reyes-chow :: FAITH

The Day Jesus Came to Preach

h/t: Heather

Courtesy of The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus

Number 1 reason why PC(USA) churches are dying a slow, painful, sad, drawn-out, death and other happy thoughts

Yesterday I posted a status update on Facebook, "Bruce is pretty sure he knows why some churches are slowly dying in body and spirit."  I got more inquiry from that update than ever before.  Interesting.

So, wrote a post about it, want to hear it, here it go.

First, I am TOTALLY not jumping on the liberal or conservative version of the "The Presbyterian Church (USA) is hemorrhaging because we don't love/know/follow Jesus enough" train.  The reason for our denominational health is so far beyond a liberal/conservative issue for me.  Despite what we would like to say about one another, I don't believe that congregational health or sickness prefers one theological perspective over another.  It is much larger than that.

But before I pose my arrogant diagnosis of an entire denomination, let me get in my preemptive defenses and disclaimers:

1. I whine about a denomination that has formed me  and that I have CHOSEN to be part of.
2. I am engaged both personally and professionally in trying to be the change I seek.
3. I do know that people connect with God in different ways, but sometimes, it is just bad stewardship of physical, financial and spiritual resources.
4. I realize that there is not just ONE thing that is causing our churches to die a slow slow painful, wandering, subtle, sinister death . . . . but then that would be a really long boring blog post.
5. Sorry if I am basically rehashing things that I have posted before, but you know how we pastor types really only have about 3-6 things to say. 

But first a word of hope.   I am actually pretty optimistic about the future of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and am more committed than ever to working towards the transformation of our denomination through the transformation of our congregations.  I really believe that, while we are certainly at a crossroads, mainline denominations have HUGE potential to impact the world in new and effective ways in the future.

There is hope.  But . . . and isn't there always a big ol' but(t).

Our churches are dying in body and spirit because we have no institutional capacity to handle the complexities of being church in the shifting worldview from modern to postmodern.

Yes, this is nothing new to many of you.  And yes, much of the world has been in postmodernity for a while now, but the church is still catching up and I believe we have a responsibility to walk with each other through our varied experiences of this shift.  This plays out in so many ways as I will lay out below that sometimes it just seems like an insurmountable obstacle.  Call it wide-eyed naiveté, hope in the power of God or an acknowledgment of the numerical shifts in professional clergy and church demographics,  I believe there is a movement building and some hope building for that transformation to happen sooner rather than later.

Here are some sub-issues and problems in no particular order.

OBSTACLE // We promise relief from life's craziness rather than offer ways to experience peace in the midst of chaos:
Modernity says that we can overcome the chaos of life, Postmodernity says that choas is life.

I don't know how many times I hear, "Once _______ is over, it will be calm" or "If we could just _______ then everything will be better."  This idea that the chaos of life is to be conquered is such an American way of thinking.  Just pull up the boot straps and push through, damn the consequences, and everything will be better.  While perseverance is commendable at times, believing that the chaos of life in today's time of globalization and technology is EVER going to go away or be conquered it downright irresponsible.

Christ can offer us the peace that we need.  Don't avoid the storm, be calm in the midst of it.  Yes, technology and the rapid movement of life can create its own flavor of crazy, but we have always experienced those times of peace of mind, spirit and body even though the rest of the world is still just as crazy.  THAT is at the heart of the gospel for me, the peace and wholeness that we are offering in Christ.

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OBSTACLE // We worship the past rather than allow the past to ground our future:
Modernity says that there is one way, the old way, Postmodernity says that new ways must flow FROM the old ways.

Don't get me started.  For those who want to toss everything out because it is "traditional" as well as those who think God can only meet someone in one way - your way - you are both killing the church!  The sooner we realize that folks will connect with God in a variety of ways, the sooner we can embrace the wonderful complexities of the Body of Christ.  Just because one person may not connect with God in the same way another does, does NOT make them any less faithful to God.  If we can't appreciate the diverse ways that people meet God we will never REALLY respect the journeys that we each take and we essentially hold ourselves back from truly see Christ in the other.  We need to truly embrace the varied ways in which God meets people.  God can handle it. 

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OBSTACLE // We value the DOing of the institution over BEing in relationship:
Modernity says that community is in the methodology and ways we DO church; Postmodernity says that community is about BEing church.

We Presbyterians are gooooooood at this one.  Our Book of Order is "clear" and we can use polity to create community.  We can structure our way into being the body of Christ. Buzzzz.  Thank you for playing.  Now don't get me wrong.  I love our polity, the spirit in which it was and is written, the guidance it gives, the bounds it helps to set, etc. but it will NOT create community.  The ways we DO church should only be lifted up in as much as the DOing helps to sustain the BEing. 

At the same time, if a church community believes that it's ministry is worth outliving the people who are there at a particular moment and time, some kind of structure and DOing church must take place in order to create sustainability.  In the end though, every time we face a choice, we should be about BEing church.

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OBSTACLE // We only know acceptance or rejection and can't handle appreciation:
Modernity says that there is one and only one "Big Story" or metanarrative and truth; Postmodernity says there is not ONE metanarrative or truth; Christian Postmodernity says that under the metanarrative of Christ, there are many many truths about knowing Christ.

The old polemic that there is only ONE truth out there is poison to the health of our church at local and denominational levels.  Moderns can't seem to get their heads around the fact that there may indeed be room for multiple interpretations of the truth.  Can we not center ourselves around a belief in Christ and then allow the rest of the "issues" to be part of our corporate discernment?  I am not saying that if you disagree about homosexuality, abortion, or even the lordship of Christ ("a way" or "the way") one has to worship in the same church community, but can we not still hold each other as valuable members of a community at a denominational level?  Can we not model for the world living together with even the greatest of disagreement without resorting to spiritual and emotional violence?  If not the church, then who?

Moving beyond these issues is NOT a pipe dream.  In fact, many more of my strong relationships are built more along postmodern/modern affinities lines that in traditional liberal/conservative camps.  I would bet that there are many of you who are able to be in Christian community despite old paradigms that our church would prefer we continued. 

I tell ya, the tides are a turning.  The big question for many of us who are committed to the health of our denomination and are seeing opportunities to step up is, "Will we help to push the current or simply let it rush over us?"

What do you say, let the revolution begin!

Characteristics of a postmodern pastor

Yes . . . I KNOW, one cannot define the attributes of things "postmodern," one can only describe them.  Still, if churches and communities are going to explore new ways of raising and nurturing leadership, shouldn't there be some idea of what makes a good pastor or spiritual leader in the postmodern context?

Here is a stab at what I think are a few valuable characteristics for those who lead, influence, sojourn along side of or even pastor that group of people that are known as postmodern, emerging, 21st Century, don't-put-me-in-a-box-what box?-there-is-no-box! followers of Christ.

An effective pastor of the postmodern persuasion might want to think about embracing the following realities of what to DO and how to BE in ministry.

Take everyone seriously // I think we must start with the assumption they everyone comes to a place of discernment from a place of deep faith.  This does not mean we agree or even accept everything that one thinks, but we at least begin with a posture of trust rather than suspicion.  Yes, we may later factor in issues of mental health, personal interaction, kookiness, etc, but even those who have "issues" need to be heard . . . I know I do.

Thrive in the gray // I think that one of the core reasons there is such a disconnect between so many entities in the world and church is this idea that the purpose of faith is to conquer ambiguity.  Some put all their energy into creating what I think is an unattainable and ultimately empty pursuit: to remove all struggle from life.  Another option is to see faith as something that helps us to navigate well, find peace and even thrive in the midst of the ambiguous, gray, chaotic ways of the world.

Embody Appreciation over Acceptance // One of the digs on the Postmodern church is that we just willy-nilly accept any and every thing that comes our way.  Some do.  This is a mistake.  While always leaving room to change it is essential to maintain a clear understanding of one's core beliefs, essentials, etc.  Hearing the point of view of others should be appreciated always, but stop short of acceptance without some measure of discernment. I think that one of the worst things a Postmodern pastor can do is to see the postmodern search for truth as a mandate to give up ones personal understanding of truth.  To go to such lengths as to give up one's truth takes one out of the conversation that a body must continue to have as it moves towards understanding corporate truths.  Hold strong to what one believes while being able to maintain an appreciation for the other is essential.

Love Jesus // Cynicism is the disease of our day.  I am not talking about being diligent or even discerning, but outright cynical about the world.  The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is about hope, new life and all things that are beyond humanities imagination.  Leadership must embrace and nurture this reality and relationship as it manifests itself both individually and communally.

And some bonus characteristics for you mainline emergents

Embrace the past and unleash the future // For those steeped in tradition and are discovering the postmodern within, postmodernity is not about destroying and forgetting the past, but about a life that flows from and emerges from the past.  So . . . this means we need to embrace where we have come from and how we have gotten here without getting to the point of worshiping tradition.  For those who prefer a posture of "destroy the institution" I think that they will be hard pressed to move out of a place where they are defined solely by what they ARE NOT; whereas a healthy understanding of the past will better help us those in the future to be defied what they ARE.

Challenge the family // While the outsider's voice is often the most helpful to spark change, for those of us in mainline settings, if we expect change and transformation, we must ourselves speak out as part of the family.  Sure there may be a point where division is needed, but for the most part when we get frustrated with our family, we can either run away, stay and fight or try to find ways to engage in faithful discernment no matter how hard or stressful.  Challenging words spoken with love and confidence that are built on relationships of respect can be more powerful than we might think.

Cross the aisles // Arrogance is bad.  Mainliners, while I do believe we have some wonderful things to offer to the larger Christian conversation, we also believe that we hold THE truth is so many ways: leadership, theology, style, etc.  We must get over ourselves and come to the realization that people will and do experience a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ in a variety of ways.  We must reassert our place at the table in the many conversations that have deemed us obsolete simply because of our affiliations.  We must also approach those conversations with a confident humility that allows our voices to be respected and heard.

So, there you have it, some early week musings.  I desperately wanted to include "Be on Facebook, "Grow a Goatee" and "get trendy glasses" but I figured those where understood ;-)

Peace out ya'll!

Top Seven Ways to Promote Growth in the Local Church

Friend of mine, Jeff who co-pastors with his wife, Kerri, in the lovely state of Ohio publishes a "Top Seven" list every once in a while.  Thought this was worth a chuckle.

This week's . . . Top Seven Ways to Promote Growth in the Local Church.

7.  Offer double frequent flyer miles with every visit!

6.  Use “Big Gulp” communion cups!

5.  Issue “Get Out of Hell Free” cards to each member!

4.  Two words:  Reclining Pews!

3.  Begin a new “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” format for the sermon!

2.  Every fourth week raffle off the offering!

And the number one way to promote growth in the local church:

1.  Open a Starbucks franchise in the church lobby!

Should we be scared that, one, #3 kind of happens sometimes and #1 would be a distinct possibility if it were a Muddy's Coffee House w/o the urine smell, a Ritual Roasters w/o the anti-kid feel or a Thinkers Cafe that stayed open past sunset.

"Liberal" or "Conservative" - Ugly is still ugly

So over on my FaceBook, I have posed the the following question,

When having a conversation with someone you disagree with about said disagreement, what is one characteristic/trait of the other person that helps make the conversation meaningful?

For those on Facebook, would love the get more feedback so I think this is the link to the question.

I often think that the future of the church will rest in our ability to truly be in community despite some theological, political and social differences.  Of course, the breadth of those differences will determine quite a bit, but in keeping a larger middle in common community, there have to be some bridges crossed.

Now I am not simply talking about denominational relationships here.  I am talking pretty much about anyone who may disagree but hopes to stay in some kind of Christian community.  As a self-professed progressive, I hope that I am able to sit with those who might be self-professed conservatives, have some meaningful conversations and walk away feeling both taken seriously and that I have grown by hearing the perspectives of another.  No one had to be won over, no one had to WIN, we just had to be heard.

It seems to me that if we can just sit down together without any agenda to win the other over, but to simply try to understand the others' perspectives, we might move a long way towards building a community that grows, rather than splits, in the face of conflict.

If this is going to happen, there has to be some kind of code of conduct in order to have these meaningful conversations.  Here is what I could love with:

• You are my brother/sister in Christ;
• I will not be an arrogant ass, jerk or any other manifestation of an insensitive goober poopyhead;
• I know you are not solely defined by one issue/belief;
• I do not own the truth;
• I will trust that God is bigger than any of this;
• I want to try and understand where you are coming from;
• I believe your opinions come from a place of faith;
• I am not trying to convince you of anything;
• I believe the body is stronger with us together working through tensions;
• I will not "take my ball and go home" simply because we disagree;
• At any point, if I feel like your opinions are oppressive or unjust, I reserve the right to respectfully disengage and hope you will understand;

Now before I am accused of subtly taking some shots at my conservative colleagues, rest assured, I swing the hammer at all sides.  There are P-L-E-N-T-Y of liberals out there who would NEVER be able to agree to these ways of being in conversations.  Jerks are jerks no matter the theological perspective.   And while I understand the need for radicals on all sides to help keep some key issues in the forefront, when it comes to sitting down to engage in meaningful discourse,  I'll take a pleasant conservative over an arrogant progressive ANY day!

So can we do it?  I don't know, but I tell ya, there have been so many more moments for me in the last few years of meaningful conversations across some theological lines that I would not have imagined possible before.  That for me is pretty darn cool!

Innovative churches, Part II

This is a follow-up to my previous post about Outreach Mag's List of Innovative Churches.  A quick look through the list below and there was something very interesting.  Very few names of mainline denominations: Presbyterian, Methodists, etc.

I wonder why . . . my guesses

• A - Mainline denominations are NOT INNOVATIVE
• B - Mainline denominations don't give a bucket of flying monkeys about being on such a list.
• C - Some are connected to mainline denominations, but like MBCC, did not include it in the name.
• D - Churches with female pastors are not recognized as innovative
• E - All of the above

Whatcha think?

Click through to see the plexo

Calling all SF Bay Area church technology geeks, seriously

CALLING ALL TECHNO CHURCH GEEKS!!!!!

Yes, you heard me correctly.  Tired of hiding in the shadows, ashamed of your technological acuity and ready to bust out your Jesus-loving techno self?!?!?

Still not sure . . . if you can answer any of the following questions in the affirmative, maybe you should think about joining some of us for a church and technology gathering this Fall in the lovely San Francisco Bay Area.

1. You love technology
2. You love Jesus
3. You think Jesus would indeed be a blogger
4. You think Jesus would have a Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn or Mashable profile AND would be your friend ;-)
5. The church has missed some major opportunities to integrate the culture of technology in order to grow in body and spirit
6. You played Dungeons and Dragons
7. You live in or need a good excuse to visit the San Francisco Bay Area in the Fall.

About all the thought I have given this is that it will be like an Unconference, Barcamp or Open Space Technology gathering focused around the general topic of the church and technology.  Probably October or November to be held at Mission Bay Community Church here in SF. 

That is about all the guidance I will give, other than helping to organize anyone who might wish to help with arrangements - hint hint hint - and making sure the church is open, this will be blissful chaos and discovery.

If you are interested please let us know your  availability HERE.  When we get about 15-30 people who are interested, we'll set a date and come up with the rules of engagement.

PS: Even if you are not in the San Francisco "Yay" Area, please feel free to mention this on your blogs and profiles to help spread the word!

Silence about Christians held hostage by Taliban

What the HECK!  I would like to use stronger language.

Why does it seems like the only people talking about the hostages in Afghanistan are Asian American folks? That is probably not totally fair, but I think the post Silence in the Godblogosphere is deafening tells the truth as these Korean Christian missionaries have been held captive for now 11 days with two having been confirmed killed.  Michelle Malkin is writing and there are a handful of others who have blogged, but the mainstream media has been noticeably silent.

This story is HEART-BREAKING on so many levels and thanks to Eugene Cho we are getting some serious info.  Thanks Eugene.  But we should be ashamed at the lack uproar and support from the church.

Is this the time to questions why?  Is it because they are not American, probably.  Does the whole Christian thing make it complicated, sure.  Are there other atrocities being ignored every day, of course.  But still, this should be bigger than it is.  Would the same silence be had if it were a British or Canadian group?  It seems like the same old thing again, not American, not sexy, not enough juice.  Is it that the media doesn't believe that this story would sell papers and if that is true we as a society officially do just suck.

So . . . in your church, on your blog, in your conversations, we must life up our prayers, at least keep these folks in the front of our minds as to not forget what they have done in the name of their faith.

DJ Chuang has a much less ranty reflection with some great resources, but if you really want to keep up with what is going on subscribe to Eugene's blog.

To keep up with what is going on you can continue to read the tidbit from US media outlets, or check out the in depth commentary and up-to-date happenings on English versions of the Korean papers: Chosun Ilbo or Hankyoreh.

5 reasons I would go to church

While am fully on board with the struggles between "going to" and "being" church, I believe  there is a valid place in one's journey for the discipline of attending a regular gathering of people who are centered on God, Christ and the Spirit.

And while this seems obvious to some - this does not hold true for all pastors - I would go to the church I serve if I were looking for a church to attend.

Aside from the  fact that the pastor has way cool glasses, here is why I would choose to go to MBCC and why I think some folks do . . .

• We really do try let folks know that we are just a bunch of Yahoos trying to figure things out like everyone else. Island of the misfit toys anyone? 
• We think that Jesus would indeed appreciate our irreverence towards sacred cows that have become idols.
• Even if your "filter" is missing, obtuse or you have just decided that filters are for losers, you are welcomed.
• We embrace the ambiguity of life because of the opportunity it gives us to think, feel and live our way into our faith.
• In the midst of the snarky, coffee-drinking, hipster-wannabe, not-sure-I-am-a-grown-up, cynical world of MBCC, at the core of our gathering is this urge to do and be something larger than ourselves and somehow, some way change the world.
• BONUS: Jesus is at the center, all else is gravy and not all essential.

I would be interested to know if folks can come up with a list for their churches and faith communities.  Does it mean something if you can't come up with 5 reason YOU would go to the church you serve?

Urban Ideations Podcast 2

Last night at Java on Ocean we held our second recording of "Urban Ideations: Where life, faith and urban living collide."  Life prevented Sarah Miles and Kristen Rudd to join us but I still had a great time talking with  Robin Pugh and Monte McClain.

The first topic we took on was American Christianity and the "goods and bads" of the intersection between American Culture and the Christian faith.  We then took on the phenomena of the search for "Perfect Parenting" and "Perfect Children" and the ramifications of this on life and parenting.

Rants this week included: Stupid Jesus People (Bruce), People who don't give public school a chance (Robin) and Why we can't along when we disagree (Monte).

Relevant Links

• Kristen Rudd Blog
• Monte McClain Blog
• Robin Pugh Website
• Sarah Miles Website
• David LaMotte Website - (Ending song, Butler Street)

NEXT "Urban Ideations" RECORDING
August 19, 2007 @ 7:00pm
Location: TBA
Guests: TBA

PODCASTS -You can listen to the podcast here, visit www.pod.reyes-chow.com or subscribe via iTunes with the feed, http://feeds.feedburner.com/RCpod.

 

The first topic we took on was American Christianity and the "goods and bads" of the intersection between American Culture and the Christian faith.  We then took on the phenomena of the search for "Perfect Parenting" and "Perfect Children" and the ramifications of this on life and parenting.

Rants this week included: Stupid Jesus People (Bruce), People who don't give public school a chance (Robin) and Why we can't along when we disagree (Monte).

Relevant Links

• Kristen Rudd Blog
• Monte McClain Blog
• Robin Pugh Website
• Sarah Miles Website
• David LaMotte Website - (Ending song, Butler Street)

NEXT "Urban Ideations" RECORDING
August 19, 2007 @ 7:00pm
Location: TBA
Guests: TBA

PODCASTS -You can listen to the podcast here, visit www.pod.reyes-chow.com or subscribe via iTunes with the feed, http://feeds.feedburner.com/RCpod.