August 5th, 2008 Jeff
Brent has a great post, "Personal Preference and Churches ." An excerpt:
If you’ve been involved in “church life” for any extended period of time, you surely know that people are not casual about their preferences. We’ve all heard the horror stories of churches splitting over the color of carpet. Some of you may have actually lived through that. Yet most of us are willing to overlook matters like the color of the carpet, but don’t you dare sing too many “contemporary” songs, or “traditional hymns,” depending on which side of the argument you come from.
One of the things that breaks my heart in this discussion is that, for a good many people, the more theologically informed we become, the more picky we become, when I’ve come to believe it should be exactly the opposite. For many people, the more theology they understand and become convicted of, and as they begin to formulate positions, many of those positions become boundary markers of what their idea of church should be when in reality, there are godly men and women on the other side of that theological conviction who just as strongly believe otherwise. In other words, many of our theological convictions are simply strongly held personal preferences, just (hopefully), with Scriptural backing.
Makes me think.
I have a handful of convictions I’m willing to die for, but many silly preferences that muddy the water making it look like those are more important.
Let’s not make good things into ultimate things. Christ is the one supreme treasure in all the universe.
Is HE my preference?
—
Brent and his family recently planted a church in the Phoenix area.
Posted in Blog, Church Planting, Theology, humility, missional | No Comments »
July 24th, 2008 Jeff
Tim Keller has a new article out in the latest edition of the Vineyard’s Cutting Edge magazine. It’s called "Process Managing Church Growth ." I have seen it before, but the dynamics of my current church life and leadership made me more attuned to what he has to say this time.
A couple excerpts:
"Every church has a ’size culture’ that goes with its size that has to be accepted. Most people probably have a size-culture that they prefer. However, many people ‘moralize’ their favorite size culture and treat other size-categories as spiritually and morally inferior. They may insist that the only Biblical way to do church is to practice a differ size-culture despite the fact that the church itself is much bigger or smaller than they desire it to be."
"Generally, in small churches, policy is decided by many and ministry is done by a few while in the large church, ministry is done by many, and policy is decided by a few."
(HT: Jonathan Dodson + Steve McCoy ).
Posted in Blog, Church Planting, Ekklesia, Ministry, missional | No Comments »
February 25th, 2008 Jeff
Kari and I wanted to head to Seattle this week so I could attend the National Resurgence Conference 2008: Text & Context. But God has other plans. In the meantime, we hope to catch some of the sessions live @ http://www.theresurgence.com/live
(All of the audio, video, and perhaps notes, will be available after the conference sometime.)
Monday, February 25, 2008
- 2:00 pm Session 1 – Mark Driscoll – Text & Context: Humble Incarnational Ministry
- 4:00 pm Session 2 – CJ Mahaney – Text & Context: Pastoral Character & Loving People
- 7:00 pm Session 3 – John Piper - Text: Why I Trust the Scriptures
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
- 9:00 am Session 4 – Jim Gilmore – Context: Fear and Trembling in the Experience Economy
- 10:45 am Session 5 – Matt Chandler - Text & Context: Preaching the Gospel in the Center of the Evangelical World
- 1:00 pm Session 6 – John Piper - Text & Context: How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes my Pulpit Ministry
- 7:00 pm Session 9 – John Piper - Text: How Do I Distinguish Between Gospel and False Gospel?
- 9:00 pm Q & A with John Piper
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
- 10:00 am Session 10 – Jim Gilmore – Context: Decoding the Future, the Phoniness, and the Shifting Sands
- 11:20 am Q& A with Jim Gilmore
- 1:00 pm Session 11 – Mark Driscoll – Text & Context: Preaching Jesus Christ To Pagan Culture
- 2:15 pm Q & A with Mark Driscoll
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August 20th, 2007 Jeff
I recently ran across the survey (nominations) of the most innovative churches in ‘08.
Drew Goodmanson writes:
Why are America’s Most Innovative Churches also some of the largest in America? Northpointe, NewSpring, Saddleback et al are nominees for the award in 2008. Is this like when Taco Bell wins best Mexican food because it’s the most voted place in town? Aren’t there small churches who are doing innovative things too? It seems like smaller churches should have more freedom to be innovative. House church movements? Harbor’s multi-site, multi-congregational non-video venue model? Soma’s multi-congregational, involved discipleship (street walking) and dialogue based services? How about people who are doing amazing mercy ministries, changing a city, Tentmakers, re-thinking church structures based on changing paradigms?
Hmmm…according to the survey these aren’t considered as much as podcasts, blogging, websites, social networking, film production and video venues ….
Good point, Drew.
That reminds me of a short phrase I heard from an recorded message by Rick McKinley of Imago Dei Community. In light of the trend to seek to be relevant in our churches so much is done in music and messages and architecture, while forgetting that “the way to be relevant to people is to genuinely love them.” Amen.
Which brings me to Molalla. Kari and I recently moved back to her hometown, to live with her parents while finishing up seminary. So many factors led to this transition and innumerable blessings certainly are and will come out of this season of life. One area is fusing together our seminary with helping our local church — Foothills Community Church, which gathers in downtown Molalla. This week we will be meeting with pastor Dale Satrum to talk over what our involvement in the vision and mission of Foothills could look like in the coming months and beyond.
In our visits over the past couple of years we have grown to love and respect the leadership of Foothills and certainly have enjoyed observing the spiritual growth we have seen in so many who call it their church. Certainly the vision and impetus of Foothill’s whole purpose in the community is innovative, and on so many levels. The people of Foothills love the people of Molalla, and the surrounding area. In fact, there are more than 10,000 unchurched people within 10 miles of Molalla, and Foothill’s vision is for the church members to personally reach them with the love of Jesus Christ. Innovative, relevant, loving.
Yet, by the standards of innovation as mentioned in the survey above and critiqued by Drew Goodmanson, Foothills apparently is not with it. There is no real podcasting, no blogging, the church website isn’t exactly the coolest, there is no online social networking that I know of, at least not on the corporate church-wide level, and not a real emphasis on the use of technology. (Perhaps the survey/list title needs to be changed to focus on “technologically savvy” churches or the like, for it seems that is what it really is.) In these areas I would love to spend some time and revamp some of the ways Foothills utilizes technology, particularly with its website and content … for the purpose of reaching people in deep and personal and meaningful ways with the Gospel. And, helping believers to grow in Christlikeness and biblical community.
To be relevant and innovative to people means to love them. The focus is the innovative part — to the glory of God. Technology can be used to that end.
Posted in Blog, Church Planting, Foothills | No Comments »
