I am a huge fan of TV and film, and I love reading. I probably watch too much (ha ha). I especially enjoy reading and watching science fiction and fantasy. I recently saw the Marvel movie "Thor" and really enjoyed it. I especially enjoy those shows that have a bigger or greater story going on that affects all the little stories they tell on a weekly basis. Take the show "Fringe" for example. The bigger theme is the possible destruction of two universes, but each week they tell a smaller story that affects the whole. Some authors are good at that as well. Probably my two favorite authors would have to be Tolkien and CS Lewis. Of course, there is a large amount of Christian allegory built into their work, but I read them both before I even knew what it meant to live as a Christian.There is a lot of junk out there of course, but I think we would all agree we like to hear a good story. A good story can captivate us, and have us going back to it time and time again.
I too, have a story to tell. My story isn't movie or TV worthy of course, but I think it's good. Why do I say that? Well, I can say that because Jesus Christ is part of my story. I look back at my life journey and I see all the little stories that happen daily or weekly, but then there is the underlying story of how Jesus is changing my life, and of course how he has already changed it.
All of us who are followers of Jesus have a good story to tell. The Bible calls it Good News. The Gospel of Mark starts with the phrase, "The Beginning of the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,..." We all know we live in a bad news world. It's time we told our stories to others, and let them hear a Good story, a story that will ultimately have a happy ending. As the Bible tells us, the Good Guys win!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Jesus' Mission, Jesus' dream
Yesterday was our church's AGM. I reported on the state of our church and held our annual elections for Board and Assembly. It was a good day, if not a bit full. The one thing I really appreciated seeing were the many non-members who stayed to participate and hear what has taken place and what the future could look like.
In my report, I shared about Jesus' mission statement. Luke 4:16-21 shares that with his readers. “He [meaning Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21 NIV 2011)
Jesus was stating to them and in turn us, what his mission was all about, why he came. In a very real sense this was the dream that God had for his people.
Jesus proclaimed freedom to the captives.The gospel is a proclamation of liberty, like the message to Israel after 400 years of bondage in Egypt and 70 years of captivity in Babylon.
By the work of Christ sinners are delivered from the life long bonds of sin and guilt, and by his Spirit and grace from the bondage of corruption. There are people all around us that are held captive by their addictions, their fears, and their hurts. And they live in our neighbourhoods, they work beside us, they may even be our friends or family members.
Jesus came to give sight to the blind. He came with words to bring light to those whose minds sat in the dark, but also with the power to give sight to them that were blind. Giving sight to the blind is a part of preaching the gospel.Words are only half the Gospel, action with the power of God behind it changes lives and circumstances.
Jesus came to announce God's favour. He came to let the world know that the God that they had offended was willing to be reconciled to them, and to accept them on new terms; that there was a way of making them acceptable to him; that there is now a time of good will toward men. God’s favour is about new beginnings for those who accept the good news.
Does my Savior both Rescue and Change People inside and out? Everyone would love being rescued, but I think we’re a little surprised when Jesus wants to change us and our circumstances as well. It might be hard for us to believe, but Jesus really wants to make us and those around us into new people. That was his dream. And as his followers, his apprentices, it must become our dream too!
That's a message we can take to our world.
In my report, I shared about Jesus' mission statement. Luke 4:16-21 shares that with his readers. “He [meaning Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21 NIV 2011)
Jesus was stating to them and in turn us, what his mission was all about, why he came. In a very real sense this was the dream that God had for his people.
Jesus proclaimed freedom to the captives.The gospel is a proclamation of liberty, like the message to Israel after 400 years of bondage in Egypt and 70 years of captivity in Babylon.
By the work of Christ sinners are delivered from the life long bonds of sin and guilt, and by his Spirit and grace from the bondage of corruption. There are people all around us that are held captive by their addictions, their fears, and their hurts. And they live in our neighbourhoods, they work beside us, they may even be our friends or family members.
Jesus came to give sight to the blind. He came with words to bring light to those whose minds sat in the dark, but also with the power to give sight to them that were blind. Giving sight to the blind is a part of preaching the gospel.Words are only half the Gospel, action with the power of God behind it changes lives and circumstances.
Jesus came to announce God's favour. He came to let the world know that the God that they had offended was willing to be reconciled to them, and to accept them on new terms; that there was a way of making them acceptable to him; that there is now a time of good will toward men. God’s favour is about new beginnings for those who accept the good news.
Does my Savior both Rescue and Change People inside and out? Everyone would love being rescued, but I think we’re a little surprised when Jesus wants to change us and our circumstances as well. It might be hard for us to believe, but Jesus really wants to make us and those around us into new people. That was his dream. And as his followers, his apprentices, it must become our dream too!
That's a message we can take to our world.
Monday, May 9, 2011
What is a disciple?
I was thinking about what I wanted to share today, and found myself focusing on the issue of apprenticeship. My question is: Is an apprentice the same thing as a disciple? What do you think? One of the things that I notice as a pastor of a small church is the difficulty in finding new leaders. You ask people to pray about it, and consider stepping up to a new role, and after a few days of thought they refuse because there is too much going on in their lives and they don't have time to lead others. Now I am not here to come down on these people. They are legitimately busy, we all are. But my question becomes, are we busy about the right things?
We throw the word discipleship around a lot. I think many tend to think of discipleship in the form of training.
Would you agree? If that is the case then, wouldn't discipleship look like some form of apprenticeship? Now it doesn't have to be a formal training regimen, of course. But I think if this is the right direction it means all of us get involved in growing Christ followers and leaders, not just the pastor. If we took the idea of apprenticeship a little more seriously, I think we would find churches have a stronger presence in North America.
I kind of like how Eugene Peterson puts the words of Jesus in The Message, ""We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." (from Matthew 10:40, The Message, copyright 2002.) Jesus is speaking to his followers, in turn speaking to us.
If you think I am off base with this line of thinking or maybe you agree, whatever your thoughts might be I would appreciate you sharing them with me in the comments section.
Have a blessed day!
We throw the word discipleship around a lot. I think many tend to think of discipleship in the form of training.
Would you agree? If that is the case then, wouldn't discipleship look like some form of apprenticeship? Now it doesn't have to be a formal training regimen, of course. But I think if this is the right direction it means all of us get involved in growing Christ followers and leaders, not just the pastor. If we took the idea of apprenticeship a little more seriously, I think we would find churches have a stronger presence in North America.
I kind of like how Eugene Peterson puts the words of Jesus in The Message, ""We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." (from Matthew 10:40, The Message, copyright 2002.) Jesus is speaking to his followers, in turn speaking to us.
If you think I am off base with this line of thinking or maybe you agree, whatever your thoughts might be I would appreciate you sharing them with me in the comments section.
Have a blessed day!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Do your part!
Good morning all!
Today is an important day in our country. We get to go to the polls and vote for our government. I realize there are many out there who are a little jaded when it comes to government and voting, and refuse to vote at all, but that will not change the situation. The Apostle Paul tells us to pray for our leaders, "...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:3 NIV)
Now that might not sound like support for voting, but if we are praying for our leaders, I believe that will also motivate us to support them, support our government. We live in a nation that allows us to choose who will rule over us, I think that's a right we should take seriously. Pray for the candidates in your riding, and ask God to give you wisdom in selecting a candidate. If you're new to voting do research. Look at the candidates and their parties. Of course, each party makes campaign promises but if you can get past that and see what their philosophy of leadership is, where they have been involved in your community, how they have presented themselves in the public forums, it's easier to make an informed decision.
Informed voting can take some work, but the reality is whoever becomes the government will be making decisions that will affect you and me. I don't know about you, but I would like God's best to be filling those seats and making those decisions. My prayer is that whoever becomes our next Prime Minister will serve our country and not himself.
Today is an important day in our country. We get to go to the polls and vote for our government. I realize there are many out there who are a little jaded when it comes to government and voting, and refuse to vote at all, but that will not change the situation. The Apostle Paul tells us to pray for our leaders, "...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:3 NIV)
Now that might not sound like support for voting, but if we are praying for our leaders, I believe that will also motivate us to support them, support our government. We live in a nation that allows us to choose who will rule over us, I think that's a right we should take seriously. Pray for the candidates in your riding, and ask God to give you wisdom in selecting a candidate. If you're new to voting do research. Look at the candidates and their parties. Of course, each party makes campaign promises but if you can get past that and see what their philosophy of leadership is, where they have been involved in your community, how they have presented themselves in the public forums, it's easier to make an informed decision.
Informed voting can take some work, but the reality is whoever becomes the government will be making decisions that will affect you and me. I don't know about you, but I would like God's best to be filling those seats and making those decisions. My prayer is that whoever becomes our next Prime Minister will serve our country and not himself.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Easter is coming!
Many look forward to this week in our calendar, simply because there is an extra day off on Friday. It's also the start of a new season of Doctor Who on Saturday night. But for me, there is more to it. Maybe you're excited all the chocolate you'll get to eat this weekend, or the fact that you'll have some sweet potato casserole with your Sunday meal (add whatever special dish your household might have). Or maybe you're just glad to get some extra down time and sleeping in. All of those work for me, but ultimately I look forward to it because of what Easter really is about, remembering Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.
I realize many in our world don't fully understand or even know what Easter is about, but we as the followers of Jesus need to act as reminders of what Easter is. I would not be where I am today if it weren't for Easter. I would not be the man I am if it were not for what happened at Easter. Jesus literally changed my life and direction. And Easter is a chance to remember that and thank him for what he has done.
Because of Easter, most of the hospitals and universities in our world came into being. Because of Easter, prisoners have the opportunity to find freedom while they are in jail. Because of Easter, hungry people can find food and shelter in times of desperate need.
Christians are Easter people, never forget that. May you have the opportunity to share Easter with someone else this week.
BTW - I am also a Doctor Who fan, so I will be setting my PVR for Saturday night. That's my Easter present (haha).
God bless.
s
I realize many in our world don't fully understand or even know what Easter is about, but we as the followers of Jesus need to act as reminders of what Easter is. I would not be where I am today if it weren't for Easter. I would not be the man I am if it were not for what happened at Easter. Jesus literally changed my life and direction. And Easter is a chance to remember that and thank him for what he has done.
Because of Easter, most of the hospitals and universities in our world came into being. Because of Easter, prisoners have the opportunity to find freedom while they are in jail. Because of Easter, hungry people can find food and shelter in times of desperate need.
Christians are Easter people, never forget that. May you have the opportunity to share Easter with someone else this week.
BTW - I am also a Doctor Who fan, so I will be setting my PVR for Saturday night. That's my Easter present (haha).
God bless.
s
Monday, April 11, 2011
Monday Mornings
I woke up tired this morning, as I have for the last week. I am not sure why I am not sleeping well, but regardless I woke up not really wanting to on this slightly overcast day. I was looking to my friends' blogs looking for some inspiration, as i really had no inkling or even desire to write something today. But I am learning to try and push through those attitudes and work till something comes out of my brain besides nonsense.
And then I remembered what I preached on yesterday. It's funny how quickly even the preacher can forget what was preached. Yesterday I talked about the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, found in the 11th chapter of the Gospel of John. Of course, there was a lesson to be learned by all who witnessed the miracle, but it wasn't simply that Jesus was the Messiah, although that is still a profound understanding. He wanted the group to see even more than that. Jesus says in John 11:25-26 NLT that, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this Martha?" He asks Martha, but he is also asking us too. Do I believe Jesus is the resurrection and the life? Do I believe his nick-name? If I do then new life is there for me everyday. If I don't, well the there is no point to getting up in the morning, is there?
Well, to add salt to my wound God brought Psalm 23 my way this morning, and so I read it like a prayer. Maybe lack of sleep makes me feel like I'm in a bit of a valley this morning. Maybe I just need some of that rest Jesus offers. Coffee has never been a good substitute for Jesus. I think it helped put some perspective in the day for me. I think telling you about the start to my day is a bit cathartic, I feel a little more ready to meet the day head on. Thanks for listening to a fool for Christ.
Have a great day with the Resurrection and the Life!
And then I remembered what I preached on yesterday. It's funny how quickly even the preacher can forget what was preached. Yesterday I talked about the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, found in the 11th chapter of the Gospel of John. Of course, there was a lesson to be learned by all who witnessed the miracle, but it wasn't simply that Jesus was the Messiah, although that is still a profound understanding. He wanted the group to see even more than that. Jesus says in John 11:25-26 NLT that, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this Martha?" He asks Martha, but he is also asking us too. Do I believe Jesus is the resurrection and the life? Do I believe his nick-name? If I do then new life is there for me everyday. If I don't, well the there is no point to getting up in the morning, is there?
Well, to add salt to my wound God brought Psalm 23 my way this morning, and so I read it like a prayer. Maybe lack of sleep makes me feel like I'm in a bit of a valley this morning. Maybe I just need some of that rest Jesus offers. Coffee has never been a good substitute for Jesus. I think it helped put some perspective in the day for me. I think telling you about the start to my day is a bit cathartic, I feel a little more ready to meet the day head on. Thanks for listening to a fool for Christ.
Have a great day with the Resurrection and the Life!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Long range Missionary
In our Family Worship service we had a missionary visiting from the States. His name is Joshua Williams. He and his family currently live in the States and work in South America. Here's the catch, he doesn't leave his home to do his work. Williams family served in South America for 3 years and returned, I believe, last year. Joshua is trained as a pastor but has always had a love for things electronic. He has placed with computers since he was a boy. He shared with us that he felt a call to missions. He was a children's pastor in a church and went into missions expecting to use those particular skills, but when he was in seminary his computer skills were used to help the school with their technical issues. So now, God has opened a door and used his passions to become the resident Computer expert for the South America region. Meanwhile his residence is several thousand miles north of them. I was amazed when I heard all this.
He had a great message to us, about the ability to use our gifts and skills to share the Gospel. Because someone told the Gospel to the Paraguayan Soccer Team, several gave their lives to Christ. And so now they can use their soccer skills to share the Gospel. God is using Joshua's computer skills to share the Gospel. I got to admit, sometimes I think to linear. I think about the Gospel and discipleship in very specific terms, and yet God can use anything we own, anything we are good at, and any environment we find ourselves in, to build His Kingdom. The idea of being a missionary wherever you are is not new to me, but this definitely expands my definition of being a missionary. I realize once again, how limiting I can be in regards to my understanding of God's work.
It was also exciting to hear what was taking place in South America, and Argentina specifically. God is at work in our world. Don't give up on God's Kingdom!
As an aside, Joshua is a great communicator, also good with kids. He would be great for any Missions service if you're planning one.
Happy Monday!
He had a great message to us, about the ability to use our gifts and skills to share the Gospel. Because someone told the Gospel to the Paraguayan Soccer Team, several gave their lives to Christ. And so now they can use their soccer skills to share the Gospel. God is using Joshua's computer skills to share the Gospel. I got to admit, sometimes I think to linear. I think about the Gospel and discipleship in very specific terms, and yet God can use anything we own, anything we are good at, and any environment we find ourselves in, to build His Kingdom. The idea of being a missionary wherever you are is not new to me, but this definitely expands my definition of being a missionary. I realize once again, how limiting I can be in regards to my understanding of God's work.
It was also exciting to hear what was taking place in South America, and Argentina specifically. God is at work in our world. Don't give up on God's Kingdom!
As an aside, Joshua is a great communicator, also good with kids. He would be great for any Missions service if you're planning one.
Happy Monday!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Once we were outcasts
Yesterday in our church family worship the wind of God was blowing through our service. The music was very meaningful, and the fellowship was strong especially during our potluck. It shouldn't, but it always surprises me when I see God's power move through people. God orchestrated the day obviously, but it was interesting to see how everything came together. I prepared my message earlier in the week to speak about the woman at the well found in John chapter 4, and had found a video about a woman who was in need of Christ`s love called "An Unspoken Plea". I did use these on Sunday, but the movement of God started in our Adult Sunday School class. The lesson was from Luke 8:40-56, Jairus`daughter and the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. We looked at this woman for a few moments and came to the understanding that likely she felt the judgment of her community and felt like an outcast. She felt so unworthy, that she thought she needed to sneak up to Jesus to try and be healed. Here is this unclean woman who simply by touching Jesus made him ceremonially unclean, but somehow knew Jesus could help. She was desperate for help. As soon as she touches him, she is healed and Jesus knows power has left him. So he puts her on the spot an asks who has touched him. She confesses that she did with fear and trembling. And in that moment that Jesus recognizes her faith, she is no longer an outcast, she is accepted into God`s kingdom.
So that was Sunday School, and then I shared about the woman at the well and how Christ accepted this woman and changed her life. She too, felt the judgment of her community, hence why she was at the well alone in the middle of the day. She was an outcast in her village, and it`s to this outcast that Jesus confesses he is the Messiah. Her life is forever changed and she too accepts the welcome into God`s kingdom. The morning was a real reminder to me and others that once we too were outcasts, and yet God`s love embraced us and Jesus changed us forever. The other reminder for me was if Christ can do that for me, why would I not believe he could do that for others. We must never forget that Jesus accepts the outcast, whether they look like a hobo or a lawyer. Which means we must too. Embrace others with love and not judgment, and see the power of God work in their lives. Remember, we too were once outcasts.
So that was Sunday School, and then I shared about the woman at the well and how Christ accepted this woman and changed her life. She too, felt the judgment of her community, hence why she was at the well alone in the middle of the day. She was an outcast in her village, and it`s to this outcast that Jesus confesses he is the Messiah. Her life is forever changed and she too accepts the welcome into God`s kingdom. The morning was a real reminder to me and others that once we too were outcasts, and yet God`s love embraced us and Jesus changed us forever. The other reminder for me was if Christ can do that for me, why would I not believe he could do that for others. We must never forget that Jesus accepts the outcast, whether they look like a hobo or a lawyer. Which means we must too. Embrace others with love and not judgment, and see the power of God work in their lives. Remember, we too were once outcasts.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Is Jesus cool?
The question comes to mind when I think of some of the trends our churches go through. I also realize that we never really get away from trying to be cool no matter how old we get. Now maybe sixty or seventy years olds don't care anymore, I don't know I am not there yet.
But roughly from pre-teen age and on up we struggle with wanting to be cool. Maybe it has something to do with wanting to be popular, it probably starts out that way. I don't think I want to be popular now. Everyone wants to be liked of course, but I know I don't want to look stupid. Is there a difference between not wanting to look like an idiot, and wanting to be cool? I hope so. Unless, of course looking like an idiot helps embarrass your children, ha ha. Just kidding!
So anyway, back to my question: would Jesus have been considered cool? He was rebellious, putting down the Man! Everywhere he went he caused a stir. he had followers galore! But when I picture cool people, at least from my experience, I always see cool followers. The Jocks have the cheerleaders. The preppies have wannabes, and so on. What did Jesus' followers look like? Well, some of them were fisherman. They worked on the lake catching fish. It's hard, dirty work. Another was a tax collector, who was considered a scab on society. He stole from the poor to give to the rich. They didn't seem cool.
And then there was the people he helped, the lame, the sick, the poor. He touched people with leprosy. He healed the blind. He restored the lame so they could walk. These people were considered sinners, because of their injuries and ailments. They or their parents must have sinned for these injuries to occur.
And then of course, would a cool person be killed for his attitude? Probably not, maybe get detention or something. But Jesus was such a revolutionary that the religious establishment felt they needed to get rid of him permanently.
Well, when you look at the evidence, it appears Jesus isn't that cool after all. And he didn't have cool followers. I don't think Jesus would have been with the cool people. I think he would been with the geeks, the nerds, the loners, maybe the head bangers, the stoners. I think he would have told us to not chase after the cool life, that there is a better life ahead of us if we followed his way. I think he is still saying that, stop chasing cool and take up your cross and follow him.
But roughly from pre-teen age and on up we struggle with wanting to be cool. Maybe it has something to do with wanting to be popular, it probably starts out that way. I don't think I want to be popular now. Everyone wants to be liked of course, but I know I don't want to look stupid. Is there a difference between not wanting to look like an idiot, and wanting to be cool? I hope so. Unless, of course looking like an idiot helps embarrass your children, ha ha. Just kidding!
So anyway, back to my question: would Jesus have been considered cool? He was rebellious, putting down the Man! Everywhere he went he caused a stir. he had followers galore! But when I picture cool people, at least from my experience, I always see cool followers. The Jocks have the cheerleaders. The preppies have wannabes, and so on. What did Jesus' followers look like? Well, some of them were fisherman. They worked on the lake catching fish. It's hard, dirty work. Another was a tax collector, who was considered a scab on society. He stole from the poor to give to the rich. They didn't seem cool.
And then there was the people he helped, the lame, the sick, the poor. He touched people with leprosy. He healed the blind. He restored the lame so they could walk. These people were considered sinners, because of their injuries and ailments. They or their parents must have sinned for these injuries to occur.
And then of course, would a cool person be killed for his attitude? Probably not, maybe get detention or something. But Jesus was such a revolutionary that the religious establishment felt they needed to get rid of him permanently.
Well, when you look at the evidence, it appears Jesus isn't that cool after all. And he didn't have cool followers. I don't think Jesus would have been with the cool people. I think he would been with the geeks, the nerds, the loners, maybe the head bangers, the stoners. I think he would have told us to not chase after the cool life, that there is a better life ahead of us if we followed his way. I think he is still saying that, stop chasing cool and take up your cross and follow him.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Organic Church cont'd
Good morning!
It's a very blustery day in Lethbridge, with winds gusting up to 90 km/hour. No better day than today to talk about Organic Churches!
I was asked some questions in one of the comments on my blog last week so I thought I would respond to those and add some more thoughts.
"My question for you or anyone else, what forms can the organic church take, that is what could it look like?"
What could organic church look like? Well, I touched on that a little bit last week. Organic churches are not based on program or location really. They are based on following the mission of Jesus, so they really can be anywhere. They also tend to follow a simple form of leadership and structure. The biggest form for this would be the house church movement. House churches are simple. Typically, they have a meal together. It's all ages, children are involved at all levels. I have also heard of churches forming out of coffee shops and pubs. But if people in these churches have kids, they likely won't stay in those settings long. A good resource to read would be The Tangible Kingdom by Halter & Smay, and Organic Church by Neil Cole. There are likely other books out there on this topic as well, I don't have an exaustive list at my disposal.
"Another question, where do you start if you are already in a church or leading a church?" Simple answer would be starting with yourself. I am in this exact setting right at the moment. If it takes time to build trust with unbelievers, it can take even longer to build trust with your church. The big reason being many in the church do not understand this new language or methodology. Many in the church are asking the question, "Why aren't people coming to Church?" Obviously that's the wrong question to ask, but as leaders we have to frame our answers to get people to realize church is not a building, it's the people of God. And as the people of God, we are called to be missionaries, to reach others for Jesus. As a pastor, I try to place myself in places where I can rub shoulders with those who do not know Jesus and begin to build friendships. This may not go anywhere, but how else can I sow seeds of the Gospel if I never leave my office. So if I move my office to Starbucks or Tim Horton's once or twice a week, then I am exposed to the world. If things progress with this and you gather a group, likely you need to talk to your Board if it will involve more of your time. Ultimately we need to lead by example. No one will follow us if we aren't doing it ourselves.
If you are a Board member or attendee of your church, and you feel a calling to go in this direction (make sure you have prayed on this), then go to your pastor and tell him/her you have been called to be a missionary to reach your neighbourhood/city for Jesus. Begin small and don't give up meeting together. It's important that the Body of Christ gather together. We are never meant to be lone ranger Christians.
"Are there resources online that are available for those interested in learning more?" The Church of the Nazarene has a website, Organicnazarene.net. Darrell MacLearn is heading this network and is a great resource. They are also on Facebook. Neil Cole has cmaresources.org. Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch are involved in some very interesting work in Australia and have spoken in conferences around the world. Their books are very helpful in changing how we think about church. I especially enjoy Michael Frost's talks about missional church and you can find some of that on vimeo. There is a ton of stuff out there, but use some discernment. There are some people that are totally jaded with church that they create an insular ministry and speak against the church in all forms but their own.
My one piece of advice would be to not form a church if you are a group of angry people. Anger will not help you reach others for Jesus. Being dis-satisfied with the traditional church is a little different. If you turn that dis-satisfaction into a passion to take hold of Jesus' mission and become missionaries in your neigbourhood, amazing things can happen. But be prepared for it to take some time. Relationships and trust do not happen overnight.
btw - Keep the Japanese people in your prayers and support disaster relief organizations where you can.
It's a very blustery day in Lethbridge, with winds gusting up to 90 km/hour. No better day than today to talk about Organic Churches!
I was asked some questions in one of the comments on my blog last week so I thought I would respond to those and add some more thoughts.
"My question for you or anyone else, what forms can the organic church take, that is what could it look like?"
What could organic church look like? Well, I touched on that a little bit last week. Organic churches are not based on program or location really. They are based on following the mission of Jesus, so they really can be anywhere. They also tend to follow a simple form of leadership and structure. The biggest form for this would be the house church movement. House churches are simple. Typically, they have a meal together. It's all ages, children are involved at all levels. I have also heard of churches forming out of coffee shops and pubs. But if people in these churches have kids, they likely won't stay in those settings long. A good resource to read would be The Tangible Kingdom by Halter & Smay, and Organic Church by Neil Cole. There are likely other books out there on this topic as well, I don't have an exaustive list at my disposal.
"Another question, where do you start if you are already in a church or leading a church?" Simple answer would be starting with yourself. I am in this exact setting right at the moment. If it takes time to build trust with unbelievers, it can take even longer to build trust with your church. The big reason being many in the church do not understand this new language or methodology. Many in the church are asking the question, "Why aren't people coming to Church?" Obviously that's the wrong question to ask, but as leaders we have to frame our answers to get people to realize church is not a building, it's the people of God. And as the people of God, we are called to be missionaries, to reach others for Jesus. As a pastor, I try to place myself in places where I can rub shoulders with those who do not know Jesus and begin to build friendships. This may not go anywhere, but how else can I sow seeds of the Gospel if I never leave my office. So if I move my office to Starbucks or Tim Horton's once or twice a week, then I am exposed to the world. If things progress with this and you gather a group, likely you need to talk to your Board if it will involve more of your time. Ultimately we need to lead by example. No one will follow us if we aren't doing it ourselves.
If you are a Board member or attendee of your church, and you feel a calling to go in this direction (make sure you have prayed on this), then go to your pastor and tell him/her you have been called to be a missionary to reach your neighbourhood/city for Jesus. Begin small and don't give up meeting together. It's important that the Body of Christ gather together. We are never meant to be lone ranger Christians.
"Are there resources online that are available for those interested in learning more?" The Church of the Nazarene has a website, Organicnazarene.net. Darrell MacLearn is heading this network and is a great resource. They are also on Facebook. Neil Cole has cmaresources.org. Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch are involved in some very interesting work in Australia and have spoken in conferences around the world. Their books are very helpful in changing how we think about church. I especially enjoy Michael Frost's talks about missional church and you can find some of that on vimeo. There is a ton of stuff out there, but use some discernment. There are some people that are totally jaded with church that they create an insular ministry and speak against the church in all forms but their own.
My one piece of advice would be to not form a church if you are a group of angry people. Anger will not help you reach others for Jesus. Being dis-satisfied with the traditional church is a little different. If you turn that dis-satisfaction into a passion to take hold of Jesus' mission and become missionaries in your neigbourhood, amazing things can happen. But be prepared for it to take some time. Relationships and trust do not happen overnight.
btw - Keep the Japanese people in your prayers and support disaster relief organizations where you can.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Organic Church
Alright, I have been put in my place and I am going to try a little harder in resuming my blog. I have also changed some of the settings so anybody should be able to comment.
Anyway, I spent the weekend in Calgary at an Organic Church Network training Seminar. Darrell MacLearn is the director of this ministry for the Church of the Nazarene in US and Canada. He is currently based out of McKinney Texas leading and planting organic type churches, as well as traveling and educating leaders on this cutting edge ministry.
Let me take a moment to explain what organic means. (this could be a long blog) Organic means natural of course, but it also has a reproductive quality to it. Organic multiplies, look at Mark 4 for more on this.And when we talk about church, at least in North America we have this strange idea that it's about a building. But church is really meant to be defined this way: The Church is the People of God empowered by the Spirit of God on the Mission of Jesus in His world (taken from Darrell MacLearn). So when we have a more complete understanding of why we are here, it changes the game. When you look at the explosion of growth around other parts of the world, it's because the focus is Jesus and not on building or land. Hopefully, I haven't over-simplified, but I have generalized a little for the purpose of my blog.
I have years of knowledge when it comes to church planting and some experience with it, but after this weekend I realized I needed to get back out there and try again. I currently pastor a church in Lethbridge, and have been sowing seeds for some time about starting new work for the Kingdom of God which doesn't have to be in a church building. If we focus on Jesus and His Kingdom and the mission He has called us to which is making disciples, I think church will naturally form out of that mission. These churches may not be big, but they will be beautiful because they will have the aroma of Christ. These churches can also pop up anywhere, houses, coffee shops, pubs, malls and the like.
Understand that this isn't about being disenfranchised, it's about realizing the mission of Jesus is more important than the building we might meet in to talk about Him. Understand too, that this isn't meant to replace the current church model. It's one model among many.
There is probably more I could say on this, but if this is something you are interested in, then let's talk. Let's start a conversation and see what God can do with it.
Anyway, I spent the weekend in Calgary at an Organic Church Network training Seminar. Darrell MacLearn is the director of this ministry for the Church of the Nazarene in US and Canada. He is currently based out of McKinney Texas leading and planting organic type churches, as well as traveling and educating leaders on this cutting edge ministry.
Let me take a moment to explain what organic means. (this could be a long blog) Organic means natural of course, but it also has a reproductive quality to it. Organic multiplies, look at Mark 4 for more on this.And when we talk about church, at least in North America we have this strange idea that it's about a building. But church is really meant to be defined this way: The Church is the People of God empowered by the Spirit of God on the Mission of Jesus in His world (taken from Darrell MacLearn). So when we have a more complete understanding of why we are here, it changes the game. When you look at the explosion of growth around other parts of the world, it's because the focus is Jesus and not on building or land. Hopefully, I haven't over-simplified, but I have generalized a little for the purpose of my blog.
I have years of knowledge when it comes to church planting and some experience with it, but after this weekend I realized I needed to get back out there and try again. I currently pastor a church in Lethbridge, and have been sowing seeds for some time about starting new work for the Kingdom of God which doesn't have to be in a church building. If we focus on Jesus and His Kingdom and the mission He has called us to which is making disciples, I think church will naturally form out of that mission. These churches may not be big, but they will be beautiful because they will have the aroma of Christ. These churches can also pop up anywhere, houses, coffee shops, pubs, malls and the like.
Understand that this isn't about being disenfranchised, it's about realizing the mission of Jesus is more important than the building we might meet in to talk about Him. Understand too, that this isn't meant to replace the current church model. It's one model among many.
There is probably more I could say on this, but if this is something you are interested in, then let's talk. Let's start a conversation and see what God can do with it.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Is this relevant?
It's been a while since I have blogged here, and honestly I am not sure how effective I am at communicating or how far reaching this goes. It's interesting to realize that anyone can become an author now by way of this route, but do they have anything relevant to say? Who knows!
I have come to realize that I am a rare species in the world of Christianity: someone who is committed to the cause. Now this isn't a humble brag, because I am not a perfect person in any sense of the word. But I really want to see our world changed for Christ and His Kingdom. Now as I say that, like everyone else, I too get caught up in the ways of the world and my focus goes elsewhere more often than I like. But my passion is to see others come to Jesus, and I only know how to do that through the church. I wish there were more like one of my Board members, who cries because somehow we are missing the mark when it comes to reaching those who need Jesus.
Now I am not complaining about my church, I love my church! I also know that other churches are in the same boat as us. The only solace I gain is realizing that people still want answers about the the Big questions about life, the universe, and everything. Somehow, we have to invite others into our sphere, or get invited into theirs so we can share our thoughts about life, which includes how the Good News has changed ours.
If I am off-base don't be afraid to tell me. If there isn't much response, this may become my signing off of blogging for a while.
I have come to realize that I am a rare species in the world of Christianity: someone who is committed to the cause. Now this isn't a humble brag, because I am not a perfect person in any sense of the word. But I really want to see our world changed for Christ and His Kingdom. Now as I say that, like everyone else, I too get caught up in the ways of the world and my focus goes elsewhere more often than I like. But my passion is to see others come to Jesus, and I only know how to do that through the church. I wish there were more like one of my Board members, who cries because somehow we are missing the mark when it comes to reaching those who need Jesus.
Now I am not complaining about my church, I love my church! I also know that other churches are in the same boat as us. The only solace I gain is realizing that people still want answers about the the Big questions about life, the universe, and everything. Somehow, we have to invite others into our sphere, or get invited into theirs so we can share our thoughts about life, which includes how the Good News has changed ours.
If I am off-base don't be afraid to tell me. If there isn't much response, this may become my signing off of blogging for a while.
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