Thoughts on Spiritual Growth

I was recently asked, what steps I think lead to spiritual maturity.  I sent that response as an e-mail to the friend who asked, and figured it might make a good blog post.  After all I use this blog for things that I want to get feedback on and for things that I want to continually "rethink".  So please help me "re-think" any of this that needs to be refined.

As I see it, all spiritual growth results from one of the following: (please note that this list is not original it comes from Andy Stanley's book "Deep and Wide")  Practical Teaching, Private Disciplines, Personal Ministry, Providential Relationships, Pivotal Circumstances.

Practical Teaching:  Not just teaching, but teaching with "next steps".  A sermon that leaves you, not just more enlightened, but one that gives you practical ideas for how to be different because of what you've just heard. This kind of teaching can come from a stage, be heard over the radio (or Internet), or be found in the pages of a book.  It can be heard live with hundreds of people, or projected onto a video screen in a small group, or consumed privately.

 Private Disciplines: Reading the scripture, prayer, fasting, and giving.  All of these have the potential to grow our faith.

Personal Ministry:  Our bodies cannot be healthy simply by eating the right food, we have to pair diet with exercise for optimal health.  So it is with our spirit.  We have to be engaged in the unique ministry, the "good works" that Ephesians 2 says God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.

Providential Relationships: This is where the body comes in.  We all need people in our lives that we can learn from, who can mentor us, who we can mentor.  There will be people in our lives that inspire us, and people who are negative examples.  We need people to spur us on toward love and good deeds, and to sharpen us, as iron sharpens iron.

Pivotal Circumstances: This is not one that the church can create, as much as it can shape our response.  I love the way Roger (our pastor) takes current events and give us a Christian/Biblical filter for them.  We will all have pivotal circumstances in our lives, death, divorce, injury, illness, financial troubles, and the like.  How we respond to these circumstances can impact our faith. Do we see tragic circumstances and decide that a loving God could not let such a thing happen, or do we see the evidence of God working all things for good?

These ideas are extremely well articulated in Andy Stanley's book "Deep and Wide", and while I've taken the "P's" (words in bold) from his book, these are ideas that I have been working to refine and articulate for years, which is why they resonate with me so deeply. 

I know you wanted my personal opinion, so the following ideas are strictly mine.  I think that as we look through scripture we can see the following pattern emerge for how God works in a life: He Planned for us, He created us, He pursued us, He makes us new, He equips us, He inspires us, He Works through us.  This pattern is similar to what we see in Romans 8:29-30.  As we try to do for others as Jesus did for us, I think we, as individuals or as a church, can follow the same pattern.

Plan: God foreknew us, before he did anything else.  We should take time to get to know who we want a ministry, or our entire church, to reach.  If a church wants to start a ministry that is going to help feed hungry people, shouldn't we get to know some hungry people and find out what they need?  Shouldn't we read everything we can about hunger and poverty, and shouldn't we study what is working to combat those needs?  Just an example... 

Create: God had his plan for salvation in place before he created us.  After his plan was in place, he set about putting into action.  This is of course a vital second step.  It is not enough to simply read, and study how to minister to a particular group, we must actually take action, and be doer's of what we have learned.

Pursue: Even God wasn't content to sit in heaven and let His creation speak for itself, He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden, He took on flesh and became human, he whispered to Elijah, he made a covenant with Abraham, he met Paul on the road to Damascus.  Likewise, if we want to minister to people, we need to walk in their shoes, and become available to life life beside them, rather than simply program for them/to them/at them.  When children's ministry worked well in our church, it was because the volunteers were passionate about the kids and were not content to simply meet with them once a week, they followed up with home visits, and invited them into their own homes, took them out for ice cream, remembered their birthdays, and made their lives, (not just small slivers of their schedules) available.

Made New:  Okay, only God can do this, but we need to remember that all of the relationships and programs in the world don't matter if the person never sees past us to Jesus.  Keeping this on the list of our necessary steps, keeps us focused on the goal of making as certain as possibe that the person were are ministering too experiences the life transformation that Paul spoke of in 2nd Corinthians 5:17.  This is the midpoint in the timeline, the cornerstone, of all of any ministry. we long for that moment when someone will be made knew in Christ.

Equip: This is where I observe most churches having the most difficulty.  What do we do after someone is made knew in Christ?  It is as if we had a clear plan for how to get them into the kingdom, but don't know what do with them once they are in.  Really that's kinda backwards.  Being in the kingdom we should know what kingdom life looks like, but we seem confused...  I think this is because we tend look at salvation as the end goal, when in reality it is only the beginning.  We have this "okay God I got them this far, now they have the Holy Spirit, so you can take it from here..." attitude.  I also think that strategically equipping a whole church full of people is difficult because this is where our ministries tend to begin to overlap.  Instead of just being involved in the one thing or with the one person that moved them toward Christ, the new believer is now expected to be a part of the general church body, and the transition from the kiddie pool to the deep end is often overlooked.  This is makes strategy and unity between departments so critical.  This is why I love Andy Stanley's 5 P's from earlier. They are the steps that transform us from newborn faith to mature faith, a faith that will survive the scorching sun and the choking weeds.  We are equipped through Practical Teaching, Private disciplines, Personal Ministry, Providential Relationships, and Pivotal Circumstances. 

Inspire: As we experience different avenues of personal ministry, we have opportunities to see what work in the kingdom makes us come alive, and to move closer and closer to discovering out what those unique good works are that God created just us to do.  I fully believe that God has a specific, unique purpose for each of us, and that we have the privilege of finding out what it is.  The more faithful we are with the "5P's" listed above, the more He entrusts to us. Like the word says, "you have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things".  The goal is to have each Christian reach a place where as Paul said, "I am compelled to preach, woe to me if I do not preach the gospel" they can say "I am compelled to ____________, woe to me if I do not __________."

Use: Thus transformed, equipped and inspired, we can produce a crop yielding 30, 60 or 100 times what was sown.  This is the part where we are "God's fellow workers" and "Christ's Ambassadors". This is my definition of maturity.  Someone who knows what they are called to do, is passionate about doing it, and is always striving to do it better for the Glory of God.

Remember this was an e-mail to a friend, so I understand if the context is hazy for someone just joining the conversation.  Don't hesitate to ask lots of questions.

Sign Post 3

Carey’s third sign that your church is ready to reach unchurched people is  Your attenders are prepared to be non-judgmental. 

"Unchurched people," he writes, "Do not come ‘pre-converted’. They will have lifestyle issues that might take years to change (and let’s be honest, don’t you?). Cleaning up your behavior is not a pre-condition for salvation, at least not in Christianity. What God has done for us in Jesus saves us; not what we have done for God. Is your congregation really ready to love unchurched people, not just judge them? One of Jesus’ genius approaches was to love people into life change. If your people can do that, you’re ready to reach unchurched people.”

This doesn't come naturally to me, maybe because of the bubble in which I grew up. (see Sign Post 2)  

Early in my ministry the church I was serving was positioned right next to "Job Corps" a place where people who struggled with conventional education could get job training. The place didn't have a great reputation, because some of the residents had been 'sentenced' to attend Job Corps as an alternative to serving jail time.  

A new Senior Pastor came on board and thought Job Corps would be the perfect place to go to grow our student ministry, much to my chagrin.   

"Culture shock" would be a mild way of describing what happened when you took a group of 12-16 year old church kids and combined them with a group of 16-24 year old people who had never seen the inside of a church.  As a 20 year old who had grown up in a bubble, I was WAY out of my league. Being overwhelmed only fed many of my stereo types of unchurched young adults.

Needless to say that a little more strategic planning might have made for better ministry.  Very few people, shared the pastor's vision for reaching the students at Job Corps.  Even though the bulk of the heavy lifting ministry fell to me, I was one of those who wasn't catching the vision...  But I did learn a great deal about judging a book by it's cover, and about letting people grow before asking them to change.  And in my next church, when the kids with the pink hair and lip piercings came through the door, I was determined to have a different attitude, and we had a very different outcome.

I’ve tried to steer clear of talking about my current church while discussing Carey’s sign posts.  But I have to brag on them just a little. 

One of the first things I noticed upon coming to church was a guy in his 40’s to 50’s with a bright pink curly Mohawk sitting among a see of suits and ties.  Observing him you could tell that he didn't feel a bit out of place, nor was he treated differently.  When a giant, purple haired, biker-looking guy showed up and sat in the front pew week after week, he was embraced and loved, even when he threw up during a service…  The folks at my church may generally look and act a certain way, but they don't judge other books by their covers.

I believe my church also does a good job letting at not expecting people to act like Christians until they actually become Christians, and even after they decide to follow Jesus they are allowed to ‘grow up’ before being expected to ‘clean up’. 

This doesn’t mean that sin is ignored.  It just means that you don’t start pruning before the seed has taken root, and had some time to grow.  

Why I Blog

So I've been blogging away for about a year and a half, and I thought it might be a good time to go back and take a look at why I blog.

It is good to go back and reevaluate yourself. That is after all one of the principles I advocate here.

My "tag line" says that this blog is, "A place to share my experiences (be they failures or successes) as I try to be a part of the Kingdom of God in tangible ways, and a place where I can get input from anyone who is interested in giving it!"

So as far as a place to share my experiences, I think Moving and Re-Thinking has been a success.  My blog posts are focused on my experiences.  As far as a place where I can get feedback... Well not so much...

I titled the Blog "Moving and Re-Thinking".  I named it this because want to from where I am toward something better, and I want to share that experience with anyone who cares to read about it.

I am not trying to say, "Your doing it wrong". 
I am trying to say, "I just learned this, it's pretty amazing to me, thought you might be interested".

Moving: - According to Websters 'moving' can mean "of or relating to a change" or "stirring deeply in a way that evokes a strong emotional response".  Everything I post here is posted because it challenges me to think or behave differently.  As someone whose spiritual gift set is leadership, the things that challenge me are often related to the way that the Body of Christ works together.

Re-Thinking: - I picked this word after being challenged at the Orange conference.  Romans 12:2 tells us that we need to be "transformed by the renewing of our minds" to put in simply, our thinking needs to change.  The idea of "renewing" to me, implies a consistent long term process, not a single event.  Not a switch that gets flipped when we 'get saved', but a series of changes, as we become more like Christ.  Just think about how the Disciples thinking must have changed as they moved from the cultural faith and religion of the pharisees, to the teachings of Jesus, to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, to the Missionary work of taking the Gospel to different cultures at the ends of the earth.

So as you read my blog keep these things in mind. 

1. I am sharing the things that influence or challenge me.
2. I want feed back.
3. I intend to post things that will "evoke a strong emotional response" - so my hope is that you will strongly agree or disagree. (and give me your feedback...)
4. My goal is to present not just my own ideas, but the thoughts of Spirit inspired people who are moving and re-thinking, and the scripture that challenges me to move and/or re-think.
5. I hope that sharing the things that have influenced me to change my thinking will inspire you to Re-Think your assumptions. 

As you read this blog, please understand that my intention is not to persuade or to criticize, but to spur you on toward personal re-evaluation, and ultimately love and good deeds.  You may re-evaluate, you may change, or you may come to the same conclusion. My hope is that you will have been inspired reflect on why you think what you think.

One final note.  I am not going to be posting this blog to facebook for a time (though you can still feel free to do so if you are so inclined). If you want to keep reading, you'll have to check it out on purpose, or you'll need to "Follow" the blog.  If you follow you'll get an e-mail when I post something.  So you'll be asked for some basic information by Blogger.

Timing is Everything

God's timing that is...

I have an agenda, a schedule, a calendar.  I used to have a 5 year plan, even a 10 year plan...

God has an agenda too.  I use to think that all I had to do was have Godly priorities and everything would work out fine, but the more I walk through life, and the better I get to know His heart, I am realizing that my desires aren't the problem, my agenda is.

I think I am trying to say that, "God and I have the same end in mind, we just have vastly different ideas about how to get there."

I've often wondered why I didn't get a "calling".  Honestly I grew up expecting that if I just got to know Him well enough, "it" would happen.  I'd mystically understand to the very core of my being what I was created to do.

But calling doesn't always come from a "God called Abram" moment, or from a "And the voice from heaven saying..." experience.  I thought the goal was to quietly go about my business, and wait for someone to say "Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men." 

The more I get to know God the more I understand calling in terms of Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you will be able to test and approve what the will of God is, that which is good perfect and pleasing to Him."

The more I get to know God the more I understand calling in terms of Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

I will find a job that meets my needs, so that I won't become a burden or a thief, but also one doesn't lead me to such abundance that forget my dependence on God. 

I will learn what I need to know to further God's kingdom, not to fatten my wallet. 

I will pursue work and education with excellence, but never so much so that I don't have time for the work of God's kingdom.

I won't borrow to get where I think God wants me to be now, because God said that the borrower is slave to the lender, and I don't want any master but Him. Instead I will find a way to accomplish God's goals according to God's methods, not according to my own.

That is the Re-Think moment.  Pursue God's goals according to God's methods.  His kingdom according to His righteousness. 

Trust that God doesn't just plan the ends, He also plans the means. 

Listen for the voice behind you that says "this is the way, walk in it".

Let His word be "a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path", even if there is only enough light to see one step at a time...

Because God's timing is perfect.

The value of Re-Thinking

The Orange Leader's blog recently posted this "Ted Talk"  all about how we tie our shoes.   It will take you 3 minutes to watch the video.

I watched it and remembered that Orange is not just a children's "program" or a curriculum.  It is part of something bigger called "the re-think group". 

There are huge benefits to be had when we challenge our basic assumptions, when we re-think the way we've always done something, when we take the time to make a minor adjustment.  We are creatures of habit, and we seldom stop to think what might happen if we did something just a little differently.

I want to be the kind of person who is always open to learning and growing.  I think we all say that, but how many of us will actually take the time to re-think how we tie our shoes?  Ultimately we tend to take a "if it is not broken, don't fix it" approach to life.  There is no sense of urgency about learning a knew method for tying shoes. 

But what do we do when we know something is broken? When we know it needs to be fixed, how do we approach the situation?  I tend to try harder, but continue using the old methods.  I go back to basics, or to what I know worked before, rather than innovating.  In other words, I get stuck in a rut, and eventually that rut gets so deep that I don't even know how to get out.

Maybe I just find this video interesting because of all of the other "orange thinking" that I have been exposed to.  My hope is that after watching, you'll have a better understanding of why I call my blog Moving and Re-thinking.  Maybe you'll be challenged to take a fresh approach to some challenge in your life. "You are doing it wrong" doesn't always have to be a criticism, sometimes, it is just a fact.  There is a better way to do something, a way you've never considered.

Is This Your Church?

I stumbled across B.A.D.D., a Christian drama company, when I was looking for good illustrations for a youth group message.  They did some great modernized versions of Jesus' parables, that really connected with the students.  I hadn't been back to see what they'd been up to on YouTube in a while.  I had a few good laughs this afternoon while "catching up" with them.  Then I came across this video.

Not sure what you think, but I laughed, I was offended, I was convicted, I was disgusted, and I was left wondering how this happens.

Rethink - Numbers vs. Obedience

As someone involved in ministry I find numbers are far more a part of my life than I'd like them to be. And I find my self in search of a better tool for evaluating success and failure. Within minutes of every conversation about my work as a youth leader, I'll get the question, "How many teens come to your youth group?" People also want to know how many kids come through our children's ministry. How many hours I work, etc. Numbers are the first tool people use to evaluate success or failure.  They are an easy way to put you in a box.

I'll be honest, I chafe under that type of evaluation.  I could have 200 teens coming to my youth group, but I wouldn't know their names or stories, I wouldn't be able to tell you each piece of spiritual fruit that grows, or which branches need to be pruned.  I wish someone would ask me how my teens were growing rather than how many are attending.  Because no matter how much time and energy I pour into youth ministry there will be more teens at the movies on any given Saturday night than at my youth group.  There will be more people at a Waterfront Concert, than in my church on Sunday, and there will be more kids at the Maine Jump than in Sunday School.  If we evaluate by numbers, then the world wins...  every time.

By this point you probably think the point of this blog post is to complain about the way people evaluate by numbers, you may even feel like I am right, but that I'm being a bit of a whiner about it.  Maybe you disagree and think that my desire to be judged on something other than numbers is motivated by an attempt to have people overlook poor performance.  In either case you'd be wrong.  The reason for this blog post is that I still evaluate by numbers.  If you ask me how many teens come to youth group, I'll be quick to brag about the number that have come to know Jesus in the last few months.  If you ask me about the children's ministry, I'll tell you how it has doubled since I took over, and if you ask me how many kids came to VBS last night, I'll be too embarrassed to tell you.  As  much as I don't like be judged by numbers, I still use them to evaluate success and failure.  You know what that makes me... A hypocrite!

Here's one thing I know.  If we evaluate by numbers then we would all have to agree that Peter's ministry was much more effective than Jesus' ministry.  Think about it.  After 3 years Jesus had 120 people convinced that He was the Son of God.  Peter preached his first sermon and 3,000 were added to that number.  We know that Peter couldn't have done what he did without the events of Jesus life, and without the Holy Spirit, but if we were evaluate their ministries like we evaluate the ministries in your church or my church we'd find ourselves more impressed with Peter...

He's another thing I know, most of Jesus miracles were done for individuals.  One life changed at a time, was enough for the Son of God, and should be enough for me.  That VBS I told you about was just what one single mother needed.  Our new approach, of having parents and kids learn together, may have done a number on our numbers, but it was just what one life needed.  Another mom got some great perspective on the changes that have taken  place in the few months since Jesus became part of her family's life, and a lie the devil had been whispering in her ear was refuted.  Another life positively impacted.  And while I would have liked to see more kids, the ones we had were having a great time and learning some great lessons.

Speaking of those lessons, we learned about Peter, called to leave a life of fishing and become a fisher of men.  We learned that even though he had no idea what that meant he left everything and followed Jesus, confident that if he was obedient, Jesus would take care of the rest.  What if we stopped measuring success in terms of numbers and started measuring it in terms of obedience?

Lord, forgive me for being a hypocrite.  Help me to see the world through your eyes, and to measure success and failure in terms of obedience and not in terms of numbers.

Father's Day

Yesterday was my fifth Father’s Day as a dad.  We started the day in our Heavenly Father’s house, and then joined my (local) siblings for lunch with my parents, before going fishing.  After a brief behavioral disruption early in the morning, the kids were on their best behavior.  As I tucked them into bed I praised them for the extra special father’s day gift of good behavior.  But as I closed the door to their bedroom I heard the familiar still small voice of the Spirit whispering a question.  “Why did their good behavior matter so much to you?” 

When the Spirit speaks, I try to listen, to reflect. (notice I said try… to quote my dad, I am very ‘trying’)  Did I appreciate their good behavior because it made my life easier or my day more enjoyable?  Should that be the reason I want them to behave?  Or is there something deeper… should there be something deeper?

Yesterday while fishing, my 2 year old got cold.  Not unexpected when you splash around in a river in Maine.  The breeze I appreciated because it kept he black-flies away, went right through him and he let me know. Loudly and Often.  As I kept telling him, “It’s okay buddy, you’ll be fine” as I kept fishing, that same still small voice reminded me “Fathers, do not exasperate your children”. 

I had to ask myself, was I on that river with my kids to fish, or to be with my kids.  Of course I was there because I wanted to do both, but which one was I showing my son was the most important?  When I was ignoring him so that I could keep fishing, was I toughening him up, or teaching him to put others first?  I could have been, and neither of those things would have been inappropriate, but I wasn’t purposefully doing either.  Instead I was trying to keep him just content enough that I could keep doing what I wanted to do without him getting in the way.

QUIZ:  When you are wading in a trout stream with your two year old in a backpack, shivering in your ear, and you suddenly come under conviction do you:

A) decide now is a great time to toughen him up

B) decide now is a great time to teach him to put others first

C) pack up and head home

D) all of the above

I went for D.  I decided to teach by example.  I had to toughen up, and do the hard but right thing. I decided it was a great time to teach him about putting others first, by putting him first, packing up and heading home.  I apologized for not listening to him, for being selfish.

I am not advocating that we give into our kids and do whatever they want all the time.  (I’ve been in youth ministry for the last 12 years and I have dealt with plenty of teenagers who were basically raised that way.)  I am saying that we have to examine our motives.  There is a time to teach our kids to get through unpleasant circumstances.  There is a time to teach them to put others first.  But those kinds of lessons should be taught purposefully, not simply when it is convenient for me, or keeps them quiet while I enjoy my hobby. 

Ultimately we had a great hike out.  Once we got into the woods, the trees blocked the wind.  He warmed up, and our family had a fantastic time together.  That was the purpose of the day after all.

So as I closed the door to the boys’ bedroom, after praising them for their good behavior, I realized that I needed to re-think my motivation as a parent.  Do I teach them obedience, respect, responsibility and trust, so that they will be more pleasant, easier to deal with, and make me look good?  Or do I do it so that they can learn the skills that they will need to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength?  At the end of the day am I glad they were on their best behavior because it made my day better, or am I glad because it shows me that they are learning lessons that will help them be all that God wants them to be?

Father, Thank you for using father’s day to teach me a little bit more about how to be a better Father.  Help me to put what I have learned into practice, and thank you for the opportunity to be a father.

Zombies Football and the Gospel

Thursday I posted an excerpt from a book by Reggie Joiner.  Today I finished that book...  The basic premise is 10 "game changing" ideas.  Let me quickly run through them for you.  Some of the thoughts are very challenging so whether you are intrigued by what you read here, or disturbed, I urge you to read the book.

1. The Gospel is Messy.  Never settle for a version of faith that doesn't take risks.  The point is "there is a growing frustration with churches who do not respond passionately to a broken world."  A messy gospel could compel your church to: a) Love those who don't share your beliefs and values. b) Become missionaries to diverse cultures. c) Show compassion to broken and hurting people. d) Create new ways to share your message. e) Re imagine how you live as the church. f) Change the way you influence the next generation. g) Collaborate with leaders who are different.

2. 98118 The most diverse zip code in the US.  6 square miles, home to 40,000 people speaking 59 different languages.  "People are embracing diversity and rejecting those who show signs of intolerance." 1 Peter 3:15 "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord, always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect".  The goal is not to get people to trust me so that they will hear me, but to love people in such a way that they will ask me.  What people feel save to ask may be determined by how much they know you care about them.

3. Sundays are for Football.  Re imagine ways the church can influence active communities.  how do we take the gospel to the people instead of waiting for them to come to the gospel. Statistically 25% of Americans treat Sunday like a Holy Day, the other 75% treat it like a holiday. "if you build it they will come" worked in field of dreams, but for 75% of people in the US, it simply doesn't work.  How will we "GO" and make disciples?

4. They Blew up Walnut Grove.  We must wake up to the reality of today's complicated family (and stop trying to make everyone fit the mold of 'Little House on the Prarie' type families.)  Every family is broken.  Those who go to church and those tho don't.  Those who are married and those who aren't. Those who believe like you and those that don't.  All families need Hope!  That's why the church is so important, why the gospel is so powerful.  Most people only know the church by what is on our billboards & picket signs, or which side of a political issue we take. Families need to know there's a better story, God's story, but Christian leaders need to discovery new ways to respond to the complicated issues facing this generation of families.

5. Zombies are Easy to Lead.  Too many Christian leaders treat people like they should mindlessly follow us (like zombies), instead of treating the people that we lead like they are made in the image of God.  Leaders are being called to model a new standard of authenticity and empathy.  The people I lead want me to 1. Care about their future (not just my own) 2. Value their talents (they have gifts I don't) 3. Respect their ideas (it isn't my way or the highway) 4. Make good decisions (for the benefit of the mission we are on together) and 5. Do something that matters (they want to be a part of something meaningful, not just a part of something)

6. Improv or Die.  Collaborate to discover the best solutions. Improv acting groups have 2 basic principles 1. 'no' is an automatic dead end.  'yes' always leads to possibilities.  2. Make your partner look good.  Stop thinking in silos, or in terms of experts, and start thinking, how can we work together to make this as excellent as possible.  Scripture makes it clear that the Body needs every part, every gift, to function properly.  We have to lead the way we want to operate, using a variety of gifts and experiences.

7. Wine will be Cheaper than Gas. The economy is a game changer for churches, not just families.  As budgets tighten we may have to stop throwing money at problems or ministries, and learn to rely on other things God has given us, like time and talents.  Being short on finances forces us to innovate.  Maybe this means giving people new places to serve by having them do job's they'd do in their own home, but your church pays people to do, like mow the law, or shovel snow.  Maybe it means spending more time thinking about what you will teach than which curriculum you will buy.  Maybe it means encouraging people to life debt free lives, or helping them see how the church uses their money in whole new ways.  Figure out what it means for your ministry.

8. The Cloud is Here.  Social media has given us an ability to communicate anytime anywhere.  More people own phones than own toothbrushes.  If we are not making time to connect with people where people are connecting, then we will loose the chance to connect with people anywhere.  As leaders we can use the cloud to cue parents, mobilize teens, rally volunteers, inspire kids, enlist support, and start a conversation...

9. Third Place Still Wins.  (as in a place other than home and work) Make it easy for someone to experience community.  The church is uniquely posed to offer a place for face to face connections.  Starbucks has thrived during this economic downturn, not because they are selling a luxury item in a recession, but because they offer a place for face to face connections in a world of social media.  The church can and should become a place that people turn for genuine community.  Social media is actually increasing the value of being physically present in order to connect.  Christian community doesn't exist simply for the sake of community, it exists as a means for building authentic faith.  To do this we have to stop asking what we can do for people and start asking how we can invite them to be the church.

10. Everybody knows Harry (Potter that is). Everyone connects with compelling stories be it Harry, Frodo, or Luke Skywalker.  We've all watched movies, heard speakers or read books that really made us think, and we've all experienced the ones that made us fight to stay awake.  It wasn't the quantity of truth they were giving us, that made the difference it was the way they engaged our imagination.  In our media saturated world everyone has access to information (truth) what they lack is a context through which to apply those truths to their life.  By focusing on how we communicate truth, we can provide them with a context, that will make them See, make them Care, and make them Hope.  As leaders we are called to unveil the greatest story ever told in away that invites a generation to the wonder, discovery and passion of the very character of God.

I highly recommend the book.  If you are feeling dissatisfied with the way religion operates, and longing for something more meaningful, this book would be a great spring board for the conversations that will help you move and rethink.  You can buy it here: http://secure.rethinkgroup.org/store4/product.php?productid=1264&cat=&page=1

Sundays are for Football...

The following is an excerpt from Reggie Joiner's book "Zombies Football and the Gospel"

I don't think most churches should simply stop doing what they are doing. 

Twenty-five percent of people are coming.  A lot of churches are doing great work with a host of people.  And a lot of people are happy about it.

We love our churches, and people who love church need churches they love. - All 25% of us.

I am just wondering about the rest of the people... The 75%

Not the people who will show up at church one day, but the people who will NEVER show up.  Either they left or they never came to begin with...

Don't miss this shift.  25% of people will be in church this Sunday - the rest think Sundays are for football.

What if you stopped counting the people who come to your church every Sunday and started counting the people in your community who don't?

Don't count those who attend, count those who are absent.

What were we going to do about them?  We are great at doing church for people who already go to church and even for those who will go one day.  But what can we do to connect with the people who will never go?

They think Sunday is for football.
or they are among the 15% who check "none" for religious preference (it is up from 8% in 1990)
or they are among the 35% who have to work or travel on Sundays.
The 75% who will never have the desire to walk into a building on a bright Sunday morning to listen to a band, or a choir, or a sermon.

Jesus said to leave the 99% to go find the one, maybe we can stop thinking about the 25 long enough to brainstorm ideas to reach the 75%.

Have we forgotten how to be missionaries in our own communities?

Every Sunday, we pass people who will never go to church with us or with anybody else.

Is our primary goal to get them to come to a building from nine to noon on a Sunday?  Is there only invitation to the Gospel going to happen because we ask them to stand up in front of a room full of strangers?

What if church, the way we have defined it, will never work for them?  It may work for 25 out of 100, but what about the rest? As far as they are concerned, Sundays are for football...