To quote someone I know, "I like to think about church-to a point." I like questions like "What do I want a church I plant to look like?" and "How do I make people feel part of it?" I can sit all day and draw pictures in my head of what church should look like.
I can read things like this: "On the Day of Pentecost the Jerusalem congregation grew to more than 3,000 multicultural, multilingual Jews (Acts 2:41). Several thousand more were added in the days that followed (Acts 4:4, 5:14, 6:7). The church was multicultural and multilingual from the first moment of its existence. [United by Faith by Curtiss Paul DeYoung, Michael O. Emerson, George Yancey, and Karen Chai Kim]." I get excited by that.
I can read all our blogs since July and be overwhelmed (in a smiling, face hurting way) by how some of the ideas evolved through discussion. I think honest, open, sometimes even just stream-of-conciousness writing has really fleshed out some ideas, and I think that needs to be translated from a small group environment to a church-wide one. Not necessarily the back-and-forth aspects of the discussion, but the openness and honesty about church vision, mission, values, events; basically everything.
Let me be honest for a second. When I first joined Here Today in 1999, I was very suspicious of Christians because sometimes I didn't feel like I was involved in their circle because I felt I was being judged. I wasn't being judged, which I know now, but that suspiciousness developed because people weren't always forthcoming with what was going on. It would be like, "Hey we're going to play a show at a church." Then, we'd arrive at a church and have to participate in church-stuff before we played. I'd be there like, "What the heck?" It's not even that I minded the church stuff, and ultimately, it changed my life more than playing bass ever did, but if everyone had been forthcoming with me, I wouldn't have felt like I'd been tricked into going to church. I could have just gone and soaked it in without bitterness.
Especially if a church is going to unite people in their faith, I think a "cards on the table" approach is wise. Again, let me be honest; a lot of people don't naturally trust the intentions of people of other races. I was thinking about this a lot a couple days ago, and I know that my current openness to diversity is only through a years-long effort to be open and is not something that was necessarily passed down from my parents. Not that they are racist; they are status-quoists, and that's not good enough for me.
If nothing is hidden from people, and if the mission, vision and values are openly and often shared, then there will be no mystery. I have seen how suspisciousness can develop even where you feel it never could and cause division in the body. The more open and the more people know what is going on, I feel the less would have to be suspicious about. Obviously, in our world, division is going to find a way to crop up, but I feel like this would be one way to hellp protect against Satan and his plots to divide and devour.
Look at our country and how suspisciousness has arisen because nobody feels politicians are forthcoming and trustworthy. Transparency, love, and grace could help the church avoid becoming like the government and help church leaders avoid being seen as politicians.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Retreat Observations.
I want to be part of a church filled with Guerilla Lovers...not to be confused with Gorilla Lovers.
I went to a men's retreat this weekend and we talked about how Christianity is supposed to be a revolution rather than a religion. Christianity is supposed to be something that hopes to strangle out evil in the world, but not by frontal, accusatory assault, but rather through wild, crazy acts of love. The speaker called us to be Guerilla Lovers. Love where it is not expected. Show love where to do so is unusual and even crazy.
Life is uncomfortable so often, so often love will be, but love can cross all boundaries and there are nearly no defenses against it.
I went to a men's retreat this weekend and we talked about how Christianity is supposed to be a revolution rather than a religion. Christianity is supposed to be something that hopes to strangle out evil in the world, but not by frontal, accusatory assault, but rather through wild, crazy acts of love. The speaker called us to be Guerilla Lovers. Love where it is not expected. Show love where to do so is unusual and even crazy.
Life is uncomfortable so often, so often love will be, but love can cross all boundaries and there are nearly no defenses against it.
Consistency of Movement...Belonging to Discipleship.
There is something to the clean-cut, intentional-seeming (hopefully more than just seeming) Sunday service, but even the most organized revolutions are going to have unexpected events. A power cable isn't going to work. The speaker is going to flub a word and say something funny, though unintentional. The projector is going to flash out for a second as the operator inhales so sharply those near him are afraid he'll suck all the air out of the room.
I think there is something cool about the feeling of "Anything Can Happen" when it comes to Sunday Morning. I think people are drawn to that. It makes them feel in on something; part of the experience; part of something.
How do you make people feel like they belong without making others feel like they don't belong? First, things need to be consistent. If you have a rough graffiti style look to your graphic design work, then you should consider having an unrehearsed feel (which is much different than "unrehearsed") to your service. I think churches should make more effort to include attendants in Sunday service.
Now, as I type this, I think an unrehearsed feel (while still having the readiness of rehearsal) can create camaraderie.
My friend, Mike Doornbos, likes to know where the rubber hits the road. Here are some ideas for creating an atmosphere that could lead to ad-libbing and community:
1. Just by getting them out of their chair. This can be done through communion things or calisthenics (which CG used to do with great success and laughter).
2. Just by getting them to laugh at something live. Laughing at a video is great and should by all means continue. However, laughing at something live creates a sense of being on the inside of an inside joke which builds community, I think. An example at CG is how Sean, Kevin, and I tell harmless jokes about each other on stage (i.e. Sean's love of food or Kevin's crazy hair)
****
In one of my wikipedia journeys (which started with X-men and led me to gang warfare), I read the unsurprising news that gangs are attractive to youth (and I think older people, now, too) because they build a sense of family. Why aren't churches doing that? Where is Acts 2:42-47?
****
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Business and details
I had to post about something I learned this summer.
We had an ice-cream truck project, where we rented an ice-cream truck and passed out ice-cream to neighborhoods. It was great.
Well, there was this one family that seemed to have problems with me. It seemed like our every conversation had disdain in it- for me. They didn't feel communicated with during the project. Anyhoo, after the project I wanted to sit down with them to debrief the feelings I was getting from them. They flat out refused. After a long, long while, and a specific phone call from Dan- they decided they would meet with me. The conversation was fine, but they didn't really hear what I had to say and any time I said anything that admitted guilt they only seemed to use it to fuel their ultimate rightness.
So, I was thinking about what I learned from this situation. One thing is that both the man and his wife are business professionals. They are very detail oriented. They do a lot in the business world, and bring that experience to the church. It got me thinking about people like them in church. It really reminded me why it is so important to do everything we do professionally and not with a "whatever" mentality. In their job they spend a lot of time writing e-mails and being scrutinized over the detail they use in e-mail. To them the detail matters. In working on a project and giving out directions, I need to remember people like them. If we are going to serve people in the business world, then we must be professional. The things we do must be professional.
On the other hand, I also made a big note that sometimes people in the business world don't "get" church. They don't get that imperfect people are volunteering their free time to accomplish church. In a job a boss can order his workers to do whatever- but they get paid for it. Church is made of volunteers. A business person should not be allowed to complain unless they are willing to help make it better using the skills they have. There is a big difference between an organization made up of volunteers and one made up of paid workers. We do need to remember t hat. We can still accomplish a lot and do awesome stuff, but it is worth acknowledging.
So that's my story.
We had an ice-cream truck project, where we rented an ice-cream truck and passed out ice-cream to neighborhoods. It was great.
Well, there was this one family that seemed to have problems with me. It seemed like our every conversation had disdain in it- for me. They didn't feel communicated with during the project. Anyhoo, after the project I wanted to sit down with them to debrief the feelings I was getting from them. They flat out refused. After a long, long while, and a specific phone call from Dan- they decided they would meet with me. The conversation was fine, but they didn't really hear what I had to say and any time I said anything that admitted guilt they only seemed to use it to fuel their ultimate rightness.
So, I was thinking about what I learned from this situation. One thing is that both the man and his wife are business professionals. They are very detail oriented. They do a lot in the business world, and bring that experience to the church. It got me thinking about people like them in church. It really reminded me why it is so important to do everything we do professionally and not with a "whatever" mentality. In their job they spend a lot of time writing e-mails and being scrutinized over the detail they use in e-mail. To them the detail matters. In working on a project and giving out directions, I need to remember people like them. If we are going to serve people in the business world, then we must be professional. The things we do must be professional.
On the other hand, I also made a big note that sometimes people in the business world don't "get" church. They don't get that imperfect people are volunteering their free time to accomplish church. In a job a boss can order his workers to do whatever- but they get paid for it. Church is made of volunteers. A business person should not be allowed to complain unless they are willing to help make it better using the skills they have. There is a big difference between an organization made up of volunteers and one made up of paid workers. We do need to remember t hat. We can still accomplish a lot and do awesome stuff, but it is worth acknowledging.
So that's my story.
Disicple?
We are supposed to go make disciples.
But, what does a mature disciple look like?
I think it's worth thinking about b/c churches often exist to create disciples and help them to grow- but towards what? We could say- to be like Jesus- but what does that mean?
But, what does a mature disciple look like?
I think it's worth thinking about b/c churches often exist to create disciples and help them to grow- but towards what? We could say- to be like Jesus- but what does that mean?
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Some Dudes.
You can't start a church with just some dudes. I mean, you probably could, but it probably won't turn out right and in all liklihood, the church will just end up another statistic in the "failed church plant" column. Just some dudes are going to cause frustration, no matter how organized they are unless they have "heard" the voice of God and taken the time to think things through.
Have you seen the "you think of everything" commercials for Smirnoff Ice? Some dudes are at a poolside bar, and in one of the commercials, a gigantic catapult is in the background containing a equally gigantic tennis ball. Dude 1 says, "What's with the catapult?" Suddenly a HUGE dog steps over the fence and sweeps a person up in its mouth. Dude 2 hits a button and the catapult launches the tennis ball. The dog drops the person in the pool and chases the ball. Clearly, Dude 2 thinks of EVERYTHING.
The Boy Scouts taught me a thing or two before I got "too cool" for them. The Boy Scouts' motto is "Be Prepared." My wife sometimes jokes me about my desire for preparedness. I LOVE sponteneity, but I want to be prepared for it. I want to have back-ups and people who can take care of my dogs if I want to hit the road out of the blue.
So...Let me advance the situation. Eventually some dudes are going to listen carefully and hear the calling God has placed on their life. This kind of falls into the Tension category from the blog below. How do you prepare for a church while still leaving space for the Holy Spirit to move?
Let's be honest. No dudes can prepare for every eventuality, but a lot of us will try to control everything. How does this work in an environment where God is supposed to be in control?
When some dudes try to control every aspect of the church and sanitize things, what will people think? I've seen first-hand peoples' reactions to a church that makes no bones about life being easy with Jesus. Life isn't easy. Living is easier with Jesus because you have hope. You have purpose. Hardship, however, isn't going to automatically disappear. Most people latch onto this, but some people don't. Some people want church to look like Joel Osteen's church; clean, well-dressed, HUGE.
I think if some dudes want to start a church, they need to make the transition from some dude to servitude (it rhymes, that's why it's cool). They need to prepare for the things they can prepare for (which are too numerous to list here). They need to get on the same page. Then they need to get out of the boat and live on faith.
How can a pastor teach people about faith without living it out himself? Part of faith is mystery and certainty in God beyond the conventional, worldly view of certainty that is based on the promises of fallen men. Pastors have accepted a calling which requires them to be role models in and teachers of what it means to be faithful.
People are looking up to CEOs, sports-stars, musicians, actors, and politicians; role models who are inherently incomplete and lead to a path that won't necessarily help find completeness. This is across racial boundaries. Stereotypically, persons of different races look up to different people, and this is just a barrier that needs to be addressed (prepared for), then broken down. Like I've said many many times, people want something to fight for, but they need to have an example of what that looks like. It looks like Jesus, and that is where the prepared, yet living by faith, pastor comes in. It is is that dude's job to live in servitude, faithfulness.
The tension is learning to be a prepared Boy Scout while walking on water.
I have posted a brief description of my trip so far from some dude to servitude in the comments section of this post.
-Matthew-F-Murphy-
Have you seen the "you think of everything" commercials for Smirnoff Ice? Some dudes are at a poolside bar, and in one of the commercials, a gigantic catapult is in the background containing a equally gigantic tennis ball. Dude 1 says, "What's with the catapult?" Suddenly a HUGE dog steps over the fence and sweeps a person up in its mouth. Dude 2 hits a button and the catapult launches the tennis ball. The dog drops the person in the pool and chases the ball. Clearly, Dude 2 thinks of EVERYTHING.
The Boy Scouts taught me a thing or two before I got "too cool" for them. The Boy Scouts' motto is "Be Prepared." My wife sometimes jokes me about my desire for preparedness. I LOVE sponteneity, but I want to be prepared for it. I want to have back-ups and people who can take care of my dogs if I want to hit the road out of the blue.
So...Let me advance the situation. Eventually some dudes are going to listen carefully and hear the calling God has placed on their life. This kind of falls into the Tension category from the blog below. How do you prepare for a church while still leaving space for the Holy Spirit to move?
Let's be honest. No dudes can prepare for every eventuality, but a lot of us will try to control everything. How does this work in an environment where God is supposed to be in control?
When some dudes try to control every aspect of the church and sanitize things, what will people think? I've seen first-hand peoples' reactions to a church that makes no bones about life being easy with Jesus. Life isn't easy. Living is easier with Jesus because you have hope. You have purpose. Hardship, however, isn't going to automatically disappear. Most people latch onto this, but some people don't. Some people want church to look like Joel Osteen's church; clean, well-dressed, HUGE.
I think if some dudes want to start a church, they need to make the transition from some dude to servitude (it rhymes, that's why it's cool). They need to prepare for the things they can prepare for (which are too numerous to list here). They need to get on the same page. Then they need to get out of the boat and live on faith.
How can a pastor teach people about faith without living it out himself? Part of faith is mystery and certainty in God beyond the conventional, worldly view of certainty that is based on the promises of fallen men. Pastors have accepted a calling which requires them to be role models in and teachers of what it means to be faithful.
People are looking up to CEOs, sports-stars, musicians, actors, and politicians; role models who are inherently incomplete and lead to a path that won't necessarily help find completeness. This is across racial boundaries. Stereotypically, persons of different races look up to different people, and this is just a barrier that needs to be addressed (prepared for), then broken down. Like I've said many many times, people want something to fight for, but they need to have an example of what that looks like. It looks like Jesus, and that is where the prepared, yet living by faith, pastor comes in. It is is that dude's job to live in servitude, faithfulness.
The tension is learning to be a prepared Boy Scout while walking on water.
I have posted a brief description of my trip so far from some dude to servitude in the comments section of this post.
-Matthew-F-Murphy-
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Finding Comfort in Discomfort.
A fundamental problem with being a human is our constant search for comfort. Those people who thrive in extremes and enjoy the uncomfortable are labeled unusual or boat-rockers. Those people who create uncomfortable situations are systematically alienated from the rest of us, who are searching for ease.
Shouldn't the prospect of being aliens be familiar to us, as "aliens and strangers in the world?" If so, then why do we strain so hard for comfort, and is it okay to strain so hard for comfort?
All that to introduce all this:
Part 1: A step in the right direction.
In my experience with various churches in the last seven or eight years, I have found that there are several churches making no attempt to paint the Christian and Christ-following, Spirit-trusting lifestyle as one that is easy. Getting baptized isn't going to automatically solve your problems, get you a job and a tie and land you on the choir.
In many books I've read, there have been various reports of churches that try to paint the picture that life with Jesus is all rainbows and roses. An implication is made that some established churches proclaim that being saved not only saves us from damnation but also the struggles in life. I have never had this experience. I don't know if that's good or bad. Sometimes, church-wise, it is nice to experience things you would never want to do in your own church.
My experiences have been more along the lines of churches avoiding talking about every day life post-salvation. Sermons to Christians tend to be more along the lines of, "This is what you should not do, and this is what you should do." There is no, "There are people here who know Jesus, but have problems in their marriage. There are people here who know Jesus, but have stuggled and continue to struggle with addictions. There are people here who know Jesus, and they are depressed, clinically, and are not sure about the practicality of continuing to live. I know there are those people here because my life isn't easy. I have issues that come up. My checkbook seems thinner than I need it to be. Here is how faith, community, love, and sacrifice, our own and our God's will help us through that. And once we're through that, here are the amazing places we can go. Here are the adventures yet to look forward to."
Lately, I have been to three different churches that seem to honest about how life really is; Forefront (Virginia Beach, VA), Common Ground (Fredericksburg, VA), and Momentum (Cleveland, OH). The similarities between these churches isn't surprising, as the founders of each came from the same place and influenced each other.
Intentionally talking about the uncomfortable things in life may be the first step toward becoming comfortable with discomfort. It opens the door for discussion about real life issues. As church-leaders, this makes us more accessible and seen as survivors, warriors. Men (or women) fighting the fight with the eyes on the prize. Someone worth following.
Part 2: The Next Step
Loving people. Both Momentum and Common Ground use a variation of the same theme, which starts out with "Love God, Love People." I think Forefront uses some variation of this as well. All three also freely advertise the lack of perfect people.
If we can create an environment where there is certain amounts of discomfort and openness is expected, then an increase of tolerance for things that make us uncomfortable is possible. If that is possible, then with the proper vision, could not discomfort regarding other things be tolerable, expected, and most of all exciting?
If loving God means acknowleding that being a Christian doesn't automatically mean everything is going to be peaches and cream, then loving people should mean acknowledging that it is not always going to be cream and peaches. I don't know how. It just seems like a logical progression.
Breaking down the American (human) desire for everything to be comfortable should be step one because in real life...in my life...it's not. I think Jesus tried to paint this picture in a lot of parables...such as the parable of the lost sheep...Our own comfort as Christians cannot be the paramount concern. The pharisees and probably even some of Jesus' followers were uncomfortable being around the "sinners and tax collectors."
************************************************
************************************************
************************************************
At Forefront, Vince spoke about the movie, Munich, and he talked about revenge and the almost instinctual (and sinful) desire for vengeance most people struggle with, with or without Christ. He then
At Mo', a guest speaker whose name I cannot recall spoke in depth about the stuggles with fear he was experiencing following a troubled pregnancy/miscarriage. Certainly not the rainbows and roses of a fearless Christian. He then said that through Christ, and with Him through prayer, forward motion away from the acknowledged fear is possible and exciting.
-Matt
Shouldn't the prospect of being aliens be familiar to us, as "aliens and strangers in the world?" If so, then why do we strain so hard for comfort, and is it okay to strain so hard for comfort?
All that to introduce all this:
Part 1: A step in the right direction.
In my experience with various churches in the last seven or eight years, I have found that there are several churches making no attempt to paint the Christian and Christ-following, Spirit-trusting lifestyle as one that is easy. Getting baptized isn't going to automatically solve your problems, get you a job and a tie and land you on the choir.
In many books I've read, there have been various reports of churches that try to paint the picture that life with Jesus is all rainbows and roses. An implication is made that some established churches proclaim that being saved not only saves us from damnation but also the struggles in life. I have never had this experience. I don't know if that's good or bad. Sometimes, church-wise, it is nice to experience things you would never want to do in your own church.
My experiences have been more along the lines of churches avoiding talking about every day life post-salvation. Sermons to Christians tend to be more along the lines of, "This is what you should not do, and this is what you should do." There is no, "There are people here who know Jesus, but have problems in their marriage. There are people here who know Jesus, but have stuggled and continue to struggle with addictions. There are people here who know Jesus, and they are depressed, clinically, and are not sure about the practicality of continuing to live. I know there are those people here because my life isn't easy. I have issues that come up. My checkbook seems thinner than I need it to be. Here is how faith, community, love, and sacrifice, our own and our God's will help us through that. And once we're through that, here are the amazing places we can go. Here are the adventures yet to look forward to."
Lately, I have been to three different churches that seem to honest about how life really is; Forefront (Virginia Beach, VA), Common Ground (Fredericksburg, VA), and Momentum (Cleveland, OH). The similarities between these churches isn't surprising, as the founders of each came from the same place and influenced each other.
Intentionally talking about the uncomfortable things in life may be the first step toward becoming comfortable with discomfort. It opens the door for discussion about real life issues. As church-leaders, this makes us more accessible and seen as survivors, warriors. Men (or women) fighting the fight with the eyes on the prize. Someone worth following.
Part 2: The Next Step
Loving people. Both Momentum and Common Ground use a variation of the same theme, which starts out with "Love God, Love People." I think Forefront uses some variation of this as well. All three also freely advertise the lack of perfect people.
If we can create an environment where there is certain amounts of discomfort and openness is expected, then an increase of tolerance for things that make us uncomfortable is possible. If that is possible, then with the proper vision, could not discomfort regarding other things be tolerable, expected, and most of all exciting?
If loving God means acknowleding that being a Christian doesn't automatically mean everything is going to be peaches and cream, then loving people should mean acknowledging that it is not always going to be cream and peaches. I don't know how. It just seems like a logical progression.
Breaking down the American (human) desire for everything to be comfortable should be step one because in real life...in my life...it's not. I think Jesus tried to paint this picture in a lot of parables...such as the parable of the lost sheep...Our own comfort as Christians cannot be the paramount concern. The pharisees and probably even some of Jesus' followers were uncomfortable being around the "sinners and tax collectors."
************************************************
************************************************
************************************************
At Forefront, Vince spoke about the movie, Munich, and he talked about revenge and the almost instinctual (and sinful) desire for vengeance most people struggle with, with or without Christ. He then
At Mo', a guest speaker whose name I cannot recall spoke in depth about the stuggles with fear he was experiencing following a troubled pregnancy/miscarriage. Certainly not the rainbows and roses of a fearless Christian. He then said that through Christ, and with Him through prayer, forward motion away from the acknowledged fear is possible and exciting.
-Matt
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