Children’s Ministry and Missional Context July 18, 2008

Children’s Ministries should be about forming people who love God and follow Jesus. One way to keep this and coming generations outwardly focused is to provide a missional context in the church and, more specifically, in those programs and opportunities directed toward children. Faith communities desiring to form children who participate in God’s kingdom work will be faith communities who care more about works of peace and justice, who care more about “doing what people who follow Jesus do” than about attracting large numbers through glitzy programs and providing a “holy huddle” for those who are on the inside. When children see an ethos of mission modeled for them by parents, church leaders, and other significant adults they can be transformed to live in the way of Jesus as they begin to understand their responsibilities to the world and other people God created in the holy image.
~ Ivy Beckwith

I read this quote when reading through Ivy’s book Postmodern Children’s Ministry. It’s intriguing on so many levels.

First, it deals with what I have been teaching our leaders and parents about recently. Faith transference will ONLY happen through modeling. We must model a Christlike attitude and Christlike actions for children in order for them to live missionally and for their faith to carry on. If kids don’t see it in their parents, they’re generally not going to follow.

Second, Ivy urges participation in a “faith community” rather than just big “glitzy” events. That’s a huge trap for today’s church. Too often we focus our time and efforts on big events and/or programs not realizing that this is not going to encourage faith habits and life transformation in kids and families. Children need to understand at a young age what a community of believers really is (and isn’t). It’s all about “doing life” together with others going through your same life stage. This is the definition of a healthy church and a spiritually healthy child. It also gets kids and adults away from becoming closed-off or stuck in what Ivy labels a “holy-huddle.”

So often we get focused only on our responsibilities in our church. We never look outward and notice the needs of those around us. Missionally minded kids will see the needs of those within their faith community, but in the same manner, they will notice and get involved in resolving the needs of others around them.

 

Repotting Yourself July 1, 2008

Probably a pretty confusing title, huh? 

So, about a year ago I bought a hibiscus plant per my mom’s advice. My parents have a really huge and beautiful hibiscus by their pool. It’s massive and has these awesome orange blooms.

I noticed about a month ago that mine looked like it was dying. The weird thing is that I water it almost every day and spray the leaves with mist, etc. I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t growing and why it almost died. So, thinking through this obvious crisis, I realized that the pot had probably become too small for the roots and so I headed over to Wal-Mart to buy a new pot and soil. 

Three days later… the plant is growing insanely. There are new leaves sprouting all over it and you can actually see where the branches have grown. It’s pretty cool because I’m horrible with all things involving green thumbery.

I was bragging (in a very manly way, of course!) to someone about my agricultural success. I must say, I’m holding my head a bit higher these days. However, something occurred to me. There is an obvious parallel in the life of a believer.

Sometimes believers (aka Christians) get caught in a “slump” or “rut” in their walk with God. They can’t figure out why they don’t have the same joy or why they aren’t growing at the same pace they once did. They are spending the same amount of time in personal study, attending church services, even volunteering in their children’s ministry (hint hint). But, they just don’t “feel it” anymore.

Let me suggest that they need to repot themselves. Change is good and is a part of growth. Routine, in my opinion, is limiting and deadly. They need to put themselves in a new “culture” within or outside of the church. A change of routine or schedule forces you to rethink and rework your entire day. Maybe join a new small group that you would have never considered. Force yourself to go to a different Starbucks in the morning… or maybe not go at all! Surround yourself with new believers who might provide a new perspective on life and the Christian walk.

Looking at the life and missionary journeys of Paul, you can see that he was all about change in culture and environment. His passion for God stayed fresh because he never fell into the rut of routine. He was constantly exploring new methods to present the Gospel and contextualize the message. His life is an example for the “stuck” believer.

This is, in a sense, “repotting” yourself. Give it a try if you feel stuck!

Doug Pagitt Does it Again! June 26, 2008

Buy this book. Amazing! Stunning! Profound! Life-Changing!

 

A Christianity Worth Believing offers an engaging, ‘come-with-me-on-a-journey-of-exploring-the-possibilities’ approach to what it means to be a follower of Jesus in our day. Written by Doug Pagitt—a leading voice in the Emergent conversation—this beautifully written book weaves together theological reflections, Christian history, and his own story of faith transformation.

Pagitt invites readers to follow him as he tells the story of his un-churched childhood, his life-altering conversion at age 16, his intense involvement in the church, and his growing sense of unease with the version of Christianity he was living. On page after page, Pagitt lays out his journey toward an authentic, passionate expression of a faith that feels alive, sustainable, and meaningful.

A Christianity Worth Believing is for the growing numbers of people who have serious and thoughtful questions about Christianity, who have lived for years with deep-seated wondering and doubts about their faith. Pagitt points the way to a new kind of faith by asking the “off-limits” questions about God, Jesus, sin, the Bible, humanity, church, and the Kingdom of God. Rather than rehashing old debates, he offers new insights, provocative possibilities, and hopeful alternatives.

In A Christianity Worth Believing you may well discover questions you didn’t think you could ask, ideas you didn’t think you could pursue, beliefs you didn’t think you could hold onto. Ultimately you will discover a Christianity worth believing.

Here’s Doug promoting the book. Take a look…

 

Reach the Whole Person with the Whole Gospel April 17, 2008

I’m a big, big, big Donald Miller fan. I thought this video was great.

His church, Imago Dei, in Portland really understands the narrative and context of Scripture. In this video Miller talks about how they are reaching culture in its context with the “whole Gospel.” They aren’t sacrificing Scripture for the sake of relevancy, but rather attempting to incarnate the Gospel message into the lives of others.

Imagine if every church thought like this.