Changes . . .

A good friend called recently and reported that she kept up with my life via my blog. Then she noted that I hadn’t written much lately. Well, I must confess the usual busyness at the Clontz household has reached a new level. With Steven graduating in May, we have almost weekly trips to Auburn (yes, Steven we know we don’t HAVE to come, but we want to come!), then there is all the work involved with preparing to leave Trinity and the much anticipated work of getting to know my new congregation and new community, add to that the normal end of school events and regular duties and well . . . if I find time to update one of the two blogs each week I’m lucky!

So I’ve made a decision to consolidate the two blogs. I don’t see any reason why we can’t discuss reaching the un-churched and the younger generations on my personal blog. Plus it will soon be time for me to pass the torch on any specific plans at Trinity. So starting today, I will cease to update Re-Creation (although if anyone at Trinity would like to continue it, I’ll be glad to turn it over to you!). But I do intend to get back to weekly updates on all I’ve been reading plus update those who care about life at the Clontz house (next week is prom and I promise pictures!).

By the way, does anyone know an easy way to copy the posts from Re-creation and incorporate them into Comfortable Being Uncomfortable?

Quiz results

Just to put the quiz in perspective, here is Scott McKnight's summary of the scores:
If you score 52 or less, you tend toward a conservative interpretation of scripture. "The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it." summarizes the general conservative approach.

If you score between 53 and 65, he considers you to have a moderate view of scripture. Note this is his narrowest category with only a 12 point range. And as he points out, often conservatives will have a liberal view on one issue and a conservative view on something else resulting in a moderate score. In general moderates have a flexible understanding of the Bible. Interestingly, Scott McKnight scored a 62.

If you score between 66 or higher, you tend toward a progressive view of scripture. Progressives view the Bible as culturally-conditioned and historically shaped but they still believe that it is God's word for today. I scored as a progressive at 69, which means I probably have more in common with a conservative who scores 52 than a progressive who scores 85.

Just for fun, here are some scores that have been shared with Christianity Today:

Dan Kimball (pastor Vintage Faith Church, author of They Like Jesus But Not The Church) 62
John Ortberg (pastor Menlo Park Presbyterian and author) 68

How do you interpret the BIble?

Well, it has been a busy month! And I apologize that I've been negligant in updating both of my blogs. But here is something to get us thinking.

In the last issue of Leadership Magazine, Scott McKnight offered up a simple "Hermeneutics Quiz" that categorizes people's approaches to the Bible as Conservative, Moderate, and Progressive. For those of you who are wondering what "hermeneutics" means, it simply is a fancy word for how you interpret the Bible.

Granted, I'm not much on labels (as my friend, Trav, will tell you) but I found it interesting to compare my score with others whose books I've been reading lately.

Personally, I scored on the low end of progressive, a mere 1 point more progressive than John Ortberg. So, check it out and let me know how you score.

How is your soul?

Every now and then my friend, Pat, sends me an e-mail that simply says, “How is your soul?” For seven years or so now, she is the only person who asks me that question. One of the reasons that question is central to our friendship is that we met when we were the only two who signed up for a covenant discipleship group at a particular time and Pat insisted that Wesley’s historical question for the class meetings be a part of our meetings.

John Ortberg discussed the question when he spoke to us yesterday morning. He said that at some point in his life someone had convinced him that the question “How is your soul?” was actually code for “How often are you having your private devotional time?” Of course, that is actually a very different question! You can religiously make time for morning prayer and scripture reading and have a very sick or impoverished soul. That is why Covenant Discipleship groups not only hold one another accountable for private devotion but also for corporate worship, acts of mercy and compassion, and acts of justice.

However, the question is much more comprehensive than checking off a list of activities that we have participated in. For years, I have answered it based on my emotions on a particular day—How close or far do I feel from God today? But Ortberg gave me a better way of answering the question.

Ortberg suggested that we look within and ask ourselves: Am I easily irritated? Am I discouraged? Am I stressed? Burned out? Fatiqued? Tempted? Do I need to hype what I’m doing or thinking? Does my life or ministry need a bit of spin?

All these are good indicators that things are not well with our soul, because when it is well with our soul we can: let go, bear burdens, resist temptation, relax, sleep, and hope.

So—how is your soul?

NPC--Day 3

The preaching continues to get better and better. Not to take anything away from Dr. McNeal last night, but John Ortberg was wonderful this morning. I only say it was better because it was aimed toward those of us at the conference—What do we need to be able to (not just survive but) thrive in ministry? I suspect we all needed to hear what he had to say.

I was also interested in watching him preach. As some of you know, I’ve been struggling with whether or not I think preaching without notes is a good idea. And here was the most effective preacher (so far) and sure enough—he had his notes.

I went to the seminar on experiential worship this morning. I was really impressed with what he shared and am coming home with lots of ideas. What I’m struggling with right now is that tomorrow morning he will continue with practical “how to’s” and I was planning on hearing Jim Wallis. This is going to be a hard choice!!!

Tonight and tomorrow morning, we will hear from Bishop NT Wright. I’m really excited to hear what he has to say.

Well, back to downloading MP3 files of seminars that I want to hear again and those I didn’t get to attend.

NPC – Day 2

I’ve got so much swirling around in my head now that I think I’ll just summarize the second day of the conference.

So far the General Sessions have been most notable for the wonderful worship through music and some really funny comedians. Until last night, most of the speakers didn’t really touch me. The second speaker, Bishop John Rucyahana from Rwanda was passionate and authentic, but his accent was so thick that he was difficult to hear. And, then as many of you know, I have a huge bias that keeps me from hearing some preachers—when they raise their voices (especially when they are male)—I have a tendency to tune out and I have to force myself to continue listening. I’m pretty good at that, but his accent made it all the more difficult. Then yesterday morning, the speaker was Chuck Colson. He made some good points (and he didn’t yell!), but he spoke on the importance of doctrine—his doctrine—and while I agreed with him on his points of doctrine I disagreed strongly with what those doctrines look like when you apply them to every day life. And he seemed a very strange (and thanks to Phyllis Tickle I can now say perhaps an important) speaker at a conference that is otherwise featuring progressive/emerging voices.

Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to briefly hear from Shane Claiborne about “Jesus for President.” My son, Steven, commented that he didn’t know Jesus was running and if he was he’d vote for him. However, Claiborne’s message was not that we should vote for Jesus but that we need to have our political imagination kick-started and start looking at the role of the church in making some of the changes that we have often looked to the government to make. Tomorrow I’ll get to hear from Jim Wallis and I’m sure I’ll get a different view from both Colson and Claiborne!

I choose to go to Phyllis Tickle and Tony Jones’ seminar on the Great Emergence. Tony wrote a blog entry about hearing some of the same info last fall. I’ll save my thoughts for later, but suffice it to say that it was exciting, scary, and informative.

The evening preacher was Brenda Salter McNeil who was fantastic. She preached on “The Need for a Credible Witness” using the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. How I wish I could preach like the African-American preachers!! Of course, I’m not too sure how much Trinity would appreciate it if I did!

One final note about Wednesday. I took a break and visited the prayer chapel yesterday afternoon. For a Martha like me, it was a wonderful experience. They had a large number of prayer stations set up that allowed me not only to pray but to DO something. I’m one of those people who can need activity to center themselves, so I appreciate labyrinths as well as prayer centers because they allow my body to do something while my brain settles down. Thank you to the wonderful Mary who appreciated Martha’s need to do something with her body!

What 20-somethings want . . .

This is a new age and 20-somethings look at the church and it does at times seem like a relic of a past age. For the church to be compelling for them, we are missing a few essential attributes (at least if we take the Gospel seriously):

First, they want diversity in the church. And this diversity is not just an issue of race and gender but also of economics, family makeup, and disabilities. This generation knows nothing of segregation. They grew up with the Crosby’s and Fresh Prince of Bel Air. They learned to count in English and Spanish from Maria and friends on Sesame Street. They went to school with blacks and Asians and they were mainstreamed with children with mild to severe disabilities. Then they hear the stories of Jesus and see how he gathered a very diverse group around him and they wonder why Sunday morning worship gatherings are so monocultural.

Second, they want authenticity. About the time this generation was being born, Betty Ford shocked the nation by admitting to an addiction—then talking about breast cancer. From this they learned that you can be bravely authentic. But then they lived through Bill Clinton’s lie, Swaggart and other’s public downfalls, and the Catholic priest scandal and they long for someone to tell them the truth. And they listen to our worship services and look at our pasted on smiles and wonder why people in the church aren’t willing to honestly address the issues they are struggling with.

It’s a stinging indictment--one that is usually answered with excuses. But I believe that its time to quit making excuses and spend some time listening to their voices and then working to make a difference.

Twentysomethings

Yesterday afternoon, I attended a session on “Conquering the Quarter-Life Crisis: Helping the Next Generation Fall in Love and Stay in Love with Jesus.” The presenters were two twenty-something young women who were very passionate about Jesus and the need for the church to reach out to young people.

Margaret Feinberg shared what she had discovered while writing a book called (appropriately enough) “Twentysomethings.” She pointed out that Twentysomethings are experiencing some major demographic shifts that have not only a great impact on their lives but also on their culture.

1. They are getting married later. Since 1970, the average age of marriage has shifted from 20-24 for women and from 22-27 for men. Young people are leaving college and entering the work force in great debt and without partners.

(On a side note—she pointed out the changes in the size of the average new home and the impact larger homes have on our culture. For instance, if you have four people living in a 1400 square foot home, you are constantly bumping into each other—essentially forced to spend time together. In a 3000 square foot house, everyone has their separate spaces. And then, of course, there is the much higher debt associated with the larger home! Makes you wonder about the impact of larger homes on our entire culture.)

2. They are in greater debt. The average college graduate leaves school owing $18,000 in student loans and $4000 in credit card debt. Imagine being 21 and starting your career owing $22,000 right off the bat!

3. They are on the move. 45% of Americans between the ages of 24 and 35 plan to move in the next two years. And the median stay in a job is 1.3 years!

4. And they are lonely and looking for authentic relationships. While they seem busy, they are searching for real relationships—not just romantic—but friendship and support from people who genuinely care.

All this leads to a couple of observations from her:

• Ministry with 20somethings requires a tender heart. Because they are highly mobile they are only there for a season, but they need our love and support for the time they are with us.


• Ministry with 20somethings requires a team approach. The more relationships the better and they truly are looking for more experienced adults to mentor them—but they are a bit afraid of us so we have to reach out to them.


• You can’t simply build it for them and expect them to come. We have to build relationships perhaps as slowly as one person at a time.


• Ministry with 20somethings should be judged not by how many people but by how deep the relationships go!

Finally -- The way to a 20something's heart

FOOD--and free food is even better. Those between 24 and 35 only average 5 homecooked meals a week (hey that sounds better than at my house!). And the addition of something as simple as chips and coke transforms a Bible study into a party.

Media--Use media well and appropriately (they aren't impressed with using just because you can) to touch their hearts.

TIME -- and the most important times are 1) when they first visit, 2) birthdays, and 3) when they leave.

Dan Kimball – continued

The second three hours of the seminar with Dan Kimball focuses on common perceptions of the church and of Christians by those outside of it and things that might draw them into a church. Most of this came straight from his book, but we had the opportunity to discuss it. Most of what Dan Kimball wrote came from his own experience in talking with those outside the church, but since his book came out lots of studies have been published which support his conclusions. So while I’ve posted these before, it doesn’t hurt to refresh:

So here are some common perceptions of the church (and yes they hurt—some because they are true and others because they are not!):

1) The church is organized religion with a right-wing political agenda
2) Christians are judgmental and negative
3) the church is male-dominated and oppresses females
4) Christians are homophobic
5) The church arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong
6) The church is full of fundamentalists who take all parts of the Bible literally

Nonetheless, these people are generally positive about Jesus (at least from what they know of him) and say they would be open to attending/visiting a church IF:
1) not only a lecture but a discussion
2) respect my intelligence
3) weren’t only about the church building
4) less programmed and allowed time to think and pray
5) a more loving place
6) the church cared for the poor and the environment
7) taught more about Jesus

Come to think of it—those are pretty stinging judgments on the church also! Shouldn’t we be all of those things!

Why we should care . . .

Last night’s session with Dan Kimball concentrated on why we should care that we have a new generation that likes Jesus but not the church. Granted I already know why we should care, but he helped me think through the way I talk to others about the need to speak in new ways to a new generation who is much more skeptical of the church than ever before. Not that their questions are actually new, but we now have a culture that allows, perhaps even encourages, them to ask.

It’s been a little while since I read Kimball’s book and in the meantime I had conveniently forgotten the most challenging part of the book, which comes near the beginning and came near the beginning of his presentation last night. We Christians (and especially pastors!) have allowed ourselves to become encased in a Christian sub-culture bubble. We have limited contact with those outside the church. Now I can justify that by saying that my job is to train lay folk who are “out in the world” and interacting daily with those outside the church. But that is a cop out.

Kimball took a hard look at his schedule and his way of doing business and changed so that he had regular contact with those outside the church. And while I think his way of doing this (working on sermons at coffee houses and such) works much better for an extrovert than an introvert like me, it still should challenge me to think about how to increase my interaction (note this is conversation—fellowship—not attempts to convert).

Essentially, he is calling the church to recognize that we are now missionaries in our communities and we need to act like missionaries.

• We need to know their culture rather than creating our own “shrink wrapped Jesus” world (thanks Carmen Deedy!).
• We need to go to them rather than waiting on them to come to us.
• We need to speak their language.
• We need to develop relationships and care for their needs—both spiritual and otherwise.
• We need to pray for them—not just that they find Jesus—but about their jobs, their families, their struggles, their successes. We need to really care for them.
  
  His challenge to us was to think of some people outside the church (and it doesn’t count if they are immediate family!) and to start praying for them. Invite them to join in your social activities so you can develop relationships with them—not for the ulterior motive of converting them or getting them to up our attendance numbers—because Jesus loves them! Let me know if you take him up on the challenge!!!
  
  On a side note, Zondervan gave all of us attending Kimball’s session a copy of The “They Like Jesus But Not the Church” curriculum (leaders guide, student book and DVD) and Kimball gave us a copy of his PowerPoint. So who wants to join me in unpacking all this?!
  
  Finally, here is a thought to mull over today. We have an emerging generation of folks who like Jesus but aren’t too sure about the church or Christians. Yet as Kimball reminded us last night “You can’t really like Jesus and not the Church because the Church is his bride!” A messed up, broken and sometimes confused bride—but his bride nonetheless (my comment not Kimball’s). How can we as a church do a better job of looking like a fitting bride for Christ?