Three types of people?

I'm reading

Driscoll's "Confessions"

which I was sent for review (so I have to talk about it or I won't keep getting the swag...).
So far, so good. My main concern is that young pastors (including myself) will try to talk like Driscoll.

Bad idea.

There's only one Driscoll, and you ain't him. I ain't him. Most of the time, I'd be willing to bet he's not him.

At any rate, there's some good stuff here...

He talks about three kinds of people who will "come to" your church...

(Now, I'm quoting, so remember, these are his words, not mine...)

As our church continued to meet, it became clear that three basic types of people were showing up. Observers were happy to do and give nothing but just came to watch the show each week, not unlike the people who hit the brakes when driving past a nasty car wreck to gaze and grin. Consumers likewise gave and did nothing but were always wanting more and making demands for more goods and services from me. Participants were the handful of people who had bought into the idea of the church being a missionary to our city. They came to church seeking a way to serve a greater mission and were enormously encouraging.

I soon tried to spend most of my time with the participants in our mission rather than with the observers or consumers of our church. I continually repeated our mission each Sunday from the pulpit — to honor God through the gospel as a church transforming the city — so that the people who stayed in the church understood that they were not welcome to bring any other agenda. The problem was that many of the people who came to the church had been sucking the life out of various program-driven, seeker-sensitive churches for years and ended up being basically worthless for mission. Week after week, they would walk in to see that we did not have the program they wanted and then walk back out, never thinking that perhaps they should serve Christ and build a ministry.

As I read this, I can see clearly that yeah- there are observers, consumers and participants.

The one thing missing though from this list (maybe Mark discusses this later) are the fact that some people are simply hurting. Now, that hurt may push them into being merely observers, it may mean that they are experienced by the community as givers rather than takers (consumers), and it may be that (oddly enough) their hurt causes them to be some of the most giving participants around (I think we call that co-dependency).

I'm with Driscoll. I really don't want a community of observers and God save us from spoiled consumers. We want people to move towards being participants.

But I have found myself telling hurt people to hang back, to wait before jumping in, to take some time and rest and heal.
Because... not only have I found that those who come to one of our Sunday Gatherings, say, and immediately want to "dive right in" tend to burn out and fade away pretty quickly while those who dip toes in and slowly get involved over a couple of months tend to last a lot longer in the community, but I have also seen that there's a significant role for the community to play in healing people, giving them a safe place to explore, figure things out, heal... and while I'm happy to talk the language of "participants", I want to be careful to nuance that with the language of grace as well.

Just some thoughts as I read...

Comments

[Jon Sampson]

That's all so true.

I'm glad some churches have moved to a "let's go and do something" mindset instead of a "let's just sit around and be entertained" one. But in focusing so much on producing, sometimes we forget that healing side. Some people aren't ready to run hard and do everything. They may need to be invested in and built up before they can produce much.

It's just tough sometimes for church leaders to distinguish between those with legitimate needs and the "needy".

[kevin]

I don't think Driscoll cares much for hurting people. He probably will call them wimps, unmanly or homosexuals (if they are male) and nags or depressants (if they are female). That is a highly polemical statement on my part, and I do see the three kinds of people that Driscoll mentions, but I critique his book (besides his condescending language) in that he offers very little practical advice on what to do with these 3 types of people.

I appreciate your immediate sensitivity to hurting people.

[ScottB]

I've discovered that Driscoll's language sounds great - until you've been through the wringer yourself. Then you look for a place that's healthy enough to let you heal without some machismo-driven push to get involved. I think your take on this is fantastic, and I'm encouraged to hear it - Driscoll has some good stuff to say, but every time I read something he says, I get the impression that if I haven't killed my own breakfast that I can't sit at the table with the real men.

Anyway - I think your perspective is right on. Your pastoral heart is always apparent when I read your stuff.

[Rich]

Bro, nice add with the hurting category. I've read the book and he doesn't get to them. And they are out there right now, and in many places, they are out there in droves. Living in the southeast we are extremely overchurched. We have some many people who have cycles through so many churches. This many times ends in lots of folks who have been hurt and hurt by God's people. We can not forget them. I love your pastoral heart towards these folks and I like your approach with them. We need to tackle it head on the way you seem to be doing.

Keep at it man...

[blind beggar]

I think you have to view the three types within the context. He states that “it became clear that three basic types of people were showing up.”

It doesn’t say that he only sees three types of people within any gathering, but that these are the three types that were showing up at Mars Hill at that point in time. This was when they had less than 50 people gathering.

I’ve just finished the book and have been posting on it also. Interesting read from an interesting person.

[bob]

Yeah... I hear what you are saying, but I don't buy it. I know enough of Driscoll to realize this is basically how he views everyone that walks in, in these three basic categories- he's just letting us know that he saw them right from the beginning.

And while I've never been the pastor of a church with 3-4,000 people, I have been the pastor of a church with 50, and I can confirm that these indeed are the types of people who show up.

My point is that it isn't always enough to identify them without asking why they are that way, because the why will determine your response...

I've got more to say, but I better do it as a post...