Diversity.
Walk down any street in an inner city neighborhood, and you will experience a quick definition of this word by simply observing the people you encounter. It is especially true in a place like Chicago, where you can cross through three or four different ethnic neighborhoods in the space of a dozen blocks. But it is also true of Houston, where the boundaries of traditionally ethnic neighborhoods have blurred with the city's growth, and where, as a result of the lengthening of commuter time coming in on the freeways from the suburbs, people are redeveloping and moving back into the inner city, in neighborhoods like ours.
The inner city has become, in American Christian culture, a place where the majority of the population is unchurched. There are several theories as to why this is the case, including lifestyle differences created by either extreme poverty, extreme prosperity or by a lower percentage of "traditional" families who live in such areas. In older suburbs, where the population has aged and the children have grown up, graduated from school and moved away, churches have declined and aged. The challenge for churches in outreach is surviving, re-adjusting and re-tooling in order to orient their outreach and ministry to address changes in ethnic, economic and social demographics of community population. Many churches aren't able to do this, and do not survive, which further complicates the problem by making fewer churches available to the existing population.
There are some churches which have been able to successfully transition the demographic changes of the inner city, and not only survive, but become thriving Biblical communities of people committed to Christ and seeing disciples made. They have a few things in common:
1. They have enthusiastically embraced the challenge of mission and ministry in the environment in which they exist, and see themselves as being called to that particular place and time by God, so they are inclined to depend on the Holy Spirit for everything.
2. They realize that, while the methods they will employ in evangelism, outreach and ministry will look different than they did when the focus was different, the message of the gospel remains unchanging.
3. They have discovered that by being generous and sharing their resources, God pours out blessings on them. They have discovered that sharing their resources results in multiplication of their ministry.
4. They understand that change is necessary, and are willing to sacrifice their own preferences for the sake of the ministry of the church.
5. They utilize the power of prayer.
Is it really that simple? Yes.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Learning Experiences, Part 1
Last Thursday morning, I had the privilege of attending chapel services at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. A group from Atlanta, representing a ministry called Broken Voices, made a presentation that included a couple of speakers and some video. Their ministry is described on their website, http://brokenvoices.org/, and their video material is included there.
God is at work all over the place, and it was very inspiring to hear about, and see, some of the things that Broken Voices has discovered. Currently, they are touring college campuses with their ministry. Their mission is to help young adults and college students discover their purpose in God's Kingdom, and to inspire and motivate them to do what God has called them to do. They do this mainly through finding people who have awakened to God's calling in their life, using their unique gifts and talents for ministry, and then filming their stories and testimonies to show to others. Traveling across the country in a motor home, with cameras and video equipment, they make faith movies centered on the inspiring stories of God moving in the lives of young people.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10
One of the keys to the church's ability to reach, and retain, young adults, according to research done by Ed Stetzer at Lifeway Christian Publishers is the opportunity for them to become involved in meaningful service opportunities that allow them to express their faith in Christ by serving others. The ministry of Broken Voices is spreading the word and inspiring young people to fulfill their calling. Most of those who have a story to tell have discovered that meaningful service comes when you find a way to serve the Lord using your talents and skills. By taking something from their own life, and finding a way to use it to serve others in Jesus' name, people experience the feeling of what it means to be used by God.
Take a few minutes and watch and listen to what you find on the Broken Voices website. You will be blessed.
God is at work all over the place, and it was very inspiring to hear about, and see, some of the things that Broken Voices has discovered. Currently, they are touring college campuses with their ministry. Their mission is to help young adults and college students discover their purpose in God's Kingdom, and to inspire and motivate them to do what God has called them to do. They do this mainly through finding people who have awakened to God's calling in their life, using their unique gifts and talents for ministry, and then filming their stories and testimonies to show to others. Traveling across the country in a motor home, with cameras and video equipment, they make faith movies centered on the inspiring stories of God moving in the lives of young people.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10
One of the keys to the church's ability to reach, and retain, young adults, according to research done by Ed Stetzer at Lifeway Christian Publishers is the opportunity for them to become involved in meaningful service opportunities that allow them to express their faith in Christ by serving others. The ministry of Broken Voices is spreading the word and inspiring young people to fulfill their calling. Most of those who have a story to tell have discovered that meaningful service comes when you find a way to serve the Lord using your talents and skills. By taking something from their own life, and finding a way to use it to serve others in Jesus' name, people experience the feeling of what it means to be used by God.
Take a few minutes and watch and listen to what you find on the Broken Voices website. You will be blessed.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sharing Some Learning Experiences
This week, I'll be in Chicago. This trip was originally scheduled for attending the Group Life Conference at Willow Creek Community Church, but changes in the conference schedule due to economic realities opened up some time for me to attend a few other events. A conference for church and business leaders, called "Blue Sky," will take place at Willow Creek, a one-day leadership seminar of sorts, and I've registered for that as well. On Thursday, a ministry called "Broken Voices" will be making an appearance at Moody Bible Institute. So it will be a busy week with a lot of different things happening.
During the week, I'll journal here just a little bit, about some of the things that I've encountered which may be of benefit to the ministry of Garden Oaks Baptist Church. Part of the purpose for going to events like this is for continuing education and ongoing learning, and part of it is for the batteries to get recharged. I'll share a little bit of both this week.
During the week, I'll journal here just a little bit, about some of the things that I've encountered which may be of benefit to the ministry of Garden Oaks Baptist Church. Part of the purpose for going to events like this is for continuing education and ongoing learning, and part of it is for the batteries to get recharged. I'll share a little bit of both this week.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday Night Excitement
Sunday evening, October 11, was an exciting time at Garden Oaks Baptist Church. It was exciting for several reasons. One, the smell of fajitas was drifting in the hallway. Two, those who were gathering for dinner were members of the church who, for the most part, were under forty years of age. Three, following dinner, some exciting conversation and dialogue took place as the young adults who gathered discussed the future of their church and its ministry to people who generally fall in their age group.
In their recent book Essential Church, the father-son team of Tom and Sam Rainer (Tom is the President of Lifeway Christian Resources, Sam is a discipleship minister at a church in Florida) tell us that in recent years, the church is losing young adults between 18 and 40 years of age. They report on research which shows that about 70% of those who are involved in church during their high school years drop out between age 18 and 22 due to some kind of life change, and only about half of them will return. Along with that, few people in that age category make decisions to follow Christ and become a part of a church during that span of time. Yet, a fairly high percentage of those who responded to research indicated a willingness to give consideration to spiritual matters related to the Christian faith.
The potential for effective ministry, including outreach, evangelism and discipleship, among people in this age bracket, exists. The fact that 26 people, most of them in this same age group, who are connected with Garden Oaks showed up for the purpose of discussing the church's young adult ministry potential was very exciting. The discussion itself, which involved virtually every young adult in the room at some point, was a hopeful sign that we are moving in the right direction. So is the fact that any one of those in this group could have gone somewhere else during this pastorless period, to make things easier on themselves, yet they have chosen to remain here and express optimism and confidence in the future of GOBC.
The Development Team now has a whole list of ideas and suggestions for building an active, effective ministry which will reach into the surrounding community to baptize new believers, develop them into disciples of Jesus, and build community for them in the church. The suggestions made reflected some prayerful consideration and deep thinking, along with personal experience. The experts who write the books tell us that it takes young adults to reach young adults because of shared issues and concerns, and similar patterns of thinking. If that's the case, then GOBC is well equipped to reach the young adults who live in our community.
In the coming weeks, the ideas and suggestions for specific strategies involved will be shared in the forums where they can be implemented. Several issues need to be given top billing. One is that the church, as a body, needs to be careful not to cause its members, including its young adult members, to become burned out through overwork. The need to simplify the structure of the congregation, and to give people opportunities to exercise their specific spiritual gifts, was a top concern. Creating an environment that is comfortable and friendly for those who do not understand the "church insider culture" was also a concern. Relevant Bible study that includes practical application (how it works) and an atmosphere that includes meaningful worship were also part of the discussion. To be frank, the church needs to work to avoid being perceived as irrelevant and boring. That shouldn't be difficult, considering the material we have to work with, as well as its writer.
There's the discussion. Now comes the more difficult part. Implementing anything like this involves cooperation, participation, and support. The bottom line will depend on how sincere our church is when it expresses a strong desire to reach the young adults who make up such a significant part of the population of the surrounding community. As always, it will involve setting aside our own preferences in favor of those whose needs require us to apply the Bible teaching and ministry we have received in abundance. That's how God wants to use us. That's the job we've prepared for from the moment we received God's grace and Christ's salvation. There are plenty of examples out there to show us that it can be done, and there are churches who are doing it in a setting very similar to ours. We can do it too, by following the Spirit's leadership and depending on his power.
It's showtime.
In their recent book Essential Church, the father-son team of Tom and Sam Rainer (Tom is the President of Lifeway Christian Resources, Sam is a discipleship minister at a church in Florida) tell us that in recent years, the church is losing young adults between 18 and 40 years of age. They report on research which shows that about 70% of those who are involved in church during their high school years drop out between age 18 and 22 due to some kind of life change, and only about half of them will return. Along with that, few people in that age category make decisions to follow Christ and become a part of a church during that span of time. Yet, a fairly high percentage of those who responded to research indicated a willingness to give consideration to spiritual matters related to the Christian faith.
The potential for effective ministry, including outreach, evangelism and discipleship, among people in this age bracket, exists. The fact that 26 people, most of them in this same age group, who are connected with Garden Oaks showed up for the purpose of discussing the church's young adult ministry potential was very exciting. The discussion itself, which involved virtually every young adult in the room at some point, was a hopeful sign that we are moving in the right direction. So is the fact that any one of those in this group could have gone somewhere else during this pastorless period, to make things easier on themselves, yet they have chosen to remain here and express optimism and confidence in the future of GOBC.
The Development Team now has a whole list of ideas and suggestions for building an active, effective ministry which will reach into the surrounding community to baptize new believers, develop them into disciples of Jesus, and build community for them in the church. The suggestions made reflected some prayerful consideration and deep thinking, along with personal experience. The experts who write the books tell us that it takes young adults to reach young adults because of shared issues and concerns, and similar patterns of thinking. If that's the case, then GOBC is well equipped to reach the young adults who live in our community.
In the coming weeks, the ideas and suggestions for specific strategies involved will be shared in the forums where they can be implemented. Several issues need to be given top billing. One is that the church, as a body, needs to be careful not to cause its members, including its young adult members, to become burned out through overwork. The need to simplify the structure of the congregation, and to give people opportunities to exercise their specific spiritual gifts, was a top concern. Creating an environment that is comfortable and friendly for those who do not understand the "church insider culture" was also a concern. Relevant Bible study that includes practical application (how it works) and an atmosphere that includes meaningful worship were also part of the discussion. To be frank, the church needs to work to avoid being perceived as irrelevant and boring. That shouldn't be difficult, considering the material we have to work with, as well as its writer.
There's the discussion. Now comes the more difficult part. Implementing anything like this involves cooperation, participation, and support. The bottom line will depend on how sincere our church is when it expresses a strong desire to reach the young adults who make up such a significant part of the population of the surrounding community. As always, it will involve setting aside our own preferences in favor of those whose needs require us to apply the Bible teaching and ministry we have received in abundance. That's how God wants to use us. That's the job we've prepared for from the moment we received God's grace and Christ's salvation. There are plenty of examples out there to show us that it can be done, and there are churches who are doing it in a setting very similar to ours. We can do it too, by following the Spirit's leadership and depending on his power.
It's showtime.
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