More Than Stone

Again, following are my notes and interpretation of the Q&A session with Rob Bell and Don Golden, the lead pastor of Mars Hill. Hereinafter referred to as RB and DG, respectively.

Question: There were a lot of questions how to put the body back together, how is it that leaders can prevent burnout and do something that is sustainable over the long term:

Answer: R.B. stressed the importance of Sabbath. He and his wife have been practicing Sabbath for several years and it has sustained him. Finding God in the everyday was also an important factor is sustainability. RB thinks that for those in an “up front” position, the stage can become addictive. Being up front is a rush that can cause the everyday-taking out the trash, making peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and the like, to become mundane. When those leaders in up front positions can only find God on the mountain, they may lose him at the base of the mountain, where we live our lives.

Question: How do you maintain a mega-church and keep it’s soul?

Answer: RB- “If you have doubts about the mega church, I have more. If you are cynical about the mega church, I’m more cynical.” Rob then went on to talk a bout how many things he did to try to thin out the crowds. After a time, he realized that this thing wasn’t going to go away, so he says that as long as this spotlight is on Mars Hill, he will use the platform to draw as much attention as he can to the poor and oppressed.

Question: We are at an affluent church, we don’t really know any poor or oppressed people. How can we move in that direction?

Answer: DG “If you don’t know any poor or oppressed people-I would suggest you shake in your boots. Do you even know Jesus? Go find Jesus where He is always found-among the poor and oppressed-you need to get through the eye of the needle.”
NOTE: This is my best paraphrase of Don Golden’s response. It may not be completely accurate, but I think I caught most of the words and definitely the spirit of what he said pretty accurately.

Question: What’s with not having a sign for the church outside?

Answer: RB– You’re here, you obviously found it, didn’t you? Mars Hill is not a church; it’s an old mall, a gathering place. We tell the kids –RUN!- this isn’t a church; it’s an old mall. The church is out there, not here. We tend to introduce people to Jesus and then tell them to be involved—come to this event or that event, serve on this committee, attend that bible study. Before you know it, they are at the church building 3, 4 or 5 times a week. The current church model we have in the US extracts people from their community and the world at large.

Question: There were also a lot of questions about function and mission.
Answer: From DG

3 Questions for your church

1. Who is Jesus among you? What does it mean to be Jesus here, in this place?
2. Why is Jesus here, in this community? Why did Jesus come to town?
3. How do we organize ourselves around those answers?

Technorati Tags: Mars+Hill, Isn’t+She+Beautful, Rob+Bell