{"id":890,"date":"2009-09-29T04:01:03","date_gmt":"2009-09-29T04:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/09\/whole-church-leading-from-fragmentation-to-engagement-by-mel-lawrenz.html"},"modified":"2009-09-29T04:01:03","modified_gmt":"2009-09-29T04:01:03","slug":"whole-church-leading-from-fragmentation-to-engagement-by-mel-lawrenz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/09\/whole-church-leading-from-fragmentation-to-engagement-by-mel-lawrenz.html","title":{"rendered":"Whole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement, by Mel Lawrenz"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Today I’m pleased to be part of a blog tour for pastor and author, Mel Lawrenz. Mel has just published a fine new book called Whole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement<\/em><\/a>. This book has much to offer for church leaders, including pastors, elders, deacons, and others.
\nAt the core, Whole Church<\/em> proposes an antidote for the fragmentation of the church, a four-fold engagement with God, God’s people, the community, and the world. I like the sense of the word “engagement,” which suggests something deep and lasting. Engagement is a two-way street of relationship, and it does indeed provide a focal point for bringing together the church (and the life of the individual Christian).
\nAs I read Whole Church<\/em>, I felt thankful for Mel’s biblical depth as well as his wealth of practical experience as a church leader. Whole Church<\/em> is a very wise book. Mel, by the way, is the Senior Pastor of Elmbrook Church, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. For years, Elmbrook has been a leading church in vision, mission, and biblical teaching.
\nAs a “stop” on Mel’s blog tour, I had the chance to ask him a question. What follows is my question and Mel’s answer.
\nMy Question for Mel
\n<\/strong>
\nMel, thanks for allowing me to be part of your Whole Church Blog tour. I\u2019m pleased to be able to let my readers get to know you and your excellent new book, Whole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement<\/em>.
\nI resonate thoroughly with you when you talk about four kinds of engagement for the twenty-first century church:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Engagement with God
\n\u2022 Engagement with God\u2019s People
\n\u2022 Engagement with Your Community
\n\u2022 Engagement with the World<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019d like to ask you about a facet of engagement with your community. You say, \u201cCommunity engagement is possible through any association, service, or function of community life\u201d (p. 82). Then you list thirteen examples of such engagement, including tutoring at a rescue mission, helping at a women\u2019s shelter, helping refugees, etc. I appreciate the way you see these efforts as part and parcel of the work of church, rather than as competition with church programs. This is right on!
\nBut I did not find in your discussion of community engagement something that is close to my heart and central to my work at Laity Lodge. We are committed to the idea that our daily work is one of the major areas of discipleship. In fact, one of our ministries is a website, The High Calling of Our Daily Work<\/em>. We want to encourage all Christians to see their workplace as a crucial context for ministry. This would certainly include your example of \u201cRobin, an engineer who has received training to be a \u2018marketplace chaplain,\u2019 ministering to people in the workplace\u201d (p. 83). But we would also want to encourage Robin to serve the Lord in her daily work, through her excellence, honesty, compassion, creativity, truth-seeking, attitude, and so on. In our view, the workplace itself includes human need that requires God\u2019s resources.
\nSo, my question is: How do you see engagement with the community in relationship to the workplace? In what ways to you envision Christians bringing God\u2019s resources to meet human need in our daily work?
\nThanks, again, Mel, for allowing me to help get out the word about Whole Church<\/em>.
\nMel’s Answer<\/strong>
\nThanks, Mark, for this question which pushes deeper into the concept of engagement. So here’s my response…
\nThe central proposition of Whole Church<\/em> is that we see God at work in our world when His resources are brought into contact with human need. There is nothing more exciting than seeing the power of God unleashed in the lives of people around us, and the workplace is definitely a major arena in which that occurs. I argue in the book that Christians often don’t realize how disengaged we are. We talk the talk, but if we don’t close the gap between divine resource and human need, it’s like trying to drive a car with the clutch disengaged. Closing the gap is the key, and in the workplace the gap is closed. The believer is there, deployed in “the world,” situated perfectly to be salt and light. And I put the emphasis on “be.” The believer who shows the Christ life by who he or she is in the workplace–in character, temperament, values–will have a preserving effect (salt), and a revealing effect (light).
\nWherever I go in our community I see members of our church. When I visit a hospital, for instance, there is a very good chance I will run into a nurse, a doctor, a receptionist, or almost anyone working there, who attends our church. I am thrilled that so much salt is out of the salt-shaker.
\nAnd this is most important: we glorify God in the work itself. Christian witness does not start with the mouth, it starts with the hands. Luther and Calvin spoke of the great dignity of every believer’s work (vocation — “calling”). If being a shoemaker is one’s calling, that is no less holy than the calling of a pastor. Calvin’s views on the inherent dignity of work was a powerful dynamic of like-minded people who settled America.
\nBottom line: the Christian has the exhilarating privilege of glorifying God by doing good, faithful work. It is not that one has to run an orphanage or print Bibles in order to have dignified work. The person who works in the payroll department of an office, or who is a clerk at a grocery story, or who runs a small business is serving God by serving other people. And there is great dignity just in the fact of bringing home a paycheck, supporting a family, bringing a generous offering to church.
\nConclusion<\/strong>
\nThat answer is spot on. Exactly. Thanks, Mel.
\nIf you’d like to check out the other stops on Mel’s blog tour, here they are:<\/p>\n

Greg Atkinson http:\/\/www.gregatkinson.com\/<\/a>
\nGeorge Bullard http:\/\/www.bullardjournal.org\/<\/a>
\nKent Shaffer http:\/\/www.churchrelevance.com\/<\/a>
\nSherry Surratt http:\/\/www.sherrysurratt.com\/<\/a>
\nTodd Rhoades \u00a0http:\/\/www.MondayMorningInsight.com
\n<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.mmiblog.com<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Once again, I highly recommend Whole Church<\/em><\/a> to church leaders of all stripes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today I’m pleased to be part of a blog tour for pastor and author, Mel Lawrenz. Mel has just published a fine new book called Whole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement. This book has much to offer for church leaders, including pastors, elders, deacons, and others. At the core, Whole Church proposes an antidote…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\nWhole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement, by Mel Lawrenz - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}