and right. It is my belief that we hold onto Zoom after lockdown at our peril. Believers need to meet together. Long before coronavirus or Zoom or lockdowns, the writer to the Hebrews urged his readers, ‘And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’ The Day is approaching. I think it’s a good word to hold onto as our world gradually emerges from lockdown. *other video-conferencing platforms are available

Equipping and Releasing is the job description for a Christian leader. Of course it’s not comprehensive, but it’s an essential component. The ability to equip and release your people is a vital element of godly, Christian leadership. So why doesn’t it happen more? And what obstacles rise up in your mind when considering whether to adopt this mind-set? 1) It requires too much trust. – This is probably the one which resides deepest in the hearts of leaders who fail to equip and release. Delegation requires trust. You have to trust that God will work when responsibility is given to others. Things can go wrong. People make mistakes. It’s harder to control what will happen. But just stop for a moment. When Christ ascended into heaven, he entrusted the message to a bunch of nervous, confused men, who hadn’t a clue what they were doing. Not that long before, they’d deserted their Saviour. That’s a lot of trust. But of course, it leaves out the work of the Holy Spirit. When He arrived, everything changed. The church was born. Believers were empowered by the Spirit. And the same is true in your church. When you equip and release, you entrust your people into the care of the Holy Spirit. Will they make mistakes? Undoubtedly. Will you be blamed? Probably. Is God blamed for the history of the church? Yes, but it’s still worth it. It’s still worth it! It’s God’s design and we fail him when we overwork and fail to equip and release our people. He didn’t, so we shouldn’t. 2) They’ll think I’m lazy. This is simply a failure of communication. It’s based on fear and no leader can lead successfully when they’re driven by fear. So look this one in the face and stare it down. Equipping is not a sign of laziness. It is a sign of strength and wisdom. Your congregation, however, might not understand it when yet another person is standing up to deliver the sermon. Where’s our guy? Why isn’t he up there? Didn’t I see him playing golf on Friday? What’s going on? Equipping and releasing requires explanation. For many, it’s a culture shift and when that happens, communication is critical. It’s necessary to explain what’s going on. 3) They’ll complain. They may well complain. They may complain that people with gifts ‘still in development’ are less capable. Which indeed they are. Services led by people who are new to the job. Musicians who aren’t professionals. Preachers who are learning their craft. Volunteers everywhere making mistakes. Every time you’re nervous about delegating to people whose gifts are still a work in progress, you will need to exercise faith. Faith in God, who equips his people. You will need to endure criticism, because of your inner conviction that you’re doing a job that is not always properly understood. 4) Don’t the flock need to be led? - Yes, indeed the flock does need a leader. And that’s you. But the wonderful thing about the church is that the Head of the Church is Christ. Not you. Or Justin Welby or the Pope or Tim Keller or Nicky Gumbel or whoever your favourite famous leader happens to be. Christ, by his Spirit, leads the church. Your role is to guide the church in line with the Spirit. And to do that, it is true that you will need to speak. You will need to preach. You will need to lead meetings and pray publicly. No one is denying that. But there are others in your church who are also led by the Spirit. The Spirit works in all, and can speak through unexpected people. It’s scary, because you can’t control the message, but it’s essential that you provide avenues for people to exhibit and share their gifts. The more threatened you feel, the more you will seek to control the public space for speaking. The more you trust God, the more the Spirit has room to move and breathe, because He is the one who leads, He is the one who is building the church. It just takes a little . . . faith. 5) My denomination won’t allow me to delegate. There may be some truth in this – some roles that you cannot delegate – and there may be some historical and theological justifications for that, but every type of church has ways of equipping and releasing people. Lay readers. Preachers who aren’t the vicar or pastor. Service leaders who aren’t the priest or worship leader. The church belongs to Christ, who equips his leaders to equip the people. Your loyalty is to Christ, and he has designated you to be an equipping leader. It’s right there in Ephesians. Nothing I’ve written here is new. It isn’t even particularly controversial. It’s just that our church structures so often stifle the work of God. Leaders are handed a job description and they think they must do what they’re told. That’s not true. As a leader, your job is to obey Christ, who is an equipping Saviour. He calls you to equip the saints for works of service. So be bold. God’s Holy Spirit lives within you. He has called you. And most of all, he loves you with an everlasting love, which means he has your back. Trust Him. This week, we're releasing the third and final part of Roy Bishop's excellent series on Adultery. Click here.

You want to stop working hard to please people? Start equipping them. Then releasing them. Michael Jordan famously learnt the key to great teamwork. Use your teammates. In the process, he won six rings* and became possibly the greatest basketball player of all time. So, why is the principle of equipping and releasing so important? And wherein lies its power? The most important source of its power is that it comes straight from the life of Jesus. This is a man who preached to thousands. He was also surrounded by many who sought to use him, manipulate him, threaten him. Yet he kept a laser-like focus on his principle goal. Equip the disciples. He poured into them as much wisdom as he could in the three short years that they were with him. Yes, crowds listened to the Sermon on the Mount, but its principle audience was the Twelve. Then there were the Three. Peter, James and John. They spent more alone time with Jesus than the others. They were his best mates. Especially Peter. He constantly spoke truth into their lives. He invested himself in equipping them with the message of the Kingdom. Even when they didn’t understand, he kept going. And then there’s the 72. ‘Here’s the message, off you go and have some faith!’ A classic case of empowered releasing. Second exhibit. 1 Corinthians 12. I won’t rehearse this one. You all know the passage and it doesn’t stand alone. We all have different gifts. We’re all essential to the vital functioning of the body. We’re a team. Final exhibit. Ephesian 4.11-12a. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ . . . The Ephesians passage functions as your job description. It states your purpose as a leader. To equip. Releasing then becomes a natural next step once equipping has taken place. Train your people, then give them oxygen to go use the gifts they possess. If you’re a people pleaser, a mind-set like this can work wonders. It takes the huge load off your shoulders, which is crushing you. Leadership is properly transferred to Christ, who is the Head of the Church, while your job is to equip your people to function as the healthy body. When you don’t do this, you get in the way. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have, how dazzling your preaching, how dearly loved you are by your church, you’re not doing the job you’ve been assigned. You’re leaving vast amounts of talent and potential sitting on the pews (chairs) while trying to do too much, please too many, and worst of all, you end up trying to do things you shouldn’t be doing. Equipping and Releasing. I rest my case. *A ring is the term used in the NBA for an NBA championship. And yes, each team member receives an actual ring.

People pleaser. If you want to move away from this description, there is a way of thinking – a philosophy of leadership – that works better than anything else. Equipping and Releasing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Equipping and Releasing – as an all-encompassing view of your life in ministry – is one of the most effective tools in a leader’s toolbox. It should inform almost everything you do in leading your people. Today, the illustration. Next time, the rationale. The year was 1991. Michael Jordan had spent the previous seven seasons at the Chicago Bulls dazzling the world with his skill. He was the stand-out basketball player of his generation and on his way to becoming possibly the greatest player of all time. But he had no rings.* You can’t be the greatest without rings. Preferably several rings. For several seasons, MJ had scored the highest points total in the league. And he loved his coach, Doug Collins, because the Bulls played a system which was effectively, ‘give the ball to Michael.’ MJ carried the team. But it wasn’t enough. Six seasons and still no rings. In 1989, the Bulls made a controversial decision to fire Doug Collins and appoint Phil Jackson as the head coach. Phil Jackson, a two-time winner of the NBA championship, was a devotee of Zen Buddhism (though he was raised in the Assemblies of God). He turned to the wisdom of Tex Winter, an advocate of a strategy known as the triangle offence. The system involved swarming the opponent’s circle with players in a triangle formation, all of them in constant motion to give the player with the ball multiple options when passing the ball. In other words, it required every member of the team doing his job for the team to be successful. Not just one. Michael didn’t like it. He didn’t like Phil Jackson much at first. But he respected him. So he was prepared to try it out. It took the team a year to learn the system and master it. In 1991, the Bulls finally overcame their arch-rivals, the Detroit Pistons, and reached the NBA Finals. Their opponents in the final were the L.A. Lakers, led by their star player, Magic Johnson. Game five was an extremely tight game. It came down to the wire. Normally, Michael Jordan would take control, drive to the basket and somehow manage to score. But not this time. This time, he drove to the key and popped it out to John Paxson, who was open. He scored a 3. He did it again, drove the lane, then popped it out. Pax scored again. And so the Bulls won the first of their six championships. Michael Jordan had learnt the meaning of true leadership: develop and use the gifts of your teammates. Reflecting on that first season, he says, ‘my job was to get the most out of Scottie (Pippen).’ Here’s the thing. If Michael Jordan hadn’t learned this lesson, we probably wouldn’t know much about him. He wouldn’t have won a ring. He would have been the star on the losing team, who never quite made it to the top. Instead, he won six rings and is considered by some to be the greatest of them all. Why? Because he learnt the meaning of true leadership. Develop your team. Unlock the gifts of every team member and then release them to play their part. Do you aspire to be a great leader or are you just doing the job that was handed to you? If you want to be a great leader – and I hope you do – then you will have to learn the art of equipping and releasing. That’s your job. Not preaching, not counselling, not leading meetings, not making decisions. Your job as the leader is to equip and release the gifts of your whole team. Next time, some Scripture to cement the argument. *Rings are awarded to the team which wins the NBA championship each year. They are highly prized. This week, we're releasing the second of Roy Bishop's articles on Adultery. Click here.