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Commentary on Other Web Posts

Are We Ashamed of Our Faith?

Today’s Alban Institute forum is back to the same old, never-changing challenge for churches — facing change.

Today’s writer points to “shame” as an element that keeps congregants from being effective evangelists. We greet newcomers with suspicion. That’s no way to build a church!

The writer cites the many scandals the church has faced in recent years and out-dated worship practices as causes, but she correctly suggests that there is more to it than that.

The post drew a number of responses. One writer asked the question 2×2 has addressed a number of times. Do the clergy and hierarchy take any responsibility for the decline in today’s Church?

The answer we see to this question is NO. The problem, as defined by most clergy, is stick-in-the-mud lay people, who attend church for selfish reasons and just don’t do the things needed to guarantee the prosperity of the congregation, clergy and hierarchy. (No one is ever very clear about what those things might be. It usually means “they aren’t taking orders.”)

That’s a pretty big bill for anyone to pay. As numbers decline, the per capita obligations grow and grow. Clergy and hierarchies still have salary demands and budgets to meet and they don’t care if the salary is paid by 40 people or 400 people or if churches must close to meet their deficits. It’s hard to attract new worshipers when an honest assessment of their potential membership involves meeting budgets over which they will have little control—and the reality that in the end, all their work may be for naught if the regional body decides they need your property more than you do.

Another commenter pointed to another reality. Critics of church-goers often have little knowledge of church traditions. Their visits are as those of aliens. The value of singing old hymns and adjusting to church language clashes with modern sensibilities, where things have to be new and stretch our experiences.

Sometimes the lack of familiarity of a younger generation becoming involved in church is comical. A college-trained musician, who took a job as church organist, once commented that in every hymnal he encountered the phrase “As pants the hart for cooling streams” the word “heart” was spelled wrong.

At other times, the attempt to meet new church-goers where they are leads to wrong teaching. A new translation of the Bible replaces the word Hosanna with Hooray. Church-goers know that Hosanna is a prayer.

The lack of young people in church is only going to widen this cultural gap. If they are ever to become involved in church, they will have to learn the ABCs of their faith.

Shame is going to get us nowhere. Wise church leaders will work at building the self-confidence of members so they can welcome visitors with true hospitality. Knowledge of faith builds self-confidence. We have to know what we believe!

That’s a challenge for every church and worrying about change isn’t going to address it!

24 Sep 2012

A Provacative Link That Should Interest Evangelists

Here is a link from Coca Cola’s marketing team. They are telling us exactly how they intend to double their business by 2020. That’s a lot of sugar water!

The techniques and strategies should interest every serious evangelist. Coca Cola has a story to tell and doesn’t mind telling us exactly how they plan to do it. Their marketing people are well paid and experienced story-tellers. Let’s invest our dimes wisely and listen in for free!

We have a story to tell, too!

21 Sep 2012

Why should churches blog? 5 unexpected reasons!


The Alban Roundtable discussion this week presents cautionary tales on what can go awry when using email to communicate.

Comments so far have been: We know, we know. But this is the world we live in.

They are right. If people are going to email, there is nothing you can do to stop them. You CAN, however, provide good content to encourage reasonable and helpful online dialog.

Create a church blog.

2×2 advocates the development of church blogs as a less emotionally charged way of promoting online discussion. Blogs invite participation. Thoughtful posts will result in thoughtful comments—moreso than on Facebook and Twitter. Blogs allow you to moderate comments, but generally we recommend that you moderate the first comment only, simply as a way of verifying that the contributor is not a spammer. Access to the online discussion must be fairly free. If you start editing or rejecting comments, your blog will be seen as the voice of the favored in the church.

Establish guidelines for your commenters. People will cooperate. If you feel you must edit a comment, you can tell the contributor (offline) why it violates your community rules.

There are many advantages to blogs. Some you can anticipate. We’ve listed some above.

This morning, Blogger Mark Schaefer posted five unexpected benefits of blogging. Although Mark is a businessman, his words are very personal. His insights apply to church. 2×2 has been blogging for more than a year. We have experienced the same benefits.

Here are Mark’s insights as they have applied to our church blog . . . and can apply to your church blog as well.

Blogging heals

Redeemer, the sponsor of the 2×2, is a congregation experiencing ongoing rejection and bullying within the Church. It’s painful, and the Church has been unresponsive—hoping we would just roll over and die—even five years after that tactic has proven ineffective!

Blogging has given us a voice which is healing to our community. It has given us reach and it has validated our ministry (to other Christians if not to our nearest neighbors). We know we can still fulfill our “missional purpose.”

Blogging connects

This has been the most amazing benefit of our blog. We have connected with other Lutherans, other denominations, other religious institutions and ministry efforts all over the world. We have come to know many by name and hear from several daily. Some have been helpful to us. We’ve been helpful others as well. We have invitations to visit in Asia and Africa!

Blogging defines

Where does the church stand on issues? Often we allow church experts to draft statements about what we believe, but let’s face it. They are rarely read or used more than a month after they are published.

Why do we allow others to decide what we think? In the past, there was little choice, but dialog online can help congregations participate in issues and respond at the local level. The official response can be helpful but it shouldn’t replace our own consciences.

When you take an issue you aren’t quite sure about and start to write, you can begin to sort out your thoughts and realize what you believe. Sometimes it surprises you!

2×2 posts some ideas, knowing they are not fully defined. Sometimes the ones we think are most nebulous start to get responses — often by email—thanking us for our position. We often learn that others are struggling with the same issues. They add a penny or two to the dialog—which we incorporate in future posts.

Blogging teaches

Mark Schaefer points out that his blog opens his eyes and teaches him. 2×2 says “ditto!”.

Blogging inspires

2×2 looks for messages that inspire and includes them in our editorial mix. We often get emails thanking us and telling us how they intend to use the information in their ministry.

These are five things every church needs. Why aren’t we doing it more?

We have one answer to this question! Tomorrow’s post.

04 Sep 2012

Niche Churches — Hmmm!

This is from a blog by the Rev. Larry Peters, a Lutheran pastor from Tennessee. He was commenting on the writings of Terry Mattingly.

If churches want to reach millions of independent-minded young Americans they should learn a thing or two from craft brewers. . . . It’s time, he said, for “craft churches” that reach niche audiences.

This is an astute observation. Small churches have been serving niches for some time.

Our Ambassador visits reveal that most churches, large or small, serve a niche, but probably with little intent!

The largest church we visited (non-Lutheran and twice the attendance of the largest Lutheran church we visited) was a congregation of 25-35-year-olds.

Birds of a feather . . .

Small churches know their niche. Any intention of being all things to all people, though tempting, is out of reach. Even if people wanted that kind of ministry, (and most mission statements sound like they do!), finding leadership is daunting.

Church leaders often view small churches as failures—undesirable places for pastors to serve. Part of this is economics. All churches must rise to the same budget expectations, which in the modern era have priced many communities out of the faith business. Pastors assigned to small churches often view their role as care-taking, never bothering with outreach. Some even use the offensive term “hospice ministry.”

Perhaps it’s time to seriously examine the economics of church.

People will make their church home where they can see their offerings and efforts at work. They will neither participate nor attend a church where they do not feel fully welcome.

We at Redeemer know the difference between being welcome to attend church and being welcome to participate. Our bishop made it clear that we are not welcome to participate in SEPA Synod. She seized our property and pledged to close our church and reopen it under new leadership. She wrote to us that current members could attend this new, improved Lutheran church but former members would not be permitted to participate. She unilaterally denied us vote or voice. When we started visiting churches she sent a letter to pastors warning them!

How’s that for a welcome statement!

Redeemer was welcoming East African immigrants who were moving into our community—not just to use our building, which is the more common outreach approach, but to join their traditions with ours. We saw our unique niche ministry as adding to the mosaic of the greater church.

But SEPA was determined that one population had to die before a new population could be fully welcomed. As Bishop Burkat said, “White Redeemer must be allowed to die, black Redeemer . . . we can put them anywhere.” Control of assets was the objective.

Religion is not supposed to be a spectator sport.

Part of the problem with niche ministries is that few pastors are trained to serve niche populations.

Defining a niche (while recognizing the likelihood that niches will change every decade or so) may not be such a bad idea. It will take decades to recognize and train leaders to actively serve niche ministries and not view them as “hospice” assignments.

Another problem with niche ministries is that the “niches” that are most in need (the ones the Bible talks about), often can’t support them.

The true mission of the church is defeated by cost—at least with today’s budget and funding expectations.

Meanwhile, rejected and criticized by our denomination, Redeemer has created a niche ministry. You are visiting it now. Today, two months into our third year, we are reaching more people every week than the largest church in our denomination’s local region. We are just getting started.

photo credit: Grant MacDonald via photo pin cc
29 Aug 2012

Practicing Happiness Techniques in Worship: Part 1 of 5

Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage recommends five practices to help foster happiness.

  1. Start each day with “praise and thanksgiving.” Recognize three unique things for which you are grateful.
  2. Write a journal entry daily about something that brought you happiness.
  3. Exercise. 10 minutes per day.
  4. Meditate. 2 minutes per day.
  5. Practice random acts of kindness.

To start, choose just one and practice it religiously for 21 days, he says. It will make a difference.

Applying these ideas to church life may be a key to the “transformation” process which church leaders find so elusive! 

The daily part is hard to manage since Church people rarely gather daily. Find a way to make it a congregational habit. Use your web site to encourage members to take daily initiative personally.

Let’s start with Number 1:
Praise and thanksgiving.

Achor’s advice is start each day identifying three things worthy of praise and thanksgiving.

This should be a cinch for church people.

Redeemer, totally unaware of Achor’s research, began worship with a Praise section, which typically included a nonbiblical but religious reading, some art and the singing of a couple of praise hymns (old and new) before launching the liturgy.

Try this. Start your worship service by asking the congregation to name things for which they are thankful. You might even write them on a flip chart. Follow their list with a prayer and praise hymn (or two). (Beats a lengthy list of announcements!) Try singing hymns a capella or use minimal accompaniment. It is more intimate and develops a congregation’s “ear.” Lay people can lead this section of worship, developing congregational leadership skills.

Liturgies often begin with the confession and absolution, but there shouldn’t be anything innately wrong with a praise prelude performed by the entire congregation. If it won’t work in your tradition, insert the praise section after the absolution.

Use repetition.

Short hymns of praise can be repeated. Most modern praise hymns lend themselves to repetition as they typically have few verses.

Repetition goes against the short attention span of Americans, but it can be meaningful if practiced with enthusiasm. Repetition in worship has a long tradition (chanting, mantras).

Little children love repetition. Songs bring them joy! They haven’t yet learned stoic restraint! Redeemer practiced repetition during our children’s section of worship. If the children enjoyed a song. We sang it two or three times and the children returned to their seats pumped! Soon the adults were repeating hymns in Bible study!

Take requests!

Involve people in their own praise experience. Leaders will learn something about their congregations!

Give it time!

Try this for three months before evaluating.

According to Achor, implementing this one habit will be transformational, improving optimism and increasing success rates.

Please share any ideas you have for how to regularly offer praise and thanksgiving as a congregational transformational tool.

Here’s a quick recap.

  1. Begin every worship service with a praise section.
  2. Ask for praise “offerings” from the congregation. List them.
  3. Use hymns, poetry, prose, and art to enhance praise.
  4. Make the worship as organic as possible, coming from the people.
  5. Use minimal accompaniment.
  6. Don’t be afraid to repeat parts of worship that seem to be especially meaningful at the moment.
  7. Involve people in worship. Take requests.
19 Aug 2012

The Science of Happiness (or JOY!)

I’ve been writing for a few days about the importance of joy in the church. The ideas were based solely on experience.

Today, I sat down in front of the TV, grabbed the remote and flipped through some channels. Saturday afternoon. Blah TV. Sports. Ancient reruns. Try PBS. Great! Fundraiser time! But wait a minute. This guy is talking about happiness. I’ve been writing about joy!

I stumbled across a presentation by Harvard researcher, Shawn Achor, who has studied the science behind the human emotion, happiness. It makes me happy to know that there is science behind what 2×2 has been advising! Joy!

I listened to the last half of his talk and when it came time for the ten-minute pitch, I went online to find out more. Here is a 12-minute video from his talk at a TED conference. Watch it and pay attention to his list of five action steps near the end.

He has some interesting ideas.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at ways to apply some his thinking and research to Church life.

Shawn Achor is the author of The Happiness Advantage.

18 Aug 2012

The Dangers of the Corporate Church

How the Internet Can Force Us to Take A Good Look at Ourselves

A young man has been ranting online about the death of his sister in a car accident and her insurance company’s maneuverings to avoid paying the benefit included in her policy. They have probably spent more than the $75,000 the policy promised.

Considering the tragic circumstances, Mike Fisher’s writing is civil. His arguments make sense and are presented graciously. The battle that his parents have had to wage reveals the failing of corporate thinking. Money and litigation experience allows the Corporation to abuse its customers.

There was a time when victims of bad corporate behavior had little recourse.

Today, the internet can make a dent in corporate thinking. Matt Fisher’s writings got the attention of Seth Godin and his massive corporate following.

Seth writes:

They bet on short memories and the healing power of marketing dollars, commercials and discounts. Employees are pushed to focus on bureaucratic policies and quarterly numbers, not a realization that individuals, not corporations, are responsible for what they do.

The Corporate Church is no better than Progressive. They are mired in “corporate think.”  It’s handling of its members has strayed far from biblical teachings. Dollars rule. People: too bad.

In Redeemer’s conflict with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the same thinking is evident. The Church turned on its own “policy holders.” The conflict was vicious from the opening bell. The bishop attempts to make it look as if great efforts were made otherwise. They weren’t. In all the rhetoric explaining how hard they worked with Redeemer, they never give examples. There aren’t any.

The Church, from the start, used corporate power and pooled assets of 160 congregations to go after individuals in one small church.

The people of Redeemer always thought we were on the same side.

The lives of 82 lay volunteer church members have been turned upside down for four years with no end in sight. The Church is oblivious that their actions are against their own members— old people, children, immigrants, disabled people, students—faithful, hard-working people—the people the Church advertises that it cares for.

To SEPA, we are the enemy.

This enemy has been fighting for one thing—that SEPA and the ELCA keep the promises made to member churches.

The courts don’t want any part of church disputes. Unfortunately neither do other congregations, clergy, Presiding Bishop Hanson, or the national church.

Progressive Insurance creates enticing advertisements. Get the dollars flowing.

The Corporate Church preaches that it cares about bullying and social justice, love, reconciliation and compassion. When put to the test, it is just as self-protective of power and money as the Corporate Insurance Agency.

They are both in the “people business.” It’s time they both act like it.

People could stop the abuse. Will they?

We won’t buy Progressive Insurance. We still call ourselves Lutheran.

17 Aug 2012

An Inspiring Video Proving Boys Love to Sing

Here is an uplifting video which reminded us of Redeemer’s experience.

Redeemer hosted the East Falls Children’s Choir and held a music camp every summer. About 11 years ago, a new choir formed, meeting in East Falls. We fed the boys that attended the choir and our camp into the Keystone State Boychoir. (A girl choir formed a few years later.)

The choir gave the boys confidence, discipline and a passion for music. In the choir’s first ten years the boys that stuck with it sang on every continent. Yes, every continent.

The directors’ philosophy—allow self-conscious boys to sing with boys and they will grow to love singing in general.

Most churches have a rough time convincing their boys to sing. Typical mixed choruses in any youthful venue are 90% female. But boys do like to sing.

The link below will take you to YouTube. Come back for the translation to the hymn (below).

Translation:

I would not ask a life that’s easy

gold and pearls so little mean

rather seek a heart that’s joyful

heart that’s honest, heart that’s clean.

 

Heart that’s clean and filled with virtue.

fairer far than lilies white

only pure hearts praise God truly

Praise him all the day and night.

 

Dawn and sunset still I’m searching

rising on a wing of song

Give me Lord, through Christ my Savior

that clean heart for which I long.

14 Aug 2012

Rejection in the church. It’s all too common.

You’ve seen the signs. Most churches have one. “All Welcome.”

Easier said than done.

Lucas Cranach Painting

A topic in a popular church forum today discusses inclusion—specifically that of the disabled in the life of a congregation. The author cites the profound sense of rejection experienced by members of a group home for the mentally challenged who were asked to not return. You know why — they were different and differences are unsettling. The Church loves neat and tidy.

Rejection by the Church is all too common. Frequently, the rejected have no voice. They must rely on an outside advocate. Fortunately for the members of that group home, they found an advocate who helped them find love inside the church’s walls.

Rejection isn’t a one-time incident. It stings forever.

The members of Redeemer have experienced rejection. Big time and long-term. The Lutheran Church locked us out, literally and figuratively. Having rejected us from Christian community, they continue attacks on our members.

The increasingly common scenario has become a process which, as Bishop Claire Burkat of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA attempts to justify, usually “goes smoothly.”

What makes this horrific process seem smooth? Well-orchestrated use of the age-old weapon of the Church — fear.

The process is designed to be as pain-free as possible for the perpetrators. The pain of the victims: there’s an app for that!—the closing worship service which even has an official liturgy.

Church officials gather in full clerical regalia as the emotions of the faithful are put on display. The swelling tones of the soon to be moth-balled organ drive the nails into the coffins of a faithful worshiping community. The doors are locked, remaining bank accounts secured, and no further thought is given to the people. Neat and tidy.

Most abandoned church members never find a new church. They are gone and forgotten. The elderly are left without the support of the church they served faithfully in more capable years. Newcomers are left to feel inadequate — like fools for buying into the welcoming message. The clergy return to their parishes to preach the message of love, forgetting that love is a verb.

It’s not OK, fellow Lutherans. Damage continues long after you walk away with the spoils.

  • Relationship with the surrounding community is damaged.
  • Relationship with the faithful is damaged.
  • Families are damaged.
  • Children are damaged.
  • Youth, at a turning point in their lives, are abandoned by the church that had cradled and nurtured them.
  • The disenfranchised (often major participants in community worship) are abandoned with little recourse.
  • Faith is damaged.
  • Economic and social damages extend beyond the community.
  • Stewardship is damaged. Any member of a small congregation can wonder if their offerings will be confiscated.
  • Individual Christians can wonder if their years of devotion had any value.

The process is a slap in Christ’s face.

We’ve listened to the excuses of the clergy as if the gospel they preach happens without effort—as if Christ had not died for them. Most laity seem unaware of what’s going on.

Redeemer can tell you how it feels to be rejected by the Church, to be vilified for our beliefs.

Faith makes us strong. Why do we act as if we are powerless?

22 Apr 2012

Can the Church Be Fixed?

Are our church doors truly open?

Are our church doors truly open?

The Alban Institute’s Roundtable is unusually active this week. The weekly topic laid out all the failings of the mainline church. The resulting dialog was a mild outrage.

“Why are we going over what’s wrong? We know what’s wrong? How can we fix it?” Among the most desperate and honest questions is, “Can it be fixed?”

There is still a disconnect between church leadership and church members which may be at the heart of a general disillusionment with the Church.

Why do people become involved in church?

  • Some are born into church-respecting families.
  • Some seek answers to life’s problems.
  • Some are looking for peace and comfort
  • Some are seeking validation or acceptance.
  • Some are seeking God.

One way or another, many people find something in the church worth making it part of their lives. Something attracted them. It was probably someone humbly modeling the teachings of Christ.

That opens the door. Then what?

Church always asks more of us. It asks us to learn and to grow. It encourages us to take stands on issues. We are asked to influence others.

And then the rules begin. Rules are prompted by leaders who want order and power. This lessens the potential of the Church.

The laity hit a glass ceiling. Take a stand—but follow us.

Laity have a choice. We choose to become involved when our initial needs are met and we can make a difference. We don’t join churches to take on more financial woes. We don’t join to have more authority figures. We want to feel loved. We want to know God.

Part of the gift of the Reformation — a cause for which many gave their lives — was the empowerment of the laity. Grace is freely given. No middle man is needed. That message is clouded today in a Church where any “stand” is accepted only if it is politically correct.

The Church is at its strongest when it fosters courage by example.

There is an old Sunday School hymn, probably long forgotten by most:

Dare to be brave. Dare to be true.
Fight for the right for the Lord is with you.
He knows your trials, when your heart quails.
Call Him to rescue His grace never fails.

The Church often speaks out of both sides of its mouth. Be brave. Do as we say.

One commenter in the Roundtable discussion wrote an impassioned essay on his frustrations on spreading the Gospel. He concluded with his own battle cry—that he would remain faithful in knowing God.

He is correct. That is the foundation of all that is good and can be better in the Church. It is fundamental. Work at knowing God and the message we send will ring loud and clear. Then we will know when to follow and when to lead. We will be empowered to do both.

photo credit: Autumnsonata via photopin cc
05 Apr 2012