I am not going to finish my highly political series. Few are interested and more are annoyed and I really don't want to annoy people. So let's talk about happier things.
When I went back to school beginning in 2001, I believed that the end goal was to teach at the college level. A couple of problems came up though. First, it took me about two years longer to graduate with the PhD than I anticipated so instead of graduating at 50, I was 52. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but I think it matters to those who are looking to hire a professor for his first teaching job. The fact that I'm almost 56 isn't making that problem any easier.
The second problem is that the economy crashed one year before graduation. This created a lot of problems for a lot of people. In my situation, it meant that college endowment funds (heavily invested in the stock market and real estate) were hit hard. This meant great cutbacks. Even when a professor would retire, often the position would remain unfilled and part-time adjuncts would be hired to cover the classes.
So what now? This question has been my constant companion for three years. A year ago, God moved us to Springfield. I thought that this might mean that he would open up something in one of our schools, but nothing happened in my first year here. So, what now?
(I hope you don't me just talking about this for a little bit. I like to tell stories and I think that the context they provide helps.)
A fellow minister at church asked me if I would be a guinea-pig and evaluate his new fundraising pitch. I agreed. He explained the ministry of Network 211.
Let's digress for a minute so I can tell you about this ministry. Network 211 is internet evangelism. The 211 in the name represents using 21st century technology to present the first century gospel. They buy Google ads on keywords like "anxiety," "brokenness," and "fear," in eight different languages. When people search on these words, journeyanswers.com comes up in the search engine. There a short video explains how Jesus is the answer. A button is provided if they have more questions or want to commit to Jesus. When they click the button and fill out the form, a person contacts them via email.
Sounds great, but does it work? When Dr. George Flattery (founder of ICI and Global University) started Network 211, he felt that God impressed him to believe that they could reach 10,000,000 people with the gospel over 10 years. The ministry just passed the four year mark and has already reached more than 5.3 million unique visitors (they keep track of which computer accessed the web site to prevent double counting--this means that 5.3 million people visited). At the rate people are visiting (more than 11,000 per day), they will reach 10,000,000 about 14 months from now.
As far as actual conversions, 7% of those who visit respond. This means that nearly 400,000 have responded in just a little over 4 years. For up to the minute numbers and locations from where people are responding, go to project10million.com.
Do you see why I got excited about this? There are many countries that do not allow missionaries; others have become frightfully expensive to house a missionary. The recent revolutions across the Middle East were fueled by the internet. There are literally people in poor countries who don't have running water but who have a smart phone with internet access. The potential reach of this ministry is incredible and has already demonstrated that it works.
Back to what I'm doing. My missionary friend went back to his boss at Network 211 and told him about my background and excitement. The next thing I know, they invited me to join the team. Their business administrator is on furlough for a year and they need someone (say someone with accounting background like me) to cover that. They also need lots and lots of content to be written for some of the other pages like whojesusis.com or the discipleship and theology pages on globalchristiancenter.com (the online church page for those who are not near a church).
Well, these are the kinds of things that I do. I jumped at the chance and so here I sit in training to become a Missionary Associate with the Assemblies of God. MAs assist other missionaries or missions agencies and that's what I will be doing. Since Network 211 has its offices and computers here in Springfield, MO, I won't actually be going anywhere. So I don't have to raise money to go anywhere, but I do have to raise money to live. Just like a full-fledged missionary, I have to raise my own funds; money that comes into Network 211 goes to the ministry work. Tina is a wonderful worker, but what she makes comes up just a little short of what we need. Furthermore, I need to start making payments on my student loans. So my fund-raising will start soon and you will be hearing from me. :)
This is an exciting adventure for us. After commissioning this Friday, I will officially move onto the Missionary Associate rolls. I honestly never thought this would happen. I am not adventurous and never saw myself as a missionary. I still don't think of myself in the same class as those who have left home and family to live abroad for years at a time, but I am honored to be a small part of the team.
So that's what I've been hinting at for a couple of months. I am excited and honored for the opportunity to serve and look forward to being a blessing to others.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
When Did AG Pastors Trade Their Anointing to Be Glen Beck? (Part 1)
Or Rush Limbaugh
or Bill O'Reilly or any one of a number of extreme conservative commentators.
It is bad enough
that some parachurch ministries (Focus on the Family being the largest example)
have become politicized and act like an arm of the Republican party thereby losing
much of their credibility when speaking to the world. I hate to see the same
thing happen to your local Assembly of God.
Facebook friends
know that I am not as politically conservative as most of my friends or than of
most AG ministers. I am a long way from being liberal, despite the accusations
of some. My complaint today is not about the views that anyone holds, but
rather the tendency to proclaim them as God's positions.
I've decided
against giving examples here because I don't want to detract from my more
important point, which is this: Christians, especially ordained ministers, are
called to be Salt and Light to the world, not OT Prophets. By trying to do the
latter we forfeit our credibility with most of those whom need to be saved.
At the heart of
the problem is bad theology: (1) Bad theology of the place of the church in the
world. (2) Bad theology of the duty of Christians in the midst of persecution
or in the end times. (3) Bad theology of the office and ministry of the New
Testament prophet.
Subsequent posts
will address each of these topics. A final post will address the effects of our
bad theology and how we can do better. It may take me a couple of weeks to
finish, so hang with me and check back occasionally.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Review of That's Why God Made the Radio
The Beach Boys have decided to reform and tour for their 50th anniversary. As their ages all hover around the 70 mark, this is undoubtedly the last hurrah. I will pass on seeing this tour. 30 years ago, their concert vocals were terrible; I can't imagine they've improved.
As is de rigueur with these reunions, the Boys have recorded a new album. A new album declares, We are not just cashing in on a nostalgia tour, but our creative juices are still flowing and we have something to say in new music. Yadda-yadda.
Most of these new albums are mediocre. Often only a couple of songs are even done in that tour and then forgotten forever. It's still the old hits that fans come to see and that's what they get.
(I wanted to make an exception for The Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden, but it hasn't worn well enough for me to even listen to it in the last year.)
That's Why God Made the Radio is no different. Reports are that only the title track and "Isn't It Time" have made the set list. This tour is definitely about nostalgia. She will have fun, fun, fun every night (until daddy...oh, never mind).
This is not a bad album; it is certainly a pleasant enough listen. There's just not a lot to it. The lyrics are still about girls and beaches and going steady (at age 70? really?). In fact, listening to the words on most songs could cause you to wince or even laugh at their ridiculousness. Brian Wilson wrote more mature lyrics in 1966 than in the 2000s (exception: "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" is a clever look at reality TV).
Bruce Johnston was quoted as saying that this album sounded a lot like Sunflower, so I gave that album a listen immediately afterward. Nope. Sunflower is not my favorite Beach Boys album but it had more musical variety, better lyrics and themes, and more inspired performances.
The other thing this album is not musically is a return to the 60s wall-of-sound production that Brian Wilson pioneered, most famously on Pet Sounds. There are no odd instruments or even dozens of them on any track. Musically, it is a fairly straight-ahead new-millenium approach.
The most interesting part of the album, for me, is the closing mini-suite. It ends with "Summer's Gone" which really sounds like a elegy to be be played at Brian's funeral when he is finally completely gone from this earth.
I doubt they will do this song in concert because it would probably be too depressing. But as the album serves as a touchstone for the band to re-claim its ancient legacy, this song then puts it to rest.
As is de rigueur with these reunions, the Boys have recorded a new album. A new album declares, We are not just cashing in on a nostalgia tour, but our creative juices are still flowing and we have something to say in new music. Yadda-yadda.
Most of these new albums are mediocre. Often only a couple of songs are even done in that tour and then forgotten forever. It's still the old hits that fans come to see and that's what they get.
(I wanted to make an exception for The Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden, but it hasn't worn well enough for me to even listen to it in the last year.)
That's Why God Made the Radio is no different. Reports are that only the title track and "Isn't It Time" have made the set list. This tour is definitely about nostalgia. She will have fun, fun, fun every night (until daddy...oh, never mind).
This is not a bad album; it is certainly a pleasant enough listen. There's just not a lot to it. The lyrics are still about girls and beaches and going steady (at age 70? really?). In fact, listening to the words on most songs could cause you to wince or even laugh at their ridiculousness. Brian Wilson wrote more mature lyrics in 1966 than in the 2000s (exception: "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" is a clever look at reality TV).
Bruce Johnston was quoted as saying that this album sounded a lot like Sunflower, so I gave that album a listen immediately afterward. Nope. Sunflower is not my favorite Beach Boys album but it had more musical variety, better lyrics and themes, and more inspired performances.
The other thing this album is not musically is a return to the 60s wall-of-sound production that Brian Wilson pioneered, most famously on Pet Sounds. There are no odd instruments or even dozens of them on any track. Musically, it is a fairly straight-ahead new-millenium approach.
The most interesting part of the album, for me, is the closing mini-suite. It ends with "Summer's Gone" which really sounds like a elegy to be be played at Brian's funeral when he is finally completely gone from this earth.
I doubt they will do this song in concert because it would probably be too depressing. But as the album serves as a touchstone for the band to re-claim its ancient legacy, this song then puts it to rest.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Reject the Fear Mongerers
A few months back, when gasoline was creeping back up toward $4.00 per gallon in our neck of the woods, one of those "experts" said on a news show that gas would shoot up to $5.00 per gallon by Memorial Day. A lot of people heard that report and were concerned.
Well, guess what? Not only did gas prices not skyrocket, but the actually went down. In our city they went from a peak of about $3.89 all the way down to $3.15 on the holiday weekend.
I can't remember the name of the "expert." The news programs don't care; they'll put him back on next time they need a quote and will not remind viewers or his earlier failure.
That's not my reason for writing, however. I think we need to stop listening to the "doom and gloom" prophets who continually predict dire things ahead. Especially when there is nothing we can do about what we are hearing other than fret.
Who remembers the prediction that if South Vietnam fell to the Communists all of southeast Asia would be overrun? Even Australia would be in danger (I'm not making that up). South Vietnam fell. Nothing else happened. (In the meantime, something like 60,000 of our soldiers were killed.)
How about Y2K? The first reports (8-10 years ahead of the event) pointed out a real problem with certain types of computers (and it needed to be fixed). Then the boogeymen got hold of it and every device that had a computer chip in it was going to fail, from your car to the electric grid, to your personal computer, to the entire transportation industry. What really disgusted me was that several Christian authors got on the bandwagon and wrote books warning Christians and advising survival preparation. Some, like Gary North, continue to write books that are carried in Christian bookstores. Most systems that had a real problem were simply replaced with more modern software. There were a few glitches, but they were minor, and affected a tiny number of people.
We as Christians are preconditioned to being manipulated by the fear-mongerers because the Bible does seem to teach that things will get worse before the end and that the end, however it shakes out, will be particularly bad. But this doesn't mean we should allow ourselves to be scared by every frightening prediction that comes down the pike. Rather, we should have confidence in the keeping power of our savior.
Yes, bad things happen and will continue to do so. But let's not be in fear. Let's not let men and women (even if they're Christians) put irrational fear in us to further their own agendas. Let's stand in confidence that, even if the world order collapses and life changes drastically for all of us, that our God will sustain us and take us through.
Well, guess what? Not only did gas prices not skyrocket, but the actually went down. In our city they went from a peak of about $3.89 all the way down to $3.15 on the holiday weekend.
I can't remember the name of the "expert." The news programs don't care; they'll put him back on next time they need a quote and will not remind viewers or his earlier failure.
That's not my reason for writing, however. I think we need to stop listening to the "doom and gloom" prophets who continually predict dire things ahead. Especially when there is nothing we can do about what we are hearing other than fret.
Who remembers the prediction that if South Vietnam fell to the Communists all of southeast Asia would be overrun? Even Australia would be in danger (I'm not making that up). South Vietnam fell. Nothing else happened. (In the meantime, something like 60,000 of our soldiers were killed.)
How about Y2K? The first reports (8-10 years ahead of the event) pointed out a real problem with certain types of computers (and it needed to be fixed). Then the boogeymen got hold of it and every device that had a computer chip in it was going to fail, from your car to the electric grid, to your personal computer, to the entire transportation industry. What really disgusted me was that several Christian authors got on the bandwagon and wrote books warning Christians and advising survival preparation. Some, like Gary North, continue to write books that are carried in Christian bookstores. Most systems that had a real problem were simply replaced with more modern software. There were a few glitches, but they were minor, and affected a tiny number of people.
We as Christians are preconditioned to being manipulated by the fear-mongerers because the Bible does seem to teach that things will get worse before the end and that the end, however it shakes out, will be particularly bad. But this doesn't mean we should allow ourselves to be scared by every frightening prediction that comes down the pike. Rather, we should have confidence in the keeping power of our savior.
Yes, bad things happen and will continue to do so. But let's not be in fear. Let's not let men and women (even if they're Christians) put irrational fear in us to further their own agendas. Let's stand in confidence that, even if the world order collapses and life changes drastically for all of us, that our God will sustain us and take us through.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Review of Neil Young's Americana
When you're a legend like Neil Young, you sometimes start to act like one. Remember Trans? Or Everybody's Rocking? Or This Note's For You? Or even Mirror Ball? Albums of musical styles that were not really in his wheelhouse but that, seemingly on a whim, he wanted to play. Most artists used to be forced to keep these tapes to themselves. In the internet age you can put them out digitally on your own "label."
Not for Neil, however. All of the albums listed above were released on whatever label he was on at the time. So if fans just went out an picked up the latest Neil Young album and got one of these without hearing anything about it first, they may well have been a bit disappointed.
Neil's newest album is title Americana and is being put out on Reprise Records. He is pushing it heavily on his web-site and on Facebook and if you are so inclined you can listen to the entire album for a short time at Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/album-premiere-neil-young-and-crazy-horse-americana-20120528).
The album's premise is taking old folk songs and doing them Crazy Horse style, or as Neil puts it: "They're songs we all know from kindergarden, but Crazy Horse has rearranged them, and they now belong to us."
The results are no different than you might expect. Crashing guitars and bad harmonies are a staple of the Crazy Horse sound and they are front and center here. Most songs have been so rearranged that they bear little resemblance to the original other than you remember the lyrics.
While there are few interesting moments ("This Land is My Land" and "God Save the Queen"), the result is bad. I am a fan of the sloppy Crazy Horse treatment of many of Neil's songs, but it just doesn't work here.
As I alluded to at the outset, this should have been a private release album (if at all) at a reduced price for his fans. Neil has always followed the beat of a different drummer and this album is no exception.
Not for Neil, however. All of the albums listed above were released on whatever label he was on at the time. So if fans just went out an picked up the latest Neil Young album and got one of these without hearing anything about it first, they may well have been a bit disappointed.
Neil's newest album is title Americana and is being put out on Reprise Records. He is pushing it heavily on his web-site and on Facebook and if you are so inclined you can listen to the entire album for a short time at Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/album-premiere-neil-young-and-crazy-horse-americana-20120528).
The album's premise is taking old folk songs and doing them Crazy Horse style, or as Neil puts it: "They're songs we all know from kindergarden, but Crazy Horse has rearranged them, and they now belong to us."
The results are no different than you might expect. Crashing guitars and bad harmonies are a staple of the Crazy Horse sound and they are front and center here. Most songs have been so rearranged that they bear little resemblance to the original other than you remember the lyrics.
While there are few interesting moments ("This Land is My Land" and "God Save the Queen"), the result is bad. I am a fan of the sloppy Crazy Horse treatment of many of Neil's songs, but it just doesn't work here.
As I alluded to at the outset, this should have been a private release album (if at all) at a reduced price for his fans. Neil has always followed the beat of a different drummer and this album is no exception.
SBL Starting a Qu'ran Society?
In a news release the Society for Biblical Literature announced that it had received a grant to start a corresponding society to study the Qu'ran. According to the news release, it would be a separate organization doing for the Qu'ran what SBL does for the Bible (insert your own liberal joke here).
This is not going to be some alarmist post about Islam taking over the Bible or some such nonsense. I might have more serious questions if it were going to be done within SBL, but have no problem with a separate organization.
But I do have questions and really wonder how well this has been thought out.
1. Are there enough Islamic scholars that such an organization could be self-sustaining? There are obviously enough Muslims in the world, but college-level scholars? Perhaps I will be surprised at the number.
2. Islam has not exactly been tolerant of non-religious study of the Qu'ran. Non-religious scholars within SBL are always moaning about those of us who see more than sociology in the Bible but want to talk about theology. It's one thing for churchmen to get upset with scholars who don't toe their own theological line, but what will happen when some paper is presented at SQS (proposed name--Society for Qu'ranic Studies) casting doubt on the origins of the Qu'ran or point out that it is hostile to women? Will the society and its scholars receive the Salman Rushdie treatment?
I don't know how this is going to work out, but those are my initial thoughts.
This is not going to be some alarmist post about Islam taking over the Bible or some such nonsense. I might have more serious questions if it were going to be done within SBL, but have no problem with a separate organization.
But I do have questions and really wonder how well this has been thought out.
1. Are there enough Islamic scholars that such an organization could be self-sustaining? There are obviously enough Muslims in the world, but college-level scholars? Perhaps I will be surprised at the number.
2. Islam has not exactly been tolerant of non-religious study of the Qu'ran. Non-religious scholars within SBL are always moaning about those of us who see more than sociology in the Bible but want to talk about theology. It's one thing for churchmen to get upset with scholars who don't toe their own theological line, but what will happen when some paper is presented at SQS (proposed name--Society for Qu'ranic Studies) casting doubt on the origins of the Qu'ran or point out that it is hostile to women? Will the society and its scholars receive the Salman Rushdie treatment?
I don't know how this is going to work out, but those are my initial thoughts.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Review of John Mayer's Born and Raised
In the past, I have ignored John Mayer. Besides having all the morals of an alley-cat, his music was just pure pop and I don't care much for it.
I did catch him on TV a couple of times in his blues phase and was pleasantly surprised. He is actually a very good blues guitarist.
The other day a friend told me that the new album, Born and Raised, was supposed to be a folk album and pretty good. So I sat down and gave it three listens on Spotify.
Short version: I might happily listen to the album again on Spotify, but I have no intention of buying it.
Longer version: Critics have been favorably impressed. They seem to think that this is a departure from his pop days and is a blend of folk and Americana. Some have even invoked the names Bob Dylan and Neil Young. I'm sorry, but it takes more than adding a harmonica to mix it up with that company.
It's not a bad record. It's just a little dull without any standout lyrics or melodies to cut through the mellowness. The name that most often came into my head while listening was Jack Johnson; it definitely has that kind of a vibe but, unfortunately, of his mellower cuts.
I don't want to talk about individual tracks because one is pretty much like another.
If you already like John Mayer, I think this album will satisfy you. If you like Jack Johnson, you will also probably like this album. If you want real Americana music, you will be disappointed.
I did catch him on TV a couple of times in his blues phase and was pleasantly surprised. He is actually a very good blues guitarist.
The other day a friend told me that the new album, Born and Raised, was supposed to be a folk album and pretty good. So I sat down and gave it three listens on Spotify.
Short version: I might happily listen to the album again on Spotify, but I have no intention of buying it.
Longer version: Critics have been favorably impressed. They seem to think that this is a departure from his pop days and is a blend of folk and Americana. Some have even invoked the names Bob Dylan and Neil Young. I'm sorry, but it takes more than adding a harmonica to mix it up with that company.
It's not a bad record. It's just a little dull without any standout lyrics or melodies to cut through the mellowness. The name that most often came into my head while listening was Jack Johnson; it definitely has that kind of a vibe but, unfortunately, of his mellower cuts.
I don't want to talk about individual tracks because one is pretty much like another.
If you already like John Mayer, I think this album will satisfy you. If you like Jack Johnson, you will also probably like this album. If you want real Americana music, you will be disappointed.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
How to Make District Leadership Younger
The elections at this year's SOMO District Council is instructive for all who wish to see younger or more progressive leadership than we have been used to. Though I am no longer young, my experience and observations can help the under 40 group which feels so left out.
(By the way, I am excited about the vision that our relatively new Superintendent Don Miller brought to us. It's not just the age, it's progressive thinking.)
There is much clamoring for an under-40 presbyter or executive presbyter as we see in other districts and at the national level. I would vote for such a thing but that's not where change will come from. Think about it. If we added an under-40 presbyter, he/she would be added to the 13 sectional presbyters, 1 ethnic presbyter, 4 executive presbyters and 3 executive officers to be 1 out of 22. That's not much of a voice. If we had an under 40 executive presbyter, we would add him/her to the 4 regional executive presbyters and 3 executive officers so he/she would be 1 of 8. A better voice, but still fairly muted.
Neither is it realistic to think that the under 40 group could come into the next election in 4 years and band together to elect some agreed upon candidate to one of the top jobs. You may not like it, but there is a process that the electorate tends to follow. What we need to do is work the system to our advantage.
What the recent elections (and past ones) tell us is this: Executive officers are elected from the ranks of the executive presbyters and executive presbyters are elected from the ranks of sectional presbyters. So the long range plan has to be to get younger and more progressive thinking people elected to the presbytery. Impossible, you say? Let me explain how it is done.
I am now 55, but I served as a presbyter in Southern California at the young age of 36. I think I was the youngest at the time, but there have been younger. I never set out to play the political game to become a presbyter, but I accidentally stumbled on the secrets. Here they are.
(1) Go to all sectional functions. I went to some fun meetings and some pretty boring ones. But the point is I was there and everyone learned who I was. There's an old saying: "The secret of success is just showing up."
(2) Participate and serve when asked. Make yourself available to become the youth rep or men's rep or whatever else you are asked to do. If your section does the church-service meeting, offer to lead singing (and keep your electric guitar in the closet for now). This shows you respect the system and your fellow ministers.
(3) Pay attention to everyone. I was a young senior pastor, but I talked to everyone including the retired ministers and unpaid assistant pastors. I was genuinely interested in them and when the time came, they voted for me.
(4) Talk to the presbyter and others in sectional leadership. Make suggestions about different kinds of meetings and activities. Most of them are in a rut but would welcome ideas (and the organizing help) to do something a little different.
(5) Then when positions come open, look around for younger or at least more progressive thinkers and elect them to the sectional committee positions and eventually presbyter. Perhaps you will be that person. Then who knows what may happen.
When I type it out like this, it seems a little Machiavellian, but I want you to understand that was never my intent when I got involved in my section. I just wanted the fellowship and I really liked people, even the ones who were more old-fashioned than I was. I never set out to become presbyter, but after a couple of years, I though, Why not me? When asked to serve on a mission committee, I did. When asked to help with a fund-raising project for church planting I did. And when the presbyter job came open, I supported a friend who had new ideas. He was elected and I was elected to his position on the committee. Just six months later, he was elected executive presbyter and I was elected to take his place.
I agree that the leadership of this district has been stuck in the past, partly because it is a little too old. But I'm here to tell you that it can change, but only as younger people get involved.
(By the way, I am excited about the vision that our relatively new Superintendent Don Miller brought to us. It's not just the age, it's progressive thinking.)
There is much clamoring for an under-40 presbyter or executive presbyter as we see in other districts and at the national level. I would vote for such a thing but that's not where change will come from. Think about it. If we added an under-40 presbyter, he/she would be added to the 13 sectional presbyters, 1 ethnic presbyter, 4 executive presbyters and 3 executive officers to be 1 out of 22. That's not much of a voice. If we had an under 40 executive presbyter, we would add him/her to the 4 regional executive presbyters and 3 executive officers so he/she would be 1 of 8. A better voice, but still fairly muted.
Neither is it realistic to think that the under 40 group could come into the next election in 4 years and band together to elect some agreed upon candidate to one of the top jobs. You may not like it, but there is a process that the electorate tends to follow. What we need to do is work the system to our advantage.
What the recent elections (and past ones) tell us is this: Executive officers are elected from the ranks of the executive presbyters and executive presbyters are elected from the ranks of sectional presbyters. So the long range plan has to be to get younger and more progressive thinking people elected to the presbytery. Impossible, you say? Let me explain how it is done.
I am now 55, but I served as a presbyter in Southern California at the young age of 36. I think I was the youngest at the time, but there have been younger. I never set out to play the political game to become a presbyter, but I accidentally stumbled on the secrets. Here they are.
(1) Go to all sectional functions. I went to some fun meetings and some pretty boring ones. But the point is I was there and everyone learned who I was. There's an old saying: "The secret of success is just showing up."
(2) Participate and serve when asked. Make yourself available to become the youth rep or men's rep or whatever else you are asked to do. If your section does the church-service meeting, offer to lead singing (and keep your electric guitar in the closet for now). This shows you respect the system and your fellow ministers.
(3) Pay attention to everyone. I was a young senior pastor, but I talked to everyone including the retired ministers and unpaid assistant pastors. I was genuinely interested in them and when the time came, they voted for me.
(4) Talk to the presbyter and others in sectional leadership. Make suggestions about different kinds of meetings and activities. Most of them are in a rut but would welcome ideas (and the organizing help) to do something a little different.
(5) Then when positions come open, look around for younger or at least more progressive thinkers and elect them to the sectional committee positions and eventually presbyter. Perhaps you will be that person. Then who knows what may happen.
When I type it out like this, it seems a little Machiavellian, but I want you to understand that was never my intent when I got involved in my section. I just wanted the fellowship and I really liked people, even the ones who were more old-fashioned than I was. I never set out to become presbyter, but after a couple of years, I though, Why not me? When asked to serve on a mission committee, I did. When asked to help with a fund-raising project for church planting I did. And when the presbyter job came open, I supported a friend who had new ideas. He was elected and I was elected to his position on the committee. Just six months later, he was elected executive presbyter and I was elected to take his place.
I agree that the leadership of this district has been stuck in the past, partly because it is a little too old. But I'm here to tell you that it can change, but only as younger people get involved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
