Dave: to Thrive On Mission. I am Dave Jones. I preach at the Millwood Church of Christ in Central Ohio. And as always, we're with Jim Book, Associate Director of the CRA. ⁓ looking good this week.

James Book: ⁓ Dave, good to see you again, brother. You doing well? You know, I always ask the guys that are in the trenches, because you guys are located ministers, how was your week?

Dave: very very well. brutal. No, just kidding. Just kidding.

James Book: You didn't have to referee any church fights. Wow, lucky you.

Dave: No, no refereeing and church fights. Jim, I've learned so much from you on loving other Christians and serving and leading that we have no problems anymore. I say facetiousness.

James Book: I wish I was that good. I wish I was that good. ⁓ man.

Dave: Yeah, well, I let me say this. I'm really glad you're in some sort of semi retirement from the local church, because you've been able to invest in me and so many different churches and this effort of Mission 120 is just really flourishing, really taking off. ⁓ In fact, we've got a buddy of ours, Josh Fennell, who recently moved to Ohio and is launching Mission 120 at his new congregation. Why don't you tell us about that?

James Book: Yes. Dave, I think you had mentioned Josh. ⁓ I don't know that I'd met him until I was at a minister's retreat that Brian Schultz puts on. You've been there before. And Josh was one of the guys who was there a couple of weeks ago, months ago now. And I got a chance to meet him. He's got a love for the Lord. His family loves the Lord. He was in a kind of a challenging place in his life. He was in between ministries. And while he was at this retreat, there was a church that he had interviewed and they were He was just waiting for the call. And you know, those can be scary moments like, is the call going to be good or bad? But they called him while we were at the retreat and they're like, Josh, we want you. And it sounds like an incredible church. The elders seem like they're very visionary. Josh is stoked. It's called the Ontario Christian Church in Ontario, Ohio, not Canada. And he just, they just got their guest service cards where they're encouraging the members to take these out and I posted on my page but they are a Mission 120 highly focused church and so excited for him and what they're going to do at that church and the church really seems like it's a great spot for him and so yeah I'm glad we're giving him the old game ball this week.

Dave: Yeah, the game ball is $25 to the CRA bookstore and all kinds of commentary, study guides, resources for preachers, elders and members of the church. the CRA.org is the place to go to check that out. Our episodes recently have focused on some very valuable ⁓ stuff. We've been talking about a Holy Spirit driven church based off the Axe model of church growth, S being the Spirit driven church. And a Spirit driven church is an unstoppable church. So do two things for me, Jim, describe briefly what a Spirit driven church looks like and what an unstoppable church looks like.

James Book: Okay, so in my opinion, if you're a Holy Spirit driven church, you're unstoppable. They go hand in hand. So to me, spirit driven means I read something in the Bible it so convicts me. I then put wheels on that verse in 2026. That's what I think Holy Spirit driven is. I'll give you, instance, I read second Samuel 23 years ago. I was kind of in a place in my ministry where I felt like we were getting a little comfortable in my church. We had done some great things for the Lord, but we were kind of a, know, how oftentimes we get into neutral, you know, we're coasting. And I was like, okay, Lord, can't afford to do this. And I read 2 Samuel 23 about a guy named Benaniah who chased a lion. And I was like, Jim, the problem with you is you haven't chased a lion lately. You're chasing house cats. You haven't chased a lion. It's time to chase a lion. And that verse helped me ⁓ develop a plan for our church and our leadership that literally put us into a mode of growth that we had never seen. That verse spoke to me. The Holy Spirit convicted me from an Old Testament passage. It's gotta be a passage that so convicts me and allows the spirit to move within my ministry in 2026. That to me is a spirit-driven unstoppable church. And I think quenching the spirit means we take cue cards from the spirit and rip them up. We get the Holy Spirit tap on our short, I get an idea. Not now. That's how we quench the Spirit. And I know sin, know, blatant sin also quenches the Spirit.

Dave: So when we talk about an unstoppable church or the context of our podcast is thrive on mission, does that always mean the church is going to be growing numerically?

James Book: I do. Now, some preachers would argue with me, but I absolutely, absolutely believe it has something, not everything, but something to do with physical growth. And again, we called this series an Axe model for church growth. And so I went through in this survey, because the A stands for accelerated growth, not just growth, accelerate, because I really believe we can accelerate what we're doing. And I just went through the book of Acts and circled how many times multitudes, a number of disciples were added, just phrases. And my hand got tired. I couldn't write it. I couldn't circle anymore. And I went, whoa, whoa, whoa. I think growth has something to do with being unstoppable. I think, sorry if this offends you, but I really do. think we're so afraid in many churches talk about growth because we remember that superficial growth pattern, that pragmatic approach to growth. So what do we do? We let the pendulum swing completely the other direction and we never talked about it at all. So I think we, again, that's why I call it Axe Model, because I don't want it to be a Madison Avenue approach, know, whatever fits do. I think we've seen the failure of that movement, but I don't believe we can seriously talk about growth and not equate it to physical growth. Not completely. There is spiritual development, obviously, but again, a spiritually mature person is going to evangelize. a spiritually strong church is going to produce fruit. Again, if you take all the fruit producing verses out of the Bible, especially the New Testament, you're going be left with a lot of verses on the floor.

Dave: Yeah. Well, Jim, the context of what we've been talking about really this year is that Axe model of church growth that you presented at the Salt Fork Leader, Salt Fork Leadership Seminar. back in January. And let me just say for any of our listeners, it would be very good if you didn't have the chance to attend that. Or if you'd like to get a copy of that, reach out to Person to Person Ministries, get the MP4, show it during Sunday school over a series of weeks or Wednesday nights, or sit down with your leadership team, your elders, and watch that. Follow along with the book that can be provided to you. And I think it'll give you a very good framework of how you... your church could be different and ultimately, and the goal would be, Spirit-led that leads people back to Jesus. And that's what really trying to do with this.

James Book: Yes, yes, yes. And Dave, if I can just say this, because I think it really sets the tone where we're going today, remember the thrust of this whole Mission 120 comes out of Acts 1, where the 120 played a huge role in developing the church. I know the apostles get all the credit. Anybody that walks out of a room and can speak in multiple languages and touch a man who's lost his arm and is completely healed, you got my attention, my friend. But I don't think the church would have launched had it not been for the 120. I call the boots on the ground people. I think they, even though they didn't have the gifts the apostles did, they had the gift of love and they were tenacious and they were all in and they had grit. And I think they're the ones that opened their homes in the first two chapters or three chapters of Acts. I think they probably participated in the baptisms in Acts two. I don't know this, but I do know this. Those 120. made it happen. I'm not sure the church could have launched as effectively as it did without the 120. What would happen if your church, you listening right now, could average 120 over four years? Mission 120 will help you do that. And I will add this one other thing, I would be willing to come down on a weekend. I would come down and help lead the Mission 120 series with your leadership or with your church. ⁓ You know if you could schedule it enough time in advance because our calendar is pretty full right now But it means that much that for a CRA to help coach you along in Developing and being the church that God wants you to be I don't believe we have to die I don't believe that Christian churches and churches Christ need to go extinct But 70 % of Christian churches and churches Christ in America today run under a hundred. Okay now that's not The beginning and end of everything. Okay, there's a lot that means we need to take into consideration. I understand that the size of your town, community, what have you. But if we don't change the trajectory of that, it's going to be 80 % in five years and then 90%. And then eventually, majority of our churches are just going to go out of existence. That can't happen. That's why we do this podcast. That's why the CRA exists. That's why Mission 120 is such a huge, huge opportunity for churches to take advantage of.

Dave: And we're seeing a major shift in a lot of churches that are being attentive to the principles that you've been teaching on this. And so I think we're seeing a momentum shift within our brotherhood that ties in very well with what's going on in our country right now, too. I think the timing of this is just perfect. And I appreciate our most recent episodes where we've been focused on this Holy Spirit driven church.

James Book: Yes, yes.

Dave: These recent episodes have really helped us understand it's more than just brochures and websites and invitation cards. God has to be a big part of what we're doing and spirit led Christians have to be key to this. It's not just doing the right things, it's being the right people and serving the right God in all of this. And our God is not the numbers on a Sunday morning, our God is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

James Book: Yeah. Yes. Yes, yes. And we all know this, that God displays himself vicariously through his people. You know, that's why Paul said, it's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I mean, Paul really wanted to get to the point where when people talk to him, they went, man, talking to you, Paul, is like talking to Jesus. And Paul would go, thank you. That's exactly what I want people to say. Now, I can't even imagine on my best day getting there, but. It's a goal we should all have is to speak, look, talk like Jesus. And if we do that, then we become vicariously Jesus to our community and to our fellow Christians. And that's why last week's podcast spent so much time on brotherly love and fellowship, because ⁓ when we become Christians, you know, our goal is to desire to love and fellowship with fellow believers. And I get a little nervous when I hear churches say I'm Jesus friendly, but not church friendly. What? How can you love Jesus and not love his church? It's like saying, I love three of your kids, but not your fourth. Well, we don't have a relationship. You gotta love all my kids, or at least like them, for crying out loud. How do we say I love God and not his church? I love Jesus, but not I'm no fan of his church. That's why 1 John says, you cannot say you love God and not love your brothers. It's impossible.

Dave: Well, in 1 Peter chapter 4, we've been spending a lot of time in these episodes. Last week, in our last episode, we talked about love covers a multitude of sins, and it's not just a philosophical love, it's certainly not a romantic love. I think the next verse 9 and 10 really helps define what that love looks like. Verse 9 says, and again, this is 1 Peter 4, be hospitable to one another without complaint. as each one has received a special gift employed in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. And so here are two of those vital one another commands that were given in scripture. The first is be hospitable to one another. And so you list this a key factor in being an unstoppable

James Book: ⁓

Dave: and Spirit-driven ⁓ church, why is hospitality such a key part of what you talked about here?

James Book: Well, like you said, David, I mean, when you think of love, there are three Greek words that pop up. There's the eros and then there's phileo. Agape love is the definition that John uses when he speaks of love. And it's a love that a Christian brother has for another, a wellbeing for your spiritual destiny, your overall wellbeing as a believer. it's, pagans can't understand agape love. They don't understand, because the only way to understand agape love is to become a believer in Christ, a follower of Christ, because the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to have that kind of love. So if you're listening to this podcast, I'm not a Christian, I wish I had that love, you're not going to understand that love until you become a Christian. All right, now that you are, now it's time to love as God loves. And we do that as an outlet, we do that to other Christians within the body. And as you said, Dave, hospitality is a key. Now, I know that Paul alludes to this. same kind of love that John does and Peter in Romans the 12th chapter, verse 9, let love be without hypocrisy. So we spoke about love last week. So love has to be real, has to be genuine, can't be fake. Love has to be without hypocrisy. A poor would is evil, cling to what is good. Now, once I've learned to love, playing back on last week's podcast, I got love down, I know I need to, I got to love my brothers, I got to care for my brothers in Christ. Okay. Can't love God and hate my brother. Got it. Notice what Paul says in verse 10. Now you know what love is. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love and honor, giving preference to one another. ⁓ Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. And then he says, distributing to the needs of the saints, given hospitality. ⁓ my goodness. Love, patience. Now I'm in a position to be hospitable. I truly believe, I think you said it, man. I'm all about fellowship dinners. I'm all about getting coffee early when you get to church service and hanging out in the cafe. We love that. In fact, you guys have one of the... Your cafe looks ⁓ like Fort Wilderness at Disney. mean, it's just, let get this giant fireplace. mean, only you could pull this off at Ohio. It's just gorgeous. And I know you encourage your people to get there early, hang out, talk. Okay. Is there anything wrong with that? No. I really believe the term hospitality is a deeper definition here. And like you said, I think it's more than just, you know, that 15 second greet time in the morning worship service, go find someone you haven't said hello to and get into their life story in about 15 seconds. I think it's diving into their life, getting into their world and mentoring and discipling and loving on them. And that's why, and Dave, wasn't a big fan of this, early on in my ministry because I just didn't know any different. But I'm a huge fan of life groups, small groups. There's all kinds of different names for them because it encourages people to go into someone's home to embrace and engage in a Bible study. But you're also doing it in a home where there's probably a meal and there's lots of conversation going on about life. And you just can't do that in a Sunday school hour. It's not made for that. You can't do that during a 15 second go find someone and say hello to between the first and second song in a worship service and that's fine. And I don't think you can pull that off in a 10 minute coffee time that you have before service starts, which is fine. But we have to empower people to be hospitable. And I really believe life groups help do that. They're not exclusively the only group that does that in the church. I'm having a hard time finding any other ministry that actually encourages fellowship. prayer, apostle doctrine, and fellowship all in one that you get to the level that you do in a life group.

Dave: Yeah, we experienced that here. We call them journey groups in our congregation. We started those ⁓ six years or so ago when we started to see some growth and a lot of changes in our congregation culturally. A lot of new people moving into the area that started attending church. We also began to see some denominational groups that were struggling and those churches started to falter and those people came to Millwood and

James Book: Okay.

Dave: What we were able to do is disciple people more directly in those groups and they've begun to build those relationships. You've probably heard this saying before, the larger you get, the smaller you have to be. And that's the context of what these small groups represent is those relationships that are. that people desperately are looking for in the course of their lives. They're very vital in where the church is now, and I think where the church is heading in the future. I would also contend this, a good shepherd or a good elder in the church, he has to be the kind of person that you described very well there, getting into. another person's life, building those relationships. It's not just a handshake on Sunday morning. It's not just sharing a cup of coffee, but it's really getting to know those people. One of the qualities given of an elder is that he is hospitable. And that's just not having people into the home for a meal. It's really getting to know people deeply. hospitality is one area of that a person has that they can actually work on and improve in. ⁓ It may not be their initial quality or personality trait, but they've got to work on it. If the guy's already an elder, he's got to stretch himself and become hospitable. If he desires to be an elder, he's got to be hospitable. And if he doesn't fill that capacity, then he'll be a great Sunday school teacher for us. Jim, just as I would be concerned of an elder who's not hospitable, ⁓ it also me when I hear other evangelists say something like, ⁓ never go the hospital or nursing home. That's the elder's job. You know, I think this idea of hospitality ⁓ can't be limited to even men in leadership. Everybody in the church has to participate in this concept. You know, last week when we talked about. love. We shared that quote that Shane Caps has in his book ⁓ no virtue really a virtue unless it is permeated or informed by love. So love is the basis of this and I don't do what I do because it's my obligation. I do what I do because I love people. I do it because I love God. I'm not admitted to the truth, truths of New Testament Christianity because I'm a part of the Church of Christ, I do it because I love Jesus and I love people and I love His Church. And so these qualities that we talk about, I think sometimes when we become so truth oriented, we forget the importance of love. And that's where hospitality really defines what you believe about the truth of God's Word and His Church. Obviously there's a lot of overlap between last week and this week as we talk about hospitality and there are three books. If there's anybody struggling in these areas to show love to other people. what it means to truly minister out of a heart of love and be hospitable to other people. There's three books that I would highly recommend you read and even do a Wednesday night Bible study or Sunday night Bible study or a Sunday school class through one or more of these books. The first is a biography of P.H. Welshimer and P.H. Welshimer ministered in the very late 1800s into the mid 1950s here in central Ohio up in in Camp in Ohio and I believe had the first mega church within our brotherhood. Incredible story of faith and ⁓ trust in the Lord and growth of a church. The second one would be, I have this one handy here by Rod Hirran, it's Wayne Smith's biography. And Wayne is a modern day legend in our brotherhood. And if you want to know how to love people, read this book. Wayne built a mega church in Lexington, Kentucky, ⁓ loving on people, laughing a lot with people, and really just sharing life with people. There's stories in this book where he would show up at people's houses with KFC, where he gave money out of his own pocket to help people. You talk about hospitality, concern, and love for people. It was Wayne Smith. He wasn't just incredible in the pulpit. He was incredible day in and day out. loving all people. John in his book, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, I'm sure many are familiar with that, but he talks about one of the key principles of leadership is influence. ⁓ And influence happens not from the pulpit, it doesn't happen in the boardroom, ⁓ it in people's homes. ⁓ and building relationships with people. And when you develop that kind of relationship with people, you begin to influence them toward what God's calling them to be as Christians and what your church is designed to be as well. And Jim, you've spent most of our episode this time talking about something that's really highlighted so well in a book by Lynn Anderson, They Smell Like Sheep. And ⁓ he does an incredible job there just defining what true leadership in the modern church looks like, spiritual leadership. And it's rubbing shoulders, it's crying with people, it's loving on people, being with them in the good times and the bad times. We love others the way God loves them. And that only happens when we're in the trenches with them. And you've talked a lot about that in this episode. You can't fake true hospitality either. And you sense it when you walk through the doors on a Sunday morning in churches, whether these people genuinely love one another and love the visitors, or if they're just sort of going through the motions of what they do on a Sunday morning, And that really spills over into the work of the church on a more corporate level then. And those kinds of things are very apparent when visitors come in. Hey, we're going to wrap this episode up. I just want to tell you the story. I really value the importance of hospitality in the home and hospitality of relationships, especially led by the elders ⁓ and the minister of the church. ⁓ as I've said a couple of times, that spills over to what we do on Sunday mornings. And ⁓ my family and I were visiting a in St. Louis a number of years ago. We went out for the arch and to follow the trail. little bit of Lewis and Clark and I had three little girls at the time and we found a church in inner city St. Louis. in the phone book, if you remember what phone books are. And just found a Church of Christ. So we park, we go in and the doors were opened by this lady. She couldn't have been taller than five foot two and every bit is wide. And she just extends her arms out and takes my wife and I and our three little girls into her arms. She says, welcome to the Lord's Church. We couldn't believe what we were walking into. We didn't know what we were walking into, but it was a church, as I've mentioned, in the inner city. And we were the only white people in that church on that Sunday. It was just an African-American church, ⁓ non-instrumental. The worship was incredible. The preaching was dynamic. And it's one of those kinds of churches where every week, and I hope churches don't do this for the record, I don't think this is a good practice, but they would have the visitors stand up in the middle of the service to introduce themselves. Well, the funny thing was, and it was a church maybe of 75 people, the preacher, when he gets up to do that portion of their service, to have the visitors stand up and introduce themselves, he said, I guess we don't have to have our visitors stand up today now, do we? We were the only white people in that congregation that day. But that sticks out to me, and this is 20 years ago, over 20 years ago now. It sticks out to me not because it was a African American church. not because it was a different style of worship than we were used to. It sticks out to me because of that woman in particular and everybody else that greeted us on that morning, they weren't patronizing us because we were different skin color. They were just loving on us. And there was a church meal after the service and everybody invited us to it. Just the openness of that church, the hospitality of that church, what it said to me was they weren't faking it. They loved each other and they loved us enough to invest in us for just a couple of hours that week. And it was just a blessing to be a part of that. And they made a weekend that was ⁓ was far away from home. There was a lot of stresses involved in traveling. ⁓ They made it such a pleasure. experience that I couldn't imagine anybody from their community not wanting to be a part of that church. and as a preacher over the years, I've wanted to replicate that in our congregation, and I hope we have to a certain extent. ⁓ But they a great example of what the Lord's Church should do on a Sunday morning, and we're grateful for it.