Not to be dramatic, but a little dramatic. This is the overwhelming feeling I have when I’ve been working all day, had a few hours to connect with my family in the evening, and am now sitting at my desk reading a 480-page pdf document (book) on the church, or slugging away at a 25-page paper till the wee hours. Amazing stuff, but the feeling is a bit overwhelming as the proverbial Re:Train is barreling down the tracks, and I’m stuck in the middle, staring at the oncoming lights and deafened by the blaring horn. How do I escape the wrath?



Re:Train has been a significant investment of time and energy, but it’s an investment that has been extremely beneficial and filled with the grace of God. This weekend was another testament to that as Dr. Gregg Allison lectured and answered questions for two days regarding ecclesiology and the missional church.  

An ecclesiological man among boys

His wisdom, humility and love for the church was inspiring. He is a seasoned pastor, well-studied theologian, faithful husband, father and grandfather, elder in an Acts 29 church, and his daughter and son-in-law attend Mars Hill Bellevue. After a few moments with the Allisons, my wife said, “Wow, that’s the type of couple everyone wants in their church. Godly, stable, wise, humble, and encouraging.” As Pastor Tim Smith put it on Twitter, “Gregg Allision is an ecclesiological man among boys.”  Here are a few takeaways that have left me pondering further.



These are a few reflections from Re:Train with Dr. Allison. The full impact of his teaching and friendship will have a long and sustained impact on the church planting taking place through Mars Hill and Acts 29.


1. Ask good questions before you leave your church.


Dr. Allison loves the local church, and he did a good job of distinguishing between true and false churches as well as less pure and more pure churches among those that are true. He had some good words and questions to ask yourself before moving from one true church to another:

1. Have I expended all of my opportunities to effect change in this church?
2. Will continued participation in this church exert a negative impact on my relationship with and worship of God, my ministry for Jesus Christ, the use of my spiritual gifts, etc.?
3. Do I have to compromise too much—essential doctrines and practices, a lifestyle in accordance with biblical values and principles—in order to remain in this church?
4. Do I have a legitimate reason for leaving?  In a culture where church-hopping and shopping is the norm, I felt these were timely words for Christians to ask themselves before leaving their church so that we don’t flippantly move on from a place God may want us to persevere in.

2. Have something in your life you can finish.


Pastors and those in ministry need to have some outlet in their life that allows them to finish something.  Ministry is never finished, and the pile of work continually grows. Paul told Titus to “put what remained into order” (Titus 1:5).  Based on my experience, I don’t think Titus ever finished getting everything in order.  As he appointed elders, it meant more training and leadership; as new people met Jesus, it meant more teaching and discipleship; as the church grew, it meant new systems and structures.  The church is alive and therefore never finished.

This is why Dr. Allison recommended having something you can finish.  It might be writing a book, refinishing your basement, or some other outlet for bringing something to full completion so that you can enjoy the work and rest upon its completion.  He wasn’t legalistic about it, and didn’t attempt to prooftext any verses to support this position--it was just a piece of pastoral advice from a seasoned pastor.


3. Fight for unity.


The church begins at a place of unity.  In Ephesians 4:3, Paul says, “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Wow, the church is unified because of the Spirit’s work, yet our sins of pride, envy, gossip, jealousy, dissention, and the like are actively working to destroy the unity of the Church.

Dr. Allison pointed out from Ephesians 4:2 that unity is maintained and achieved through the attitudes of gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love.  He challenged all of us to dig deep into the places where we and our churches are not unified and accurately diagnose the root issue, which is nearly always sin of some sort.  One of his closing lines on this topic was profound: “The will to maintain unity can overcome significant differences.”



For more from Dr. Allison, read his posts on Missional Ecclesiology on the Resurgence.



You can follow Pastor Jamie on Twitter at twitter.com/jamiemunson.

Total Church

Tim Chester and Steve Timmis present a vision for churches centered on gospel community. Find out more.

Church leadership is complicated. It must start with deference to Jesus as the Chief Shepherd and ultimate head of the body (Eph 5:23). He’s in charge, and we need to submit our plans and leadership to him.

Human Leadership: Elders

In addition, the Holy Spirit appoints human overseers who must follow Jesus’ leading (Acts 20:28). The highest office of leadership in a church is that of elder (1 Tim 3:1–7).

The elders must fulfill a wide range of responsibilities and address a variety of issues which grow in complexity as a church grows in size. The law of the land, for example, is extraordinarily complicated for large churches, and the elders must ensure that operations remain in compliance (2 Cor 8:20–21).

A Trinity of Complexity

The complexity must be dealt with in order to ensure a healthy and fruitful church. Therefore, the elders must organize in order to properly govern, manage, and shepherd the church as an organization and as a people. Every church needs these three functions to develop in concert:

• Govern: An overseeing body must ensure that proper systems and controls are in place to promote wise stewardship of all the resources entrusted to the organization’s care. Resources include the mission, leaders, finances, and people.
• Manage: Delegated leadership is responsible for day-to-day decision-making and operations oversight.
• Shepherd: Pastoral care includes preaching, teaching, counseling, and discipling the people of the church.

Case in Point

Here is how this plays out at Mars Hill: our Board of Directors is responsible for the governance of the church; our executive elders, department heads, and campus pastors are responsible for the management of different components of the church; and our shepherding is led by the campus pastors and their elder teams.

Specialized

As a church organization grows, leaders become more and more specialized. Each elder at Mars Hill has a general obligation to govern, manage, and shepherd, but typically specializes in one of these three areas (Rom 12:4).

Our aim as church leaders is to build an organization under the authority of Jesus and his Word, governed diligently, managed faithfully, and shepherded with great care for its people.

Jamie Munson is Lead Pastor of Mars Hill Church. Find him on Twitter and Facebook:

• twitter.com/jamiemunson
• facebook.com/jamiemunson

Re:Train

We are launching The Resurgence Training Center (Re:Train) to prepare leaders for ministry locally and around the world. Additional details and downloadable application form here.

I was born again in the Disneyland of churches.

It hasn’t been all roller coasters, cotton candy, and laughter, but I feel like I’ve experienced a lifetime of grace in the 12 years since I became a Christian at Mars Hill. This church is where I was baptized, where I met my wife, where we’re raising our four kids, and where I’ve served on staff for ten years (read my story on the Mars Hill Blog).

My Job: Lead Pastor

Today, I serve as the Lead Pastor of Mars Hill Church. That may not seem readily apparent to those of you that follow our church and the ministry of Mark Driscoll, so allow me to explain.

Two years ago, after working on staff for many years, I took on the responsibility of leading Mars Hill: day-to-day operations, staff oversight, casting vision, organizational strategy, etc. This change allowed Pastor Mark to focus the majority of his time using his leadership and communication gifts that we all benefit from.

Obviously, Mark still serves as a significant influencer of Mars Hill—and Acts 29 and The Resurgence. One of the things I admire most about Mark is that he really isn’t motivated by titles and positions but rather using his influence to glorify Jesus for as much Gospel fruit as possible.

5 Men, 3 Movements

I love my job. I get to work with some of the best men I’ve ever met: the Mars Hill Executive Elders. Together, the five of us lead, oversee, and shepherd everything we’re doing:

• Mark Driscoll
• Scott Thomas, Acts 29 Network Director
• Rick Melson, MHC Campus Network Director & Re:Train Director
• Tim Beltz, Executive Pastor

The Executive Elder team is where the leadership of three unique yet related movements converge:

• Mars Hill Church: Starting new campuses, providing free resources, and serving as the local church.
• Acts 29 Network: Starting new churches and providing brotherhood for pastors around the world.
• The Resurgence: Training leaders, providing resources and events, and publishing books and music for the benefit of the greater church.

Mars Hill Global

Each of these entities is a work of God in its own right, and each has a unique, bold vision. So how does Mars Hill Global fit in?

We unveiled Mars Hill Global on Easter Sunday this year, and the new website features the logos of Mars Hill Church, Acts 29, and Resurgence.

Mars Hill Global is a platform to serve these three movements by sharing stories of Jesus' work and generating support to build and continue the collective effort. We want to use the influence and favor that God has given us to bless as many others as possible.

Pride Must Die

Our pride would like to take credit for the fruit we enjoy, but we don’t deserve any acclaim. Jesus is the head of the church (1 Peter 5:4), Jesus changes lives (Eph. 2:8), and Jesus causes the church to grow (Matt. 16:18). “And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16).

This is Jesus’ work, and we gladly share in it with the rest of his body.

Find Pastor Jamie on Facebook and Twitter.