I had a great time talking with folks, and especially my co-panelist Susan Smith, about this thing we do called organic. emergent, etc. at the General Assembly workshop in Portland this past Saturday. Hello to any from there who are coming to the blog after first hearing about it at the conversation. Always wish we had a full afternoon or day. Most of the folks there, some 90 percent, raised hands when asked if they were born before 1963 and hence had the churched culture image of church as their default mode, the rest were born between 1963 and 1975, and none were there who were born after 1975 (maybe they were out doing organic stuff besides sitting and talking in a workshop! I hope so). But people were receptive, if left dazed, about what all church could be and still be church.
So much I wish I had said. Thanks for the questions which always help me to better understand myself and my ideas anyway. I will try to get to them in the weeks ahead as I return after vacation.
But one question and conversation in some depth afterwards led me to wanting to emphasize something here, especially for any who were at the GA event and heard me talk about what we do now through "a third place" and the Living Room Church, and why: The other default mode that most people had at the meeting that we didn't expose at the time was the default mode of the demographics that go into people's idea of UU church. One questioner was wondering about the emphasis on service and mission and the assumption was that so many church members are already doing that, and what they need is a focus on religious matters to help sustain them what they are already doing. This was afterwards. It dawned on me that no, my folks in at least this first site in our poly-site vision, do not do this already. They aren't the typical church volunteer of the 50s through 70s. They aren't involved in service, in other volunteer groups, and they for the most part don't have the disposable money and disposable time that perhaps the demographically typical UU church does; they don't feel their own power in engaged community service; they aren't cultural creatives; they don't have college educations, or not yet. I think that this approach does work with the typical UU demographics, but it is a good question in that context, and I have written elsewhere on this post about the difficulties inherent in church planting among the better educated and the more well-off financially. Just wanted to add this in as a continuation of the conversation started at the meeting.
Speaking of GA, the Kathleen Norris lecture was tremendous. Great apologetics in a humorous vein, in a moving spiritual vein, and a great turn-out. She said it was one of her largest audiences ever. The communion service the day before is still being talked about, as is the mini-Revival hymn sing the night before.
Go to the GA section of the www.uua.org site and you ought to be able, or will be soon, to order the tapes of all the GA programs sponsored by the UUCF. Since I am on vacation if someone wants to find the link and post it here as a comment, go ahead.
Also, if anyone knows anyone on the UUA Board and knows what action was taken on Monday by them in regards to the applications for the Independent Affiliate statuses, please let me know too even by email at RevRonRobinson@aol.com. End
Monday, June 25, 2007
53rd Birthday in San Francisco
Hello from San Francisco and the intersection of Geary and Larkin. I wake up tomorrow, the good Lord willing, and I will be 53 years old and I hope before the day is out to be standing at the foot of the giant Sequoia trees more than 2000 years old. Nuff said.
Birthday presents to myself belatedly will be Fantastic 4 and Spiderman 3 (note I did say I was 53 and still have my 1960s originals of those comic books). And I will then commit myself to trying not to act like a superhero but to embrace the blessings of imperfection and my God-given finitude. End.
Birthday presents to myself belatedly will be Fantastic 4 and Spiderman 3 (note I did say I was 53 and still have my 1960s originals of those comic books). And I will then commit myself to trying not to act like a superhero but to embrace the blessings of imperfection and my God-given finitude. End.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Theology Redux and GA 2007 Notes
Carl Scovel, minister emeritus at Kings Chapel in Boston, God love him, gave the address to the ministers at the UUA ministers day from the 50-year in ministry perspective. The full comments will be published by the UUMA I am sure, but he had at least a roll of us UU Christian ministers Amen-ing and nodding, and his comparison with ministry then and now had a lot of support it seemed to me though the address was part "scold" in general and part 'blessing." The scold was at no one or no group in specific just all of us I guess for how we sacrifice vocation for profession, how we seek to make ministry about us and our journeys (well maybe it was a scold on Emerson, after all, or at least how UUs have used Emerson). He had lots of great examples and others I trust will pick up and blog on them. Once it is published somewhere I promise to republish it and hope others will too. He didn't want to return to the old days when he entered ministry, of course, and made the sins of the fathers clear. But...
Perhaps the line that got the most applause, at least from our corner, was his statement that at the merger two theological traditions tried to merge and weren't able to and we didn't know then who we were theologically and evidence through the years is that we still don't know who we are theologically. He compared the traditions and called them inclusion vs. universalism. Universalism is the focus on how God's love is for all. Inclusion, if I understood him right and I will try to ask for clarity, is about us (people) trying to welcome and incorporate all. One focuses on God and the other on a set of people. If you begin from and focus on God's love it will create the spirit of hospitality but do so from a theological center; if you begin from and focus on our ability to be welcoming because of who we are, and make that the theological basis, then you end up with continuing fragmentation theologically. I am not saying this as succintly as Carl, and maybe partly my own thinking spurred by his, and it is nothing new but he said it very very well this time and I can't wait for the full text. Especially as there was much more that was good in it.
Carl's 50-year address was preceded by Barbara Pescan's eloquent 25-year address. But when the full text of both of these come out, theologians among us need to point out for others the two strands and their ramifications. My hunch at the moment is that Carl's nailed the Universalism tradition and Barbara's nailed what he called the Inclusion tradition.
He also said that the fact that charismatic conservative Christians are now adopting and promoting the Universalist tradition is proof that God has a bad sense of humor.
Theology has been on my mind before and so far at GA.
One: I have been thinking how we seem to have lost even theological conversation on a national front. I am not sure the Commission on Appraisal rethinking of the UUA Principles and Purposes can even, it seems, spur it on. Maybe it is me but that seems to be not picking up steam the way I once thought it would. We have shifted so much to sociological basis for our identity that I am not sure we can mount theological debate. I find myself missing it. I find myself wondering what happens when people are too tired or too distracted or whatever to be able to say, for example, as I would say (and this is just me talking, just me, not my employer, just me), that UUism not only needs to put God front and center in our purposes, but that it's not heresy to say that Jesus should be (of course I know he isn't) the central spiritual touchstone of our tradition. Central here means center but without a prescribed circumference. I think following Jesus should be the future of the UU church and not just its past. That I think I am right and I think others are wrong (of course I know I might not be; that doesn't mean I can't maintain it) does not make me a bad UU. For our reworked P&P I suggest a slightly modified 1935 Washington Universalist Avowal that tempers some of the "we can bring about the kingdom" hubris.
Two: Theology has been an undercurrent in the controversy over Independent Affiliates. See http://www.thelivelytradition.blogspot.com. The rhetoric has been that the focus needs to shift to the UUA being identified with congregations and not with various and sundry and especially small independent affiliates. So only those are likely to be approved who can show a major link between them and congregations. But also, any with a specific theological perspective, are suspect on that grounds alone no matter how connected they are to congregational life. I asked if for example, the Council of Christian Churches within the UUA could apply as an independent affiliate, not that they would or would want to since they in the past expressly decided against it, but they are a group of congregations themselves binding together to work for congregations; and I was told by the UUA Moderator that I was suggesting a kind of "end-run" around the issue but that it would prompt an "interesting discussion" as they hadn't thought of that before. That's because congregations having a specific theological orientation don't fit into the UU model; when the very basic core of congregationalism and our polity in history is that our congregations have not only the right but the responsibility to decide their theological orientation, be it whatever. We should be doing all we can to encourage our congregations as congregations to take theological stances and to be able to justify them and defend them and of course always be open to the movement of the Spirit as it may lead them to change. It is why people went to the stake, and why they journeyed here.
I don't know what the action will be from the Board about the UUCF or others with applications pending; I like others am not so worried about the effect of all this on the UUCF as I am on the UUA itself. The decision will be made by the Board on Monday. The upshot of the hearings seems to be that the Board wants independent affiliates to figure out how to work together in order to have access to things like the UUA website and only an umbrella group consisting of the various affiliates, such as those with theological orientations, will meet the new criteria. This is not a new suggestion but came up at the St. Louis GA in hearings and conversations. There is a lot here and will be visited by many others and by me later too after more reflection. I am curious about whether the suggestion will increase or further decrease the presence of theology on an associational level; I am curious if the bylaws will be changed to drop the "UU organizations" part of the misson of the UUA along with the stated service to congregations, or if UU organizations are only what the Board says are UU organizations (I still favor congregations making that distinction and think you could put a percentage of congregation support level into the criteria); I think that this issue has much more beneath the surface which over time could be interesting to explore. Here I will just say, in the vein of this post, that it is interesting how theological groups among us are lumped into the same mix as all others---call me biased, but I think the religious association should be biased in favor of theological groups, and that its leaders should be able to draw lines and say yes, this theological group is part of us, and so is this one, but should the need arise also be able to say no this other is not.
Oh well it is late and as you can tell I am need of communion tomorrow, and look forward to Brother Tom Schade's pentecost-themed sermon "Gathered Into Many Bodies" 10:45 a.m. today in Convention Room C123-124. And tomorrow night's hymn sing. We are going to have our biggest dinner and hymn sing turnout---75 plus.
Type rest of the post here
Perhaps the line that got the most applause, at least from our corner, was his statement that at the merger two theological traditions tried to merge and weren't able to and we didn't know then who we were theologically and evidence through the years is that we still don't know who we are theologically. He compared the traditions and called them inclusion vs. universalism. Universalism is the focus on how God's love is for all. Inclusion, if I understood him right and I will try to ask for clarity, is about us (people) trying to welcome and incorporate all. One focuses on God and the other on a set of people. If you begin from and focus on God's love it will create the spirit of hospitality but do so from a theological center; if you begin from and focus on our ability to be welcoming because of who we are, and make that the theological basis, then you end up with continuing fragmentation theologically. I am not saying this as succintly as Carl, and maybe partly my own thinking spurred by his, and it is nothing new but he said it very very well this time and I can't wait for the full text. Especially as there was much more that was good in it.
Carl's 50-year address was preceded by Barbara Pescan's eloquent 25-year address. But when the full text of both of these come out, theologians among us need to point out for others the two strands and their ramifications. My hunch at the moment is that Carl's nailed the Universalism tradition and Barbara's nailed what he called the Inclusion tradition.
He also said that the fact that charismatic conservative Christians are now adopting and promoting the Universalist tradition is proof that God has a bad sense of humor.
Theology has been on my mind before and so far at GA.
One: I have been thinking how we seem to have lost even theological conversation on a national front. I am not sure the Commission on Appraisal rethinking of the UUA Principles and Purposes can even, it seems, spur it on. Maybe it is me but that seems to be not picking up steam the way I once thought it would. We have shifted so much to sociological basis for our identity that I am not sure we can mount theological debate. I find myself missing it. I find myself wondering what happens when people are too tired or too distracted or whatever to be able to say, for example, as I would say (and this is just me talking, just me, not my employer, just me), that UUism not only needs to put God front and center in our purposes, but that it's not heresy to say that Jesus should be (of course I know he isn't) the central spiritual touchstone of our tradition. Central here means center but without a prescribed circumference. I think following Jesus should be the future of the UU church and not just its past. That I think I am right and I think others are wrong (of course I know I might not be; that doesn't mean I can't maintain it) does not make me a bad UU. For our reworked P&P I suggest a slightly modified 1935 Washington Universalist Avowal that tempers some of the "we can bring about the kingdom" hubris.
Two: Theology has been an undercurrent in the controversy over Independent Affiliates. See http://www.thelivelytradition.blogspot.com. The rhetoric has been that the focus needs to shift to the UUA being identified with congregations and not with various and sundry and especially small independent affiliates. So only those are likely to be approved who can show a major link between them and congregations. But also, any with a specific theological perspective, are suspect on that grounds alone no matter how connected they are to congregational life. I asked if for example, the Council of Christian Churches within the UUA could apply as an independent affiliate, not that they would or would want to since they in the past expressly decided against it, but they are a group of congregations themselves binding together to work for congregations; and I was told by the UUA Moderator that I was suggesting a kind of "end-run" around the issue but that it would prompt an "interesting discussion" as they hadn't thought of that before. That's because congregations having a specific theological orientation don't fit into the UU model; when the very basic core of congregationalism and our polity in history is that our congregations have not only the right but the responsibility to decide their theological orientation, be it whatever. We should be doing all we can to encourage our congregations as congregations to take theological stances and to be able to justify them and defend them and of course always be open to the movement of the Spirit as it may lead them to change. It is why people went to the stake, and why they journeyed here.
I don't know what the action will be from the Board about the UUCF or others with applications pending; I like others am not so worried about the effect of all this on the UUCF as I am on the UUA itself. The decision will be made by the Board on Monday. The upshot of the hearings seems to be that the Board wants independent affiliates to figure out how to work together in order to have access to things like the UUA website and only an umbrella group consisting of the various affiliates, such as those with theological orientations, will meet the new criteria. This is not a new suggestion but came up at the St. Louis GA in hearings and conversations. There is a lot here and will be visited by many others and by me later too after more reflection. I am curious about whether the suggestion will increase or further decrease the presence of theology on an associational level; I am curious if the bylaws will be changed to drop the "UU organizations" part of the misson of the UUA along with the stated service to congregations, or if UU organizations are only what the Board says are UU organizations (I still favor congregations making that distinction and think you could put a percentage of congregation support level into the criteria); I think that this issue has much more beneath the surface which over time could be interesting to explore. Here I will just say, in the vein of this post, that it is interesting how theological groups among us are lumped into the same mix as all others---call me biased, but I think the religious association should be biased in favor of theological groups, and that its leaders should be able to draw lines and say yes, this theological group is part of us, and so is this one, but should the need arise also be able to say no this other is not.
Oh well it is late and as you can tell I am need of communion tomorrow, and look forward to Brother Tom Schade's pentecost-themed sermon "Gathered Into Many Bodies" 10:45 a.m. today in Convention Room C123-124. And tomorrow night's hymn sing. We are going to have our biggest dinner and hymn sing turnout---75 plus.
Type rest of the post here
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Emergent Organic Conversation at GA this week
It will be Emergent/Organic, Church-Planting, Mission-Minded, House-Church, Lay Fellowship Movement Redux but more Connected, Church Turned Inside Out, Multi-Site 101 and Vision Conversation Time. Saturday, June 23, from 2:45 to 4 p.m. in Portland OR Convention Center Rooms D139-140, sponsored by the UU Christian Fellowship. What all this can teach UU churches, much of which we were once good at way back when. Conversation featuring Rev. Ken Brown, district executive of the Pacific Southwest District, Rev. Susan Smith, district executive of the Southwestern Conference of the UUA, Rev. David Owen of MicahsPorch, and me.
Hope you are there too. There won't be much time to do more than hit the basics, but that can be pretty revolutionary, and spur on continuing conversation. Wouldn't it be something if each year we had a panel or two of representatives of new churches, new emerging missions, giving a report on the risks they are taking, what they are finding out on the ground. There are the "Breakthrough Church Conversations" which have been started, and I am sure they are helpful, but I would like to see some on "Risk-Taking Missions."
But if you get a chance also go to Rev. Christine Robinson's workshop on "How About Video as a Way to Grow"? Not sure that title will accurately capture the ground-breaking nature of what she is trying to do in New Mexico. It is Thursday, 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. in Ballroom 203.
Also Ken Brown and Angela Merkert will be doing more on multi-site and more at "New Visions for Growing Congregations" Friday, 2:45 p.m. to 4 p.m." Ballroom 253. Others that you know might be worthwhile for the organic planter to know about?
Oh for the GAs of the future and the packe houses for "Growing Visions of New Congregations".
It might come up during the ministry days; I will try to keep my ears peeled but you readers who will be there do so too since I will also be busy setting up the booth for the Christian Fellowship. And don't forget our BIG SATURDAY and SUNDAY at General Assembly. Communion Service with Tom Schade and Victoria Weinstein Saturday 10:45 to Noon Convention Center C123-124; the emergent workshop; then Dinner, Hymn Sing, Testimonial, Annual Meeting of the UUCF from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. at First Church Portland, Fuller Room; then Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. KATHLEEN NORRIS in the Oregon Ballroom speaking on "Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith". More at www.uuchristian.org.
Type rest of the post here
Hope you are there too. There won't be much time to do more than hit the basics, but that can be pretty revolutionary, and spur on continuing conversation. Wouldn't it be something if each year we had a panel or two of representatives of new churches, new emerging missions, giving a report on the risks they are taking, what they are finding out on the ground. There are the "Breakthrough Church Conversations" which have been started, and I am sure they are helpful, but I would like to see some on "Risk-Taking Missions."
But if you get a chance also go to Rev. Christine Robinson's workshop on "How About Video as a Way to Grow"? Not sure that title will accurately capture the ground-breaking nature of what she is trying to do in New Mexico. It is Thursday, 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. in Ballroom 203.
Also Ken Brown and Angela Merkert will be doing more on multi-site and more at "New Visions for Growing Congregations" Friday, 2:45 p.m. to 4 p.m." Ballroom 253. Others that you know might be worthwhile for the organic planter to know about?
Oh for the GAs of the future and the packe houses for "Growing Visions of New Congregations".
It might come up during the ministry days; I will try to keep my ears peeled but you readers who will be there do so too since I will also be busy setting up the booth for the Christian Fellowship. And don't forget our BIG SATURDAY and SUNDAY at General Assembly. Communion Service with Tom Schade and Victoria Weinstein Saturday 10:45 to Noon Convention Center C123-124; the emergent workshop; then Dinner, Hymn Sing, Testimonial, Annual Meeting of the UUCF from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. at First Church Portland, Fuller Room; then Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. KATHLEEN NORRIS in the Oregon Ballroom speaking on "Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith". More at www.uuchristian.org.
Type rest of the post here
Annual GA "Church-Planting Snipe Hunt"
For those of you who are going to the UUA General Assembly in Portland this coming week, as will I, drop me a line if somewhere sometime you hear, either officially or unofficially, ANY talk of church planting. Looking over the GA program I see where it MIGHT come up here and there, but there was nothing explicitly stated. Of course with the Open Space Program used this year, maybe it will bubble up from the grassroots. One could hope, but then, given who attends the Assembly, those fairly contented with the status quo, I am skeptical. But a good time will be had by all as we crowd the upper decks of the Titanic.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Biblical Worldviews and More from Barna
Go to http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrowPreview&BarnaUpdateID=271 This is the latest George Barna study and seems apt as we approach Pentecost and consider the spirit of God and the church. George Barna's research is useful to all though we often interpret it differently. For example, I would agree with his basic premise that many who profess Christianity do not have a "biblical worldview" and that having such a view is important, perhaps crucial, yet I would disagree with him drastically in some ways about what that biblical worldview actually is: he uses the term and assumes all agree with him, or that if you don't then you aren't a traditional or orthodox Christian which means not being a Christian to him or many like him.
Also you might follow up on his site to another link where he plugs his new book and his ideas about "Thinking Like Jesus." His premise is that to act like Jesus one must first think like Jesus, which means coming to a set of mental conclusions and propositions of orthodox or dogmatic Christianity. Much of our liberal Christian heritage and tradition has been that one can "act your way into thinking" instead of trying to "think your way into actions" and that by putting action first (Christian character more than Christian creeds as the early Unitarians put it in the 1805-30 years) you might actually come out with a different understanding of Jesus and commitment to Jesus than the other way around. Another interesting observation or question is: can we, in the 21st century, "think like" Jesus who was rooted in a rural, oral-culture, ancient model where the sense of one's self is very different from what it commonly is today, especially in the northern hemisphere and in the U.S.? I would say a big step toward "thinking like Jesus" would be to become engaged in radically challenging our default modes of how we see and value the world and all in it, which is what Jesus did, challenging our orthodoxies.
Barna, like many evangelicals, now asks the questions and does the research we need to be paying attention to, even if we come out of it in different places, which is one of the reasons why hanging out with such evangelicals of his more fundamentalist stripe (as opposed to the emerging stripe) is helpful in us seeing our own tradition better.
There is much again in this annual survey of his that is discussable. Where he sees crisis I see opportunity.
Also you might follow up on his site to another link where he plugs his new book and his ideas about "Thinking Like Jesus." His premise is that to act like Jesus one must first think like Jesus, which means coming to a set of mental conclusions and propositions of orthodox or dogmatic Christianity. Much of our liberal Christian heritage and tradition has been that one can "act your way into thinking" instead of trying to "think your way into actions" and that by putting action first (Christian character more than Christian creeds as the early Unitarians put it in the 1805-30 years) you might actually come out with a different understanding of Jesus and commitment to Jesus than the other way around. Another interesting observation or question is: can we, in the 21st century, "think like" Jesus who was rooted in a rural, oral-culture, ancient model where the sense of one's self is very different from what it commonly is today, especially in the northern hemisphere and in the U.S.? I would say a big step toward "thinking like Jesus" would be to become engaged in radically challenging our default modes of how we see and value the world and all in it, which is what Jesus did, challenging our orthodoxies.
Barna, like many evangelicals, now asks the questions and does the research we need to be paying attention to, even if we come out of it in different places, which is one of the reasons why hanging out with such evangelicals of his more fundamentalist stripe (as opposed to the emerging stripe) is helpful in us seeing our own tradition better.
There is much again in this annual survey of his that is discussable. Where he sees crisis I see opportunity.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
When We Worship
In another post below I quote missional church leaders who say that when you start with worship and hope to move a community then to mission, it is much more difficult if not impossible, than if you start with a missional service based approach to church and then worship to support that; there is more than one way to praise God; one way often leads to it being the only way, whereas growing a group through mission can make it more whole in its "glorifying God." This was one of my biggest learning curves and most often, still repeated, mistake in planting. But transformation is possible, even of the two steps forward and one step backwards dance. Here is one side (ala Paul) of a letter I sent a colleague wondering about worship in our small "house church" style, remembering that we don't meet in a house but very much publicly in a community space we have created. It is all a work in progress. This is a glimpse and just the start of a conversation.
a worship preview: at The Living Room we moved from more formal to more informal though we have some rituals. They hate to end without singing together, acapella of course like we do all our singing, Shalom Havyreem, just as opening song traditions of Come Come Whoever You Are and Dona Nobis Pacem are becoming ones they dont feel right if we dont sing. Usually we have a common invocation and chalice lighting and affirmation but there have been times we didn't do it.
One of the most effective a few weeks ago was a time when we simply lit candles and each person had the chance to say two things--a concern on their mind and heart, and something they hoped for in the coming week, and then after we went around the circle we went around again and the person on their right gave them a special blessing or prayer based on what they'd said. That was worship for that time, followed by shalom havyreem (we stand in circle and sing it, leaving a space for those not present and those to come, reminding us that our circle isn't complete without the world beyond us). sometimes we may just have a hymn sing acapella from our favorite 25 or so songs and chants; this helps those new to us learn them.I also have a fairly short simple straightforward and printed liturgy that can be used when I am not here. Our worship time is basically 30 minutes, often including communion but not always, sometimes communion liturgy is printed out and includes song and responsive reading but also sometimes it is just me giving words about the meaning of communion and then passing the bread and juice. All of our worship for these 30 minutes is now intergenerational. i always tinker some with something. now i am thinking of having an intentional centering prayer time after our common meal and before we start our conversation which is all adult and/or youth, because that is hard to do when the little ones are present at the end.
We meet in our new community center space, around a coffee table with candles on it and the plate and cup and a small statue of the world and margaret mead's words on it about small groups changing the world. we still have a large standing cross near us during it with my stole draped on it (needless to say I dress down on Sundays now, and dress up during the week in the community here). I might begin in the fall moving the cross out of the community space during the week though still considering that; we have such a Christian saturated local community here in some ways, more de-churched than unchurched; and then having it brought forward by the children at the end of our common meal or at the beginning of the worship to signal our time together. architecturally that's about it; we have easy chairs of various sorts in the living room portion of our community center space.
the children have their hour lesson time during the adult conversation lesson time and they meet in a room of our space (not as separate and sound-friendly as at our former smaller space, though, and that poses problems if we are watching a video but we are working on embracing it and working on it; I might move the adults out of the space for their hour and meet at my house or one of the other nearby homes if the number of our children grow, and let the children have the place mostly to themselves, another way to try to invert from the "standard operating procedure of church."
Speaking of having it to ourselves, we don't. Since we meet in the community center space we have created, people will come in to use the facility while we are having our meal, our lesson, our worship. We are still working on all this but have just been interrupting whatever we are doing or designating a greeter to say, come on in, tell them our church is having one of our gatherings now and they are invited to go ahead and use the center around us or join us whichever they would like. Trying to figure out what a "bug" is to be worked out in new missional church and what seems like a "bug" but shoudnt be worked out is real discernment and trial and error.
Here is one of our more liturgical worships for a special occasion--Mother's Day when we also do an annual Flower Communion service
The Living Room Church
Songs of Welcome and Centering
Come, Come, whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper, lover of leavingOurs is no caravan of despair, come, yet again, come.
Spirit of Life, come unto me, sing in my heart, all the stirrings of compassion.Blow in the wind, rise in the sea, move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice. Roots hold me close, wings set me free. Spirit of Life come to me, come to me.
Dona Nobis Pacem
Invocation Response and Chalice Lighting
Today is a day which God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad therein.Let us treat it as the gift it is---with delight, care, and attention.And may we find ways to share Life’s gifts with others.What does the Eternal ask from us?To live justly, to practice mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.We light this flame for the warmth of community, the spark of conscience and compassion, and the energy of commitment.In the light of truth, and in the loving and liberating spirit of Jesus, we gather in freedom, to worship God and to serve all.We are a church of the open mind, the loving heart, the helping hand
Candles for Sharing Blessings and Sorrows in Gratitude and Community
Prayer and Meditation:
Eternal Spirit of Life and Love and Liberation, may we be open to your presence in our lives, in all our joys and sorrows, fears and faith, dreams and disappointments, hurts and hopes, those shared openly with others, and those shared only with You.
Everlasting Hope that holds us up, so that we may go hold others, we give thanks for all that has blessed us, and all that has brought us to this day of Life’s Celebration.Universal Love, continue to show us the way home to our own true hearts, our duties, and to the service of creating a better world for all. Help us to see anew the sacredness placed right before us, right beside us, right within us.Deepest Source of All, may our prayers be times of listening as well as speaking. May we be open to what Life yet speaks to us of truth, joy, and goodness.God beyond all human naming, yet as close as our breath and beating hearts, we bring today these reflections of our minds, these meditations of our hearts, these prayers of our souls. And as Jesus taught to those who would follow in the healing, transforming spirit of his life and ministry, we now join in saying: Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Mother’s Day Flower CommunionIntroduction……The Flower Communion service which we are about to celebrate was originated in 1923 by Dr. Norbert Capek [pronounced Chah-Peck], founder of the modern Unitarian movement in Czechoslovakia. On the last Sunday before the summer recess of the Unitarian church in Prague, all the children and adults participated in this colorful ritual, which gives expression to the life-affirming principles of our faith in the flowering of freedom and respect for people and the earth and the diversity of God‘s creation, which combine for growth of our souls and the soul of our communities. When the Nazis took control of Prague in 1940, they found Dr. Capek's free faith gospel to be-as Nazi court records show-- "...too dangerous to the Reich [for him] to be allowed to live." Dr. Capek was sent to Dachau, where he was killed the next year during a Nazi "medical experiment." This gentle man suffered a cruel death, but his message of human hope and decency lives on through his Flower Communion, which his wife was able to smuggle out when she was rescued and brought to the United States, and which is widely celebrated today. It is a noble and meaning-filled ritual we are about to recreate. This service includes the original prayers of Dr. Capek to help us remember the principles and dreams for which he died. (Bring The Flowers Forward)
The Consecration Prayer….Infinite Spirit of Life, we ask thy blessing on these, thy messengers of fellowship and love. May they remind us. amid diversities of knowledge and of gifts, to be one in desire and affection, and devotion to thy holy will. May they also remind us of the value of comradeship, of doing and sharing alike. May we cherish friendship as one of thy most precious gifts. May we not let awareness of another's talents discourage us, or sully our relationship, but may we realize that, whatever we can do, great or small, the efforts of all of us are needed to do thy work in this world. Amen
Distributing The Flowers and Prayer….In the name of Providence, which implants in the seed the future of the tree and in the hearts of men [and women] the longing for people living in [human] love; in the name of the highest. in whom we move and who makes the mother [and father], the brother and sister what they are; in the name of sages and great religious leaders, who sacrificed their lives to hasten the coming of [peace and justice]--let us renew our resolution--sincerely to be real brothers and sisters regardless of any kind of bar which estranges [one from another]. In this holy resolution may we be strengthened, knowing that we are God's family, that one spirit, the spirit of love, unites us, and [may we] endeavor for a more perfect and more joyful life. Amen.
Closing Words – (written in the concentration camp shortly before his death)It is worthwhile to live and fight courageously for sacred ideals. Oh blow ye evil winds into my body's fire; my soul you'll never unravel. Even though disappointed a thousand times or fallen in the fight and everything would worthless seem, I have lived amidst eternity. Be grateful, my soul, My life was worth living. He who was pressed from all sides but remained victorious in spirit is welcomed into the choir of heroes.He who overcame the fetters giving wing to the mind is entering into the golden age of the victorious. Amen.
The Table of Radical Hospitality: Open Communion For All
Jesus said: I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. And his disciples asked him, when did we do this? And he said, you did this for me when you did it to the least of these. Here is the bread of life, food for the spirit. Let all who hunger come and eat. Here is the fruit of the vine, pressed and poured out for us. Let all who thirst now come and drink.We come to break bread. We come to drink of the fruit of the vine. We come to make peace. May we never praise God with our mouths while denying in our hearts or by our acts the love that is our common speech. We come to be restored in the love of God.---Robert Eller-Isaacs, based on Matthew 25, alt. Singing the Living Tradition hymnal.
Bread of Life/Cup of Hope
Let us break bread together on our knees Let us break bread together on our knees.When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me.Let us drink wine together on our knees. Let us drink wine together on our knees.When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me.Let us praise God together on our knees. Let us praise God together on our knees.When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me.
Benediction
Let us go out into the highways and byways
Let us give the people something of our new vision.We may possess a small light, but may we uncover it, and let it shine.May we use it to bring more light and understanding to the hearts and minds of men and women.May we give them not hell, but hope and courage.May we preach the kindness and everlasting love of God.---John Murray, 18th cent. American Universalist minister
Closing Song: Shalom Havyreem (Peace, Friends)Shalom havyreem, shalom havyreem, shalom, shalomShalom havyreem, shalom havyreem, shalom, shalom
a worship preview: at The Living Room we moved from more formal to more informal though we have some rituals. They hate to end without singing together, acapella of course like we do all our singing, Shalom Havyreem, just as opening song traditions of Come Come Whoever You Are and Dona Nobis Pacem are becoming ones they dont feel right if we dont sing. Usually we have a common invocation and chalice lighting and affirmation but there have been times we didn't do it.
One of the most effective a few weeks ago was a time when we simply lit candles and each person had the chance to say two things--a concern on their mind and heart, and something they hoped for in the coming week, and then after we went around the circle we went around again and the person on their right gave them a special blessing or prayer based on what they'd said. That was worship for that time, followed by shalom havyreem (we stand in circle and sing it, leaving a space for those not present and those to come, reminding us that our circle isn't complete without the world beyond us). sometimes we may just have a hymn sing acapella from our favorite 25 or so songs and chants; this helps those new to us learn them.I also have a fairly short simple straightforward and printed liturgy that can be used when I am not here. Our worship time is basically 30 minutes, often including communion but not always, sometimes communion liturgy is printed out and includes song and responsive reading but also sometimes it is just me giving words about the meaning of communion and then passing the bread and juice. All of our worship for these 30 minutes is now intergenerational. i always tinker some with something. now i am thinking of having an intentional centering prayer time after our common meal and before we start our conversation which is all adult and/or youth, because that is hard to do when the little ones are present at the end.
We meet in our new community center space, around a coffee table with candles on it and the plate and cup and a small statue of the world and margaret mead's words on it about small groups changing the world. we still have a large standing cross near us during it with my stole draped on it (needless to say I dress down on Sundays now, and dress up during the week in the community here). I might begin in the fall moving the cross out of the community space during the week though still considering that; we have such a Christian saturated local community here in some ways, more de-churched than unchurched; and then having it brought forward by the children at the end of our common meal or at the beginning of the worship to signal our time together. architecturally that's about it; we have easy chairs of various sorts in the living room portion of our community center space.
the children have their hour lesson time during the adult conversation lesson time and they meet in a room of our space (not as separate and sound-friendly as at our former smaller space, though, and that poses problems if we are watching a video but we are working on embracing it and working on it; I might move the adults out of the space for their hour and meet at my house or one of the other nearby homes if the number of our children grow, and let the children have the place mostly to themselves, another way to try to invert from the "standard operating procedure of church."
Speaking of having it to ourselves, we don't. Since we meet in the community center space we have created, people will come in to use the facility while we are having our meal, our lesson, our worship. We are still working on all this but have just been interrupting whatever we are doing or designating a greeter to say, come on in, tell them our church is having one of our gatherings now and they are invited to go ahead and use the center around us or join us whichever they would like. Trying to figure out what a "bug" is to be worked out in new missional church and what seems like a "bug" but shoudnt be worked out is real discernment and trial and error.
Here is one of our more liturgical worships for a special occasion--Mother's Day when we also do an annual Flower Communion service
The Living Room Church
Songs of Welcome and Centering
Come, Come, whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper, lover of leavingOurs is no caravan of despair, come, yet again, come.
Spirit of Life, come unto me, sing in my heart, all the stirrings of compassion.Blow in the wind, rise in the sea, move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice. Roots hold me close, wings set me free. Spirit of Life come to me, come to me.
Dona Nobis Pacem
Invocation Response and Chalice Lighting
Today is a day which God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad therein.Let us treat it as the gift it is---with delight, care, and attention.And may we find ways to share Life’s gifts with others.What does the Eternal ask from us?To live justly, to practice mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.We light this flame for the warmth of community, the spark of conscience and compassion, and the energy of commitment.In the light of truth, and in the loving and liberating spirit of Jesus, we gather in freedom, to worship God and to serve all.We are a church of the open mind, the loving heart, the helping hand
Candles for Sharing Blessings and Sorrows in Gratitude and Community
Prayer and Meditation:
Eternal Spirit of Life and Love and Liberation, may we be open to your presence in our lives, in all our joys and sorrows, fears and faith, dreams and disappointments, hurts and hopes, those shared openly with others, and those shared only with You.
Everlasting Hope that holds us up, so that we may go hold others, we give thanks for all that has blessed us, and all that has brought us to this day of Life’s Celebration.Universal Love, continue to show us the way home to our own true hearts, our duties, and to the service of creating a better world for all. Help us to see anew the sacredness placed right before us, right beside us, right within us.Deepest Source of All, may our prayers be times of listening as well as speaking. May we be open to what Life yet speaks to us of truth, joy, and goodness.God beyond all human naming, yet as close as our breath and beating hearts, we bring today these reflections of our minds, these meditations of our hearts, these prayers of our souls. And as Jesus taught to those who would follow in the healing, transforming spirit of his life and ministry, we now join in saying: Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Mother’s Day Flower CommunionIntroduction……The Flower Communion service which we are about to celebrate was originated in 1923 by Dr. Norbert Capek [pronounced Chah-Peck], founder of the modern Unitarian movement in Czechoslovakia. On the last Sunday before the summer recess of the Unitarian church in Prague, all the children and adults participated in this colorful ritual, which gives expression to the life-affirming principles of our faith in the flowering of freedom and respect for people and the earth and the diversity of God‘s creation, which combine for growth of our souls and the soul of our communities. When the Nazis took control of Prague in 1940, they found Dr. Capek's free faith gospel to be-as Nazi court records show-- "...too dangerous to the Reich [for him] to be allowed to live." Dr. Capek was sent to Dachau, where he was killed the next year during a Nazi "medical experiment." This gentle man suffered a cruel death, but his message of human hope and decency lives on through his Flower Communion, which his wife was able to smuggle out when she was rescued and brought to the United States, and which is widely celebrated today. It is a noble and meaning-filled ritual we are about to recreate. This service includes the original prayers of Dr. Capek to help us remember the principles and dreams for which he died. (Bring The Flowers Forward)
The Consecration Prayer….Infinite Spirit of Life, we ask thy blessing on these, thy messengers of fellowship and love. May they remind us. amid diversities of knowledge and of gifts, to be one in desire and affection, and devotion to thy holy will. May they also remind us of the value of comradeship, of doing and sharing alike. May we cherish friendship as one of thy most precious gifts. May we not let awareness of another's talents discourage us, or sully our relationship, but may we realize that, whatever we can do, great or small, the efforts of all of us are needed to do thy work in this world. Amen
Distributing The Flowers and Prayer….In the name of Providence, which implants in the seed the future of the tree and in the hearts of men [and women] the longing for people living in [human] love; in the name of the highest. in whom we move and who makes the mother [and father], the brother and sister what they are; in the name of sages and great religious leaders, who sacrificed their lives to hasten the coming of [peace and justice]--let us renew our resolution--sincerely to be real brothers and sisters regardless of any kind of bar which estranges [one from another]. In this holy resolution may we be strengthened, knowing that we are God's family, that one spirit, the spirit of love, unites us, and [may we] endeavor for a more perfect and more joyful life. Amen.
Closing Words – (written in the concentration camp shortly before his death)It is worthwhile to live and fight courageously for sacred ideals. Oh blow ye evil winds into my body's fire; my soul you'll never unravel. Even though disappointed a thousand times or fallen in the fight and everything would worthless seem, I have lived amidst eternity. Be grateful, my soul, My life was worth living. He who was pressed from all sides but remained victorious in spirit is welcomed into the choir of heroes.He who overcame the fetters giving wing to the mind is entering into the golden age of the victorious. Amen.
The Table of Radical Hospitality: Open Communion For All
Jesus said: I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. And his disciples asked him, when did we do this? And he said, you did this for me when you did it to the least of these. Here is the bread of life, food for the spirit. Let all who hunger come and eat. Here is the fruit of the vine, pressed and poured out for us. Let all who thirst now come and drink.We come to break bread. We come to drink of the fruit of the vine. We come to make peace. May we never praise God with our mouths while denying in our hearts or by our acts the love that is our common speech. We come to be restored in the love of God.---Robert Eller-Isaacs, based on Matthew 25, alt. Singing the Living Tradition hymnal.
Bread of Life/Cup of Hope
Let us break bread together on our knees Let us break bread together on our knees.When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me.Let us drink wine together on our knees. Let us drink wine together on our knees.When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me.Let us praise God together on our knees. Let us praise God together on our knees.When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me.
Benediction
Let us go out into the highways and byways
Let us give the people something of our new vision.We may possess a small light, but may we uncover it, and let it shine.May we use it to bring more light and understanding to the hearts and minds of men and women.May we give them not hell, but hope and courage.May we preach the kindness and everlasting love of God.---John Murray, 18th cent. American Universalist minister
Closing Song: Shalom Havyreem (Peace, Friends)Shalom havyreem, shalom havyreem, shalom, shalomShalom havyreem, shalom havyreem, shalom, shalom
Friday, April 27, 2007
Becoming Missional and other links
I mentioned in my comments in the post below how much I like Becoming Missional Check it out. Plus I am going to be updating all of my links, so pass on ones here in the comment section to this post that you think I might want to link to that I haven't yet just in case yours/they aren't on my list to update. Also, for some of my favorites in my Tulsa area, I have just linked to the Emergent Tulsa Cohort and from that page you can click on several of the local bloggers. Anyway it might be next week but the updated links will be coming soon. End.
Type rest of the post here
Type rest of the post here
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
"a third place" gets notice
Our missional incarnational approach here in Turley, OK with the creation of 'a third place' as part of our planting got written up today in the Tulsa World. Here is the link where you can read the article. http://www.tulsaworld.com/community/article.aspx?articleID=070425_9_ZM1_spanc73180.
I guess, since there is no mention in the article of me as a minister and of the creation of the center as a way that our church is serving the community, of how we are purposefully becoming "a guest in our own home" as a spiritual discipline, that it must be working. No seriously, when I first read the article, my old default mode of thinking went up and I thought "oh I wish they'd mentioned the church" but if they had, since we are not only serving people of existing religious affiliations but especially the de-churched and unchurched, I probably would have thought "oh I wish they hadn't played up the church so much." Such is the plight of the 50-something planter moving more into missional approaches to what it means to be church.
We don't have a sign that says the name of our church or even a flier out front that we meet in the space we have created (we did but I took it down); we do have a flier for the church that is available in the community information area but we also post information prominently about events that take place at other churches in our area; we do have a cross placed next to the cable television area but I have been debating about taking it out and just bringing it out, in a kind of processional, whenever we have our meetings (still haven't decided; there are pros and cons). Upshot is that people will find out about us first through our mission, our work together, and through conversation rather than some printed material, a sign, slogans, or worship service.
The fact that it all feels weird, disorienting to people's stereotypes of church, means we are on the right track I think. End.
Type rest of the post here
I guess, since there is no mention in the article of me as a minister and of the creation of the center as a way that our church is serving the community, of how we are purposefully becoming "a guest in our own home" as a spiritual discipline, that it must be working. No seriously, when I first read the article, my old default mode of thinking went up and I thought "oh I wish they'd mentioned the church" but if they had, since we are not only serving people of existing religious affiliations but especially the de-churched and unchurched, I probably would have thought "oh I wish they hadn't played up the church so much." Such is the plight of the 50-something planter moving more into missional approaches to what it means to be church.
We don't have a sign that says the name of our church or even a flier out front that we meet in the space we have created (we did but I took it down); we do have a flier for the church that is available in the community information area but we also post information prominently about events that take place at other churches in our area; we do have a cross placed next to the cable television area but I have been debating about taking it out and just bringing it out, in a kind of processional, whenever we have our meetings (still haven't decided; there are pros and cons). Upshot is that people will find out about us first through our mission, our work together, and through conversation rather than some printed material, a sign, slogans, or worship service.
The fact that it all feels weird, disorienting to people's stereotypes of church, means we are on the right track I think. End.
Type rest of the post here
Friday, April 13, 2007
Anti-Planting Attitudes, and More
Following up on the post below, here are some items lifted from the special Net Results issue on church planting.
From George Bullard's radical church planting letter: You've got to move away from anti-church planting attitudes such as:
--We cannot start new congregations because of all the empty seats we have in existing congregations. Fill up our churches first and then we can start new congregations....because they may take away some of our members, particularly those who no longer live close to our church...because they will compete with us for new members. We have at least one family from every neighborhood within three miles of our church. So we are reaching those neighborhoods.
---Our denominational region plans to start about one new congregation every three to five years now. That is a great improvement over the past when we started a new congregation about every five to seven years....starting new is too expensive to start too many of them. We have to hire a pastor-developer and pay that salary. We have to buy land. We have to build the first building. With all that investment we are lucky to be able to start one church every five years....we hve to make sure they are started right, so we have to go slowly and deliberately to guide them appropriately and make sure they understand the principles of faithfulness.
---We are not a rich region. we cannot put together the large amount of money needed to start a new congregation. We tried a capital fund campaign several years ago for it and it failed. It is more important for the denominational staff to work with churches that are plateaued and declining and need renewal. They have been paying their dues in money and service to the denomination and deserve more than a new congregation. Church planters must be approved by our denomination. Too few candidates exist. Our seminaries do not emphasize it and there must be good reasons for this.
Denominations tend to have three attitudes about church planting, with varying results.
1. If there is a "Church planting initiative" in your denomination, then among the various things the denomination does is to seek to plant churches. (instead of its being the denomination's reason for being. Think what a change that would mean). Those who adopt initiative-mindsets rely on the denomination to start churches at least 80 percent of the time. Often the starts come from split-offs. With this mindset you might get new congregations coming into existence each year that is equal to or less than 1 percent of the churches already in existence. This is where the UUA is, at best.
2. If there is a "Church planting strategy" denominations focus their activities on making it a core value through training of leaders, marketing it as a sell to local churches. After 10 years of sustained attention you will see changes in the church culture. At first some easy to launch churches will start where people have been waiting for support; then next some existing churches will begin to start the process; the final part of that first ten years the new congregations themselves will begin to look to becoming partners and sponsors of other new ones. If the denomination seeks to control the church planting efforts of the newer congregations, there will be some incremental increases in new church plants each year moreso than those with the initiative mind-set. If they don't seek to control the newly-planted churches, then the third mind-set might take hold.
3. If there is a "church planting movement" mind-set, it is radically different from what currently exists. It can't be directly initiated from the denomination, but must be grassroots (but denominational seeding of such grassroots culture can help). You pull together pastors and leaders who have been engaged in it and challenging them to take it to new level. Accountability should be by planting peers and not denominational officials. It can't accept too many external resources. It happens when people live the truth that "the natural reproduction of congregations that begins to occur in the midst of a spiritual environment where new congregations of all types are seen as the best way to extend and expand the kingdom of God. It is a spiritual movement more than it is a strategic plan....Leaders are from the grassroots...It is tough to put a ceiling on how much growth in congregations can take place through a church planting movement." Growth of a minimum of 5 percent each year in the number of new congregations within a collection of congregations is a beginning point."
Here is an example of a beginning church planting movement: Go to The Northwoods Story:Go to http://www.northwoodchurch.org.
It is an oft-repeated story. Northwoods started out to do big mega-church but decided to spread out instead. Still have 2,000 at original site but have 30,000 through 80 congregations started instead. Starting 15 new ones per year. It's about having a "kingdom" perspective, not institutional organizational perspective. Funny how we progressives so often don't translate our community-minded "kingdom" social gospel approach into planting in the same spirit. Maybe there is something safe about having church as a safe place to retreat to in between our forays into making the world a better place, but if we truly want to do it we need to turn things inside out and re-create the church as kingdom-work.
From Bob Roberts from Northwood: "Every church member seen as a church planter." I love it. Changes everything. Need to start instilling that. Once you get your mind around that, it makes missional and incarnational and relational church planting more understandable. Note what this does to membership expectations.
---" Powerful, personal worship is key." Here is another paradigm portal. A real controversial place of pushing the ecclesia. See earlier posts about worship. How often does our image and addiction to "corporate worship" and size in worship prevent us from doing the real prayerful spiritual work that is needed and that would lead us to being missionaries wherever we are? Can people envision church without worship as they are used to it? Small group worship and even two to three prayer groups and even personal prayer time, immersing in music, silence, nature, scripture, singing to God by yourself, engaging in art deeply, all this can be meaningful worship that drives us to create communities and relationships, instead of the regular Sunday worship event trapping us from doing so.
The Disciples of Christ vision was to start 100 new congregations a year, 1000 in 1000 different ways. So far after five years they have close to 450 new congregations. They are supporting their planters with training, grants, global experiences. Healthy church planters start healthy congregations. Everyone is coupled with a mentoring coach. ---From Ed Stetzer: Churches start churches. He has a list of 72 church planting organizations. this is a new phenomenon of the past 20 years, and more recently within that time frame....You can, and denominations do, pour millions into churches that are broken. Revitalizing existing churches is a great idea, but no one has been able to do that. We need to help churches transform, but we need to start new ones too. And we need to do it not just with "good people" who stand in front of other good people and tell them how to be good, to quote Mark Twain. Stetzer says for forty years we have made the church better, spruced up buildings, spiced up worship, made sermons practical, and the culture is "more lost" and people who go to church are less committed.
--From Ronny Russell: an oldie but goodie--if someone comes to a church leader with an idea and passion for a new ministry how many hoops will they have to jump through? (If I was in search that would be the basis of my first question to folks looking for a new minister)....Church can become like little bands of disciples going about Galillee and Judea following Jesus. Others will see and hear and want to join.
---From Tom Bandy.: Who cares if your church exists? (another good search question.) but better yet, Does God care it exists? Stop talking lovingly amongst yourself and talk more lovingly among strangers. The codependency between laity and clergy is the most significant block to mission growth. 1. Take away money from institutional maintenance and put it into relevant programs for the public. Don't stop with programs, but with programs that lead to conversations in the community. Be a mentor to those in community in need. Have a single signature ministry in the zip code.
From George Bullard's radical church planting letter: You've got to move away from anti-church planting attitudes such as:
--We cannot start new congregations because of all the empty seats we have in existing congregations. Fill up our churches first and then we can start new congregations....because they may take away some of our members, particularly those who no longer live close to our church...because they will compete with us for new members. We have at least one family from every neighborhood within three miles of our church. So we are reaching those neighborhoods.
---Our denominational region plans to start about one new congregation every three to five years now. That is a great improvement over the past when we started a new congregation about every five to seven years....starting new is too expensive to start too many of them. We have to hire a pastor-developer and pay that salary. We have to buy land. We have to build the first building. With all that investment we are lucky to be able to start one church every five years....we hve to make sure they are started right, so we have to go slowly and deliberately to guide them appropriately and make sure they understand the principles of faithfulness.
---We are not a rich region. we cannot put together the large amount of money needed to start a new congregation. We tried a capital fund campaign several years ago for it and it failed. It is more important for the denominational staff to work with churches that are plateaued and declining and need renewal. They have been paying their dues in money and service to the denomination and deserve more than a new congregation. Church planters must be approved by our denomination. Too few candidates exist. Our seminaries do not emphasize it and there must be good reasons for this.
Denominations tend to have three attitudes about church planting, with varying results.
1. If there is a "Church planting initiative" in your denomination, then among the various things the denomination does is to seek to plant churches. (instead of its being the denomination's reason for being. Think what a change that would mean). Those who adopt initiative-mindsets rely on the denomination to start churches at least 80 percent of the time. Often the starts come from split-offs. With this mindset you might get new congregations coming into existence each year that is equal to or less than 1 percent of the churches already in existence. This is where the UUA is, at best.
2. If there is a "Church planting strategy" denominations focus their activities on making it a core value through training of leaders, marketing it as a sell to local churches. After 10 years of sustained attention you will see changes in the church culture. At first some easy to launch churches will start where people have been waiting for support; then next some existing churches will begin to start the process; the final part of that first ten years the new congregations themselves will begin to look to becoming partners and sponsors of other new ones. If the denomination seeks to control the church planting efforts of the newer congregations, there will be some incremental increases in new church plants each year moreso than those with the initiative mind-set. If they don't seek to control the newly-planted churches, then the third mind-set might take hold.
3. If there is a "church planting movement" mind-set, it is radically different from what currently exists. It can't be directly initiated from the denomination, but must be grassroots (but denominational seeding of such grassroots culture can help). You pull together pastors and leaders who have been engaged in it and challenging them to take it to new level. Accountability should be by planting peers and not denominational officials. It can't accept too many external resources. It happens when people live the truth that "the natural reproduction of congregations that begins to occur in the midst of a spiritual environment where new congregations of all types are seen as the best way to extend and expand the kingdom of God. It is a spiritual movement more than it is a strategic plan....Leaders are from the grassroots...It is tough to put a ceiling on how much growth in congregations can take place through a church planting movement." Growth of a minimum of 5 percent each year in the number of new congregations within a collection of congregations is a beginning point."
Here is an example of a beginning church planting movement: Go to The Northwoods Story:Go to http://www.northwoodchurch.org.
It is an oft-repeated story. Northwoods started out to do big mega-church but decided to spread out instead. Still have 2,000 at original site but have 30,000 through 80 congregations started instead. Starting 15 new ones per year. It's about having a "kingdom" perspective, not institutional organizational perspective. Funny how we progressives so often don't translate our community-minded "kingdom" social gospel approach into planting in the same spirit. Maybe there is something safe about having church as a safe place to retreat to in between our forays into making the world a better place, but if we truly want to do it we need to turn things inside out and re-create the church as kingdom-work.
From Bob Roberts from Northwood: "Every church member seen as a church planter." I love it. Changes everything. Need to start instilling that. Once you get your mind around that, it makes missional and incarnational and relational church planting more understandable. Note what this does to membership expectations.
---" Powerful, personal worship is key." Here is another paradigm portal. A real controversial place of pushing the ecclesia. See earlier posts about worship. How often does our image and addiction to "corporate worship" and size in worship prevent us from doing the real prayerful spiritual work that is needed and that would lead us to being missionaries wherever we are? Can people envision church without worship as they are used to it? Small group worship and even two to three prayer groups and even personal prayer time, immersing in music, silence, nature, scripture, singing to God by yourself, engaging in art deeply, all this can be meaningful worship that drives us to create communities and relationships, instead of the regular Sunday worship event trapping us from doing so.
The Disciples of Christ vision was to start 100 new congregations a year, 1000 in 1000 different ways. So far after five years they have close to 450 new congregations. They are supporting their planters with training, grants, global experiences. Healthy church planters start healthy congregations. Everyone is coupled with a mentoring coach. ---From Ed Stetzer: Churches start churches. He has a list of 72 church planting organizations. this is a new phenomenon of the past 20 years, and more recently within that time frame....You can, and denominations do, pour millions into churches that are broken. Revitalizing existing churches is a great idea, but no one has been able to do that. We need to help churches transform, but we need to start new ones too. And we need to do it not just with "good people" who stand in front of other good people and tell them how to be good, to quote Mark Twain. Stetzer says for forty years we have made the church better, spruced up buildings, spiced up worship, made sermons practical, and the culture is "more lost" and people who go to church are less committed.
--From Ronny Russell: an oldie but goodie--if someone comes to a church leader with an idea and passion for a new ministry how many hoops will they have to jump through? (If I was in search that would be the basis of my first question to folks looking for a new minister)....Church can become like little bands of disciples going about Galillee and Judea following Jesus. Others will see and hear and want to join.
---From Tom Bandy.: Who cares if your church exists? (another good search question.) but better yet, Does God care it exists? Stop talking lovingly amongst yourself and talk more lovingly among strangers. The codependency between laity and clergy is the most significant block to mission growth. 1. Take away money from institutional maintenance and put it into relevant programs for the public. Don't stop with programs, but with programs that lead to conversations in the community. Be a mentor to those in community in need. Have a single signature ministry in the zip code.
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