[This is my first post of three in my “Vintage Wednesday” series on the "Either/Or Dilemma faced by many churches, re-written/updated from a blogpost back in December of 2010.]

Consider the following either/or dichotomies: Either we focus on getting people saved or we get caught up with a social gospel…either we nurture people on the inside or we reach out to those on the outside.

While some might tend toward this either/or perspective, I would like to suggest that we think in terms of both/and—we’re about discipling those on the inside while sharing the gospel with those on the outside…we’re about bringing people into the kingdom through salvation while also meeting their physical needs. Perhaps a better question is—does one take priority over the other? While both should be valued, should one be ranked above the other?

Jesus stated in essence—“love God, love people”—when responding to an inquiry about his number one commandment. He didn’t share one, but two, and he also rank-ordered them. In fact, the second is pointless if the first is not present.

A former pastor of mine once stated: “Lead with grace but land on truth.” Grace is prioritized but must be followed up by the second value truth or the whole thing is compromised.

If we could dial the discussion down to one of prioritized values, could we save relationships and actually build the kingdom of God rather than fragment it further? Is it possible to prevent churches from splitting and leaders leaving to start new groups?

In your discussion consider a common concern I’ve often heard: “If we’re not careful to maintain and protect what we already have we’ll have nothing to offer those we are attempting to reach with the Gospel.” And furthermore, “Don’t forget about our kids!” We all know that we need a safe environment for our children. But really, how safe is the church today? When our children are exposed to insider-centered programming (stay tuned for my next post), materialism, escapism, and a posture against change that cherishes maintenance at the expense of missional values are we not ultimately going to lose them?

C.T. Studd once said that, “Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell.” Which one really is safer for a living faith to be passed on to next generations?

Everyone’s concerns must be addressed. Having discussions on how to prioritize our values rather than accusing the “other side” of not caring about mission or not prioritizing true doctrine can clarify the why behind our thinking and lead to productive results. As Ken Blanchard has pointed out—life is about value conflicts and thus they must be rank ordered to be effective.