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Mar 15, 2010
Brice - no "citing" as you request. This whole post was based on my perspective. Your perspective is different--so write your own view of what has changed.
My purpose wasn't (isn't) to devalue the past, but to point out what has changed and, in some cases, to celebrate the progress.
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 Lea...
You had me at "wank."
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...
That is awesome of Seth. My guess he didn't use the profit from the event to help train church leaders from around the world. But I could be wrong.
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 min...
Shame on the church who relies on care cards and attendance records to discover whether people are there or whether they have left.
Church is about life-on-life. And if I leave a church and no one notices--it's because I haven't been pressing into relationships. An attendance or care card system can catch the new and unconnected--but for those who have been around awhile...they are cared for by the believers around them. And that is the church being the church.
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...
Agree and disagree.
Disagree that something is wrong or lacking if you feel the need to leave a church. Maybe you are moving. Maybe the passion/focus God has put on your heart is better nurtured somewhere else. Maybe your personal gift to the church is better utilized with a different group of believers.
Agree that, as a pastor, I often want to know why they are leaving. My article wasn't about the pastors' response. It was about the proactiveness of the person leaving.
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...
Yeah, that's probably a whole other post on how to treat people with grace when they leave.
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...
Chris - pride, legalism and a judgmental heart are hard to detect in one self. Before I followed your strategy, I would make sure I had some pastors and spiritual counselors around me who could confirm that my issues were real, and that there wasn't a huge log in my own eye.
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...
Michelle - Thank you for your note. You and Brian have great integrity and you are missed greatly! My hesitation in writing this article was that anyone who may have left GCC recently might feel I was writing about them. But not true, just hopefully helpful for anyone out there thinking of leaving their church now.
We miss you guys!
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...
No one exemplifies this characteristic of learning from mistakes better than you, Kem Meyer. And no, it's not because you make a lot of mistakes. It's because you are constantly looking for ways to do better. Way to go!
What I've learned from my mistakes...
Question: What mistakes have you made and what/how have you learned from them? Any advice to help me avoid making the same mistakes? I think we all have a tendency to “fill in the blanks” and make assumptions based on a snapshot. I’ve done it to others, and it’s been done to me. It’s particularl...
Tom - got your email and sent a reply last night to your AOL address, but came back "undeliverable." Just wanted you to know I tried.
Uprising by Muse
This weekend the band at Granger performed my favorite song off the world's most awesome CD -- this is Uprising by Muse. Uprising from Granger Community on Vimeo.
Music (without words) is neither Christian nor non-Christian. It is merely music. And many secular songs are not "totally contrary to God." They may not be worshipful, or about God--but that doesn't mean they are contrary to God.
Of course, if you want to drill down on this further, you could always read Pop Goes the Church :)
Uprising by Muse
This weekend the band at Granger performed my favorite song off the world's most awesome CD -- this is Uprising by Muse. Uprising from Granger Community on Vimeo.
The purpose of our prelude is to let everyone in the building know the service is about to start. We do familiar songs that are high energy to build excitement and anticipation for the service.
Uprising by Muse
This weekend the band at Granger performed my favorite song off the world's most awesome CD -- this is Uprising by Muse. Uprising from Granger Community on Vimeo.
Their placement on our SMT is not positional. In other words, DC Curry is not on the SMT because he is the Director of Student Ministry. He's on there because of his towering leadership abilities and our sense that he can help us with the macro vision and direction of the church.
As far as the vision for Granger, we do this together on the SMT. Yes, there are times when a decision has to be made solo or with just Mark and myself -- but it probably doesn't happen once every 2 years or so. Most the time, we work hard to lead as a team.
A New Leadership Team
Today we announced to our staff the addition of three amazing leaders to the Senior Management Team (SMT) at Granger. Kem Meyer -- she's been in the church for 18 years and on the staff team for 7 years leading us in communications, web strategy and other creative projects. Jason Miller -- I int...
We rarely do vocals for prelude--since people are still walking in and getting settled.
Uprising by Muse
This weekend the band at Granger performed my favorite song off the world's most awesome CD -- this is Uprising by Muse. Uprising from Granger Community on Vimeo.
No context -- we always try to have a high-energy band number for prelude.
Uprising by Muse
This weekend the band at Granger performed my favorite song off the world's most awesome CD -- this is Uprising by Muse. Uprising from Granger Community on Vimeo.
Great thoughts Ralph. I think the difference is the medium. TV is one-way...you have no idea who else is viewing that service with you. The good online church services are communal in nature. You can "see" who else is there at the same time, you can communicate with them, you can build a conversation with them outside the service, you can connect to build a deeper relationship, you can "encourage each other to good works" and so on. I think as that two-way medium enters the living room--it will even deepen in its' possibilities!
Change...Scary? Or Exciting?
Twenty years ago I got my first modem. I was an early adopter (none of my friends had one), it was a cutting-edge dial-up blazing fast at 300 bits per second. Today I'm using a modem that is 8 megabits per second--literally 26,000 times faster than my original modem. In 1984, my first PC had two...
Whatever the labels or semantics, we have seen hundreds of adults publicly commit their lives to Jesus this year for the first time, with more than 400 of them being baptized earlier this fall.
But I'm not going to debate it Randy. Our messages are available online and everyone can decide for themselves.
A Crowd is Not a Church
Here is how the conversation typically goes: Life-long Church Attendee: "Your church is pretty shallow. Felt like it was a show. I need something deeper." Me: "Really? That surprises me, cuz' I've been here for twenty years and that's not my experience. How long have you been attending?" Lif...
It's not only a show, and it definitely contains the gospel. We just focus it on those early in their journey. Sacraments are offered for believers at other services that happen midweek.
A Crowd is Not a Church
Here is how the conversation typically goes: Life-long Church Attendee: "Your church is pretty shallow. Felt like it was a show. I need something deeper." Me: "Really? That surprises me, cuz' I've been here for twenty years and that's not my experience. How long have you been attending?" Lif...
Such good thoughts coming from someone named "anon." I totally agree with you: We should ask the same question regarding weekend services. They are, after all, also a method.
However, I don't know any church leaders who desire commitment so they can buy expensive equipment. I assume your statement is hyperbole based on your own experience...but most leaders truly believe what they are doing will produce life change.
Getting People in Small Groups is Not the Goal
I'm sitting in a conference listening to a real-life case study. A pastor from Texas presented his problem: "How do we get more people in small groups?" He went on to explain that only about 500 of their 2200 attendees are involved in small groups. The conference participants then helped this pa...
David - thanks for taking the time to jump in on the discussion...and for letting your "case study" spur on such great dialogue. You've made some great points here!
Getting People in Small Groups is Not the Goal
I'm sitting in a conference listening to a real-life case study. A pastor from Texas presented his problem: "How do we get more people in small groups?" He went on to explain that only about 500 of their 2200 attendees are involved in small groups. The conference participants then helped this pa...
Must not be too obvious. I actually listen to or watch Glenn Beck nearly every day. As I said in the post, I agree with much of what he says.
I Refuse to Read Glenn Beck's New Book
When I was in Mexico last week I saw a man reading Arguing With Idiots by Glenn Beck. Not surprising since it is the best selling non-fiction hardcover book right now. There are evidently several hundred thousand other people also reading that book. But I refuse. Let me explain. I agree with a...
If you'd like to have a dialogue about this, you'll need to reveal your identity. I don't have time for anonymous conversations.
I Refuse to Read Glenn Beck's New Book
When I was in Mexico last week I saw a man reading Arguing With Idiots by Glenn Beck. Not surprising since it is the best selling non-fiction hardcover book right now. There are evidently several hundred thousand other people also reading that book. But I refuse. Let me explain. I agree with a...
Jason - Kanye was a jerk for what he did. Not for what he believes.
Kanye, Taylor and Beyonce
In case you missed all the drama last night, let me break it down for you. Taylor Swift won the award for Best Female Video. As she began to give her acceptance speech, Kanye West jumped up on the stage and basically said she didn't deserve it. Watch for yourself: MTV did the right thing an...
Charles - evidently you didn't read my entire post above. I said, "I agree with a lot of the underlying beliefs espoused by Glenn Beck." Please don't paint me with an over-generalization. Review my blog and you'll find me very open-minded.
I Refuse to Read Glenn Beck's New Book
When I was in Mexico last week I saw a man reading Arguing With Idiots by Glenn Beck. Not surprising since it is the best selling non-fiction hardcover book right now. There are evidently several hundred thousand other people also reading that book. But I refuse. Let me explain. I agree with a...
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