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the power of the touch

A beautiful story from my mentor, Mark Powell:

holding-hands


As in most urban settings, people with addiction and mental issues tend to gravitate toward the church. This is true for us because of our location, and it is true because so many with these challenges also live on poverty’s edge. That is why I wasn’t surprised when M. walked into our worship service yesterday. He’s been here before.

Actually, I have been working with him for five years or so, attempting to live-out the Gospel before him, while not seeking to overtly speak about church or Jesus, unless he brings it to the conversation. Instead, I have mostly offered to really listen to him the three or four times he visits each week, which means most of our conversations revolve around me encouraging him to stay on his meds, attend his meetings or respond to his requests for cash (which he always pays back).

So, while I wasn’t surprised when he came to church yesterday, I wasn’t too excited either. You see, the thing about M. and worship is that he rarely stays for an entire service. Most times, usually during the song-set, he will mosey out of the sanctuary, down the steps and out the door. Which is fine with me, my thinking being — around here, you are allowed to rise to the level of your own involvement.

Well, yesterday, he walked up to me before the service and said, “Is it OK if I come to your church today?”

To which I replied, “What do you think?”

He grinned and said, “Yeah.”

Since he had a twenty minute wait, I offered a seat, not really thinking he would even make the wait-time before the start. But, about five minutes before worship I saw he was still sitting there, so I tossed a prayer over the wall: “LORD, have someone sit by M.,” and to my surprise, someone did. When I stood to share my Conversation with the TEXT I noticed that B., a very frail senior adult lady, had moved across the aisle from her seat with her family in order to sit with him.

M. ended up staying for the service, and as B. left she said, “You know M. is a nice man, but he was so nervous I ended up holding his hand.”


This is Shane Hipps, author of The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture and the new Flickering Pixels. The big takeaway for me from this were Shane’s four convictions on what real, meaningful, missional community looks like – juxtaposing these convictions against virtual community. They were:

1) Shared history – establishes sense of identity of belonging
2) Permanence – it is how you get the shared history
3) Proximity – you have to be with one another in order to create meaningful connections
4) Shared imagination of the future – going in the same direction; this is the hardest one to get I think Shane is on to something.

As I ponder his convictions, I think he highlights a few implications we need to wrestle with when we think about how to “do” community in our ministry contexts. For example, are short-term, seasonal small groups really the most effective way to build meaningful community? How can you have a sense of shared history, permanence, proximity, and shared imagination of the future when you have to start over with a new community group every six months?

It seems like there needs to be room for more organic expression in community in our churches, particularly where groups are given ownership of the length of time they meet and gasp, who is a part of their community (which, btw, should always be open to unbelievers being “invited” in to belong before believing).

I’m walking through Joseph Meyer’s books, The Search To Belong and Organic Community, and listening to Shane, I’m sensing that the church’s tendency is to program or try to “make” community. It’s not working.

Community that is meaningful, shared, real, authentic can’t be manufactured.
On most levels, it must be organic or it becomes a real life version of what a virtual community is online: no shared history, no permanence, maybe a bit of proximity, and a smidgen of shared vision for the future.

I think I know why we lean towards programming community. It’s easier. It’s pragmatic. It’s streamlined. I understand that. But how could we create a “system” that promotes long-term community and short-term “affinity” groups that come after the first priority of the long-term community group? How can we see our neighbors as our “community group?”

The one caveat in this discussion is what to do when your group grows to be too big – however the ministry context defines “big” – and needs to reproduce. I haven’t come up with a sufficient thought on this yet. Still wrestling with that…
___________________

On a side note, I just received Shane’s new book, Flickering Pixels, and I’m excited to read it because I’m sure it will push back on my technological ways. In a prophetic way…


create1

Day 3

Morning worship with 10th Avenue North. Young guys with a passion for worship…

The morning session was led by cre:ate creator, Randy Elrod. Let me just say this talk wonderfully ruined me. Probably one of the best talks I’ve EVER heard on leadership. My big takeaway again, much like Ian’s talk the day before, was not so much what Randy said, but what he modeled: in order to speak into people’s lives, you have to go deep with God. Randy lives a deeply “inventoried” life. I will no doubt do a blog series on it in the near future. Wowsers…

Lunch was my favorite meal of the week: cajun-boiled shrimp, onions + summer sausage, red potatoes, + salad.

The afternoon session was led by comedian Ken Davis. We cried and laughed at the same time. My big takeaway is that God loves me. Sounds simple but I needed to hear it. Ken is a master communicator. As Randy has said, comedy is one of the highest art forms and Ken has the gift.

The afternoon was closed out with the most impacting Eucharist I’ve ever been a part of. Ian led us in a modern liturgy and communion. His insights on the subtleties of this time was priceless. My new friend, Mark Roach, who is worship pastor at Fellowship in O’Fallon, MO, literally right down the road from me (I’m looking forward to hooking up with him back in St. Louis), led the worship and did a phenomenal job.

Sidenote: I’ve heard people say that as you get older, the more you walk with Jesus, the less you feel you know about Him. He becomes more mysterious and Other, which I think is actually a really good thing because He is. The more I think about worship – I teach it after all – I realize that I have less figured out than I think. This is a interesting time of convergence with the continuing influence of the modern worship music industry, the resurgence of the liturgical, the glocalization of the world via the internet, etc. My mind is racing with possibilities. I am a futurist. It’s a blessing and a curse.

The conference day was closed out with dinner at Saffire at The Factory in Franklin. Had the best prime rib I’ve ever had in my life. We were led in concert by Carl Cartee, Travis Cottrell, + Chris Sligh.

The highlight of Day 3 happened at the very end of the day. Randy and his wife, Chris, invited me over to their house to take part in a scotch “tour,” led by the venerable John Voelz, a new friend I’ve followed virtually for a while (he is the Coriolis:Experience leader @ Westwinds Church in Jackson, MI). John walked us through three different types of scotch: 1) the Glenlivet – mild, approachable, honey-tinged, 2) the Talisker – smokey, peaty, and 3) the Balrenie – a desert scotch. Not sure I’ll become a scotch connoisseur but I could do the Talisker again. What a great time of fellowship! Thanks John for teaching me about a finer thing in life!

At the Elrod’s, I spent a lot of my time hanging with Matthew Ward, who I mentioned yesterday is a huge pioneer of the CCM industry with 2nd Chapter of Acts. He shared with me about his favorite session players, studios, producers, and solo albums from his past. Matthew may come and speak at MBU sometime soon. How cool would that be?

Day 3 was the highlight of the week for me. Touched beyond measure…

Day 4

Morning worship was led by one of Sparrow’s new signees, Sarah Reeves. Genuine heart and great songs…

The morning session was led by Anne Jackson, author of Mad Church Disease and blogger at flowerdust.net. She shared her testimony of how her father’s burnout in ministry led her to think about what the church asks of people. The book is a reflection of this journey for her. Great session. Authentic and real…

Lunch was at Stoveworks at The Factory. Southern cooking at its finest: chicken in a cream sauce over cornbread and apple cobbler…

I had to steal away for the afternoon to meet with my friend and missional crony, Ed Stetzer. We are conspiring on a couple of big projects connected to the current missional conversation that I am really excited about. Stay tuned…

I actually was so bushed from the week, I decided to spend the evening with my wife. I had missed Lost the night before so we chilled, reconnected, and got our Lost on…

Day 5

Yesterday morning, I joined about 40 other songwriters at EMI/CMG Publishing Company in Brentwood for a great time of conversation on the issue of worship songwriting. We heard from staff writer Audray Assad and again from the Sparrow roster, Sarah Reeves, as well as a forum of some of the EMI/CMG music publishing staff on the 5/5: the five elements of a great song and the five traps for songwriters…

It was a bit surreal because we met in a room right next to a rehearsal room that I played my original music for Brad O’Donnell of Sparrow Records, which ultimately led to a showcase a local club called The Basement in June of 2002. It was cool to be back there and reminisce. I definitely got the itch to start writing again. Yikes…

We had lunch catered in and before I left, I had the chance to speak with Randy and tell him about his influence on my life and what this week meant to me. It was a sweet time of conversation…

In all, this was such a refreshing week for my soul….



Ed Stetzer & David Fitch – a missional conversation from Missional Tribe on Vimeo


From Missional Tribe:

Shot in Chicago in November of ‘08, Part One of this 45 minute conversation features Ed Stetzer and Dave Fitch discussing what they each mean by the term “missional”. They also spend some time discussing attractional vs missional – and whether missional church, as it seems to be presently framed is “interested in converts.”

A very good conversation between two PhD’s, who are also church planters, teachers, authors and missional instigators in their own right.

This video was produced by Toronto’s mkpl.tv – Producer, Imbi Medri. Director/Editor, Bill Kinnon. It is made available under a Creative Commons License – Attribution – No Derivative Works. Copyright Holders: Medri Kinnon Productions Limited, Ed Stetzer, David Fitch.


2. David Fitch – Reclaiming the Mission

David Fitch, Betty R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary; founding pastor of Life on the Vine Community, an emerging church in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago; co-founder of Up/Rooted, an emergent cohort that gathers leaders and thinkers to engage issues of the emerging church and the post-modern context; and author of The Great Giveaway comes in at #2.

David has been one of the most influencing voices in the development of my ministry/church planting philosophy. It started with The Great Giveaway, but continuing on with the stream of consciousness on his blog, let’s just say, it’s a gold mine. I believe it will be shown that David was one of the most important shaping influences on the grounding of missional orthopraxy in the twenty-first century.

I’m looking forward to becoming a regular part of the missional leader learning community in the future. I was personally invited to the one in January but can’t make. I hope to down the road..

Check these:
Please Lord, Don’t Let Me Get Pragmatic: Spiritual Formation for Missional Leaders
“The Numbers Are Going Up But Something Doesn’t Feel Right”
Conversion a casualty of Missional Theology?
When They Will Not Come – Community: The anti-attractional process of beginning a church with community
The Middle In: The Unique Missional Opportunity

Top 8 Recap
8. J.R. Woodward | 7. Jonathan Dodson | 6. Neil Cole | 5. Drew Goodmanson | 4. Bob Hyatt | 3. Alan Hirsch


3. Alan Hirsch – The Forgotten Ways

It is a gift to have Alan Hirsch, one of the top missional practitioners today, blogging on a regular basis. Hirsch spends much of his time unpacking the stellar material from his most recent books. I’m looking forward to his commentary on ReJesus. Here’s to 2009 where I’m confident Hirsch will continue to be one of the brightest missional provocateurs out there…

Check these:
“The community for me?” or “Me for the community?”
The Problem with Institutions (part II)
South Goes APEST

Top 8 Recap
8. J.R. Woodward | 7. Jonathan Dodson | 6. Neil Cole | 5. Drew Goodmanson | 4. Bob Hyatt


4. Bob Hyatt – bob.blog

One of my favorite blogs of the last few years also happens to be thick in the missional. Bob Hyatt, pastor of Evergreen Community in Portland, is a “heart-on-the-sleeve” blogger who gives us a unique window into his ministry. I appreciate Bob’s humility in sharing the journey with the rest of us. He is particularly savvy in relating the challenge of maintaining a missional mindset amidst a church culture that is increasingly becoming ingrown. Pithy, pithy…

Check these:
Kimball’s Missional Misgivings
Truly missional…
Missional Leadership Development…


extract’d

God as love…can only be witnessed to and experienced in a congregation small enough for members to know each other and accept each other as they are accepted in Christ.

-Jurgen Moltmann from Hope for the Church


It’s the week of Christmas. It’s the week we celebrate the culmination of anticipation of that first Advent; the incarnate Christ coming to earth to rescue the world from itself. Jesus, made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness to show us the “posture” of Christmas is always about giving, rather than receiving. Others-focused rather than navel gazing.

I wanted to pass on along two great blog entries on the “postures” of Christmas from a couple of friends. The first comes from my pastor, Darrin Patrick. Here is a snippet:

As we head into the craziness of Christmas week I have been thinking a lot about what people are trying to get “out” of Christmas. We all bring all of our expectations of what something should be into anything in which we participate. We do this with movies, restaurants, jobs, new puppies, and new relationships.

And, we do this “expectation importation” with Christmas. I think there are two main things that people would love to experience at Christmas. Two expectations that the human heart profoundly desires…

Continue reading “What You Really Want For Christmas” by Darrin Patrick.

The second entry comes from my new friend, Mark Powell, pastor of Third Baptist Church in Granite City, IL. His daughter, Joy, director of the Theatre Department at MBU, and I work together. Mark and I will hopefully be getting together on a regular basis after the new year for a mentoring type of relationship. I’m looking forward to it.

Mark writes on what we have to offer this Christmas. Here’s a piece of his entry:

…the god of America has always been wealth. We overly reward the athlete, the tycoon, even the government official with both wealth and honor for their service, often relegating altruism to an asterisk. This means that wealth equals success. And, I should quickly add that people on the Jesus-way are not immune from this notion of wealth and conspicuous consumption as the fulfillment of the American Dream. No, the seduction of possessions and high-rolling credit hits both the lifestyles of the rich and famous and the saved and faithful.

But, with the economic crash this idea has been called into question. Put differently, since the god of mammon has fallen on hard-times, one might well ask, where do we go from here?

Perhaps it is in difficult times that we can return to the core of who we are, to our deepest values. For the follower of the Christ, in the midst of these steep struggles — as we face layoffs and unemployment and falling wages and shrinking retirements — what do we have to offer the Savior this year? Perhaps it may be the most precious gift of all…

Continue reading “A Christmas Message from the Pastor” by Mark Powell.


Bob Hyatt, lead pastor of Evergreen Community in Portland, has quite possibly synthesized the ethos, motivation, and vocation of the missional church in his entry, “Sentness and Alongsideness: Missionality 101,” better than anyone I’ve seen. It’s so good, I had to reprint it here in its entirety:

“God sent His Son into the world, not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” -John 3:17

“Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world.” -Jesus praying in John 17:18

For us, everything begins and ends with the person of Jesus- the Sent One who then sends us.

Our fundamental identity as a community is not only gathered, but sent. Gathering is a necessary prelude to being sent. Why did Jesus spend so much time with the disciples prior to sending them? To teach and equip them. To change them and to prepare them. It’s in the context of being gathered around the person of Jesus, of leaning into and learning from Him together that we are changed, sharpened, refined and made ready… The problem with the whole church thing is, we rarely seem to get past the gathered part.

At the end of the day (that’s for you Dustin), the whole purpose of Evergreen is not to gather on Sundays in a pub. We come together to do that which we can’t do as individuals (worship together, pray together, be in community), but our purpose as community is not just coming together- it’s going. A community following the Sent One is by definition a sent community. We say we are a “missional community” and that means we are a “missionary” community. A people who follow the God who left- who left comfort and privilege and went to live among those whom He wished to love and save.

“So the Word became human and lived among us…”John 1:14

Of course, there’s more than a sentness to Jesus. There’s an alongsideness as well. In other words, Immanuel, God With Us, came to be with us. Not against us. Not over us. But with us.

But for too much of the Church, the countercultural claims of the Gospel get lost in a people who don’t see the alongsideness of Jesus, who don’t follow His incarnational and serving example, and who then don’t see the power of the Gospel working itself out in their communities in the way they dream of it doing so.

The real power of the countercultural Gospel is found when it comes from along side, from someone who is with someone else and speaking out of a friendship, not the adversarial relationship (or worse, the unconcerned, practical apathy towards those around us) we in the Church too often cultivate.
Until we see our primary identity wrapped up in sentness AND in alongsideness, we may be countercultural, but we’ll just be speaking to ourselves.

When we truly grasp who Jesus was and what He did, it propels us out into mission and it changes how we live as a people structure our community. In that order. (This is something we’ll talk about over the next couple of weeks…)

And more: it’s in holding up the person of Jesus and following Him in mission that we find our meaning- as individuals and as a community. And that purposeful, meaning-filled, Christ-centered communal life is about the most attractive thing a church community could ever do.

A little harder to propose to the “Evangelism Committee,” but infinitely more effective and satisfying…


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