Changes?

The Past is the New Future

Introductory Notes by Doug Pagitt

DougPagitt.com

Change, it's our norm

It's only a slight exaggeration to say that everything in our lives, everything we depend on for our basic survival, was created in the last 200 years.Think about your typical day. You wake up in a bed made of materials-internal springs, polymers, anti-microbial fabrics, that didn't exist 200 years ago. You are awakened by an alarm clock that was invented in 1876 (or maybe to an iPod that was invented in 2001). You take a shower (indoor plumbing arrived in the mid-19th century), eat eggs shipped by trucks from a different part of the country, purchased at a grocery store with a credit card, and cooked over an electric stove. You drive a car to work and maybe make a few calls on your cell phone on the way.

You might live in a state that was open frontier in 1860 or in a town that was nothing but grassland in 1922. You might send your kids to a school where they read digitally printed books and use computers and watch DVDs. You might go to church on Sunday morning at 11:00 where you speak into a micro-phone and sing along with words projected on a screen.

For most of human history, changes in broad social structures came occasionally and were limited in geographic scope. But in the last two centuries, cultural change has become far-reaching, constant, and increasingly rapid.

Doug Pagitt

DougPagitt.com

To the Church at St. Andrew UMC, Santa Maria, CA

I noticed the other day just how often we come full circle in the church.

I was amazed to find several living will documents in the church files, along with an Advance Directive for Health Care. I wondered how these people 30 years ago knew that getting information out about Living Will, Trusts, Lifetime Giving, and Advanced Directives for Health Care are all on the agenda for several of our committees, including worship, finance, trustees, and church council. We have talked about how we haven’t done much with the Giving Tree (which is a Trustees item), about how helpful it was to have a file on a member with the particular wishes for how a funeral was to be carried out (Worship team), and with the many hospital visits to congregation members, and my own surgery this past year, I was reminded that everyone ought to have an Advance Directive for Health Care. We revisit many of the same themes in cycles in the church.

Another conversation led to the discussion about how we might grow the church, and what that means. This too has seen the history of the church take turns in each of several different modes - wandering people, temporary meeting places, permanent meeting places, transitional people (neither tied to a home, nor without one) and back through the cycle. I was asked how we might get people “out of the church” and “into the world”, which sounds an awful lot like the transitional phase, recognizing very clearly that St. Andrew UMC has been very permanent for nearly 45 years, as we come upon our 50 year celebration, and that for almost 100 years the motto has been “if you build it, they will come”, after simply setting up a tent where the people were prior to that. The movement of the church takes us around again.

I was talking with a friend the other day about all the stuff the pastor wears. You know the items, robe, collar, stole. We got to talking some about how those things have come and gone, depending on the times, and the denominations. These days robes are meant to signify something or someone different. They are a throwback to the role of the priest in the Old Testament. Only it wasn’t so much the robes then, but the colors, and the different armor the priests put on, from that of a common warrior. The breastplate had semi-precious stones embedded, and the 12 tribes of Israel inscribed on onyx shoulder pads, and a giant helmet. This was a very strong departure from Moses and his predecessor priests who led by example, rather than ornamentation. Since that time the church has seen the ebb and flow of each of these types of ornamentation, that which meets the people as they are, and that which shows the display to draw attention. The cycle is ever-changing, and the rationale always fluctuating between the need to be seen as “human, like them” and “a special one from God”.

And so it is with life cycles. Some lives run longer than others, like that of the church (institutions seem to have lifespans of about 200-250 years), versus that of a human being (current average age in the US is about 76), or the fruit fly (in optimal conditions about 30 days). As we consider where in the stages of the lifecycle we find ourselves, we have the opportunity to remember why we decided to act as we did in gathering for this activity or that one, and for the mission of the church at the outset. In doing so we have a great opportunity to re-envision how we can help the next generation meet those same questions of “why” in their lives, knowing full well, that the what will change, as well as the rationale that will get them to the why.

You see, for all the cycles and rhythms of life, the why of the church never changes, to worship God, and show God’s love into the world today. In a world with growing diversity, and increasing differences between people, economically, educationally, spiritually, ethnically, and beyond, the lines are also becoming more blurred, and open to question. Ours then, as the church, and its people, continues to be a deep need to share the Amazing God we know with the world, in such a way that God is made clear.

Peace,

Guaranteed Appointment

I have a friend on the United Methodist denomination wide study committee on ministry. As we continue into the 21st century, [they] are evaluating certain practices. [They] hope [I] would be able to answer a couple of questions, as [they] deeply value [my] opinion:

The two questions are:

1. What is your opinion of the guaranteed appointment as the United Methodist now practices with the itinerant clergy (the clergy agree to go where the bishop sends us, the bishop guarantees the clergy a job). Would you favor keeping it or not? As much detail and perspective that you can give would be most helpful.

2. If the guaranteed appointment is eliminated, and if non-seminary trained local pastors are ordained, what would be the motivation for a candidate for ministry to pursue a seminary education (and accumulate a large amount of debt)? Recent statistics suggest that almost half of new candidates for ministry are on the local pastor track (which currently means they are not ordained).

My response:

1. My opinion of the guaranteed appointment as the United Methodist Church now practices with itinerant clergy is that we are not doing any favors to our churches, our pastors, or the Gospel. By limiting risk, and rewarding complacency (don't rock the boat) we are not creating enough discomfort in our congregations and for our clergy to effectively risk and challenge and change. I am reminded of several passages in the epistles where the Apostles have gone out and appropriated what was before, in the culture, or in the historical record of Israel and made it work differently for the immediate context they live. Jesus does this as well, accepting the discomfort internally, while creating discomfort for the people. [Luke 4:14-30] I am in favor of guaranteed appointments, with a broader understanding of the purpose of the appointment, to train leaders, to administer the Sacraments, and to serve more churches (in the style of our Circuit Riders - entire regions of several states, etc, not our Current Circuits that encompass no more than 7 churches [that was the largest circuit I heard anyone serving]) I also believe that we do not do enough oversight of our clergy as provided for in the Discipline for evaluation and removal from ministry. If we were to do the work required for oversight as presented in the Discipline I think we would not have the same issues. Paragraphs 331.5-6 (deacons) and 334.4 (elders)

2. I know the expected debt load of incoming clergy is beyond what the expected income is. This should be better rectified, with a more strenuous examination prior to entering seminary, including service in the local church. It might be that the Board of Ordained Ministry would spend time culling from the ranks of the enhanced leadership of the Local Pastors those who would be a good fit for seminary. I applaud the efforts of our local pastors, and know them to do outstanding work. I think that setting seminary trained persons as guides and trainers for service would only serve to enhance that model, as well as allow for greater lay empowerment through the entire process.

I apologize if I have been anywhere unclear in my thoughts, and I would be happy to follow up as best I can.

Worship Opportunities

I have recently been asked to help develop a worship service for Young Adults - which in this instance probably means college students.

I am excited for this opportunity, and yet feel a little out of my depth again. I know the best method for developing any worship occasion is to work with the people who you are trying to reach, and yet I am short of good young adults to ask.

[Then again maybe I ought to check in with my Facebook people]

What do you hear from young adults in your area for what they are seeking in a worship experience?

What are the places where the Young Adults in you area hang out?

What do you understand the purpose of worship to be?

Caught up in Numbers

As of late I have been enamored of Dan Dick and the work he is producing on his blog.

This past week he posted on the metrics of measurement we use to evaluate our churches.

This particular paragraph jumped out at me, as I start to think more seriously about what "Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World" means to me.

A growing number of our churches have stopped counting those who come through our doors. They are more interested in what happens to people after they leave. I spoke to lay and clergy leaders of two smaller Midwestern congregations this week that both have goals of serving the needs of others outside the church, of equipping people to share their faith and monitor how effectively they do it, and of engaging new people in serious spiritual formation and development. They do qualitative evaluation and assessments rather than “counting.” “Oh, we use numbers,” a lay leader told me. “If we served 65 meals last week, our goal is to serve 70 this week. If we got nine volunteers to help out last week, we strive for ten this week. If we have four people equipped to teach a small group this quarter, we aim to have five next quarter. So, yeah, numbers matter, but not as much as understanding how people’s faith and lives are changing.”

The challenge is then bare before me. To build Disciples, and to find ways to measure the quality of that activity. The bigger challenge then is not to worry so much about "adding one more" but "one more adding" to the body of Christ by giving of themselves by their "prayers, presence, gifts and service"

Question of the Day

What does it mean to you to "welcome children in the name of Jesus"?

Mark 9:30-37

Getting out of the Way Pt. 2

I just wanted to add this bit from the UM Portal:

AGING WELL: What younger folks wish older folks would learn

I remember one such type of gathering as part of VBS one year at Santa Barbara FUMC. While the children were all off doing their VBS thing, the adults had a regular Wednesday night Bible Study, and the Youth Group met every week on Tuesday. THis week, we all came Monday-Thursday for study and something along the lines of the regular discussion fused with VBS materials.

However, for Wednesday night, both the adult Bible study and the youth group met in the Asbury Room and shared what it was like to have been through milestone moments in our lives, like getting our driver's license, first date, etc. And then we compared notes on where we wanted to see the church go in the future.

Helpful and encouraging times. It is that kind of intergenerational interaction I want to be building into the first service at St. Andrew UMC. I have found that the best way to keep children and youth in the church when they are old enough to decide for themselves is to involve them in church from the outset, rather than shuffle them off into separate quarters before or part-way through the service.

Maybe we can make it work. My sermons may take some more energy and some better prep to be engaging for all. But, be it known here and now - I take my cues from Hope UMC in Torrance that proudly proclaims "Noisy Children Welcome"

Getting out of the Way

Yesterday I was watching my twitter feed, and Steve Heyduck posted something that grabbed my attention. I had a gut reaction, and I failed to complete the thought in 140 characters, and digest the conversation with any real strength.

It started like this:

@steveheyduck: For the UMC to take seriously raising up young leaders, we who are 45+ will have to be willing to get out of the way. #umc

@revcamp: @steveheyduck getting out of the way only helps if you are identifying and guiding to that point #umyc #umc

I don't want our leaders now to get out of the way to take seriously raising up young leaders. To me that sounds an awful lot like "In order for our children to grow up we need to die." Now, I realize that statement may be overdramatizing the issue, but I have seen it acted out that way.

It may be that Steve means "get out of the way" in the sense of providing actual leadership opportunities, with real responsibility, and accountability for failure, accolades for achievement, and listening to our ideas as we begin to think out new plans for the future. I hope that is it.

After watching some more of the extended dialogue (durn it there are not threaded feeds on Twitter - a la Facebook and Gmail) Mike Lindstrom responded with some of these thoughts.

1. @jereasons @steveheyduck I agree about ego - will we let younger ones cast some vision and move "our" church fwd or will we be speed bumps?about 5 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to jereasons
2. @steveheyduck Okay - just want to be clear. As a soon to be 45 yo I'm passionate about moving into God's vision w/ others (I abhor ladders)about 6 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to steveheyduck
3. @methoblog (and @steveheyduck) 45 year old clergy not ready to retire (and have vision) can work w/ yng ldrs who lead - join w/ not jump out

Which was in reference to some of these comments

1. @mikeybob I am 45 myself - just admitting that WE can't just talk a good game about raising up young leaders.about 6 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to mikeybob
2. @mikeybob by "get out of the way" I don't mean retire. Perhaps climb off the "ladder?" Perhaps genuine openness to younger people's ideas?about 6 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to mikeybob

But, getting out of the way too early is dangerous and leads to death for all. Now, I will admit I am right at the edge of Young Adults by definition of clergy standards at 35. I admit I was frustrated at times as an assistant youth leader, and as an associate pastor with being "held down" by the heirarchy of the church. Sometimes, that was saving my hindquarters from getting in some real trouble. At other times I think we missed some opportunities with our families, youth, and congregations.

I am grateful for those who said "What's the worst that can happen - we fail? All we can do is try it and see." From those statements followed the pieces that said, "Here are some things you may want to think about, and some tools I think you will need to make it succeed." If I chose to use other tools then so be it. If I thought about what was given all the better. If I decided a tool wasn't necessary and the truth was otherwise, I was usually given the opportunity to learn it for myself; when risk was too high, I was told to use that tool regardless. I was grateful for each of these.

These days I have no hierarchy to hold me back, but I do have people to whom I am responsible. The choices I make are my own, and I realize that I have an entire congregation that has its own expectations of what I am going to be. I try to honor those, as well as be myself, hold conversation as we go forward.

I wonder what it will look like to allow the current people to be themselves, as well as inviting new people into the conversation, as United Methodists, as Clergy, and as a changing nation and world. Can we provide enough leadership that those who will have to lead next will have some idea of what good leadership is, and how to enact it, or are we just turning over the reigns to the cart horse to a four year old raised in a car society?

VBS Profile

VBS today through Fri 9AM-12noon #saumc.sm ages 3-12 Come as you can. Beach Party!

VBS day 1 is done - 104 pictures, 20 adults, 20 lifeguards, 6 stations, and about 60 kids

Passion and Pride

"I believe that it is vitally important to have our country's flag in our sanctuary. Many of us put our lives on the line for God and the country that flag represents and we are proud of it whether it is torn, tattered, or stained with our blood."

This statement was made recently by a member of St. Andrew UMC, following my discovery and announcement that the flag in the Sanctuary had come into disrepair, and that it needed to be replaced. I had the intent of rolling the flag up, disposing of it properly, and then replacing the flag when a new one became available.

The response of the congregation was wonderful in their ability to pick up this concern and provide for a new flag for the Sanctuary at St. Andrew UMC.

I was struck by this message of passion and pride from this congregant because I have the same feelings about the Scriptures. I am reminded of the many stories of the Torah scrolls in Jewish Synagogues throughout Eastern Europe during the Nazi regime, and the destruction it took upon the scrolls. And yet, the remaining pieces were so sacred as to be held with care, and love. They loved it, for all the sacrifices that had been made, the blood shed, and the pride held.

I am also reminded of a story told several years ago about a Christian enclave, again in Eastern Europe if I remember correctly, that only had a fragment of a page of Scripture from the Gospel of Luke. For nearly 50 years this was all they had, and yet every time they gathered, which was most every Sunday, they would pull this worn page from the pocket of the Elder of the church, read it and meditate on the words therein.

Some things are just that precious. May we learn to treat one another with that same level of respect and care.

More Tech Contemplations

I was talking web stuff the other day with our webmaster.

She expressed some concern when I shared that I was willing to post my sermons on the net in audio files for download. I also am contemplating doing video of the sermons and posting those (especially for Rick since he has not seen the "Appliance Dances" that have made their way into several sermons of mine over the years)

What do you think?

I was thinking of it as a dynamic and wonderful way to be challenged and intgrated into the larger demographic. We were struck by a grafitti artist the other week, and I noted to our folks who were outraged that this effectively "changed" our signs 2 times in short order, following that up with the reminder that people tend to ignore signs after two weeks, and that it takes 17 times for something to be noticed these days (thanks to multimedia).

I am reminded of Maxie Dunham and the issues surrounding his video and subsequent mash-up prior to Annual Conferences regarding the Constitutional Amendments for the UMC. What made that dialogue so interesting to me, was not that there was a mash-up of a YouTube video, but that Maxie and his representatives got bent out of shape about it. This is where if and when someone does change my stuff around it is a point of entry for dialogue. I have found this to be true on this blog and expect it to be true in life as well. The real challenge (and I admit I have fallen prey) is not to get "baited in", but to carry on meaningful discourse when the whole thing goes WONKY.

Just my thought. Care to share yours?

Google Church

My new goal is to create a Google Church.

I am still working out the details, and I am not sure I can communicate what I have already, but I find putting it into expressed words that I can reflect upon helps.

Google does an outstanding job of taking what it does for its core, building and adding from there. The basic search engine function has led to myriad other applications - like Google Maps, Google Docs, Gmail and more.

My hope is that the church would do the same. The reason to add new functionality is that it is where the consumer, or those outside the church, can interface, and find their own functionality. The plus of it is that you don't have to use the whole package to get some usefulness from the Google series of applications.

I also love that outside developers have the ability to create applications to work with and within Google projects. What might that do for the local church if we were to allow outside groups and people to shape the way we use the functions of the church?

Within the larger structure of Google is a freedom to create, develop and add. Sometimes I get frustrated that the church gets so stuck in what it has done that it is unable to modify and change what it does from within, let alone adding other things from outside.

That's it for the basic outline. Still more pondering to do.

Head hunters

I had an interesting conversation the other day. I spoke with a Board of Ordained Ministry person who was not pleased with the state of the pastors in the church. It got me thinking...

What if the church started to employ headhunters to seek out dynamic leaders to be pastors? What if we placed the external call on folks before they heard the internal call? What if we challenged youth to lead us now? What if we took off many of the constraints of "doing it the right way" for "being faithful to God's call in the individual's life"? 

Would we be mired in the same arguments we have been mired in for more than 20 years? Would we be able to hear God's call in the midst of those who may not have "heard the call" yet? Would we find many people mid-way through their ministry like Wesley, with his heart "strangely warmed" knowing that in that moment his salvation was sure, unlike it had ever been before?

Just a question or two...

P.S. I got an interesting comment or two on this when I twittered it. 

1) Look to Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (New International Version)

 ²⁶Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him.

2) This would challenge the process even more deeply because, God's choices may not be the choices that the Wisdom of the Board of Ordained Ministry could discern. 

3) And "didn't we do this with the Spanish Inquisition?" 

"Youth Culture"

Reading through blog posts yesterday the question I found began fairly benignly...

"What percentage of your youth grow in mature adult Christians?"

The answer I found was even more astounding...(courtesy of this blog)

The fact that there is a "their" culture is largely "our" doing. Who worships youth? Adults. Who makes the shows, the songs, the technology, etc. forming/facilitating "their" culture? Adults. Who made even 'big' church into something that 'entertains then entertains some more?' Adults. Who made following Jesus into something you can supposedly do while remaining loyal to consumerism? Adults. Youth groups are just amped up versions of big church, trying to 'reach' a more media sophisticated, less religious, more energetic group.

Our adult lives say that Jesus and mission are a side dish on the buffet of life. I don't think youth ministries (or Western churches) have much hope outside of articulating a serious and compelling call to discipleship that involves naming and letting go of our various attachments and practice in the harder ways of Jesus, and pursuing that in very small, committed groups.

It is from this perspective that I think we have to look closely at what kind of church we are hoping to develop. We keep hyping the "youth culture", and I do appreciate and want to participate in songs that are lively, preaching that is "hip" and passionate, and ministry that takes an effect.

I disdain the model of church that separates out the classes and the ages. I want us to be a whole church, defined by our passion for the ministry and life of Jesus Christ. I realize that doing so means working within the existing constraints to try and push at the constraints where they are weak and need repair, removal or replacement. 

Now to get cracking on making the church the whole church.

ht: Erika

Pushing Forward, Pushing Back, or Lifting Up

Sometimes I wonder at the nature of the institutional Church. We have so many flaws and frustrations. We use structure to "push forward" as we try to strategize and codify the Great Commission, to "push back" as we find reasons to marginalize or hinder ministries of all kinds, and to "Lift up" those things we see as valuable.

But what if we took the great commission seriously? Would we try to do any of these, or would we just find the best way to do, and take the halfway good enough because it is what can go at that moment with the resources at hand.

I bring to your attention the story told several times over now, and given in this context...a blog 

Facebook and Christmas Cards

Is the modern Facebook really all that much different from the Christmas Cards my parents and Grandparents once mailed each year?

It seems to me we collect all these people across our lives and we want to stay in touch, but we really don't have the time to put it all into each relationship. But, we are made for relationship with one another, according to God's purposes.

So, I find that ingrained in most of us is that twinge of intrigue, or sometimes guilt, about relationships we have in our lives, past and current. We want to try and fill that void with some kind of update about that person.

So I recall at least 2 ways this happens: direct contact, mediated contact. Direct contact is the most obvious of running into the person on the street. Mediated contact takes several forms: phone, letter, email, Facebook/MySpace/LinkedIn or gossip, in what I perceive to be descending order of personal investment required.

My parents and especially my grandparents kept long lists of family and friends that they had made meaningful relationships at one point in their lives, but rarely if ever did anything with during the time that I watched those relationships. And yet, they would send and receive Christmas cards, replete with pictures, family updates and current contact information, from many of those people.

These days, I don't have such an extravangant mailing list (though I will cop to having the leftover vesitges of one that I remade for my wedding). But, I do have a great array of friends, and at almost no cost to me, I am able to keep up with them, begin to see pictures, and updates. I get a chance to make real-time changes to my own contact information, and feel more a part of their lives, and allow them to do the same with me, than the Christmas cards ever did.

But, the truth is, they serve the same purpose for each generation. The biggest change is that like everything else, we want to have information more quickly, and so we twitter, and post, and blog and have the opportunity to get the word out about what is going on with us, to the people we want to keep in the know, just at the speed of electronics.

I get an added bonus to my "Christmas Cards", with Facebook, I have a chance to expand that Christmas Card list, kinda like I do with a church newsletter, by connecting with marginal friends, and people who are "business aquaintances". In this way, it is a Rolodex, and Christmas card lust all rolled into one.

Sermon Notes February 1, 2009

Reading: MARK 1.21-28

Jesus reminds us in this passage that speaking with Authority is important. We begin by hearing that this is different from the way of the Scribes, and other teachers in the Temple. So we take a moment to explore why that is. The Scribes of the time were a bunch of scholars who knew their history very well. They would trot out their favorite ancestor and quote him in Biblical Study, and then they might throw out another favorite ancestor, with a counter point. One could hardly pin down the Scribe about what their own views were, and what view was correct. Jesus began to teach in just such a way...and often when quoted in Scripture we hear it start, "You have heard it said, but I tell you..."

We know that Jesus had the power of the Holy Spirit in him, and we know that he gave that Spirit to us when he left. So we can put the pieces together and find that what Jesus does we also have capability to do. When taken with the reminder Jesus gives us that we will be able to do all that he has done and more I must sit up and listen. God gave us gifts to use for the building up of the kingdom. I have been passing out Spiritual Gifts Inventories for several months, and now I am going to get more serious about doing so.

Doing church without knowing the gifts of the people is a little like knowing how many buildings you have but not what is inside of them. We must be proud of what we have from God, and be unafraid of using those gifts God has given us.

I was affirmed, and chastened for hiding my own abilities, in this regard from a poem shared this week at the National Camp and Retreat Leaders' Gathering at Mt Hermon Retreat Center, near Santa Cruz, CA.

We need to be unafraid of using our gifts, and we need to use the gifts we have at hand. [See the post on MacGyver Church for more of those thoughts.]

We need to recognize that if we are not going to use the gifts God gave us, then we have about 50 years until everyone in the church dies, we bury them and we have nothing left. We were given a purpose, to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

We need to work on building relationships, with each other and with the community. Check out these questions to find your way into the conversation.

Begin with asking the person's name and then two other questions follow.
The two questions

1) Do you go to church?

Once answered: ask the next question

If "yes", 2a) Why do you go there?

If "no", 2b) Why not?

MacGyver Church

I awoke the other day with a realization that we need to become more like MacGyver in how we do church.

For years it seems we have tried to things more like a Military Mechanic. We have a precise way to do church. We have the instructions before us. If things don't work right then we go back to the manual, try to diagnose the problem through the means it sets forth.

When we can't find the problem we just keep working with a broken product. But, it seems it gets worse than that. If we know what the problem is, but we do not have the right tools to take it apart, put it back together, or heaven forbid, the right part to put back in place of the broken one, then we stall out. We sit and wait for the part or the tool to arrive. The parts and the tools are old. We have to wait for back order, and to find the technician that knew how to run that tool from back in the day. If we don't have the money to pay for the part, the tool or even the technician, then we sit back and wait for the next item to fall off, and scramble to fix it.

Ultimately we wind up watching the whole thing fall down around us. It reminds me of the old adage.

FOR THE WANT OF A NAIL

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Maybe we need to start thinking like MacGyver. MacGyver wound up in some horribly tight places. Someone's life was always on the line. He was left with none of the normal tools we would be looking for to fix the problem. The solution often involved multiple everyday things, rather than the big fancy tools.

Church always has on the line someone's life as well. We need to take seriously this is an issue of life and death, right here and now, and for eternity. Lives are in the balance, ours and those we affect. We are now in an age where the "normal" tools are just not available, especially to the small church, and large church is having to fashion its own tools as they break new ground too. We need to take advantage of those things that are right around you.

The duct tape and swiss army knife MacGyver is so well known for are the people, skills, talent and knowledge, let along the ingenuity, of the local church. We can cobble together the right tools and parts to make our setting the best possible, but we need to stop waiting for the "right" tool or part, and use what is right in front of our faces.

Peace,

Claiming the "Other"

Gavin shared an interesting bit about dissolving marketing. 

It reminded me of Susan Cox-Johnson and her blog the other day about why the UMC couldn't quite get its arms around Emergent, and the comment I left on her blog. I think upon reflection that I missed the full extent of the conversation around the emerging church she was present for, but it spurred thoughts for me about integrating the church with "any" movement or marketing strategy.

I leave you with the comment I left, and the video that Gavin shared to consider how this is working out in your context, especially as the church seems to be losing the branding/marketing battle...and maybe for good cause. 

I believe that as with so many other things we are afraid of the "other" and that it makes it very difficult to integrate the "other" into our way of being or thinking. Emergent seems to have developed into the "Other" in UMC culture. 
However, I would offer a word of hope for just such a situation. We are given the command to welcome the "other" into our midst just as we were once aliens...in Egypt, to Israel, to Christ, to the church...and as such can be focused into this way.
Additionally, I think that when we can rediscover how that which is "other" is foundational to who we are, and how we came to be, that we welcome it as self, rather than "other" and can therefore integrate such things back into our stylings. I believe this is where we hold the most cards in dealing with our local churches.
I know there is a longing for depth of person and spirit to be developed in and with our congregations and think that as we can resolve how it has already been formative to how we came to be at this point we can uncover that deep wellspring of God within, and create the "emergent church" within our local churches, without the label and therefore eradicating much of the attendant fear.
Peace,

Scholz & Friends: "Dramatic shift in marketing reality" from Michael Reissinger on Vimeo.