Catalyst, NYWC, Open Space and Future Conventions Part 4

Every meeting, every time we gather either transforms us more into who we are made to be, or solidifies us more into our broken past.

But not only every meeting. Every conversation.

I'm still learning this and getting my head around this, so please bear with me.

This has huge implications for both the future of the church and the future of events, conventions and conferences hosted by convening organizations.

I've got big hopes for the future of the church and for events that will transform the church.

Everyday I spend time with Senior Pastors, Executive Pastors, Youth Pastors and of course the non-paid people of the church. I'm convinced that the single greatest barrier to the growth of God's church in America had little to do with stubborn congregations (though there are some) or the unwillingness of congregations to engage in their kids lives (though this certainly happens), but the greatest barrier to the growth of God's church in America is the posture and leadership style of the most mature within the church, most often pastors.

The future of ministry has less to do with the pastor vision for his/her people and much more about the ways in which the pastor brings people together.
Less to do with what the pastor says, than the environment the pastor cultivates.
Less to do with managing power, and more to do with navigating critical conversations.

This has big implications for events like NYWC and Catalyst

The collective wisdom, experience and potential in a gathering like NYWC is staggering. Staggering and humbling. It should bring us to our knees. God is unleashing his kingdom within the world through these folks. Young and old.

It's too bad that we settle (often unintentionally) too often for collecting experts to pass on answers, opinions, and experience to us. We settle because the experts like it this way. We settle because people will pay big money with big hopes for life change from the experts. Don't get me wrong. the experts have their place. Just like the rest of us. We all have something to contribute.
This is why Open Space at NYWC is a small step in the right direction.

But there is resistance to the status quo. More than one expert has challenged my thoughts asking me, "What about the collective ignorance of the people?" To which I ponder for a moment and wonder aloud, "Our ignorance or theirs?"

There were attendees who said things to me like, "I didn't pay $250 to hear from a 30 year old talk about his opinion on something." It's the kind of thing that makes you wonder about professionalism of ministry and the consumption and entitlement the whole system breeds in all of us.

All meetings and gatherings either thrust us into transformation or solidify our past and connection to the status quo.

Put more bluntly: Most solutions offered at conventions only lead back into the problem. They don't transform, they further root us into dependence on the problem. Furthermore, they don't lead us toward faithfulness, but rather entitlement.

Most gatherings in the church or events are information exchanges. Perhaps it's the reduction of the gospel to an idea others need to agree with, or the individualism of our past. It really makes no difference. Those can be deconstructed elsewhere. Information is useless without transformation. Useless is putting it nicely.

Transformation comes from engagement not simply from information.

Transformation is undermined by both the overwhelming need the attendee has to find solutions or wonderful experiences and the Convener to make it worth their while and remarkable or twitter worthy.

How is transformation in the hearts of people passed on in 140 characters anyway?

Both seem like great motivations, but both are transformation killers.

Transformation and entitlement are mutually exclusive.

Transformation and expertise are mutually exclusive as well.

There is a better option for us all.

I'm optimistic that it's coming because I believe both the convener and the attendee are becoming more willing to question the old ways of gathering. They are willing to look at themselves, their motivations, the ways in which they come together and their expectations of each other. Only this will break down the biggest barrier facing the church in the US.

I know I'm ready. Change me God.

more soon.

Catalyst, NYWC, Open Space and Future Conventions Part 3

From Catalyst's blog

There's an interview with Seth Godin by who I assume is a Catalyst staff member. When Seth is asked about the future of what's next for him, here's his response. Seth is right on the money here.

Seth: "What's next for me, is what's next for you. I think we're gonna now see and explosion of people who are going to do things that are remarkable. That are worth talking about. That are extraordinary. And everyday I'm encountering more and more people who are doing that. So this idea that we need to go to the stadium and watch Bob Dylan sing the song isn't as likely going forward as it's going to be that we're all going to set around a circle and sing to each other. that people are doing things in industries and venues that I never would have expected just a couple years ago. And this homemade model, homemade leadership, homemade insight, homemade difference making is going to explode in the next few years. I think that's where it's going to come from. Not from me."

Catalyst Interviewer: "So what's next for you is what's next for me."

Seth: "I think so."

Catalyst, NYWC, Open Space and Future Conventions

I've held my tongue for too long.
I need to get something off my chest.

The best conventions for pastors or youth ministry really aren't all that good. the world has changed and they haven't. Sure there are conventions like Catalyst that come off as cutting edge, (and maybe they are) but they will go the way of the pay phone in the next 4 years.

This and other conventions are put on by big-hearted good people.

Loving people. People who are using their creativity and gifts.

But it's killing the church.

If you think the best way to be a catalyst is to gather 15,000 people, sit in a big room facing a stage for 3 days then I'd like to revisit your understanding of transformation. It also says a lot about how much you actually believe in the 15,000 people you talk at/toward for days on end. It says a lot about your understanding of discipleship. It says a lot about the potential the 15,000 have to make a difference for those in the room and the world. The way you gather people says something to me. No matter what you have to say. Inspiration and motivation is nice. Giving lip-service to leadership or empowerment though is laughable. The way you convene says volumes about what you really think about the abilities of the people in the room. You know what they need. And you give it to them. You hold all the power and you probably feel a great deal of responsibility. To be fair, the people have bought in. They don't think they can do it with out you. They'll pay thousands of dollars to come hear you, the experts, speak to them and tell them the answers. The leaders need you. Their churches need you. Maybe you should supply preaching thru video to them... You and the other conventions are full of passionate people who believe what you say. again, all these are good people.

good people who believe the lie that there is an illusive answer to their problem, or situation that will save them. You save them from their ignorance and in doing so, you add to it by feeding the monster.

For years conventions have made leaders into followers and disciples into consumers. Whether it be a breakout session/lab or a main stage, church leaders give you the responsibility for their decisions and in doing so, they get to play the victim rather then the empowered. in doing this you get to meet their needs, but in reality you get to justify your own style of leadership or service that you provide. Convention attendee's collude with you by accepting your terms and definition of their needs. This is the breeding ground for entitlement. The convention providers feel the stakes raise every years (is the a world record to break? a guy to dive from a 30 ft tower into a 1 ft deep kiddie pool or the next cool artist or speaker?) Not only do the convention speakers feel it, but so do the attendees. They want more. and why not? They can burn thru a steady stream of products that claim to have the answer to all that ails them and feel the freedom of not being responsible for the actual answer.

All this in the name of the kingdom.

There's a need for a new kind of experience.

One in which power is given back. In which people are given back responsibility for their ministry and their lives and the way they gather shows it. Where the people of the church is actually valued in practice, not simply as the hope of the world. The kingdom isn't build by great leadership, but by great disciples.

Disciples empowered by God, not by you. You have no power to give them that doesn't already belong to them. Unless you've been hording it.

So it's time. Stop building pay phones. Stop stock piling quarters.

Open space at the NYWC is a good start. it's a step in the right direction.

What say you?

For my tulsa friends

I'm wondering if the idea of a church in Tulsa is able to talk on different, less traditional forms. At least organizationally.

What might a church in tulsa look like if it empowered it's people to be the church. Instead of the starting point being centralized with a grandiose agenda, or mechanism.

What might church look like if it believed in people, viewed them as generally competent to make good decisions for their lives?
What might a church look like if people of a church believed this about themselves?

What might church look like if the viability of the community was completely dependent upon people holding themselves accountable (individually and maybe corporately) for the well being of their neighbor?

What might a church look like that gave away every penny it brought in for the real needs of those neighbors?

What if church was a way of life, something you live into each moment of the day, something you are, and/or something we call the space the people of the way inhabit every room they enter?

What if this local community was defined more by the way they believed rather than what they believe?
What if the people were self selected themselves to be in this church because of how they live, rather than where they meet?

What if this way was committed to a variety of expressions and even competing agendas of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness?


Eikon in tulsa has taken a few forms and I'm wondering aloud here about it's future. MY original plan was to have multiple houses for groups to meet and be the church. I don't have time to make my plan happen. I'm not sure my plan is all that great.

What would you see as a benefit to you in a church like this?
What do you see as the connecting point to your dreams for this community?
What are the characteristics you currently live in your life and how might a connection to this kind of church be helpful or not?

What say you?

Downfall of Creating Experiences

I read this post from Brad who I think is the lead guy of Catalyst.

It’s been a while since I last read Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore’s book The Experience Economy. If you haven’t read this book, trust me. Go buy it and start reading it right now. If you have a product or service that you offer (we all do, whether in business, church, or the non profit arena), it is imperative that you grasp the context of the Experience Economy.

I am reminded of it because in a conversation yesterday someone asked me how I would recommend they keep their product from becoming a commodity. From just being lumped in with all the other similar products in their space, and being seen as just an option instead of the only option. Where price determines what the consumer chooses vs. other factors like emotion, connection, and memories.

In the book, Pine and Gilmore lay out the four levels of economic value : commodities, goods, services, and experiences. Progression happens by moving from commodity to experience. Think about coffee. Coffee beans are a commodity, ground coffee is a good, a cup of coffee at dinner is a service, and a latte at a trendy cafe is an experience.

Or about birthday parties for kids- a cake is a commodity, a customized cake is a good, a birthday party with friends is a service, and a full fledged laser tag birthday celebration is an experience. Think about Apple stores. Disney World. You get the point.

The question is how are you creating an experience with the product or service that you offer? How are you allowing your customer to be so engaged with your product that they connect emotionally? Does your product or service creates memories for your customer? Do they want to tell their friends?

There is also a fifth level of economic value, which is transformation. Incredibly hard to reach this level, but our goal should be to get there.

I've been thinking about this for a while. Lifechurch.tv has been handing this book out for years to staff and potential staff, or they've told potential staff to buy it.

Brad states his ideas and philosophy very concisely and it helps me understand why Catalyst, Life Church and the like are successful at drawing great crowds. We did youth ministry like this 10 years ago, but never, ever as good as these guys do worship "experiences". Frankly there will be no one who does the experience better than the churches now creating these experience. The Perry Noble's, Ed Young Jr.'s, Craig Groeschel's and Andy Stanleys all create fantastic experiences because they are amazingly observant, intuitive and masters of dealing with perception. How they are perceived. How their churches come across to the people who attend them.

I'll say it again. We are seeing the churches that are creating the best produced "experiences" we will ever see.

But my hunch is that it will prove to fold in on itself. Because the trajectory of moving commodities to transformation and the managing of perceptions has two edges to it. There's the side that will be wildly successful at least in getting people in the door for an experience, but there is a darker side, which we can't quite see yet. The very reasons creating experiences is "successful" is the very reason it will fail.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not hoping for doom or failure for these churches. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, and the fact that the leaders of these churches are often hard to get time with doesn't help me understand. I'm sure that there are people they are talking to though and maybe I just need to be patient. It's a significant fault I must confess.

Creating experiences is (not) the future though.
The people who are working out the future of the church in the western world are people you've never heard of. Ordinary folks who don't create experiences, but only provide presence. Being present is enough. The experience often, we may find out gets in the way of something else.

But until then I'll say it.

There is no greater example of modernity and the church than what we see in these churches right now. If you are a part of one and it works for you right now, I'm glad. We shall see if it is the future or if this is the final glorious (and amazingly technological) expression of a church that is no longer relevant.

Much love to the leaders of these churches. They are risk takers, and striving for faithfulness in their contexts. God bless them and the people they lead.

Church in a Brothel

Craig Gross on Ministry in Sin City from Url Scaramanga on Vimeo.

what do you think?

Bob Hyatt on Video Venues Part 2

I love this part at the end.

And the community that, for instance, pays the tax of listening to a slightly less coherent message, or one with a less-than-Rob-Bell-mind-blow factor, or slightly less entertaining/engaging than Mr Driscoll, is making an investment.

They invest in the teacher they are being taught by. By engaging, listening, giving good feedback (both encouraging and constructive) they help that elder they love, that elder who loves them and is doing his or her best to explore God's Word with them, to learn how to do it better and better.

And in so doing they invest in the future. The future not just of that elder, not just of their community, but of the Church as a whole as we all benefit by more and more people exercising their gifts, gaining mastery in how to do what God has gifted and called them to do.

To me, video venues are at their heart, miserly. They are a symptom of a church who refuses to pay the community tax and invest in the future. They (along with mega churches and even personality-based smaller churches) try to parlay the gift of one or two people into something bigger and bigger, and like short-sighted Americans driving bigger and bigger Hummers say: Who cares about the consequences to future generations? I got mine.

Please understand: I recognize that the vast majority of those engaged in video venues have, at their core, a passion for seeing people come to know, love, and follow Jesus. I get that. And I even get that God uses the silliest of methods to bring people to Him. I'll bet I could even find someone who has been saved through the Evangecube.

But just because God honors our silly methods occasionally doesn't mean we shouldn't look for better ways, perhaps less silly, perhaps ones with fewer unintended consequences.

Link

America less Christian..

I saw this article this evening. It states that America is less Christian than 20 years ago. I'm not sure this is news. It was interesting that the article pointed to a rise in individualism as part of the cause. Again, not really news.

Here's my take.

The article is extremely generous. It's worse than this.

Why?
Because in growing segments of the evangelical church there is fundamentally no difference between the individualism of those who deny being Christian, and the individualism that many evangelical churches preach. This will not last because it is empty. An individualism, me first mentality, wrapped in the language and ideas of Jesus, isn't the way of Christ, because it makes Jesus an accessory and the programs of the church a way to keep my kids out of trouble and help me become a better educated individual. So Bible Studies and programs fill our calendars, and we sit in pews of large churches, and maybe watch our pastor on a screen, while we learn more about Jesus, then we walk out as isolated and alone as we were before.

There has never been a time in history where church has been done better for the individual. Ever. Attending a church with more choices for me and my family. A cafeteria from which I can consume.

It's not done getting better for these churches either. They are still on the upswing and will be for the next 3-5 or so years. But after that they will collapse under their own empty weight.

don't hear me wishing the death of churches. I'm not. I'm simply stating what I see.
Church leaders are free to make their own choices about what kind of churches they are leading and building. They will also have to live with the consequences of life after the bubble bursts. And it will.

All this to say, the article is understating the issue.
the problem for the evangelical church is that it will read the article and think it demands more of the same from them.

But there's more to the story...and there are good things happening in the church as well. I believe the best days are ahead of us and the more I work with church leaders around the country the more encouraged I am by their resolve to think outside of this individualistic, american faith. The risk of breaking off of this american gospel doesn't seem to be one denomination or movement. Southern Baptists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Churches of Christ all have leaders workout out what leadership looks like. It seems to me additionally that all of our hands are dirty in this too. We are all effected/affected by this. This should bring humility to lives, not judgement.

I have a lot more to say about this and there are certainly some flaws in my thinking, but this is what I thought of when I saw the article.

What do you think? To you see hope? How do you read the article?

40

incredible illustrations by a British illustrator named Simon Smith and put them to an Explosions In The Sky song.

My response to Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeshel has a post about being authentic and real when speaking in a church. He encourages pastors to "bring you" to the table. Here's his post.

It seems incredibly ironic that a pastor who has built his church on video venues would talk about the importance of bringing all of himself to the message. But I'm learning here. and it would be the height of arrogance think I know best and sort of passively aggressively post stuff here without engaging him.

So I posted the following in the comment section of the post. He's a busy guy and frankly may not want to mess with a peon like myself. But we'll see. Below is my response to his post.
--------------------


Craig, I'm not sure how to say this bro. I hope you hear my heart in this comment, not as critical, but as curious... I love your content here on this post and I believe in what you are saying so much. But I frankly find it misleading. (unintentionally misleading)

You don't bring yourself to people every week my friend. (can I call you friend?) You bring a representation of yourself, with no soul, no body, no real life, only a thin version of yourself. It's probably better say, that you don't bring yourself to everyone. Because some people are present with you when you give your speech.

A thin Craig, online, or on a screen is not you and it will always be a poor substitute for you. It's not the real you. It's a dis-incarnate you, with frankly a dis-incarnate gospel.

Which is simply a poor far less than ideal way of being real. Mickey Roarke was real in the Wrestler. Phillip Seymore Hoffman is amazing in his roles. Meryl Streep and other actors are amazing. There is a part of the real them in the role on the screen. A thin authenticity. they are real, in the same way a speaker is presented on a screen. Regardless of if they are talking about God or not.

Am I wrong? help me understand. because I believe in you and your ministry,and your gifts. It just seems misleading to say you on a screen is real.

Our Future too?

(thanks to Andrew)

Video Venues and the Death of Preaching

Bob Hyatt has a great series going.
Here's the link.

It's a pretty bold statement to say that video venues will eventually mean the death of preaching... but I think I can make the case.

In his new book, Flickering Pixels (which I encourage you to check out!), Shane Hipps makes this point:

"Every medium, when pushed to an extreme, will reverse on itself, revealing unintended consequences. For example, the car was invented to increase the speed of our transportation, but having too many cars on the highway at once results in traffic jams or even injury or death.
The internet was designed to make information more easily accessible, thereby reducing ignorance. But too much information or the wrong kind of information reverses into overwhelming the seeker, leading to greater confusion than clarity. It breeds misunderstanding rather than wisdom...
In the same way, surveillance cameras, when there are too many that see too far, reverse into an invasion of privacy."

In other words, what was originally meant to make us go fast now slows us down, what was meant to make us smart now increases our ignorance (well, never our ignorance... just other peoples', right?) and what was meant to make us feel safe now makes us feel exposed.

This is the rule: Technology, taken too far, creates the opposite of what it was intended to create.

Still doubt it? Ask yourself- Email was meant to keep you in touch and ease communication, right? But when you are trying to process 100 emails a day, you don't feel in touch, you feel crushed. You're not communicating- you are wading through spam, forwards, fyi's... Your emails get shorter and shorter, more and more terse, and mis-communication happens more often than not.

Reversal.

So, what about technology in preaching?

First came architectural improvements to increase the range of a speaker's voice. Then microphones to throw the voice even further. Then radio, television, tape and CD ministries, podcasts, vodcasts... and the seed of the video venue, the "overflow room." All with the goal of taking the gift of preaching and extending its reach and impact.

So far, so good, right?

But now, we have all this technology. We're not only recording the sermon, we're video taping it and we have discovered we can send that video, not just to the next room, but to a building across the campus, across town, across the state, around the world...

Now, the preaching gift of one person has the ability not simply to reach the back row, but the next town, state, continent. And we're not just talking about Spurgeon publishing his sermons or Schuller putting his on TV or Driscoll putting his on iTunes...

NOW we're talking about not just influencing local preachers by making the "best" communicators' sermons available... we're talking about replacing those local teaching elders.

Talk about pushing something to an extreme.

The technology that once enhanced the preaching of others, influenced and enriched it? It's making it superfluous. Start up churches and smaller churches that used to have a team of three or four elders (or in our case, seven) who would be called on to teach on a regular basis now have a video screen and a "campus pastor" that gets to preach at most once a month.

Staff member angst

I just got off the phone with my friend Jay and he spurred a thought. (thanks Jay!)

I'm not sure a week goes by where I don't hear about someone on a church staff feeling angst in one way shape or form because they serve on church staff in which the leaders believe or function from a "command and control", "consumer" or "attractional" style of leadership.

All three of these things are often related in my mind. The core issue for each is responsibility. In each of these settings the leader views themselves as the expert and the person who much influence others to live in "god's will". that is to say, that the leader knows best. So power and authority are big topics in these environment. The top gets it, and the followers fall in line with the vision from this leader. We'll take care or your kids, don't worry about it. We'll teach your the right way to read your Bible, don't worry about it. We'll plan and organize ways for you to lead, so you can use your gifts. I assume you get the idea. I've written about this in other places,so I'll move on.

there are those on church staff within these churches get frustrated. they may not completely understand where their frustration is coming from, but they often use words like missional, or service, or owning their life with Christ.

Often, the frustration leads to resentment. Resentment that things don't change fast enough. Resentment that they can't lead their ministries how they want to. Resentment that the leader hold the power and won't share it so that the staff person can be faithful.

do you see the irony of this?

Let me say it clearly.

Your identity as a follower of Christ is not wrapped up in your job. Or it doesn't have to be. You are not your job and your ministry had better extend beyond your job description. The youth pastor who encourages small groups for teens, but has no real peer community themselves will only feel resentment because their identity is wrapped up and consumed in their job.

Waiting for the top to give you permission to personally live missionally is the definition of irony. It's both rejecting the system as a power holding organism, and waiting for it to give you authority to live.

Create space in your life for ministry outside your job. The top may never get it. But you have a personal life. Live it. Create some margin, and be the kind of person you hope to be. Lead the kind of ministry you hold to lead.

I'd give you permission, but I'm not sure you need it...

Do you want to keep doing this?

Sunday night was the first anniversary for the eikon community. After our meal I asked the question I hope we will ask every year.

Do you want to keep doing this?

I don't care how big we get, or how small we become. This is a question I want to ask every year. Do we want to keep doing this?

Nothing is a given. We aren't entitled to be living this way. We aren't going to do it simply because we have. Community is work. Suburban living is too hard to waste anyone's time with unimportant things.

Do you ask that question in your context? Could you? What would happen? Why?

Penn (of Penn and Teller) on evangelism

Penn seems like a smart guy. I'm fairly certain he is based on the seeing him speak on tv or interact with people. I can't tell you how great this video is. You really need to watch it. Things that stood out to me was his description of the man who gave him a bible and his line "How much do you have to hate someone not to proselytize?"
What do you think?

Penn reminds me of several friends I have. I'd love to hear more of his story (from him, please don't email any links) and hear more about where he's coming from.




(thanks to Ed)

"I'm not one of those... Christians"

The Onion does it again.

Link

Money Quote:

"My faith in the Lord is about the pure, simple values: raising children right, saying grace at the table, strictly forbidding those who are Methodists or Presbyterians from receiving communion because their beliefs are heresies, and curing homosexuals. That's all. Just the core beliefs. You won't see me going on some frothy-mouthed tirade about being a comfort to the downtrodden."

(Thanks to Bevan via email)

The Risk of the New

It happens in the staff meetings where someone has yet to throw in the towel to become bystanders, or onlookers. Where one or more staff hope from something new. During the meeting a moment occurs, the group is presented with a new idea, a moment of inspiration that's not yet fully formed. It popped up 3 minutes ago, everyon got excited, until - and you know what's coming don't you - someone throws the wet blanket. They ask How? They may do this for their own personal joy, or they may simply be "practical". This person may ask, How will we pay for it? or How long would it take? or Has it worked somewhere else before?

"How?" when asked to early, kills transformation. "How?" is what we ask when we already know the answer. "How?" is the voice of the status quo. "How?" is the voice of the oppressor. "How?" is an excuse to be unfaithful.

Ideas that are 5 minutes old, are not worth asking How? about.

How? is what we ask, when we resist risk. When things look to big, for us, or God to do, we ask "How?" New things always require risk, engagement, and the opportunity for loss and possibility for a negative reaction.

If the only decisions your church staff make, don't cost anyone anything, are they really worth doing?

Simply because we don't have the answers now, doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

Transformation requires risk. Asking How? too soon will always assure that you never risk anything.

This doesn't mean you won't have problems. Problems aren't exclusively the property of risk. Problems will find you when you try to keep everyone happy as well.
It can become a downward spiral for a lot of churches.
But that my friends would be another post of the future.

The Quote that won't go away (in a good way)

A quote I wrote in May of 2001 popped up again on Christianity Today's Out of Ur. Here's what I said.

"Conversion in the U.S. seems to mean we've exchanged some of our shopping at Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, and Borders for the Christian Bookstore down the street. We've taken our lack of purchasing control to God's store, where we buy our office supplies in Jesus' name."

Here's the original post. Give me some grace, it was 2001.. yes and parts that talk about authority make me cringe. I don't think I've actually said that again since 2001, but maybe I should.

Thanks to Skye to hanging on to that little quote for so long. Skye if you read this, we're both speaking at the NPC in San Diego in Feb. let's have a conversation. I'm interested to read Skye's book that he's writing on consumerism.

Consumer Church and Eikons

I used to think that consumerism could exist with the church as a means to sharing the gospel. Then I thought about how it didn't belong, but struggled to put my finger on why. I would say things like, "The way you win someone is the way you keep them." but I'm beginning to think this is even not a real answer.

In my mind I'm trying not to be some reactionary guy who declares the sky is falling. No one listens to that guy for more than a few minutes and they listen for all the wrong reasons. I don't want to come across as some purist who can't see gray between the black and white or who doesn't see his own faults in the midst of his critique.

But I am landing in a place where I'm able to articulate in a new way something I've felt for several years now. Consumerism is taints the gospel at it's core.

Consumerism is de-humanizing because it allows individuals to feed on the idea that they are at the mercy of others, who freely take that authority from them.

In this sense consumerism is anti-gospel. The gospel demands that you take up your cross and follow, to find your true identity as eikons of God. It simply can not be delegated, or done by someone else. You can not give this responsibility to someone else. your pastor, friends, family, husband, wife, or kids can't do this for you.

If this is the case then churches who feed the consumeristic tendencies of the people within their community they are in fact subverting the gospel by taking the power, authority and responsibility for being an eikon from the very people they are trying to help.

Consumerism by it's very nature works against individuals from becoming fully human. because it keeps them from the identity that is rightly theirs.

What will you tell others?

Think about a situation in your past where you took a risk. Where you laid out a plan for change, or new initiative and it didn't work. What story do you tell about it today?

If you fail at the current risky project you are facing, what story will you tell?

Who's fault is it that it didn't work?

The story you tell about why the project failed tells a lot about you and how responsible you are for your life. It tells about how you see yourself related to the rest of the world. Do you see yourself as a victim? Do you see yourself at fault? Do you take responsibility for your actions as they are connected to others?


We've all met the youth guy who can do no wrong, who's story unfolds telling how he has never had a pastor who that knew what he were doing. We've meet the pastor who's never served a congregation who could keep up with their ideas. We've met the new guy to the church plant core team who was burned by every single church they have ever attended and is so glad they found you, because you "get it". We tell a lot of stories.

What kind of stories do you tell?

What kind of stories will you tell?

The art of being a whole human being is taking responsibility for your life. Of refusing to be a consumer who can no longer meet their own needs, or the needs of others.

People are starting to catch on

Something I've been saying for years, and something I hope our eikon embodies.
Link

I suppose they are catching on at least a little. After reading further the "Don't go to church ,be the church" thing appears as just another program to go to church by going to church and serving instead consuming.

A step in the right direction. but falls way short of such a good slogan.

Don't go to church, be the church.

maybe i should have trademarked that puppy 8 years ago when I started using it.

hmmm

Weddings and Church Use

Brant over at Kamp Krusty was on the air for his radio show and had some interesting conversations.

My favorites:

Caller: Well, I'm on staff at our church, and there's a good reason we charge $500 for people to use the building for a wedding.

Me: That's what the church charges members who've actually paid for the building over the years?

Caller: Yes. It's really expensive to run the power and clean up and everything.

Me: Of course it is. So if the pastor wants to have a "Let's Celebrate Our Grads!" night in the sanctuary, do you have to pay $500?

Caller: Well, no, because that would be an official church function.

Me: Okay, I'm just curious: Joining members of your church in holy matrimony in front of witnesses and God isn't an official thing?

Caller: No, that's an extra thing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Next caller: I can speak for our church. If we DIDN'T charge, we'd have people lined up, wanting to use the place every Saturday for years.

Me: But if they're people who are members, and paid for the building, and it's their's, too, shouldn't it be free and celebrated and --

Caller: It would be too crazy if you just let people do that.

Me: But if they paid for it to start with --

Caller: You have to charge a fee to discourage people from using it.

Link

Another Quote for the day

Bill Easum:

Small churches are usually small because of their small, petty attitude. That attitude can be negative, it can be elitist, it can be mean-spirited, or it can be just plain content with the status quo. But I have never found a small church that has been small for many years to be a healthy environment. (I’m afraid I just made some institutional folks unhappy.) My experience has been if the church is faithful to the Gospel it grows—period. I could say the same thing about a house church or small group. I base this on the Book of Acts—it is about the growth of Christianity and suggests to me that God wants the church to grow and spread. Read the story—it goes progressively from addition, to multitudes, to myriads of growth.

What do you think?

Read it in context here.

Mega churches on decline?

Money quote:

Experts see more troubling concerns than slowing growth: No measurable inroads on overall church attendance and signs that many churchgoers are spectators, not driving toward a deeper faith.

"You can create a church that's big, but is still not transforming people. Without transformation, the Christian message is not advanced," says Ed Stetzer, head of Lifeway Research in Nashville, which did the Outreach study.

The unchurched remain untouched. While the number of people who say they attend at least once a week hovers around 30% year after year, the number who say they "never" go to church climbs.

The tally of "Nevers" varies from 16% in Gallup surveys to 22% in the General Social Survey, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, to 32% in an Ellison Research survey this year. The new "Nevers" come from the pool of people who once attended monthly or a few times a year.

Many slide away from church to find other answers to their spiritual quest or another church where the preaching or music or family programs better suit their style.

"The megachurch story is not really about growth, it's about shifting allegiances. People want to feel good about who they already are," says Philip Goff, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University in Indianapolis. "If church is too challenging or not entertaining, they'll move on."

What do you think?
Here's the link.

Sad and Funny Videos Part 1

I'm starting a new series named, sad and funny videos. Here's my first installment. Enjoy.



Yes it's for real.

the wonderous, dangerous, messy, uncontrollable, subversive, holy and painful way of Jesus.

At the heart of eikon is the desire to create new culture, or better said, to join God in creating a new culture in the world.

There are those who resist the idea, or any manifestation of a new culture as a threat to all that they hold dear. These folks reject any line of thinking that does not fit their more traditionalist view of how the world works. Black and white, in and out, their way or the highway. These folks are interesting in maintaining culture. In their mind, everything is at stake and the world will literally collapse if change happens. Never underestimate the ferocity of a traditionalist in the face of change. There is a difference between embracing your history and refusing to embrace the future.

Others are interested in sucking the marrow from culture. They live to consume whatever the culture hands them, without a second thought. New technology, new services, new gimmicks, new, new new new, what the culture is selling, these moderns are buying. interested in consuming culture. We are all in this to some extent. In the church, the next best church wins. The next shiny flashy hip, cool church grows the fastest and is declared the success. There's nothing wrong with technology or new things. It's only a problem when it's done without a critical mind about it's implications upon oneself, and the world.

My hope is that eikon will be a community interested in creating culture. Rejecting polarized views on religion and politics, but embracing truth and the kingdom within both sides of the spectrum. Not in some kind of elitest way as one who is more informed, whether it be the academic thinker, or the bohemian evironmentalist, but in attempts at humility and love. That the least of these would be loved. That neighbors would be known, that the hurting would receive compassion and that the broken would be made whole in Christ.

This means that the traditional blueprint for what it means to be church in the traditionalist or modern sense, or be christian for that matter, must be consistantly undermined by a stark reality of the the reality of the kingdom come.

This is not a consumable version of church. It pushes aside complacency and forces participation. It rejects comfort and often imposes the opposite.

It is however the wonderous, dangerous, messy, uncontrollable, subversive, holy and painful way of Jesus. To create a culture is to take up your cross and their nothing status quo, or consumable about the cross.

Celebrity and position

Zach is quoting Andrew who is quoting Mark DeMoss.

Here’s an interesting excerpt from a post from Steven Waldman, the editor-in-chief of Belief.net:

Mark DeMoss, former chief of staff to Jerry Falwell and now a leading Christian public relations executive, is hoping that Palin turns out well but has been shocked and worried by the reflexive Christian embrace of her.

“Too many evangelicals and religious conservative are too preoccupied with values and faith and pay no attention to competence. We don’t apply this approach to anything else in life, including choosing a pastor.” Imagine, he said, if a church was searching for a pastor and the leadership was brought a candidate with great values but little experience. “They’ve been a pastor for two years at a church with 150 people but he shares our values, so we hired him to be pastor of our 5,000 person church? It wouldn’t happen! We don’t say, ‘He shares our values, so let’s hire him.’ That’s absurd. Yet we apply that to choosing presidents. It blows my mind.”

Does anyone else remember Promise Keepers full on embrace and ordination of this guy at several of their stadium events?

Peter Block

So I bump into my friend Wade on a weekly basis at a coffee shop we both frequent. Last week he introduced me to a book by Peter Block and his ideas.

Listen. You can't let the sun go down without buying a reading the link below by this guy or buying one of his books. It is brilliant.


Link

If that link doesn't work try this one. Then download the Civic Engagement file. Page 6 is my favorite.

After you read it. Come back and thank me.

In light of yesterday's post

From Nakedpastor

Teen Gun give-a-way at Church Cancelled

Here's the text:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma church canceled a controversial gun giveaway for teenagers at a weekend youth conference.

Windsor Hills Baptist had planned to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle until one of the event's organizers was unable to attend.

The church’s youth pastor, Bob Ross, said it’s a way of trying to encourage young people to attend the event. The church expected hundreds of teenagers from as far away as Canada.

“We have 21 hours of preaching and teaching throughout the week,” Ross said.

A video on the church Web site shows the shooting competition from last year’s conference. A gun giveaway was part of the event last year. This year, organizers included it in their marketing.

“I don’t want people thinking ‘My goodness, we’re putting a weapon in the hand of somebody that doesn’t respect it who are then going to go out and kill,'” said Ross. “That’s not at all what we’re trying to do.”

Ross said the conference isn’t all about guns, but rather about teens finding faith.

“You make a lot of new friends down here,” said Vikki Goncharenko, who attended the conference. “You get to meet new people. There's a bunch of things that are going on. It's just, you have a wonderful time.”

Friday evening, Ross said the gun giveaway had been canceled. Pastor emeritus Jim Vineyard, who ran the event, injured his foot and wouldn’t be able to attend. The gun giveaway was also removed from the church Web site.

Ross said the church would give the gun away next year instead. He said the church spent $800 buying the gun for the promotion.

Cancelled? Come on! How could someone get upset with this? I mean don't semi-automatic assault rifles and Jesus go hand in hand?

Link

Naked Pastor on Fatigue

Money Quote:

Years ago I read a book by Easum and Bandy called Growing Spiritual Redwoods. I don’t recall anything else about the book except one declaration that the future church would not support codependent relationships. I remember how radical and dangerous an idea that was because that would pretty much empty most churches. Imagine if you stopped supporting codependence in all your relationships. Do you wonder how lonely you’d become? Most of what we do is fulfill other’s expectations of us. We grant other’s their desires.

Link

read it and let me know what you think?

Jon Stewart weighs in on Obama /Dobson

Dobson and Obama

You knew this was coming right? Dobson blasting Obama. The problem for Dobson is that America has changed and he hasn't. I'll go further. The church has changed and he hasn't. Before Dubbya's 8 years in office, Dobson, Falwell and Pat Robertson all decided they would speak for everyone in America who follows Jesus. It worked. Just ask John McCain. It was his justified words against these guys that cost him the bid that election year. (Dobson has said he won't vote for McCain either... even thought the straight talk express snuggled up to Falwell 8-10 months ago for this new election.)

Dobson and the like, have lost their grip on the power they once held. I think this is a good thing. Dobson doesn't speak for me. I don't know what Obama said, or the context of what he said, and chances are I won't fully agree with him, but I do know that I don't agree with Dobson and his blast against Obama is nothing more than fear mongering, something most of my friends are ready to leave behind. This is the same kind of rhetoric that talks about Obama being a closet muslim and such. It's actually hate, smearing and ugliness. But this is par for many of Dobson's ilk isn't it. Fear mongering, slandering others, saying they don't believe the bible, calling them liberal, saying that they are relativist or pluralist or some other thing. Again, I don't know what Obama believes about anything, but I know smoke when i see it blowing.

So while we knew it was coming, and has now come, it's still not much fun. Watch over the next few days and see what happens.

Update: McKnight says it better than I do.

4th Century Church

Scot McKnight has a very short post I found very interesting here.

Thing that stood out:

Two things struck me about this basilica:

First, that the name “basilica” is also the name the Romans used for their central legal building.

Second, that this Christian basilica was in the heart of the city of Ostia antica, surrounded by pagan shrines and homes and legal buildings.

Speaking at NPC

I've been invited to speak at the National Pastors Convention in San Diego next February.
Here's their blog post announcing it. Dang. Humbling company.

More NPC 2009 Speakers!

Bill Hybels
John Burke
Leighton Ford
David Kinnaman
Gabe Lyons
Mark Riddle
William Webb

Link
and here's the link the whole list of speakers so far.

Full Plate

Things that I need to give attention to this week:
- Riddle Group (working with 4 different churches this week)
- New Church (impossibly long list of things to do)
- Writing - (Editing the second book is underway)
- Emergent Cohort (organization of)
-Family Stuff
What am I forgetting?

When moving toward Jesus, moves you away from the church

I sent this out to the team of folks who pray for me this morning.

Yesterday I was talking to a new friend. We’ll call him Tom. Tom and I have know each other since the beginning of the year and I’ve often heard him talk about God, he’s generally working with someone else when I see him, so we rarely get to talk by ourselves. For some reason yesterday I asked if he went to a specific church here in Tulsa. He said, “I used to. Not anymore. We don’t go anywhere. It’s been an intentional decision for me and my family. It’s been hard and I think about my kids and what it means for them all the time. But I take God too seriously.” I told him I understood where he was coming from and he continued. Some people have told me that I’m being rebellious and I occasionally feel guilty for not going. But that’s not God telling me that.”

Tom is a smart guy. When I share this you might think he’s being rebellious, or arrogant, or my emerging friends might say he needs community to understand God. You all may be right.

But we have something to learn from Tom. You and I both. And there are a lot of Tom’s I keep running into my friends.

What do we do when people in the church essentially say, “A move away from the church, is a move toward Jesus.”

I think I know, and guy's like Tom are one more reason we're starting a community who will live with a different rhythm than the status quo.

Can you relate to Tom? I really do want to hear from you....

Have you seen this?

Shapevine Pretty cool stuff.

Exciting Day and I'm tired

I woke up this morning and caught a plane to Dallas to meet with Mark Matlock and David Welch of Wisdom Works. It was a productive meeting about the future or both our organizations. Lot's of potential and I'm excited about what it holds for us. We're developing two consultant training modules that will be really exciting for veteran youth workers looking to make a difference in their part of the world. It's something I've been hoping to do for quite a while and has a lot of potential for supporting youth pastors and local churches around the country. Mark and David are super sharp guys and I'm humbled to get to work with them. more later.. (But if you are interested ... let me know)

anyway I'm tired. My 8:00pm flight is delayed until 10:45pm. ugh! I'm tired and not feeling 100% and I'm ready to be back in Tulsa.

Jesus is my Boyfriend

Here's a video of Matt Redman in a very candid interview on worship and writing worship songs. I like the fact that he's hoping for people to start thinking more about what they are singing.

We See What We Look For

Watch this Video

We see what we are looking for, don't we. Whether it be in presidential candidates or each other. It's more convenient to see people how we want to, rather than see what's actually there.

A Temporary New Look for the Blog

Over the next few months I'm going to be reorganizing my presence on the web.
The blog address should stay the same, but the look will change.
I'm overhauling theRiddleGroup.com site and adding two additional sites. One site dedicated to my new book, "Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors" another that is a hub for me (markriddle.net) Sometime in January I'll likely put up a new site for my other book that will be released in Sept. 2009. Oh, and I'll be developing a site for the new church we've started here in Tulsa. Ok. So I've got some work to do.

For folks who read the blog, nothing should change except the look and few more links on the side.

I'm hoping not to overwhelm folks with Book Release stuff when they come out, but rather point them to the book site. It's probably just me, but it bugs me when bloggers pimp there book every single day, every single time they post.

anyway. the new look is temporary and mainly so you can comment with ease. so feel free to comment!

How well does your Pastor define you?

Barack Obama's former pastor in Chicago is in the news and folks on the right side of the political spectrum are using it against Barack. The pastor has said some pretty bold, and an occassionally unbelievable things. But then what pastor hasn't said something crazy really?

It makes me wonder a few things:
first- video outside the context of the church is not as helpful as we hope it is. The video circulating youtube and the like means something really different to the people in the church in that local community than it does to you and me. We hear it differently. (Don't read this as a defense of what he said, I haven't heard it all. But this is true.)

second - As much as the average Senior Pastor hopes, wishes or believes that his/her congregation believes the same thing they do, it's simply not true. Often, the Senior Pastor is tolerated, while the real richness of the community is what engages people. this certainly isn't news to the people in the pews. But it might be to you if you are a Sr Pastor.

Can a person go to a church and regularly disagree with the preacher? abosolutely. it happens every week in your church.

Sister Mary Margret's Memorial Carpet

Steven Levitt of "Freakonomics" fame is discussing how Wisconsin Business school, led by Dean Micheal Knetter has raised $85 million dollars for the school, with the understanding that it will not be named after anyone (including the donors) for 20 years.

My favorite section:

"Apparently, Knetter is now offering a full slate of objects not to name at the business school. For $50,000, you can have a classroom not named after you. For $5,000, you can not have your name on a plaque in the entryway to the building. For those of you with a little less to give, $50 will guarantee that the urinal of your choice will go unnamed. But only for the next 20 years."

There's something here for the church to keep in mind I think as well. Naming buildings, carpets, parlors, hallways etc after folks in our church might feel right, but we should think twice about it. If the church needs a building, raising money so it won't be named after anyone seems like a pretty good idea to me.

Link

Views on Managing Ministry

If you supervise people as a Senior Pastor, a Youth Pastor or in your business chances are you manage one of these ways. Each of these mindsets directs your actions.

Mindset:
Status Quo - "Everything is fine. What we do and the way we do it don't need to change."

Action: Nothing changes, nothing is evaluated, we never look beyond, or outside our current reality. This manager ignores voices for change, because they see no real need for change. They truly believe everything is ok the way it is.


Mindset:
Ministry by Control - "We deliver great ministry, by keeping bad ministry from happening. Great programs, led by great people with mistakes weeded out before we start."

Action:

Folks with this mindset are micromanagers. They seek perfect ministry and mistake free programs as the way to effectively minister. This mindset drives them to control the process down the smallest details. If it's a pastor, he gives the go ahead for each song the youth pastor wants to sing, gives the thumbs up or down for the topics that will be discussed. Additionally, these folks drive people away, but never are able to see that they are part of the problem.

Mindset:
Ministry by Responsive Service - "We will never have a perfect ministry, but we will do what ever our people want and need from us."

Action:
Ministers who work like this may not be organized, but they make up for it in pleasing people. Mistakes will happen and while striving to make a congregation happy, he/she may also loose the trust of the staff they are leading. The action leads them in many directions at once and causes them to be reactionary. Staff view this as trying to follow the wind and they view it as unsafe. No one wants to work for someone who wants to make other people happy at a staff persons expense. (or the visions)


Mindset:
Ministry thru a better process - "We will establish objective tools to more efficiently develop a consistant desired outcome with as few variations as possible."

Action: This is a popular approach by progressive churches who hire business folks to lead them. Large churches, especially multi-site churches do this so that ministry is uniform, effecient and that each venue, or expression is consistent with the home church. While these ministers/leaders can make changes on a dime, and have consistent product (usually what they are hoping for) it means they have little use for context, and input from those further down the line. The product is king, and people become carefully screened and selected cogs in a machine to produce the product. People who work in these environments may love being a part of the energy the church, but tire fo not being valued as a human being.

Mindset:
Total Ministry - Ministry is the transformation in the way we think, work, live and minister together and is a reflection of what we value, how we reward (or discourage) and how we measure what successful ministry is.

Action:
What do you think the action is for this mindset?

Twas the Day before the Diet

Twas the day before I started eating better
Superbowl Sunday to be exact,
when Mike brought over the 10 lb snack.
Custom baked bun.
Smoke and grilled to perfection
A larger burger than I could ever imagine.
And it was tasty.

Stephen Colbert on Evil

Stephen Colbert has the money quote of the day. It's the last thing he says to his guest at the end of the clip and how he teaches sunday school. But there's a word he uses I won't use here so go there and see it. It's a good interview.

Link

Hiring for the Future

Hiring a youth pastor to lead a program as it has always been done is not the way to the future. Chances are the for your church's youth ministry to work, it will make you uncomfortable. I might even venture to say, that if you are a church leader and your youth ministry feels nice and comfortable to you, then it's not reaching it's potential.

Tuesday and a trip to OKC

After arriving around 7pm from Atlanta on Friday night, I left for OKC early Tuesday morning.

I scheduled two phone calls during my 90 minute drive and return a few others.
Once in OKC I stopped into Panera and checked my mail, then responded to a few emails.
At 11:30 I met my long time friend John Gilstrap from Church of the Servant in north Oklahoma City. He's the Student Pastor there, and is currently beginning a search for a Junior High Pastor. Church of the Servant is rediscovering itself and it's refreshing to sit across the table from a youth pastor committed to a particular people, regardless of how fast, or slow change happens.

At 1:15 I met with Mark McAdow, Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church of Oklahoma City. FUMC is looking for a youth pastor also, or they will be in the future. Mark is a true pastor. He's committed to loving people. It's always good for me to be around him. In a precious life I was on staff with Mark at Asbury in Tulsa. I think the Riddle Group could really support the dreams and heart of Mark and First Church... we'll see.

From 2:30pm to 5:15 I added some tasks to my list so I could get them out of my head, sent some email and blogged a bit, but mostly I prepped for my meeting with the Student Leadership Team of Westmoore Community Church in south OKC. By the way WCC's sermon series always make me chuckle (in a good way). Their LCD sign out front says, "Victorious Secret" nice.

6:00pm - I met with the Student Leadership team (a totally volunteer team) who have been leading and expanding the youth ministry for about a year and a half.

We broke early and I headed for home at 9:30.
On the drive home I spent 60 minutes on the phone with David Welch from YS.

Home.
No more travel for about a week!

6:00pm

Andy has caught on

My friend Wade went to Catalyst this past October and sent me the following notes from Andy Stanley's talk to pastors in the room. It's nice to hear people like Andy catch on to systems thinking, or at least to finally be talking publically about it. This was Andy's final address to the people of Catalyst.

Here are the notes:

Liberating Your Organization – Creating a Leadership-Friendly Culture.

The bottom line … it’s all about developing, implementing, and improving systems to affect change in your organization. Here’s much of the content from Andy’s discussion:

Introduction

1. There are organizational systems that are conducive to ministry and organizational systems that impede ministry.

2. There are organizational systems that free leaders to lead and organizational systems that obstruct leaders.

3. Defined: Systems are your organization’s approach to getting things done.

I. Systems create behaviors.

A. Examples: Family vs. Student Ministry, Marriage vs. Marriage Series, Western vs. Middle Eastern

B. The systems you inherit, adopt, or create will eventually impact what staff and volunteers do.

C. Examples: Anytime you hear, “Well, our people just won’t …” you are listening to someone who doesn’t understand the influence and importance of systems.

D. Components of a system: 1) Expectations/Rules, 2) Rewards (or lack of), 3) Consequences (or lack of), 4) Communication (content and style), 5) Behavior or Behavior Patterns (of those in charge)

E. Systems have a greater impact on organizational culture than do mission statements. This principle explains why it is so difficult to transition an organization. If a new leader casts a new vision and never addresses old systems, nothing changes.

II. The NT does not present us with a comprehensive system or model.

A. In the NT we discover what the early church did. The NT does not lay out a comprehensive plan instructing church leaders what to do.

B. Always differentiate between what is pre-scripture and what is de-scriptive.

C. The NT and OT do offer some principles that should be integrated into our systems. 1)Delegation: Acts 6/Exodus 18, 2) Accountability: Acts 15, 3) Authority: Romans 13, 4) Interdependence: Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts, 5) Point Leadership: Modeled in OT and NT, 6) Seeking council: Proverbs, Acts 15

III. Systems Imperatives

A. Your system should allow you to involve and hire the best person for the job.

B. Your system should provide you with the flexibility to get the right people to the table to make a decision.

C. Your system should allow you to make complex decisions within the context of a small group of empowered individuals.

D. Your system should ensure that only one person answers to “they.”

Andy concluded with a recommendation to:
1. List the 3 behaviors you want from your staff.
2. List what you're doing to encourage these behaviors.
3. List what you're doing to encourage the opposite of these behaviors.

Systems thinking … it’s the key to improving the effectiveness of your ministry.

Intro to Ikon - Not your typical church's welcome

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining us this evening at our intimate, humble gathering. Take a seat, make yourselves comfortable and prepare yourselves. Tonight we would like to share a secret with you, a sacred secret that must be kept strictly between us.To be honest it is a secret which cannot be told, for it cannot be understood or even experienced, but only birthed within us and lived through us. Nonetheless this evening is a futile but necessary attempt to place this sacred secret into some kind of language, for language is the only messenger we know, fallen angel though it may be.

My first encounter with this secret occurred a number of years ago while I was walking home, late one evening. As I weaved my way through the half-dead trees that inhabited a piece of wasteland connecting my origin to my destination I heard an inner voice calling my name. I stood still and listened intently to what I took to be nothing less than the solemn, silent voice of God. As I stood there, rooted to the ground, God spoke to me, repeating four simple words, “I do not exist”

“I do not exist”? What could this possibly mean?

One thing for sure was that this was not a simple atheism, for it was God who was claiming God’s non-existence. In that wasteland I was confronted with something different, I was confronted with the erasure of God by none other than God. I was confronted with the idea that, while God may not be something, that did not imply that God was nothing.

Up until then I had considered God to be just one more thing in the world, albeit the greatest. But after this event I wondered whether this was an inappropriate way of approaching God. Perhaps God ought not to be thought of as an object in the world but rather as that which transforms my interaction with all objects in the world.

What if I was being taught that every time I affirm God I simultaneously affirm something less than God? What if this God I affirm is always a delusion formed from the materials of my imagination and desires? What if one of the steps toward God rests upon a rejection of God? And thus what if God ought to be thought of, not as that which I affirm but rather as the event which causes me to make the affirmation in the first place?

And so I began to wonder if it was possible to think of God otherwise than being and nothing… to think of God as speaking, as happening, as an event, as life but not as an object. To approach the God beyond, behind and before God.

If this is the case then God ought not to be thought of as the patch of Meaning which covers over the wound of our unknowing… God is the wound itself, the wound which inspires the industries that make the patch. If this is the case then God is not to be located in the fabric of our beliefs but rather as the holes within the fabric. We must cloth ourselves in our creeds for they shelter us but these creedal garments, if we are to truly honour them, must eternally be allowed to unravel and be reformed, for they testify to God, not by the reification of their words, but by their kinetic, fluid life.

If this is the case then fidelity to our Creeds and our God will involve betraying them.

We have often thought that the cross we carry is one upon which we must be crucified, that this is the highest call of Christianity… but what if we are asked to go further. What if the cross we carry, like that carried by Simon of Cyrene, is not for ourselves but rather for that which we love more than ourselves. What if the highest call of Christianity involves crucifying our God precisely for the sake of our God?

All that is left for me to do is hand over to the management and say… Welcome to ikon

(Written and preformed by Peter Rollins)

Wink

Counting People in a Room

What if every week the schools in your town, maybe the school your kids attend, announced the total number of kids attending the school. It might look like this.

This week at Elementary PS 101 we had 504 kids and 36 teachers/administrators in attendance! This time last year we at Elementary PS 101 we had 404 kids. That's a lot of growth! We are excited about how well we are educating the kids of the city! Next year we hope to grow 20%! In addition during the past week 189 of the kids raised their hand to respond to a question we asked. Success!

If the schools in your area did this you would laugh at them.

What if the the Walco down the street measured like this? What if their business report went something like this?

On Sunday morning at 11:00am we had 800 people in our store. Some even bought something! That's up from 750 on this time last year!

Business people who measure like this primarily would be fired.

Counting people in the room is a pretty lame way to measure success in the church. Anyone can count people in a room. Getting people in your building is not the same thing as spreading the kingdom. It's just getting people in a room. Anyone can get people in a room and count them.

People in the room may or may not care about what you have to say.
People in a room is a pretty low view of success.

Interestingly enough it is the churches who declare themselves most creative (and maybe they are actually really creative) can't come up with a better way to measure than with attendance figures.


Here's my friendly challenge to these churches. If you really want to pave the way for the church to make a difference in the world, then find a different way to measure and then use that measurement to broadcast your enthusiasm to the world. You are creative. Will you rise to the challenge.

Look, I get it, I know you spend a lot of time and money to get people to show up in the room so you can do the show, but that's not really all that creative in the big picture is it? Rearranging the furniture, maybe, but not a make-over.

If you really want to be innovative rethink measurement.

What you measure is what you value. Show you value life change more than numbers.
Schools value learning.
Businesses value profit.
Churches value the kingdom being built. Will you lead us with something other than numbers?

Why would I want to come to your church?

After you've been in the church for a while it becomes something of a habit. It's just something you do. It's normal. After a while, most of the people you know probably go to church too. It's just something they do.

After a while you know what to expect. Who will say hi and who won't. You know more than faces, you know names and stories that accompany each name. You belong. It's normal. It's natural. It's just something you do and you know how you fit. You know that 6 months ago they changed the 4th grade classroom from the room that actually says, "4th Grade" on it, to an unmarked steel fire door down the hall and around the corner. You know that you need to bring your own Bible, or which book of prayer you need to use or when to refer to the church bulletin. All of this is normal. Even the things that confuse you have become normal. You know how to drink from the cup or to signal dipping the bread. You know that the bread will taste more like styrofoam or a doughy tic-tac. It's normal. It's just what you do.

After a while you are a family. After a while you find deep meaning in worshiping God together. or maybe you don't find meaning in the worship, but you attend out of duty. It's just normal. It's what you should do, so you do it. Some kind of compliance with your parents who may or may not be alive any longer. You do what you do because it's normal. You always have.


But when I show up, none of this is normal. I'm not even sure why I'm here and since this is normal for you, you assume I'm there for the same reasons you are.

I'm not.

I don't know how to dismiss my kids to "children's church" and I'm not really sure what "childrens' church" is. I don't trust you with my kids, so I walk my kid to the 4th Grade class. It's empty. We keep walking and discover another room with a lot of kids in it. This is normal for you. But it's not to me and I'm trusting you less and less each moment.

My kid REALLY doesn't want to walk into a room full of chaos and since I can't find the teacher I make the decision to take him back to the service with me. My mind is racing about my experience and I'm confused by other things happening in the service. All I can think is, this can't be normal. Assuming I don't bail on you after my first week and write off the church thing all-together. (Which is a big assumption that you should not make because in today's world you get one chance to connect with a visiting family. One. ) But let's assume I'm stubborn and I'm willing to overlook the chaos of the children's ministry, the stubbornness of my kids who throw no less than 3 fits during the morning because they don't want to go and don't understand why we are going, to which I have no real response.

Let's say I overcome all that.
Why would I want to come to your church?
Duty won't do it. I'm not going to do something simply because someone tells me I should. That kind of guilt and manipulation won't work for me.

Since I don't know you, feeling like I belong isn't the answer.

I know it's normal for you, but why would anyone come to your church? Really?

If you can't answer that question I'm either going to quit looking for a church, or I'm going somewhere else.

I know this is normal for you. But this isn't normal to me.

Reggie McNeal Conference

A couple folks have asked me to blog more about the Reggie McNeal conference I attended on Monday. I'll do so quickly.

Reggie is a nice guy who likes to undermine his listeners assumptions.

The gist of his message was:
Get out of the church business.
Get into the kingdom business.
God is already out there go join him.
Stop doing ministry/ buildings for yourself, build them for your community.
People will lead you in how to lead them into the kingdom.

Here's what resonated with me but wasn't all that new:
The kingdom is bigger than the church.
The church is out of touch with the world outside it's walls. (ie. my conversation about being unchurched)

Here's what I really wanted to ask Reggie.

How does it feel for you to come in a give a seminar and then afterwards no one really does what you suggest.

The Hidden Secrets to Dialogue and her strange cousins:. Part 4

The Grand-daddy named Generative

Remember Advocacy and Inquiry are the keys to dialogue.

Before I explain what a Generative Dialogue looks like, It's helpful to know that each of us have a natural way in which we engage in conversation. These are the ways in which we have learned to engage the world around us. Observing, Telling, and Asking are all natural means by which different personality types flow, but Generative dialogue is a skill.

1. Politicking: Every cousin has it's dysfunctional side. Politicking is the act of giving the impression of balancing advocacy and inquiry, while being close-minded.

2. Skillful discussion - Balancing advocacy and inquiry really well. (close to dialogue, but not quite) The Skillful discussion participant is genuinely curious about what others think and their reasoning, while also clearly articulating their personal reason explicit. What makes this person great is that they begin to unearth the other persons assumptions without being critical or accusing. This person asks questions and inquires to get at the foundational work done in the other persons mind, not simply for information, but for better understanding.

3. Drumroll please. Finally, it's Dialogue!

Dialogue suspends all assumptions creating a container in which collective thinking can emerge. A dialogue does not mean I give up on all my ideas, opinions and thoughts, but that I'm able to suspend those ideas and the assumptions that support them so that I can engage in collective thinking. Collective thinking is the ability for a group to have a growing conversations that moves all of it's participants forward. It is generative. It is free from agenda, other than the teams purposes. It's free of people simply observing, telling or asking.
It's the wonderful blend of advocacy and inquiry.

Not Best... Better

Transformation doesn't come at once. For individuals, communities or organizations.
For the past 10 years I've heard a lot of folks all of them in churches larger than 3,000 people on any given Sunday, say something like, we want the a World Class Ministry, or we want to be the Best in Class.

These terms have always bugged me for a variety of reasons.
One of them is that churches who struggle to be the "Best" will never arrive. Never.

I think I get what they are saying though... at their heart they are saying they want to be better than they are now. That is the heart of innovation.

Neuralize...

From this site.

Excuse Me While I Single-Handedly Neutralize Al-Qaeda

Alan, in his book, points out that Al-Qaeda is almost impossible to stop. This is, in large part, due to the way the its message works, and the way the work gets carried out. And he's absolutely right.

So, in the service of national defense, I propose the following, in order to effectively neutralize the movement. Let's get Al-Qaeda to...

1) Complexify the message

Right now, it's so simple, it can pass from one to the next, and be easily grasped by the uneducated, the young -- everyone. This is dangerous, because it's highly contagious, and people on the street feel capable of enlisting others in the cause.

2) Construct a less "flat", more hierarchical structure

Currently, small, underground groups can move nimbly and autonomously, complicating efforts to thwart them. A more regimented, stratified approach, where some members are left thinking, "I can't know enough to do anything" would bring the movement to a halt.

3) Foster "expert" culture, and barriers to entry to the expert class

Promote the idea that the message is not only highly complex, but only some can truly understand it. Construct extensive barriers to entry to the presumed expert class. Promote idea that cells lacking a certified member of expert class, it is not equipped to be activated.

4) Focus on knowledge, rather than doing

Complexification and expert-class development will make cells spend immense amounts of time studying the work, even debating theories of the work, rather than doing it. Better yet...

5) Equate STUDYING the work with the work itself

The cells are called to ACT, of course. But if we can convince operatives that the work, itself, is in trying to understand the complexity of the work? They'll be effectively neutered. We need to get them to spend large amounts of time in study, gathering to study, believing they don't know enough, hiring new experts to teach them again and again, and attending teaching events.

They'll actually believe they're doing their work when they attend events held by experts. This will render the cell, and the whole movement, harmless! Convince them that the most radicalized, militant among them are merely called to bring other non-activated members to the cell events.

See the rest of the article here

(thanks to Jim)

Insight from outside

I though this post from Don Johnson was excellent.

I've seen this kind of emerging snootiness before.
If you are a part of an emerging church and someone shows up in a suit, it's an opportunity to welcome them and show them grace. Otherwise you are living the exact opposite of what you've expereince when you show up at the church across the street in shorts.

Oh and by the way... if emerging church is about dressing cool then you are missing the point people.

A Thought

As I read several popular blogs, attend conventions or summits that there is often a similar theme.

If you find just the right technique your church will reach people.

So people blog about technology and say if you use technology just right then you will reach people. Others will say, if you use instruments, if you have great teaching, if you increase your leadership potential, if you do small groups just right... then you will reach people.

Technique.

But I think these folks are wrong.

Technique is only a result of why some churches reach people and other don't.

Some would spiritualize it and say it's only God that reaches people, but frankly that's bogus too. The Holy Spirit may woo people to him, but God uses people reach people. And yes, God works through people and sustains people, but it seems likely a cop-out theologically to say that only God reaches people.

Churches don't reach people because they don't want to.
and
Churches don't reach people because they have puny theology.

but it's not technique.

Technique will come if there is a will and theology to reach people.

The subtle difference between Me and Us and Him

A couple of things have been standing out to me recently as I talk with various church leaders and more recently read other blogs.

First. Everyone is talking about outreach, missions, and service. Some use the term Missional, other simply want their congregations to get beyond themselves.

I've heard a Senior Pastor of a large church in Colorado say, "God is the Author of the Story and he's the main character. You are not." Then he spent the rest of the sermon talking about how each of the individuals can grow in their relationship with God.

I've talked with a kingdom minded Associate Pastor or a different large church who desires people to get beyond themselves and our American Individualistic Faith. But when I talk about the studies the adults of the congregation are doing, they are are studies on "me and God".

I've heard Senior Pastors from across the country drone on and on about leadership, leadership styles, and management priorities which is the church leader equivalent of me and God.

If you want your people to get beyond themselves it's going to take more than you telling them to do so. It's going to take you doing it yourself. It's going to take you talking about something else. Something other than me.

At some point we have to talk about Us and how we follow Christ. But more importantly, we need to start talking about God, his plans for the world and what it means for Us to join him in what he is already doing.

More Bible Study is not the answer.
Telling people they are too self centered is not the answer.
Spending all your time educating people on how to be the church and how they as individuals can follow Christ is not the answer.
More baseball diamonds are not the answer. We don't need any more classes on me.

So if you want your church to get over themselves. Start living into Us and more importantly, in to his plans... not as individuals, but as the people of God.

It might surprise you.

Just a Thought

I was reading a somewhat popular church marketing blog recently which talks often about what hours during the day are the best for advertising on the radio for churches. Advice for churches so they can stay "relevant".

My thought:

If you have to advertise for your congregation it's a good sign that you are irrelevant.

Coaching Day

Today I'm spending the day in one-to-one coaching sessions with the youth workers of Westmoore Community Church. I started this morning at 9:30am and end a bit after 10:00pm. I do this once a month for WCC.
They don't have any youth staff but are making a big difference in the lives of kids in South Oklahoma City. The folks I'm meeting with have said "Yes" to God, though most of them have never lead a team, or been on a team like this before, and even less have any experience working with teens God is honoring their faithfulness. I don't really ask how many kids they have coming to their large program, but it's somewhere in the range of 600. Their program meets 5 weeks on, then 3-4 weeks off. Which defies all conventional thinking and assumptions church leaders have about Momentum.

They are ramping up their Middle school small groups to a new level this fall and starting a student leadership program as well.

Such a fun church to work with. One of my favorite things about this church is that most somewhere around 85% of the people involved in the church didn't attend church anywhere or know Christ before WCC.

Lives are being changed.

These youth workers are dealing with all the issues that come with a group of kids this size. Cutting, drug use, abusive homes, and absent parents all en masse... without a professional youth pastor or any youth staff.

When I sit with these folks, they seem to know the gravity of their responsibility, and the task at hand.

One day they'll hire a youth pastor, but they aren't really looking right now. There is no need to. The church is owing/learning to own the spiritual formation of their kids.

YouVersion - My thoughts

Here's a few thoughts on the new YouVersion of the Bible.

I really don't like the name. I think this will be a hang up for anyone who is a church leader who thinks the world and the church is already self-centered enough. The name may lead them toward the worst case scenarios of what a Bible like this could be.


I really like the potential something like this has for good.
I consider myself to be a technorealist and understand that technology is not neutral. Each new technology brings within it the potential for good and bad. It generally delivers both.

First the Good I think it will bring: I will do what Bobby mentions in his blog post. It will bring a personal narrative to the scripture that has immense potential. Though it will likely draw criticism from those even outside the church as more people suggest their wild interpretations of various texts.

I think more importantly it will give people an opportunity to level the playing field a bit for armchair theologians to engage with experts on what God is telling us. This then provides a platform by which folks from various walks of life can converge to discuss theology.

The Bad: Scripture was written in a particular context with a particular intent. YouVersion will further contribute to the problem of making scripture say what I want it to say to me, because God spoke to me in this verse and told me he wanted to give me a big hug. Frankly, the printing press has already taken done this, which is why I hear more and more pastor saying, we need to take the Bible's away from some people for a while.

It will likely contribute to people taking particular verses out of context with the rest of the text.

I think it's a grand experiment. We'll see if the good outweighs the bad.

I am hopeful that it will.