My definition of church success

When I’m asked how I know whether the NewSpring Web Campus is working, I’m not settling for any standard of success lower than this:

Everyone evangelizing.

Everyone pastoring.

Everyone discipling.

Everyone serving.

Everyone meeting needs.

That’s was the gist of my remarks at the end of Monday’s interview with Tony Morgan.

I guess you could say I was on a soapbox, again.

Here’s what got my dander up: All of us, me included, get so wrapped up in talk about the importance of community — and the new fake measurables of community, like friends, and fans and followers and comments — that we’re constantly in denial of how badly each of us, as the church, has really lived it day-to-day.

How much time do I spend every day really getting to know and love others? Is the other stuff I spend my time doing really more important? What does it say about my heart?

That’s right: Community is a heart condition.

You don’t see fruit for evangelism or discipleship, really, not with something as dangerous and explosive as the Gospel without real, honest-to-goodness, investment in the lives of other people. (And yes, that can happen online just as authentically as offline.)

Community is life on life. Many to Many.

Not few to many.

Not many to few.

Many to many.

And you can’t do that without the heart of Christ.

That’s a pretty good measuring stick, wouldn’t you say?

The fake community bubble is about to burst according to this and this social media guru.

Thank God. There’s less to distract us.

Now how do we get there?

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