ReformationUCC.org

Editor’s Note: This continues a series of articles on how one UCC pastor applies the Purpose Driven concepts to mainline settings.  Click here to see all articles related to the Purpose Driven Church

(c) 2008 Dr. Phil Corr

It’s true. Some churches “ape” Rick Warren’s teaching. Another difficulty arises when a pastor or local church seeks to apply Purpose Driven principles in hopes of a miracle cure. Recently I spoke with a pastor on staff at Saddleback who had served a local church for 16 years. He indicated to me that churches who use “The Purpose Driven Life” or other Warren initiated campaign for a miracle cure experience the smallest percentage growth after using it. The statistics improve somewhat when a church uses it as a program. The best results come when a campaign is incorporated as part of the church’s lifestyle.

With that in mind, I would like to share with you one of the major areas that Rick Warren shared at the recent Purpose Driven Summit and Networking Conference. The first has to do with his summary of the various stages of reformation (or renewal or revival). Before discussing those stages, Pastor Warren pointed out that each major reformation in the Church has been preceded by a technological breakthrough. It is no coincidence that the Protestant Reformation started within 70 years of the invention of the Gutenberg printing press (with the first publication being that of a Bible). Martin Luther’s theses were printed and distributed throughout Europe. His tracts (that he wrote every three weeks) were similarly printed and distributed.

In our day the technological breakthrough is the internet. God intends that this technological marvel be used for good, for His glory. With that in mind, let’s look at the five stages of reformation or renewal.

Stage 1–Personal Renewal. This starts in the heart of the pastor and the hearts of each person in the local church. We all need to return to our first love of Jesus. We need to realize that Jesus loves me and even likes me. As we do this, we are fulfilling what Jesus says is the greatest commandment: to love God with all that we are and have. This leads to loving others, which has to do with…

Stage 2–Relational Renewal. First, we get right with God. Then we need to get right with others. This is something we all need to work at.

As relational renewal happens gossip goes down, and the Gospel goes up. Conflict goes down and unity goes up. Once we are working at fulfilling the two commandments, then we come to the Great Commission as found at the end of Matthew 28. This involves …

Stage 3–Missional Renewal. Every church needs to realize that we have a mission. We receive a purpose to live out. Instead of looking inward, we look outward. Once a church starts ingraining a missional perspective in all its members, no one can stop the church from growing!

Then there is…

Stage 4–Cultural Renewal. This includes renewal of the culture or personality of the local church. This ties in with my view that pastors need to respect the personality of the church they serve. Rick Warren points out that if a pastor tries to start at stage four without there being the first three stages, there is a word for that kind of pastor: martyr!

He pointed out that it is easier to change the culture of a small church than a big church. Jesus loves us enough to meet us where we are. But He also loves us too much to leave us there! The number one way to change the culture of a local church is through preaching.

Stage 5 involves structural renewal. Jesus says that you cannot put new wine in old wineskins. Even as I write that, I realize that there is no one perfect pastor. Nor is there a perfect church. And, to date, there is no one perfect “mission” organizing or sending structure.

This–along with the other stages–is where the internet comes in. And that leads to a plan that is networking churches with churches around the world–the P.E.A.C.E. Plan, about which I hope to write about in my next post.