Something happens to a person at midlife.
Psychologists suggest our reference point changes from how many years we’ve lived to how
many years we have left. It’s time’s equivalent to the continental
divide in topography. You begin to analyze life and what you do at a deeper
level. If your first half has been less productive than you dreamed, you begin
poking and prodding status quo, wondering if there might be something more
effective that you missed in the first round. My dad says that life is like a
roll of toilet paper. The less you have left, the faster it goes. Mess with the
metaphor all you want, but the heart of this book is about striving to make a difference
with the remaining sheets on my roll. After two decades of church planting and connecting
with seekers and those disenchanted with church life, I had the opportunity to become a
part of Group Publishing. As the executive editor of Rev! Magazine, I am
privileged to champion pastoral ministry in and through this great
organization. While interacting with hundreds and observing tens of thousands
of churches across the country from many tribes, I’ve had an opportunity
to meet some extremely effective pastors and congregations. They are a unique
but growing segment of pastors and churches. They’ve discovered what it
takes to catalyze spiritual growth and effective service beyond church walls—minus
the burnout of those pastors who lead them. These unique congregations have inspired this book.
We’re driving a stake in the ground, believing there is a better way to “do”
church. The journey begins with the pastors changing the way they think about
their role and how it is carried out. This book will rub some people the wrong
way. No one likes to be told that what they’ve invested in is misaligned.
Yet, most pastors realize that the results they’re seeing in their church
are less than they desire. In spite of better education, ministry resources, and
as many books and conferences as a person can ingest, few churches significantly
impact their surrounding communities. This book is joining a family of resources created
originally by Leadership Network and then acquired by Group to coincide with
what has become the largest volunteer membership association in the country:
Church Volunteer Central, which is approaching 10,000 members in only its third
year! But don’t let the name deceive you. This is not about gaining more “cheap
laborers” for the kingdom. Volunteer is a cultural, not a biblical term.
Rather, this is about empowering the multiplicity of God-given gifts in every
congregation. This is about doing church differently, so we can actualize our
potential of impacting lives inside and outside the ecclesiastical walls. Our
vision is to fan the flames of what God is already doing through a growing number
of externally focused churches, lay-mobilized congregations, and truly team-oriented
ministries. Jesus used the power of parable to engage listeners
and provide key insights into his kingdom. Even though I’m not much of a
fiction reader—preferring a nonfiction book any time to a sugary romance
or intriguing mystery—there is something that happens in a fable or story that can’t
occur in a traditional nonfiction book. Our lives are basically values and
concepts that become incarnate through conversations, decisions, and—in
the arena of the church—ministry and events. I’ve personally been touched
by contemporary storytellers such as Og Mandino, Ken Blanchard, Spencer Johnson, and Patrick Lencioni. Whether you’re a fiction fan or a
nonfiction reader, I hope you’ll enjoy the format and content of this
book. Me to We is
based on real people, whose churches have become bold, dynamic congregations. A variety of pastors and church staff collaborated
in the process, so that the conversations reflect the journeys of those who’ve
transformed their congregations dynamically. This was a team process. We are
convinced that your church has what it takes to reach its potential. But
chances are if you’re following the traditional model of pastoring in