DMM: Disturbance, Life Incongruent

Disturbance.

“Remember those who led you and spoke the Word of God to you, considering the outcome of their way of life, imitate their faith.”-Hebrews 13:5

Disturbance.

How is it that the Bride of Christ continues to see emotionally unhealthy men and women lead them?

The cultivation of celebrity culture of our generation has drilled down deeply into the landscape of believers in the States. Perhaps that is one driver of unhealthiness, but then again, that would be to address symptoms rather than root causes of unhealth which can develop in one's life.

“Give us a king!” cried the Israelites. God allowed them Saul. Saul was the man who fit their demand, but was not the leader who would meet their need. He fit the clothes, he fit the imagined need which the people would trust in rather the man or woman of God’s fashioning.

When I consider ministry leaders, like the husband of my friend, I think, how could this happen?

Lamentably, there is a tendency to confuse great speakers as great spiritual leaders. It is the heart which God is after. In several situations in which I have been asked to counsel, comfort, and call forth to truth, there is usually an unhealthy leader who was given the microphone in the injured person (s)’ life.

What one is like behind closed doors is a God’s glory-centric personal reflection question. The Father desires not that those whom He uses as leaders to desire any level of incongruity between the public and private walk. There is no room for separation.

Satan has a great plan for our lives: to divide us from an abundant and joy-filled, Holy Spirit empowered life. To take us off ramp from engagement in God’s promises and purposes is the same song, different follower as target. The world, the flesh, and the devil is a powerful cocktail in the life of the believer. Take care, guard one's heart in humility, is the healthy pathway, in dependence upon the Holy Spirit to empower.

Leaders who choose duplicity, choose a certain trajectory. Saul chose that same pathway, though he was given many opportunities to true repentance and transformation. He chose not the higher ways of the Father.

Leaders who choose to say one thing and do another are not new to the human scene.  For any follower of Christ to choose to reject Holy Spirit-led mooring will lead to unhealthiness. To see leaders deny the reality that their home life/internal life is in shambles, are time and again enabled by their respective ministries to lead. It is easy to think one is somehow beyond this same incongruent life. However, a wise heart knows that just as another is choosing a life not worth imitating, that same observation could be true of them, save the choice to guard one’s heart, in humility and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

Cautionary Tales

I have observed that those in the Bride of Christ who possess lavish financial resources can actually use that for great blessing in God’s purposes. I have also observed the opposite as being true: those with resources to live a hidden life of unrepentance will do so through their wealth. By gain of a financial lifetime of independence they can choose to not be close enough to be discovered.

How can this be?

Another friend, whose husband is in the Christian ministry world limelight, treats his wife with disdain. Emotionally abusive patterns are 35+ years of norm for their life.

Yet, this very same leader is a polished and respected ministry leader.

How can this be?

Recently, as I was invited to speak at Dallas Theological Seminary, during their missions emphasis week, I incurred another type of bizarre incongruent behavior.

My topic for 50 minutes was to lay out how God is moving among Unreached People Groups, as well as reached areas like America, in the launch of cascading movements to Christ. Disciple-Making Movements are now occurring in 1,370+ distinct movements: obedience-based groups of disciples who reproduce disciples, leaders who reproduce leaders, house fellowships who reproduce house fellowships.

Check out videos on www.beyond.org as well as 2414now.net.

The day after I spoke at Dallas Theological Seminary, there was a leader who represented another mission agency who, instead of speaking on how God is moving in their midst, chose to spend his 50 minutes to attack DMM. This attack posture came from those in that org's top international leadership. Interestingly, three years ago my husband and I were asked to train their international leaders in an intro to DMM. Sadly, they have an average of 14 years to plant one non-reproducing church among their overseas efforts. When it comes to the need to have leaders who lay aside their entrenchment, stubbornness, or attachments to emotionally high value ministries, they are choosing to not make reproducing disciples as their trajectory.

Those who lead with a hunger and thirst for God’s glory, no matter the cost, are set on going before the Lord and asking “God, what needs to be done so that your glory is declared/demonstrated among the ethne for the launch of cascading movements to Christ?”

Those leader types who are bent on their small kingdom building are not open to conversation. That is sad, if it were not so pathetic.

Meanwhile, Persons of Peace, among the UPGs, are longing to be found.