Engage

by Gary Johnson

Engage

For me, “engage” is a word that stirs memories from years past. One of my favorite television shows – and movie series – was Star Trek. After charting a course deep into space, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the starship Enterprise, would often give the command “Engage.” Soaring at warp factor 9, Picard and the crew would pursue their mission deep into space, where no one had gone before, engaging life species far from planet Earth.

Engage

What does the word stir in your mind? Then again, does it stir something within you at all? Perhaps one unrelenting question plaguing us is “how do we get people to come back to church?” The answer, simply, put is to engage them. Pre-COVID, people were already becoming disengaged. Church attendance had already dropped dramatically. It was already a struggle to get people to volunteer in an area of their giftedness. Financial giving was not stellar. Consumer-driven Christianity had already become the norm across America long before COVID consumed our culture. We cannot continue to blame the current state of the Church on COVID when convenient Christianity was already a pandemic spiritually.

Problems call for solutions, and church leaders across the country are trying any number of solutions to get people back into the church groove: new worship elements, relevant sermon series, discipling pathways, and more. All of these are important and good, yet may I suggest that we chart a course to pursue mission deep into our community—both inside and outside the local church—and then give the command: engage.

Four Ways to Engage

Engage Prayer

Should we swing the bat and hit the ball while playing baseball, we always run to first; never second or third, but always to first base. Similarly, every day we live, we must always turn first to God. From making the hard decision to having the hard conversation, run to God. How often do we engage the Lord in prayer, asking Him to work revival in our congregation? Do we fast as elders, asking the staff and congregation to join us while we ask God to do the impossible with us and through us on the other side of COVID? The Creek (Indianapolis), where I serve as an elder, had an evening of prayer this past Sunday, and incredible numbers of people joined with one another crying out to God for His mercy and favor. David Roadcup and Michael Eagle’s book on prayer and fasting is a great resource for engaging God.  

Engage People

One of the three Greek words for elder is poimen, meaning “shepherd.” One of our primary responsibilities is to pastor the local church, and to do so, we must engage with people. Shepherds move among the sheep, they do not sit high on a rock far from the flock. COVID shutdowns forced a disconnect between us. We did not go to work, to school, to events, and to gatherings, including worship services. So, we did the next best thing, we met virtually. From Zoom to YouTube to Facebook, we met for worship and fellowship online. For some, online worship is necessary due to health or work constraints. Regretfully, far too many believers have made this their new normal. Perhaps this would not be the case if we had previously engaged them in ever growing relationship with God and one another. Some people have come to believe that they do not need to go to church to be a Christian. Come again? Think this through. I travel extensively for e2, and if I said to Leah—my wife of 43 years— “Hey Dear, I’m not coming home for a few months. I don’t need to come home for us to stay married.” My marriage would quickly shrivel up, coming to an abrupt end! As elders, engage people in conversation, speaking truth in love that they MUST engage relationally in the gathered church, or they will eventually shrivel up and die spiritually. I’ve seen it time and again over my 40 years of preaching.

Engage Purpose

We have one mission: to make Jesus followers of every people group, immersing them into Christ, and then teaching them to obey His every command. Are you on mission, individually as a follower of Christ? Who are you trying to bring to Jesus? Is your local church on mission? Are people regularly coming to Christ through your ministry? Are you and the congregation experiencing mission drift? If so, why? Like the starship Enterprise encountering people far from planet earth, we must engage people who are far from God, build friendships with them, and through acts of kindness, earn the privilege of sharing Jesus with them. If we (e2) can help you get back on course, consider using our virtual elders’ conference how to Jump Start your congregation into moving on mission again.

Engage Power

There were episodes of Star Trek when the starship Enterprise was powerless because the warp drive malfunctioned. Similarly, if we want to engage our purpose (i.e., mission), we can only do so if we engage God’s power. We are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), for it is in His power that we lead and serve the local church. With just hours before He would be crucified, Jesus told His followers, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That fact has not changed. Apart from Jesus, without His power at work within us, we can do nothing. Remember the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-19)? If you are intimidated by it, don’t be. After all, the Great Commission comes with a Great Companion! “And surely I will be with you always, even to the end of the age” (v. 20).

At e2, we engage. Every week and throughout the week, we engage people in conversations, whether in person or over the phone, in Zoom rooms, making on-site visits to churches, and more. As well, we engage God. It is a common practice to pause and pray, whether individually or with one another. We know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that we must engage.

Feel free to engage with us. We welcome your call, your text, your email. Stop by for a visit. The door is open, and the coffee is on. It would be a privilege to talk with you, as well as to talk with God for you.

Contact us here: e2elders.org/contact-us