I remember the first time I had grilled cheese with my wife. We were married (and two poor youth ministers), so we sat down to a dinner of grilled cheese and some soup. After she had made the sandwich (she still makes the best grilled cheese that I've had), we sat down and I simply asked, "Do we have any strawberry jam?" Even as I write this, I remember the puzzled look on her face, and I'm guessing you have it on your face right now.
You see, when I was young, my aunt made grilled cheese sandwiches for my cousin and I, and put strawberry jam on his. With a puzzled look on my face, I asked, "Are you going to eat it like that?" He said, "Yeah." My aunt asked me if I wanted to try it. I hesitantly said yes, and when I tasted the sweet strawberries with the crisp bread and melted cheese, I loved it. Now, I realize it's not for everyone, but when DeAnn served me the sandwich, it didn't even occur to me that she never would have experienced strawberry jam on a grilled cheese sandwich.
As I remember that experience, it makes me think about how, having grown up in the church and now serving in churches, I can have a tendency to assume other people have had the same experiences I have had in the church. This leads to attractional thinking, believing that the church can "build it and they will come". Attractional thinking in the church leads us to believe that whatever "it" is (newer music, better youth or children's ministry, hipper teaching, etc), if we can just do "it" better, people will come, because people all have the same experience we do.
The truth is, we live in a time when the church in North America is no longer a dominant part of the community or people's lives. It's not a part of people's lives because, well, for any number of reasons (irrelevance, past hurt, ambivalence, etc). And that's because a church, rather than listening to others, often expects someone to change and be like "us" in order for them to "fit in." We want people from outside the church to do the cultural changing, becoming more like everyone else in the church, rather than getting to know our communities and neighborhoods, seeing what God is up to in them, and then joining alongside God.
If attractional church invites everyone to "come and see and be like us," and people are neither coming nor changing, then what's the alternative? Can we, the people who are the church, go into our communities and neighborhoods? The answer is, we have to. Not because the attractional model isn't working any more and so we have to do something new. We need to go and meet our neighbors and community and interact and listen because it's what Jesus did.
Did you ever notice that Jesus seems to be willing to go into different communities to interact with people? Samaritan woman, tax collector Zaccheus, Pharisees, whoever, Jesus is willing to interact with people, listen to their story. Jesus didn't expect everyone to have his experience or understanding, he was willing to sit with them, "saint" or "sinner", and listen and share.
The North American church today can no longer believe that it has anything to offer people by creating bigger buildings, better programs, or even more interesting teaching. The only thing we have to offer is the life of the Kingdom of God, and quite honestly, it's not all that attractive. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:23-24) doesn't sound all that attractive. It's not meant to be attractive, it is meant to be the model for the life of the Jesus-follower.
So, I wonder, where is God at work in your community? What are ways that you can go into your community to listen? To live the Kingdom life among others, rather than inviting them to church? I'd love to hear from you.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Attraction (and Failure) of Attraction
I've begun reading a good book (well, good so far) called "Introducing the Missional Church." I've read plenty about this subject before, but do not claim any authority on it what so ever. I do find this book to have a practicality that has been missing from others that I've read. I'd like to share some of it, and hear from you your thoughts on what it means to be the church.
The first part of the book addresses the issue of what missional church and living is, mainly by addressing what it isn't. What they don't do is define "missional church." The authors do this for a very specific reason: Too often, churches are looking for the next thing that is going to finally get their churches to grow. We look for a definition and format, because for too long churches has believed that if it could just get the right stuff going on at the church, people would be interested and come.
We call this the attractional method of doing church. Often, you'll hear the example from the movie Field of Dreams, where Kevin Cosner's character hears a voice tell him, "If you build it, he will come." Cosner's character ends up building a baseball field in his cornfield, and mystically, dead famous baseball players come out of the corn to play ball. Too often, churches just think, "If we can get the right ________________ (music, youth ministry, pastor, building), then people will show up." Pastors, too, fall into the trap of believing that if their churches could just get their acts together, people would come to church. This way of thinking used to hold true in North America, even recently.
Now, because it held true didn't make it good. Many have found two main problems with the attractional church. First of all, when you set out to attract people to church, you set up an expectation that you will continue to "attract" them. Will this church continue to interest a person enough to keep them coming? If not, what will need to be changed or started to keep it attractive? The attractional model ends up creating consumers of church rather than disciples of Jesus Christ.
The second problem of attractional church is the underlying assumption that the goal for the church is to get more people in the walls. When we seek to get people into the walls of the church, we inadvertently teach that coming to church is the goal of the life of faith. In their book Reveal, Bill Hybels and the people of Willow Creek Community Church share that they found a plateau in the spiritual growth of many of their people that happened when they maxed out on attending church functions (a brief and albeit crass summary of their in-depth study). Some churches who have thrived as attractional churches are looking at their churches as seeing the same plateau. Churches around the country, in large cities and rural communities, are realizing the same thing: something's wrong.
The missional mindset (or "imagination", as the authors of ItMC put it) is not an answer to how to get churches to do the right stuff. It's about opening our eyes to see God working around us, and finding ways to get involved. It's not about creating a utopia, it's about living faithfully in our communities, living as though, as Brian McClaren puts it, that we are blessed in order to be a blessing.
This challenges me as a pastor, because I have had a tendency to not be involved in my community, often seeking how I can make my church more attractive. I realize that God has not called me to a life in the church, but a life as a part of The Church, the Bride of Christ, in the world. I do this not with a picket sign, but with a shovel or rake. I do this not with words of morality, but with words of love. I do this not as I build a relationship to share the gospel, but as I build a relationship to live out the gospel for my sake, not the sake of some poor soul who needs it. I NEED IT!
So, as my family and I head up to the great northwest of Indiana, we look forward to not trying to be attractive (well, DeAnn can't help it, that's her God-given gift), but to live the kingdom life in our community. What about you? What's God doing in your community, and how will you get involved?
The first part of the book addresses the issue of what missional church and living is, mainly by addressing what it isn't. What they don't do is define "missional church." The authors do this for a very specific reason: Too often, churches are looking for the next thing that is going to finally get their churches to grow. We look for a definition and format, because for too long churches has believed that if it could just get the right stuff going on at the church, people would be interested and come.
We call this the attractional method of doing church. Often, you'll hear the example from the movie Field of Dreams, where Kevin Cosner's character hears a voice tell him, "If you build it, he will come." Cosner's character ends up building a baseball field in his cornfield, and mystically, dead famous baseball players come out of the corn to play ball. Too often, churches just think, "If we can get the right ________________ (music, youth ministry, pastor, building), then people will show up." Pastors, too, fall into the trap of believing that if their churches could just get their acts together, people would come to church. This way of thinking used to hold true in North America, even recently.
Now, because it held true didn't make it good. Many have found two main problems with the attractional church. First of all, when you set out to attract people to church, you set up an expectation that you will continue to "attract" them. Will this church continue to interest a person enough to keep them coming? If not, what will need to be changed or started to keep it attractive? The attractional model ends up creating consumers of church rather than disciples of Jesus Christ.
The second problem of attractional church is the underlying assumption that the goal for the church is to get more people in the walls. When we seek to get people into the walls of the church, we inadvertently teach that coming to church is the goal of the life of faith. In their book Reveal, Bill Hybels and the people of Willow Creek Community Church share that they found a plateau in the spiritual growth of many of their people that happened when they maxed out on attending church functions (a brief and albeit crass summary of their in-depth study). Some churches who have thrived as attractional churches are looking at their churches as seeing the same plateau. Churches around the country, in large cities and rural communities, are realizing the same thing: something's wrong.
The missional mindset (or "imagination", as the authors of ItMC put it) is not an answer to how to get churches to do the right stuff. It's about opening our eyes to see God working around us, and finding ways to get involved. It's not about creating a utopia, it's about living faithfully in our communities, living as though, as Brian McClaren puts it, that we are blessed in order to be a blessing.
This challenges me as a pastor, because I have had a tendency to not be involved in my community, often seeking how I can make my church more attractive. I realize that God has not called me to a life in the church, but a life as a part of The Church, the Bride of Christ, in the world. I do this not with a picket sign, but with a shovel or rake. I do this not with words of morality, but with words of love. I do this not as I build a relationship to share the gospel, but as I build a relationship to live out the gospel for my sake, not the sake of some poor soul who needs it. I NEED IT!
So, as my family and I head up to the great northwest of Indiana, we look forward to not trying to be attractive (well, DeAnn can't help it, that's her God-given gift), but to live the kingdom life in our community. What about you? What's God doing in your community, and how will you get involved?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
A Minor Celebration
Well, we in the Jennette household had a minor celebration this week. And when I say minor...well, you'll see what I mean.
A few weeks ago, we bought Guitar Hero III for our Wii. We've enjoyed the Wii, probably more than any of us thought we would, and find ourselves regularly playing this game. I play guitar at a beginner's level (which I hope doesn't disparage beginners) and this game has some similarities to playing the guitar. There are 5 different colored buttons and a toggle that you strum. You press the correct color and flip the toggle at the same time to get points and if you play well enough, you can complete the song.
My oldest son worked and worked on learning the first song, Slow Ride by Foghat (apologies to my current church that got to hear our youngest singing that song over and over before church one Sunday). It took him quite a long time, but last week he finally finished his first song. It was a video game, granted, but I was so proud of him for setting a goal, working hard, and accomplishing his goal.
It made me wonder about myself: If my son has the kind of drive to play a song on a video game, do I have that same drive to do things that matter in the world? Family fun is wonderful (and needed in our family from time to time), but what about those things that are important. Do I have the kind of strength it takes to see it through?
As that question rolls around in my mind, I think about Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, and the words of confidence he shares with them: "...(God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." As we and the people of Merrillville set out on this new adventure, I want to remember those words from Paul. There will be times when things get hard, when people question what we're doing, if we've lost our minds. Some people may outright fight what it is we are doing for God. But in my mind, it's not us, but God who is beginning this work in us, and if God is beginning it, then God will be faithful to complete it in and through us.
So with that in mind, I want to continue to do the work of God, no matter what's against me, because ultimately it is God who will carry it on to completion, finish the job. And I've got a great example of the hard work it takes to complete a goal sitting next to me at the dinner table.
What about you? What kind of work is God asking of you to complete that good work? I'd love to hear from you.
A few weeks ago, we bought Guitar Hero III for our Wii. We've enjoyed the Wii, probably more than any of us thought we would, and find ourselves regularly playing this game. I play guitar at a beginner's level (which I hope doesn't disparage beginners) and this game has some similarities to playing the guitar. There are 5 different colored buttons and a toggle that you strum. You press the correct color and flip the toggle at the same time to get points and if you play well enough, you can complete the song.
My oldest son worked and worked on learning the first song, Slow Ride by Foghat (apologies to my current church that got to hear our youngest singing that song over and over before church one Sunday). It took him quite a long time, but last week he finally finished his first song. It was a video game, granted, but I was so proud of him for setting a goal, working hard, and accomplishing his goal.
It made me wonder about myself: If my son has the kind of drive to play a song on a video game, do I have that same drive to do things that matter in the world? Family fun is wonderful (and needed in our family from time to time), but what about those things that are important. Do I have the kind of strength it takes to see it through?
As that question rolls around in my mind, I think about Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, and the words of confidence he shares with them: "...(God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." As we and the people of Merrillville set out on this new adventure, I want to remember those words from Paul. There will be times when things get hard, when people question what we're doing, if we've lost our minds. Some people may outright fight what it is we are doing for God. But in my mind, it's not us, but God who is beginning this work in us, and if God is beginning it, then God will be faithful to complete it in and through us.
So with that in mind, I want to continue to do the work of God, no matter what's against me, because ultimately it is God who will carry it on to completion, finish the job. And I've got a great example of the hard work it takes to complete a goal sitting next to me at the dinner table.
What about you? What kind of work is God asking of you to complete that good work? I'd love to hear from you.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
First Steps of Faith
If you're reading this, it's either because we've shared with you the next steps God has asked us to take, or you mistyped another address. If you're the latter, feel free to read, or just retype your address the right way. If you're the former, thanks for joining us on this journey. Whether you're a part of our new ministry actively, supportively, or inquisitively, welcome! I'd say enjoy the ride, but, well...let me get to that.
I was getting ready for a Bible study today when I read Hebrews 11 to get ready. It's a passage I was familiar with (having gone through seminary, I'm "familiar" with a lot of passages, but that really doesn't mean much), but something new struck me today. As I read about these people that the author lists and their acts of faith, I realized something: They had to actually DO something in faith. Abel, in faith, OFFERS a sacrifice. Noah, in faith, BUILDS an ark. Abraham, in faith, WENT from his homeland to a new, strange promised land. I hope you're getting the same picture I am.
Faith is not a set of beliefs. It's not merely a mental assent to some tenet or dogma. Faith is the fuel that sets our feet in the direction toward God's way. Faith is the impetus, the drive, to do things far beyond ordinary, what would be normal for you. And faith is something else: It's the element that completes that which is beyond our ability. The author of Hebrews lists these amazing feats that happened through faith, things that couldn't happen just by normal human work. Faith was the very thing that made the impossible possible, the "no way Hosey" (as my 4-year-old Micah says) into the "That just happened!" (Thank you, Will Ferrell).
So, if you're joining us in one way or the other, please don't enjoy it. Enjoying something is what we do with a movie or a TV show. Jump in with us. Take a step in faith with us. DeAnn and I, the boys, and many folks in Merrillville have taken a step of faith to do something great for God. It's not something we're doing because it's easy, it's something fueled by faith, and can only be accomplished through the faithfulness of God. And I can't think of anything better to do.
So, I'm wondering, what about you? Share in the comments about a time when you did something crazy, fueled by faith. Or is there something that you think God is inviting you to be a part of through faith? If so and you're hesitating, are you willing to share? Don't be embarrassed. It's OK (we've all been there). But DON'T WAIT! Take the first steps. There's no better step to take than one of faith.
I was getting ready for a Bible study today when I read Hebrews 11 to get ready. It's a passage I was familiar with (having gone through seminary, I'm "familiar" with a lot of passages, but that really doesn't mean much), but something new struck me today. As I read about these people that the author lists and their acts of faith, I realized something: They had to actually DO something in faith. Abel, in faith, OFFERS a sacrifice. Noah, in faith, BUILDS an ark. Abraham, in faith, WENT from his homeland to a new, strange promised land. I hope you're getting the same picture I am.
Faith is not a set of beliefs. It's not merely a mental assent to some tenet or dogma. Faith is the fuel that sets our feet in the direction toward God's way. Faith is the impetus, the drive, to do things far beyond ordinary, what would be normal for you. And faith is something else: It's the element that completes that which is beyond our ability. The author of Hebrews lists these amazing feats that happened through faith, things that couldn't happen just by normal human work. Faith was the very thing that made the impossible possible, the "no way Hosey" (as my 4-year-old Micah says) into the "That just happened!" (Thank you, Will Ferrell).
So, if you're joining us in one way or the other, please don't enjoy it. Enjoying something is what we do with a movie or a TV show. Jump in with us. Take a step in faith with us. DeAnn and I, the boys, and many folks in Merrillville have taken a step of faith to do something great for God. It's not something we're doing because it's easy, it's something fueled by faith, and can only be accomplished through the faithfulness of God. And I can't think of anything better to do.
So, I'm wondering, what about you? Share in the comments about a time when you did something crazy, fueled by faith. Or is there something that you think God is inviting you to be a part of through faith? If so and you're hesitating, are you willing to share? Don't be embarrassed. It's OK (we've all been there). But DON'T WAIT! Take the first steps. There's no better step to take than one of faith.
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