Our state has asked the "faith community" to help with its care of foster kids. This is a good thing. But the question arises: what is a "faith community"? And does this suggest someone can opt out, so to speak, of participating in a "faith community"?
Everyone has a world view that affects how one lives. Everyone considers something or someone most important: God, the pursuit of wealth, or whatever. Whatever we hold as most important becomes the filter and standard by which we make decisions and evaluate how well we're doing in life. This "alignment" is called worship. And we exercise daily faith that the person or thing we worship will help us. This is called faith.
So why do we distinguish people by this label? Because politicos, partiularly more liberal ones, tend to believe that one's faith can somehow be left at home when one enters the workplace, or the community, or government. This is simply not true.
I'm not sure what a better descriptor would be to describe people who gather weekly in churches, synagogues, temples, halls, mosques, etc. But it seems to me "faith community" isn't it.
30 October 2006
25 October 2006
Principles are the bottom line
This article from Christianity Today's library was in today's weekly email. Written by Warren Wiersbe, it suggests the true bottom line for anyone in ministry leadership.
Principles are the bottom line
Principles are the bottom line
Church business meetings
We held our quarterly business meeting Sunday. As a member of the pastoral staff, I was expected to offer a report, the contents of which were delineated by the senior pastor. Not usual. But there were some issues the leadership had discussed over several meetings, and I was a logical spokesperson.
I wrote out my comments because I've discovered that if I allow myself too much wiggle room by merely jotting main ideas and letting my brain fill in the rest, I tend to ramble and chase tangents, and burn a lot of time. And when my brain races, I become more animated. I pace. Not back and forth. But up and down the aisle! Though this tendency serves as an asset in a corporate training environment, it causes church people discomfort, particularly for those sitting in forward rows.
After several tests, I find I'm calmer when I script myself. Not to the point where I'm reading words, but when I take the time to think through what I want to say, organize the thoughts, let my brain do its thing before "show time," I find I cover what I need to without straying too far off point.
I spoke for 15-20 minutes--yes, there was a lot to cover. But I found myself pushing to get through the material, as I noted physical cues in the audience that suggested growing impatience. I interjected an apology for the length, and reminded folks I had several things to talk about (published in the agenda so I wasn't making stuff up).
Afterward, I found myself resenting the impatience displayed by the congregation. They'd NEVER think of doing that to the senior pastor, who talked for almost 40 minutes after I ended. I've only been here two years. The senior pastor has 18 years on me. I'm not competing, but I realize I still am not completely accepted as a pastor yet.
I must be in New England.
I wrote out my comments because I've discovered that if I allow myself too much wiggle room by merely jotting main ideas and letting my brain fill in the rest, I tend to ramble and chase tangents, and burn a lot of time. And when my brain races, I become more animated. I pace. Not back and forth. But up and down the aisle! Though this tendency serves as an asset in a corporate training environment, it causes church people discomfort, particularly for those sitting in forward rows.
After several tests, I find I'm calmer when I script myself. Not to the point where I'm reading words, but when I take the time to think through what I want to say, organize the thoughts, let my brain do its thing before "show time," I find I cover what I need to without straying too far off point.
I spoke for 15-20 minutes--yes, there was a lot to cover. But I found myself pushing to get through the material, as I noted physical cues in the audience that suggested growing impatience. I interjected an apology for the length, and reminded folks I had several things to talk about (published in the agenda so I wasn't making stuff up).
Afterward, I found myself resenting the impatience displayed by the congregation. They'd NEVER think of doing that to the senior pastor, who talked for almost 40 minutes after I ended. I've only been here two years. The senior pastor has 18 years on me. I'm not competing, but I realize I still am not completely accepted as a pastor yet.
I must be in New England.
17 October 2006
Walks do a body good
I took a spur-of-the-moment, hour-long walk today around town. Literally.
My wife started at a new job and needed the car today for the first of several "transition days." So I walked our youngest to school (typical), and kept going to work (a whole 100 yards or so further: it's right next door to the school). I dropped my backpack in my office and decided to walk down the street to get some coffee at the local Mobil convenience store.
Several construction trucks and a backhoe were digging up the property of several trailer homes across the street. Coffee in hand, I trotted across to ask what was going on. They're connecting water and sewer for two of the homes and laying new pipe for four new homes.
Having now learned something new for the day, I headed back to work. But I kept going. I remembered I had to go to the bank, so I walked the mile or so to the bank. Took care of that. But I decided to not return the same way, and ended walking a route that circumambulated the lower side of town. [Never thought I'd ever use that word, circumambulated.]
Go back to work an hour later. Quiet walk. A couple of cement and demp trucks. A babbling brook. A gray sky with the sun barely easing through a translucent veil of clouds. Lots of thoughts along the way.
I may try this again.
My wife started at a new job and needed the car today for the first of several "transition days." So I walked our youngest to school (typical), and kept going to work (a whole 100 yards or so further: it's right next door to the school). I dropped my backpack in my office and decided to walk down the street to get some coffee at the local Mobil convenience store.
Several construction trucks and a backhoe were digging up the property of several trailer homes across the street. Coffee in hand, I trotted across to ask what was going on. They're connecting water and sewer for two of the homes and laying new pipe for four new homes.
Having now learned something new for the day, I headed back to work. But I kept going. I remembered I had to go to the bank, so I walked the mile or so to the bank. Took care of that. But I decided to not return the same way, and ended walking a route that circumambulated the lower side of town. [Never thought I'd ever use that word, circumambulated.]
Go back to work an hour later. Quiet walk. A couple of cement and demp trucks. A babbling brook. A gray sky with the sun barely easing through a translucent veil of clouds. Lots of thoughts along the way.
I may try this again.
10 October 2006
Programming Team and Youth Ministry
Programming Team working great so far
We've been able to meet now for three weeks, and today we knocked out the first three weekends in November. I was very pleased with the dialogue and process today. Everyone had some great ideas and we were able to craft three distinct services that will complement the theme fo each day.
We're in the middle of our 40 Days of Community campaign. And the three Sundays in November are Worship, Missions (World), and Celebration Sunday, respectively. We moved elements around, such as the offering, or the greeting time (which I'm not a great fan of personally, but the folks here enjoy it for the most part) so the flow of each service made sense for the theme. In fact, we canned the greeting time for Worship Sunday so we could ensure all elements placed the focus on God. No message on Missions Sunday will allow a couple of missionaries to share. And a four-song opening set (coincidentally all in E Major) will set the stage for an exciting time of congregational sharing on Celebration Sunday.
The next step in this transition to the Programming team ministry is to invite the worship leaders on board so they can help shape and own their specific services. Before we can do that, however, I must spend some time devloping their ministry philosophy and training them in the new approach to services. For a long time, they have served more as emcees, walking people through the printed bulletin as if they couldn't read for themselves, announcing each song ("Now we will sing...") and coming across as mere adjuncts to the senior pastor, who monitored and controlled everything from the piano bench.
We also will try to establish a worship team (instrumentalists, vocalists and technicians) so they can be part of the rehearsals. Right now, the band and choir rehearses on the same night. Of course, half the current band members also sings in the choir so this has worked so far. But we'll eventually need to split rehearsals over different nights, I think, especially as we add more people to the mix, and look at more than the coming Sunday's music.
Student Ministry doesn't look like last year's
The senior high meets almost every week for service projects, group activities or just to just chill at the leaders' home. Parent's of junior high kids will take turns hosting/coordinating a monthly activity for their kids. I'm out of the picture leadershipwise. Yay! It's actually been great to see things take off. I still hope God will raise someone to take the leadership reigns for Junior High, but at least there's something (I still teach the JH Sunday School class).
And with neither group using the chuirch building every Sunday afternoon and evening, we are now considering educational options for parents and adults, which we haven't heretofore.
Now I need to focus on the church's website, which is woefully out-of-date, and hosted by a company that won't even return phone calls. So we need to look at a host, content-management software, and then build dynamic content. Yeah, that'll be easy. :)
We've been able to meet now for three weeks, and today we knocked out the first three weekends in November. I was very pleased with the dialogue and process today. Everyone had some great ideas and we were able to craft three distinct services that will complement the theme fo each day.
We're in the middle of our 40 Days of Community campaign. And the three Sundays in November are Worship, Missions (World), and Celebration Sunday, respectively. We moved elements around, such as the offering, or the greeting time (which I'm not a great fan of personally, but the folks here enjoy it for the most part) so the flow of each service made sense for the theme. In fact, we canned the greeting time for Worship Sunday so we could ensure all elements placed the focus on God. No message on Missions Sunday will allow a couple of missionaries to share. And a four-song opening set (coincidentally all in E Major) will set the stage for an exciting time of congregational sharing on Celebration Sunday.
The next step in this transition to the Programming team ministry is to invite the worship leaders on board so they can help shape and own their specific services. Before we can do that, however, I must spend some time devloping their ministry philosophy and training them in the new approach to services. For a long time, they have served more as emcees, walking people through the printed bulletin as if they couldn't read for themselves, announcing each song ("Now we will sing...") and coming across as mere adjuncts to the senior pastor, who monitored and controlled everything from the piano bench.
We also will try to establish a worship team (instrumentalists, vocalists and technicians) so they can be part of the rehearsals. Right now, the band and choir rehearses on the same night. Of course, half the current band members also sings in the choir so this has worked so far. But we'll eventually need to split rehearsals over different nights, I think, especially as we add more people to the mix, and look at more than the coming Sunday's music.
Student Ministry doesn't look like last year's
The senior high meets almost every week for service projects, group activities or just to just chill at the leaders' home. Parent's of junior high kids will take turns hosting/coordinating a monthly activity for their kids. I'm out of the picture leadershipwise. Yay! It's actually been great to see things take off. I still hope God will raise someone to take the leadership reigns for Junior High, but at least there's something (I still teach the JH Sunday School class).
And with neither group using the chuirch building every Sunday afternoon and evening, we are now considering educational options for parents and adults, which we haven't heretofore.
Now I need to focus on the church's website, which is woefully out-of-date, and hosted by a company that won't even return phone calls. So we need to look at a host, content-management software, and then build dynamic content. Yeah, that'll be easy. :)
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