Brian has given me a lot of good press.
Who's Brian you ask?
Well you can get a pretty good idea by visiting his blog- bedrock3.blogspot.com. In that widely read blog you will find that he is a pastor with a heart to reach people in a non-traditional church setting and atmosphere.
He has also been my friend since second grade.
In school I always envied his intelligence. Brian made math look easy. He always comprehended stuff that made my head hurt. He had read books that were DEEP. You know, no pictures. We played basketball together in school, probably the only thing we had in common and it cemented our friendship. I was asked about doing Campus Life in Martinsville, which I accepted. If I recall correctly I asked Brian to help me, he accepted. Our first ministry.
My marriage was a product of him as his then girlfriend setting me up with a blind date. Four years later I was married.
After college Brian got a great job with IBM. I starting working for an industrial supply house.
I would talk with Brian once and awhile, and then...
I heard he was going to seminary.
Brian had grown up in a very traditional church, as did I. The only time he spoke about his church was to comment how the youth would sit in the balcony and goof off during the service while the adults struggled to pay attention. I think Brian saw the church as someplace that people went because they were just expected to. I think Brian wanted the church to be more than that, he wanted it to be alive, relevant to the community, a place were love and hope could be found.
He tried to pastor a traditional church, no dice. It seemed they were unwilling to change to broaden there reach. So he did the best thing I think he could have done.
He planted a church.
Talk about faith! Talk about fearless! Now he will tell you that he has had his moments when he wasn't so sure about it, but I'm also sure he would tell you the journey has never been dull.
He became the head of church planting for the midwest region in our denomination, were he works to help others plant churches.
Brian isn't perfect, like all of us he has his faults, but I still find myself envying him, not so much for his head knowledge (which is still WAY over my head) but for his heart and passion to reach people that have given up on the church.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Individualism and today's church
In my Sunday School class we talked about something that I had not really thought about. We have a new classification (well new to me). There are atheist (No God), agnostic (God, but unreachable) and now individualist ( Me and God are tight, just in my own way). I remember a conversation I had with an alcoholic that told me that he and Jesus had a relationship, but it was a relationship that apparently was unique and different than everybody else. I'm hearing more people tell me that. I've thought to myself, why wouldn't they want to have what I guess I consider a "normal" relationship that is open, and not so undercover.
Why don't they attend church? My first thought is that they have seen so many bad examples of Christianity in church that they feel there better off outside the church. I won't argue that, sometimes we are bad billboards for Christ. I urge people to NOT look so much at people but focus on Christ, but that just isn't going to happen.
I also think that people have become more independent. We live in a world that we can communicate thoughts and ideas, good and bad, to anyone that wants to listen. We are bombarded with so much information about religion, we don't need a pastor. Why risk relationships with other believers who can hurt us? When your on your own you can get as close or as far away as you want.
There is one more thing that being an individualist offers, no accountability. If I keep my relationship a secret I can do what I want, whenever I want and no one is going to jump down my throat. If someone does point out the sin in my life, I can always say that I simply don't believe that way. You can kind of float about on the currents of the latest ideas, without really standing for anything.
How do we, as the Church, reach people that see no use for us? First and foremost we have to LOVE them. This sounds the easiest, but if were honest, it's the toughest. Most churches are not interested in people that are not interested in the church. Hey if they want to be on there own, let them, we got more important things to do like balance our budget, plan the next social gathering, stuff like that. Help people? Sorry we just don't have the time.
Second we have to get over our fear. This is the toughest for me. Any relationship incurs a risk no matter what you want to talk about. I am so socially backwards that just spitting out my name can be a problem with somebody I don't know. I envy people that can be bold and just stick out your hand to anyone that walks by. Jesus teaches that we need not fear anyone, so my faith is weak in that area. I'm betting I'm not the only one.
Lastly, keep it simple. I don't think people need to know all of your theological knowledge. If we can't explain Christ's love for us in a plain simple way, (you know like Christ did), what's the use?
People can listen to the intellectuals on TV (I'll bet they spend a second before they switch the channel). I think the world is hungry for the plain, simple truth.
The bottom line is this...teach the simple truth and live that truth.
Why don't they attend church? My first thought is that they have seen so many bad examples of Christianity in church that they feel there better off outside the church. I won't argue that, sometimes we are bad billboards for Christ. I urge people to NOT look so much at people but focus on Christ, but that just isn't going to happen.
I also think that people have become more independent. We live in a world that we can communicate thoughts and ideas, good and bad, to anyone that wants to listen. We are bombarded with so much information about religion, we don't need a pastor. Why risk relationships with other believers who can hurt us? When your on your own you can get as close or as far away as you want.
There is one more thing that being an individualist offers, no accountability. If I keep my relationship a secret I can do what I want, whenever I want and no one is going to jump down my throat. If someone does point out the sin in my life, I can always say that I simply don't believe that way. You can kind of float about on the currents of the latest ideas, without really standing for anything.
How do we, as the Church, reach people that see no use for us? First and foremost we have to LOVE them. This sounds the easiest, but if were honest, it's the toughest. Most churches are not interested in people that are not interested in the church. Hey if they want to be on there own, let them, we got more important things to do like balance our budget, plan the next social gathering, stuff like that. Help people? Sorry we just don't have the time.
Second we have to get over our fear. This is the toughest for me. Any relationship incurs a risk no matter what you want to talk about. I am so socially backwards that just spitting out my name can be a problem with somebody I don't know. I envy people that can be bold and just stick out your hand to anyone that walks by. Jesus teaches that we need not fear anyone, so my faith is weak in that area. I'm betting I'm not the only one.
Lastly, keep it simple. I don't think people need to know all of your theological knowledge. If we can't explain Christ's love for us in a plain simple way, (you know like Christ did), what's the use?
People can listen to the intellectuals on TV (I'll bet they spend a second before they switch the channel). I think the world is hungry for the plain, simple truth.
The bottom line is this...teach the simple truth and live that truth.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Welcome to my Blog
Wow my first post. Brian would be very proud of me. I want to introduce to you who I am. My name is Tom, I have a lovely (and patient) wife Marsha, and two great sons, Matt and Aaron. My reason for starting this Blog is two-fold. The first reason is two have an outlet for my thoughts on church leadership from the perspective of an elder from a small town traditional church as it grapples with change from within and outside the church. Secondly I wanted to share my personal struggle as a Christian man to live the life that God has called us to live. My hope is that it will encourage others.
Why Flower Hill? Well I grew up on a hill in a small town. In my town when you say your from Flower Hill it usually indicates that your poor, rough living, simple. I have found it to be a special place to live, where people are for the most part poor, rough living and simple. But there is a sense of community. Anyone just passing through just wouldn't see the things I see.
Why? Because they don't see it the way that I do. I am simple, I don't like complicated, long winded babble. Just get me the bottom line.
So how does this connect with church leadership? I read and hear so much about what the church should or should not be doing. Much has been written on "doing church". Doing it better, doing it smarter, the latest craze, small groups, large groups, small churches, mega churches. It just goes on and on. Where I believe we have to get to is putting down all the other books, and pick up the best church growth book out there, your Bible. You see until we stop "doing" church and start "being" the church we will always come up short. But how do we move our traditional churches from where they are to were they need to be? There lies the problem.
More on that later. If you do come across this blog I hope you enjoy it.
But understand...I'm from Flower Hill.
Why Flower Hill? Well I grew up on a hill in a small town. In my town when you say your from Flower Hill it usually indicates that your poor, rough living, simple. I have found it to be a special place to live, where people are for the most part poor, rough living and simple. But there is a sense of community. Anyone just passing through just wouldn't see the things I see.
Why? Because they don't see it the way that I do. I am simple, I don't like complicated, long winded babble. Just get me the bottom line.
So how does this connect with church leadership? I read and hear so much about what the church should or should not be doing. Much has been written on "doing church". Doing it better, doing it smarter, the latest craze, small groups, large groups, small churches, mega churches. It just goes on and on. Where I believe we have to get to is putting down all the other books, and pick up the best church growth book out there, your Bible. You see until we stop "doing" church and start "being" the church we will always come up short. But how do we move our traditional churches from where they are to were they need to be? There lies the problem.
More on that later. If you do come across this blog I hope you enjoy it.
But understand...I'm from Flower Hill.
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