What's Wrong With Legitimacy?

by Mark Overmyer


Recently, I was thinking through some challenges with a church planter. In our conversation I was reminded how every baby church strives for legitimacy. Ninety nine out of a hundred people who ask the planter, “How’s it going?” are looking for indicators that would verify the viability of the new enterprise. The church planter realizes that his baby church is like a house of cards. And so not wanting to admit the truth, often the planter is left mumbling something about attendance at their most recent event and the inquirer is hopefully satisfied. Have you noticed how even the websites of baby churches can be deceiving? It’s always better on paper than it is in reality. Is this church going to make it? When visitors and attendees insinuate this question by asking about available programs and/or facilities, church planters encounter that familiar old knot in the stomach and the gulp that familiar gulp. Sure we trust that Jesus will build His church and this spiritual promise quenches the burning question for a moment. But often we are moved to do something about it as well. But what to do? We reason that, “If we could just have a quality children’s program we could attract families. If our audio & visuals were higher quality, visitors would return. If we had more people we could achieve ‘critical mass.'" And so we pursue, often with brilliant innovation and generous financial investment, all the factors that we’ve come to know will contribute to legitimacy. Not a bad approach, but I must say it’s a few degrees off-center of the Great Commission.

The bull’s-eye Jesus drew was different. It’s no wonder, because legitimacy was never a concern of Jesus. Viability was never in doubt for the Master. For him the target was fruitfulness (see John 15.) And to hit this mark, we can afford no distractions and no preoccupations with personal or corporate validation.

Think about how different “fruitfulness” is from “legitimacy” when it comes to the focus of a church planting team or a church leadership team. Legitimacy in a new church is marked by attendance, growth, and programming excellence. And, trust me on this; these can be achieved without any spiritual fruit. Fruitfulness is evidenced by the effects of the ministry of the Word and the Holy Spirit when the “branch abides in the vine.” Fruitfulness is the result of sowing eternal Gospel truth through conversation, music, study, preaching, serving, etc. The seed germinates, takes root, sprouts and grows. The effect (i.e. fruit) is repentance, healing, reconciliation, recovery, new priorities, sacrificial service, loving community.... essentially obedience. Brainstorm your own lists: What demonstrates legitimacy in a church? What demonstrates fruitfulness?

The Spirit led me to brainstorm these lists with my church planter friend. After we filled a page of two columns, I asked him, “Which of these did you sign up for when you were called to ministry?” and “For which of these would your leaders to give their lives?” Since that table conversation, I’ve thought of another question: If you could have only one or the other from a member of your church which would you want: attendance at church services or obedience to Jesus Christ? Clearly we want both. And some thoughtful readers are already asking why can’t we have both attendance AND obedience, legitimacy AND fruitfulness?

If legitimacy in a church plant is primarily affirmed by strong attendance and if fruitfulness is primarily affirmed in a church by obedience, then which is most important to you the church planter or church leader? Don’t say “BOTH!” Which one, really? The question is meant to challenge us to consider where we spend the most time, effort, money, research, planning, conference-attending, and intercession. If we are honest, we would have to admit that we are conditioned to lead toward legitimacy more so than fruitfulness. In order to have both (which I strongly desire and advocate) there is a chronology that works best. If you focus on fruitfulness it will tend to lead to legitimacy. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35, NIV) But if you start with legitimacy, you may or may not end up fruitful.

Think about this. I’ve found this to be profound for me. So much of Jesus’ ministry example seemed to even undermine legitimacy. His ministry was a threat to the establishment. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, in validating his messiahship the text says he is “like one from whom men hide their faces.” Think of the bag-lady of the inner city, the homeless man on the park bench. This was the class of human being that Jesus identified himself as – almost as a badge of his messiahship - “despised and rejected by men.” I love how every time he gathered a crowd he seemed to quickly retreat from the same. Then there was his ascension a mere 40 days following his resurrection. (Talk about killing the marketing momentum!) Legitimacy was securely in hand, and he seemed to let it sift away. Because he knew that the Holy Spirit would come and empower his Church to bear fruit.

How do we resist the subtle but real pressure to lead toward legitimacy and focus on fruitfulness instead? It takes vigilance, creativity and a commitment to always keep before your people the wonderful sense of adventure and risk that is inherent in following Jesus and being a partner in his enterprise.

I don’t know who he was, but I like what he said:
"If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." - Antione de Saint-Exupery

On the agenda of the leaders’ meeting at one of our churches is the need to mow the now jungle-like weed patch at the front of the property. No one would argue with the need. The impression left on passersby is that the people who worship here don’t care about the message their sloppiness sends. If a church’s legitimacy is important, then the leadership task includes recruiting, coordinating, and gentle coaxing of overworked deacons whose capacity for volunteering always seems to outstrip their follow-through. Pastors call this part of their job description “administration.” Few of them like it – but it must be done. The leader who wants to maintain a good impression in the community will recruit wisely, coordinate carefully and coax convincingly and may even offer to pick up an extra gallon of gas for the mower in order to prod lovingly. But how far will those efforts get the deacons down the path of fruitfulness? Look at the quote above again: don't herd people… don't assign them tasks… but rather teach them to long… What if the pastor instead taught them to long for Kingdom fruitfulness?

Follow me now: Since the most exciting part of ministry is life-change, how might the pastor teach even a deacon to make every effort to be on the front row with an unobstructed view of miraculous supernatural life change? You could paint pictures, share stories, or cast a vision for what kingdom ministry looks like. You could ask him/her, “Has anyone ever taken the time to value you through conversation? to include you by asking your opinion?, or to trust you by asking for your help? Who might you bless with the same? Can they run a string trimmer or drive a lawn tractor? Who might you share the mowing task with as a means for ministry? Could you imagine sharing a prayer before starting up the mower and the string trimmer? Could you imagine taking a lemonade break halfway through and asking some simple conversation launching questions?"

A vigilant, creative pastor might even offer to make the lemonade! But please, please leave out only two glasses. Let the deacon do the ministry and you pray while they talk.

When you focus on leadership toward fruitfulness, the strategizing and the planning takes a whole new tack. And when someone longs for the endless immensity of the sea, you can’t keep them away from the wood or the work, because to get out to sea, they must build a boat.