“Son, Where Have You Been?”

That's what my mom asked me today. She said, "You haven't written on your blog or tweeted much lately."

There are several reasons my mom's question makes me happy:

1. She cares about me.
2. She reads my blog.
3. She used the word "tweeted" in a sentence. Yes, my mom is savvy about social media!

Well, for my mom and others who might wonder, I've been working every spare minute on a home construction project. That is both good and bad. It is good because I can't explain how much I love working on such projects. They wear me out physically but fill me up emotionally. It is very therapeutic.

But it's bad because I haven't had much time for blogging. My part in the project is moving from physical labor to managing contractors–so look for my content to be revived next week.

So, for me, home construction projects bring me energy. What does it for you?

Granger Responds to the Crisis in Haiti

Granger Community Church Responds to the Emergency in Haiti from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Make your donation here.

A 4-Month Learning Experience

Beginning next month, Mark Waltz is entering a four-month journey with leaders whose responsibilities are focused on connections, volunteer involvement, group relationships, and spiritual growth. If you are a senior pastor or a pastor/director responsible for adult connections or assimilation ministries – you should really consider applying for this coaching journey.

Mark has gone all around the country training teams of people - staff and volunteers – focused most specifically on guest services ministries, occasionally venturing into conversations related to volunteers and relational ministries. Typically that happens in a day, two at most.

But this is different.

• It will be intensely practical. Highly conversational. Interactive. And limited to 12 leaders.
• You will study. You will read. You will learn together. You’ll explore your specific questions, issues and church dynamic.
• His coaching will be very specific about cultivating culture, building teams, casting vision, designing environments for connecting, serving and growing.

It isn’t cheap. And it won’t be terribly convenient (like travel to northern Indiana). But after spending a decade in ministry with Mark, I know it will be worth it.

Consider making this the core of your training/learning experience in 2010. I’m confident you’ll be better from the experience. I’m certain you’ll lead your church, your staff, your teams more effectively and serve your people and guests more thoroughly because of this coaching journey.

Decide soon – it starts in five weeks, and there are only a few spots left. More information here.

Life Together

This is the group I'm doing life with this week. It is our senior team at Granger–and we are holed up in a house in southwest Michigan. The conversations we are having, foundations we are establishing and plans we are making–will ALL have impact for the next decade.

If you have a moment–pray for us.

Jesus’ Ministry Included External Experiences

Ten Degree Weather Doesn’t Slow Us Down

It was nice to wake up this morning to see this article in the South Bend Tribune. (I’m reposting it here to save you from a visit to the ad-heavy, pop-up-laced, clunky South Bend Tribune website).

Granger Community Church members gather to aid in giveaway effort
By HEIDI PRESCOTT
South Bend Tribune Staff Writer

GRANGER — Trodding through several inches of snow, Susanna Martino approached the door of a trailer carrying a box of groceries.

“It feels like this box has 800 cans of food inside,” the bubbly 22-year-old said to several Granger Community Church members flanking her Saturday. It was darn cold outside to boot. “But this is not me complaining.”

Martino climbed the stairs to find a Mishawaka woman propping open the door to her Oak Grove park trailer. The resident thanked Martino, of Edwardsburg, explaining how she doesn’t
get out much because heart problems make it hard to breathe sometimes.

And she asked if Martino and her friends would be taking food to the trailer of her cousin who lives nearby and is going blind. Yes, they reassured her.

“We believe everyone matters to God, so you matter to us,” Martino said with sincerity, adding how the church would pray for her upcoming visit to the doctor.A few minutes later, Martino had a hard time putting the brief but emotional encounter into words. Instead, her eyes filled with tears as she softly said, “You wish you could do more.”

Work to be done

Between 1,600 and 1,700 men, women, and children streamed out the doors of Granger Community Church shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday toward semi-trailers after receiving last-minute instructions in the vast auditorium for the food drop.

“Travel with your truck if you can,” Jack Magruder, director of life mission told the group gathered for the 9th annual event taking place in Granger and in Elkhart, “The magic occurs when the boxes are delivered.”

About 350 volunteers loaded boxes in Elkhart. But before deliveries are made to 12 nonprofit agencies and 12 neighborhoods in St. Joseph, Elkhart, Berrien Springs and Marshall counties like Oak Grove Mobile Home Park, there is work to be done. More than 5,200 cardboard boxes weighing a total of 158,400 pounds needed to be loaded onto semi-trailers and trucks. To accomplish this, throngs of volunteers stood shoulder-to-shoulder and passed the boxed items from hunger relief organization Feed the Children trucks down the line to delivery trucks. The boxes contained enough groceries to feed a family of four for five to seven days, as well as personal care items, church officials said.

“We came prepared,” Martino said, alluding to the gloves, boots and layers of long sleeves she and her friends from Granger Student Ministries wore as they loaded Truck No. 4.

Making a difference

Rachel Ditto of Granger agreed the 11-degree temps were no big deal given what the food drop means, not only to her but the people she is helping. “It’s a blast; this is an opportunity I look forward to every year.”

And Ditto was not the only person to feel that way.

Many of the volunteers have attended two, three, four or more food drops. Parents and children, grandfathers and grandsons, work together to not only make a difference, but also to educate their children on the importance of helping others less fortunate.

“I’m here to help other people who don’t have any of the stuff we have; to help the poor, people who have lost their jobs and are going through tough times,” said 12-year-old David Flowers of Granger. He and his parents know the task does not have to require so many volunteers. The lines could be much shorter than 80 or 90 people. “But we’re all putting our hands on the boxes,” said David’s mom Lisa Flowers, “and in a way we are giving them our blessing.”

Chazwell Whitmer, 10, of Elkhart said he felt the need to attend the food drop with his parents “to do everything I can to help others.”

Others maintain they want to take part for God.

“God gets really, really happy when you do this, and you’ll go to heaven,” said Lauren Landry, 8, of Berrien Center, who also helped pack boxes with canned food and paper towels ahead of time. Her mom, Susan, is not surprised by her daughter’s kindness and generosity.

“It gives her pride to know she is making a difference in someone’s life,” she said. “You never know what situation you’ll find yourself in. We do this behind the scenes, but it’s fulfilling.”

Staff writer Heidi Prescott:
hprescott@sbtinfo.com

Tony Reaches for the Skye

Rewind to last February when I first met Skye Jethani. We spent an entire day together with fifteen other leaders (including Dave Ferguson, Will Mancini and Frank Viola) talking about the future of the church. I didn't know who Skye was before that day, but gained a quick respect for him.

At that time, Skye mentioned he had a book coming out soon.

Fast forward to this past October and I ran into Skye again at the Story Conference in Chicago. We talked for a few minutes and I learned that his book was being promoted at the conference. Someone saw me looking at the book and said, "Did you know Skye wrote about you?"

That was news to me, but I learned about it in the car leaving the conference from someone on my team. Skye had quoted from Simply Strategic Growth written by myself and Tony Morgan. Let's just say that he wasn't in agreement with the quote he chose.

Fast forward again to yesterday when blogger Justin Wise included the quote in a post where he was awe-struck by the brilliance of Skye's integrity in the way he disagreed. I was equally awe-struck by Justin's awe-struckedness (is that word?) and the response of some of his commenters. After Catalyst picked up the article, I figured it had gone pretty public. I left a comment that probably, in hindsight, had more sarcasm than substance.

Tony Morgan, on the other hand, actually addressed the issue head-on. He writes in a post today:

Unlike Skye, I’m still of the opinion that healthy churches are growing
churches. I also believe that if we embrace some intentionality in our
ministries including our worship services, we’re more likely to connect
with today’s culture. At the end of the day, I believe churches should
be both attractional and missional. Skye believes otherwise.

You should read the rest of his thoughts. Then come back here and tell me what you think.

Spiritual Themes in “Avatar”

I’ve been to the theater to see Avatar twice. And, I wrote a book called Pop Goes the Church — all about finding God in the pop culture of movies, shows and books. So, you would expect me to be able to unearth all kinds of spiritual truths in this movie.

However, I was so captured by the creativity, story line and stunning graphics that I completely missed some of the spiritual conversations that could be started as a result of this movie. Lucky for me, Roy Shaff was more observant.

In a post yesterday, Roy talked about some of the symbolism in the movie relating to spiritualism in America, and then offers Christians some great discussion ideas. Roy writes:

• First, In the Gospel of John, Jesus is the Logos, the “Avatar” of
  divine wisdom. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. I do not
  want to go nuts; but, there is a good discussion here.
• A second discussion starter can come from the mother of Neytiri,
  Mo’at, is the Tsahik (Righteous One, shaman or spiritual teacher) of
  the Omaticaya clan (the Na’Vi). When she first meets Jake in Avatar
  form, she notes as others in the clan do, Jake’s overweening arrogant
  pride. This is fundamental. Human pride of conquest and Na’Vi humility
  are divergently central to the plot of Avatar. This is a key tenet to
  healthy spiritually life—that ability to learn. Jake’s interest to
  the Na’Vi was his heart. He has unprecedented heart. It is enough to
  ensure his ‘insanity [of spiritual pride] could be cured.’
• Third is the universiality of our search for God. Christians
  believe that God is self-evident (though deniable) and rewards of those
  who pursue the Spiritual journey with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
  Nicholas Wade’s new book, “The Faith Instinct,” lucidly lays out the
  scientific evidence that humans are hard-wired to believe in the
  transcendent. As philosopher Will Herberg says, “Man is homo
  religiosus, by ‘nature’ religious: as much as he needs food to eat or
  air to breathe, he needs a faith for living.” (Read Roy’s entire post here).

What do you think? Are these good conversation starters for someone who is far from God?

How To Leave Your Church

People leave churches every day…sometimes even when they’ve been attending that church for years or even decades. But for some reason–a time comes when they decide they need to go somewhere else. Some of those reasons are good. Some of those reasons are bad. The purpose of this post is not to debate the reasons–but rather to talk about the way that you leave a church.

Before I share my ideas on how to leave a church, let me give you my very unscientific stats on how most people leave churches:

• Group A: 20% leave kicking and screaming. They talk about everything they hate, how shallow the sermons are, why the kids program didn’t help and how the music is too loud or too traditional or too something else. And, of course, they say, “You’d be shocked by how many people agree with me, but everyone else is just too scared to speak their mind.”
• Group B: 79% say nothing. They just disappear. They quietly resign from their ministry roles and they stop attending. If you are privy to their giving records, you’ll usually find their hearts actually left a few months prior. Something happened and they became less enthused about the future. Or perhaps they moved into a new phase of life and the church just wasn’t working for them anymore. Either way, at some point you are walking through the hall at church and you think, “I don’t think I’ve seen Bob & Harriet recently.” You soon realize they quietly slipped away.

You might think Group A is bigger than 20%. But it’s just because they have VERY loud mouths. They get people worked up and talk to everyone, so it seems like the whole church is upset when it is really just a few.

You might also think that Group B chose the right way to leave a church. But truthfully, slipping away quietly can be just as painful for the pastor or leaders of the church (especially when you’ve been there for years) as those who leave loudly.

Thinking of leaving your church? Here’s how I would do it…

• I would write a letter to the pastors and leaders. In this letter, I would talk about the way God had changed my life through the ministry of that church. I would talk about how some of my family members met Christ there, were baptized, went on missions trips and more. I would talk about how my own thoughts and beliefs were formed through my years at the church. I would talk about how I am more like Christ because of my time there. I would tell stories of specific retreats or camps or services where my life (or those of my family) was changed because of the church and its’ leaders.
• In this letter, I would not gripe or complain. I would not talk about the stuff I don’t like or decisions with which I disagree.
• In a short paragraph, I would say that “my wife and I have decided to attend and serve in a different church for this next season of our spiritual growth.”
• I would end the letter by assuring the pastor that he/she will never hear us talk badly about this church. I would encourage the pastor to feel free to share this letter with anyone who questions why we left.
• THEN, and this is most important, I would not mail this letter. Rather, I would set an appointment with the pastor and I would hand-deliver the letter. I would read it aloud to him–or ask him to read it in my presence. I would re-state my love for him and profound thanks for the ministry he had in my life.
• Then I would walk away and keep my promise. I would never speak negatively to anyone about that church. In fact, when people asked, I would say, “God changed my life at that church!”

You might have noticed that my percentages for Group A and B above only added up to 99%. That’s because I think only 1% leave a church in the way I’ve suggested. Well, actually, it’s probably more like .00001%. Because in 15 years at Granger, I only remember one family leaving the way I suggested. It was Mike and Laura who left in 1996. And the way they left marked me.

If I ever have to leave a church, I want to leave like Mike and Laura.

What about you?

A Decade of Changes (Part 2)

The year 2000 seems like an eternity ago, but here we are already at 2010. And so much has changed, even (or especially) in the church world. Yesterday I reflected on four significant shifts that have taken place since the beginning of the last decade. Today I wrap it up with these…

Senior Leaders

2000: Leaders of fast-growing or high-impact churches tended to be huge, solo personalities. The staff surrounding these individuals never seemed to stay long–they would go someplace else where there was room for them also to lead. 2010: Although there are still plenty of examples of the solo-model, a study of many high-profile churches finds a team leadership model. Still with a lead pastor–others are encouraged and empowered to soar in their own leadership gifts.

Community Impact

2000: "Come to a service. Volunteer for a ministry. Help grow the church." None of that was bad, but it was very inward focused. The mindset was to make the church stronger and more feature-filled so that when our friends visit, it will be a great place for them to meet Christ. 2010: Added to that, there is a deep-felt sense that if we don't make a difference in the local community, then our Christianity is in question. More churches are becoming intentional about improving the statistics in their city on crime, education, poverty, hunger and violence.

Missions

2000: Nearly every church believed the philosophy of the parachurch missions agencies: "Pay, pray, and get out of the way!" They didn't want our involvement, just our money. We would spread our money to 13 different missionaries across the world and pat ourselves on the back because the global map looked great with all the pins and thread showing our impact. 2010: Some churches are beginning to move from the shot-gun approach to laser-focused missions. Some are beginning to see the value in deep, long-lasting, holistic, culture-changing, high-impact ministry in one location year after year after year.

One Team

2000: Every church was an island. You wouldn't think of working with another church across the state, and definitely not one down the street. 2010: Churches are beginning to realize we are all on the same team. Some of the turf-guarding and competitive bickering is decreasing. We are coming together for things like One Prayer and The Exponential Initiative. And we aren't worried about denominational labels or methodological leanings.

Some of these changes may seem more hopeful than real in your particular setting–but from where I sit, I'm seeing these changes. Some of them in isolated churches, and others are more wide-spread.

I could add more, but I'd rather hear your thoughts. What else do you see that has changed in the past ten years?