Change

When was the last time something you heard/talked about really affected you to the point that you changed the way you live/acted? That is getting me to wonder: when was the last time I made a change at all and what were the circumstances of that change? There have been different character traits I've tried to develop, tried to read more, exercise more, stop bad habits, grow more, etc. When I worked at Starbucks I made a lot of changes in order to work better. I had to learn what it took to be successful and do whatever it took to become a better shift supervisor.

In church the ultimate goal is change. We want people to change the way they think and change they way they act? No small task. But, I was thinking, when was the last time I really changed the way I thought/ acted based on something I heard from church? When was the last time I left a small group meeting really gnawing on something and that something led me towards change? When was the last time I left church really ready to make a change in my life?

I think in small groups, church leaders need to take a look at what they're doing and how they're doing it? What do we hope to accomplish through small groups? Are we accomplishing that goal and what is our plan to help people to get there? In most cases, change doesn't happen on accident. It seems in most churches, the church will first decide to have small groups, then decide on a curriculum, and that's the end. It might then decide what kind of people it wants to build. But, there are two questions there: 1. Is small groups the best mode to build what you want to build? 2. Is the mode of teaching your using helping you accomplish that goal? Instead a church should first decide what sort of disciples it hopes to create, then decide on what is the best way to get there. Finally, the church should decide on what curriculum it will used based on what will truly move people towards change.

When was the last time you made a significant change? What moved you to change? How can you repeat that for others?

Remember

The exhaused Israeli troops gathered to hear inspired mutterings from the 4 star general. Apart from encouragement he candidly asked them what they biggest concern was. Numerou troops quickly answered the need for more sleep. The general looked confused and said, "Sleep, you need to find time to sleep. I sleep a while in the back of my car while being driven around." The frustrated troops went back to their dorms wondering when they were going to get someone to drive them around so they could sleep a little more. The general had no clue and had forgotten what it was like to live like a grunt- in a world without "drivers."
In ministry, paid staff are like that 4 star general. We can't help it, we're a few levels removed from the life of unpaid ministry volunteers. We forget what it's like to have a life not revolving around church. We forget what it's like to not be committed to a ministry with all of our time and energy. We forget what it's like to not have Christian friends encouraging us towards holiness. We forget or just don't understand. This lack of understanding can cause problems in leading. We come up with a brilliant idea for service and then get frustrated at our small group leaders for not attending our service project. We think to ourselves, "If I could be there, why couldn't they?"
As leaders, we have to acknowledge the fact that we're a few levels removed from the life of those who serve. Then we have to take the time to really understand life from their perspective and service projects from their perspective. When we come up with ideas we think are brilliant, it might be worth it to run those ideas by those they will affect to make sure we're not blind to something the common ministry volunteer sees immediately.

Is Church a Business?

Is the church a business enterprise or a spiritual enterprise? There are two extremes in the church that are equally dangerous. On one extreme, the church is seen as a business. The pastor, as CEO. It believes God has given man wisdom to make decisions- so decisions can lean on the logical side, downplaying "being led by the Spirit." On the other extreme is the spiritualized church. Here, everything is "being led by the spirit." Also, this side only reads Christian books and believe all useful knowledge can be gleamed from the Bible.
I was reading numerous book on small group and got to the point that I said, "If I read one more book that spends most of the time trying to win me over to start a small group and explains why small groups are God's purpose in community, I'm going to throw up." So, I've started to read books in other disciplines to apply knowledge from there to small groups. I've read a few business books recently. I loved them so much! But, I couldn't help myself easily forgetting that church is a spiritual enterprise after reading them. I began to think about all the techniques I could employ to help people to change- to move them in the direction I wanted them to go. I've stopped recently and asked myself, "Is this what church is supposed to be, a place where I use cool logic and techniques to move people to where I want them?" In part I think the answer is yes, as long as I remember that the ultimate goal is not just to move people to make the changes I want, but to bring them into a lively relationship with a real God who really shows up in our life. Also to make them disciples to a real Jesus who asks them to die daily. This is my ultimate goal. If I lose sight of that, then I've forgotten why I'm doing what I'm doing. Someone would just be serving because that's how the process works, instead of an opportunity to meet a real God. We must glean knowledge from research that's done out there on groups, but we also can't lose sight of the reason we're learning new things. It's a tough balance.

Remember what it's like

I read an article recently that I found challenging. Do we remember what it's like to be a volunteer at different levels? A guy tells the story of being in the army and how the army worked his butt until it fell right off. Well, one day a general came to encourage the troops and asked how they were doing. They said bad and that they were too tired. He told them that that can find time to sleep and that he sleeps in the back of his car while being driven around. The troops were so angry at how out of touch the general was. The troops aren't driven around and seriously don't have time to sleep- that's what they were telling him.

What would our volunteers tells us if we asked them?
Are we listening to what volunteers are saying or brushing off their thoughts on accident.
How are we doing respecting their time?

Good challenges for me.

The Inevitable Dry Spell.

The Inevitable Dry Spell.

I like to think of myself as a creative person. I am part of the creative team at Common Ground, and I make really low-quality (but still funny) videos in that role. I also come up with silly things to do on Sunday mornings. outside church, I like to write music and poems and essays and whatever else strikes my fancy. However, I often find myself in dry spells, or in the throes of writers' block.

My spiritual side sometimes feels that way, too. Sometimes I am very in tune with what God wants from me (or at least I feel like I am), and sometimes I feel like I am going through the motions. My faith doesn't flag, but my passion is dryer. But, what's crazy is that I just keep going.

When it comes to writing, if I have writers' block, I keep writing. When it comes to serving, if I feel disconnected or dry, I just keep serving. And inevitably, the dry feeling goes away. EVERY TIME.

I'm currently feeling some writers' block, hence the long absence from blogging, but I'm just writing to write, and starting this post with no agenda, I now know to add one more thing to my considerable list of things to teach about and that's even though your passion may flag, God's does not, so if you keep serving, you will encounter him.

Feeling like an insider

I'm not sure if this has a specific application. But, I've been working at Starbucks for the past 2 weeks as a part-time job. I haven't liked it at all. I haven't felt connected to the store and have felt like an outsider- and haven't felt cared for.

Well, tonight I worked with the manager for an entire shift. It was my first time since I started working at this Starbucks. I was surprised that I suddenly felt more connected to the store. My theory is that it was primarily b/c I worked with the manager and I felt like I got to know her better and felt like she got to see a little more who I was. It made me feel cared for. I just found this interesting.

I'm not sure that there's any leadership lesson or church lesson. The only thing I could think of is, as a leader, people will naturally feel more connected to what I do by feeling more connected to me. So, it's at least worth being aware of that. Just something I was thinking about tonight.

Critique.

Everyone's a critic with big long fingers that point out flaws with the greatest of ease. I appreciate these people sometimes. They are the ones that open my eyes and heart. They show me where I can improve and close the gap between where I am and where I want to be. I think churches need to invite criticism to some extent, but where is the line?

It always seems to me that so many critics have no desire to get their hands dirty and make any changes themselves. At work or at church or at home, it is so easy to say there is something that is less than perfect, but if you aren't willing to sacrifice time to help make it perfect or to teach me how I can make it more perfect, then don't get mad if your criticism is ignored. If you talk to me about something someone else is doing in a less than perfect way, don't be surprised if it falls on deaf ears. The truth is that I don't want to hear it. That is a slippery slope into a mud pit of gossip and misinformation. The reality of things is often that things aren't perfect because there aren't enough hands to craft a perfect product or gossip has undercut the foundation of trust required to make a perfect product. It is my opinion that if you aren't willing to be constructive if even in the providing ideas and alternatives to the status quo, then your criticism isn't helpful. It is only a chisel nicking away at what apparently is already a shaky foundation.

This is why I'm sick of reading editorials in newspapers and why I don't subscribe to half the number of blogs I used to. My challenge is how does church leadership inspire a system or gracefully inform people that criticism is always welcome so long as it is intended to be constructive and aimed at improvement rather than undermining and focused on creating division?