Apostolic Leadership: Why the Church Needs It Today
By Andy Stanley
At that, Paul left the Council. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. (Acts 17:33-34)
To say Paul’s approach to the Gentiles in Athens differed from his approach to the Jews in Pisidian Antioch would be the understatement of understatements. But his central message was the same. God has done something in the world on behalf of all humankind. He has punctuated and authenticated this great work by raising someone from the dead! “Come back for part 2 and I’ll tell you his name.”
Wrapping Up
While my approach to preaching is not traditional, hopefully I’ve convinced you it’s not original either. Now you know why I’m not willing to give it up. Now you understand why I want you to join me. We may be miles apart on the particulars of our theology, but that’s not an obstacle for me. Besides, if we don’t unite around what we have in common, the day will come when it no longer matters where we differ. The approach to preaching most of us saw modeled and, consequently, unwittingly inherited is perfectly designed for a culture that no longer exists. Fortunately, first-century church leaders have modeled the way forward. The real questions is, are we willing to follow their lead? Are we ready to acknowledge the new normal and adjust? If we genuinely care about the unchurched and the post-churched, we will. If we genuinely care, we will adopt the apostle Paul’s mantra: So that by all possible means I might save some.
Here’s a question I ask church leaders every time I get the opportunity.
What is the faith of the next generation worth?
What is the faith of your children worth? Your grandchildren? Think about it. What is the faith of the next generation worth? I say everything. I say it’s worth any change necessary to ensure the version of faith the next generation leaves home with is the enduring version—the faith of our first-century fathers. The version that was harder than steel and tougher than nails. The version rooted in an event, not a book.
So will you consider retooling in order to win some and save some? Are you willing to take a long, hard look at everything you’re currently doing through the eyes of the post-Christian? Are you ready to be a student rather than a critic? We don’t have time for tribes. We don’t have time for the petty disagreements that only those inside our social media circles understand or care about. We’re losing ground. The most counterproductive thing we can do is criticize and refuse to learn from one another. So come on. If you believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, that’s all I need to know. And in light of what’s at stake, in light of who is at stake, perhaps that’s all you need to know as well.
Communicator, author and pastor Andy Stanley founded Atlanta-based North Point Ministries (a 2016 Outreach 100 church, No. 37 fastest growing and No. 1 largest) in 1995. Today, North Point consists of six churches in the Atlanta area and a network of 30 churches around the globe that collectively serve nearly 70,000 people weekly.
As host of Your Move with Andy Stanley, which delivers over five million messages each month through television and podcasts, and author of more than 20 books, including The New Rules for Love, Sex and Dating; Ask It; How to Be Rich; Deep and Wide; Visioneering; and Next Generation Leader, he is considered one of the most influential pastors in America.
Andy and his wife, Sandra, have three grown children and live near Atlanta.
Thomas Horrocks is the pastor of Stoneybrook Community Church of God in Bloomington, Indiana, and a commissioned minister of the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana.
1. “The Unaffiliated,” 2014 Religious Landscape Study, May 12, 2015.
2. Alister E. McGrath, Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 32.
3. John O’Sullivan, “Christianity, post-Christianity, and the future of the West,” National Review, December 14, 2013, accessed September 16, 2016.
4. Barna Group, “State of the Church 2016,” Barna, September 15, 2016, accessed September 15, 2016.
5. Barna Group, The Bible in America: The Changing Landscape of Bible Perceptions and Engagement, (Barna Group, 2016).
6. The Bible in America, 8.
7. The Bible in America, 56–58.
8. The Bible in America, 89.
