when i came in here i had a lot planned on how to get settled and get to work. what i never really planned on was the learning curve for this job. i have quite an extensive job description and while it will eventually be manageable i have a lot to learn about the church, the community, and leading.
when i went to back to indiana wesleyan to get a masters in ministerial leadership it was because i wanted to learn how to lead and manage people. i was already good at loving God's people. for me that came easy. but to lead, delegate and cast vision was something i needed to grow in.
here at fumc marion we have met a few times as staff to learn how to mobilize leadership within our ministries. it will change the culture of the church. for some ministries it will be easier to raise up leadership then others. but this idea of equipping laity will free us up to allow us to dream, cast vision and pour ourselves into the leadership.
i never dreamed i would end up in iowa. i was hoping to head back to the northeast. i would have never picked this place. but i believe this is the right place and we made the right decision. this is definitely a place that God opened up the doors for us to be. when pastor mike told me that over a hundred people applied for the position, i was in awe that it was me they wanted.
as the pastor of youth and missions i am able to do things in ministry i have always been drawn to. disciple, develop leadership, serve the community.
this is a church where i can be free to be me, i can thrive, mess up, follow my passions, i can lead and be humbled. i can learn, i can experiment. i can put up boundaries, i can fail, but i dont expect to because God has equipped me for this.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Friday, November 06, 2009
The first few days...
This past week has been pretty crazy for the two of us. Last week we were surrounded by boxes hoping people would show up to help us pack the U-Haul. When people showed up we were pretty ecstatic. I am not sure if the people really wanted to help us or if they just wanted the pizza and coffee we had to offer them. But either way we accomplished our goal of packing.
November 2 we rolled out of Indianapolis heading for yet another adventure. We pulled into our townhouse at roughly 4 pm and were quickly welcomed by about ten young adults who enthusiastically unpacked our truck in approximately an hour. We enjoyed the conversation, becoming acquainted with our friends.
The week moved and was highlighted by meeting all the teens on Wednesday night. I am not sure how many were there. But the youth room was packed with teens and sponsors sitting on the floor in the few open spaces left. (The youth time is usually split up with Jr and Sr High.) They were all there for the passing of the torch. The celebration of what Pastor Melissa had done for the last seven years and anticipation of meeting their new leader (me) and wife (Jenny).
Wednesday night made it sink in that we are here. This is where we were meant to be and cannot imagine what God has in store for this community. We are looking forward to partnering in ministry here, in Marion for the many years to come.
November 2 we rolled out of Indianapolis heading for yet another adventure. We pulled into our townhouse at roughly 4 pm and were quickly welcomed by about ten young adults who enthusiastically unpacked our truck in approximately an hour. We enjoyed the conversation, becoming acquainted with our friends.
The week moved and was highlighted by meeting all the teens on Wednesday night. I am not sure how many were there. But the youth room was packed with teens and sponsors sitting on the floor in the few open spaces left. (The youth time is usually split up with Jr and Sr High.) They were all there for the passing of the torch. The celebration of what Pastor Melissa had done for the last seven years and anticipation of meeting their new leader (me) and wife (Jenny).
Wednesday night made it sink in that we are here. This is where we were meant to be and cannot imagine what God has in store for this community. We are looking forward to partnering in ministry here, in Marion for the many years to come.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
anew
if there is anything constant about our life is that there is constant change. coming here two years ago was a big change. i am almost done with grad school and a masters in ministerial leadership. i thought it was time to start looking for what the next chapter might bring.
when all is said and done it will bring us to a new city and state (marion, iowa or north east cedar rapids) and a different denomination (united methodist). it was never planned to leave the wesleyan church, but feel that this is part of God's plan.
i accepted the position of youth and missions pastor at first united methodist church of marion on monday. in just a few short weeks we will back up the trailer and head 6.5 hours further into the midwest.
when all is said and done it will bring us to a new city and state (marion, iowa or north east cedar rapids) and a different denomination (united methodist). it was never planned to leave the wesleyan church, but feel that this is part of God's plan.
i accepted the position of youth and missions pastor at first united methodist church of marion on monday. in just a few short weeks we will back up the trailer and head 6.5 hours further into the midwest.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
small church vs big church debate
check out the info at churchrelevance.com it is an interesting article that looks at the basic beliefs of christianity within different size churches.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
answers vs truth
i have been listening to the song through smoke by needtobreathe lately and there is a line that has hit me
"i was born in a house in a town just like your own, i was raised to believe in the power of the unknown, and when the answers and the truth take different sides, will you still see me, will you still find me through smoke?"
everyone today is searching for something. they are searching for truth but they are settling for answers. someone's answers do not have to be truth, and i am wondering how many are settling for the answers they are receiving? the truth is powerful. how will we lead people to the truth?
on this blog i have always been about asking the questions to find truth. i wonder how often though i have settled for a simple answer instead of digging deeper to find the truth. i do not think that i have allowed the answers to be separate from the truth. but maybe i have not kept looking at the whole picture of the truth.
the biggest part of this song is that they are wanting to see the truth through this smoke. a clearer picture of truth will help us know God and hopefully love God more. so i guess my challenge is to continue to search for truth and not to stop with a partial answer but to continue until i see the big picture.
oh and if you do not already own the album "the outsiders" by needtobreathe, you should go and purchase it. it is an amazing collection of music.
"i was born in a house in a town just like your own, i was raised to believe in the power of the unknown, and when the answers and the truth take different sides, will you still see me, will you still find me through smoke?"
everyone today is searching for something. they are searching for truth but they are settling for answers. someone's answers do not have to be truth, and i am wondering how many are settling for the answers they are receiving? the truth is powerful. how will we lead people to the truth?
on this blog i have always been about asking the questions to find truth. i wonder how often though i have settled for a simple answer instead of digging deeper to find the truth. i do not think that i have allowed the answers to be separate from the truth. but maybe i have not kept looking at the whole picture of the truth.
the biggest part of this song is that they are wanting to see the truth through this smoke. a clearer picture of truth will help us know God and hopefully love God more. so i guess my challenge is to continue to search for truth and not to stop with a partial answer but to continue until i see the big picture.
oh and if you do not already own the album "the outsiders" by needtobreathe, you should go and purchase it. it is an amazing collection of music.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
atheist on evangelism
this video has been out a while but i thought i would still share it today. i have heard this video used in a couple sermons. the second video is a follow up from penn. it shares his thoughts on the reception of this video. just for your knowledge the second video is rated r.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
service
the first church visited was saddleback. after hearing the sermon casper's reaction to it was something like this. "well it is good to hear about what i should do. but i would rather hear stories about how they are doing it."
stories of helping in the world will receive a better reaction then hearing directions on how to achieve it. i tend to agree that it is not hard to go find someone or some organization to help. i can think of a few places right of the top of my head with out referencing the yellow pages.
actions will always speak louder then words.
it is interesting however that later in the book that casper himself does not go out to his community and serve. he does expect the church to but the standard is different for himself. casper is an atheist, who says he does not have any beliefs. but believing in no God is a belief in and of itself. but not having a belief system entitles him to not have to help out others.
later in the book he says he might go serve in some capacity. but if he never does, we the church still have the responsibility to serve.
i ask myself on a somewhat regular basis, how can i bring people to Christ. as i am learning more and more it is not about bringing people to Christ but bringing Christ to the people. isnt that what Christ did by coming down to earth. he brought himself to the people.
i am reading another book now named "organic church" it is all about bringing the church to the people. starting churches in homes, coffee shops, bars, and any possible place where there are people who need Jesus. we need to become invested in the lives of the people.
i will finish this short blog with a quote from organic church. "every christian is a church planter, every home is a church, and every church is a training center." every thing about our lives need to transcend the love of God. how are we at living this out?
stories of helping in the world will receive a better reaction then hearing directions on how to achieve it. i tend to agree that it is not hard to go find someone or some organization to help. i can think of a few places right of the top of my head with out referencing the yellow pages.
actions will always speak louder then words.
it is interesting however that later in the book that casper himself does not go out to his community and serve. he does expect the church to but the standard is different for himself. casper is an atheist, who says he does not have any beliefs. but believing in no God is a belief in and of itself. but not having a belief system entitles him to not have to help out others.
later in the book he says he might go serve in some capacity. but if he never does, we the church still have the responsibility to serve.
i ask myself on a somewhat regular basis, how can i bring people to Christ. as i am learning more and more it is not about bringing people to Christ but bringing Christ to the people. isnt that what Christ did by coming down to earth. he brought himself to the people.
i am reading another book now named "organic church" it is all about bringing the church to the people. starting churches in homes, coffee shops, bars, and any possible place where there are people who need Jesus. we need to become invested in the lives of the people.
i will finish this short blog with a quote from organic church. "every christian is a church planter, every home is a church, and every church is a training center." every thing about our lives need to transcend the love of God. how are we at living this out?
Friday, June 26, 2009
insights from jim and casper go to church
jim and casper go to church
by jim henderson and matt casper
a book about two people, a christian and an atheist going to churches all over the united states. they write their observations about the church and their unlikely relationship.
i really suggest every pastor, christian, and atheist to read this book. anyone interested in the church would have a lot to take away from it.
casper, the atheist, has some great insights about relationships, service, transparency. it will only help the church if you take the time to read this book. i will try later to write a post on some quotes from the book.
by jim henderson and matt casper
a book about two people, a christian and an atheist going to churches all over the united states. they write their observations about the church and their unlikely relationship.
i really suggest every pastor, christian, and atheist to read this book. anyone interested in the church would have a lot to take away from it.
casper, the atheist, has some great insights about relationships, service, transparency. it will only help the church if you take the time to read this book. i will try later to write a post on some quotes from the book.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
churches and the economy
the last few weeks i have heard some stories about some churches helping out different people during the rough times. i wanted to share what some of them are doing.
newspring church, pastor perry noble-- for mothers day gave away two paid off houses to two single mothers. the church purchased the two homes and fixed them up with volunteers from the church to bless the two families. this is something they do every mothers dsy.
12stone church, pastor kevin myers-- also for mothers day gave $50 to every single mom in the congregation and if anyone know a single mom they could take the gift for them as well.
mars hill church, pastor rob bell-- the church had an offering above regular giving to come up front and put money in the basket. if you needed money you could come up and take money out of the basket.
first of all, i want to applaud the churches because of their heart for helping out others. some of the gifts stand out to me because they seem to have put more effort into it. so it leads me to this, what has your church done? have you heard of any other churches that have helped out people during the economic downturn?
newspring church, pastor perry noble-- for mothers day gave away two paid off houses to two single mothers. the church purchased the two homes and fixed them up with volunteers from the church to bless the two families. this is something they do every mothers dsy.
12stone church, pastor kevin myers-- also for mothers day gave $50 to every single mom in the congregation and if anyone know a single mom they could take the gift for them as well.
mars hill church, pastor rob bell-- the church had an offering above regular giving to come up front and put money in the basket. if you needed money you could come up and take money out of the basket.
first of all, i want to applaud the churches because of their heart for helping out others. some of the gifts stand out to me because they seem to have put more effort into it. so it leads me to this, what has your church done? have you heard of any other churches that have helped out people during the economic downturn?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
following Christ
assimilation is a term used by most churches to help bring people into the church body. assimilation can be defined as becoming like whatever you are being brought into. what is difficult here is are we trying to help people become like us or Christ?
i read an interesting illustration by one of my former professors dr. jim lo in his book intentional diversity.
there were missionaries to native americans and the told them “If you want to be good Christians, you need to… 1. cut your hair because good christians have short hair, 2. get rid of robes and wear pants, 3.get rid of sandals and wear shoes, because good christians do not show their toes in public and 4. build a church building, because good christians have a public meeting place. however when they had the grand opening of the church building they saw a picture of Jesus in long hair, wearing a robe and sandals and worshiping outside. this obviously confused the native americans, because everything they had been taught was to be more like Jesus but when they see Jesus, it looked more like their appearance before they changed.
how are we as the church leading? are we helping others to be like Christ or do we have our own perception of what a christian should look like? of course this is not just about mere appearance but also of the mind and heart. do you have any stories similar to that of the native americans to share?
i read an interesting illustration by one of my former professors dr. jim lo in his book intentional diversity.
there were missionaries to native americans and the told them “If you want to be good Christians, you need to… 1. cut your hair because good christians have short hair, 2. get rid of robes and wear pants, 3.get rid of sandals and wear shoes, because good christians do not show their toes in public and 4. build a church building, because good christians have a public meeting place. however when they had the grand opening of the church building they saw a picture of Jesus in long hair, wearing a robe and sandals and worshiping outside. this obviously confused the native americans, because everything they had been taught was to be more like Jesus but when they see Jesus, it looked more like their appearance before they changed.
how are we as the church leading? are we helping others to be like Christ or do we have our own perception of what a christian should look like? of course this is not just about mere appearance but also of the mind and heart. do you have any stories similar to that of the native americans to share?
Monday, March 02, 2009
100 people
F THE WORLD ONLY HAD 100 PEOPLE
Let us not be stopped by that which divides us but look for that which unites us
If we could reduce the world's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this:
60 Asians 12 Europeans 5 US Americans and Canadians 8 Latin Americans 14 Africans
49 would be female 51 would be male
82 would be non-white 18 white
89 heterosexual 11 homosexual
33 would be Christian 67 would be non-Christian
a.. 5 would control 32% of the entire world's wealth, and all of them would be US citizens
a.. 80 would live in substandard housing
a.. 24 would not have any electricity (And of the 76% that do have electricity, most would only use it for light at night.)
a.. 67 would be unable to read
a.. 1 (only one) would have a college education.
a.. 50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation
a.. 33 would be without access to a safe water supply
a.. 1 would have HIV
a.. 1 near death
a.. 2 would be near birth
a.. 7 people would have access to the Internet
Let us not be stopped by that which divides us but look for that which unites us
If we could reduce the world's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this:
60 Asians 12 Europeans 5 US Americans and Canadians 8 Latin Americans 14 Africans
49 would be female 51 would be male
82 would be non-white 18 white
89 heterosexual 11 homosexual
33 would be Christian 67 would be non-Christian
a.. 5 would control 32% of the entire world's wealth, and all of them would be US citizens
a.. 80 would live in substandard housing
a.. 24 would not have any electricity (And of the 76% that do have electricity, most would only use it for light at night.)
a.. 67 would be unable to read
a.. 1 (only one) would have a college education.
a.. 50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation
a.. 33 would be without access to a safe water supply
a.. 1 would have HIV
a.. 1 near death
a.. 2 would be near birth
a.. 7 people would have access to the Internet
Sunday, March 01, 2009
some more culture
I am not sure if one can “act American.” What I mean is that there is no clear definition of what is American. We have been called the melting pot of the world with great reason. In our metropolitan areas you can experience almost any culture from any of the four corners of the world. We are caucasian, asian, african, indian, hispanic. Our family might have moved here 200 years ago or just have migrated here 2 months ago. We live in rural, suburban and urban areas. We attend churches, mosques, temples or none at all.
What characteristics would be given to an American? If you were to go overseas we might be known as obnoxious, loud and rude. The media might portray us as obtrusive and ill tolerant. Others might look at us and say we work too hard. Some might say we spend too much money on entertainment. We could add any description that we want but Americans characteristics are as diverse as the nations we are from.
What characteristics would be given to an American? If you were to go overseas we might be known as obnoxious, loud and rude. The media might portray us as obtrusive and ill tolerant. Others might look at us and say we work too hard. Some might say we spend too much money on entertainment. We could add any description that we want but Americans characteristics are as diverse as the nations we are from.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
culture
people are different for example i was born in maine, went to college in indiana, have traveled to a different multiple countries; mexico, mozambique, brazil, england and france. since college i have lived in south carolina, new york and am now back in indiana. i have lived in a small town, a suburb and urban areas. i have worked with and ministered to homeless people and millionaires. i have seen the the best of what humanity has to offer and unfortunately have also seen the worst. all of these things have added to and help change my world view.
a quote from last nights class made me think. the professor said "the church has been effected more by the culture then the culture has been effected by the church." i am wondering, if anyone still reads this blog, what you might think about this statement?
a quote from last nights class made me think. the professor said "the church has been effected more by the culture then the culture has been effected by the church." i am wondering, if anyone still reads this blog, what you might think about this statement?
Monday, January 05, 2009
charging for church
i know this might be a weird concept. i never really considered it before until yesterday at church. john asked the question, "would you still come to church if you were charged ticket prices?" i know multiple people who spend money on season tickets to the colts, red sox, butler and i dont want to focus on them spending money on those tickets. if i lived in the boston area and could afford it i would try to have tickets to the patriots. but there is an anticipation that comes when you buy a ticket to go to a sporting event or a musical performance. we expect to go and experience a time of cheering on our team, yelling out specific things to players like we know them and they will hear everything we say. we hope to go an enjoy the contest with our team coming out the victor. but how do we approach going to church?
most of us, wake up on sunday morning and pile into the car to drive to church. we walk in the door and greeted by a friendly smile. we go grab a cup of coffee to help wake us up as we walk into the sanctuary as the first song has already started. we look around for friends and if we see them hope their is a few seats beside them, if not you know they will be there soon so you try to find a few seats on the end so they can join you when they come. instead of starting to sing you glance through the bulletin to see what is going on during the next week. the worship pastor greets you, reads scripture or opens in prayer and starts off into the second song. it is a new song, you have never heard it before so you listen to the words and try to figure out the tune. but it is kind of repetitious so you start wondering what you might have for lunch...
i am not sure if you have ever had a sunday like this. i have definitely had more then a few. it seems at times as soon as i walk into the sanctuary i have a.d.d. and i can not concentrate. however every time i go to a sporting event or concert i try to take in every moment. enjoy it, try to experience each part because a. i know this could be the only chance i have to attend something like this for a while and b. i enjoy this event enough to shell out hard earned money that i worked for.
i understand that we tithe but that is not seen as the same as buying a ticket. outreach for a church would be difficult because if you invite a friend to church you have to tell him to buy a ticket. so obviously charging for church is not a great idea. but it seems that we can take church for granted. it becomes an every week event and we become content where we are lacking a sense of passion.
a few questions. where is our passion? is it in the right place? being used for right motives? church will continue to go on but how can we make it a place that is not stale? is it the churches fault we have lost our passion? or can we blame it on ourselves for having a lack of heart and come to church with the anticipation of meeting with our heavenly Father who created us and loved us enough to send His Son to die and now He wants to meet with us, so He can know us and we can know Him.
as always just a few thoughts to get your juices flowing.
most of us, wake up on sunday morning and pile into the car to drive to church. we walk in the door and greeted by a friendly smile. we go grab a cup of coffee to help wake us up as we walk into the sanctuary as the first song has already started. we look around for friends and if we see them hope their is a few seats beside them, if not you know they will be there soon so you try to find a few seats on the end so they can join you when they come. instead of starting to sing you glance through the bulletin to see what is going on during the next week. the worship pastor greets you, reads scripture or opens in prayer and starts off into the second song. it is a new song, you have never heard it before so you listen to the words and try to figure out the tune. but it is kind of repetitious so you start wondering what you might have for lunch...
i am not sure if you have ever had a sunday like this. i have definitely had more then a few. it seems at times as soon as i walk into the sanctuary i have a.d.d. and i can not concentrate. however every time i go to a sporting event or concert i try to take in every moment. enjoy it, try to experience each part because a. i know this could be the only chance i have to attend something like this for a while and b. i enjoy this event enough to shell out hard earned money that i worked for.
i understand that we tithe but that is not seen as the same as buying a ticket. outreach for a church would be difficult because if you invite a friend to church you have to tell him to buy a ticket. so obviously charging for church is not a great idea. but it seems that we can take church for granted. it becomes an every week event and we become content where we are lacking a sense of passion.
a few questions. where is our passion? is it in the right place? being used for right motives? church will continue to go on but how can we make it a place that is not stale? is it the churches fault we have lost our passion? or can we blame it on ourselves for having a lack of heart and come to church with the anticipation of meeting with our heavenly Father who created us and loved us enough to send His Son to die and now He wants to meet with us, so He can know us and we can know Him.
as always just a few thoughts to get your juices flowing.
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