Charles Halley, The Heart of the Matter: Changing the World God’s Way (TCP Leadership Series). Chalice Press, 2006.
- Strategies for Church Renewal – Diagnostic/Prescriptive, Disciple-Making
- Strategies for Church Renewal – Integrated Spiritual/Strategic
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This excellent resource distills the insight of a seasoned minister and business executive who came to the realization that although a congregation certainly benefits from innovative ministry designs and organizational theories, the only real and lasting transformation must come from the work of the Holy Spirit. His own experiences with the spiritual disciplines convinced him that if these practices helped him grow in his own relationship with Christ, certainly they could do the same for a congregation. He concluded:
The absolute nonnegotiable starting point for ongoing congregational transformation and vitality is when a church collectively responds in an authentically heartfelt way to Jesus’ invitation to deny oneself and follow Him. Inevitably, a genuine change of congregational values and priorities occurs: the people of God learn to exchange a self-centered world for one in which Christ and kingdom values are prioritized. This gradual process of transformation is what I call congregational discipleship. (4)
This does not minimize the value of organizational efficiency, it simply places it in a secondary role.
The bottom line of congregational discipleship lies in one crucial issue: Is Jesus indeed Lord and head of the church, or are the members? When Jesus is increasingly the center of the church, the movement of the Spirit is strong, the power of sinful addictions are broken over time, and God’s grace is evident to all. At that point, no church leaders, pastors, or laity will have to wonder what to ‘do’ to be a faithful church. Spirit-supplied vitality will ooze out of the pores of that community of disciples. (5)
Out of this philosophy, the author developed a 3-D approach – discipleship, dimensions, and disciplines. Part 1 of the book covers discipleship – the basics of spiritual transformation, a working definition of discipleship, and a two-step biblical paradigm of transformation. Part 2 devotes a chapter to each of the five dimensions of congregational discipleship.
- Ongoing – neither a dated event or a one-time experience, but a never-ending process.
- Relative – never a series of predetermined steps or a straight path with a common starting point for all believers, but a unique process of that is relative to where you (or a congregation) have been, where you (or a congregation) are, and where you (or a congregation) are called to go.
- Purposeful – it has purposeful objectives of what we are to be and do.
- Contentious – there is an inherent conflict between two kingdoms and their opposing values.
- Cooperative – neither a function of our own hard work or the dominating influence of God, but results when God’s transformational power is combined with our human discipline and the time tested habits such as prayer, worship, fellowship, generosity, and service.
He suggests three categories of disciplines:
- Cornerstone disciplines that help to secure Jesus’ place as head of the church.
- Ministry disciplines that help to establish his methods as the process for disciple-making.
- Support disciplines that help to supply the essential resources that equipped servants need.
Part 3 expands upon each of these three disciplines from a congregational perspective. It presents separate chapters on each:
- Cornerstone disciplines – corporate discernment, leadership alignment, and vision casting
- Ministry disciplines – relevant worship, spiritual formation, and lay mobilization
- Support systems – empowering systems, aligned facilities, and generous stewardship
This is an excellent integration of spiritual formation and strategic congregational development. Unlike many resources that seem to emphasize one or the other, or discuss both but fail to demonstrate the relationship between the two, Halley weaves them together quite well. All of the significant activities of an established church are expressed through the lens of spiritual transformation.
From the Publisher
Christ’s church in America desperately needs to be revived spiritually. By most estimates, more than 70 percent of all Christian churches in the U.S. are stagnant or dying. They are stuck in survival mode and unable to fulfill their calling. The answer to this dilemma lies in a simple but profound truth: the systemic issue for congregational vitality is always spiritual-it’s a matter of the heart.
The Heart of the Matter is a comprehensive model for congregational spiritual renewal that is simple, succinct, and biblical. Like a good parable, it builds a bridge from personal spiritual transformation to collective spiritual transformation. It offers a new paradigm that is neither a programmatic solution nor a theory of change management. Rather, it is a transformational process that parallels our own individual discipleship journeys.
This book is part of the Columbia Partnership Leadership Series. The TCP Leadership Series is an inspiration- and wisdom-sharing vehicle of The Columbia Partnership, a community of Christian leaders seeking to transform the capacity of the North American Protestant church to pursue and sustain vital Christ-centered ministry.
About the Author
Charles Halley is executive director of Covenant United Methodist Church in Greenville, NC. He has a MBA from The University of Michigan. He uses his combination of church and industry experience to help congregations achieve their unique and God-centered vision for ministry.
***For additional information on this resource, including reviews, click the bookstore links. Check the reference at page top or the links below for resource guides on related topics.***
See Resources on Over 100 Areas of Ministry Leadership: