Ninja Evangelism |
|
But my point is not really about church growth. Growth is a side-effect, a positive result, but not the point. Evangelism is the point. What is evangelism? Evangelism is the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. It is our call. “…Take the news of his glory to the lost, News of his wonders to one and all!” – Psalm 96:2-3 “You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.” - II Timothy 3:5 In today’s society, many have a skewed view of Christianity. Many have developed a loathing, disgust, and hatred of Christianity and Christians. Many develop their opinion based on what they see in the fringe, similar to how some view all Muslims as terrorists. That opinion is not based on overwhelming fact, but only sound bites coming from the extremes. At New Creation, our beliefs are not what people see in the media. We share a very different story of love, tolerance, understanding, hope, and healing. We must get the word out; we must let people know that there are other types of Christians. How do we do such things when we are so uncomfortable with talking about it? When many think of evangelism, they think of walking neighborhoods, going door-to-door. They think of annoying, self-righteous, co-workers. I think of the Cheech and Chong sketch Streets of New York Or Los Angeles Or San Francisco Or… “Have you heard the word of God today? ...Ya know, before I was all messed up on drugs but since I found the Lord, now I’m all messed up on the Lord…Have you talked to Jesus lately…He would like to hear from you sir?” These approaches often put people off. You also find that you invest an awful lot of time in people that are not open to hearing. You also have to be especially careful in professional relationships and in the workplace. I have found a much safer, less scary approach to evangelism. It is much more subtle. I rely on curiosity and observing. In my professional relationships and in the workplace I try to be a good example to others:
By doing these things, it helps develop relationships. People start to ask questions. I share little pieces at a time. People get curious and ask more and more. This doesn’t often result in someone coming to our church, but it has. It does often result in theological discussions in a safe and appropriate way. It allows me to share my beliefs with others, whom I’d probably never have the opportunity otherwise. I also try to observe how others respond and adjust what I say and how much I say by their response. A great example of this occurred only last week. I attended a reunion of former co-workers. When I was asked “What are you up to lately?” my response was usually “I’ve been doing a lot of non-profit work lately.” A couple people said “Oh” and changed the subject or wondered off. Some people said “Oh yeah, what kind of non-profit?” To them I responded “Churches” Again, a few people lost interest at that point. In neither of these cases did I try to push it. However, several people stuck it out and continued to ask things like “Wow really?” “What kind of church?” “What do you do there?” “Tell me more about your church?” Many of these conversations continued into ideas and beliefs. Did I convert anyone? Will any of them show up at New Creation? Probably not. However, some of these conversations led to further connecting on LinkedIn and Facebook. For some, I planted a seed. For others, I piqued their curiosity. For these people, I left the door open for further conversation. It’s true; I used to be afraid to admit that I went to church. I used to avoid religious conversations at all costs. I’ve finally found a way that feels safer for me and, hopefully, the other person. I think of this as Ninja Evangelism. It’s not for everyone, but it works for me. Whether you are more comfortable as a ninja, a clown, a radio talk show host, an insurance salesman, find your style and get the Word out. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." - Matthew 9:37-38
|
|
Tags: christianity, church, conversations, evangelism, lutheran, people, relationships
Posted Under NCLC, ELCA, SPS on 11.19.2010 
|
How does a church grow? Generally, it grows through Word of Mouth. Right now, at New Creation, most of our growth is coming either through the preschool or through our website. As Lutherans, many of us are uncomfortable sharing the Word of God and talking about our beliefs. Not being a lifelong Lutheran, I know this only from what I read and what I have been told about Lutherans. However, this is also true for me.It's Time to Move On... |
|
It really is time to move on, but it is so very hard. I write this in the evening, after attending our Sierra Pacific Synod district assembly. Over all it was a really good day, but I was reminded of the “backlash” coming from the 2009 national ELCA Assembly decision to allow gay pastors in committed relationships to serve in ELCA churches. We, very briefly, discussed the fact that one of our local churches had passed its first vote to leave the ELCA, but more on that in a bit. Fortunately, at New Creation, this was almost a non-event. Don’t get me wrong, there was some excitement, and we support the decision. We were also glad the decision was finally made. Some of us thought “phew, now we can get back to the true business of our church.” But, sadly, that is not the case for so many of our sister churches. The most recent number that I have seen indicates that there are over 10,000 churches in the ELCA (that’s about 4.5 million members). So far, 291 congregations have passed their second vote to leave ELCA, because of this decision. There are about 123 more congregations that have passed their first vote and in the process of having their second vote. So, roughly, the ELCA is looking at potentially losing 4% of its membership. Granted, there are probably some more churches working on getting their first vote together. But now that Lutheran CORE has gotten North American Lutheran Church (NALC) formed, the mass exodus that so many predicted doesn’t seem to be coming to fruition. I think the ELCA will survive. Anyway, as you might guess, I spend a little too much time following this and it truly breaks my heart. I honestly support those churches that want to leave the ELCA. I pray for them and wish them luck. What makes me sad is the way that this is happening. There is so much hatred and blatant misinformation being tossed out by some members of these churches. I watched a video tonight, produced by a member of one church, decreeing that we in the ELCA place ourselves above God, we rebuke the Bible, we “encourage what God has called sin,” we attack other Christians, and we claim to “know better” than Jesus. I was shocked that someone could have this view of the denomination that I have come to love so much. Additionally this person, whose own family does not agree with him, continues to publicly pressure his own church council to leave the ELCA. Doing so, in the most negative, hateful way he can. Is that what Jesus would do? I continue to read of churches that attempt to ignore their own constitution in an attempt to accept votes that were held incorrectly. One church informed members, who abstained from voting, that their presence would not be recorded, in order to gain the 2/3 vote necessary to pass. Other churches attempt to continue to have their “second” vote multiple times, because it keeps failing. I can’t even imagine how unpleasant the worship environment in these churches has become. Every week I read blogs and see Tweets on Twitter that contain so much hatred and so much misinformation. Such wonderful PR in such a public forum (that would be sarcasm), no wonder so many people are fed up with churches and Christians! I can’t even imagine the experience for a first time visitor into one of these churches. Recently, one of my wife’s friends sent her an e-mail asking for help. Her church was getting ready to have their first vote and she was so confused as to what this was really all about. Worse than that, she couldn’t seek advice from members of her own church. Again, I can’t help but wonder what type of worship environment these poor people must be experiencing. No, I really don’t think we need yet another version of Lutheranism (There are only about 38 in North America already). However, if we really truly can’t live together civilly, and you can’t find a home in any of the other Lutheran bodies, by all means please go ahead and start something new. I wish you all the best of luck, and hope that someday our wounds will heal and we can work together to spread the word of the Lord and ease suffering throughout the world. But until then, please remember that we were once friends, neighbors, and yes even family. Personally, yes this tears at my heart and saddens me. I've let my thoughts stew too long. However, I promise I’m going to do my best to move on, lose this distraction, and get back to the work that Jesus has commanded. Peace be with you… |
New Creation - A Visual Representation |
|
For some time now I have been struggling with a desire to accurately portray the heart of New Creation visually. I have been stuck thinking about our logo. Stuck thinking of how it could be updated, or changed entirely. We budgeted for a logo redesign this year, but then it occurred to me that I wasn’t even sure what I want it to represent, let alone what anyone else at New Creation would want to represent. Sure, we have our vision and our mission statements, but those are more about what we are doing than who we are.
Then I started thinking about how to figure this out, meetings, surveys, focus groups? Then, as so often the case, the Lord smacked me in the back of the head and commanded me to open my eyes and look at was right in front of me, something I see every day.
You see, last week, a unique and interesting event took place in my virtual world. Rev. Jeremy Smith, who runs the Hacking Christianity blog, organized Pastor’s 24. This was a 24 hour event during which 72 pastors, of multiple denominations, used Twitter to document their day. The 72 pastors sent 1050 updates to Twitter throughout the day. One pastor summarized his day with this final post: 108 miles traveled. 13 hrs away from home. 3 pastoral visits. numerous conversations. 1 committee meeting. that’s my wednesday #pastors24 | @mjmm Anyway, back to my story… Rev. Jeremy decided to pore through all the updates and pull out a variety of statistics to share. Which he did on his blog. One of the tools he used was a Word Cloud. A Word Cloud is a visual depiction of user-generated words or simply the word content of a web site, typically used to describe the content of web sites. Often, further visual properties are manipulated, such as the font color, intensity, or weight to indicate word frequency. Larger, bolder words stand out to indicate the words that are used most frequently.
I see word clouds multiple times a day, but never thought to use one in this way. Rev. Jeremy used one to emphasize how these pastors spent their day. Looking at this, BAM it hit me. What a great way to visually express who we are at New Creation. I quickly sent out an e-mail to our members asking each to send me ten words to describe New Creation. As each response came, I got more excited as I saw the trends. Responses came in from all ages, including our confirmation kids.
I added “New Creation” to every response, because I wanted it to visually stand out. I also standardized a few words, such as Spiritual, Full-of-Spirit, and Spirituality; to better represent the frequency of the thought. Lastly, a few words, that were only used once, were dropped.
So, how do we describe ourselves? Musical, Fun, Friendly, Welcoming, Rockin, Supportive, Community, Loving, Progressive, Reconciling, Accepting, Family, Different… I have added these results to our website. I also printed out an 11x14 print, with hope that it can be displayed in the church.
What did I learn? We all have a similar, but slightly different, view of New Creation. I believe that is one of the things that make New Creation unique. This reaffirmed that our church looks a little different to each of us. Our church fills a different role for each of us. But we all share some common bonds, and we are accepting of our differences. As I said before, this is the primary reason that I am at New Creation.
Yes, we still should do something with our logo and this may take us one step further along in the process. For now, let us rejoice in our commonalities and revel in our differences! |
|
Tags: accepting, community, different, family, logo, loving, pastor's 24, progressive, reconciling, who are we
Posted Under NCLC on 11.1.2010
|
Getting Spiritually Fed |
|
Spiritually fed? What does that even mean? Too often when we think about being fed spiritually, we refer to sitting through a sermon. Periodically we hear someone say, "My family and I are not being fed" or "I'm not being fed." This can often be code for, "The Pastor's sermons are not connecting with me." This is a passive, spoon-fed example of feeding. But there other ways that people become disconnected. Some find their spiritual food in small group activities, making personal connections in their church community, or finding a spiritual connection in music. So if someone who regularly attends a church is not being fed, chances are there is something more going on than just a boring sermon. In fact, I recently found myself feeling spiritually disconnected and not feeling fed. It was a gradual process, and it took me a while to realize it was happening. As I got more and more involved in New Creation the spirituality and “magic” began to disappear. It was like pulling back the curtain and discovering the truth behind the Wizard. The church is led by the Lord, but it is run by people. There are many more aspects to church than just listening to the sermon. It is a business, a non-profit business, but a business nonetheless. Strategies are developed, budgets are created, and marketing plans are needed. We start talking about things like “barriers to growth,” hospitality, communication, etc. For many volunteers it is a second job. With all of those challenges and pressures, it’s hard keep an eye on the spirit and to remember what the church is really about. Why is the church really here? Aside from the business side, for me, a typical Sunday morning involves:
While struggling with the anxiety of public performance, I play guitar and run the PA equipment – a process of anticipating who is going to speak when, muting the right microphones at the right time, un-muting mics as needed, and making sure sound levels are acceptable. Often I need to anticipate the end of the sermon in time to send a text message to our bass player, alerting him to run back in from the youth trailer. Communion has become tossing back bread and juice in between strumming chords. On some Sundays, also I need to remember what I need to say during announcements. Then when it is all over, it’s time to shut down and pack up, assuming there isn’t a meeting after church. I rarely have the opportunity to meet people or say “hey” to friends. As one could imagine, it is hard to find a spiritual connection in there. On Wednesday evenings we have Men’s Bible Study. This is a wonderful fellowship, but lately I have been feeling a bit disconnected from that group too. Music rehearsal is also on Wednesday evenings. I have been trying to fit in the first hour of rehearsal and then rushing to Bible study. It’s hard to wind down and enjoy the time though. I have even missed a few studies because of special rehearsals or recording sessions. So where does that leave me? Well, as it turns out, there are a lot of ways to get spiritually fed. Lately I have relied on reading short devotional style books and attending the online church. You see, the online church is an amazing spiritual feast. Through Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail my online community prays for each other. Through podcasts and videos I can hear and watch a wide variety of sermons, in the comfort of my own chair whenever I want. Through Twitter I receive virtual announcements. Through Blogs I have my studies. It is important to remember, however, that the virtual world of the online church cannot meet all needs. It’s difficult to develop the close personal relationships that many desire. There are also fewer opportunities for local community service projects. For these, the more traditional, walled church has an advantage. It is also important to remember that the two churches are not mutually exclusive. I love my New Creation family. I remain committed to the vision and mission of New Creation. I remain committed to our community. I cannot even pull together the words to express my excitement of where the Lord is leading us. But while I remain focused on helping us follow the Lords plan for our neighborhood, I need to be spiritually fed by my other church. This leads me to imagine how New Creation can become part of the larger community; outside our four walls. There are so many opportunities, outside of the traditional church. How do we take the Word out into the streets, the bars, the coffee houses, and yes, the internet. How can we provide the spiritual food for others who hunger? We have been working on some ideas and hope we will see some new opportunities blossoming soon. Until then, are you searching for your spiritual food? Don’t get frustrated, there are many ways to get fed. 1. If you haven’t been to church recently, stop on by and see what we offer. There is a lot of exciting stuff going on. 2. Try out one of our Bible studies. 3. Read a devotional; there are many books and online devotionals available. 4. Listen to scripture and sermons online. 5. Exchange scripture with a friend, or join us for the daily verse on Facebook or Twitter. 6. Buy a desk calendar that offers a daily scripture. 7. Listen to Christian music. There are several local radio stations, cable and satellite TV offers Christian music channels. Online you can check out Pandora, which offers both secular and Christian music. I’d love to chat further with anyone that is interested. If you have other ideas, or are still searching, let’s get together. |
Why Lutheran? |
|
ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson has been doing a lot of Q&A sessions at conferences and while hosting a series of town hall forums. During one of these he was asked “Why be a Lutheran?” His answer impressed many and has been passed around the internet through Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, and other avenues. See it for yourself at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvE49kbdpmc. It left me thinking for myself “Why Lutheran?”
I was not raised as a Lutheran. Among all of the churches I visited in my formative years, a Lutheran church was not one of them. In fact, the first time I stepped into a Lutheran church was not until my early twenties. At the time I was not even looking for a church to attend. My young fiancée and I were in search of a church for our wedding.
As we drove around looking for a church, we were brought to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in San Carlos. We were not looking for a Lutheran church, we were just looking for a church. Our criterion was, primarily, was it available on our date.
We liked the looks of Holy Trinity. We followed up and met with the pastor, and we learned it was indeed available. We attended pre-marital classes, which led to membership classes. Before I knew it, I was a Lutheran. At the time I really did not consider myself Lutheran. I saw myself as a member of a friendly, loving community.
As time passed and life situations changed, we drifted apart from that church. In fact we drifted from church in general. It was not until after our children were born that Becky decided it was time to go back to church. She did some research and read up on the ELCA. She then set out to find an ELCA church to start attending and found New Creation.
I still wasn’t sold. I won’t go into details (many have already heard this story), but I eventually found it easier to attend church than to not attend. But again, I still didn't feel I was a Lutheran.
I got more involved, finally ending up on church council and eventually president of the congregation. But in fact, in all honesty, I still didn’t consider myself Lutheran. It was not until I went to the Sierra Pacific Synod assembly that I started to get it. There I got my first glance at what being a Lutheran looked like. Since then, I really started following some of the goings-on within the ELCA. The more I read, the more I see, the more I hear, the more excited I am to be a Lutheran.
Why did I become a Lutheran? I fell into it. Why do I claim it? I claim it because as ELCA Lutherans we define ourselves in our relationship with God and our relationships with others, not in our differences. I claim it because of our tolerance and acceptance of others. I claim it because of our passion and caring for others. I claim it because I strongly believe in the good that the ELCA is doing in the world.
For me, that is “Why Lutheran?” |
:: Next >>