I'm apparently a VERY slow reader. I'm still wading my way through God's Politics. Of course it doesn't help that I read like once a week for half and hour. But I've decided as much as I enjoy this type of reading, I really shouldn't know anything about what the government does. It just REALLY irritates me. Ignorance is bliss.
The chapter I just finished was all about poverty and various policies regarding taxes and other things. For instance, it was talking about this child tax credit that was going to be giving money back to families but at the last minute the change was made to make it so that people in a lower income bracket wouldn't get the tax credit, only middle-upper class families would. What in the world!! You mean to tell me that there was free money going around and it went to families who didn't really need it in the first place because it's better to stimulate the economy by getting middle class families to spend more time at the mall than it is to help families who can barely feed their children from week to week? That's just sick.
The point the chapter made several times was that families who are working to provide for their families should have food to eat and a home to live in. Unfortunately many people living at the poverty level are working and doing the best they can but they can't keep up because their jobs don't provide adequate health care and the cost of owning a home or renting an apartment is astronmical and the cost of child care in order for single mothers to be able to work in the first place is insane.
Churches should be doing more than they do. I won't argue with that point. However, the government needs to have policies in affect that help those in the lower class rather than always favoring upper class families. The welfare system doesn't need to be dismantled, it needs to be changed so that working single moms have adequate childcare and all children have good health care available to them as well as proper education and people who are willing and physical able to better themselves by going to college to get more education to get a better job should be afforded that right without it causing them not to be able to pay for their housing.
Families who work should not be homeless. I spent some time at a homeless shelter and the gentleman giving the tour talked about how they have families living there who have both parents working but they lost their apartment because they couldn't make rent and then of course when they do get back of their feet, who will rent to them after being evicted. It's a nasty cycle that faith-based organizations need to be a part of solving but so does the government.
Tax breaks for rich people are not the answer. Cutting welfare programs is not the answer. Using the poor as a pawn for campaigns but never following through on promises is not the answer. Placing blame is not the answer either. The poor are caught in a battle of words between the two strong political parties but all the words aren't helping. The parties need to come together to work on a positive solution to the issues that face people living under the poverty level today.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Church Volunteer Central
Just a quick plug for all you church leadership people....
If your church doesn't have a membership to www.churchvolunteercentral.com you are really missing out on some wonderful resources! Church Volunteer Central REALLY cares about helping churches be more effective in ministering to, with and through volunteers. The membership cost is absolutely worth the resources you receive as a result.
Check it out!
By the way, if you're apart of my church and would like to check it out, please let me know and I will add you to our membership.
If your church doesn't have a membership to www.churchvolunteercentral.com you are really missing out on some wonderful resources! Church Volunteer Central REALLY cares about helping churches be more effective in ministering to, with and through volunteers. The membership cost is absolutely worth the resources you receive as a result.
Check it out!
By the way, if you're apart of my church and would like to check it out, please let me know and I will add you to our membership.
Honest Conversations
I've never really been a huge fan of attending Bible study groups. It always seemed like everyone just gives what they think are the right answers. Nothing ever really gets any where and we don't really grow because we are just touting off about what some preacher told us 10 years ago. We agree with what the Bible teaches but we don't face it in a way that helps us wrestle with it's application in real, messy, day to day life.
For those of us who've grown up in the church, some where along the way someone taught us what it looks like to be a good Christian. And every since we've been working hard at putting ourselves in that box and making everything we say and do reflect that image. I think a lot of us lose who Christ created us to be when we try so hard to fit a certain idea that others have imposed on us. I feel like for a long time I couldn't see what God had called me to be because I was stuck in that box. It's only been recently that I've really been trying to strip that away and understand who I am in relation to God and how I fit into His greater plan.
I think along with that image, I stopped thinking for myself. In college people were willing to and excited about having honest conversations about God and theology. But I wasn't really there then. I couldn't really talk honestly about what happens when your theology on homosexuality meets a person who loves God but is homosexual. I couldn't let myself think about the weird and confusing things in the Bible. I couldn't let myself question. Even though I lived in a world, created by God, that was full of color and beauty and diversity, I lived my life in black and white.
I'm a part of a group of people that meet weekly right now to talk about the Bible and stuff and it's the first time I feel like we're scratching the surface of talking about real stuff and wrestling with real life and real questions. It's the first time I've actually enjoyed being a part of that type of group. In my life I know I need more of that. I need to have honest conversations that don't put things into either/or categories. Through those conversations, I hope that God's Spirit will help me see the things I've been missing all along.
For those of us who've grown up in the church, some where along the way someone taught us what it looks like to be a good Christian. And every since we've been working hard at putting ourselves in that box and making everything we say and do reflect that image. I think a lot of us lose who Christ created us to be when we try so hard to fit a certain idea that others have imposed on us. I feel like for a long time I couldn't see what God had called me to be because I was stuck in that box. It's only been recently that I've really been trying to strip that away and understand who I am in relation to God and how I fit into His greater plan.
I think along with that image, I stopped thinking for myself. In college people were willing to and excited about having honest conversations about God and theology. But I wasn't really there then. I couldn't really talk honestly about what happens when your theology on homosexuality meets a person who loves God but is homosexual. I couldn't let myself think about the weird and confusing things in the Bible. I couldn't let myself question. Even though I lived in a world, created by God, that was full of color and beauty and diversity, I lived my life in black and white.
I'm a part of a group of people that meet weekly right now to talk about the Bible and stuff and it's the first time I feel like we're scratching the surface of talking about real stuff and wrestling with real life and real questions. It's the first time I've actually enjoyed being a part of that type of group. In my life I know I need more of that. I need to have honest conversations that don't put things into either/or categories. Through those conversations, I hope that God's Spirit will help me see the things I've been missing all along.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
For Church Leaders
I recently wrote this for Group Publishing. Just thought I'd include it here...
In less than two years a church can become stagnant, stuck in its ways and afraid of change. I know, I’ve seen it happen. One of my attractions to new church work was the fact that you weren’t fighting the “we’ve never done it that way” issues. The page was blank and ready to be written without the back story of tradition. I have discovered that the pages are quickly written and can be difficult to change even a year later.
In the beginnings of a church, everyone has to serve. A new church doesn’t have the luxury of having 20% of people serve while the other 80% sit back and enjoy the programs provided. Church plants are able to establish from the start, an expectation of ministry participation because their survival depends on it.
This can be good or bad depending on how it is approached. Starting out with a model of team ministry may be difficult when you have limited people who are already spread thin, setting up and tearing down every Sunday, running the children’s ministry, greeting guests, leading small groups and much more. Often one person is put in charge of an area whether they are gifted to serve in that capacity or not. The only requirement for service is availability.
The potential problem arises as the church begins to grow and suddenly there are more people to help and leadership and ministry become shared rather than a one-man show. It’s great to see people take ownership of a ministry but it can lead to a lack of willingness to share that ministry with others if that expectation isn’t stated from the beginning.
Ok, if you are just planting your church, my advice is this: VISION, VISION, VISION. Never stop communicating the idea that team-oriented ministry is the most effective and most biblical pattern. Every ministry leader should be trained with the idea in mind that they should find an apprentice. Each leader should have someone else who is learning how to lead the ministry. Don’t just talk about it though. Show that you are serious about being an equipping church by using that as a standard of evaluation. Put in place some type of process that allows you to sit down with your ministry leaders every few months to evaluate how things are going in their ministry. Building up and releasing other leaders should be one of the top priorities when evaluating a person’s leadership.
Also, giftedness is important. Young churches aren’t able to provide all the programs that a larger, more established church can. Don’t start ministries until you have leaders who are gifted and passionate about that area of ministry. Find ways to help people discover their giftedness from the start and place them in areas where they will be most effective.
And lastly, work with your leaders to help them develop a plan to build and release leaders within their ministry. Write it out and again, evaluate their progress as time goes on.
Most of us aren’t going to be able to start over and get it right from the beginning. My church will be two years old on Easter 2006. Already we are seeing that it is human nature to fear change. We did not start with the value of shared leadership. Again, availability was the only requirement. Someone once joked, “You step in the door for the first time and suddenly you are leading a ministry.” That wasn’t completely untrue of how we operated in the beginning of our church.
The ramifications of that are starting to hit us now as our church is growing and there are more people to share ministry responsibility. Some people are relieved and thrilled to lighten their load. Others are fearful to let others share in the work they have been doing. They’ve accepted ownership for the ministry and they are hesitant to let go of the control they’ve had.
Whenever you are going to attempt to bring about change in your church, start with prayer. Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to prepare people’s hearts for change.
After prayer, follow a few important steps to lead your church through this transition.
Communicate, communicate, communicate. The first step in transitioning a young church to becoming an equipping church is communicating vision. Staff members should begin meeting with and sharing the vision for an equipping church with the ministry leaders who are under their leadership. An equipping mindset has to come from every person in a position of leadership from your Sunday School teachers to your small group leaders. Find every opportunity to share about the benefits of being an equipping church. Communicating vision doesn’t always have to happen on a formal level. Go out for coffee, pass on helpful articles from respected authors, point out the giftedness in others and the benefits they would bring to the ministry if given an opportunity, share Scripture, and point out how even Jesus shared his ministry. Always communicate with enthusiasm and confidence. Excitement can be very contagious.
Don’t make assumptions about why a person is opposed to an equipping church model. As you communicate the vision of an equipping church you may be approached with some opposition. Don’t just assume they are simply difficult people who like to control things. It’s easy to see others as the villain when they communicate disagreement. Remember that God loves them and calls you to love them and that their reactions to the change you are trying to impose often come from a deeper reason than that they are simply troublemakers. Make every effort (with compassion) to get to the heart of their reaction.
Evaluate the current effectiveness of ministry leaders and their specific giftedness. Leaders may be unable to effectively train other leaders because they are in positions that are outside their gifts and passions. Before asking leaders to take on another responsibility, make sure they are all placed in positions where they can be successful.
Train your leaders how to equip and release others. Ministry leaders who are hesitant to accept an equipping church model may feel unprepared to train others. They may be fearful that they aren’t fully qualified. Give them the tools they need to confidently train other leaders and lead by example as you confidently train them.
Build relationships with your leaders. When you purposefully build relationships with the people you put in leadership you will earn the right to lead them. If they trust you, it will be easier for them to follow you. If you consistently prove that you will support them and help them through change, they will be less fearful in the face of it. Building relationships takes time. If it hasn’t happened before the change comes, it will be harder and take longer to lead them through change. Understand that and be prepared for it not to happen overnight.
Getting the support of your current leaders is the real challenge. If you win them over, they will be your greatest agents for change in your church. Unfortunately, from time to time, you will find a leader who is simply unwilling to change. There are times when it is ok to consider asking a person to step down from a leadership position. Don’t give up on them. Pray for them, keep seeking a relationship with them and continue to communicate and share the positive effects of the change as it happens.
People come first. Leading a church, even a young church, through a transition can be a difficult and even painful process. Love them even when they cause conflict, seek understanding and remember that Jesus would leave the 99 to find the one. Love that one.
In less than two years a church can become stagnant, stuck in its ways and afraid of change. I know, I’ve seen it happen. One of my attractions to new church work was the fact that you weren’t fighting the “we’ve never done it that way” issues. The page was blank and ready to be written without the back story of tradition. I have discovered that the pages are quickly written and can be difficult to change even a year later.
In the beginnings of a church, everyone has to serve. A new church doesn’t have the luxury of having 20% of people serve while the other 80% sit back and enjoy the programs provided. Church plants are able to establish from the start, an expectation of ministry participation because their survival depends on it.
This can be good or bad depending on how it is approached. Starting out with a model of team ministry may be difficult when you have limited people who are already spread thin, setting up and tearing down every Sunday, running the children’s ministry, greeting guests, leading small groups and much more. Often one person is put in charge of an area whether they are gifted to serve in that capacity or not. The only requirement for service is availability.
The potential problem arises as the church begins to grow and suddenly there are more people to help and leadership and ministry become shared rather than a one-man show. It’s great to see people take ownership of a ministry but it can lead to a lack of willingness to share that ministry with others if that expectation isn’t stated from the beginning.
Ok, if you are just planting your church, my advice is this: VISION, VISION, VISION. Never stop communicating the idea that team-oriented ministry is the most effective and most biblical pattern. Every ministry leader should be trained with the idea in mind that they should find an apprentice. Each leader should have someone else who is learning how to lead the ministry. Don’t just talk about it though. Show that you are serious about being an equipping church by using that as a standard of evaluation. Put in place some type of process that allows you to sit down with your ministry leaders every few months to evaluate how things are going in their ministry. Building up and releasing other leaders should be one of the top priorities when evaluating a person’s leadership.
Also, giftedness is important. Young churches aren’t able to provide all the programs that a larger, more established church can. Don’t start ministries until you have leaders who are gifted and passionate about that area of ministry. Find ways to help people discover their giftedness from the start and place them in areas where they will be most effective.
And lastly, work with your leaders to help them develop a plan to build and release leaders within their ministry. Write it out and again, evaluate their progress as time goes on.
Most of us aren’t going to be able to start over and get it right from the beginning. My church will be two years old on Easter 2006. Already we are seeing that it is human nature to fear change. We did not start with the value of shared leadership. Again, availability was the only requirement. Someone once joked, “You step in the door for the first time and suddenly you are leading a ministry.” That wasn’t completely untrue of how we operated in the beginning of our church.
The ramifications of that are starting to hit us now as our church is growing and there are more people to share ministry responsibility. Some people are relieved and thrilled to lighten their load. Others are fearful to let others share in the work they have been doing. They’ve accepted ownership for the ministry and they are hesitant to let go of the control they’ve had.
Whenever you are going to attempt to bring about change in your church, start with prayer. Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to prepare people’s hearts for change.
After prayer, follow a few important steps to lead your church through this transition.
Communicate, communicate, communicate. The first step in transitioning a young church to becoming an equipping church is communicating vision. Staff members should begin meeting with and sharing the vision for an equipping church with the ministry leaders who are under their leadership. An equipping mindset has to come from every person in a position of leadership from your Sunday School teachers to your small group leaders. Find every opportunity to share about the benefits of being an equipping church. Communicating vision doesn’t always have to happen on a formal level. Go out for coffee, pass on helpful articles from respected authors, point out the giftedness in others and the benefits they would bring to the ministry if given an opportunity, share Scripture, and point out how even Jesus shared his ministry. Always communicate with enthusiasm and confidence. Excitement can be very contagious.
Don’t make assumptions about why a person is opposed to an equipping church model. As you communicate the vision of an equipping church you may be approached with some opposition. Don’t just assume they are simply difficult people who like to control things. It’s easy to see others as the villain when they communicate disagreement. Remember that God loves them and calls you to love them and that their reactions to the change you are trying to impose often come from a deeper reason than that they are simply troublemakers. Make every effort (with compassion) to get to the heart of their reaction.
Evaluate the current effectiveness of ministry leaders and their specific giftedness. Leaders may be unable to effectively train other leaders because they are in positions that are outside their gifts and passions. Before asking leaders to take on another responsibility, make sure they are all placed in positions where they can be successful.
Train your leaders how to equip and release others. Ministry leaders who are hesitant to accept an equipping church model may feel unprepared to train others. They may be fearful that they aren’t fully qualified. Give them the tools they need to confidently train other leaders and lead by example as you confidently train them.
Build relationships with your leaders. When you purposefully build relationships with the people you put in leadership you will earn the right to lead them. If they trust you, it will be easier for them to follow you. If you consistently prove that you will support them and help them through change, they will be less fearful in the face of it. Building relationships takes time. If it hasn’t happened before the change comes, it will be harder and take longer to lead them through change. Understand that and be prepared for it not to happen overnight.
Getting the support of your current leaders is the real challenge. If you win them over, they will be your greatest agents for change in your church. Unfortunately, from time to time, you will find a leader who is simply unwilling to change. There are times when it is ok to consider asking a person to step down from a leadership position. Don’t give up on them. Pray for them, keep seeking a relationship with them and continue to communicate and share the positive effects of the change as it happens.
People come first. Leading a church, even a young church, through a transition can be a difficult and even painful process. Love them even when they cause conflict, seek understanding and remember that Jesus would leave the 99 to find the one. Love that one.
Having Hobbies is a Good Thing
I've noticed in my life that I have a tendency to work whenever I'm bored. I'm supposed to take a day off but I get bored and pull out my computer. So lately I've been forcing myself to enjoy a few new hobbies! That's part of the reason I haven't been blogging. I've been trying to do other things in my free time. Although I really like writing. Actually writing has been one of my hobbies. I recently wrote an article for Group Publishing. Maybe I'll post that next...
Painting has been one of my recent favorites. I've painted 3 small canvases and just bought 3 more of a larger size. I kinda want to take a class to actually learn how to do it! I already love to draw so this was a natural hobby for me to try.
Then I started a puzzle, a hard puzzle. I'm still working on it.
I don't really enjoy scrapbooking but I do it just to keep my pictures from piling up so I've done a little of that lately also.
I've noticed that "Sodoku" is a new popular puzzle hobby so I've been thinking about picking up a book and learning how to do it. So my sweet husband bought me a book of Sodoku puzzles from Valentine's Day.
And I decided to give cake decorating a try for a recent baby shower I threw. That was not my best attempt. It turned out a bit lopsided. Oh well....
What's my point...pick up a hobby! Not only does it provide a little fun for you, it helps you be more well-rounded and you may even find you have a special skill you never knew you had! Plus hobbies can really relieve stress!
Painting has been one of my recent favorites. I've painted 3 small canvases and just bought 3 more of a larger size. I kinda want to take a class to actually learn how to do it! I already love to draw so this was a natural hobby for me to try.
Then I started a puzzle, a hard puzzle. I'm still working on it.
I don't really enjoy scrapbooking but I do it just to keep my pictures from piling up so I've done a little of that lately also.
I've noticed that "Sodoku" is a new popular puzzle hobby so I've been thinking about picking up a book and learning how to do it. So my sweet husband bought me a book of Sodoku puzzles from Valentine's Day.
And I decided to give cake decorating a try for a recent baby shower I threw. That was not my best attempt. It turned out a bit lopsided. Oh well....
What's my point...pick up a hobby! Not only does it provide a little fun for you, it helps you be more well-rounded and you may even find you have a special skill you never knew you had! Plus hobbies can really relieve stress!
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