Last week I had the chance to attend the Verge Conference on Missional Communities in Austin, TX. Francis Chan was one of the stand-out preachers for me. His heart for the American Church to repent and return to biblical rather than consumerist models was not only evident but overwhelming and moving. So much of what he said resonated with many people I talked with. Chan noted that, due to our consumerist tendencies, the American Church often tries to make things happen ourselves. We try to plan and spark “movements” on our own. But, as he pointed out, the Apostles certainly didn’t plan the day of Pentecost. It wasn’t as though they said, “OK, John, you learn Chinese, and Peter, you learn Spanish, we’ll call you Pedro.” God moves, not us.

Yet, as we relentlessly follow business models in the church, it’s as though we are trying to force God’s hand and that will not fly. To illustrate his point (both figuratively and literally), Chan came up with a cartoon:

While there is certainly a place for planning, we must be careful that our mission never overshadows our Savior. It is a very real danger that, in trying to do things on our own, we forget our dependency on Christ. If there was a theme for me that developed from Verge, it was less about Missional Communities themselves and more about the fact that there is a growing group of people that looks at Scripture, then at the American Church and is left wanting. For all of our programs and potlucks, we are not very good at making robust disciples. There is a growing group that’s just tired of the way we’ve done things because the way we’ve done things is just not all that biblical. For far too long we have simply been trying to push the American church along on our own strength, cunning, marketing and business-like structures.

This is an exciting time but it is also one for caution. As people are looking for more, we must center our discussions in Scripture. We cannot separate our mission from theology. In fact, it is theology that will ultimately drive and sustain this renewed focus on mission.

I am tremendously grateful for the Verge conference and pastors like Francis Chan. I am excited about what God is doing and I am hopeful.