Rurel Ausley, Lead Pastor of Niceville United Methodist Church, joined the Pastor's Circle to talk about becoming radical followers of Christ. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.
On Sunday at our church we ask our people to spend half as much as you spend on Christmas on missions this year. Thanks for letting me steal an idea!
Well thanks, but I got that idea from someone else as well. It is a pretty radical idea though.
We started it here in the teeth of this recession, we figured if we were hurting our missionaries were likely hurting as well.
It has been a great way to challenge our people to give.
Your church has been reading Radical, by David Platt. Tell us about it.
We normally don't do this where the whole church studies the same book, but this was a different situation.
I had read the book and felt that this is what we should do. We are combining this church-wide reading of the book with an 8-week sermon series.
What are the key points of the book for those who haven't read it yet?
The author calls for a radical experiment. You must commit to pray for the entire world; commit to read the Bible in a year; minister in another context.
He pushes everyone to join a small group for disciple growing. For me it's just basic Christianity.
Shouldn't this emphasis be local as well as it is global? There are some serious situations in our own communities.
He does make that point. He states that most of our lives are spent in "our Jerusalem".
In the book he challenged us to spend just 2% per year in another country. That's just one week.
The problem is with most of us is that we aren't going anywhere for Jesus. It always starts locally, but it shouldn't end there.
For some of us just being involved locally is pretty radical. I would say 98% of churches don't even do that.
I think that is why so many churches are stagnated or dying. Compassionate ministries are typically ignored.
However, when the church is out in the community it gives the gospel a hearing.
What happens in your people once they get out there in the community?
It is really benefits both sides. You don't want nothing to happen in people who are serving. I love to see what happens in the fellowship that occurs between our people as they serve in the community.
Why is it so hard for 98% of churches to get this idea?
If we could get the answer to that we could write a best-selling book.
I think a big part is that we have become so comfortable, so stagnant in our churches. As Americans we are now more interested in our own comfort, and what makes us happy.
People are largely biblical illiterate because they don't read the Bible and thus we don't know what it means to follow Jesus.
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