Winter time fun
in the spirit of the snow day here are a couple of pics from our winter so far
Multi-site churches- USATODAY.com
Multi-site churches: A new variety of religious experience – USATODAY.com
My dad sent me this link today and I thought it was a great article I think that this really is the way that we can mutiply ministry in the best possible way.
A big question I have is how this would trickle down to some of the sub-ministries like youth ministry. Would there be an area youth ministry. Would there be a central location for the youth and other specific mininstries to build community throughout the larger community? I guess it could be done a number of different ways, but it woudl depend on location, size, dynamic and other factors as well.
Here is a piece of the article. Please take a read of the whole thing
Green recognizes, “We’re just not looking for that kind of relationship with a pastor anymore. Today, it’s all about a personal relationship with God, not the culture of a church. And a megachurch or a multisite church can still offer this. If you are there to hear a message and it’s a powerful one, it shouldn’t matter how it’s delivered.”
“Even if people are just watching the senior pastor on a screen, they are still gathering, as the Bible commands, they are still serving the poor, engaging in worship and study, and encouraging one another,” says Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research in Nashville, which studies church trends.
Protestant churches are not the only houses of worship to have multiple sites.
A few downtown Jewish synagogues developed secondary sites as members moved to the suburbs in the 1970s.
In the past five years many major Catholic dioceses, faced with low budgets and a shortage of priests, consolidated parishes and sent priests to serve “clusters” of parishes that still retain a distinct identity.
But it is chiefly young evangelical Protestants who have embraced the multichurch idea.
Craig Groeschel wanted to branch out in 1996 when he was a 28-year-old Methodist pastor, but denominational leaders deemed him too young to plant a new church. He went anyway, “to engage with people like myself.”
Now his LifeChurch.tv is the second-largest church in the USA. From Edmund, Okla., his sermons are beamed to 26,776 people gathering every weekend for worship and fellowship at 13 meeting sites or “campuses” from Phoenix to Albany, N.Y.
Groeschel sees the multi-site route as a way to offer a classic evangelical message — “the Bible is true and salvation is only by grace” — at bargain volume rates. His website boasts that LifeChurch.tv reached 1 million people in July, at a cost of 7 cents each. “For us, multisite is only a tool, nothing more,” he says.
Primal:Review
Over the past week or so i have had the opportunity to read Mark Batterson’s new book entitled Primal:A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity. Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church and the author of Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day.
In his newest book Batterson invites readers to journey with him down the stairs of an ancient catacomb where we are able to strip away some of the superfluous layers of Christianity and come back to the primal heart of the faith. Throughout the book Mark explores the what that we are called to learn how to love God better (with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength). This is his take on how we live out the Greatest Commandment that Jesus reminds us of.
Batterson is a passionate follower of Jesus that offers up practical ways to put faith into action. Throughout the book i found myself captured by his stories. Truly the highlight for my personal reading was the section about loving God with your whole mind. Mark makes the point that as faithful stewards.that we must keep learning all that we can so that we may come to know God more fully. As someone who ministers to youth and young people I appreciated the way that the door was flung open on creativity, innovation and taking risks for the Kingdom. I found myself shaking my head after reading Mark’s words about the Church as a place where curiosity thrives. he writes:
The church ought to be the most curious place on the planet. We ought to be a safe place where people can ask dangerous questions, but all too often we’re guilty of answering the questions that no one is even asking. we out to be challenging the status quo, but all too often we are defending it.
I think that these words get to the heart of why people feel like the church is such a minor detail in their lives: it is not a place where they feel they can be vulnerable and ask the hard questions (it anything they feel like they need to wear a mask), and it is all to often not relevant.
I feel like this would make a great sermon series for my congregation or youth ministry. I could also see where it would be a great small group curriculum too. All in all Batterson does not disappoint and I feel like it is a book that I would love my leadership team to read together in the new year.
If you would like to check our his other books you can find them on Amazon.com through these links:
New shirts new look
After some time of jingling around in my mind, I finally put design to ink and came up with this logo on a soccer style jersey. I am really excited about it, and just wanted to share a couple of pictures.
Here is another of my Screening “lab” in the basement.
Homeless for a Night Recap
An Article by Carlee Lammers
The youth of Middletown United Methodist Church held a Homeless for a Night event on Dec. 5-6 to raise awareness of homelessness and hunger not only in the surrounding communities, but across the United States. Approximately 82 children in Middletown live under the poverty level, 1,140 people in Frederick County face homelessness every year, and nationwide as many as 3.5 million people experience being homeless.
After being confronted with these hard facts the youth of MUMC challenged their congregation to make an impact in regards to this immense issue. They started the event off with a door-to-door canned food collection asking for items that were in great need by the Middletown Food Bank. The youth were able to collect over 650 canned food and personal care items.
For dinner they traded in their usual pizza and soda, for a simpler diet of rice and beans, which is very similar to what two-thirds of the world eats on a daily basis. Members of their congregation came to share their own personal testimonies of their experiences with homelessness and hunger. The members shared their eye opening experiences of being out on the streets, stereotyped, cold, hungry, and worst of all lonely and empty.
“(I think) the worst part is the treatment they receive and the emotional pain from knowing that no one wants you- your family, your friends, no one,” said member of MUMC youth group Sayre Posey.
The youth then broke into groups, and each group was given five-dollars to purchase healthy food to feed a family of four for one day. They then realized just how difficult it is to feed a family a healthy meal on such a limited budget.
” It made me realize how quickly you can spend 5 dollars and not even have a full meal, which made shopping really hard,” said MUMC youth group member Meagan Parker.
The whole MUMC congregation raised five-hundred-sixty-dollars to be donated towards heating homes in the local area, packed 142 shoeboxes with Christmas presents for children around the world, and given gifts to men at the Frederick Rescue Mission.
The youth along with their congregation aren’t stopping now. They made plans to continue to raise awareness and be in ministry to the homeless and hungry community.
Giving thanks
During this thanksgiving week i have heard many storied, sermons and reflections about what it is to be thankful. The one that has stuck with me was one from Katie’s thanksgiving sermon when she talked about the the Jewish tradition of prayer called berakhot. This is a daily practice where the pray-er gives thanks for 100 things.
On Thanksgiving Day I went on a run, and to pass the time I tried out berakhot and made my mental list. I don’t know how many I got up to (Katie wrote hers down…smart), but toward the end of the run there were many like: cars, the wheel, not having to walk everywhere. This practice has gotten me to think about the things that I have neglected to give thanks for like running water, heat and clothing. I am working on typing up my list, but while I am, what are you most thankful for? Make your list with me.
A call to Do Big things
This is my talk from the weekend. I am really excited about the next couple of weeks as wee look to service and making a very visible statement about the hungry and homeless in our community.
I have heard about 15 stories of people doing great things since Sunday. Way to go.
MUMC Sermon November 22, 2009 from Middletown United Methodist Ch on Vimeo.
What If Jesus Meant All That Stuff?
What If Jesus Meant All That Stuff?
I love Shane. Here is a snippet of a letter he wrote for esquire.com
To all my nonbelieving, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Christians who have had so much to say with our mouths and so little to show with our lives. I am sorry that so often we have forgotten the Christ of our Christianity.
Forgive us. Forgive us for the embarrassing things we have done in the name of God.
The other night I headed into downtown Philly for a stroll with some friends from out of town. We walked down to Penn’s Landing along the river, where there are street performers, artists, musicians. We passed a great magician who did some pretty sweet tricks like pour change out of his iPhone, and then there was a preacher. He wasn’t quite as captivating as the magician. He stood on a box, yelling into a microphone, and beside him was a coffin with a fake dead body inside. He talked about how we are all going to die and go to hell if we don’t know Jesus.
Some folks snickered. Some told him to shut the hell up. A couple of teenagers tried to steal the dead body in the coffin. All I could do was think to myself, I want to jump up on a box beside him and yell at the top of my lungs, “God is not a monster.” Maybe next time I will.
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Homeless for a Night : lifeforceyouth.com
I am getting really excited about our “Homeless for a Night” event. I think it is going to be a really great mercy and justice event that raises all kinds of awareness.
Here is a promo video of our youth challenging the congregation that will go along with my sermon this weekend.
Homeless for a night from Chris Bishop on Vimeo.