Think Like Jesus:
Make the Right Decision Every Time
Part 3: Practicing A Biblical Worldview
Chapter 12: How Your Church Can Help You
Barna introduces chapter 12 by pointing out that while churches can play a big role in helping someone who wants to develop a biblical worldview, most churches are not doing well in this regard. He points out that his research tells him that most pastors think they are doing a good job, but in the real world only one of twenty adults who regularly attend a Protestant church possesses a biblical worldview. The “good news” in this for Barna is that pastors are in favor of biblical worldview training. The challenge is to adopt different means of growing Christians who act like Jesus because they think like Jesus.
PRACTICES OF WORLDVIEW CHURCHES
Churches of all sizes, denominations, and locations have proven to be successful at leading their people to deeper maturity through a process that results in transformed minds and hearts. Not all of them use the seven-question approach that I have advocated in this book, but they all employ procedures that are similar and that produce the same types of outcomes. (Pg. 176)
Do you think it is possible for a church to help all of its members develop a biblical worldview? Why or why not?
Intentionality
First, …congregations have come to grips with a truth that is often hard to embrace: Simply preaching good sermons does not result in people developing a biblical worldview. The half-hour weekly lecture often contains the information that might be helpful in developing a biblical worldview, but simply being exposed to good teaching and preaching does not get us very far. If it did, America would be a transformed nation: We have tens of thousands of churches where good sermons are preached on a regular basis. … Churches that are effective in worldview development incorporate various elements into a complete plan of action that they relentlessly implement. (Pps. 176-177)
Why do you think that good messages alone are not enough to move people to living a biblical worldview?
From Big Picture to Details
These worldview churches all have a key strategy in place. They begin with a clear notion of the outcome they want to see achieved. Then they conceive of plans that move backward from the end point to the starting point, identifying the component pieces of the plan and relentlessly carrying it out. Past experience has taught many of these churches a significant lesson: Always know what you are seeking to accomplish and then build a process around specific objectives rather than pursuing vague outcomes based upon agreement on generally acceptable practices and ideas. Plan includes:
- The need to educate and motivate people regarding the meaning, absence, and importance of having a biblical worldview.
- A process for mobilizing individuals into activities that consistently facilitate the development of a biblical outlook on life.
- The provision of resources and learning opportunities.
- The appointment of leaders who primary passion and focus relate to worldview development.
- The establishment of widespread ownership of the process among all leaders across all departments and programs in the church, including the coordination of content.
- Methods of accountability and reinforcement of people’s engagement in the process.
Which of these components do you see present and absent at New Life?
Uncompromisingly Biblical
As the name implies, a biblical worldview emanates from one place: the Bible. The worldview-oriented churches we examined make sure that their people recognize that although other sources of information, experience, and reasoning may contribute to worldview comprehension and development, any perspective or application that does not conform to Scripture is deemed illegitimate and unusable. These churches make no apologies for the fact that their worldview process is Bible-based. Barna emphasizes that the emphasis must be the WHOLE Bible not just the New Testament. (Pg. 178)
How does New Life emphasize a bible-based process?
Connected Foundations
…world-view driven churches provide their people with Bible content that is always placed in a broad context. They do not teach lessons, preach sermons, or promote principles that are independent, stand-alone concepts: Every element of their worldview is painstakingly connected to every other element because the Bible teaches truth—and truth is a unified reality, not a series of disparate, disjointed ideas? (Pps. 178-179)
Does it seem to you that an attempt is made to connect the various aspects of a biblical worldview in messages, classes, etc… at New Life? (The components are Existence of God, Nature and Character of God, How and Why was the world created, Nature and Purpose of Humanity, What Happens After we Die on Earth?, What Spiritual Authorities Exist?, and What is truth?)
A Consistent Framework
I have concluded that the question-based method is probably the most effective because it forces people to think, to own the answers they come up with, and to translate the questions into personal applications. However, the more important matter is to adopt a framework that works—whatever the framework may be—and stick with it. Because worldview development is a long-term, laborious project, a church must remain wedded to its process for the long haul if it hopes to see results.
At New Life the framework is our mission, vision and values, which have remained the same since day one of New Life. The 30 core values, in particular address the matter of worldview development. A copy of the mission vision and values is provided separately for your consideration!
Full Integration
There is also another way in which these churches connect the pieces of a biblical worldview: through integration into every activity undertaken and sanctioned by the church. Worldview thinking permeates meetings in which ministry decisions are made. Worldview considerations are uppermost in the development of lessons prepared and taught in various educational settings. Prayers… Worship…Service --- ALL are informed and strengthened by intentional worldview focus.
How do you see this at work, or missing at New Life?
Total Family Involvement
Here’s an important insight drawn from the research: Churches that have substantial numbers of worldview Christians in their midst generally initiate the developmental process when children are four or five years old. This makes sense. We know that the moral foundations of most Americans are generally in place by age nine. Waiting until the adolescent or teen years (or beyond) to inject proper worldview thinking is much harder than starting young since you then assume a two-fold task: eliminating the unbiblical, worldly thinking that has taken root in the absence of a biblical understanding of life and reality and then filling the void with Bible-based, Christlike thinking. …… Further, such churches tend to enlist the aid of the entire family in the process. This is almost required if you hope to see progress; reliance upon the one to two hours per week the average family spends on a church campus—much of which has little to do with faith development—cannot be expected to compete with the fifty to sixty hours the average American spends engaged with the secular media as it communicates alternative worldviews….Some provide same topic all week in every venue across age groups. … (Pps. 180-181
What role to parents play in this process of “total family involvement” in developing a child’s biblical worldview?
Addressing the Competition
Many churches believe it is important to protect their people from the teachings of competing worldviews. The most effective worldview churches, however, believe it is imperative that Christians be informed about what the competition is offering. “You can’t identify and defeat an enemy that you don’t know exists,” was the response of one pastor at a strong worldview church. The objective is to sensitize believers to the viewpoints of other worldviews and to help them understand how these perspectives conflict with God’s truths and principles…..Worldview churches look forward to displaying the arguments of competitive perspectives because they invariably find that when every alternative is given fair consideration, God’s truth always emerges as the most reasonable and compelling option. (Pg 181)
In what different “venues” have you heard competing worldviews addressed at New Life?
A Balanced Approach
Too many churches think that we will win the worldview battle by providing believers with all the knowledge they can handle. The most effective ministries have learned that genuine worldview development is like a three-legged stool: Remove any one of the legs and the stool cannot stand. What are those legs? Information, skills and application….. You cannot have a viable worldview without comprehensive, consistent and accurate information….People must be taught skills to develop, maintain, and utilize their worldview. Such skills include Bible study techniques, memorization, logic and critical thinking….Without application a worldview is simply the intellectualization of reality—a head game we play that has no bearing on who we are, what difference our life makes or how we relate to God. (Pps. 182-183)
What are some ways you have gained information, skills and practiced applying a biblical worldview through New Life and in your daily life?
Connecting with the Culture
Nobody develops his or her worldview in a social vacuum. It is always constructed within the context of culture—the information, practices, and conditions that provide meaning and identity to a group of people. A fundamental challenge to a Christian, however, is not simply to develop a worldview that is intellectually solid or one that is spiritually defensible but to arrive at a worldview that both engages and transcends the culture. (Pg. 183)
What does Barna mean by a worldview that both “engages and transcends” the culture?
Leadership is Critical
For the process to work, it must be the heartbeat of the church, not a supplemental program. To enable this, successful worldview churches have a high-profile, authoritative, credible individual who serves as the champion of the process. More often than not, that person is the senior pastor: a person who understands the significance of thinking like Jesus, who has the position and the passion to promote the process, and who can keep people focused on this outcome as a hallmark of the church’s efficacy. …. Must model the practice… THERE WILL BE RESISTANCE: rejection of the bible as completely true and reliable, intellectual laziness, personal busyness, disinterest in making the necessary commitment, absence of convictions about absolute moral truth…. PERSEVERANCE: This is a lifelong journey, not a one-year or even a five-year special program. This is the foundation of spiritual training and renewal; it is never complete, and it should not be seen as the latest and greatest program. (Pps. 184-185)
[Personal comments and reflections by Pastor Chris……]
Evaluating Progress
The more your church enables you to have a sense of how well you’re doing, the more capable you will be of advancing your development efficiently and effectively. …. Feedback: input based on behavioral observation, and evaluative conversations; encouragement to gain insight through interaction with small groups in which worldview accountability is an expressed purpose of the meetings and relationships, and the provision for or administration of standardized diagnostics.
In what ways do you evaluate your growth and progress as a follower of Jesus? How do you see New Life doing that?
Unspoken Lessons
Worldview churches will sometimes surprise you. For instance, one of the unexpected lessons revealed by my research is that your church need not make constant verbal references to its worldview development effort. ....Similarly, churches that pursue worldview development must be ready to realize results in the long term. Many of the effective churches in this genre indicated that it took a good five years--and, in a few cases, several years longer--before they began to see any appreciable growing degrees of results.
Why is knowing in advance that biblical worldview development is a long-term commitment so important?
YOUR ROLE IN THE PROCESS
You might wonder what your role, as just one person in a church, could be toward facilitating some of these outcomes. …. Making the argument that things could be improved, much less in need of a radical overhaul, may not be accepted with warmth and grace. (Pps. 186-187)
Building a Coalition
My suggestion to you is that you approach this as a coalition builder. Begin by talking to other church members you know who might have an interest in going deeper in their faith and learning how to think like Jesus. Help them see the difference between know about Christianity and being Christlike, and make the connection between the latter outcome and receiving training in worldview development. …. Once you have a respectable coalition of active laypersons who are willing to request the help of the church, request a private meeting with the pastor to outline your interests and any suggestions regarding how the church could bless its people through worldview training….. Barna offers resources in the Appendices. .. Keep in mind that it is not your church’s job to force you to pursue a biblical worldview. It is the church’s job to expose you to the contours of worldview thinking and options, to equip you to develop a biblical worldview, and to encourage you to aggressively examine and refine your worldview. How zealously you pursue the outcome is your responsibility.
What would such a coalition look like at New Life?
BATTLE READY
Your ability to fight the good fight in the spiritual battle in which you are immersed is largely dependent on the mind-set you bring to the battlefront. American’s Christians are generally battle tested, but rarely are they truly battle ready. We need better training and ammunition to wage an effective battle. Allow your church to provide you with the support you need to fight the battle with wisdom and assurance.
What’s the difference between being battle-tested and battle-ready?