Target Heart Zone

Training in the Target Heart Zone is all the rage in physical fitness. The idea is that the heart beats at rates that can be categorized into zones. Each zone provides unique benefits. If you listen to the instructors at my gym, there is nothing more important than training properly in each Heart Zone. The church may be able to learn something about training disciples of Jesus in Heart Zones. The challenge at the gym is that most people want to train in Heart Zone Four, which is the zone my instructor describes, "makes you feel like your hair is on fire." You sweat, breathe hard, and experience muscle fatigue. Zone Four is a real work out. However, Heart Zone Two is the zone that should receive a significant amount of training time. And that takes discipline.

In the gym, Zone Two is a slow jog. In this Zone, you burn fat very effectively and increase endurance. But training in Zone Two is tough. You feel so good that you want to cycle faster, jump higher, run faster, lift more weight. Quite frankly, training in Zone Two can be boring. You feel like you are cruising along. But endurance is built through the steady flow of energy in Zone Two.

As the church, we have a hard time creating an environment for Zone Two training. We love the emotionally charged and vibrant worship of Zone Four. We can live for a year or more on the breathless feeling we get from the mission trips of Zone Five. We are satisfied by the regular service and leadership opportunities of Zone Three. But Zone Two?

What does Zone Two look like for the church? I imagine it would involve training disciples in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, giving, rest, showing mercy, and confession to name a few. In my life, I experience this in my small group. Here I can be nothing but transparent with other women seeking to grow in Christ. We hold each other up, hold each other accountable, and hold each other when down in the dumps. In this community, the Holy Spirit builds the soul for endurance.

How about training for relationships in the community? Every Friday People magazine arrives in my mailbox. My husband mocks me, but I always find him flipping through it. As a preacher, he needs to at least be aware of pop culture. How else can he communicate effectively with people who live in pop culture? What could be the People magazine for the church? There is a great opportunity for the church to help disciples relate to the different cultures and people that live in its community. How do we effectively communicate the Gospel with people who are not like us? This is Zone Two training. It builds the base through slow attention to the fundamental call of disciples - to be in relationship with people who don't know Christ.

Training in every heart zone is important. Mountaintop experiences are just as life-giving and transformative as fun filled fellowship. However, the church can learn something from physical trainers about the importance of building endurance in Zone Two. You can't stay in Zone Five but for a brief time. Zone Four is full of burn. Zone Three is about building strength. But Zone Two is where we learn the skills to persevere.

When someone out of shape first hits the gym, they often go for that "hair on fire" feeling. But a trainer will advise that they focus on Zone Two, where they will burn fat and build endurance for future strength training. When the church begins to lose its ability to effectively make disciples, it also goes to Zone Four. It changes worship style, tinkers with programs, and offers new classes. I think being "missional" is about focusing again on Zone Two - training disciples in spiritual disciplines and building skills for sharing the gospel in the community.

Physical trainers at my gym emphasize the necessity to wear a heart rate monitor. To train effectively, one must spend the right amount of time in each zone. What would a spiritual heart rate monitor reveal to us about the church and its Heart Zones?