For sure, if this had not be "strongly suggested" to me, I would probably have not made it to page 151 which ended up being explosively interesting. This chapter was entitled "Extracting Truth from Dare". The scriptural emphasis was Matthew 16:25 (NKJV)25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
So we see the interesting words from Jesus. I had often wondered about Christ's paradoxial meaning but, along with other studies, this book addresses His words. The authors present the concept of "loss-aversion" which our churches often experience in order to maintain security, can cause a "static state of equilibrium or security [which] is actually a precursor to death." Based on Matthew 16:25, Frost & Hirsch tell us that "...if we could be freed from our aversion to loss, our whole outlook on risk would change. We would be free indeed." They are telling us that only love can empower us to overcome our loss-aversion and they may be on to something. Considering our present society, we should queue up to what is society's motivations concerning church and the church's motivation to respond to society - our neighbor's needs. The authors presented a guarantee: "...take people into mission, confront them with the risk of godly service, and they will be desperate for a biblical perspective on life."
The authors also addressed the age-old question of why our children grow up and leave the church. They present an interesting scenario of the "Nanny State" mentality that cushions our children as they grow - leaving little room for the adventures we experienced as children (riding in the back seat without a seatbelt, drinking water from the hose or jumping off a roof). They intimate that the thirst for adventure causes a rebellion in a young person going off to college. Should the church, through a controlled chaos, present adventure in mission, then our children could assess the choices effectively and continue to pursue their faith walk which includes an adventuresome attitude.
The role of leaders was also addressed in this chapter - from real, to good, to adaptive leaders. The authors stated that what is needed in our churches today is "leaders in church who are able to model a big-hearted, thick-skinned kind of spirituality that doesn't reject the rebels in their midst, but listens, discerns, and validates their legitimate and important perspectives. They are given to the church as much as the nurturers and systematizers have been - the church has everything it needs to get the job done..."
One good question was addressed: What would happen if society was prepared to value (risk-taking rebels) their behavior and listen to their "message"?
Business guru, Richard Pascale, was quoted on three guidelines:
1) design, don't engineer
2) discover, don't dictate
3) decipher, don't presuppose
These areas were interesting as well. This part offered a time of discernment on where a business guru and a pastor could meet eye-to-eye on church leadership. My interest was especially piqued by the Hawthorne Effect from General Electric's efforts to make a low-producing factory become one of the most productive in all their factories. The Hawthrone Effect tells us that locally developed and owned solutions have far greater effect than those imposed by external experts. This could be especially true for a Spirit-led church.
Summary: Abandon inherent loss-aversion - look for innovation, freshness and new insights from the Spirit. Take the risk!
