Large Church Youth Ministry Learning Lab

This week I tried something new. A Learning Lab here in Tulsa. I named it "Leadership for the Rest of Us" because I believe in people and how God has gifted them. With so many of the conferences have the same 6 or so presenters and speakers telling the rest of us what leadership is and isn't I felt I'd try a learning lab. Intentionally small, spread by word of mouth, brought together without having to adopt an experts opinion. My hope was to create an alternative experience, something like an un-conference. 12 people converged on Tulsa Monday-Wednesday for a unique experience. Together we wrestled with ways to think of leadership differently. Most were youth pastors and wrestled with ideas related to doing youth ministry differently. What we call, church B. This was also the first module for folks interested in becoming consultants.

It was a beautiful experience.

We will do it again soon. I thinking of doing two different gatherings.

I'm investigating dates right now. But was thinking one of the Learning Labs (module 1) would be for youth pastors in churches larger than 3,000 people.

The second would of course be open just like the others. Then we'd begin to explore Module two together.
If you are interested in either of these? Let me know.
mark@theriddlegroup.com

Just read this

I just read this job description for a sr. pastor and it made me laugh (and sad) at the same time.

1. Preach with Passion 2. Administration Gifts 3. Audio Visual Experience 4. MIcrosoft/quickbooks Experience 5. Community Involvement 6. Pastoral Compassionate 7. Musical giftings Preferred

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.
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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.

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...

Toilet Paper your Sr. Pastor's office

Don, a Senior Pastor in No Cal got his office Tee-Peed in retaliation. He knew he deserved it. More church staff team's might think about building relationships that allow for this kind of interaction.

Read the story here.

Refuse to Lead

What Pete is saying here, I believe is the way in which we will move to more healthy churches in the Western world. This is what my next book proposal will deal significantly with. This is the nature of Church B. This is the nature of leadership, refusing to enable citizens of the kingdom to give away their responsibility as citizens by leading.
There's way more to this, but this is a good snippet I came across today.

Here's the video.. what do you think?

Citizens of the Kingdom

A couple thoughts from Peter Block in his book Community that I think will be helpful. (Peter's a consult for businesses and as far as I know is not a believer. I say this because I'm fascinated by a business guy who writes a book named "community".)

He's language is citizen. and the goal or him is citizenship. (If you'd prefer you can exchange it for disciple)

A citizen is one who is willing to do the following:
+ Hold oneself accountable for the well-being of the larger collective of which we are a part.
+Choose to own and excercise power rather than defer or delegate it to others.
+Enter into a collective possibility that gives hospitable and restorative community its sense of being.
+Acknowledge that community grows out of the possibility of citizens. Community is build not by specialized expertise, or great leadership, or improved services; it is built by citizens.
+Attend to the gifts and capacities of all others, and act to bring the gifts of those on the margin into the center.
(Peter Block, Community page 65)

This is going to take some time to process frankly, but our goal would be to function as pastor who enables an environment in which citizens (disciples) can happen.

What do you think?

Leading Church B: April 27-29, 2009

Mark your calendar now.

I've received a lot of inquiries from people wanting to become a consultant and others who are actively coaching other leaders, inside their context and outside of it. There is a kind of experienced leader that few folks are equipping in the church.
We've developed a process exclusively for these folks.

You'd love these kind of experience if:
• you are looking to better understand your role as a church leader
• you re good at what you do, but deep down question if it's a vocational fit for you long term.
• church leaders from other churches call you for advice or input
• you've attended the big conventions in the past for yourself, but now you take your team and skip the sessions yourself.
• you are tired of conferences and seminars where 95% of the content is based on the latest game, or simply a further diagnosis of the problems in the church.
You know there's a problem and you are ready to join God in creating a new future.• you're serious about the future of youth ministry in your church, and in other churches
• you are looking for an alternative future for youth ministry in the church
• you are looking for an alternative view of pastor in the church
• you are a senior pastor who wants to create new culture for healthy ministry
• are a veteran pastor and you'd like to refine the skill of consulting to coach other congregations
• you wake up at night thinking about the future of ministry and how to lead people into it.
• you want to take your extensive experience and gain the skills to become a ministry consultant yourself

More information is to come:
Leading Church B
April 27-29
Agora in Tulsa, OK.

Such a rich quote

Peter Block writes books for business and civic leaders. There's something for us all to learn. I love this little gem.

"We are fascinated with our leaders. We speak endlessly, both in the public conversation and privately, about the rise and fall of leaders. The agenda this sustains is that leaders are cause and all others are effect. That all that counts is what leaders do. That leaders are the leverage point for building a better community. They are foreground while citizens, followers, players, and anyone else not in a leadership position is background. This is a deeply patriarchal agenda, and it is this love of leaders that limits our capacity to create an alternative future. It proposes that the only real accountability in the world is at the top. They are the only ones worth talking about.”
Peter Block, pg 41 Community: The Structure of Belonging