“No More Kid Stuff…”

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I wanted to re-post a wonderful story from our friend, Kelly Bean…

A couple of weeks ago Elliot [my son, 10] attended a one week bible camp. Although once we were dedicated lay leaders in a church, we have not attended church regularly for two years now.

As I drove Elliot to camp we talked about what he was looking forward too… the bmx bike track, rock climbing wall scored high on his list (Elliot went to camp here once before). I pointed out to Elliot that not only would the bmx and climbing be cool aspects of camp, but that since our family has not been connected with a bigger church family we thought it might be great for Elliot to have a chance to connect with some other kids who were thinking and talking about God.

Elliot shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Yeah, I guess so. But I don’t really like the way they do worship there.”

“Tell me more about that, El,” I responded.

“Well”, he said, “It’s kind of commercialized. You know, packaged for kids.”

“Oh? Tell me more…”

“You know, there’s this large group of kids and the music is really loud [mind you Elliot is a drummer and quite the rock and roll afficianado-so loud music isn’t a problem as a rule] and the leaders want the kids to be all excited and jump around and be silly. What I like is to be part of a little smaller group - but not too small - and have music that isn’t too crazy or too “la-la-la” [this delivered in operatic form]. I like worship that has space for me.”

“Wow. Elliot. You are so wise.”

Post camp report: Elliot had fun but, “They pretty much treated us like kids. I don’t like that. I don’t like kid stuff. I learn more from sermons.”

I’m starting to wonder if it’s not just that we think kids aren’t capable of comprehending deeper spiritual matters. (more…)

Too Much Dead Squirrel?

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Our friend Mike O. e-mailed me recently with some thoughts about our discussions at ChurchRater. He fears we’re getting too negative, which is a valid concern.

Mike O. wrote:
I have an idea for a thread topic… we spend a lot of time out here talking about better ways to do things, or pointing out things we don’t like about church. Even the idea of “rating” churches can take on a negative spin.

Have we had any “what I like about my church” thread topics? Seems to me we would do a better job of drawing in non-Christians if we also talked about all the good that Christian churches are doing instead of always pointing out the negatives, true though they may be.

Surely there are positives we can show those Jesus misses most. Just a thought. As Woody of Cheers fame quipped, “Sure, you can draw more flies with honey than vinegar. But you draw the most with a dead squirrel.”

I fear that we’re showing everyone a dead squirrel.

Mike, I hear you loud and clear. However, I wouldn’t personally say I think we’re offering too much dead squirrel. And that’s not to be defensive. I think we need counterbalance, and as I always say: I believe Jesus loved good more than he hated evil.

And while I think Christians in general focus too much on the negative out in the world, I think a lot of what we’re seeing in the emerging church is a natural pendulum-swing. A counterbalance, finally looking at ourselves and saying, “Man am I a MESS!”

That can go too far, too (and probably will) so I hope you’ll keep asking this question and reminding us the necessity of it.

On that note, however (because I do believe it’s important):

What’s WORKING for your church?

How have you been impressed by the Body of Christ, lately?

Mini-Interview: Gregg Lamm

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My new online friend, Pastor Gregg Lamm (who pointed us to the “Minister in Crisis” blog) allowed me the pleasure of a mini-interview about his own thoughts on rating churches and gathering feedback for how we “do church.” I particularly enjoyed meeting a pastor who comfortably uses the word “bitchin’.”

Gregg,
You mentioned earlier that you were going to ask some of your new visitors to rate your church: 2nd Street Community Church, in Newberg, Oregon. I’d like to spread your spirit of openness to hearing feedback, and wondered if you’d officially answer a few questions for me…

1. Why do you want visitors to RATE your church? How will it prove most beneficial to you?

“Because I’m more afraid of leading a flock that is irrelevant and nonattentive to the needs of people - be they Christ followers or not - than I am of being teachable. If what people say is true I need to listen to it, and learn from it, correcting the course of the ship as needed. And if it isn’t true, then I’ll just chalk up their perceptions as a reminder that some people only feel intensely alive when bitchin’, and let it roll off.”

2. How will you go about encouraging/exhorting visitors to RATE your church?

“I think that at the beginning I’ll go gingerly and ask people I know who are visiting our flock to do the rating. I know, I’m a pussy. But hey, give me a break! I’m new to this whole “church rating” thing. And everytime I think of the whole process and the name of your website I think it’s strange that if you just add the letter “n” into the mix it becomes “church ranting.” Coincidence? I don’t think so. Truth is often stranger than fiction.”

3. What responses do you hope to hear, ideally?

“That we’re connecting with needs in people’s lives, accepting them as they are, that we’re unpretentous and not taking ourselves too seriously, that we’re committed to the expositional teaching of God’s WORD but not turning out Jesus-robots who are afraid of doubts, questions and mystery. And that people like me. That they really like me. You know, like Sally Fields at the Oscars in the early 1980’s. Just kidding. But I don’t want them to hate me… or even worse, tell me that I’m boring them to death. Now that’s a real sin for any pastor-teacher.”

4. Where do you think your church might be weakest?

“Our small group structure, the state of our facilities … they’re not horrible, but we meet in an old, old armory. And that, as I’ve told you before, that our website needs a lot of updating. We use it to get out information, but it’s not very user friendly. Hopefull this next year we will update it by using new software and have a new format.”

(more…)

Minister in Crisis…

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I received an e-mail from Gregg Lamm recently. He’s a pastor in Newberg, Oregon. He has a wonderful story to tell, but before I share his larger “adventures,” I want to highlight a wonderful new blog he pointed me to.

Greg Writes:

Friends,
I recently found your site and am thankful for it. Two days ago I received an invitation from a woman who calls herself “Carolyn” to read her new blog.At first I thought it was a porn-phishing scheme. But then after looking at the title of her blog, I jumped into the water. What I found was curiously interesting: MinisterInCrisis.blogspot.com

Apparently she’d discovered my blog, and sent a note to me and others who she thought would be able to “hear her heart”, asking them to visit her words and respond.

Thanks for hearing me and checking this site out. I’m going to ask some of our new visitors to rate our flock on your website.

read.think.pray.live.
Gregg Lamm

Sermon Broadcast from The Moody Church

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Hemant Mehta (the ‘eBay atheist’) visited The Moody Church and reviewed it, but not on a day when the senior pastor, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, was preaching.

The Moody Church has a 15 minute radio program, Running To Win. It either airs a portion of a sermon Dr Lutzer preached at the church or a recent discussion with him. The program is currently airing a sermon series about The Ten Commandments. (more…)