In our previous posts, we’ve discussed the failure of traditional children’s and youth programs in the church. As recent studies and our own experience has shown, perhaps programmed, Hollywood quality kids’ ministry isn’t quite the answer for our kids that we’ve hoped for, and an entirely new paradigm is needed if they are to grow up and love Jesus passionately. But what might such a new paradigm look like?
First, a new approach to kid’s ministry must first begin with the rejection of consumerism. Churches are in constant competition with the church down the street to “wow” the kids and woo suburban families who are on a mission to find a church home that’s “best for their kids.” Many youth pastors will admit that much of today’s “youth ministry” is simply elaborate attempts to keep the kids entertained, keeping them in the church, and furthering their position as consumers and “takers”. Though very well intentioned, much of the emphasis of kids’ ministry today is on “fun”: fun kid spaces, fun games, fun songs, and fun pizza parties. It’s not the church’s fault this is the case, nor is it the students’; it’s the inevitable reality produced by today’s consumer church climate. Everyone knows that if the kids don’t have fun at your church, they’ll have it at the church down the street, and you’ll lose the opportunity to minister to those kids.
I am not at all saying that kids and youth ministry can’t or shouldn’t be fun. No kid wants to go to church and be bored to tears. Bands and lock ins, social events and games have their place in youth ministry; but it’s important to recognize that their effectiveness is limited. If our only goals for our kids are to keep them off the streets, off drugs and in church on Sundays, these things are of tremendous value. If mere sin avoidance is the goal, simple entertainment might hold the answer for our youth. However, if our goal for our kids is transcendence of American consumerism, full devotion to Christ, passionate evangelism, and countercultural living in adolescence and beyond, a radically different model is needed.
Your child might enjoy going to traditional kids’ church on Sunday morning, and that’s great. The highlight of his week might be Sunday morning, and that’s a good thing. He might even learn a few Bible verses, and that’s fantastic. But on a deeper level, is that experience changing him for the better? Does that ministry help him better exhibit the fruits of the Spirit? As a result of his Sunday morning experience, does he love better? Does he have more self control? It is these outcomes that should be the benchmark for a youth ministry’s success. To quote the Barna Group’s David Kinneman: “A new standard for viable youth ministry should be- not the number of attenders, the sophistication of the events, or the ‘cool’ factor of the youth group - but whether teens have the commitment, passion and resources to pursue Christ intentionally and wholeheartedly after they leave the youth ministry nest." I wonder if we define success in youth ministry in far different terms than we should.
Perhaps our best efforts at youth ministries have failed because they don’t offer our children enough. Perhaps many of today’s youth ministries offer mere fleeting diversion to our children when they should be offering them a call to radical living instead. Shane Claiborne suggests that if our youth leave the church, it isn’t because we don’t entertain them enough, but because we don’t dare them enough. Perhaps they reject the gospel not because we make it too difficult, but because we make it too easy. As another has said, we significantly cheat our children when we imply by our actions that vital discipleship can exist without a life of evangelism and compassionate service. It is only when our children see the radical alternative Christ offers to consumer living that they will truly embrace His call to live for Him.
For this reason, a radical church should offer its youth a call to something more. Imagine a youth ministry where our kids are encouraged to not settle for mere entertainment, but seek to make a difference in the world at large. Imagine a church where our children and teenagers see their parents knee deep in the needs of a world desperate for Christ instead of mired in the quicksand of consumerism. Imagine a church where our youth witness the mighty and miraculous hand of God in their midst on a regular basis. Imagine a church that is built on the premise that true believers give rather than receive. This is the kind of church that has the potential to change the world, one generation at a time.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The Failure of Traditional Youth Ministry
In our last post, we posed this simple question: do traditional children’s and youth ministries really produce children who love Jesus? One would think that the more time, effort, and money is spent in a church’s youth ministry, the better their kids’ long-term outcomes will be. But is this assumption really correct?
A few years ago, a major church denomination did an exhaustive study of their young people’s experience in church. The children studied were those “born under the altar;” they were in attendance at the church's youth programs since birth virtually every time the church doors were open. This denomination sought to know what percentage of these kids stayed in the church once they were free to make their own decisions regarding attendance. They found that at the conclusion of high school, 95% of these students left the church and never returned.
The findings of this study may sound shocking, but they are well in line with what other studies have revealed. The Southern Baptist Convention’s Council on Family Life reports that some 88 percent of children from evangelical homes leave the church shortly after graduation. To lay the blame at the feet of the “godless university” is unfounded; no statistical difference exists between those who attend college and those who do not. Similar research in New Zealand showed that 80% of students raised in youth group will abandon their faith in the first year after their graduation. George Barna’s recent research among twentysomethings revealed that only 20% of those in their early 20s who were raised in a youth group describe themselves as maintaining the same level of spirituality they had in high school.
In response to this data, the Barna Group’s David Kinnaman offered several insights. To quote Kinneman: "Much of the ministry to teenagers in America needs an overhaul - not because churches fail to attract significant numbers of young people, but because so much of those efforts are not creating a sustainable faith beyond high school. There are certainly effective youth ministries across the country, but the levels of disengagement among twentysomethings suggest that youth ministry fails too often at discipleship and faith formation.”
In contrast to these discouraging findings, however, a major missionary organization did a similar study, wanting to know how many of their kids (MKs),, raised in missionary homes in the missionary lifestyle, returned to the mission as adults. Bear in mind that these individuals had to not only return to a foreign land on their own, but raise their own support to do so as well. Much to the mission agency’s surprise, about 95% of their MKs came back to the mission as adults.
These findings are staggering. If children’s and youth ministries are really worthy of the importance we place upon them, one would expect a clear, almost linear relationship between church attendance as an adult and their experience in the church as children. Further, for those raised outside of the church, without the benefit of these programs, we would expect that their adherence to Christ would fade as a result if they are indeed as effective as claimed. Yet we find the exact opposite to be the case! How can children who are raised without the benefit of special youth ministries end up better off in the end?
It’s also no secret that surveys show no appreciable difference between the moral and sexual behavior of Christian vs. non-Christian youth. Research done by Campus Crusade for Christ shows similar findings. Based on their research, Campus Crusade’s Josh McDowell and Ron Luce have issued a joint statement: "Incredible as it may seem, ‘accepting Christ' and making a profession of faith makes little to no difference in a young person's attitudes and behaviors. The majority of our churched young people are adopting ‘a Christianity' but it is not true Christianity.” They found the findings of their study so compelling that they concluded: "We are at a crossroads where a fundamental change is required within youth ministry. We need more than a retooling—nothing short of a 21st century God-sent spiritual revolution will save this generation." Incredibly, 98% of youth pastors polled agree with McDowell and Luce's assessment.
For all the emphasis we place on kids and youth ministry today, we would expect different results than these. Perhaps programmed, Hollywood quality kids’ ministry isn’t quite the answer we’ve hoped for, and an entirely new paradigm is needed. But if kids and youth ministry in this country needs an overhaul, what should it look like? We will discuss this further in our next post.
A few years ago, a major church denomination did an exhaustive study of their young people’s experience in church. The children studied were those “born under the altar;” they were in attendance at the church's youth programs since birth virtually every time the church doors were open. This denomination sought to know what percentage of these kids stayed in the church once they were free to make their own decisions regarding attendance. They found that at the conclusion of high school, 95% of these students left the church and never returned.
The findings of this study may sound shocking, but they are well in line with what other studies have revealed. The Southern Baptist Convention’s Council on Family Life reports that some 88 percent of children from evangelical homes leave the church shortly after graduation. To lay the blame at the feet of the “godless university” is unfounded; no statistical difference exists between those who attend college and those who do not. Similar research in New Zealand showed that 80% of students raised in youth group will abandon their faith in the first year after their graduation. George Barna’s recent research among twentysomethings revealed that only 20% of those in their early 20s who were raised in a youth group describe themselves as maintaining the same level of spirituality they had in high school.
In response to this data, the Barna Group’s David Kinnaman offered several insights. To quote Kinneman: "Much of the ministry to teenagers in America needs an overhaul - not because churches fail to attract significant numbers of young people, but because so much of those efforts are not creating a sustainable faith beyond high school. There are certainly effective youth ministries across the country, but the levels of disengagement among twentysomethings suggest that youth ministry fails too often at discipleship and faith formation.”
In contrast to these discouraging findings, however, a major missionary organization did a similar study, wanting to know how many of their kids (MKs),, raised in missionary homes in the missionary lifestyle, returned to the mission as adults. Bear in mind that these individuals had to not only return to a foreign land on their own, but raise their own support to do so as well. Much to the mission agency’s surprise, about 95% of their MKs came back to the mission as adults.
These findings are staggering. If children’s and youth ministries are really worthy of the importance we place upon them, one would expect a clear, almost linear relationship between church attendance as an adult and their experience in the church as children. Further, for those raised outside of the church, without the benefit of these programs, we would expect that their adherence to Christ would fade as a result if they are indeed as effective as claimed. Yet we find the exact opposite to be the case! How can children who are raised without the benefit of special youth ministries end up better off in the end?
It’s also no secret that surveys show no appreciable difference between the moral and sexual behavior of Christian vs. non-Christian youth. Research done by Campus Crusade for Christ shows similar findings. Based on their research, Campus Crusade’s Josh McDowell and Ron Luce have issued a joint statement: "Incredible as it may seem, ‘accepting Christ' and making a profession of faith makes little to no difference in a young person's attitudes and behaviors. The majority of our churched young people are adopting ‘a Christianity' but it is not true Christianity.” They found the findings of their study so compelling that they concluded: "We are at a crossroads where a fundamental change is required within youth ministry. We need more than a retooling—nothing short of a 21st century God-sent spiritual revolution will save this generation." Incredibly, 98% of youth pastors polled agree with McDowell and Luce's assessment.
For all the emphasis we place on kids and youth ministry today, we would expect different results than these. Perhaps programmed, Hollywood quality kids’ ministry isn’t quite the answer we’ve hoped for, and an entirely new paradigm is needed. But if kids and youth ministry in this country needs an overhaul, what should it look like? We will discuss this further in our next post.
Friday, September 3, 2010
“What About The Children?”
As Helen Lovejoy so famously uttered in “The Simpsons”, “What about the children! Won't anyone think of the children?" In any discussion about a new paradigm of church, it is this very question that looms large: What about the children? What role should they play in a radical church?” We must answer these questions if we are to clear the fog on what a new, radical kind of church might look like.
Prevailing assumptions about kids and youth ministry make it difficult for an alternative vision of church to become a reality in the middle class suburbs that so many of us call home. The greatest desire for many a Christian suburbanite is to find a church home that will meet their family’s needs, especially their children. Traditional thinking says that this should be done by finding the church that offers the highest quality “youth programs.” To this end, traditional churches trip over themselves trying to provide the highest quality experience they can for the kids. Between fountains, mascots, songs, skits, and interactive lessons, there is always something in most church’s kids ministry that will hold their attention. And as a general rule, the larger the church, the greater the children’s experience will be on Sunday mornings.
This traditional view of children’s ministry is undergirded by several main assumptions. First, churches reason that if children enjoy coming to church, their parents will be much more willing to come themselves. Second, it is assumed that the impartation of Biblical knowledge that occurs along the way will result in a change in our children’s behavior; right knowledge, it is reasoned, naturally will result in right behavior. This is the underlying presupposition of Western models of learning. It is also assumed that a positive experience in children’s church as a youngster will translate into greater adherence to Christ and His principles as one grows older. As the book of Proverbs says, “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). As Christian parents, all of us share this desire, and as we seek to raise our children in the “nuture and admonition of the Lord,” we long to see our children continue in Christ as the years pass, which causes us to seek the best church possible for our kids.
As the traditional view of children’s ministry unfolds, our attention turns to youth group as they grow up. Above all else, we desire our children to spend their teen years in love with Jesus, on fire for His name and living the adventure that Christ has created them to live. In a world where drugs, alcohol, premarital sex, and the pressures of the world abound, our fears that they will abandon the faith of their youth loom large. Above all else, teens value relationships with and the approval of their peers, and without that Christian peer influence in their lives, how will they escape the lure of the world and live their lives with single devotion to Christ?
Certainly the answer must be found in youth group, we would think. If our son or daughter, in the formative teen years, is highly involved in a church youth group, it would seem, our fears will prove unfounded. With a solid mentor relationship with a highly trained youth leader, a peer group free from the influences of a godless society, and an entertaining, drug-free environment to attend each week, perhaps youth group will prove to be the antidote to the lure of the world that sidetracks so many in their younger years.
The emphasis we place on the importance of children’s and youth group cannot be overstated. The experience that a church offers one’s children is probably the number one factor that influences where a family will make their church home. But the emphasis we place on these youth ministries is only reasonable if our basic assumptions are correct: that today’s youth ministries are powerful and effective in producing kids who love God.
But are today’s youth ministries as effective as we might think? We’ll explore this question in our next post.
Prevailing assumptions about kids and youth ministry make it difficult for an alternative vision of church to become a reality in the middle class suburbs that so many of us call home. The greatest desire for many a Christian suburbanite is to find a church home that will meet their family’s needs, especially their children. Traditional thinking says that this should be done by finding the church that offers the highest quality “youth programs.” To this end, traditional churches trip over themselves trying to provide the highest quality experience they can for the kids. Between fountains, mascots, songs, skits, and interactive lessons, there is always something in most church’s kids ministry that will hold their attention. And as a general rule, the larger the church, the greater the children’s experience will be on Sunday mornings.
This traditional view of children’s ministry is undergirded by several main assumptions. First, churches reason that if children enjoy coming to church, their parents will be much more willing to come themselves. Second, it is assumed that the impartation of Biblical knowledge that occurs along the way will result in a change in our children’s behavior; right knowledge, it is reasoned, naturally will result in right behavior. This is the underlying presupposition of Western models of learning. It is also assumed that a positive experience in children’s church as a youngster will translate into greater adherence to Christ and His principles as one grows older. As the book of Proverbs says, “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). As Christian parents, all of us share this desire, and as we seek to raise our children in the “nuture and admonition of the Lord,” we long to see our children continue in Christ as the years pass, which causes us to seek the best church possible for our kids.
As the traditional view of children’s ministry unfolds, our attention turns to youth group as they grow up. Above all else, we desire our children to spend their teen years in love with Jesus, on fire for His name and living the adventure that Christ has created them to live. In a world where drugs, alcohol, premarital sex, and the pressures of the world abound, our fears that they will abandon the faith of their youth loom large. Above all else, teens value relationships with and the approval of their peers, and without that Christian peer influence in their lives, how will they escape the lure of the world and live their lives with single devotion to Christ?
Certainly the answer must be found in youth group, we would think. If our son or daughter, in the formative teen years, is highly involved in a church youth group, it would seem, our fears will prove unfounded. With a solid mentor relationship with a highly trained youth leader, a peer group free from the influences of a godless society, and an entertaining, drug-free environment to attend each week, perhaps youth group will prove to be the antidote to the lure of the world that sidetracks so many in their younger years.
The emphasis we place on the importance of children’s and youth group cannot be overstated. The experience that a church offers one’s children is probably the number one factor that influences where a family will make their church home. But the emphasis we place on these youth ministries is only reasonable if our basic assumptions are correct: that today’s youth ministries are powerful and effective in producing kids who love God.
But are today’s youth ministries as effective as we might think? We’ll explore this question in our next post.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
To All Prospective Members...
Are you really sure you want to join our church? I wonder if you know what you're in for. Wouldn't you rather join one of those "successful churches" where its sheer growth in numbers proves that it's a movement of God? If so, beware; our church isn't really growing right now. We do get plenty of pats on the back from well-wishers, and quite often see new faces on Sunday mornings, but it's rare that one of these visitors actually comes back. The description of the early church in Acts 5 is eerily similar to ours most of the time: "No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people" (Acts 5:13.) If you need a critical mass of people to prove to yourself that you're not crazy, don't expect to find that here.
C'mon, you don't want to join our church, do you? Don't you want a church with some great preaching? Where each and every service touches you in the depth of your soul? It's pretty hit or miss over here. In our church, there is no sermon; everyone just shows up and has the crazy notion that God is going to lead the meeting anyway. Some weeks, that approach works great; but sometimes, we end up just looking at each other with blank looks on our faces, desperately wanting to encourage one another but just not quite knowing how to do it. You never quite know what'll happen in our meeting from week to week: we've been interrupted by rain, poorly functioning furnaces, gale-force winds, sprinklers, head wounds, and marching bands, to name but a few. If you're looking for a stable, predictable environment for you and your family on Sundays, I can't suggest our church for you.
Are you really sure you want to start coming here? Don't you want a church comprised of deeply spiritual members? If you do, you might want to think twice before coming here; our church is a motley crew at best. The pastor talks too much and has an inferiority complex. More than once, we have smelled alcohol on the breaths of those who attend on Sunday mornings. Many of our members are financially strapped, stressed out, and desperately wish they were closer to God than they are, but find themselves continuing to get in His way.
You sure you want to come here? Don't you want a church with a quality kids' ministry? Well, we don't have a formal kids' program here; our "children's ministry" is sometimes better called "keeping our kids alive" when they end up running amok during the meeting. Now we believe that even though they may not be mastering much information on Sundays, they are witnessing the Body of Christ in action when we gather, something we know is of far more value. But if you feel that your kids need more structure than that, however, you might want to look elsewhere.
The reality of things is this: from an earthly perspective, there is no reason why anyone would want to join our church. Why would any card-carrying suburbanite want to join a shrinking collection of misfits that meet in a park on Sunday mornings if they actually were in their right mind? We have no formal programs, no building, no sermon, and don't even have a paid pastor! Truly, as Paul puts it, we're a bunch of "fools for Christ" (I Cor. 4:10).
But as you ponder what might seem to be our folly, another passage comes to mind that I must share with you too: "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him" (I Cor. 1:27-29). True, maybe there is no earthly reason that you would want to join us...but maybe in our folly, God has us right where He wants us, and He's finally free to begin some amazing work in our midst!
I hate to break this to you, but you and your family might not learn alot of 401 level theology in our church, but you'd probably learn a great amount of the theology of learning how to fail, how to lose, and how to die. You won't hear a prosperity gospel here, nor enjoy the glitz and lights of a Hollywood quality stage show here; you will, however, learn a great deal about how to set your own needs at the door as you'll have no other choice. If your primary desire is to be edified and fed by others, you might want to steer clear; if, however, you realize that you have already been far edified and educated above your level of obedience, you'd probably fit right in. Besides, as you increasingly minister to the "least of these" in our midst, you'd probably find you'd be edified far more than you ever would have imagined. I must warn you that coming to our church might exhaust you, deplete you, and might result in the death of everything you hold dear. But I suspect you'd find that through that process, you'd find life in all of its fullness. For as Jesus said, "He who would save his life will lose it; but whoever will lose his life for My sake will find it" (Mt. 16:25).
I don't know, it's your call. Feel free to join our merry band of "fools for Christ" if you'd like, but only if you feel you're really up to the challenge. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
C'mon, you don't want to join our church, do you? Don't you want a church with some great preaching? Where each and every service touches you in the depth of your soul? It's pretty hit or miss over here. In our church, there is no sermon; everyone just shows up and has the crazy notion that God is going to lead the meeting anyway. Some weeks, that approach works great; but sometimes, we end up just looking at each other with blank looks on our faces, desperately wanting to encourage one another but just not quite knowing how to do it. You never quite know what'll happen in our meeting from week to week: we've been interrupted by rain, poorly functioning furnaces, gale-force winds, sprinklers, head wounds, and marching bands, to name but a few. If you're looking for a stable, predictable environment for you and your family on Sundays, I can't suggest our church for you.
Are you really sure you want to start coming here? Don't you want a church comprised of deeply spiritual members? If you do, you might want to think twice before coming here; our church is a motley crew at best. The pastor talks too much and has an inferiority complex. More than once, we have smelled alcohol on the breaths of those who attend on Sunday mornings. Many of our members are financially strapped, stressed out, and desperately wish they were closer to God than they are, but find themselves continuing to get in His way.
You sure you want to come here? Don't you want a church with a quality kids' ministry? Well, we don't have a formal kids' program here; our "children's ministry" is sometimes better called "keeping our kids alive" when they end up running amok during the meeting. Now we believe that even though they may not be mastering much information on Sundays, they are witnessing the Body of Christ in action when we gather, something we know is of far more value. But if you feel that your kids need more structure than that, however, you might want to look elsewhere.
The reality of things is this: from an earthly perspective, there is no reason why anyone would want to join our church. Why would any card-carrying suburbanite want to join a shrinking collection of misfits that meet in a park on Sunday mornings if they actually were in their right mind? We have no formal programs, no building, no sermon, and don't even have a paid pastor! Truly, as Paul puts it, we're a bunch of "fools for Christ" (I Cor. 4:10).
But as you ponder what might seem to be our folly, another passage comes to mind that I must share with you too: "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him" (I Cor. 1:27-29). True, maybe there is no earthly reason that you would want to join us...but maybe in our folly, God has us right where He wants us, and He's finally free to begin some amazing work in our midst!
I hate to break this to you, but you and your family might not learn alot of 401 level theology in our church, but you'd probably learn a great amount of the theology of learning how to fail, how to lose, and how to die. You won't hear a prosperity gospel here, nor enjoy the glitz and lights of a Hollywood quality stage show here; you will, however, learn a great deal about how to set your own needs at the door as you'll have no other choice. If your primary desire is to be edified and fed by others, you might want to steer clear; if, however, you realize that you have already been far edified and educated above your level of obedience, you'd probably fit right in. Besides, as you increasingly minister to the "least of these" in our midst, you'd probably find you'd be edified far more than you ever would have imagined. I must warn you that coming to our church might exhaust you, deplete you, and might result in the death of everything you hold dear. But I suspect you'd find that through that process, you'd find life in all of its fullness. For as Jesus said, "He who would save his life will lose it; but whoever will lose his life for My sake will find it" (Mt. 16:25).
I don't know, it's your call. Feel free to join our merry band of "fools for Christ" if you'd like, but only if you feel you're really up to the challenge. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
Monday, July 26, 2010
"Come And Die With Us!"
When things go wrong, our life is in shambles, and God seems distant, where do we turn? Often we turn to the encouragement of others, hoping a kind, caring word might give us the added strength needed to overcome our pain. Yet too often, attempts by others to be sympathetic and caring prove vain and fruitless at best or counterproductive at worst. Think about it; when you’ve gone through a time of sorrow and struggle, what is some of the cold comfort that has been offered to you? Maybe it’s been “things could be worse,” or the vainest of all encouragements: “Keep your chin up!” Perhaps others’ attempts at comfort have had a more spiritual bent: “I’ll pray for you,” or, “God has a wonderful plan for your life, and things will turn around!” But when we’ve prayed and prayed for that new job, to be able to finally leave the homeless shelter we’re living in, or for our illness to be healed and there is still no response from heaven, such trite cliches leave us even more frustrated than before. At some point, as the promises of a better day ahead slip from the grasp of our hope, where do we turn?
God’s solution for our suffering is a simple one: it is none other than Jesus himself. He offers us not tactics and strategies to cope with the sorrows of this world, but a Person: His only begotten Son. In our pain, our God does not provide mere vain, empty words but a tangible, visible solution to these trials: the cross of Jesus. Not only is our Savior a “man of sorrows and one well acquainted with suffering” (Is. 53), but He in fact bore, felt, and experienced our very personal sufferings as He suffered on the cross. Through His bearing of not only our sin at Calvary but our misery and sorrow there as well, when we suffer, He suffers; and when we mourn, He mourns. Yet the reverse must also be true for such divine comfort to be realized; as Christ died, so we must die. It is only when we bring our trials to the foot of the cross, and let our demands for their resolution die a slow, painful death that we can truly experience the resurrection power of Jesus (Phil 4). These demands the cross make upon us leave no room for bitterness, envy, or anger over our trials, but call us to “rejoice, as we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings” ( I Peter 4:12). Yet for us to truly “count it all joy” (Jas 1:2) in this fashion when we are faced with trials, a bloody and painful struggle must ensue as we choose to embrace the cross and bear daily the sufferings of Jesus.
But when this anguish and struggle has finally brought about our own death, the resurrection power of Jesus will truly be manifested in our lives (Phil. 4). When we have chosen to forfeit our own rights and claims in the pursuit of Someone greater, Christ promises that we will find that elusive joy, peace, and comfort in the midst of our suffering and pain. It is this process of submission to the cross alone and the resultant experience of His resurrection life that promises to bring about the encouragement that so many vain words, positive thinking and empty strategies cannot. May those of us at COAH so embrace the cross of Jesus in our trials today, and by God’s grace, may we die just a little bit more before this day is through. As Christ has invited us, so we invite you: come and die with us!
God’s solution for our suffering is a simple one: it is none other than Jesus himself. He offers us not tactics and strategies to cope with the sorrows of this world, but a Person: His only begotten Son. In our pain, our God does not provide mere vain, empty words but a tangible, visible solution to these trials: the cross of Jesus. Not only is our Savior a “man of sorrows and one well acquainted with suffering” (Is. 53), but He in fact bore, felt, and experienced our very personal sufferings as He suffered on the cross. Through His bearing of not only our sin at Calvary but our misery and sorrow there as well, when we suffer, He suffers; and when we mourn, He mourns. Yet the reverse must also be true for such divine comfort to be realized; as Christ died, so we must die. It is only when we bring our trials to the foot of the cross, and let our demands for their resolution die a slow, painful death that we can truly experience the resurrection power of Jesus (Phil 4). These demands the cross make upon us leave no room for bitterness, envy, or anger over our trials, but call us to “rejoice, as we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings” ( I Peter 4:12). Yet for us to truly “count it all joy” (Jas 1:2) in this fashion when we are faced with trials, a bloody and painful struggle must ensue as we choose to embrace the cross and bear daily the sufferings of Jesus.
But when this anguish and struggle has finally brought about our own death, the resurrection power of Jesus will truly be manifested in our lives (Phil. 4). When we have chosen to forfeit our own rights and claims in the pursuit of Someone greater, Christ promises that we will find that elusive joy, peace, and comfort in the midst of our suffering and pain. It is this process of submission to the cross alone and the resultant experience of His resurrection life that promises to bring about the encouragement that so many vain words, positive thinking and empty strategies cannot. May those of us at COAH so embrace the cross of Jesus in our trials today, and by God’s grace, may we die just a little bit more before this day is through. As Christ has invited us, so we invite you: come and die with us!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Consumerism: Steps Towards A Solution
On the face of things, all of us would rightfully decry the rank consumerism so prevalent in our churches today. But what would it look like for us to truly embrace a solution? How do we move from criticism of the existing model to the founding of a new model when it comes to the church?
Imagine a church that is built on the foundation of every member participation. Far from than being a mere minion in a faceless corporation, each member of this church, by their participation, is a minister of the eternal purpose of God. By their words and actions, each member passionately proclaims that it is truly “more blessed to give than to receive.”
Rather than only ministering inside, however, these members minister outside in the streets. Imagine a church that spends many of its weekly meetings not at a feeding trough, but dirtying its hands in the soil of a lost world. Rather than storing them in barns, this church sows the mustard seeds of the kingdom on weekends, finding ways to “be Jesus” to a world in need. A radical church such as this demonstrates true religion by visiting the orphan and widow in their affliction, rather than isolating itself in a universe of its own. Rather than sitting in a service every week, this church puts the gospel in action by showing the love of Christ to those in need. During these times, they not only serve the needy, but they build regular relationships with them as well. The children in this community experience the gospel as it was meant to be lived, and through their experience, find that Yahweh is a God who welcomes all.
Most importantly, by attempting to take church “outside the box” and explore new, fresh directions together, these believers are forced to rely on the Spirit of God for daily wisdom and guidance in these endeavors. As this church then “lives on the edge” in this way, stepping outside of their comfort zones and putting their own needs aside, the presence of God in their midst becomes evident in a tangible way to all. As the Holy Spirit is revealed in and through their congregation, those newcomers who witness His glory in their midst will “be convicted by all, and will fall on their faces and say that God is truly among [them]” (1 Cor. 14:24,25).
However, be warned: such a church cannot compete with the megachurch in quality of services and programs. From a consumer perspective, this model of church may be found wanting. Truly advancing the kingdom of God in this fashion would require every member’s commitment to making this dream a reality and their rejection of their own needs and wants. Those who hope to be ministered to without first ministering themselves will find themselves sorely disappointed with this arrangement.
Bob Hyatt says this: “We are doing our best to be a church community where people can belong before they believe- a church for the unchurched and the formerly churched. But that’s hard on the lifelong Christians among us- because we don’t get to have things done exactly the way we would like them. We are trying to think more about the people we are reaching than our own wants and needs. I tell our people, ‘We are not going to meet your needs. Your needs will get met, but by the people sitting beside you, not standing in front of you. We’d like to think that when we say “community” we mean it. I have told our people over and over again- you are the ones who will drive ministry here. We meet in a pub. There’s very little space for “kids ministry.’ I keep telling them- ‘I am not going to solve this problem for you. This is your community. If you love these kids, you’ll come up with something for them. I’m your pastor, not your cruise director. My job is to open God’s Word, and tell you what I think God seems to be saying through this book to our community. Your job is to figure out what that looks like and walk along side others who are also searching.’”
Without a doubt, this radical church’s success is predicated on every member’s commitment to full participation and service of the body. Certainly there are blanks to fill in, all of which must be answered by the body of Christ rising up together to find a solution. On the flip side, however, those who embrace such a vision through self-denial and commitment to those around them will find that God will provide for their spiritual needs in abundance. Far from their needs not being met, quite the opposite will be the case. Those who embrace service, self sacrifice, and the needs of others over their own will find that “all these things will be added to them,” whether in this endeavor or any other. For truly, “he who saves his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for [His] sake will find it.”
We have all the information we’ll ever need to serve Christ whole heartedly; we are educated far above our level of obedience. The time has now come for action. The time is upon us to leave the comfort of Ur for a better country; to slay the monster of consumerism once for all to embrace a larger vision. May we seek to be part of the solution rather than further contribute to the problem. Let us move forward to a vision of church that truly transends the consumerism of our day.
Imagine a church that is built on the foundation of every member participation. Far from than being a mere minion in a faceless corporation, each member of this church, by their participation, is a minister of the eternal purpose of God. By their words and actions, each member passionately proclaims that it is truly “more blessed to give than to receive.”
Rather than only ministering inside, however, these members minister outside in the streets. Imagine a church that spends many of its weekly meetings not at a feeding trough, but dirtying its hands in the soil of a lost world. Rather than storing them in barns, this church sows the mustard seeds of the kingdom on weekends, finding ways to “be Jesus” to a world in need. A radical church such as this demonstrates true religion by visiting the orphan and widow in their affliction, rather than isolating itself in a universe of its own. Rather than sitting in a service every week, this church puts the gospel in action by showing the love of Christ to those in need. During these times, they not only serve the needy, but they build regular relationships with them as well. The children in this community experience the gospel as it was meant to be lived, and through their experience, find that Yahweh is a God who welcomes all.
Most importantly, by attempting to take church “outside the box” and explore new, fresh directions together, these believers are forced to rely on the Spirit of God for daily wisdom and guidance in these endeavors. As this church then “lives on the edge” in this way, stepping outside of their comfort zones and putting their own needs aside, the presence of God in their midst becomes evident in a tangible way to all. As the Holy Spirit is revealed in and through their congregation, those newcomers who witness His glory in their midst will “be convicted by all, and will fall on their faces and say that God is truly among [them]” (1 Cor. 14:24,25).
However, be warned: such a church cannot compete with the megachurch in quality of services and programs. From a consumer perspective, this model of church may be found wanting. Truly advancing the kingdom of God in this fashion would require every member’s commitment to making this dream a reality and their rejection of their own needs and wants. Those who hope to be ministered to without first ministering themselves will find themselves sorely disappointed with this arrangement.
Bob Hyatt says this: “We are doing our best to be a church community where people can belong before they believe- a church for the unchurched and the formerly churched. But that’s hard on the lifelong Christians among us- because we don’t get to have things done exactly the way we would like them. We are trying to think more about the people we are reaching than our own wants and needs. I tell our people, ‘We are not going to meet your needs. Your needs will get met, but by the people sitting beside you, not standing in front of you. We’d like to think that when we say “community” we mean it. I have told our people over and over again- you are the ones who will drive ministry here. We meet in a pub. There’s very little space for “kids ministry.’ I keep telling them- ‘I am not going to solve this problem for you. This is your community. If you love these kids, you’ll come up with something for them. I’m your pastor, not your cruise director. My job is to open God’s Word, and tell you what I think God seems to be saying through this book to our community. Your job is to figure out what that looks like and walk along side others who are also searching.’”
Without a doubt, this radical church’s success is predicated on every member’s commitment to full participation and service of the body. Certainly there are blanks to fill in, all of which must be answered by the body of Christ rising up together to find a solution. On the flip side, however, those who embrace such a vision through self-denial and commitment to those around them will find that God will provide for their spiritual needs in abundance. Far from their needs not being met, quite the opposite will be the case. Those who embrace service, self sacrifice, and the needs of others over their own will find that “all these things will be added to them,” whether in this endeavor or any other. For truly, “he who saves his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for [His] sake will find it.”
We have all the information we’ll ever need to serve Christ whole heartedly; we are educated far above our level of obedience. The time has now come for action. The time is upon us to leave the comfort of Ur for a better country; to slay the monster of consumerism once for all to embrace a larger vision. May we seek to be part of the solution rather than further contribute to the problem. Let us move forward to a vision of church that truly transends the consumerism of our day.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Jesus vs. Consumerism, Part 2
In our recent posts, we have explored the devastating effects of consumerism on today’s church. Applying the lessons of the shopping mall to the church flies in the face of Jesus’ teachings, who taught us that “Whoever will save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose it for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25). Yet the implications of this concept are more far-reaching than we might first realize.
How guilty are each one of us of neglecting Christ’s words and seeking to meet our own needs first and foremost when it comes to the church? You might renounce your own needs in theory, but would you be quick to look for another church if you felt you weren’t “being fed” at your own? If another church had better preaching, a better Sunday morning service, or could simply “do church” better than yours, would you still attend your church?
What about the needs of your family? Though you may be successful in deferring your own needs, do you attend your church with the needs of your family first in mind? Certainly we are no less of a consumer if we shop for our children than we if shop for ourselves. If advancing God’s kingdom meant putting not only your needs, but your family’s needs in second place on Sunday mornings, would you be willing to do this?
Similarly, we may be in agreement that church does not and cannot consist solely of a once a week service to be successful. Yet the fact remains that the quality of the events of Sunday morning is far and away the most compelling reason to pick a church today. If the quality of your church’s Sunday morning service dropped, would you still “patronize” that church? If you took the Sunday morning service away from your church, would you still have a compelling reason to be a part of that body of believers? Though in theory we might say otherwise, the vast majority of us choose our churches as if Sunday is the only day that exists.
How can picking a church based on what happens on its Sunday morning stage be consistent with anything but consumerism? If in fact we should be approaching church as a giver rather than a receiver, how can we decide to attend a church based on the quality of its programs and services? Rather, it seems that the teachings of Christ dictate that we must choose a church based on our ability to minister. If the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (Mk 10:45), how can this not be the case for his followers?
The teachings of Scripture clearly show us the purpose of church is to encourage one another rather than to passively receive (Heb. 10:25). Rather than picking a church by Sunday morning quality, it would seem that making that decision based on the people within it is far more Biblically sound. That said, we must ask ourselves some difficult questions. At the church you attend, are you truly experiencing God in the context of community? By being a part of the church you’re at currently, are you helping others to experience God in their life as well? Since you began attending your church, what fruit have you borne? Have you become overwhelmingly more loving? Are you becoming thoroughly more patient? By being a part of your church, are you regularly seeing others come to Christ as you are involved in their lives? Are your children doing these things? These are the questions we need to ask as we determine where our church home should be.
In our next post, we will discuss what it might take for our churches to transcend the culture of consumerism so prevalent in our day.
How guilty are each one of us of neglecting Christ’s words and seeking to meet our own needs first and foremost when it comes to the church? You might renounce your own needs in theory, but would you be quick to look for another church if you felt you weren’t “being fed” at your own? If another church had better preaching, a better Sunday morning service, or could simply “do church” better than yours, would you still attend your church?
What about the needs of your family? Though you may be successful in deferring your own needs, do you attend your church with the needs of your family first in mind? Certainly we are no less of a consumer if we shop for our children than we if shop for ourselves. If advancing God’s kingdom meant putting not only your needs, but your family’s needs in second place on Sunday mornings, would you be willing to do this?
Similarly, we may be in agreement that church does not and cannot consist solely of a once a week service to be successful. Yet the fact remains that the quality of the events of Sunday morning is far and away the most compelling reason to pick a church today. If the quality of your church’s Sunday morning service dropped, would you still “patronize” that church? If you took the Sunday morning service away from your church, would you still have a compelling reason to be a part of that body of believers? Though in theory we might say otherwise, the vast majority of us choose our churches as if Sunday is the only day that exists.
How can picking a church based on what happens on its Sunday morning stage be consistent with anything but consumerism? If in fact we should be approaching church as a giver rather than a receiver, how can we decide to attend a church based on the quality of its programs and services? Rather, it seems that the teachings of Christ dictate that we must choose a church based on our ability to minister. If the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (Mk 10:45), how can this not be the case for his followers?
The teachings of Scripture clearly show us the purpose of church is to encourage one another rather than to passively receive (Heb. 10:25). Rather than picking a church by Sunday morning quality, it would seem that making that decision based on the people within it is far more Biblically sound. That said, we must ask ourselves some difficult questions. At the church you attend, are you truly experiencing God in the context of community? By being a part of the church you’re at currently, are you helping others to experience God in their life as well? Since you began attending your church, what fruit have you borne? Have you become overwhelmingly more loving? Are you becoming thoroughly more patient? By being a part of your church, are you regularly seeing others come to Christ as you are involved in their lives? Are your children doing these things? These are the questions we need to ask as we determine where our church home should be.
In our next post, we will discuss what it might take for our churches to transcend the culture of consumerism so prevalent in our day.
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