Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Worldviews
Don't know if you have taken a Perspectives course or not. If not, you should! I took the class, and now have friends going through it. The course is focused on missions in the church (history, theory and Biblical mandate). The class starts with the Biblical mandate, and it is interesting to see how shocked people are to learn that the Biblical mandate starts in Genesis and not at the Great Commission. When I took the class I heard people ask, "Why haven't we heard this before?". My friends are now hearing and asking the same question. The immediate answer to the question is that practical christianity has beaten out Biblical Christianity (which is practical) for some reason. We hear more sermons on how to be a good: employee, father, mother, etc. and how to be: blessed, rich, comfortable, etc. I don't know why or how that has happened, but it seems to be the case!
If you can take Perspectives, do it!!! At least attend the first two or three classes! If you can't do that, start with this article from Christianity Today.
If you can take Perspectives, do it!!! At least attend the first two or three classes! If you can't do that, start with this article from Christianity Today.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
One more thing . . .
OK, so this may seem like I am obsessing, but there has been one other question that has been nagging me with this whole bulletin (I am no longer capitalizing the word). I wonder how much responsiblity we as pastors should take when a group of congregational member's focus is so out of whack. Andy Stanley has said something along the lines of "you are achieving the results that you are set up for" (I have totally butchered that, but you get the point). Are we preaching, teaching, programming, etc. in such a way that we should expect nothing less (or more) than what we see reflected in our congregations? Is this what keeping the status quo is going to produce? Is the way we are doing church not just making it comfortable for congregants to stay self-centered and me-oriented but encouraging it as well? In some ways I think the answer to these questions is obvious but very uncomfortable, and I am afraid we don't ask these questions enough for that very reason!
Bulletin Bullies and the Exodous of Young People from the Church
I try not to rant on my blog, but feel that I have been forced to do so.
Recently the church I attend made a decision to change the layout of its Bulletins (I capitalize Bulletin, because it seems as if it is that important)! As soon as we did we have gotten a small handful of emails, and I have heard comments about how upset some people are over this change. Now, I know that people are entitled to their opinions (I certainly have mine). What is amazing to me is how strongly people feel about this! We even had a couple that left the church over this (seriously)!!
Do you want to know why young people are leaving the church en masse??
I had been resistant to reading George Barna's latest book simply because I knew that it would remind me of some frustrations that I have with the state of the church (general). I finally gave in and breezed through it this week to find that it addresses the misplaced focus of many churches (programs, polity, traditions, etc.). Barna makes the observation that the congregants have chosen to "go" to church instead of "be" the church. (The post that follows this one contains an excerpt from this book).
My problem/frustration isn't that we have problems in the church (it will always be made up of humans), but that there is no desire to grow. The Bulletins are not the issue! Perpsective and identity is!
Some friends and I came up with some solutions to this specific problem. I will state my two favorites:
1. Collect all the bulletins from area churches and present them to the complainers, let them pick their favorite, and then send them away! That way they can be happy with their bulletins!
2. Start First Tulsa Church of the Bulletin. At this church the Bulletin would take it's rightful place at the center.
Recently the church I attend made a decision to change the layout of its Bulletins (I capitalize Bulletin, because it seems as if it is that important)! As soon as we did we have gotten a small handful of emails, and I have heard comments about how upset some people are over this change. Now, I know that people are entitled to their opinions (I certainly have mine). What is amazing to me is how strongly people feel about this! We even had a couple that left the church over this (seriously)!!
Do you want to know why young people are leaving the church en masse??
I had been resistant to reading George Barna's latest book simply because I knew that it would remind me of some frustrations that I have with the state of the church (general). I finally gave in and breezed through it this week to find that it addresses the misplaced focus of many churches (programs, polity, traditions, etc.). Barna makes the observation that the congregants have chosen to "go" to church instead of "be" the church. (The post that follows this one contains an excerpt from this book).
My problem/frustration isn't that we have problems in the church (it will always be made up of humans), but that there is no desire to grow. The Bulletins are not the issue! Perpsective and identity is!
Some friends and I came up with some solutions to this specific problem. I will state my two favorites:
1. Collect all the bulletins from area churches and present them to the complainers, let them pick their favorite, and then send them away! That way they can be happy with their bulletins!
2. Start First Tulsa Church of the Bulletin. At this church the Bulletin would take it's rightful place at the center.
Barna Excerpt
The following is a powerful excerpt from a book called Revolution by George Barna (stick with it! The last paragraph is the strongest):
“Human behavior is a series of complex negotiations among our self-image, character, values, sense of purpose, and cultural parameters. Each choice we make is our best attempt to somehow balance the competing interests of those dimensions to optimize an outcome. Who we believe ourselves to be is a major determinant in our ability to be competent in our endeavors.
Your capacity to connect with God intimately and, therefore, to follow through on the challenges posed by the cause of Christ is inextricably bound to your self-image. Simply accepting Christ as Savior and have a respectful but casual relationship with Him do not give birth to a Revolutionary life.
To be a Revolutionary requires understanding the role of every human being within God’s plan. You realize that you are a special creature in His universe—created for the purpose of knowing and loving God, reproducing additional lovers of God, and living in ways that reflect being made in God’s image and for His pleasure. Amazingly, we have been invited to be His partners in developing and advancing His Creation-minority partners, certainly; not so much peers as associates—and as such we can take heart in the fact that we matter to God.
We are valuable because God considers us to be so. We need not earn our stripes—in fact, He has made clear that we cannot earn status in His eyes, except through our relationship with His Son. Our worth stems from our commitment to loving and serving Him. Our relationship with God helps us comprehend the purpose of our life and defines the direction to pursue that will please Him and thus provide us with the greatest fulfillment.
Wrap your mind and heart around this realization: You are a slave to Christ, and ambassador of God, a servant of the King, a soldier in the invisible battle of purity and evil. You will find inner peace only when you know who you truly are. Only at that point can you be authentic. Joy escapes many believers because they don’t fully grasp their identities as Revolutionaries; they labor in vain as halfhearted disciples. The emotional and spiritual ecstasy that Revolutionaries experience is linked to an awareness of their true role in the Kingdom of God. Until you become obsessed with imitating Christ and honoring God, your journey is moving in a dangerous direction. Devoting yourself to the Revolutionary way is a big step toward experiencing God’s pleasure.
Let me also point out that a major reason why most local churches have little influence on the world is that their congregants do not experience this transformation in identity.”
This was powerful for me for a couple of reasons. One, is the simple reminder of who I am and who I am called to be. Second was the reflection on the way that joy and proper understanding of identity are tied together. Do I experience joy as a Christian, or do I find that joy escapes me? And how are joy and my identity in Christ tied together? These have been questions that I have been living with since reading this.
“Human behavior is a series of complex negotiations among our self-image, character, values, sense of purpose, and cultural parameters. Each choice we make is our best attempt to somehow balance the competing interests of those dimensions to optimize an outcome. Who we believe ourselves to be is a major determinant in our ability to be competent in our endeavors.
Your capacity to connect with God intimately and, therefore, to follow through on the challenges posed by the cause of Christ is inextricably bound to your self-image. Simply accepting Christ as Savior and have a respectful but casual relationship with Him do not give birth to a Revolutionary life.
To be a Revolutionary requires understanding the role of every human being within God’s plan. You realize that you are a special creature in His universe—created for the purpose of knowing and loving God, reproducing additional lovers of God, and living in ways that reflect being made in God’s image and for His pleasure. Amazingly, we have been invited to be His partners in developing and advancing His Creation-minority partners, certainly; not so much peers as associates—and as such we can take heart in the fact that we matter to God.
We are valuable because God considers us to be so. We need not earn our stripes—in fact, He has made clear that we cannot earn status in His eyes, except through our relationship with His Son. Our worth stems from our commitment to loving and serving Him. Our relationship with God helps us comprehend the purpose of our life and defines the direction to pursue that will please Him and thus provide us with the greatest fulfillment.
Wrap your mind and heart around this realization: You are a slave to Christ, and ambassador of God, a servant of the King, a soldier in the invisible battle of purity and evil. You will find inner peace only when you know who you truly are. Only at that point can you be authentic. Joy escapes many believers because they don’t fully grasp their identities as Revolutionaries; they labor in vain as halfhearted disciples. The emotional and spiritual ecstasy that Revolutionaries experience is linked to an awareness of their true role in the Kingdom of God. Until you become obsessed with imitating Christ and honoring God, your journey is moving in a dangerous direction. Devoting yourself to the Revolutionary way is a big step toward experiencing God’s pleasure.
Let me also point out that a major reason why most local churches have little influence on the world is that their congregants do not experience this transformation in identity.”
This was powerful for me for a couple of reasons. One, is the simple reminder of who I am and who I am called to be. Second was the reflection on the way that joy and proper understanding of identity are tied together. Do I experience joy as a Christian, or do I find that joy escapes me? And how are joy and my identity in Christ tied together? These have been questions that I have been living with since reading this.