Missional - Missional Ministry and the Technology challenge

Found this article the other day:

Report: 48% of Leisure Time is Spent Online

MarketingVOX: A report from Media-Screen finds that broadband users spend an average of 48 percent of their free time online in a typical weekday, reports the Center for Media Research. The percentage measures out to about one hour and 40 minutes.

On average, online broadband users devote 27 percent of their time online to leisure/entertainment, 27 percent for communication, 9 percent on information searches, 15 percent on personal productivity, and 12 percent on shopping.

Among younger users, 48 percent report they learn about new entertainment mainly through peer-powered sites like social networks, review and video sites, and blogs.

Two media activities - sending email and visiting sites for personal reasons - are more popular than watching TV.

You can find the original article here.

I think this has real significance for those individuals and churches seeking to be missional.

More young people surf the web than watch TV!

So part of the problem resides in the fact that we want to bring pre-believers into an atmosphere where in most churches we are technology challenged. The first thing these folks think is that suddenly they are beng asked to be part of a group who doesnt understand them.

What do we need to do? What can be done?

We need to not be affraid of Blogs, MySpace, Social Networking, emailing prayer reports and Bible study resources. Create ebooks and other resources.

It doesnt take much to record services as MP3's or video files anymore and put them online. Free services like YouTube and others host all this content free.

People are looking for an ongoing conversation. One that doesnt end when the service ends. But one that is a continuation. How can we do creative things to extend that conversation?

But the first step in tradtional churches who long to move missionally must be able to integrate technology in a seamless way that allows for new people to see thought, planning and consideration going into how technology is being used. And not just in the presentation during the service but in the use during the week and thepromotion of that ongoing conversation.

How can we use the powerful tool of modern communication to increase the scope, reach and quality of our conversations with those who are in our congregations?

Any Ideas?

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Missional - The Missional Office Pool

So a guy in my office was having a baby (yeah I know his wife was having it). So there was a pool. How much would the baby weigh.

Well everyone was taking weights and putting their $5 in and no one asked me to join. I got righteously offended and asked him why he didnt ask me. He said "I didnt think a preacher would play!" I said well how about this Ill take the last 2 weights and if I "win" you can have the money for the baby.

Well guess what.

I won.

Now ewveryone in the office today was talking about how I gave the office pool money to the the father of the new baby.

You know what? It didnt cost me much, but it did give me ample opportunity to tell people today, that the reason I did it was to bless someone else the way God has blessed me.

More than 1 person said, "I wish all people who say they are Christians did such things."

The opportunities are out there folks. Its up to you to capitalize on them.

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Missional - Starts Small

As you may know, we've accepted a position as Senior Pastor at a church in a rural county here in North Central Pa. We are excited and thrilled to begin this new journey.

It will be an opportunity for us to help a church become missional as well as live it out ourselves.

It began for me last week by meeting the local Convenience Store owner and the Postal Clerk. What fun!

Now Im working on how to begin to develop these relationships.

I have also discovered the local lake is a great place to meet others and talk. I have already been there to pray and consider God's beauty and God has brought a couple conversations about with folks because of that.

Im excited to see how God uses these things and develops these relationships.

Stay Tuned.

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Missional - A Leadership Lesson

“Ph.D. in leadership. Short course: Make a short list of all things done to you that you abhorred. Don’t do them to others. Ever. Make another list of things done to you that you loved. Do them to others. Always.” — Dee Hock

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Missional Another example In My Neighborhood

Here's another great example:

Missional In My Neighborhood

A determined caller asked, "What can I do to be missional in my neighborhood?"

I love questions that seek to create opportunities to share the simple 'love' of Jesus. So I offered a quick list of suburbia ideas for the caller to consider for her 'neck of the Northern California suburbia woods'

I've always felt awkward when I'm resting at a stop light, trying not to look at the homeless panhandler (Icon of God) out my driver's side window. I know, I know..."they do this as a scam to make easy money off of guilt ridden passers-by." I don't care. I want to meet a need, and I want to do it cheerfully and loving.

Whenever I go to McDonald's or any fast food location of your appetite's choice, I buy multiple $5 gift cards.

Last week I purchased $25 worth and placed the cards above my car's visor. Now, whenever I see someone asking for 'some help', I quickly pull one of the cards out from the visor and tell them to go get a warm lunch on me.

If the light is longer than normal, it creates a conversation.

I now pray for "Jimmy" on a daily basis, and I look for him each Wednesday afternoon during my drive into the radio station. We've struck up a dialog each time I've handed him the card. He's confounded at the 'love in forethought' that goes into buying the cards. Last week a small break through...he told me to keep praying for him as I drove away.

Read the rest Here.

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Missional - Church Cancelled

Church Cancelled, Service Begins

Across the country, churches are closing their doors on Sunday mornings to serve their communities through the new four-week churchwide campaign called Faith in Action. Will you join them?

by Heather Johnson
from Outreach magazine, May/June 2007

Curtis Lake thought the flood of 1996—when eight inches of water filled his suburban home—was disastrous. But what the first week of November 2006 brought him and the other residents of Sumner, Wash., turned out to be much worse. Nearly 10 inches of rain fell on the town of 10,000 just south of Seattle. Seven rivers flooded. Streets filled with mud and silt. And this time, Lake's belongings sat under 18 inches of water. Also destroyed were 33 of the 41 mobile homes of River Park Estates, the senior living park he manages.

"We lost everything," Lake says. "And most of the residents just left."

But, to his surprise and relief, help arrived. Nearby Calvary Community Church (cccsumner.org) had cancelled that weekend's services to head out and serve the community as part of a new four-week churchwide campaign called Faith in Action. Little did the congregation know their service weekend would be so well-timed; Sumner had never needed so much help.

Early on that Saturday morning, a forlorn Lake stood surveying the damage at the River Park Estates' front gate, when more than 250 volunteers "just started showing up," he recalls. Volunteers set out to save salvageable items by removing mud and sifting through personal belongings. Clean-up crews from the church eventually emptied 49 trash dumpsters of debris collected at the mobile home park.

"You know, Calvary was just an absolute God-send," says Lake, who now chats with the church's associate pastor on a regular basis. "I saw those people there to help, and it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders."

Demonstrating Christian service is the heart of the Faith in Action campaign created by leading Christian publisher Zondervan (zondervan.com), Christian relief organization World Vision (worldvision.org) and church communications firm Outreach Inc. (outreach.com) [parent company of Outreach magazine]. The three organizations have put together a name and program to a movement that has been gaining momentum for more than a decade, starting with pioneers like Vineyard Cincinnati founder Steve Sjogren's servant evangelism ministry (servantevangelism.com) and Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Ark. (fbclr.org), with Pastor Robert Lewis. Eighteen years ago, Lewis led a focused, churchwide reorganization to make serving the community a core value of the church.

Faith in Action focuses a congregation's attention on local, national and global needs, as well as God's heart for service. For a full month, sermons and worship services, small group discussions and daily devotional readings, all lay the foundation for the campaign's culminating event—"Faith in Action Sunday" community service project(s) and the corresponding cancellation of regular worship services. Moreover, the campaign also has an intentional outreach focus, where unchurched friends and community members are invited to join in the volunteer efforts, serving alongside church members.

Read the rest of the article:

Church Cancelled, Service Begins

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Missional - News of Missional Churches

Ran across this article today:

Area churches reaching out to Upstate communities in new ways

Using simple tools, some newer area churches are making connections with their communities using candy bars, cookouts and home repairs.

LifeSong Church, The Point, Life Changers Outreach Center and New Destiny Outreach Center are reaching out and ministering to the community in unique ways.

These congregations are bringing the mission field home, making a big impact despite their small size.

Jeff Hickman and Brian George co-pastor LifeSong in Lyman where the motto is: "Being missionaries where we live, work and play."

LifeSong's presence in the community was felt months before its official launch on Easter.

Churchgoers volunteer at the Southeastern Children's Home, Greer Soup Kitchen and have monthly collection drives for organizations such as Miracle Hill Ministries and Middle Tyger Community Center.

They also have rehabilitated area homes through their "Community Transformation Projects" - all this from a church that draws 70 to 90 people for Sunday morning worship services.

Hickman and George, who oversees mission projects, encourage people in their congregation to invest themselves in the community.

"We want to become so intertwined in the community that the community would miss us if we were not here," Hickman said.

Hickman said he believes many churches have become more inward focused.

"They take all these tithes and offerings up, and most of the money churches spend, they spend it on themselves rather than taking and spending those resources that are being given for the kingdom of God."

Hickman differentiates between "mission-minded ness" and a "missional lifestyle."

He said there are many organizations or causes LifeSong could donate to.

"When we send our money to these things, that's being mission-minded. But a missional lifestyle is actually where we're not giving our funds for somebody else to do it, we're actually taking those projects upon ourselves to do," Hickman said.

Tennessee teenagers turned Lyman into their mission field when they helped LifeSong prepare for its launch. About 80 middle school students from Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., performed light construction work on the church. They also led Bible studies and handed out invitations to the church launch in the community.

"We believe that Jesus gave us a clear example that you go out into the community and you meet people right where they are, and you meet their needs," Hickman said. "Meeting their needs gives you an opportunity to be able to share his love and bring them to a personal relationship (with Christ)."

The church's vision comes from Luke 10:27, a verse imploring Christian believers to love God with all their heart and to "love your neighbor as yourself."

"We're getting back to the basics of what Christ teaches," Hickman said.

"I can stand up in the pulpit and I can preach all day long. I can go out and knock on people's doors and tell them all day long that Jesus loves them. Jesus didn't just preach to people. He actually showed them that he loved them because he met their needs," Hickman said.

READ the rest of the article:

Area churches reaching out to Upstate communities in new ways


THOUGHTS?

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Missional Gold Mining

Paying a person’s toll

Paying for someones food or gas

Giving out water

Mowing someones lawn

Shoveling someones walk

What other little missional gold nuggets are you doing for the community around you?

This kind of mining is showing love and that is Kingdom enriching.

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Missional - Research on Small Groups

Here's some good research on small groups:

Check it out, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Smaller Passionate Groups Outperform Large Generic Communities

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Missional - Here's a Neat Way to Be Missional

Seth Godin Shared this organization with his readers.

I think this is an incredible idea. You can do this as an individual, family or faith community.

Family to Family

What if every family unit in a church would do this. How many lives could it change?

To my blogging friends - spread the word.

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Missional - Missional Ministry must be generational

I believe on of the biggest challenges to missional ministry is the need for the ministry to be cross generational. A great value is lost when we focus on only one segment of the population:

The follow generations are the ones sitting in our churches today:


Traditional workers (born before 1946): They value loyalty and discipline, and they respect authority and hierarchy.

Baby Boomers (1946-1960): They have great expectations of success. Currently, this group occupies positions of higher corporate responsibility, and has the largest proportion of workaholics in history. This is also the generation that gave birth to the “Yuppie” phenomenon.


Generation X (1961-1979): This generation has the best academic training and international experience in history. They have begun to make a break with traditional patterns of behavior, demanding a more informal environment and abandoning hierarchical authority in favor of a more horizontal and flexible structure. They have pioneered policies that involve flexibility and conciliation. This generation is rich in entrepreneurs because personal initiative predominates within a context of skepticism toward large enterprises.


Generation Y (starting from 1980): Generation Y is the first in history to have lived their entire lives with information technology. It is not easy for them to understand the world without it. Like members of Generation X, their childhood was comfortable and prosperous. They are more individualistic than earlier generations and demand autonomy in their opinions and behavior. They emphasize personal activities above social and labor considerations.


As you can see there are vast differences between these groups. Add to that the environment i.e. urban, suburban, and rural and you can the mix of generational factors the church faces today.

If we are to have truly missional ministry in a community, when will be able to involve all generations. Each will be counted on to bring their strengths to the mission and contribute as God as gifted.

To many times today ministry is aged focused. We need more cross generational opportunities. Whets wrong with all worshipping together, learning together or serving together? We need the ability to pass on wisdom down and up the generational chain. Traditionals and Boomers need x,yer's knowledge of technology and our changing world. X and Yer's need their commitment to getting the job done, experience and determination.

True communitas can only come across the generations when we are all committed to a common mission with common purpose. Leaving groups behind does not create communitas it creates division.

How can we strive for our missional communities to be cross generational?

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Missional - Creating Third Spaces

Third Spaces are all about creating places where we can interact with pre-believers. Im finding all kinds of kewl ways people are doing this. What Im not finding is ways churches are doing this.

New church plants that use the concept of creating a third space first and then creating a meeting location for the church is a model for the future every plant should consider.

New church buildings need to be built in consideration of how to create a third space first. A place of service to the community and not another fortress for the church.

Here's a great example of what Im talking about for the Planting God Communities which I used with permission.

Our missional incarnational approach here in Turley, OK with the creation of 'a third place' as part of our planting got written up today in the Tulsa World. Here is the link where you can read the article.
A Third Place: Turley's New Community Center: Facility gives residents area to relax, socialize

I guess, since there is no mention in the article of me as a minister and of the creation of the center as a way that our church is serving the community, of how we are purposefully becoming "a guest in our own home" as a spiritual discipline, that it must be working. No seriously, when I first read the article, my old default mode of thinking went up and I thought "oh I wish they'd mentioned the church" but if they had, since we are not only serving people of existing religious affiliations but especially the de-churched and unchurched, I probably would have thought "oh I wish they hadn't played up the church so much." Such is the plight of the 50-something planter moving more into missional approaches to what it means to be church.

We don't have a sign that says the name of our church or even a flier out front that we meet in the space we have created (we did but I took it down); we do have a flier for the church that is available in the community information area but we also post information prominently about events that take place at other churches in our area; we do have a cross placed next to the cable television area but I have been debating about taking it out and just bringing it out, in a kind of processional, whenever we have our meetings (still haven't decided; there are pros and cons). Upshot is that people will find out about us first through our mission, our work together, and through conversation rather than some printed material, a sign, slogans, or worship service.

The fact that it all feels weird, disorienting to people's stereotypes of church, means we are on the right track I think. End. Ron

This is the kind of church concept that changes communities. Imagine what would happen if each church in the US decided to open such a place. Think of the lives that would be changed and the opportunities that would come to share the Gospel and build the kingdom.

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Missional - Only takes a Cell Phone

Check out this article.......

Man gets 5,000 calls for YouTube posting

So you make a YouTube posting offering to talk to anyone about anything. 5,000 needy people call you. Doesn't that tell us something about engaging our world's?

A simple act of being willing to talk to someone sparks a huge response.

I was preaching yesterday on the fact that we are called to love the unlovable. This guy is out there living it out.

So what can you do?

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Missional – Reaching Out with Art

Seth Godin has this great post.

Artist in Residence

Now I ask the church…………. Why not an artist in residence?


Art to illustrate each sermon?

Commissioned art for each family?

Community showings

Art on Loan to public businesses

Art classes for the community



So many kewl things could be done with something like this.

What do you think?

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Missional - Risk and Creativity go Together

I got a great email from another friend, he adds this to the previous discussion:

Hello Jerry

I'm still following the blog, although I've not commented recently, and I'm finding it a really cool way to keep looking at new thoughts and ideas. It's also remarkable how close we are. I knew that I was one of many before, in theory, but it's great to see how many others there are out there…

I've been especially interested in your "Risk-aversion" and creativity blogs. I suspect you deliberately put the "Risk" post just before the "Creative" one to show how risk is an integral part of creativity. It is a risk to step out and paint live, to a set timescale. It could have gone horribly wrong. Maybe it did for that artist and maybe he's made many attempts and "failed". Well done him for getting up again and finding a new way to worship…

The church dislikes risk, and I think there's a direct link between that and our lack or creativity, And why we use a liturgy from 1600? last "updated" sometime last century. Even when I worked with a large "Forward thinking" "charismatic" missions organization I found repeatedly that ideas were turned down because they were a risk, especially when these ideas involved storytelling or theatre or anything except music. And if something you tried "Didn't work" then that was it: you never got to try anything else. I never did know what the definition of "Working" or "Not working was" but it didn't matter because I wasn't able to try. I also noticed that all the testimonies were "Success" focused as well. They all had a happy ending where the person speaking came deeper with God or the problem was resolved. I almost never heard a testimony of someone who was still having troubles/doubts/issues, so you ended up thinking you were the only "failure".

I learned how hard it is to work in a place like that so the team I'm working with now are being drilled to try stuff. And we've made mistakes, and some could have been avoided. It's hard for a team member who made a mistake onstage to get up again, and take on a fresh challenge, but they never get another chance and never get encouraged to try again, what's the point?

Thanks for the continued blogging.

Andy

So what do you think of Andy's insights?

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