Firing the 20 for the 80

I subscribe to Seth Godin's blog. I enjoy reading his leadership and organizational insights. They usually spur me on when I need a kick in the tail.

In the interview below, he speaks of a hotel owner who "fires" 20% of his customers so that he can focus on the other 80%. Having a clientele devoted to a particular vision allows the provider to focus on that vision. How do you get that clientele? Seth suggests firing those not on board. Risky? Controversial? Yes.

I know Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg UMC has said, "The biggest growth we ever had was from 100 to 60." Mike essentially "fired" attenders of his church and lead the church to devote their ministry to a core that ended up growing exponentially. To this day, he is unflexing in regard to the aims and direction of the church...food for thought. Lots of good stuff here, check out the video.

Exclusive interview with Seth Godin from GiANT Impact on Vimeo.

A Weekend of Ups and Downs...but More Ups!

Purdue lost to, 10th place in the B1G, Iowa. A team everyone has mauled, except IU, we lost in what was amazingly only a one point loss. We didn't hustle or play hard, and the shots didn't go in the bucket. That always equals a loss in the B1G.

Other than that, though, it was a great weekend. The local Girl Scouts had an overnight and joined us for worship. It was fun having almost 30 girls and their parents join us worshiping God!

I've been wanting to fix some sound equipment issues, and I invited Terry LeMaster to check it out. Friends from CCUMC, Terry brought his whole family, and we had a great time after church.

Later in the evening, Steph and I did Youth Group. The bright spot of any week, the DVD was very powerful. John Ortberg's The Me I Want to Be is OK, but this video was worth the entire lesson.

What a great weekend!

Back From Vacation!

I'm back from a much needed vacation. It was a wonderful time...

I went to two days of continuing education at Duke. It was awesome listening to N.T. Wright and Rob Bell share their insights and thoughts regarding God and ministry.

After that we stayed at a beach house on Topsail Beach, NC. Wow! It was really nice...best of all, some friends of ours owned it and blessed us with a gift of staying there with no cost. Talk about a great vacation :)

If you're interested in pics from Uncle John's funeral, Duke, our trip just click on each of the links for my FB page pics! Sorry, but you have to be my FB friend to see them...

The Church & U2: Grace

Sermon Snip-It:

It's only been in the last few years of my own faith journey that I've begun to understand the true horror of karma [the 'baggage' of bad deeds that determine who you are]. It is to me the most evil side of religion. For its result is to wall away those that we humans deem unworthy, too dirty, too bad, or unloved by God. We wall them away, cast them aside, and pretend like they are not there...all around us. And brothers and sisters, let's not pretend that we aren't doing it, too, right here in [insert where you are]...

And that's what is so amazing about the message of Jesus: No karma. That's what's so amazing about Grace: No more karma. God doesn't hate you for what you've done. You don't deserve living in a slum. No one "earned" being disabled. Grace makes beauty out of everything. It was a revolutionary idea in Jesus' day, and it's just as big an idea today.

New District Superintendent Coming

Dale Mendenhall has been the Muncie District Superintendent for several years. Dale is a great guy, an awesome "boss", and a wonderful peer (in a profession that lacks peer sociality). I was very sad to see him moving back to the pastorate...but at least it's close!

That being said, we have a new DS coming. Click here to read more about David Byrum.

Haitian Disaster

The disaster in Haiti continues even though CNN coverage wanes...

Below are a few good links relating to the disaster that might be of interest:

• Why God? - A pastor's reflections on the Why's and So What's.
• UMCOR's Work in Haiti
• A Story of Song and Hope
• The Power of Compassion - A Girl's efforts to raise money for Haiti

Speedlinking

Here's another set of great links to explore...

1. If the UMC really means this...wow! It sounds great. Now to implement it.
2. Kem Meyer has a good video for those skeptical of the social network media on internet. But then again, I doubt you are if you're reading this :)
3. People always scoff when I say that we MUST be working on the ethical considerations of AI. Will we enslave? Will we treat non-biologicals as equals? Partners? Will we marry them???? Oh, wait, someone's already doing that...yes, really!
4. Oh, please, God let this be the end...Unfortunately, Oprah might be just springboarding to something else.
5. The UMC is now actively engaging in a vigorous, 'grass-roots' marketing campaign. What do you think? Good idea to reach people in relevant ways? Or, missing the mark of what it means to share faith?
6. This blog by Kathy Escobar is truly an amazing blessing to me. Her passion for the Church being an authentic community of faith gives me hope when ministry isn't feeling great.
7. Seth Godin has a great post on "How to lose an online argument." Most of it applies to any discussion, yet...somehow we miss that!

Worship Changes

This coming Sunday, we'll be making some changes to our format of worship. It's been in process for a while now, but we are taking the leap this week.

We've had a few changes along the way, and for the most part, people have stepped up and responded positively to change. However, this is a change of worship. We are including more contemporary elements, streamlining flow, and hopefully creating a place for visitors to feel welcome.

I'm not a huge fan of blended worship, but after talking with so many people, I think we are ready to start...I think we are past time to start...But, blended worship is a compromise that includes older hymns, contemporary songs, liturgy, and videos. There's something for everyone, and something for everyone to say, "It's not my style, but the person next to me is enjoying it."

My prayer is that we can make it through this transition well, glorifying God, and reaching out to our community in order to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Why? What? How?

Why does a U2 concert feel more worshipful than a typical, mainline church service to a born and raised mainline, UMC pastor?

Moreover, what, if anything, can we do to help people connect in the life of faith and worship?

Most of all: What can we do in our local churches to bring a spirit of worship that helps people experience the tranforming grace of God?

Seth Godin is Talking to the Church!

See his statments here.*





*disclaimer: Seth Godin isn't really talking TO the Church, yet what he's saying applies to our churches...specifically many of the UMC's I've visited.

UMC Amendments or Brokenness?

There are some significant amendments to the Book of Discipline and to the structure of the United Methodist Church. You may check them out here. These were passed at General Conference 2008, but need a passing vote from the Annual Conference members of all Annual Conferences.

While I am VERY excited for the United Methodist Church to acknowledge its global nature, I am very disappointed that we are taking innocuous steps toward accepting homosexuality.

For clarification, one amendment regarding membership in the Book of Discipline comes after a controversy of a pastor denying membership to an openly practicing homosexual. The pastor was unjustly defrocked without pay by his bishop until the Judicial Council voted his actions within UMC pastoral discretion. Unfortunately, the bishops banded together under a concern of episcopal authority and wrote a weak letter in support of the offending bishop's actions.

At stake now, is the very essence of membership. It is about being in a "club" or is it a vow of discipleship and faithful living?

Membership is not a "right." Membership is a declaration of lifestyle and intentionality to discipleship. If homosexuality is a sin, as the Bible clearly indicates and as the UMC has stated, then the act of unrepentant homosexuality is an obstacle to membership...

Just as unrepentant adultery, lying, stealing, lusting, pride, greed, overboard consumption of resources, etc., are wrong and should be a red flag for membership, so too should unrepentant homosexuality.

We can't pick our sins just because out culture says that something is OK. Why have membership if anyone and everyone has a "right" to it? Isn't that just the same as constituent? To be fair, I have noticed that many vibrant and growing churches dismiss "membership" as status all together.

I may have to evaluate if I do another membership class...Why waste the time of people getting up front and saying, "Nothing's changed. I sat in some classes, and now I stand up here taking vows that anyone could take and not mean."

It seems to me that we are taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back as we continue to water down what it means to be disciple of Jesus Christ.