John Piper on “Prosperity Gospel”

Transcript:

I don’t know what you feel about the prosperty gospel; the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. But I’ll tell you what I feel about it; hatred.

It is not the gospel. It is being exported from this country to Africa and Asia. Selling a bill of goods to the poorest of the poor, “Believe this message, your pigs won’t die. Your wife won’t have miscarriages. You’ll have rings on your fingers and coats on your back.” That’s comin’ out of America!

The people that out to be giving our money and our time and our lives, instead selling them a bunch of crap called “gospel.” And here’s the reason that it is so horrible. When was the last time that any American, African, Asian ever said, “Jesus is all-satisfying because you drove a BMW?” Never!

They’ll say, “Did Jesus give you that?” Yeah, “Well I’ll take Jesus!” That’s idolatry, that’s not the gospel. That’s elevating gifts above giver.

I’ll tell you what makes Jesus look beautiful. It’s when you smash your car and your little girl goes flying through the windshield and lands, like I was with a little girl on 11th Ave two weeks ago; dead on the street for three hours before the police could let her go. And you say, through the deepest possible pain…

“God is enough, God is enough.”

“He is good. He will take care of us. He will satisfy us. He will get us through this. He is our treasure”

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And on Earth there is nothing that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart and my little girl may fail, but you are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

THAT makes God look glorious, as GOD, not as giver of cars or safety or health.

Oh how I pray that Birmingham would be purged of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel, indeed America would be purged and that the Christian church…would be marked by suffering for Christ.

God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him in the midst of loss, not prosperity.

Paul Washer on False Hope

Transcript:

I am going to preach a message tonight that has angered many many church men.

It seems we would rather hold on to a false hope, than to hear the truth.

I hear people all over the world, especially in this county tell me that they’re saved and I ask them, how do they know that they’re saved. Well, because they believe. How do you know that you believe? “Well I know in my heart of hearts that I am saved. ” The bible says that the heart is deceitfully wicked. Do you really want to trust a heart that can be wicked?

Examine yourselves. Take the word of God and what the word of God says about a true Christian and if you fall short of the test..repent and believe.

One of the greatest evidences a person is truly a child of God is that they will be sensitive to the sin in their life and they will be led to repentance and confession of that sin. If you don’t have a new relationship with sin, you don’t have a new relationship with God. Let me ask you a question; when was the last time you wept over your sin? We’re not talking about whether or not you need to rededicate your life or not. We’re talking about whether or not you need to get saved.

Do you tremble at His word or do you look for loopholes around it?

Here stands God on the day of creation, He looks at stars and He says, “All you stars, move yourself to this place and start in this order and move in a circle and move exactly as I tell you until I give you another word” and they all obey Him. “Planets pick yourself up and whirl. Make this formation at my command, until I give you another word.” He looks at mountains and says, “Be lifted up” and they obey Him. He tells valleys, “Be cast down” and they obey Him. He looks at the sea and says, “You will come this far” and the sea obeys. And then He looks at you and says “Come” and you go “NO!”

Does anybody have a problem with that?

The greatest evidence that you’re a Christian is the fact that right now you’re in the word and God’s pointing out to you your sin. We have assurance that we have come to know Him, not just because one time we repented, but we are continuing to repent today. And it is not just that at one time we believe, but that we are continuing to believe today. And it is not just that one time we walked with Him; we continue to walk with Him today.

One of the signs of a Christian is that they are not entrapped or enslaved to the things of this present evil age, but they are set free to see Christ in His glory and follow Him and follow hard after Him.

How do you know that you believe?

Regrettably, I think at different times I’ve been guilty of every single item on this list. Are you holding back community?

Here’s the first five…

1. Keep Conversations Short
2. Always sit in your “assigned” seat
3. Avoid New People
4. Come in Late
5. Leave immediately after the service (or early)

See the rest of the list and Adam’s commentary at 10 Ways to Avoid Building Community Within the Church .

I want to let you in on a little secret; I’m a sinner. I know, you’re shocked. It indeed pains me to shatter your pristine perception of me, but it’s true. I sin frequently; daily; probably hourly. Most days I break the law by speeding. I curse too much and pray too little. I too often neglect my health and my neighbor. There is unforgiveness in my heart for past wrongs. I am prideful of my intellect and covetous of others’ athleticism. Technology is too often an idol and I struggle to be a good steward of God’s finances in my life. I’m simultaneously liberal and legalistic. Hopefully I haven’t scared you off, as I just wanted to be a bit transparent before I dive into the heart of the matter.

People are messy and ministry is messy. To my next pastor, I’m already praying for you, cause I got issues.

Dear Christian: We Love You Conditionally

In the past few days, I’ve sat down with two different pastors to learn about their churches. Each time we came around to what makes a church “family”. For me, it boils down to one thing: unconditional love. Not fluffy, huggy, plastic smiles and “I’m fine” fake love. But more of a “let me hold your hair while you vomit” kind of love. A love that is solid and can be counted on. A love that can comfort and a love that will discipline when necessary.

All my mentioned messiness above is just a portion of that which is unspoken. My youthful past and pre-christian adulthood are even worse. Twenty-five years of running away, debauchery and a general disregard for consequence. But throughout all of it, I knew who my family was, where home was, and that they and it were always welcoming to me. Their love comforted and disciplined.

We so often use the term “church home” and “christian family” yet most people in most churches are strangers to one another. I honestly believe that most church-goers don’t desire to know one another. At least not the true person. The pristine veneer, sure. The sinner, absolutely not. Because they too are a sinner and they fear their fellow churchgoer would shun them if their sin was revealed, just as they shun others. Sadly, that is often the case.

Even beyond our current sin, it’s amazed me how often one is shunned for past sin. God has done an amazing work drawing me out of the unrepentant lifestyle I used to live and I am humbled to share my testimony with people that it may somehow glorify Him. But many Christians I’ve met recoil when they hear it. Not because they hate hearing about sin, but rather because someone in their midst lived that kind of life. Suddenly I am under suspicion for the life I used to lead, before I was reworked by God. If the church can’t love someone who has been cleansed by God’s grace, how can they love someone who hasn’t?

Dear Seeker: Get Clean, Then Visit

Men smarter and more eloquent than I have written volumes on loving, reaching and serving those that don’t know Christ. Libraries are filled with books on evangelical methodologies and programs. We have Romans Road and the Evangecube, but we too often lack mercy.

Five years ago I hated the homeless and I could spend 30 minutes enumerating the reasons. Along with the homeless, we can add alcoholics, drug-users, and the lowest-income groups. Then I started going to church where I was told to love them. Well, at least act like I love them so they will want to know Jesus and clean up their life. It took Jesus wrecking and rebuilding my heart for me to actually learn to love them, without motive. God placed me in leadership with a homeless ministry and the object of my hatred became that of my mercy and love.

Of course the financially least among us are often the easiest to show mercy towards. It seems so much harder when it’s the rich flamboyant gay neighbor or the middle-class mother with 3 kids by 3 dads who changes boyfriends seasonally. When’s the last time they got invited to your backyard cookout?

I shudder to think of the pain the church inflicts as it looks down it’s long pious nose, expecting our neighbors to change first and be loved by us second. If our love is genuine and active, oh how the light will shine.

1. Pursue me : Being pursued by a church can be either helpful or scary. The helpful form is for a church to be responsive and to make a genuine effort to connect. The scary form of pursuit is when it turns into stalking. Churches will spend thousands of dollars to send a missionary around the world or for a local marketing campaign, but don’t return an email from a seeker or follow-up with an attender who’s absent from activities. If someone shows interest in Christ and the church, go after them. If someone is already part of your church, don’t let them fall to the wayside.
2. Take me out to eat : An excellent idea if I ever heard one. Both pastors I met with in the last week offered to buy me lunch. I took one of them up on it. A good conversation over the breaking of bread is a lost art. At minimum in my last church anyone that requested info we’d offer to take out for coffee.
3. Ask about my story and show genuine interest : The few pastors I’ve met recently have done a pretty decent job of wanting to know my story, at least as it related to my church background. What was missing was a genuine interest in my whole story, not just the part that applied to their context.
4. Find out how I’m really doing and pray for me : “I’m good” is the most frequent lie out of people’s mouths, especially on Sundays. Search your heart; do you really care how someone is doing? Are you prepared if instead of “things are good” someone says “my life is falling apart”? Don’t let me get away with “I’m fine”. If I share a prayer need, pray for me right then and there. Ask me to do the same for you.
5. Show interest in my hobbies : Knowing how someone chooses to spend their free time can be immensely useful. Is their hobby something others in the church share that would allow for connections to develop? People tend to exercise skills in hobbies they may not otherwise get to use. Those skills can likely also benefit the church.  You don’t know if you don’t ask.
6. Help me get involved and see that I do : As someone who started volunteering at age 11, I frequently lament to my friends the difficulty in getting involved. Most churches or non-profits I’ve contacted, who are begging for volunteers, absolutely drop the ball on getting me connected. Having managed volunteers in a couple different organizations, this is indeed a continuing struggle. People do want to make a difference, make it easy for them to do so.
7. Seek my input : After I attended church on Sunday the pastor took me out for lunch and asked me to tell him everything I’d change about his church if I had a year to recreate it into an outward-focused church. Now I’m not suggesting you ask that question of all your visitors. It was a bold and humble step for this man who is working hard to revitalize a small waning church. However, you can provide a culture where people in the church are comfortable providing input on how church is “done” and how the city is being reached. If you do so, I assure you that you’ll reap positive results.
8. Invite me to hang out with your friends : This suggestion by Andy stood out to me above all others. One of the many buzzwords in the church is “relationship”. One of the most lacking things in churches today is relationship. Life is best lived in community and one cannot be sharpened or sharpen another in isolation. Don’t just send someone off to a connection class, invite them into your life.
9. Tell me your story and how God transforms : As much as I love to share my story and testimony, I also want to hear yours. Knowing how God has transformed your life gives me hope about how he can transform mine. It is very easy to insulate oneself in leadership from sharing. But having a two-way dialog is the difference between friendship and counseling.
10. When I’m sick, check up on me : Most people I hang out with (guys 20-35) aren’t going to take you up on an offer of assistance if they are sick. Still I call just to make sure they are alive and see if they need anything. Being sick is no fun and it’s even worse when no one seems to care. Just whatever you do, don’t offer assistance that you aren’t sincerely and happily willing to provide.

All of these together boil down to one simple message: Show That You Care.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.‘

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Jesus goes on to tell the “righteous” who call him “Lord“, but do none of these things, they “are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Up until recently the thing that was most striking to me about this story was that the cursed proclaimed Jesus as Lord. They are even called “the righteous”. We see this clearly explained to us in James 2 and the mantra that “faith without works is dead“.

But what may be even more striking is the personal nature of the mandate. “YOU gave me something to eat..YOU gave me something to drink…YOU invited me in…YOU clothed me…YOU looked after me..YOU came to visit me.” As Jesus looks upon the peoples of all nations separated to His right and left, He tells those on His right “YOU” did these things I have commanded and here is “YOUR” reward. I’ve never really doubted the personal nature of the command; that each of us is to do these things. But how? Honestly God? Each of us is to visit people in prison? Each of us is to nurse the sick? Can’t I just donate money to someone somewhere to do these things? Isn’t feeding the hungry and nursing the sick the job of welfare and Medicaid? It’s my tax dollars paying for it. So I’m good right?

In his book Irresistable Revolution, Shane Claiborne writes:

I’m just not convinced that Jesus is going to say, “When I was hungry, you gave a check to the United Way and they fed me,” or, “When I was naked, you donated clothes to the Salvation Army and they clothed me.” Jesus is not seeking distant acts of charity. He seeks concrete acts of love: “you fed me, you visited me, you welcomed me, you clothed me.

Nor am I convinced He is going to say to me, “When I was hungry, you organized a food drive and collected canned goods and non-perishables, donated by people who paradoxically proclaim my name, yet shunned me on the street, then you gave those to the regional food pantry to redistrubute to organizations that programatically and dispassionately fed me. Way to go, here’s your inheritence.”

There is more likelihood of me hearing, “When I was hungry, there was a time when you fed me, you welcomed and encouraged me, sat with me, prayed with me and hugged me as a brother, but then you changed. You grew distant. Even though you knew where to find me, you did not come. Suddenly it had become too inconvenient and uncomfortable. From a distance you donated out of your abundance. You spoke diplomatically and proudly about how you were making a difference in the lives of ‘the poor.’ You developed programs and implemented practices that assured a safe barrier from having to personally and radicaly love and serve me. You chose observation over obedience and detachment over devotion.”

I honestly don’t know if the mandate is for every Christ-follower to do each of these things. Perhaps the intention is that as a community, as one body, these things are being attended to in a personal and compassionate way. That there is a unified purpose and servanthood. We know that some are called towards certain areas and away from others. The apostles recognized it wasn’t right for them to wait tables, because they knew it would neglect their ministry duty. But within their community they made certain it was done. The body was united and fulfilling it’s purpose in Christ. They were never detached from the real needs of people or distant from seeing them met.

Even though I have never been without a home and a bed to sleep in, there was a time when I knew poverty and hunger and the guilt and desperation of having to steal to eat. There was a time not so long ago, where God broke through my snobbery and comfort to bring me into friendship and closeness with the homeless, the afflicted, with prostitutes and drunkards. It was during this time, after my heart had warmed, that my eyes were opened to the truth of my own absent earthly father and his last years filled with homelessness and alcoholism. Then I disconnected into that distant and diplomatic place. Into a mindset where the “least of these” are a demographic inconvenience best “dealt with” from afar.

Elsewhere I read someone lamenting about how the rich drop off things they don’t need to be sorted and given to needy individuals who feel entitled to them. Neither ever coming in contact with one another; neither ever being transformed. Each walking away with a sense of pride for what they have done or what they have received.

Most of us feel a warm fuzzy when we pull our cars up to the convenient and overflowing Salvation Army dumpster at K-Mart, depositing our ill-fitting and out-of-fashion clothes. We silently praise ourselves when we write that bigger-than-normal check to that distant charity helping those kids somewhere, because we really feel the pain and sacrifice of having to wait until next month to get that new gadget.

Are these types of giving in themselves wrong? Yes, if we are fooling ourselves that they are all that is necessary. Jesus, during his time in flesh having nowhere himself to rest his head, requires more of us. He requires “concrete acts of love” that are engaging and personal. If we are already living out Matthew 25 locally, daily, and relationally, then by all means let us send support elsewhere and in every way. If we are not, then we stand on the left, confused goats proclaiming with our mouths and forsaking through our inaction.

While dining out the other night with my friend Frank, the two tables next to us were both occupied by a mother and a child. The table nearest to us, the mother was gabbing on her mobile phone the entire time. The young boy, probably 7, ate quietly, staring up at the TV on the wall. At the other table, a mother sat reading a newspaper, while the young girl, probably 8 or 9, ate quietly, staring up at the TV on the wall.

The mother on the phone was quite loud, rather animated and I could hear the entirety of her half of the conversation with a girlfriend, about the girlfriend’s boyfriend. The old Joshua would have been extremely annoyed. Honestly, my thought process would have been something like “ugh, I wish that heifer would just shut the hell up and stop disrupting my dinner, I can’t even carry a conversation because of her shrill tone poisoning my thoughts”. The other mother I would have not even noticed. However, that was me before God wrecked my thought life.

This time, my heart broke. I sat there, ready to weep for those kids and their inattentive moms and absent dads. Honestly, the children may as well have not even existed. The look on the young boy’s face was blank, glazed over by the flicker of the TV screen, his body folded and withdrawn. Sporadically he’d glance up longingly to his mother, who never noticed and never looked at him. The young girl, older and bolder, would try and strike up conversation with her newspaper- reading mom, only to be met with a terse response that didn’t even warrant eye contact. After two or three attempts, defeated, she tried no more. Instead consoling her grief with animated antics on a television too distant to hear.

Similar scenes played themselves out all across this casual buffet restaurant with parents and children in various compositions and various levels of distance, far greater than a table’s width. I prayed for these kids and their families. I prayed for all the kids in my city who lived distant from their parents’ affection and involvement.

At the other end of the restaurant sat a lone gay man. Too often I struggle to view homosexuals with love and compassion. We exist in a time where the two loudest public voices are either “accept and affirm”, which I cannot, or “vilify and condemn”, which I will not. Both extremes and both unbiblical. Most often my reaction is one of slight disgust and indifference. That night, I simply felt sad for him. Again I prayed.

Now please don’t be misled. There are plenty of times I get annoyed at people and lack the compassion and love I’m called to. There are plenty of times I fall so short and choose to be indignant, when the situation calls for consideration. I have confessed it so many times, yet full repentance alludes me still.

However, on this night, compassion trickled out of me. I pray for the day when its deluge inundates me and my eyes are incapable of seeing people as inconveniences. The day when my heart knows no response except to recognize each person as someone for whom Christ loved enough to die and as someone that deserves the same love and honor I invest in myself.

During this period, James 4:17 was my mantra. “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” Even with something as clear cut as this scenario (the guy confessed to me), there were many times I just wanted to walk away. But every phone call or conversation, revealed a deeper threat. First we thought this was a first and limited to inapproapriate online chat. Then the realization of past behavior. So I alerted his church and local police authorities. The end, right? Then the revelation he was trying to immigrate to the US to work in a church setting. That’s when the state department and a foreign lord high police something or other got involved. This was a month-long process and at every juncture roadblocks where put up in my path to prevent me from reaching empowered people who could act.

In the end he was removed from his role with children in the local church, but there was insufficient evidence to charge him, as there were no witnesses to his past behavior, and he was allowed entrance to the US where I think he now works in some sort of media ministry. It’s a hard reality to accept that we can do what is right and good and yet things still turn out so wrong. I still wonder sometimes if I did all that I could. My only hope is that he has experienced true confession and repentance.

I share this story because over the last few weeks I’ve been thinking about James 4:17. The situation I shared was an extreme example that left little room for doubt about what action needed to be taken. But what about when the dilemma is a friend who’s just being an idiot and ruining his life? Or a parent who is running head-first into hell? Or a boss who’s great in business, but disrespects his wife and kids at company functions? What if the situation is your life and you just wish someone had the guts and love to tell you that you’re screwing up? Doesn’t anyone notice? You try and stop a child molestor and people applaud you. Try and stop a friend or co-worker from ruining their life or someone else’s and you’re a pompous meddling jerk.

Plus we have that whole speck/plank thing. What right do I have to tell a friend that his language is disrespectful and tears down, when I have a reputation for being snappy with retail employees that answer yes/no questions with expository monologues? Why should you listen to a friend revelling in sexual sin who thinks you drink too much? Who does that neighbor think she is spouting the virtues of Christ when her teenage daughter has the reputation of an unrepentant Mary Magdalene?

We cannot let imperfection be the stumbling block that keeps us from doing what is right and reaching out to the people around us. There are all kinds of tricky and messy situations in life and our culture has unfortunately decided to take a live and let live, or rather a sin and let sin attitude. In following posts I’ll take a deep look at the struggles of doing what is right and share scripture and methods that have helped me.

[note: The nature of the opening story that I mentioned was a huge over-simplification. I simply ask that you not let your mind wander to what you think should or could have been done, or why this or that. There were so many more factors and so much more done, than I care to share or ethically would. ]

I know, change can be quite scary. In the church, it is can even be downright divisive. There are an astonishing number of church splits that come about not because of the preservation of Biblical truth, but rather because someone dared change a much-beloved and all-to-ineffective tradition.

As part of a church planting team, I’m not faced with the choking weight of decades of organizational tradition. However, many newcomers bring “tradition baggage” with them. These are the notions of how church should be done because that’s how their old church did it, even if the Bible doesn’t say it. So while I try to be sensitive to this, my main concern is helping to lay a solid and biblical foundation for this new church. Unfortunately, as with any new thing, we don’t always (if rarely) get it right on the first go.

Accessing the Need for Change

So how do I know when to advocate for change? There are four questions I ask:

1. Foundation: Are we structured and developing in a way that supports God’s vision for this church, that is sustainable, and scalable?
2. Function: Are we modeling appropriate Biblical roles and actions (through servant leadership), building a culture of discipleship (Great Commission) and fulfilling our call to servanthood?
3. Flavor: Are we using techniques and language that are understandable, relatable and relevant to those God has called us to reach and partner with?
4. Fruit: Are we witnessing positive life change, a deepening of community, an increase in discipleship, the fruit of obedience and healthy church growth?

These four questions are applied to any and every aspect of our developing church and if the answer is ever no, then change must be prayerfully considered. The hard part is knowing what to change, when and how. This takes a lot of discernment, prayer, fasting, good counsel, more prayer and often lots of trial and error.

Exception 1: No Reflex Change

I’ve come to realize that change isn’t always necessary despite appearances. There have been seasons where things felt stagnant, no one seemed to be connecting, growth was nonexistent. Over the last year we have indeed experienced periods where the visible fruit did not meet our expectations, but through prayer and discernment our eyes were opened to the fruit being born in other ways. For example, there was strengthening in our core group, even when public gatherings felt anemic. That’s why I said earlier that “change must be considered”, rather than automatically enacted. Also change takes time to bear results. I still struggle to wait patiently for God-driven change to bear fruit. But I know, if God has guided a change to take place, it will bear fruit. Sometimes however, that fruit is simply the wisdom of a lesson learned.

Exception 2: Change for Challenge

While we are told to “be content in all things” we are never told to expect comfort. In fact the opposite is true. Sometimes the answer can be yes to all four “F” questions, and yet, something is amiss; comfort has set in. Whereas the world seeks comfort in almost all things, as a Christ-follower I am skeptical of it. Comfort breeds complacency, which breeds traditionalism, which breeds religion, which breeds legalism, which…well you get the idea. I’m not talking about change for the sake of change, but rather “change for the sake of challenge”. This is the riskiest and scariest type of change and often the most profound and fruitful. Sometimes it’s necessary to “mix things up” for no other reason than to defend against complacency. The best advise I have to offer on this is to look past the big picture and really evaluate in detail where change may in fact be needed. Being able to show people specific areas needing change is always preferable over changing when no one thinks it’s needed. But if you really find the need to change for challenge, pray, fast, fast, pray, fast, pray and then have someone try and talk you out of it.

1. The Blind and Ignorant
   This group is oblivious to the fact that it takes actual people to do God’s work. They don’t see the needs in the Church, they ignore the calls for involvement and the concept that each person has a role to play doesn’t even register.
   Summary: See no needs, fill no needs.
2. The Aware and Apathetic
   Next we have those that see specific needs that are going unfilled or at least have an idea that it takes involved people to do God’s work, but they simply don’t care to be a part of it. This is often because they don’t feel that they should have to. They think serving is what pastors and other people are for.
   Summary: See Needs, Don’t Care
3. The Caring and Uncertain
   At this level individuals recognize that it takes people to do God’s work and they somehow want to be a part of it, but they don’t see their role or how their skills or abilities could make a difference. They aren’t likely to offer to help and even if approached, they may refuse for fear of failure. This is the group with the greatest untapped potential.
   Summary: Caring, but clueless (how to help)
4. The Conveniently Involved
   This is the first level of serving. This group wants to be a part of ministry and will give of their time when it’s convenient and perfectly matches their skills. While they may feel a conviction to support the local church and God’s work through it, they can’t be bothered with regular serving or anything that requires commitment or discomfort.
   Summary: Up for easy one-off involvement
5. The Regular Rigid
   So long as they are in a specific role that they want, that they feel makes them look good, that is comfortable and doesn’t require challenge, this group will serve week in and week out forever. Change or challenge could send them packing. This is unfortunately a large segment of active volunteers in some churches. They’re doing it, but for the wrong reasons.
   Summary: Dedicated, under perfect conditions
   
6. The Flexible Faithful
   Individuals in this group will do whatever is needed, whenever it’s needed. If they see it as part of advancing the kingdom, they don’t care what it is, just set them loose. This is a good group to look for cross-ministry leaders. Unfortunately, they are few and often hard to recognize, because they don’t usually stand out in a specific area.
   Summary: Will serve anytime, anywhere, in any way
7. The Servant Specialists
   This group is filled with individuals that have answered the call to a specific ministry. They may be wisely hesitent about serving long-term outside of their calling, but are flexible in the short-term and open to challenge and growth. Most ministry-specific leaders will be raised from this group.
   Summary: Faithfully serving in specific calling
   
8. The Servant Leaders
   Servant Leaders are gifted in leadership, know and use their other gifts, serve in response to a specific calling, model Christian discipleship and are discipling others by example. They are also flexible faithful when needed. This classification could apply to any role within the church, whether senior pastor or a member of the grounds crew.
   Summary: Actively modeling servant leadership
   

Of course these categorizations are not hard and fast rules. There may be people who are “regular rigid” in one area on Sunday’s and “conveniently involved” otherwise. Or someone who is “conveniently flexible”, serving as needed when it works for them. There may even be people who are “flexible faithful” not because they really get it, but because they are trying to work their way to Heaven.

Also, while it may seem like the levels are more “preferred” as the numbers increase, I would consider 6, 7 & 8 on equal footing. It really boils down to gifts, calling and situation. In fact sometimes if you just have “flexible faithfuls” for a particular situation, then a “regular rigid” could be an answered prayer, because they know the specific ministry inside and out. Additionally, I didn’t mention tithing in the levels because I don’t believe it directly correlates.

Perchance you’re curious, I would classify myself as a “flexible servant leader”. While I am gifted in leadership, in a leadership position, aware and using my gifts, I have not received a specific calling (role) within this church, other than that I’m to support the vision through creative leadership. So for now, as lay staff, that means I’m involved in just about everything, serving at the discretion of the pastor as needed.