Greg
Hawkins does not look like he would be leading a ministry revolution. Somewhat
mild mannered, handsome but not quite a pretty boy, no formal theological
education, Greg’s background is in marketing and business. Twenty-five years
ago, Greg went to work on the business side of things at a little church
outside of Chicago: Willowcreek. Eventually, Greg was organizing 18,000 people
into literally thousands of small groups, a veritable assembly line of Bible
study, prayer, faith sharing, leadership training, and – lest we neglect to
mention what is truly astounding – org charts.
And
Greg suspected everything he was doing did not matter all that much.
Fast
forward to a project called REVEAL, which was a study conducted internally by
Willowcreek staff, in consultation with researchers (nice to have resources,
eh?). The REVEAL study concluded that all the busyness, all the programming,
all the beehive like activity, failed to impact their members’ faith formation
in the ways for which they hoped. It’s not that the programs were bad, they
were even somewhat helpful, they just weren’t impactful in the ways church leaders hoped.
Fast
forward again to two books Greg has co-authored or authored: Move and More. In these books Greg reports on REVEAL’s research findings and
the lessons he has discerned from both his own experience as well as in
consultation with pastoral leaders from churches – big and small, mainline and
independent – who are making an impact in their congregations, and whose
congregations are making an impact in their communities. The essential message
of Move and More is that activity alone does not transform – without the G.A.S.
factor nothing truly impactful in a disciple’s life, or in a church’s ministry,
happens.
Fast
forward to yesterday when I participated in a webinar with Greg Hawkins. Having
read both Move and More, most of what Greg said was
material I had previously encountered. What struck me in the webinar is what happened
when Greg stepped on the G.A.S. When he started talking about moving beyond
activity to intentionality, beyond programs to passion, beyond more information
to deeper relation, Greg lit up. His voice rose an octave, his rate of speech
increased speed, his volume, too: G.A.S. clearly mattered to Greg. G.A.S.,
according to Greg, is what makes the difference between a life of discipleship
and just playing church; G.A.S. is the difference between churches that impact
people and those who don’t.
Greg
never used the phrase G.A.S. – let me not blame him for my phrase! G.A.S. is my
term for Greg’s clear primacy of intentionality over activity, of passion over
programs, of a deeper relation with God in Christ Jesus rather than more
information about God-stuff. G.A.S. is what I call that which drives impact,
and G.A.S. stands for “Give A S***.” Without G.A.S. nothing in a disciple’s
life or a church’s ministry will make an impact.
Do
you have G.A.S. in your spiritual tank, or are you running on empty? If you’re
tank is full, go be used of God to build the Kingdom. If you’re tank is empty,
let’s talk together, let’s pray together, let’s find together the way to
restore what God knows – and what you probably suspect – you need: G.A.S.
On
the edge,
Brad
Munroe
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