Got a mailer today from ChurchSmart - the front page article was a promo for a book called “Planting Fast Growing Churches.”

A study was done on 2285 church plants spanning 5 denominations/movements - of those 168 were found to be “fast growing churches” - a term defined by the authors as being:

200+ in attendance

3 years old or less from the date of the official church launch

vibrant & alive & self-supporting within the same time frame

The 168 “fast growing churches” vs. the remaining 2117 “struggling churches” (the authors words) works out to a percentage of 7% of churches planted being of the “fast growing variety.” The author states:

…the possibility exists that out of all the church planting efforts made throughout the United States, only 7% of them will become ‘fast-growing, dynamic churches.‘ {emphasis mine.} With the millions of dollars spent to plant churches every year, I would think that this finding alone would make one stand up & pay attention to those doing it right. {emphasis mine}

Doing it right? Right? As though following the methods of those doing it right is what church planters should do… Seems a bit dicey to define the right way as one based on the number of attendees & the $ coming in… interesting metrics for success for church. I’m tired right now, so I don’t know that I will type out what I am thinking, unfiltered. I will say, “Interesting…”

Reminds me of a conversation I had with 2 pastor-guys (both would fit in the under 40 cool pastor-guy crowd…) They’ve gone to counting only adults when they do their attendance - & don’t include the babies & kids in their numbers, as they believe adult numbers are a better indicator of their “true church size.”

I wonder if they’re “doing it right?” I know I’m not.

I spoke with my friend Anja today - & she let me know that she’d been checking this space, my vox blog, & that I hadn’t posted here since 4 January. I’m sorry Anja - it’s not that I haven’t been posting… it’s just that I’ve been posting at my other blog, here.

Our church has a ‘blog-community’ that has been around for a couple of years - it’s located here. During that time, there’s been an ebb & flow in the number of blogs & the frequency of the blogs posted… It has been a way for people to get to know each other in a different way - through blogs & interactive commentary - then see each other, live & in person, at church &/or connecting at some other life-happening.

Anyways, after a period of time where the number of active bloggers went from 25 to about 4 or 5, we’re now up to about 20… it’s a renaissance of sorts, & really enjoy the community that is in process of developing.

Much of my blogging on this vox site has been soul-purging stuff - things that I wanted to get out, things about me, church life, & other miscellaneous stuff that I didn’t want to launch into on the other blog… it’s also been an attempt to put out a sign or potential connecting point, with the vox (Mosaic) values & stuff in common to maybe provide a way to virtually make new friends. So far, in the time I’ve posted here, there’s been about 5 or so times where there’s been interaction with people outside of the current circle I run with, so that hasn’t developed, but that’s ok.

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I live in what is called Northern Nevada, though when I look at the map, it looks like the middle-western-most corner of Nevada - it’s Reno. Though we’re close to the Sierras, we don’t get much rain or snow - yes, thank you for correcting me, the mountains we live near do get snow every year, & it’s not unheard of for us to get a couple of inches of the white stuff a few times a year, but we’re not Canadia (no offense,) Buffalo, or Minnesota for that matter.

However, occasionally, we get hit. Like today. It rained for hours. Poured. Like Seattle-esque pouring rain. This evening, it turned into snow, & snow it did, just as hard as it had been raining. In the space of a 45minute dinner (spicy wings & a glass of nice merlot, a favorite of scoey’s,) it snowed about 3 inches. I went out & shoveled the walk, because I love that job so much, & because I haven’t had the chance to do that yet this year. Woohoo.

My brother is leading worship this weekend at church, & he called me to ask my opinion on the possibility of cancelling practice for the musicians tomorrow if it continues snowing at the Rocky Mountain Hiiiigggghhhh pace it is currently flurrying at… which led to discussions about cancelling Sunday services…

At one point in my life, the thought of not having church (cancelling it) would have seemed so wrong… now, it seems like if its necessary (if the roads are too dangerous to travel) then its ok. And a great opportunity to chill with the Bean, the Pasty Gangster (he’s 16 now, don’t you know,) Prince Darrell, (13) & the Weez… 6 January is her 11th birthday…

I have been doing some reflecting as to why “cancelling church” would have bothered me a few years back… a few things come to mind:

• The show must go on (I know church isn’t a show. But if you’ve been around the American church for as long as I have, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.) It’s like people (Christians) exist to go to the services, not the other way around. Cancelling church would be so, so wrong. Without church services, how can people hang out with God? (Tongue firmly planted in cheek, thank you very much.)
• God would be pissed. My job is to work to make Him happy, so He will like me. Nuff said.
• If there’s no church service, people will have 1 less opportunity during the month to give their tithes & offerings. Hmmm. Seems like the saying of a greedy, or at least money-hungry s.o.b. doesn’t it? I think it comes from pastoring & being consumed with the overall financial cost (bills & ministry - practical costs) of having a church. And a staff that depends on the church for their subsistence. Which equals fear - fear of not having enough, which can be translated as worry or anxiety about whether or not God will REALLY provide. And wondering if He’s aware, & still on the throne…

Hindsight makes me happy for the lessons I am learning, & the hints of growth that are peaking out like the tip of my weiner-dog’s nose (my dog Pastor Jack, btw) from the huge piles of snow in the backyard.

Gotta go. Bean’s home from work; now, since there’s no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Hmmm. Pancakes. Is there a better way to start the New Year, let alone the day? Blueberries. Butter. Syrup. Sugar-coma.

Here’s an article written by Rick McKinley, pastor of Imago Dei in Portland - it makes one think… And hopefully move beyond pre/misconceptions about just what “emergent” means. As if everything & everyone calling themselves “emergent” is of the same DNA, values, beliefs, & practices…

Enjoy. And Merry Christmas.

Thoughts On the Emergent Church

And, btw - this blogging time was a gift to me from the fam for my Christmas…

I get together for coffee & talk with my friend Tim on a weekly basis. We have the occasional week where one or both of us is unable to meet, but most of the time, Wednesdays @ 6:30 a.m. we’re rolling - me with a grande Americano in a ‘for here’ cup, Tim with a double-tall extra hot mocha (or white mocha).

We missed last week because of my trip to Disneyland with the fam; so today, on account of the fact that both of us are off for Christmas Eve, we went to Starbucks @ 9. I’m glad we did. I’ve been wrestling with several ‘meaning of life’, church, & relationship issues; today gave me the opportunity to unload & unwrap, & to work towards peace.

I realized how fortunate I am to have friends. Too many don’t or won’t - whether its because they don’t know how to initiate, make, nurture, & maintain a friendship; or because they don’t/won’t expend the energy (time, resources, prioritization of schedule, etc.) to do so. Or because real friendship means vulnerability. Risk.

Life is better with friends. And coffee. Thanks Tim.

I just checked & saw that my blogging hiatus here in the wonderful world of scoey is the longest hiatus I’ve had since I’ve been voxtropolis-ing. I found & loaded a new theme at my other blog, & that has been a very funny & totally superficial motivator for me to post there. I wish that vox had more themes available to choose from, as I am not the html guy that will write & create the personalized page… Wordpress has a bunch of themes that are cool - can we get them for vox too?

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We spent two days this week in Disneyland & the California Adventure - a trip better spent in 5 days, (3 day park hopper, 2 days of down-time for interacting, swimming, & visiting stores.) Lots of driving - 10 hours Sunday, 10 hours Wednesday - took the 5 from Anaheim as a result of storms in the Sierras, storms that we caught the front end of & navigated through next to a car-transporter from Hades…

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Last Sunday for what we call our “Learning Community,” I speeched (though it was more of a teaching) on Vino, which I blogged about here - Highlights:

Scripture is the high standard that we’re held to; there is no ‘higher standard’ for Christians

There are things that we’ve been taught in church (holiness equated with abstinence from certain foods, drink, etc.) have their origins in asceticism & Greek thought, not Scripture.

An anti-immigrant (esp. German-Lutheran & Irish-Catholic) prejudice led towards a union of political groups & some church denominations (Methodists, Quakers, Wesleyans, & many Pentecostal groups) to push for total Prohibition as the only answer. Esp. influential were Carrie Nation & the American Christian Temperance Union & the Anti-Saloon League. They didn’t believe that people were able to moderate/govern/control themselves, so the governments role was to define & enforce morality. (Sound familiar?)

The reason many churches in the US have communion using grape juice has to do with it’s inventor’s a) desire to see all alcohol removed from American society, esp. the church; & b) his desire to make a buck.

Self-control, personal conviction, freedom, & Christian liberty are key for the Christ-follower to develop & discover how they will live re:things that Scripture doesn’t prohibit.

If you’re interested, you can get the whole presentation & audio file here

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It’s that time again - another round of introspections, brought on by the Christmas holidays… looming interactions with in-laws & extended family… the relationship with the in-laws has evolved into one where they attempt to talk to my wife & kids, & do their best to ignore me. I do the same with them. There’s a hundred reasons why things are this way - but they stem from me (& the Bean) “putting my foot down” with them. Saying “No” to some undesirable & unsafe behaviors. Bean wishes they were willing to change, to grow, to move into emotional & relational health, but that requires time, energy, & effort that they’re not willing to expend. And I’m not willing to ‘fake it’ like there’s not a problem.

I’m processing emotions, points of past relational failures with the Bean, times when I have been an unsafe, volatile, angry individual that she has no desire to communicate with, let alone be around. Can’t put a finger on someone else for the responsibility for this - I already found the guy responsible, looking back at me in the mirror…

Keep going. Choose health. Leave self-pity. Wallowing. Be still. Remind me of who God says I am. Repeat as needed.

Pondering: How much does my relationship with Christ affect my life?

My everyday life. My life choices. My entertainment choices. Where I turn to be lifted when I’m depressed. My responses to life’s frustrations. How I celebrate. What I think on. How I take care of myself, my possessions, & the stuff that I’ve been entrusted with. My response to the poor & downtrodden…

Why am I pondering? 74 reasons… I can give mental assent to faith in Christ, yet live out practical atheism in my actual life choices…

Forgive me.

Last night @ the Bible study that the Bean & I host, we finished going through 1Corinthians. The process from start to finish took about 6 months of meeting most every Sunday night to read & discuss that nights passage - each time we did this, we spent at least 45 minutes, sometimes only ‘covering’ 2 or 3 verses, trying to come to understanding on what we were reading…

The post-1Corinthians debrief was excellent as well. One person had never gone start to finish through a book of the Bible; their Bible studies for the 7 years previous had been done using devotional books & materials that offered up a topical style reading plan. She identified that this approach helped her stay ‘consistent’ in reading (daily plan) but that it also took away from the overall understanding & continuity that she got going straight through 1Corinthians, albeit slowly.

Another commented on how important she felt it was to learn the historical & cultural context of Paul’s oft-quoted instructions to women in the letter - & that having that understanding gave her a bigger picture grasp of the Church, interpersonal relationships, & the need for order within both.

It reminded me how much I love to read & study the Bible, & that one of my great loves is helping others do the same…

I grew up in the church believing that drinking alcohol was wrong. Not just subject to the conscience of the individual believer, but wrong. That people who drank were less holy than those who didn’t. The pastor of the church I attended summed up the practiced belief in a saying that he used to repeat all the time…

“I don’t smoke, drink, or chew, & I don’t ‘go’ with girls that do.”

Perhaps it was said tongue in cheek; it illustrated & summed up what was practiced & lived out in the lives of the people I went to church with (from what I could see from being at each others houses,) & was indicative of the tacit approval that was given to abstention from alcohol as God’s plan for His people.

The problem that popped up was that I read the Bible… unfortunately, this total abstention was a practice that someone had forgotten to tell God about. Or Jesus. He turned about 150 gallons of water into wine. Intentionally. So people could drink it. Godly men & women drank wine as a part of their normal, everyday lives.

The real surprises to me were the promises of God, in the Old Testament & the New, that used the language & imagery of vineyards & wine to relay an understanding of God’s blessing, His abundance, & His favor, shown in the image of wine.

The more I dug into the Bible, the more I didn’t understand the vehemence that I had discovered within the church I attended against drinking any form of alcohol… always ascribing “holiness” & “godliness” & “righteousness” to not drinking. Not only did the Bible not back that ideology up, it went to great lengths to emphasize wine as a creation of God to be embraced & enjoyed…

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I heard about it today from a friend that told me we need to hold to a higher standard when it comes to Christians & alcohol. He told me that to drink alcohol is to be playing with fire, is walking a dangerous line, & that we as a church (meaning me,) should Take A Public Stand against drinking. Because, what if by drinking a glass of wine or having a beer, or knocking back a real live Harvey Wallbanger or the first crop of Grog-Nog we’re causing Someone to Stumble? Making it difficult for the ex-alcoholics in our midst to handle their sobriety… Tempting our children to engage in dangerous behavior because of a “false sense of freedom.” The coup d’grat: people are wondering if this kind of behavior is Ok. And if our church is pro-alcohol.

I asked: what higher standard? Than Scripture? Than Jesus? Are people getting hammered?

Silence.

Hmmm. He talked of a new Christian in our church, let’s call him Jack, a person he was hanging out with at another family’s get together. As as a part of the refreshments, wine & beer were offered. Jack, the new Christian, was amazed, & asked: “Can we DO that? Can we drink beer? Or wine? It’s not wrong?” My friend was very sad that this event happened - & stated that he wished that Jack would never have had to ask the question…

I overflowed with questions of my own, & asked:

what’s the problem with thinking through what we believe & how we live? I hope everyone is searching out their beliefs & actions, & weighing them against Scripture…

is this a case of causing someone to stumble or someone taking offense? Making one stumble would be more akin of trying to get others to engage in something that they believed to be wrong - pressuring them to something that violates their conscience. Is this happening?

Or, are a couple of people bothered because their sense of propriety is violated because another Christian is having some vino… & GASP! enjoying it? No one is getting hammered. No one is arguing for the blitzkrieg of all drinking blitzes to be endorsed… So what’s the issue?

is Jesus pro-alcohol? Against it? Is the kingdom of God about food & drink? Is this issue really about alcohol so much as it is personal responsibility, self-control, & transparency? How many people hide their wine, beer, & liquor in a closet when their Christian friends come over, only to take it out in private to enjoy their tainted contraband…? (I know a few. At least 3 pastor buddies of mine are afraid to drink the beer they enjoy for fear of what the Church might say.)

Silence…

Sigh.