The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” What life giving words of Jesus not just for individuals but also for congregations! Just like the woman at the well to whom Jesus offers life-giving water, churches discover that new life is not just a surface issue but means being replenished to the core spiritually! Springs of Living Water! is not a quick fix but a spiritual journey for congregations wanting to become healthy churches with an urgent mission. The ultimate test of new life in the church is that Christ becomes pre-eminent. That can be seen in all aspects of its life.
Christ renews our inner spiritual walk.
Christ invites the church to be on a spiritual journey.
Christ brings new life evidenced in trusting relationships.
Christ helps give us a Biblical vision for our congregation.
Christ leads us to an intentional, incremental plan for ministries.
Out of the joy of seeing congregation after congregation experience new life, a new movement is being born -- Springs of Living Water! Pastors and interns taking courses I taught in church renewal in the mid 1980’s said to me, “Put your spiritual stuff first.” The desired outcome of spiritual renewal is integral to the input into the process. The same pastors who spoke of putting the spiritual first said, “Unless we are renewed we can’t expect our congregations to be renewed.” Water, life-giving water, gives new energy to congregations plagued with low motivation. Living water, renewing water, replenishes congregations suffering from low self-esteem. Living water, cleansing water, brings healing to relationships stressed by congregational interactions. Living water, springs of living water, is available for congregations to clarify their mission and find a path that leads to sharing life-giving water with others. The theme Springs of Living Water! emerged from taking significant time discerning what many congregations yearn for today. This very theme is also the gift they have to offer as they become healthy churches with a sense of an urgent mission!
In Springs of Living Water! each member and friend of a congregation is invited to enter more intentional spiritual disciplines. Listening to God, members discern the next incremental step to which God is leading them in disciplines in their devotional life, in living the Christian walk, and in serving Jesus. The spiritual thrust permeates a seven-fold process for renewal which a church goes through in a four-year intentional endeavor.
The steps of the seven fold process are: 1) Enter a Deeper Spiritual Walk, 2) Call and Train a Renewal Team, 3) Begin to Discern a Biblical Passage, 4) Identify the Strengths (and needs) and do Spiritual Appreciation, 5) Learn and Teach Servant Leadership, 6) Discern Identity, Biblical Vision, and a Three Year Plan, and 7) Implement the Three Year Plan. Spiritual discernment, getting the head, the heart and the faith journey, is utilized through all decision making and implementing of ministries. Springs of Living Water! helps congregations to become spiritually focused and through a very practical process discover how to be healthy churches with an urgent mission. Churches can well work together in a cluster of churches supporting one another in the journey.
In the New Testament, the impact of living water is real. In John 4, Jesus gives life- giving water pege, (Pay-Gay). Unlike cistern water, stale, murky, and able to be depleted; living water gushes up and overflows, pure and never ending. Rather than time bounded, living water is for all eternity. In the Bible, water is a symbol of salvation; it is what revitalizes, refreshes, and makes whole. In John 4, Jesus actually becomes the fountain, the source for life. Christ centeredness and returning to the source is the mark of a church undergoing renewal. Those who partake living water leap up in the Bible. (Acts 3:8, 14:10) Used for baptism, water is integral to spiritual transformation, a source to which we return again and again. In the drama of Christ’s example of becoming a servant, water is used to have our feet washed. Reminded of our baptism, we are cleansed and lap life giving water over the feet of others, becoming Christ’s representative in their lives.
Besides the spiritual focus which runs throughout, there are other distinguishing features of Springs of Living Water! Rather than a pastor or church leader doing the work alone, there is a renewal team to implement the process. This team is taught servant leadership principles that includes a new topic-the discipline of dialogue-a communication process for congregations discovering renewal. Using servant leadership, the renewal team facilitates the renewal process as each church adapts the process for their own situation and particular place of ministry.
Another distinguishing mark is approaching in depth self study from a position of strengths. Rather than a diagnostic model of church renewal, find out what is wrong and fix it, we use an affirmative model and find out what is right and build upon it. While having a congregational gathering to explore that, we also use appreciative inquiry to discover the factors which operate when the church is at its best. And then we share how as a congregation we touch each other spiritually. Inner exploration of originating mission and sensing God’s hand reaching out for life giving water from our immediate mission field, a congregation can feel led to some centering scripture passage or story where they can explore the Biblical story of being God’s people today.
Rather than just using management principles of change, they can discover Biblical dynamics of renewal from studying the text to which they feel drawn. What factors led the people of God to new life? From all of this study and discernment, a congregation becomes much more clear of their identity and vision. Foresight, a central concept in servant leadership is used to help a congregation see itself whole. In that view we can work as a people to discern the vision of God’s inviting. And a vision is not a vision which does not have a plan for implementation. Again discernment is needed to decide as a body what steps come first and then next. How can the living water become more real to God’s people? The spiritual process continues as ministries are implemented.
Springs of Living Water! is an endeavor in church renewal which is spiritually focused and which gives the training and the tools for everyone to work together in a congregation in renewal. The pages that follow describe how this theme takes on life in churches. We will explore the topic of transformation in the church as a three legged stool, the background of Springs of Living Water!, the seven fold process, a sample flow chart, strengths and results, as well as available resources. You may learn more at the web site http://www.churchrenewalservant.org. You are invited to participate in Springs of Living Water! by contacting davidyoung@churchrenewalservant.org. Through these efforts congregations have experienced renewal, lives have been changed, and vitality has come to regions. May God bless you in your desire for new life.
© May 15, 2003. David S. Young. All rights reserved. We appreciate your interest but please ask that you do not reproduce materials without permission and treat all materials as copyrighted.