leadership

Why Every Healthy Church Needs The Second Gen

November 27, 2013 By Daniel Im

While I was reading The Next Evangelicalism, which is a must read for every North American church leader, I was deeply impacted with the profound truths that Rah put forth regarding the current state of our churches and the way forward (Click here to read my review of the book)

Like Rah, I am a second-generation Korean immigrant, the only difference is that I am Korean-Canadian, and not American. As a result, for the past 10 years, I have been reflecting on issues of ethnicity and the second generation, but I have never heard someone state the importance of my experience and the potential of my role quite like he has. For example, “in the next evangelicalism, the second generation, with their unique ethos and strength…will be the ones best equipped to face the next stage of the church” (181).

Book Review: The Next Evangelicalism by Soong-Chan Rah

November 27, 2013 By Daniel Im

Soong-Chan Rah is the Milton B. Engebretson Assistant Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. He has experience in church planting, as well as campus ministry experience. He also serves on several boards, such as the Catalyst Leadership Center, and he has involvement across many organizations, such as the Boston Ten-Point Coalition. His upbringing as a Korean American second generation immigrant is deeply reflected in his life work as portrayed in this book.

The thesis of this book is that Christianity, in the United States, needs to be released from the captivity of the white, Western American culture, in order for the gospel to spread effectively into the future. Rah accomplishes this feat by organizing his book into three different sections.

Why I’m Getting Ordained

November 10, 2013 By Daniel Im

Growing up in a Korean Presbyterian church, I was always starkly aware of the difference between an ordained pastor and a non-ordained pastor. In Korean, it’s the difference between being a Moksanim and a Jundosanim. The difference is so stark that you are almost, in a sense, involved in child’s play until you become an ordained pastor.

It wasn’t until I responded to this call to ministry that I began questioning the whole matter of ordination. Why did it bother me so much that Koreans were calling me a non-ordained pastor? Why did they treat me very differently from the ordained pastors? Why would their mood and attitude towards me shift once they discovered that I wasn’t ordained?

Yes, I understand that in Acts 13 the church set apart Paul and Barnabas for the work of ministry, and then prayed for them and sent them off. And I also understand the whole concept of the priesthood in the Old Testament and their required role for the Israelites.

But what about the call in Ephesians 4 to the whole church? That “grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift?” That God has given EACH OF US a calling and a measure of grace to do the work that God has set out for us?

I guess what bothered me about this ordained and non-ordained distinction was that it felt like the plain wasn’t level.

Top 10 Insights to Successfully Launch and Grow Mid-Size Communities

October 9, 2013 By Daniel Im

From my research and years of leading mid-size communities, coaching others, and forming them, here are my top 10 insights to successfully launch and grow mid-size communities:

10. Plan your gathering schedule 3-4 months out at a time.

9. Meet bi-weekly with your leadership team to have a meal where you are discipling one another, rather than a meeting where you are planning together.

8. Share resources, lessons, and email template ideas with other mid-size community leaders.

7. It’s better to delay the launch date of your mid-size community than starting it with a thin or small leadership team.

6. The gathering focus of your mid-size community (affinity, geography, or societal need) becomes your mission focus.

5. Don’t create rules to obtain behavior; instead, be a cultural architect that shapes an ethos, which leads to your desired behavior.

4. Inclusivity and smaller groups meeting in the off weeks are key factors for depth and growth.

3. Don’t let attendance become your success factor. Instead, look for vital behaviors that you can control to measure success. In other words, create a dashboard for health.

2. A clear mission focus for your mid-size community will keep it on track and ensure that it does not become a lame social gathering without purpose.

1. The health of your leadership team determines the health and longevity of the mid-size community.

What are your thoughts?

A Framework for Discipleship

April 13, 2013 By Daniel Im

Framework

Can we use research to discover the core attributes of a disciple? Or is this a purely biblical matter?

In a previous post, I shared different methods that we use to filter whether or not someone is a disciple of Jesus. The only problem with those common methods is that they are often anecdotal, and purely based on situational experiences.

Take Greg Ogden’s list, for example. He presents a biblical standard for discipleship by outlining how disciples:

Are proactive ministers
Live a disciplined way of life
Understand that discipleship affects all of life
Are a countercultural force
Are an essential, chosen organism
Are a biblically informed people
Are people who share their faith

This is a fantastic list, and very difficult to disagree with, since it is biblical. The problem with his list and everyone else’s is that they are merely anecdotal good ideas and frameworks. There is no evidence that these ideas, when transformed into a discipleship pathway, will actually produce the attributes of a healthy disciple.

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