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Religious Education

How does transformational change work?

The mechanics of transformational change

Let me make a bold statement. The problem with transformational change is leadership.

Transformational change is ALWAYS the result of leadership—usually the dynamic leadership of just one person.

In the church, we look for that leadership to come from the ranks of clergy. That hasn’t been happening in recent decades. With few exceptions (our apologies, Pastor Muhlenberg) it may never have been the case.

Church leaders tend to be suspicious and get territorial when leadership comes from the ranks of laity. Although Lutherans believe in the equality of clergy and laity, we don’t often practice it.

Synods in particular get really nervous when lay leaders show leadership that isn’t  following clergy. In our experience, they plot to remove their influence. That’s supposed to make it easier for pastors but it just results in distrust. Everyone can see what happens to lay people who exercise leadership. So no one leads.

The Nature of Leadership

Leadership is not one person issuing orders to a loyal and obedient army of followers. Leadership —especially transformational leadership— is usually one passionate person who is tenacious enough to reach the heart and soul of other leaders. Those leaders can then organize pockets of leadership known as a movement. These movements can empower the longed-for transformation. It doesn’t really matter who takes credit. We can be sure it won’t be the laity.

Do some research and find out where the Vacation Bible School and Sunday School movements got their starts. Here’s a hint: it wasn’t by clergy. In fact, Sunday Schools often had a governance entirely independent of the rest of the church. Separate bank accounts. Separate officers.

It is time to look anew at religious education. It is good time because education in general is in the throes of reinvention.

 

The State of the Church Leadership

Here’s what we have learned from our 73 Ambassador visits.

Most of the people attending worship today are over 50 years old. This is true in large and small churches. Many (most in our experience) have no children present in worship. Some have a few very young children. Older children, youth and young adults are scarce. Even the larger churches we have visited have confirmation classes that are half or a third the size of 40 years ago.

These are very important statistics to any denomination that wants to still be around in 20 years. Yet they are not recorded in the ELCA trend reports. There are racial breakdowns but no age statistics. There are worship statistics but no education statistics.

Congregations are not the only thing aging. Most of the pastors we encounter are also over 50 years of age. In 73 visits, we have encountered only about five pastors under 50. A growing number are second and late career students, which means that they are less experienced in church leadership and more inclined to be followers.

2×2 is concerned about the state of our church (the one which kicked our statistically young congregation out the door).

Where Do We Look for Change?

The proposed remedies to decline have been remarkably similar and ineffective. Adult education became adult forum. Sunday classes became limited to ages 10 and under. Vacation Bible School is now limited to about ten hours of instruction, again for the very young. Confirmation is often a right of passage that often ends the young person’s religious training. We try to interest youth by joining forces to create Youth Ministry. The involvement in these programs is heaviest among suburban youth who have parents to cart them around. City youth NEED neighborhood efforts as youth are often on their own for transportation.

As brilliant as our young Lutherans may be, there is only so much ten-year-olds can implement into their lives that will carry them to their senior years. Faith must be nurtured.

Every year, we lose more of the knowledge base among the laity that was fostered 40 and 50 years ago. Increasingly churches are working with people with no religious tradition or a weak religious tradition and being led by less experienced professional leaders as well.

Krypton Community College

2×2 is cooperating with such an effort as hosts of Krypton Community College which holds it first meeting October 1. We will be one of 10,000 groups meeting on this day in this ambitious experiment, a project that grew from the passion of marketer Seth Godin. If you think that’s an odd place to look for thought leadership consider the influence of the Kahn Academy, now backed by Bill Gates.

We hope our involvement in this experiment will lead us to a long overdue renaissance in religious education.

The failure of the modern church may very well lie in the failure of its ability to teach.

It’s a big problem! We are going to start talking about it next Tuesday with others with a general interest in education—not necessarily religious education—to see if we might find some answers. You are welcome to join us. Drop us a line for details. creation@dca.net

25 Sep 2013

Are Sermons Passé?

storybookIs the weekly Sunday sermon
reaching anyone anymore?

When my son was little, he created a little ritual. He’d pick out a stack of storybooks for bedtime reading. Ten or so was the usual number and we usually went through all of them. But I did not dare start a story without saying certain words.

“Say it, Mom. You have to say the words.”

The first time he demanded this, I had no idea what he was expecting.

He patiently prompted me.

And so I took orders from my tot.

I opened the book to the title page and said. “And now it is time for our featured presentation.”

He was, obviously, influenced by his video and movie experience. A story just wasn’t a story without this little bit of fanfare.

Beyond “Once Upon A Time”

Modern culture does influence us. It affects our point of view, our attention span, and are ability to process information that we hear. When we set about listening, we have different expectations than our ancestors may have had. We recognized this when we moved from the two-hour sermon to the one-hour sermon to today’s 20-minute expectation. But today, things are still changing.

I have written many times about the futility of paying a pastor a salary with one of the primary objectives having a 20-minute sermon written for just fifty people once a week.

That’s a lot of resources invested in something that half of the listeners are likely day-dreaming through. At the end of the service, we never really know whether or not we have reached anyone with the Word. But we keep at it because that’s the way the Word was delivered for hundreds of years—since farmers and tradespeople took a break from the isolation of their fields and shops and gathered with the whole village to spend the day.

I know that I may be beating a dying horse with my arguments. Dying is probably the right word. Just look at the statistics. We are watching the steady decline in attendance in most mainline churches. If you think the 30 to 50% drop of the last 15 years is alarming, be prepared. The biggest decline is in people under 40. The next 20 years are going to be really bad for a lot of congregations. There is no one to fill the roles of today’s 50-, 60-, and 70-year olds. It is unlikely that the younger generations will ever adapt to the traditional delivery of a sermon.

Understand I’m not against preaching. It’s been our family business for generations. I’m questioning whether the ritual format of worship, including the sermon as the weekly featured presentation, is achieving its purpose—any purpose.

Consider the Lowly Podcast

Podcasts are voice only online presentations. They can be easily promoted on a  blog or web site and delivered to listeners through itunes. One of their major benefits is longevity. They can be accessed long, long after they are posted and certainly long after the Sunday morning church service ends. They can be shared. Your audience can grow!

Podcasts are the fastest growing platform for social media.

Why?

People can listen to them when and where they want. It doesn’t have to be at 10:20 on Sunday morning in the sanctuary on Main Street in every zip code. They can listen while they ride the bus, do the dishes, or mow the yard. They can return to a section they liked or questioned. They can listen to their favorite podcaster (preacher) or follow any links he or she might give to other inspirational or insightful resources.

They fit into our modern way of life as Christians and seekers.

At Redeemer, without a sanctuary for our people to attend and since our pastors headed for the hills long ago, I connected our members to an online teacher. (We are determined to stay true to our mission despite our unjust expulsion from the ELCA.)

Every day our members receive a short email Bible lesson. Only recently have I started to get feedback. They like it. At our last Redeemer gathering they started talking about the week’s lesson, which happened to be the book of Philippians — the foundational scripture for 2×2’s publication, Undercover Bishop.

My next experiment may be to expand this feature and develop podcast commentaries. Or maybe we can record chapters of Undercover Bishop!

It may begin as early as this week. Watch for it!

Podcasts may be the wave of the future for preaching. Who knows? We don’t have to give up the Sunday morning sermon, but after a while, we may want to!

And now it is time for our featured presentation.

photo credit: Travis Seitler via photopin cc
07 Sep 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 12:49-56

footballhelmetGearing Up for the Battle

The gospel this week is kind of tough to understand. Read it a few times and you may conclude, “I guess you had to be there.”

Jesus speaks with tired frustration to his disciples. The Crucifixion is looming. He can see it coming. He’s been preparing his followers, but He tires of their inability to understand what is so clear to Him.

He is apprehensive. Why aren’t they?

So Jesus take a few desperate stabs at preparing the faithful for the difficult days that He knows are coming not just in His life but in theirs (and ours) as well.

He delivers an unpleasant message.

What? The church will not be a group of happy campers forever?

Here’s a possible way to demonstrate the various points that Jesus touches upon.

Have a young person come forward wearing some sort of sports gear. Just a helmet can work—or a baseball cap and bat. Choose a sport that your congregation relates to— football, baseball, hockey. Make sure that your model appears ready to play. That’s why a helmet is better than just a jersey. Idle fans wear jerseys. You want to create the sense that your  guy or gal is ready for action.

We’ll use football as an example.

Ask your people to identify what they might expect when they see someone wearing a football helmet.

Answers might be fall weather, cheerleaders, rough talk, hot cider in the stands. Surely someone will say something about the battle they hope to witness. This is your opening to talk about teamwork and division, peace and competition.  You can talk about the pressures of competition and the mission of winning. Mention the fear of defeat or even the fear of pain. And there is always the hope of a glorious victory.

All of this was probably on Jesus’ mind when He spoke the words of today’s gospel.

You can continue this discussion as long as you like. Lead its direction. Talk about strategizing within the team and the tensions that might result. Jesus is telling us that working together can be hard!

Foreshadow next week’s lesson and talk about the umpires and referees (judges).

We know all of this will happen from the moment we see players appear in uniform.

And if we don’t, Jesus wants to know why we can’t see what’s right in front of us.

By the way, how is your church’s teamwork these days?

OK, everyone. Put your helmets on!

photo credit: Monica’s Dad via photopin cc
12 Aug 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 10:1-11,16-20

ducksJesus Sends His Followers 2×2

Note: For the first time we are including a musical offering to enhance the object lesson. It’s at the end.

It is summer and the seaside will attract many of us for some rest and relaxation.

Waves are our object for today. If you use a projector in worship, use photos of waves. Or stir up your own waves in a large glass bowl.

There is something refreshing about staring at the motion of water and particularly the sea. It doesn’t matter if the waves reach gently for dry land or crash with untamable power onto the rocks and shoreline. We can’t take our eyes off the beauty, the power, and the fact that we have no control over it. The water will have its way!

Today’s gospel, Luke 10:1-11, 16-20, is about a great sending. Jesus sends 7o apostles ahead of him in pairs or 2×2 (for which our ministry is named).

Jesus gives a list of Spartan instructions, which are designed to make sure the mission is not forgotten. Take nothing for yourself. Try to reach everyone, but don’t waste time if ears and minds are closed.

The thought that God is relying on us is humbling.

There is a warning that things might not always go smoothly. The message they will be preaching will at times be harsh. People WILL have a hard time hearing it.

Jesus includes some fire and brimstone. (Some of this is in the excluded verses. Go ahead and read them.)

The 70 have a pretty good first maiden voyage. They return to Jesus impressed with the power that Jesus gave them.

Who knows how many times these first apostles reached out to new people? How many shores did they reach? How many times did they return to the water of their baptism for revival?

That’s what your adult learners can think about as they watch the waves this summer, returning again and again to the sea, reaching ever higher toward land as the tide rises.

The job we, as modern apostles, are asked to do remains challenging. We still face rejection.

Sometimes the path will be pleasant and rewarding, but there is no promise that the sea will always be gentle. Yet, it is with the power of the Word that we reach out. We are to take no pride in this power. We are fortunate to have the relationship with the Lord and the promise of heaven.

This is a complex analogy for adult learners but today’s lesson can include the children of the congregation by having all join together with one or both of the following songs which relate to today’s gospel. One is a 2×2 original. We’ve paired it with an American spiritual.

It is designed to be fun. Having fun together as a congregation is a good educational tool. You can exclude the parts in parentheses and some of the rhythms if you want your worship to be more formal.

To help you learn the songs there’s a homemade audio to give you the basic tune. This is our first venture in offering music. We’ll get better at it. Promise.

2×2 song

2×2

(Each x indicates a clap)

Two by two x
Two by two x
Jesus sent apostles out two by two
And they preached. xx
And they taught. xx
They made the demons take a walk. (Get lost!)
Jesus sent apostles out
Two x by x two. xx

Two by two x
Two by two x
Jesus still is sending us two by two.
We will preach. xx
We will teach. xx
Every nation we must reach. (Each one!)
Jesus sent apostles out (Knock on pew) xx xxx
Jesus sent apostles out (Knock on pew) xx xxx
Jesus sent apostles out
Two x by x two. xx

and / or

You can move directly into a new rhythm and keep it going, rapping on a guitar soundboard or on a pew. Clapping can work, too.

Knock. Knock.
Knock. Knock. Knock. (repeat throughout the next song)

The American Spiritual: Somebody’s knocking at your door

The link above is to a more professional rendition of this spiritual, although it is presented in a very fun style.

Here’s our humble effort: Somebody’sKnocking

Somebody’s knocking at your door.
Somebody’s knocking at your door.
Oh, sinner. Why don’t you answer?
Somebody’s knocking at your door.

Knocks like Jesus.
Somebody’s knocking at your door.
Can’t you hear him?
Somebody’s knocking at your door.
Oh, sinner, why don’t you answer?
Somebody’s knocking at your door.

Somebody’s knocking at your door.
Somebody’s knocking at your door.
Oh, sinner. Why don’t you answer?
Somebody’s knocking at your door.

Close with the traditional knock:

Knock. Knock.   Knock, knock, knock.

Shout: Who’s there?

You can use this same closing knock on 2×2 Song if you use only one of the songs.

photo credit: wili_hybrid via photopin cc
01 Jul 2013

The Social Media Revolution (or Reformation?)

 The Transformational Tool the Church Is Waiting For

The Church is slow to understand Social Media and how it could impact the local congregation.

The fact is Social Media can benefit congregations—both large and small. It can do more. It can transform them.

Larger churches have more resources for exploring this new world, but the emphasis should actually be on helping small churches master Social Media. Their success will benefit the entire Church.

People like small churches. Most churches are small. Most small churches are struggling. Social Media could change this.

The power of Social Media, if unleashed, could change how we understand church and mission foundationally.

Church structure has been pretty much the same since Moses. Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. With that command in mind for thousands of years, God’s people have gathered once every seven days for worship. The structure of Christian worship is built on the traditions of Jewish scripture.

It’s quite a heritage. Why change?

There are at least two reasons.

  1. The number of people following the age-old traditions is dwindling.
  2. For the first time in history, we CAN make significant changes.

Most church leaders view Social Media as additive. It’s something new they have to do in addition to all the things that already keep them busy. That’s one reason why they never get around to mastering new skills.

But Social Media can be so much more. It can be a game changer. It can turn church life inside out and connect congregations to the very people we have so much trouble reaching. 

Look, for instance, at what is happening in the world of education because of the influence of social media.

The old model of education is to gather students around a teacher who lectures them. The students then go home and do homework to reinforce what they learned. Students who understand breeze through their homework. Students who don’t understand often return to the classroom to hear another lecture without mastering the foundations of the previous lesson. This model of education works for students with an academic mindset. It leaves a lot of great minds that  think differently behind.

But now, progressive teachers are beginning to understand that the best lecturers in the world can present the lessons to students online. There is no longer any economic benefit to gathering students around one teacher to hear them talk. One  excellent teacher can lecture a million students! Students can listen to the lesson before they come to class. They can repeat sections they don’t understand and search for additional information, if they are so inclined. 

The role of “teacher ” changes. When the students gather together for the state-mandated school attendance, the teacher can work with them hands-on. The classwork (as opposed to homework) can involve debate and projects and individual instruction. Using this time to lecture is a waste!

How does this apply to Church?

We are accustomed to the gathered people of God coming together once a week to worship and listen to the Word. The Word is presented by one person who may have spent a day preparing the message. The format is 20-40 minutes — way longer than the modern attention span. There is little or no actual exchange with the congregation (unlike the accounts of Paul’s preaching in the book of Acts). There is no way of reinforcing the message. Even the best sermons are forgotten before the Sunday dinner table is cleared!

Social Media can change this. It means changing habits or perhaps creating a new discipline.

News flash: Preachers do not have to wait for congregants to come to them!

There is no reason a preacher cannot interact with congregants (and seekers) every day of the week. Short, thought-provoking messages tied to the daily lectionary as well as the weekly lectionary can bring the congregation together on Sunday prepared to be more involved in worship. Worship and post-worship can become more hands on. The pastor may learn much more about the congregation he or she serves and new mission ideas and opportunities are bound to surface.

What could come from this is a new understanding of the talent that today is simply sitting in the pew. Congregants, with daily reinforcement, will make religion more a part of their lives. With daily inspiration, they are more likely to talk to others as they go about their work and family lives. When they come to church once a week, they will come not as passive listeners but as empowered, knowledgeable Christians who are eager to put their faith to work. They might argue with the preacher (just as the temple-goers in the Bible did). They might present new ideas or come up with new mission possibilities—which can then be addressed online during the week—for all in the community to read. It will expand a congregation’s witness.

For Social Media’s power to reach full potential, we must be willing to transform how we structure our expectations of pastors. Pastors and educators of pastors must be part of the transformation.

It may even change the role of seminaries. All the newly empowered lay people might see value in studying more about their faith—not necessarily to become pastors, but to become more involved and knowledgeable lay people.

What are we waiting for?

06 May 2013

3 Programming Ideas for Small Churches (Holy Week-Pentecost)

Worship Resources for Post-Easter

The Easter play we published last year has been downloaded about 3000 times this year. We are grateful for your interests in the content we are providing aimed to enrich the worship experience of even the smallest churches.

As Holy Week approaches, we point you to three other ideas that we tested in our small congregation. Two of them work best in small churches with as few as a dozen in attendance.

Maundy Thursday

This Maundy Thursday service combines the Passover Tradition with the Christian tradition drawn from the Pennsylvania Dutch observance of Green Thursday — a term drawn from the English pronunciation of the German word for grief. It involves the serving of a ceremonial and symbolic meal (like the Seder) but with the symbolism pointing to the Resurrection. It can be used with larger groups, but it is quite easy to do with small groups.

Palm Sunday

Florists supply dried out palm fronds but small churches must purchase far more than they need of these token palms. Actual palm plants are usually available at this time of year for about $10. Have your congregation cut their own fully branched palm to wave during your Palm Sunday celebration. One large palm plant will easily provide for a congregation of 20 or 30. (We often had a nice palm plant left over even after we “pruned” it pretty well.

After Easter (Pentecost or Ascension Sunday)

The Roman Catholic tradition celebrates the Stations of the Cross. The stations chronicle the scenes of Jesus as he heads toward Calvary.

The same idea can apply to the interactions of Jesus post-Resurrection. This service (easily adapted to your liking) celebrates the 14 Stations of the Risen Christ. It follows the  sightings of Jesus between the Resurrection and the Ascension with scripture, prayer, commentary (supplied by your worship leader) and hymns.

This service can be used in one setting. It fills an hour easily. It can also be broken up over the long Pentecost season with each scene acted out.

08 Mar 2013

Art for Luke 13:31-35 — Jesus Is Disillusioned

O_Jerusalem-1The Fox and the Hens

Next Sunday’s gospel features a moving image that has never quite caught the imagination of artists. He starts his discourse sniping at Herod, calling him a fox. But he quickly moves on. Jesus compares his feelings for Jerusalem to a hen protecting her brood — but the brood is unwilling.

The headline art simply depicts Jesus contemplating the city which housed God’s earthly temple.

dominus-flevit-henToday, in modern Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, there is a mosaic with the words of scripture surrounding the image. “But you are unwilling” drips in red at the feet of little chicks.

Artists seem to be much more comfortable with other biblical metaphors. There are numerous images of rushing streams, stars, bread, the lion and the lamb—even the rooster crowing, but this poignant image of a mother hen never grabs us.

Perhaps this is because the metaphor was first delivered by a disillusioned Jesus. Do we feel guilty?

Perhaps it is because it is a feminine image in a religion long-dominated by men

It is less likely to be taken on by today’s artists. There was a day when most homes had a few chickens pecking the ground in the back yard — a living refrigerator. But the sight is uncommon today.

???????????????????????????????Nevertheless, one young contemporary sculptor rose to the challenge, entering a biblical art contest.

Jesus’ imagery grabs at our hearts and our consciences. We are his little chicks — like it or not.

20 Feb 2013

What’s Missing from the Church? Emotion

“We are not thinking machines that feel;
rather, we are feeling machines that think.”

—Antonio Damasio

What does it take to mobilize a congregation?

The answer to this question is elusive. It is usually answered with formulaic responses presented by distant church leaders, many of whom have limited hands-on pastoral experience.

  • Get a good pastor. (Definition of this is never clear).
  • Write a mission statement. (The push to have mission statement is now a decade or more old. Has it made a difference?)
  • Target certain demographics. (Rather exclusive!)

Sometimes these approaches work. Not usually.

A congregation will not be mobilized until it feels. Emotion is fuel for action.

People don’t act based on the analytical part of their brains. They act based upon the emotional parts of their brains. In head vs heart, heart wins.

Churches are not good at handling emotion. Emotions can be so messy!

The cerebral approach permeates church life. We tend to turn up our noses at more demonstrative styles of worship. Soon, even hymns of joy are sung cerebrally, with every nose in the congregation buried in the hymnal!

Pastors are often cerebral in their approach to ministry. They are trained to read and analyze scripture. Applying that training to action is s rarer skill.

To appeal to the emotional is daring and dangerous, but it is the only way to get a congregation moving.

Congregational leaders must find ways to help worshipers feel again.

Too often in its history, the Church has relied on two emotions: FEAR and GUILT.

And we wonder why people stay away!

Here are some emotions that could change your congregational life for the better.

LOVE is powerful. Love is a verb. It is easy to talk about love and do nothing.

ANGER is a powerful emotion. Make sure anger is directed in unselfish ways, but don’t be afraid to encourage appropriate anger.

HOPE is an emotion. Hope is lost if people come to church week after week and nothing happens.

JOY is a powerful emotion. It demands expression. Foster joy. People are eager to come together when they can expect true joy. (View the boychoir video in the last post. Those boys come faithfully to rehearsals because they are encouraged to express joy. Compare the faces of the boy singers to the faces of the typical church choir!)

Warning! A church that takes an emotional approach to mission will experience conflict. It goes with the territory. Conflict, well-managed, can be a good thing. Both the Old and New Testaments are infused with conflict. If transformation is to be more than a buzzword, it must be expected, respected and embraced.

Learn to foster emotions—and the conflicts that go with them. Be prepared to use the dynamics of emotion to teach, motivate and change lives — including your congregation’s life!

16 Aug 2012

Creating A Church Education Environment for Youth

Our Ambassadors read a flier advertising a church’s upcoming Vacation Bible School. It advertised classes for children up to age 10. Fourth grade.

Ten!

Ten is still fairly young to be the cut off age for the type of program VBS can be.

Many adults remember very little of their childhood before the age of eight. When these children become parents in another 10 or 15 years, they will have little to remember of Bible School to want to pass on to the next generation.

When Christian education stops at age 10, you end up in a few years with a church of unknowledgeable members—and probably a lot fewer of them. These unknowledgeable members will be expected to lead the church and vote on ministry decisions both within their congregations and in the broader Christian community. Without a strong church education, they will be puppets of the strongest influencers. We will become a Church of followers.

Why is age ten the cut off?

The easiest answer is that’s the age when children become involved in other activities.

But that’s the easy answer. There are other reasons. Some of them involve the Church’s inability to serve this age group.

Admittedly, the Church competes with a broad spectrum of organized activities for older children. It would be a shame if we were abandoning our youth’s faith because we have nothing to offer.

Children, still under the influence of parents, will find time when the family sees Christian education as a priority and when the educational experience meets their developmental needs. It is not acceptable to turn our backs on youth because we don’t know how to serve them and are unwilling to find a way.

Here are the challenges:

Older children are more work! Ten or eleven is the age that children are starting to come into their own and are more difficult for inexperienced volunteer teachers to handle. If we can’t train volunteers to work with our youth, we must find them. (See VBS-Aid concept).

It’s also the age when learning must become experiential. Older children cannot be confined to classroom talk. They must be challenged.

If churches want to continue to nurture youth beyond the age of ten, they must create learning environments and experiences that meet the children where they are developmentally. 

The challenge of teaching older children requires more time. Older children must participate in a program with a sense of accomplishment or they won’t return. They must be free to experiment and discover their abilities. Middle School teaching is known for being hands on. A summer program for youth requires more than five days.

Older children need camaraderie. They want to be part of groups. Five day Bible Schools are not long enough to create a sense of community unless the activity is more intense than a classroom atmosphere usually allows.

Children this age need to be silly. We expect them to try new skills. They are self-conscious and prone to taking themselves seriously. Church education for children this age should give them a chance to laugh at themselves and just open up. Allowing them to be silly gives them a soft place to fall.

At times, children this age need to be dealt with in subdivided groups. While this goes against modern inclusive thinking, other fields are meeting the challenges of interesting youth by developing some separate programming along gender lines. One reason sports is perennially popular for this age is that sports recognizes this need. The music and art world is discovering that boys become involved with enthusiasm when they are not with girls. Ask boys this age to sing with girls and you will get very few volunteers. Allow them to sing with just boys and they sing with an energy you would never see in a mixed chorus. Here is a video posted by one proud teenage boy singer. Boys-only ballet programs are cropping up and improving enrolments. Here’s video about boy dancers. Giving girls a chance to bond as girls has similar benefits. They are maturing at a different rate and may need a forum for what’s on their minds. The challenge is to make sure that their time together is enhancing their potential not excluding them.

Programs that separate boys and girls find that when the groups merge (which should be often) there is greater involvement among both boys and girls.

Churches rarely take the time to consider educational developments like this, but there may be something for us to learn.

If we want our young people to continue their church involvement into adulthood, all congregations must address the challenge. To assume lack of interest on the part of young people without any effort to interest them is short-changing them and our future.

photo credit: rileyroxx (retouched) via photo pin cc
12 Jul 2012

Leadership in the Modern, Changing Church

“I don’t understand why a person with a college-education has trouble finding work,” the older pastor commented after encountering a middle-aged parishioner, struggling with a mid-life job search.

The Church may be the last organization on earth to understand the changes facing the modern work force.

The Church, entrenched in the past, is dealing with the same problems with less success.

For countless decades or even centuries, mid-life was the pinnacle of a skilled worker’s career. Knowledge and experience positioned them as authorities. They commanded handsome wages. Life was good and the retirement years were looking sweet.

Today’s middle-aged, college-educated, skilled workers face a different world. Their skills are less valued. Newer skills of the connected age are not difficult to master, but they take time, effort and a continuing investment. Unlike youth, who can set aside the demands of independent living for four to eight years, the middle-aged workers are retooling while caring for teenagers, aging parents and still paying mortgages. Retirement is far less certain.

How does this affect the world of Church?

The Church still honors the system of hierarchy to some degree — even if they don’t call it “hierarchy.”

The people currently elected or appointed to leadership positions earned  their credentials the traditional way. Their positions are less market-driven. It has been enough in many cases to foster a reputation among a very narrow group of similarly trained and credentialed colleagues. They have been able to avoid the demands of the rest of the world — but not without consequence.

Change is every bit as imperative, but can be avoided until situations are dire with no damage to reputation. There are plenty of places to deflect blame for poor performance (economy, demographics, media, culture, lay people).

The great influx of second-career clergy may be adding candidates to the clergy roster who find the ever-changing demands of the secular world to be daunting. A major role of hierarchy is to keep the pool of available leaders active in ministry, regardless of their skills. Bottom line: the Church has incentive to stay the same to complement the skill sets of leadership–most of whom have very similar training and experience.

Sustaining clergy is a purpose of hierarchy, although it is rarely presented that way. Hierarchies want the available jobs to match the skills of available clergy. The Church is going to have to do a good bit of wiggling to loosen that stick from the mud!

This creates a division in expectations of laity and clergy. Laity, who must change or perish in their secular lives, grow impatient with clergy leaders, who roll out programs based on ministry models that used to work. The people at the top, most likely well into middle age, are disconnected from the lives of the laity. Empathy has not been the Church’s strong suit, especially since there is a LOT less money to work with.

Survival becomes the standard for success. Laity are not flocking to sacrifice for an organization in survival mode–especially one that threatens the local expression of faith with the strong arm of ecclesiastic power.

Survival standards are used to judge congregations. “We just don’t see how you can survive,” they are likely to say, even as they are dealing with the same or even more severe challenges.

There are ways to survive. There are ways to thrive. They are ways to reach out. But they will require new methods, new technology, new vision, a respect for younger blood and  lay talents and lifelong learning for Church leaders. Church leaders cannot ask congregations to make changes if they, themselves, are unable to change.

Laity are pretty busy making changes in their own lives.

24 May 2012