Response to “PLEASE STOP TELLING US WHY WE’RE LEAVING THE CHURCH”

You can find the original article here.

I have seen this article being posted around Facebook recently, and I would like to offer a few thoughts in review. As a Millennial myself, I vouch that there are deep truths to the statements in the article, but there are also statements I refuse to have claimed for and over our generation. What I have to add may come off as strongly worded, but I think this is because, as a pastor, these are topics I know every church hears time and time again. I mean no disrespect to the authors because my review is for the church body as a whole in addition to my own generation (including me).

Points #3, #4, and #5 are strong and striking. I thank the authors and think these elements are worth reading. For me, personally, #4 reverberates the most. I am excited to say that, in my experience, Millennials generally enjoy working alongside many different generations, serving in ministry, and participating in transformational, holy moments together. Millennials in churches aren’t seeking to take power or make decisions in a vacuum. We only want to listen, to be heard, and to create together–many generations working with one God. Thankfully, at every stage in my development as a leader in the church there have always been older adults to nurture my growth and disciple me in our faith. I aim to follow their model for the entirety of my life as there will always be younger people who are ready to learn, to be heard as equals, and to lead. Don’t stop looking around you to find those eager to grow.

Points #1 and #2, however, are tragic for such a well-written post-gone-viral. The first point claims that Millennials are leaving the church because we are more educated than previous generations and because the church has stopped fueling our minds. This is foolishness, and though some Christians in my generation may feel this way, I hope the majority comes to use their education and ability to think critically and creatively to teach instead of leaving when they feel they aren’t learning. This goes for any generation engaging in the life of the church; when you feel that “church/worship/Bible study/etc. doesn’t ‘feed’ you anymore,” take off your bib and put on an apron! One way to continue to learn is to take responsibility for teaching, guiding, and discipling others. If you expect to be a passive participant in the life of the church then you’re missing a large part of God’s calling in your life, and tragically, the church is missing the gifts and abilities that you bring to the table. We are all responsible for our engagement in the life of the church and for our spiritual growth. We are also all in this endeavor together. Learn to lead as well as follow. Learn to serve as well as how to be served.

The second point claims that Millennials are leaving the church because we came of age in the recession and that the church has yet to change its teachings on money. While I fully understand (and am a part of the statistic) that our generation has more debt than any previous generation because of horrendously expensive education costs and pitifully inadequate job prospects for those entering the workforce, the Christian understanding of money and stewardship doesn’t change depending on the economic stability of the U.S. dollar. I recognize and applaud the authors of the article for shaming the prosperity gospel and its ilk as these streams of theology do terrible harm to those who are most vulnerable, but if that’s what your church is preaching I doubt that’s the only poor theological current being taught. Jesus spoke about money quite a bit, and the church needs to follow suit. Money is a tool and a resource that can bring about great things for God’s glory. Christian stewardship is understanding that God has blessed us all with many different things, and those things are God’s but have been put in our care. Do with them what is righteous and positions you, your family, your church, your neighborhood, your country, and our world to be a great witness to God’s love and grace. I won’t tell you to share the money you have. Jesus already did.

Justification and Grace

hub note – June 23, 2013

the hub note
6/23/2013

Sermon Title: Justification and Grace
Sermon Text: Galatians 2:15-21 

Our society is identity driven. We find countless ways to identify and differentiate ourselves from others, and in those moments when doubt and fear creep in because we find ourselves questioning our purpose in life, we suffer an “identity crisis.” To complicate matters, our world is constantly changing and evolving. The relationships, jobs, and hobbies that we use to identify ourselves change and bring new experiences into our lives. In essence, life changes around us and, whether we want to or not, we change with it.

The one constant in all of life is God’s grace (Romans 3:20-24). No matter how busy our schedules, how drastic our mistakes, or how painful our sufferings, God’s love abounds and restores life (1 Peter 5:10). Let God set your feet on solid ground (Psalm 40:1-3), and focus on only identifying yourself as a follower of Christ. Through Christ we have been transformed by God’s grace and, by being the body of Christ in the world today, God’s love and grace transform in profound and unimaginable ways (Galatians 2:20).

When God Calls

hub note – June 16, 2013

Every week at the hub we hand out a “hub note” which includes pertinent announcements for our church, information for our guests, and a small column from the pastor (me). This column could be a primer for worship or the sermon, more in-depth information that was left out of the sermon, or an alternative thought that illuminates the Scripture in a different way. I’ll post those on here under the category of “hub note,” and then I’ll see if I can put the sermon video on here too.

the hub note
June 16, 2013
Scripture: John 15:12-17
Sermon Title: “When God Calls”

If you reduced the purpose of your life down to one sentence, then what would that one sentence describe? Take a moment to sift through all the details, adventures, goals, dreams, and hurdles that encompass your daily life and find what is your life’s mission. Does your one sentence mention your family? Do you mention your job? Do you mention your faith? Do you mention your church or making disciples? Do you mention a favorite hobby or two?

If God wrote His purpose statement for your life, then what would it describe? God, as the perfect Father, only wants the best for you and for the world. How closely aligned is your purpose statement to what God wants for you?

#TornadoWeek

 

The Weather Channel is having Tornado Week. It’s like Shark Week but less biting.

Sorry. I had to.

To promote Tornado Week, The Weather Channel has put their interns (poor fellas) into a homemade wind tunnel. There they must work all week long. As more people tweet #TornadoWeek the fans turn progressively faster. This sounds awesome, right? You want to watch, no? Me, too. Go here.

While this started going viral early this week it got me thinking about evangelism. Yes, I’m about to go all pastor on you, and I’m going to blow you away.

Sorry, again. I can’t help it.

On Monday, watching that live feed really wasn’t much fun. It just looked like the interns were practicing glamour shots with a 10” fan. However, where one tweeter slowly turned to a few hundred the fans started picking up the pace. As a few hundred turned to a few thousand, the winds really started blowing. Even The Weather Channel’s television personalities would come into the room and have some fun. No, I couldn’t name any of them, but I could tell they were important people. One time I even saw a makeup artist preparing a host’s makeup before a broadcast. That had to be fun. As the winds got stronger, more people got involved, which encouraged more people to tweet #TornadoWeek, which made the winds even stronger. It’s a crazy and vicious cycle—like a tornado.

Okay. I’ll stop. Maybe.

Evangelism is a scary word for many Christians. When asked to serve on an Evangelism Team or Evangelism Committee, most people want to hide like a tornado is coming. Tornados make us feel vulnerable because even a sturdy house can be demolished or disappear, and unless we have shelter from the storm, we might be disappearing, too. Similarly, evangelism makes us feel vulnerable because as Christians we are commissioned to share and spread the love of Jesus Christ, and anyone who has been in a relationship knows that love makes us vulnerable. What if the person doesn’t want to hear about Jesus or want to be loved? What if others disown us because talking about Jesus isn’t socially acceptable? When the world tells us to look after ourselves and protect what is ours, sharing anything with those who need the most feels counterproductive. In fact, what if we succeed in being good neighbors and “those people” actually become a part of our family? Our life of stability, predictability, and social stature just might disappear!

Then what?

Then you’re an evangelist. Then God will use you in ways you never imagined. As you’re caught up in the winds of the Holy Spirit, people will watch. When they see the power and nature of God’s restorative movement, they will join in. Then more people will come to watch. These people, too, will see that God is about renewal and reconciliation instead of destruction and desolation, and then they will want to join in. Then more people will come to watch. Then they will want to join in. Then more people will come to watch. Then … then … then … then …

Then all will know God’s love. All will know God’s transformational power is stronger than that of a tornado. All will know God’s grace blankets the earth and offers life-giving shelter.

We’re all evangelists. Be God’s intern and go do something worth watching. Put yourself in the middle of the moving winds of the Holy Spirit. Take as many people with you. Stop hiding.

Unless The Weather Channel tells you it’s an actual tornado. Then hide.

And take those neighbors of yours to shelter with you.

After all, that’s evangelism.

Related articles

• Watch This Tweet-Powered Tornado Blow Away Interns (mashable.com)
• Public Controls ‘Tweet-Powered Tornado’ to Blow Away Weather Channel’s Interns Using Hashtag #TornadoWeek (laughingsquid.com)
• Weather Channel interns recreate Twitter-powered tornado (fox6now.com)

Public Pain

Before I begin, I ask that we pray for those affected by the violence in Boston. God will move in spite of, and in the face of, evil. Amen. 

The rest of this post is not a theological response to the Boston Marathon Explosions. If you would like to read that, I recommend this article from UMC.org.

Instead, this post is about our reactions to public tragedy.

Tragic events like the Boston Marathon Explosions, the Sandy Hook shootings, the Steubenville rape case, and Hurricane Sandy cause an outpouring of public reactions. These tragedies are different than most because even though tragedies play out every day in every hospital’s ER, the tragedies like those listed above rip the privacy curtains back and force us to deal with the bare reality of death and evil in sight of everyone around us.

We have nowhere to hide. Every news station broadcasts live feeds, countless hours of interviews, and updates to the story as immediately as possible. “Personal” social networking sites are flooded with our friends’ rawest reactions. Our meals with our closest family and friends are paired with conversations and questions that all are ill-equipped to answer. We have nowhere to hide, and our reactions are seen.

This nakedness and constant grating causes extreme reactions. After all, these tragedies are extreme realities and deserve extreme responses. Anyone who doesn’t feel their humanity and human decency being shredded is either incapable of feeling deep emotion or is, tragically, calloused because of the frequency of these events. This isn’t to point fingers at who doesn’t have extreme reactions; this is to say that extreme reactions are normal.

Unfortunately, our extreme reactions are often extremely polarizing. In our need to feel safe, we tend to hold on to what is sacred and familiar–family, friends, faith–and wish everyone else the best of luck. Or we blame and hate whatever doesn’t fall within our huddle of familiarity.

In our extreme reaction we blame the extreme situation and forget the extreme need. These tragic events make us feel that a line is drawn in the sand and divide us. But instead of looking at one another with extreme disgust and hatred, let’s use that aching and grieving differently.

 

Hope is found and fear is fought when our reaction is one of extreme love.

Boston Marathon 2013 (Photo credit: marsmet547)

Extremely supportive.

Extremely together.

Our Culture Speaks for Itself

Each of my last two posts have started with a confession, so I might as well let us keep up the pattern.

After all, “it’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Here you go.

Here’s my confession.

Don’t judge me.

I watch entirely too much TV.

Please excuse me while I go hide from your condescending stares.

I know that I’m one of millions in the US who can make this claim. Maybe you’re one of them.

Because I watch so much TV I’ve developed an extra hobby; I like working on my laptop while watching my favorite shows. Truth be told, I have SportsCenter on while I type this post. To me, working while watching is like dumping M&Ms into your popcorn at the movies. Or eating Cheerios with sliced bananas. Or … no, I’ll stop there. Nothing beats eating Cheerios with sliced bananas. Except eating Honey Nut Cheerios with sliced bananas. God smiles on that combination.

These combinations are the delicate balance of crunchy and smooth, salty and sweet, ministry and secular. Now, do I think that watching TV without working is a sin? No. That’s silly. Can one get carried away with it and disconnect from the world or forget about God’s call in our lives? Yes. That can be said for lots for things (if not everything). So if you’ve already started sharpening your sticks, lower your weapons. I’m not not here to lecture. I’m here to pick your brain. If it will help you relax and yet prepare to work with me, please, go get some popcorn. And M&Ms. … I already ate all the Cheerios.

Let’s get to business.

This understanding of combinations is a powerful tool, and it’s powerful not only because the qualities of each part complement the other but also because each part helps us to understand the other. Combinations are a powerful tool, indeed, and it’s a tool the Church doesn’t utilize as we should. Borrowing a concept from Dr. Joerg Rieger, when the Church is called to be “the point of intersection between the Kingdom of God and society” our very existence and mission straddles multiple realities. We are a “city on a hill,” yet we are called to be “among the people.” We are corporately and individually outwardly focused (“love one another,” serve “the least of these”), yet we are inwardly growing (“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,” and being members of the body of Christ). We even understand Jesus to be fully divine and fully human, and finally, our God is a Triune God–Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

To our core, we are a combination of combinations. This makes us stronger. This makes us vibrant. This makes us different from others yet allows us to connect and find shared values. This makes us who God wants us to be.

So, fellow Church, why are we so slow to appreciate the strengths of our culture? Why do we build walls while the rest of the world evolves? Why do we cling to “it’s the way we’ve always done it” and deny new methods of communication and growth?

… Please put down those pointy sticks. Besides, I have my own pointy stick. It’s a pencil, and it’s time for me to take notes from you.

In my athletic training of channel surfing I have found a show called “Hotel Impossible.” In this show, this really cool, bald pastor, I mean hotelier, helps turn dying churches, I mean hotels, with no guests, I mean … guests, into thriving communities. He goes to the places where people have the worst experiences and helps them to become magnetic places where people want to be. He helps those charged with offering great service understand that it’s not about hours clocked or old patterns of operations, it’s about relationships and mutual experiences and caring and listening and communicating and being present. He’s not Jesus. He doesn’t talk about religion at all. He speaks for our culture and for us–the secular side of us. He explains why we communicate the way we do, and why some hotels are being left in the dust. When I watch Hotel Impossible, I know he’s speaking to the Church from the other side of that wall we’ve built. He’s giving us a window into our culture, and he’s nice enough to clean it with Windex. And he’s smiling.

If we just listen and turn this combination of holy vs. secular into holy and secular, we’ll learn how to adopt new ways to do our old and sacred mission. New wineskins for new wine, right? If we listen, Anthony Melchiorri, that hotel shepherd, I mean consultant, will show us the proven, new ways to take the proven, old Gospel into the world. He will help those charged with offering great service understand that it’s not about hours clocked or old patterns, it’s about relationships and mutual experiences and caring and listening and communicating and being present. He’ll help us to go to the places where people have the worst experiences and help us to be magnetic people. We are watched as a city on a hill; now let’s be among the people and speak their language. After all, we’re already sharing the same experiences. We’re already enjoying the same TV shows. We’re already sharing the same struggles and sins. And we already have the same Savior.

Let’s learn from the world so that it can learn from us.

“It’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Any of this remind you of your church?

Where else can we learn? Where else can we cross-train to gain insight about our culture? What fields show us who is hurting, who needs to feel grace and peace the most, and what systems in our society prevent others from enjoying and fully experiencing their God-given life? What is our world shouting from the other side of the wall? Who is standing with Anthony Melchiorri on the other side of the window, smiling? What TV shows should I DVR?

Leave your suggestions in the comments, please.

To-Do Listers Unite!

To Do’s (Photo credit: Courtney Dirks)

I am a To-Do Lister.

I make a To-Do List almost every day.

Depending on if I’m at the office, traveling, or around the house that To-Do List might be written down on sticky notes, typed in Google Tasks, or stored away in my head. My daily routine is to start compiling my To-Do List while shampooing, and it grows and shrinks throughout the day. I tell myself that I make To-Do Lists because I want to use my time efficiently “to get done what must get done.” If I’m honest with myself, then I must admit that I make To-Do Lists because I don’t want to let anyone down because I forgot something and, therefore, someone.

Part of my To-Do List every day during Lent is to practice a period of spiritual reflection. (I definitely don’t want to forget about God.) In my reflection time today I realized that I can’t remember the last time I actually finished every item on my To-Do List. I know that doesn’t sound very spiritual, but, if you would be so kind, indulge me for a minute. I realized that though I never get to the bottom of the To-Do List, that’s not really the goal nor is it really possible. This is because my To-Do List is an ever-evolving balancing act where new things slide in above old things in such a way that some things near the bottom of the list are really wishful thinking (like sorting my suits and dress shirts by size and color, organizing a church basketball league, or cataloguing illustrations for future sermons). I think it’s fair to say that this balancing act is a part of growing up and maturing. We all have To-Do Lists of some kind, and we all have to determine what things we’ll get done with the amount of time we have.

Here’s where my reflection spoke to me in a way only God can.

I looked at how I weigh items on my To-Do List. In addition to the daily tasks that come with church ministry, I operate as part of a team at work, at home, and in life. When my boss asks for something, it goes at the top. When my school asks, it’s a close second. When my wife gives me a chore, it’s “before I go to bed” (because I’m a bad husband). When my dog needs to go outside, for the sake of the carpet, I can’t put it off for very long.

My prioritizing is based off of some complex, unknown formula that is a combination of love, calling, duty, responsibility, and consequences. I want to make sure that I don’t let anyone down and still live out the life I’m called to live. I’m sure your formula is similar.

What if we simplified this formula?

What if we prioritized our day based on “what does God want us to do?”

Would I still watch that season premiere of Burn Notice? Would I still attend that monthly meeting where nothing ever changes (or participate differently so that it DOES change)? Would I spend more or less time on Sunday’s sermon? Would I be more diligent about forging new relationships at church? My church’s neighborhood? With my own neighbors?

Looking at my To-Do List, I can see a number of things that would get demoted for a later time and a number of things I’d like to add. I encourage you to spend some time reflecting on how this might change your To-Do List.

After all, this balancing act is a part of maturing. May our actions mature with our faith.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

I Corinthians 9:14

Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable garland, but we an imperishable one.

I Corinthians 9:24-25

Reigning Grace

I’ve always loved the rain. I love hearing it. I love running in it. I even love watching it fall down the windshield of my parked car. There’s something isolating about the rain that soothes the tiny introvert within my extroverted personality. I suppose I’m easily entertained, but I could get some Taco Cabana tortillas, a small queso, and a Diet Dr. Pepper and sit inside my car studying how one drop of rain on my windshield must be brave to flow down to the bottom of the glass, and in so doing, leave a path for future drops of rain to follow. That first drop is a trailblazer of microcosmic proportions.

We’ve had lots of rain lately, which is probably why this is on my heart. I’ll be among the first to say that the rain is a blessing and that I’ve prayed, even from the pulpit, asking God to send rain. This prayer, though answered, makes me feel guilty. I think of those who don’t have a roof under which to be comfortably introverted. I think of those who don’t have a car from which to watch raindrop races. I think of those who may have a windshield under which to stay dry but don’t have Taco C. or even a bed like mine. Their bed is under that windshield. This rain has now made a cold night a miserably wet one, too! At one of our church’s recent mission projects to aid an agency that fights homelessness, we learned a scary statistic. The average age of a homeless person in the United States is 5 years old. 5!

I don’t believe that God answered my prayer for any reason other than God is life-giving and that this rain is life-giving. This rain is the same rain that will renew the land, nourish growth, wash away the dirt, and give animals a much needed drink. I know that this rain has been recycled in our atmosphere since Creation, and who knows, that drop on my windshield may have splashed against Noah’s Ark or have been moved by God at the Red Sea. The water outside my window might have been present at Christ’s baptism or under his feet as he walked towards a sinking Peter. This rain is surely God’s blessing to the world, but even that blessing will not be appreciated by all of God’s people because many are exposed to the elements and forgotten by us in shelter, eating Taco C. and watching raindrops fall and follow.

God, I thank you for the rain. But now I must ask something else. I ask for your protection, not for me, but for all who are cold and wet tonight and left to shiver. I pray for your forgiveness that we, your people, have not worked hard enough to create a society where all can appreciate the beauty of your blessed rain. I pray that you make us brave like that first drop to fall and leave a path for others to follow. May your boldness move us to find new paths to solve homelessness and hunger. May the church be a place where your grace abounds and overflows more plentifully than this blessed rain. And, again, thank you. Amen.