Missional Leadership and Business Ethics

Hey friends,


  Amanda and I are enjoying some time with family in Ohio!  We have also dodged a few tornadoes and got to catch up with some of Amanda's High School friends who are super cool.  I even had a bunch of fun jamming with some of Amanda's old band-mates!


   This blog is about money and the flow of it in and out of church families.  This is always a touchy subject because most folks don't want to talk about money.  I thought and prayed about whether to bring up this topic and came to the conclusion it was pretty important and that this post might make a little difference in my sphere of friendship.  I believe that money is only an uncomfortable subject to talk about if you are embarrassed.  We generally get embarrassed about it for 3 reasons:  1.  We are embarrassed about how much we have (lots or little)  2.  We are embarrassed about how we procure it    3.  We are embarrassed about how we spend it.  Its also worth noting that sometimes we SHOULD be embarrassed about one of these 3 categories and are not because of ignorance or sin.  Regardless of where each of us currently stands, how we spend money is generally a good indicator of what we care about most.   I have found that this is not only true of individuals but also of organizations like churches too.


   Churches exist to fulfill the great commandment:  Love God and love people.  Often times, money is a helpful tool to do this.  The Bible teaches that Christians are to bring tithes and offerings to the church so that it may be used for ministry.  Churches use money to do different things.  Regardless if a church is 5,000 or 50, the deciding factor on how money is allocated should be "how do the funds we have been entrusted with functionally help us to love God and love people well".  


   Because every follower of Jesus Christ is a missionary and every church family is a missionary organization, every aspect of life, every word spoken, every moment spent, and every dollar invested is a proclamation of to whom we live for and who we trust.  This means people, and church families, need to speak, spend, and live well to the Glory of God and the good of people.  


   I know some church families that have a high level of accountability in these areas and go to great lengths to filter everything through the great commandment.  However, I have honestly seen a lot of failures over the years.  Strangely enough these failures haven't been the kind that make the news like embezzlement or something.  They have been "little"acts of dishonesty or greed.


   If you are a church leader responsible for sub-contracting labor, it is your responsibility to use church funds well.  Often times this is looked at as arguing down a contractor to the cheapest price to the Glory of God.  Its a noble desire to save the church family money but one must count the cost of doing so.  In the name of "being a good steward" I have seen church leaders pay sub-contractors sub par wages.  A lot of contractors are happy to get in a bid due to the poor economy and will take the job anyway right now.  Refusing to pay them a fair market value hurts their families and is a silent testimony that "we care more about our needs than your family's":   This is not loving people.  Its impossible to love God fully and treat people this way.  


    Paying contractors a fair wage is important.  Its also important to pay them on time.  Smart business contracts have clearly defined expectations, deadlines, and compensation.  When a contractor meets his end of the bargain the church needs to meet theirs.  I have often encountered an attitude among church leaders that when it comes to "business" they are some sort of exception to the rule.  Churches are not only required to honor contracts by law but also because the way they handle business is a testimony to the community and other business leaders that thy love Jesus and because of that, value integrity, character, and people:  one of the primary ways we worship Jesus is by valuing and caring for people!  Church leaders and churches should set the standard for ethical business practices.  When a contractor is not paid on time or paid unfairly, he may be unable to pay his bills on time and feed his family especially in today's economy.  You can be sure that when a creditor calls him to account he won't be able to use "I'm sorry that church I did the dry wall for had a low offering last week and its summer so they are in a hard spot anyway." as an excuse for why he can't pay up........neither should we as church leaders.  If you are a church doing a building project or putting on a big event, you need to have the amount set aside to pay in full before you begin.  Jesus even told a parable about this once.  If you can't afford to get something done and pay fairly for it, Jesus is not calling you to do it.  Jesus is not about screwing over one group of people to help another.......thats not integrity.  


      Its also worth noting that just because a guy that does framing or sheet rock or is a plumber goes to your church, it doesn't mean he should do any amount of labor for your church family for free:  this is how he provides for his family.  I was once sharing the gospel with a contractor and ended up inviting him to church.  He was not so much against the idea of Jesus and worshiping him but really didn't want to go to church.  When I asked him why, he said it was because every church he went to in the past had always hit him up for a bunch of free work.  Some church leaders hit contractors up for free or heavily discounted work with whom they don't even have a relationship.  Doing this may result in shaving some serious money off of your building project but pushing a soul away from the kingdom of God!  Some contractors have told me they believe they will be able to go to heaven on the merit of dollars and time they have invested into houses of worship.  This is not the gospel and we have got to share some of the responsibility for this dangerous false assumption.  


   Similar problems arise between the church and service industry .  Many of my friends who wait tables hate to wait tables on Sunday.  They claim that "church people" consistently tip poorly or not at all and that this goes for pastors too.  I recall delivering pizzas once to a big event a large downtown church was holding in a civic center.  As a manager I took care of the whole order and gave them a very deep discount because I believed in their outreach event, even though I was not a member of their church.  Their order total should have been somewhere around $350.  I was able to get it done for a little over $200.  When I delivered all the pizzas, the pastor smiled and gave me a $5 dollar tip.  Thats 2.5% on $200!  In the restaurant and pizza delivery world 10% and is considered a pretty bad tip.


   During our time of transition Amanda and I are doing all kinds of odd jobs.  We are thankful for the work.  However, now being "sub-contractors" has shown us some real problems the church has relating to people.  The other day Amanda received a sealed envelope with her check in it for playing at a church event (a church we don't normally frequent).  When we opened the envelope later that evening it was half the agreed upon amount.  I have had this happen to me several times before when I have played "homecomings" or "revivals" for small country churches when I was a college student at BCF.  Right now I'm also still out a few hundred dollars from another church I provided music for recently.  Jesus has been very kind to us and is providing for our needs, largely through the generosity of faithful churches like First Methodist Samson and The Dothan Vineyard who employ us and faithfully honor the agreements we have made together.  Its a blessing to serve such great folks and their faithfulness in business is a testimony to their relationship with Jesus and their love for people. 


  The point I am making is this:  the way we spend our money is a testimony to what we care about most.  A church that cares most about people will not always get the best deal, but they will make the most impact for the Kingdom of God.  A church that cares deeply about people will honor contracts and pay them out in a timely fashion because they know that this has an effect on the people they hired to do the job.  


   So if you are a follower Jesus, a church leader, Christian business leader, or contractor, do your job well, tip well, pay well, love well, worship well!  The world will see how much you care about people by the way you treat them.


   So what are some ways you have been able to care for people in the way you conduct business?  Where do you draw the line when "getting a deal", "being a good steward", and paying a fair wage?  How does quality of service affect your tipping?  Do you tip bad waiters (why or why not)?


  Gods Peace
   +walker

Preacher Boy

  Some years ago I played a gig with my friends Andrew and Adam on the lawn of a small church in front of a highway in Florida.   We were billed as "the preacher boys" for some reason haha........a few people showed up to eat fried chicken, but mostly people just seemed to be confused about what we where trying to accomplish, passing by with looks of strange consternation.  All in all it was kind of a lame experience but still fun hanging out with those two crazy guys!  Andrew was the only one that "preached" that day.  I never really wanted to preach because growing up, "preaching" was something my mom did when I was in trouble.......it seemed like "preaching" was something you did to someone who "deserved it" and would do their best not to find themselves in that situation again.


  Five years later I've found myself a "preacher boy" again.  This time around I'm not always just singing.  Sometimes I talk to folks.  Sometimes there is a mic involved.  I hope what I am saying resonates with the folks I'm speaking to.  I wonder where this gift will intersect with my life and the ministry Jesus does through me.  As of right now I'm not totally sure what to make of it.  I want my words to be the kinds of things that help to strengthen the faith of my friends and offer hope to the down and out.  I hope that Jesus will make a difference with my words. I really love words and I want to use them for His glory.


  So, bellow are some things I've spoken about in the last year or so.  Would you pray for me as I work through the dude and minister Jesus is forming in me?


  Do you find yourself speaking into people's lives?  How did it all begin?  Did you ever think you would find yourself in this place?


    Gods Peace
     +walker

"Listen to the preacher"   

 

How to fast like a hypocrite   

   

Repentance  

Q+ A (The Problem of Evil?  Modern day prophets?) 

      

Worship (Bring it)   

A re-write examined

Hello Folks,

  One of the things I care deeply about is song writing.  Songs are special because they can convey ideas, beauty, and emotion.  These are the things in life that can only be truly conveyed by good art.  As artists we should always be after an expression in its purest and most beautiful form.

  Because art is often such an emotional expression, its easy for an artist to create, admire, and leave it alone.  However, truly beautiful art, often takes a lot of crafting and reworking to get it into its purest form.  This is even more so the case when the artist creates to move beyond expression alone to the realm of communication.

   I recall sending some copies of very raw song lyrics to a mentor of mine; expressions written out of a very formative and emotional time in my life.  My friend graciously thanked me for sharing my heart with him and then asked me what my purpose in writing was:  to express myself, to communicate, or both?  My first thought was that I wanted to express myself, but secondly to help others learn from the pain I went through:  to write something they could identify with.  My third thought was that I wanted songwriting to be a career path.   "Ah, well if that is the case, we have a long way to go" he replied.  Huh?  What a jerk!  Who was he to judge my expression, after all it came out of such a painful time in my life!

  My friend was kind enough to endure the quick temper of a 22 yr old dude with a smart mouth and a lot to learn.  I am glad he did because I learned a lot from what he said next.  "There are a lot of people who work really hard for a living.  People dig ditches everyday in the heat and barely make enough money to make ends meet.  If they don't dig the ditch right, they have to start over and work at it till the job is done well."  "So, you can't expect to just write down a bunch of stuff that comes out of an emotional time and just leave it.  You have to work at it.  You have to dig the ditch right, because its not just about how you feel anymore its about God using how you feel to affect people's lives.  People need songs that help them put words to their life experiences and emotions and they deserve our best.  You know I once heard someone say a good song doesn't make someone say "man I never thought of that before", it makes them say "I have been thinking about that my whole life but have never been able to put it into words; thank you".

  Since that conversation my songs have not been the same.  I want my lyrics and music to connect, to express, to teach, and to offer hope.  Crafting thoughts into their purest and most beautiful form usually means a lot of re-writing.  I once heard an acclaimed writer say "great songs are never written, they are re-written", and in that spirit I'd like to examine a recent re-write I have been working on.

  "You are Holy" is a song I started writing in 2005 and had previously thought it was in its purest form and "finished".  Its not like any of my songs are sweeping the nation or anything, but this tune has often been liked in various churches I have sung it in across several denominations, age groups, and cultures, and I've already had it recorded at a pretty decent studio.  So why would I rewrite it?  I thought I could connect ideas better, say things more clearly, and make a bigger impact on the personal theology of those who sing it regularly.

Here are the original lyrics (visit walkersherman.com for a free copy of the old version recording)

You are Holy    

you are beautiful

you are an all consuming flame

you are wonderful

i am burning i will never be the same

you are Holy - you are good

let your mercy run - Holy Spirit come

you are Holy  - you are good            

let your fire burn - Lamb of God return

cause you are Holy

you are mysterious

you are a raging stream of life

you are dangerous

i am drowning inundated by your light

how bountiful

how merciful      

is the love of Christ

how beautiful

how wonderful

is the blood of Christ

   

so pour it over me

pour it over me

i wanna be Holy

like you are

Words and music Copyright Walker Sherman 2005 all rights reserved used by permission.

  

  The songwriting mentor I mentioned earlier once mentioned that it was helpful to be able to state the main idea of a song in one simple sentence. For "You are Holy" the idea was "God is both holy and good". I found the lyrics in the chorus to make that clear but the lyrics in the verse not so much. At times it seemed like I was just naming random attributes of God while making sure some of them ended in "ful". There were some elements I really like though, like the idea of God being dangerous. I decided that the verses would be more powerful if one line gave an example of God's character of goodness while another of his holiness. Lets look at the old and new verses stacked.

You are holy

you are beautiful   you are an all consuming flame (Old)

           (holiness)                      (holiness metaphor)

you are powerful   you are an all consuming flame (new)

you are wonderful  I am burning I will never be the same  (old)

     (goodness)    (paradox that expands on metaphor:  fire is a way to die but in this case it brings life)

you are merciful     I am burning I will never be the same  (new)

You are Holy, You are Good,  Let your mercy run Holy Spirit come

You are Holy, You are Good, Let your fire burn Lamb of God

You are mysterious  you are a raging stream of life (old)

             (holiness)                 (holiness metaphor)

You are dangerous you are  a raging stream of life  (new)

You are  dangerous             I am drowning inundated by your life  (old)

 (goodness)                     (paradox that expands on metaphor:  drowning is a way to die but in this case it brings life)

You are  compassionate       I am drowning inundated by your life  (new)

I liked the idea of the paradox because life by death is a central them in the Christian message.

Its also worth mentioning that the bridge has undergone some changes over time as well.  It originally read:

how bountiful  

how merciful      

is the love of Christ

how beautiful

how wonderful

is the blood of Christ

   

  One day I was worshiping in my room with the use of this song. I was overwhelmed with the idea of Jesus blood and how gross blood is. There is this tradition in the south where when a boy kills his first deer, all the older men at the hunting camp pour the deers blood all over him and he becomes absolutely disgusting. I was thinking about the hold Hymn that talks about being covered in the blood of Jesus and how when you think about it that is pretty nasty. Yet in this final paradox blood makes us clean instead of filthy. I decided to add:

   

so pour it over me

pour it over me

i wanna be Holy  (my response to the goodness and holiness of Jesus)

like you are

The final edit I did was to tweak the bridge so the ideas locked with the verses

Here it is in what I believe is its purest form.

   

You are Holy    

you are powerful

you are an all consuming flame

you are merciful

i am burning i will never be the same

you are Holy - you are good

let your mercy run - Holy Spirit come

you are Holy  - you are good            

let your fire burn - Lamb of God return

cause you are Holy

you are dangerous

you are a raging stream of life

you are compassionate

i am drowning inundated by your light

how powerful

how merciful      

is the love of Christ

how beautiful

how wonderful

is the blood of Christ

   

so pour it over me

pour it over me

i wanna be Holy

like you are

Words and music Copyright Walker Sherman 2005 all rights reserved used by permission.

   Thanks for thinking through some of these ideas with me. I hope they help improve your expression and communication in song crafting! Have any concepts that you use when songwriting? Do you worship through songs you are writing privately before trying them out publicly? Have you ever been tempted to leave a song as it is because "digging the ditch right" has become to difficult or emotionally trying?  Know of any good songwriting resources that might help the community? Join the conversation!

  Gods Peace
+walker

I love Lezbos!

Hey guys,

  As my wife and I found ourselves preparing for a time of transition from our church family "Mosaic" to the vaguely revealed place that God would lead us, it seemed like a good idea to pick up a part time job to help with moving expenses and the unknown.

  Pizza Place has always been there for me in times of transition and uncertainty, so I applied.  I landed a job as a delivery driver with the plan to stay there until we found renters for our house.  5 weeks later our place was rented and we were off to Alabama to live in a trailer, teach music lessons, and wait on God.  Here is what I learned in another 5 weeks delivering Pizza.

  I decided not to let the folks at Pizza Place know I had a degree in Theology from a Bible college, even though having a bachelors degree might heighten my chances of getting the job.  I wanted to love my fellow employees first and earn the right to speak into their lives, before they knew I was a follower of Jesus and a pastor.  No one wants to be themselves around a pastor.  Until this paradigm shifts I have decided its more important for folks to see how I live and who I am before they know why I have made those choices.

  In the past I have felt like if I didn't "share my faith" right away I was  unfaithful to Jesus' command in Matthew28.  However, in most cases I have found that talking about spiritual things and what matters most in life is something that is intimate and sacred, not to be forced but rather to be shared among trusted friends.  Talking to someone too soon about spirituality can be like breaking into someone's house instead of waiting  for a dinner invite.  Real relationships take time and no one wants to talk about the most personal and meaningful aspects of their life with a stranger.  However, there are things that can be done to speed up the process.  Love.

  People trust people who love them.  There is an old cheesy and true saying "no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care".  The thing is,  love's only agenda is to love, all actions and decisions flow from that source.  If we want to share our faith with someone but we don't love them, our motives will be quickly found out!  Burglars and dinner guests have very different welcomes when their presence is discovered at one's home!

  So I love Lezbos!  I love them not just because Jesus does, but because I got to know them at Pizza Place.  I got to know them not just as people with a sexual preference but as "real" people that have problems, things that make them happy, families, favorite foods, complicated lives, and opinions and questions about faith.  My lezbo friends are not just "lezbos", they are people with names, stories, desires, dreams, who are worthy of love and bear the likeness of the same Jesus who put air in my lungs.

  Strangely enough almost everyone I worked with at Pizza Place spoke openly about their lesbian or bi-sexual orientation.  The first conversation I was brought into about it really wasn't about sexuality but about whether or not I would accept them.  I was able to show them kindness without affirming their sexual choices.  After my friends understood that their world view didn't prevent me from loving them, a lot of trust was built.  We talked about things that mattered.

   As trust was built my friends began to ask me spiritual questions.  Its funny what conversations are sparked when changing a friend's tire.

  In just a few weeks this short season of life at Pizza Place was up.  My friends genuinely were sad so see me  moving on but where excited about opportunities for my wife and I.  I realized that they had at times looked to me for guidance as a pastor though they would have never used that terminology.

  Here is how one of my last conversations went:   "So what are you interviewing for, what do you do anyways"?  "Im a pastor.  I help people find peace with God.  A lot of times I use music to do that", "really? no kidding?"  "yea Jesus changes everything"  "I have been thinking about going back to church but just haven't done it"  "Jesus really cares about you and is all about offering people peace and hope".


  The hardest part about leaving Pizza Place was leaving these relationships behind and trusting Jesus to bring more friends into the employees lives to love them and share the love of God with them through an honest trusting relationship.  I will probably never get to see all the fruit from my time there but I trust Jesus to continue the good work he started there and send others to water where I have planted.

  Genuinely caring for people is what Jesus is about.  Love was the cornerstone of his ministry, the reason he came incarnate in the first place and the reason he gave his life away.  Now is one of the strangest times I have ever experienced in my life.  Amanda and I cannot say with certainty where we will end up living our lives in the future.  Right now we find ourselves in such a challenging transition in the purgatory/provision (depending on our attitude haha) of a small country town in Alabama!  One thing is certain however:  there is no going back to the old way of doing "church", "evangelism", and "friendships".  I want to see people as Jesus sees them and love them as he did, regardless of how different their belief system and world view is from mine.  I want to earn the right to speak about spiritual things and then I will tell them the story, whether I'm in a trailer in Alabama, a suburb in New York, or an apartment in Seattle!

  So what do you think?  What are some ways you have loved people different from yourself in the workplace or other places you do life?  Do you think its a good idea to let people know you are a Christian as a first order of business, or a minister if that applies?  How does the way you perform your duties at work speak about what matters most to you? How are some ways you build trust in a relationship with love as the agenda?  Weigh your thoughts in and lets learn from each other!

Gods Peace
+walker

"Worship" Music and the Missional Worship Pastor

Hi friends,

  I recently read a thought provoking blog by Michael Gungor on the idea of the "Christian" music category and why it should not exist. Strangely enough sub-categories exist even within Christian music too. Often some music is described as "worship" music or a band as a "worship" band. So maybe some "Christian" music must not be played during a church service, worship gathering, or event? Is this just legalism, a marketing scheme, or another way to keep the peace between multiple generations with passion for their preference?

What does worship sound like?

  People have been using music with worship in practice for a long time; from Hebrew Levitical musicians, to members of the early Church offering psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs during their meetings together, to tribal drums in Africa and electric guitars in your favorite bar. The point is: every people group has a song in their heart. Who they will sing it to is another story.

  I have some friends who are missionaries. They want to share the story of Jesus with people who have never heard it or have heard it and don't accept it as truth. They believe the story of Jesus has the power to change lives, and that offering broken people mercy, forgiveness, and newness is what Jesus is about.

  Some of my friends are nothing like the people they share the story with and for this reason they have tried to learn about their culture, their art, and the way they do life, so that they can contextualize the story of Jesus to these people in a way that makes sense to them.

  Some other friends have realized they share much in common with a people group and love them deeply and for this reason, they go to them to share this story in their shared context.

  Both of my friends believe they have been sent by Jesus to do this. They live, sing, and tell the story with great passion. But what does this have to do with singing, music, or being a worship pastor?

  If you are a Christian, you are a missionary.

  It doesn’t matter whether you are a pastor, a paid staffer at a church, or a Pizza Hut delivery driver (right now I fit into all 3 categories haha). Wherever you are, you are a missionary on a mission.

  A missionary must know 3 things:

1. Who sent me?
2. What is the mission?
3. To whom am I going

  As a worship pastor or whatever your terminology for this position is, your songs should reflect these three things.

1. Your songs must teach people about Jesus and offer themselves as one of many opportunities to worship Him.

2. Your songs must tell the story and invite the people in.

3. Your songs must be in the language of the people and culturally appropriate.

  If your “worship” music does not teach about Jesus, what He has done, is doing, and will do, its not appropriate for a worship gathering.  If your songs genre do not fit into the culture of the people group your are seeking to reach, its not appropriate for a worship gathering.  

  In this sense a song should never sound “Christian”, it should sound like the people’s culture, teach about Jesus, and invite people into deeper relationship with Him.

  What does your people's worship sound like? Why does it sound that way? As a missionary to your city, is your music more reflective of your city or "Christian" pop culture?

Cant wait to hear your thoughts!

Gods Peace
  +walker

Welcome to my new blog!

Hi friends,

  Welcome to my new blog!  A few of you have told me I should start blogging for a couple years now.  I finally decided to begin!  One of the things I love most in life is deep conversation with good friends, the kind that inspires you, challenges you, and leaves you to thinking and changing.  Perhaps you and I have not been able to have one of these conversations for a while now.  I have lived in many places over that last 28 years or so and miss the good conversation of many of you as we now find ourselves in different cities and places in life.  I hope this new conversation will be an opportunity for us to reconnect and  think together about the things in life that matter most.  I also hope to meet new friends as we all think and converse together.

  One of the reasons I have waited so long to blog is that I thought blogs were just created to give sassy 20 somethings something to do while they wait for their parents to come home from work.  Or maybe they were made for folks with deep frustrations and no audience, to attack people who are too important or busy to listen to them!  Lately however, I have received some real wisdom from thinkers who blog and have been inspired to do the same, believing we all have much to learn from one another.

  Like any good conversation, I want to have a purpose for us sharing life together so here are some guidelines to keep us on track:

  1.  For the most part this blog is "about things" not "against things".
  2.  This blog is a conversation so we should be interactive with one another.
  3.  We choose to read any articles in their entirety before discussing them together.
  4.  We choose to treat those we disagree with in a respectful way.
  5.  We only write when we have something to say.

  I am truly excited about our time together!  Its been too long!


Gods Peace
+walker