The Monkey and the Fish

The Monkey and the Fish by Dave Gibbons. Grand Rapids: Zondervan (2009), 218 pp, $16.99 paper

Dave Gibbons builds a model of being and doing church that embraces global cultural blending and universal suffering, inviting church leaders to adopt a “Third Culture”. This vision soars off the page with J. J. Brazil’s brilliantly articulated forward before taking a nose-dive to preacher talk, charging the traditional church with the missional crime of cultural disengagement.

Gibbons describes the primary church culture in North America today as “First Culture”, that is, one ordered and understood through the dominant homogeneous culture. The “Second Culture” emerges in distinction of and opposition to First Culture, a counter-culture. Gibbons calls the Church to live among both the dominant and dominated cultures by embracing “a mindset and will to love, learn, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of pain and discomfort (p.38).”

Jesus is the incarnate Gospel and calls His followers to be salt and light in a world filled with pain and conflict. To Gibbons, “Third Culture” focuses outward, embraces diversity, and redefines norms. Third Culture churches, small by design, promote creativity in their focus to penetrate the world with compassionate service. The author advocates a question-driven ministry: Where is Nazareth? What is my pain? What is in my hand? Ministry aims to transcend the alleviation of suffering, rising to restore humanity to the sufferer.

The Monkey and the Fish illustrates this ministry approach with stories of transformation. Such communities have effectively reached into the art community, empowering new believers to use art as expressions of the Gospel. These churches have made impact among individuals in poverty, modeling how to be and do church by tangible reflections of God’s love and grace in action.

Reading this book lifts the reader’s awareness to “Matthew 25” ministries in expressing love for Jesus through serving others. Community mercy projects become more than simply helping others because “they” need it. We need it. Christian compassion is spiritual worship that restores those made in God’s own image to dignity to those serving and being served. Third Culture churches do represent one expression of church but (in my view) should not be confused as the expression of genuine community faith, as the book seems to suggest.

Hal Andre Bilbo, Missionary
Stanly Baptist Association
Albemarle, NC

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin. Publisher: Porfolio, 2008, 147 pp., $19.95

Tribes is a “must read” for today’s leader! You’re probably asking, “What in the world is a tribe and why in the world does it matter?” A tribe is a group of people who are connected to one another, with a leader and with an idea. It is human nature to belong to a tribe. Tribes come in all shapes and sizes. Tribes gather around many different ideas or causes, such as political, religious, social, business, consumer, ethnic, etc.

So what? How does understanding tribes help us in our ministries or congregations? In simple terms, knowing how tribes function, and how they need and respond to leadership, is an invaluable key for effective leadership. You might call it the secret to great leadership.

If the book does nothing else, it will make you think, really think. Tribes are about connections, the kind of connections that bring people together and connect them with a leader and with a cause bigger than the tribe itself. This sounds like what we hope happens in our local churches doesn’t it? Our goal is not just to gather a crowd every Sunday. It must be about connecting and communicating. As Godin points out, “A crowd is a tribe without a leader. A crowd is a tribe without communication.” What is missing many times in churches today is the depth of commitment and inter-connection between individuals. Gathering a crowd won’t get it! Assembling the Tribe will!

A tribe has three elements: a leader, a cause and fans (tribe members who are committed and engaged with the cause). Great tribes also have genuine connectedness built on consistent communication. There are tribes committed to protecting and preserving the status quo, and others on a mission bring about change. Can you guess which tribe is thriving and which is barely surviving?

In which of these two camps do you find your tribe (your church)? Is your congregation spending more of their time, energy and resources preserving the past or creating the future? If you desire to lead your church into the latter, you’ll want to read this book. The key to an exciting, effective tribe is leadership.

In fact, this book is more about leadership than tribes and movements. It is a book that encourages and stirs up potential leaders. Tribes can’t bring about change without leaders. In fact, they aren’t really a tribe without a leader. The secret of leading a tribe is simple. “Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.” We urgently need leaders today, leaders who care about change, about making a difference, and who are willing to gather a tribe and take them into the future.

Dr. Larry S. Doyle, Director of Missions
Piedmont Baptist Association
Greensboro, NC

ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church.

 

ReJesus:  A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church.  By Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost

Publisher, Hendrickson Publishers, 2009, pp. 204. $19.95 Paper back.

            Here is a frank, honest assessment of the Christian religion today in light of the biblical revelation of Jesus.  ReJesus is much more than just a catchy, or to some, offensive title.   It is an exploration of the connection, or lack of it, between the "way of Jesus" and the religion of Christianity as it has evolved over these 2000 plus years.  I think we could all agree that Christianity today is much different than the Christianity of Jesus’ day, or of the first three centuries.

Hirsch and Frost have written a book that is all about Jesus, about bringing Him back as the central core of discipleship, of congregational polity, of individual spirituality, of evangelism - in short, of every aspect of our lives as followers of Jesus.

Unlike the "quest for the historical Jesus" of the last century, this work is solidly based on a highly-respected view of the Scriptures.  The authors insist on returning to the primitive, original movement Jesus set in motion; a movement squarely based on the "wild and radical" life of Jesus during the first century.

            As the authors say, their desire is to "reJesus" the church - to bring everything back to the One who began the movement.  Readers are challenged to reinstate Jesus as the foundational center of their lives both individually and corporately, as a community of faith.   

"If the heart of Christian spirituality is to increasingly become like our founder, then an authentic comprehension of Jesus is critical."  It is this comprehension of Jesus that becomes the dominate theme of the entire book. 

While the book is not an "easy-read," it will challenge the reader to rethink what it means to be a "Christian" in the biblical sense of the word.  The book will challenge you to peel back the layers of tradition that, for far too long have hidden the real heart of our faith - Jesus. 

Personally, I loved the book.  But, of course, I'm a lot more missional in my thinking these days.  Whether or not you agree with everything presented in the book, you'll appreciate the desire to return to the historical roots of our faith.  It will compel you to wrestle with the meaning of Jesus outside of our cultural trappings. 

 

Dr. Larry S. Doyle

Director of Missions

Piedmont Baptist Association

Greensboro, NC