ConvergeUSA Blog

The Two Way Mirror: Ezekiel's Call to Leaders by Steve Mizel

I have been reading through Ezekiel this month. And just for the record - this is one crazy book. Man, Ezekiel had one rough gig. I am tempted to complain when I run a 12 hour day of meetings. You know, rough stuff - St. Louis Bread Co. can get seriously old.

Ezekiel, on the other hand, had to act out all these crazy judgments from God before they happened. He was God's living parable. He had to sit in a public square and build miniature cities out of bricks and then destroy them. He had to lay on his side in public for 390 days and then roll over and lay on the other side for 40 more days. He had to cook his food over human feces - well, until God recanted and allowed him to cook it over cow poop. And that is just the start.

 

Ezekiel had it rough. But he was God's man. He loved God and he loved God's people and he was willing to suffer so that God's grace could come and bring repentance and restoration to people near to God in religious behavior but far from God in their hearts.

 

I can't help be struck, and challenged, by the stark comparison between Ezekiel and the elders of the people - the recognized leaders. God gives Ezekiel a vision to show him how God sees these men. Read this:

And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. Then he said to me, “Son of man, dig in the wall.” So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. And he said to me, “Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.” So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’” - Ezekiel 8:7-12

What a crazy and disturbing vision. These are the leaders of God's people. They are respected and honored. But God doesn't pay attention to their public faces. He doesn't care what people think about them. He sees them as they really are - and then shows that vision to Ezekiel. And what a creepy, disturbing vision it is. They are all in a single room, but unaware that they are surrounded by others. Each thinks they are alone, in the dark with just a flickering light "in their room of pictures." But really, they are not sinning in private. It's more like they are in front of two-way glass and Ezekiel and God (and now us) see through it and can see clearly what they are doing.

It seems like every couple weeks I am finding out about another pastor who lived a secret life of rebellion against God (usually involving sexual sin) while still leading God's people. I know there are many, many more who aren't acting out their sinful desires with real women, but are sitting in the dark, assumably alone, "in their room of pictures" with their pants around their ankles. I wonder how many of us would change our internet viewing habits if we knew we were sitting in front of a two-way mirror with an audience always watching us.

But this passage goes much deeper than just speaking to us today about the plague of porn and infidelity. It speaks to us about the plague of idolatry. These men were in their secret rooms - symbolic of their hearts - the place they go and truly worship - and they lit incense to pictures of "creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel." They were followers of the One and True God - but still looked to idols in their hearts to meet their deepest needs.

So I am driven to ask: what are the idols that drive us. What are the things I turn to in order to make me feel secure, worthwhile, strong, and comforted? It could be porn - or gambling - or entertainment. It could also be the size of my church, how fast it is growing, how many people list me as a meaningful influence in their lives, or how many people read my blog. It could anything that I look to other than God to worship. It will be something good - like sex or music or money or influence - but it will be something good that I make the best. Something that is good that I make god.

One final note. Did you notice that Ezekiel called Jaazaniah out by name? Ezekiel was obviously surprised to see him in that room. I don't know who that guy was (not sure anyone knows anymore), but it made me pause and see these guys not as a group of wayward idiots, but as a collection of independent, well-thought-of leaders. It made me realize that it could be my name - my secret sins, my insecurities, and my idolatries - put on display.

 

And for that I am humbled and grateful. Ezekiel's crazy ministry hasn't ended - he still calls God's people - and especially those who claim to be leaders of his people - to repentance and renewed devotion to the One True God. The call to Israel is the same call to us today: look and be instructed. May God lead us all to a genuine worship of him and him alone.

 

Steve Mizel is pastor at The Journey-Metro East, Edwardsville, IL.

9 Insights for Creating Momentum for Fall Outeach by Gary Rohrmayer

Legendary football coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant said, "Have a plan. Follow the plan, and you'll be surprised how successful you can be. Most people don't have a plan. That's why it's is easy to beat most folks."  In a recent survey it was revealed that 79% of churches have no, to little, plans for fall outreach.  This may be the reason why 80-85% of the churches in America are either plateaued or declining. Designing, executing and implementing outreach plans and strategies is one of the skills pastors need to creating positive momentum in their churches.

Here are a couple insights that you can apply in planning your fall growth thrust.

1.  Develop a team.

Too many pastors try to carry the load all by themselves, which is an unbiblical notion.  Christianity is a team sport. Team building is one of the skills successful pastors need in their tool belts. Learning to pick the right players on your team is crucial. Guiding and leading the team is imperative.  Trusting the team to execute the plan is empowering.  Celebrating and encouraging the team is vital.  I encourage pastors to use short-term task forces with a specific task along with a starting and ending point.  If you built a task force for each of your major outreach initiatives for fall, winter and spring your team building skills would improve each time.  Team building is a skill which is honed through the "learning by doing" process. 

Getting key influencers involved in the process is vital to building positive momentum. 

2.  Develop a time line.

To develop a good time line start with the last date of the project and work backwards.  If you are doing a fall growth push here are a couple ideas.  End your fall outreach campaign on the first weekend in November with a family friendly comeback event and start July first with the selection of the team.  This is what I call the "three month rule" which is to begin the detailed planning process at least three months before launch of the outreach campaign.  Here is an overview of what the would happen in those three months:

November

• Celebrate and evaluate progress
• Family friendly comeback event
• Membership class offered

October

• Newcomers luncheon set
• Bible 101 or seeker study offered
• Small groups launched around theme
• Sunday worship theme launched
• Second Touch teams equipped and empowered

September

• Teaching series on outreach and prayer launched
• Prayer walking implemented
• Affinity groups launched - youth, singles, men's & women's ministries
• Executing marketing plan
• Equipping congregation with promotional tools

August

• A clear call to prayer made to the entire congregation
• Prayer emphasis kick off
• Marketing and promotional plan set
• Marketing and promotional tools sent to printer
• Small group leaders trained and prepared

July

• Team selected
• Theme developed
• Promotional strategy selected
• Graphic images & promotional tools designed

3.  Brainstorm ideas for a delivering strong biblical content that address the heart language issues of your mission field.

Many pastors struggle with the creative aspects of leadership. I recommend that pastors research and purchase many of the good outreach or spiritual growth campaigns available.  Many of these come with time lines, job descriptions, graphics, sermon ideas and small group materials.  The key is planning ahead.  After the church has done a few of this campaigns, then they can take a shot at developing their own. 

4.  Raise the spiritual temperature of the church.

It is a must to incorporate a church wide prayer project for before and during the campaign. One example: Call the church to "pray for five neighbors, for five minutes a day, for five weeks" before the outreach campaign.  Another idea would be to mobilize the church to prayer walk your whole community before the campaign. You could also call the church to a season of prayer and fasting.

5.  Brainstorm ideas for creating buzz throughout the church and throughout the community.

Work with your team in thinking of ways to get the word out. I like to use sowing language when it comes to getting the word throughout a community.  Here is a post on the Sowing and Reaping Principle.

6.  Drive the theme throughout the church.

Creating a sense of synergy throughout the church is important. Getting every section of the church moving in the same direction is a momentum building experience that creates positive energy and good morale.  So take your theme and drive it throughout the church from seniors to youth, from singles to toddlers!

7.  Develop comeback events.

Creating opportunities for new guests to connect relationally, as well as spiritually, is crucial to having a successful outreach campaign. Planning some type of family friendly event is a great way to get people involved in serving for the first time and connecting relationally with others in the church. Offering entry level bible studies like Bible 101 or Christianity 101 with in weeks of your outreach campaign is important in providing those next steps for those that are spiritually interested.  Finally, you want to offer people an opportunity to connect with the church and its leadership by offering some type of newcomers luncheon or party at the pastors event where they hear the story and vision of the church as well as connect relationally with key leaders.

8.  Recruit volunteers to fill needed ministry roles.

Doing campaigns is a great opportunity to recruit new volunteers for set up, event planning, children's ministry, ushers, greeters, follow up, administration, new hosts for small groups, etc. 

9.  Drive your missional values deeper into the culture of your church.

Remember, anytime you do a campaign it is an opportunity to drive your missional vision and values deeper into the lives of your people.  The values of evangelism, community, spiritual dependence and community transformation come alive during the campaign and provide opportunities for personal growth and corporate maturity.