State the Obvious (b/c it's NOT!), Pt. 2

Continuing the thought from Tues:

4. Humility/Servanthood. For God so loved the world means EVERYBODY. Which means I'm special to Him but not any moreso than anyone else.
5. Hope. Because He rose from the dead his promised return holds a lot of water for us. So we approach each day, situation, challenge, and struggle with a sense of reality-based hope.
6. Leadership (love & good deeds, Heb. 10:24). John Maxwell's right: EVERYTHING rises and falls on leadership. And leadership HAS to include love AND good deeds, community AND accountability. See this post from way back.
7. Contentment/Stewardship. Any hangup about money is a heart issue--whether you want it too badly or you're put off by it and think it's unspiritual to have a lot. And ministry requires money and the allocating of it. So get your stuff together where this concerned if you want to do ministry.
8. Loyalty. It begins with loyalty to Christ and extends to each other. What we do is difficult if everyone is rowing in the same direction. We MUST be loyal to each other. This is a non-negotiable, and we mutually engage in a zero-tolerance environment for violation of this one. It doesn't mean we always agree--BELIEVE ME. But it means when we leave the room together, we leave the room TOGETHER.
10. Excellence/Authenticity. God doesn't do a half-way job. Neither should we. But we can't let our call to excellence be an excuse for perfectionism. Perfect love drives out fear. We plan and work and strategize a lot--which gives us enormous freedom to improvise when God leads us to. By the same token, authenticity can't be a smokescreen for laziness. Which it often is.
11. Proactivity. We agree that we're going to be figure-it-out, make-it-happen people.

State the Obvious (b/c it's NOT!), Pt. 1

In a recent meeting, the LHC Leadership Team was discussing hiring and hiring practices when I made the following statement: Whatever the skills may be, make SURE he/she fits in our culture. (Really insightful, I know.) At that, one of our long-time leaders and pastors asked, "What is our culture?"

I thought--privately--Are you kidding me??!! You've been here for 10 of our 12 years of existence and you're asking What is our culture??!!!! Thankfully, I didn't respond verbally with as many !'s. His point was that we had never articulated and stipulated what specific values comprise our culture.

So we did. Here are the values supporting who we're striving to be (with more to follow in coming posts):

1. Gospel. Period. Everything we are and do is tied to the fact that God so loved the world that He gave his only Son so that whosoever believes in Him will never die but will have eternal life.
2. Evangelism/Worship. We are radically committed to sharing Christ and worshiping Him because of #1.
3. Joy. May be the most obvious initial invitation to relationship with God. You can't overstate the power of joy.

The Culture Conversation is actually a fun, encouraging, affirming, challenging, and convicting one to have.

Have you stated the culture/values of your family/church/business/organization/team/non-profit/school/government agency?

###

Family Church

From the very beginning of LHC, we have pursued one thing where children and student ministries are concerned: We want kids to drag their parents to church, rather than parents dragging their kids. This weekend's installment of the Soulmate series brings a up a great question (that actually applies EVERY week):

*What ages are welcome in the weekend worship services?

First, EVERYONE is welcome at LHC-at large. But, there is no way that a worship experience can really meet children where they are and lead adults to truly worship in spirit and truth and process teaching spiritually and intellectually. When I say children, obviously every child develops at a unique pace, but there are many more commonalities between 2nd and 3rd graders than between 2nd graders and 30-year-olds.

WE DO CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES. WE DO NOT DO CHILDCARE. We invest significant time, talent, and treasure in creating meaningful worship and teaching experiences through our children's ministries. Even in infant rooms where all they do is sleep, eat, soil, cry and sit, children and their parents are prayed over and cared for by a committed staff and volunteers.

Most--not all, but most--people who demand to "worship as a family" do so out of nostalgia for their childhood experiences and because they remember boring, lifeless flannelboard Sunday School bits that they don't want to subject their kids to. That, I respect. It's just that that's not who God has called us to be, so that's not what we do. And in our context, it certainly isn't because it's what packs the most meaningful spiritual punch in the kids' lives. THAT happens in and through the various LHC Kids ministries.

That's why we ask all parents to lead their kids to the experience designed specifically for their kids. They are prayed over, thought through, and led by such gifted and committed people who are there specifically for kids.

It's a practice, based on a principle rooted in our values and vision as a church. It's part of who we are. Your kids will thank you.